Lin Wanyu's heartfelt pleas for him to stay were fruitless, so she offered to drive Gao Yuan home. But this time, too, Gao Yuan refused.
He didn't want to make Lin Wanyu run back and forth late at night. She'd had a rough time from last night until today, and it was about time she got some proper rest.
After being rejected twice, Lin Wanyu decided to play hardball.
She cornered him on the sofa, making sure Gao Yuan gave her the last ten minutes of the month before she would let him leave.
...
It was already 9 p.m. by the time Gao Yuan returned to his bachelor pad in Navi City.
He hadn't spent the night at home, and after opening the door, the apartment felt a little cold and empty.
First, he texted Lin Wanyu to let her know he'd made it home safely, telling her to get some rest. Then, he flipped on all the lights, changed into some loungewear, and gave the entire apartment a good cleaning.
It wasn't until he had washed up and was lying in bed that he started to feel more at ease.
Although Gao Yuan was starting to get a middle-aged paunch, his life was more disciplined than that of most single men.
At the very least, his home was always kept neat and clean. Every woman who had visited his home praised him endlessly for it. This might just be an innate Virgo trait.
Lying in bed, Gao Yuan didn't go to sleep right away. Instead, as was his habit, he reviewed his day.
Ever since his Money Ability awakened, his luck seemed to have gotten much better. He'd gone out for a drink and had a chance encounter with a rare beauty like Lin Wanyu.
Especially with the double cashback task the system activated today. It had caused his assets to skyrocket from seventy or eighty thousand to over half a million, giving him a much-needed sense of security.
Gao Yuan didn't plan to transfer this money directly to his parents to save for him, nor did he want to spend it recklessly.
Some money is just money.
But some money isn't just money. It's money that can bring added value.
Take today, for instance. If Gao Yuan had had half a million in his account, he could have easily spent up to the system's limit on Lin Wanyu, which would have maximized his cashback.
He didn't know what kind of tasks the system would issue in the future, but since it was called the Money Ability, it had to be inextricably linked to money.
He'd probably have to resign and hand over his work tomorrow, which meant his 300,000-a-year salary would be gone. The system's current cashback limit was still too low. He needed to find new sources of income and cut back on spending.
Having roughly summarized his situation, Gao Yuan set the goal of focusing on money. He leaned against the headboard, opened TikTok, and began his "aesthetic improvement training."
Pretty girl dancing—like, swipe up. Another pretty girl dancing—like, swipe up again.
Gao Yuan scrolled for a while and couldn't help but sigh in admiration, "The internet was right!"
Watching pretty girls dance, admiring their long legs and shapely figures—it not only soothes the mind and soul, but it also extends your life, fights aging, and prevents depression.
His mood improved a bit. Gao Yuan continued scrolling through short videos, but he unexpectedly came across a motivational video, which surprised him. 'TikTok's algorithm is pushing this stuff to me? Does it think I'm not working hard enough?'
He had to admit, the captions on these motivational videos, paired with the music and clips, were incredibly uplifting. After watching one, Gao Yuan felt totally pumped.
On a whim, he chose a few photos Lin Wanyu had taken of him today and posted his first video to his TikTok account:
[I'm financially free. How should I live to make my life more exciting?]
Who knew that after posting, he only got likes from a few female streamers he'd watched before, and not a single comment.
Gao Yuan also knew that treating his account like a personal social media feed would hardly get any traffic. So he continued his "aesthetic improvement" and waited for midnight to arrive.
After scrolling through short videos for nearly two hours, Gao Yuan felt his aesthetic sense had improved quite a bit for the day.
Finally, midnight arrived.
As his phone's text message notification sounded with a DING, not only was the 100 yuan daily cashback added to his account, but a task completion notification also sounded.
[DING! The double cashback task is complete. You have one task reward to claim.]
With a thought, he claimed the task reward.
A blue card appeared on his attribute panel. "High-tier" was written at the top, with "Execution Ability" displayed in large characters in the middle.
He chose to use it immediately. The High-tier Execution Card instantly shattered and disappeared, but Gao Yuan didn't feel any change in himself.
With the reward claimed, Gao Yuan had nothing else to look forward to. He told his Xiao Ai assistant to set an alarm for 5:30 a.m. and fell asleep shortly after lying down.
The sleeping Gao Yuan didn't know what had changed about him, but from setting the alarm to falling asleep, it had only taken him ten minutes.
In the past, after setting his alarm, he would have definitely lain there and scrolled through his phone for a while. It would have taken him at least half an hour to fall asleep.
This was the effect of High-tier Execution Ability!
Moreover, the most useful aspect of High-tier Execution Ability was in work and study. It would make handling tasks much easier and allow for a deeper level of immersion when learning.
「The next morning, at 5:30 a.m.」
A series of rooster crows rang out in Gao Yuan's apartment. This was his special alarm clock.
Instead of hitting snooze as he usually would, Gao Yuan woke up, habitually glanced at his phone, slipped on the robe he'd left by his bed, and got up to wash his face.
After washing up, he changed into a set of workout clothes and began his first day of fitness training.
In November, at six in the morning in Hangzhou, the sky was still a bit dark, and the residential complex was very quiet.
Gao Yuan ran along the path to the complex gate, greeted the surprised security guard, and then started jogging toward the Qiantang River.
Having not exercised for so long, he didn't dare to run fast. Even this slow jog was making his breathing heavy.
By the time Gao Yuan reached the bank of the Qiantang River, he was already gasping for breath.
He opened the distance tracking app on his phone and saw that he had just run two kilometers, and it had taken him over ten minutes. After a short rest, Gao Yuan continued running along the riverbank.
The air along the way was very fresh, and he wasn't the only one out for a morning run, which gave Gao Yuan a boost of motivation.
After running another kilometer along the Qiantang River, Gao Yuan gradually slowed his pace, walked a few hundred meters more, and then started to head back.
By the time he made it home, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead, it was already bright outside, and the time was 8 a.m.
In other words, it took Gao Yuan an hour to complete his 6-kilometer morning run, for an average speed of six kilometers per hour.
Although he took breaks in between,
seeing this result, Gao Yuan found it a bit hard to believe.
'Am I really in such bad shape now?'
After resting on a chair for ten-odd minutes, Gao Yuan took a shower and started making today's breakfast.
He always ate breakfast, and it was usually quite simple: a glass of warm milk, a steamed egg, a small squash, and a homemade tomato and beef brisket bun.
He made these tomato and beef brisket buns once a week, making ten at a time, which was just enough for the week.
Of course, he didn't always make tomato and beef brisket buns. Sometimes he would make three-delicacy buns or New Orleans-style chicken leg buns.
And don't think that steaming buns is difficult—it was something Gao Yuan had learned from his mom.
Mixing the dough, letting it rise, preparing the filling, wrapping the buns, and then putting them in the steamer.
He had learned this whole process from his mom back when he was in high school.
If you really had to ask why, it could only be because kids from poor families have to grow up fast.
While he was eating, Lin Wanyu replied to his text, encouraging him for actually starting to work out.
Gao Yuan remembered that it was time to make buns again today. He told Lin Wanyu he was about to make some at home and asked if she wanted any.
Lin Wanyu was quite surprised to hear that Gao Yuan could even make buns. Plenty of men knew how to cook these days, but not many could make steamed buns.
Having eaten Gao Yuan's cooking before, she figured his buns must be delicious too, and immediately offered to come over and help.
Faced with Lin Wanyu's enthusiasm, Gao Yuan didn't refuse. He sent her his address and apartment number directly.
「One hour later.」
Gao Yuan hadn't been back from the supermarket for long when he heard a knock on the door.
Wearing an apron, he came out of the kitchen to open the door, but...