Chapter 3: Ten Thousand Daily Cashback
"Right, I haven't gone to the restroom for a while!"
Suddenly, in a flash of inspiration, Zhang Yang thought of something and immediately felt enlightened.
He quickly stood up and walked toward the restroom.
Inside the restroom, accompanied by the pleasant system notification sound in his mind, the task was finally completed!
'Ding!'
[Task (Completed)]
Lose 10 kg (~22 lbs) within one month
[Rewards]
No excess skin ever; 5 experience points
[Host Level]
Level 2 (0/10)
[Daily Cashback]
10000
[You have an upgrade gift package waiting to be claimed.]
'It's done, finally done!' Zhang Yang didn't even have time to carefully examine the system. Only one thought kept circling in his mind.
Level 2. Ten thousand cashback a day!
Originally, he had just been a young man from a third-tier coastal city. He attended a lousy junior college and struggled day after day in the Shanghai, living a life where he could see the ending at a glance.
He was so ordinary, so mediocre. There had never been any sign of hope on him…
But now…
He walked out of the restroom and looked at the lights of the Shanghai outside the window in the distance.
Finally, he could calmly possess his own share of the prosperity and brilliance of the Shanghai.
It was no exaggeration to say that Zhang Yang's nose stung and he almost burst into tears-not because of the sudden transformation going to his head, but because he had been mediocre for far too long, living far too many days of confusion without seeing any hope.
Just as he sat back down at his workstation, a figure stood beside him.
"Brother Zhang, have some. I heard you haven't eaten anything all day." Bei Wei placed the pizza box in front of Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang looked up. A pretty face was looking at him expectantly.
In front of him, the sweet aroma of pizza filled the air. His suppressed appetite from not eating all day instantly surged out.
"Thanks." Zhang Yang decisively opened the pizza box.
Immediately, Bei Wei beamed with joy and made a victory gesture toward the colleagues not far away.
"Well, well, Zhang Yang. When I tried to persuade you it didn't work, but when Bei Wei does it you listen?" Xiang Youde laughed and scolded jokingly. "Just now we were even discussing whether you had suffered some kind of setback. Now it seems you're fine."
Zhang Yang smiled without saying anything. He took a bite of the pizza in his hand, and instantly the satisfaction of carbohydrates surged through him.
He swore this was the most delicious thing he had eaten this entire month.
The busy day finally came to an end at nine thirty. Zhang Yang gently stretched his body.
Even with ten thousand a day in income, he had no intention of slacking off.
Either he would resign, or if he stayed at the company he would do his job well. He had been in the Shanghai for two years, and most of the people he knew were in this company. For the time being, he had no intention of leaving.
After a short burst of noise, the company went completely dark and returned to calm.
Downstairs from the company, on such a spring night filled with gentle breeze, Zhang Yang stood in the wind and enjoyed an indescribable sense of comfort. It was the feeling of finally having no pressure from life anymore, finally being able to enjoy the beauty of the world.
"Why lose weight? Losing weight is for living better. Look at this—doesn't this [A Chinese street food often called a 'Chinese burger,' made with chopped meat stuffed inside a flatbread.] smell amazing? Aren't these [A popular Chinese street snack made mainly from starch and seasonings, grilled or fried and served with sauces.] great?" Xiang Youde shouted with delight while eating roujiamo.
For him, finishing a busy day of work, eating a satisfying meal, going back to play games until sleepy, and then falling asleep-that was a kind of happiness.
Zhang Yang ate the long-missed roujiamo and nodded.
As long as health was guaranteed, Xiang Youde's carefree and content mindset without internal stress was actually quite ideal.
"Of course, I actually admire you quite a bit. Being this ruthless with yourself and having such perseverance-you're someone who can accomplish big things." Xiang Youde quickly finished the roujiamo in his hand and casually wiped his fingers clean with a cheap paper napkin.
"I'm not as good as you!"
He sat on the curb and looked up at the office building nearby where a few lights were still on, his eyes reflecting the dazzling night sky of the Shanghai as bright as day…
~~~~~
After finishing their late-night snack, the two returned to their respective residences.
Back at the apartment, Zhang Yang immediately immersed himself in the system, planning to carefully check the changes.
First, he claimed the rewards.
The experience points were automatically received, but the effect of 'no excess skin' required manual claiming.
Zhang Yang pulled off his shirt and looked at his loose body in the mirror, which had dropped from 80 kgs (~176 lbs) to 70 kgs (~154 lbs).
"I can't stand this body anymore. Claim!"
At the moment of claiming, the loose skin on Zhang Yang's body caused by excessive dieting began to tighten and disappear completely. On his face, the skin that had looked older due to collagen loss also instantly tightened back to its original state.
In the blink of an eye, it was as if he had become a different person.
"My condition right now… isn't it the same as when I first entered college?" Zhang Yang said in disbelief.
The effect of having not a trace of loose skin exceeded his imagination.
Although his appearance hadn't changed, and his body still lacked defined muscle since he hadn't done strength training, he had become slimmer and more energetic. Compared to peers with the same weight, his condition was even better.
"Right, there seems to be an upgrade gift package." Zhang Yang examined the system and noticed a package waiting to be opened.
With a single thought, the package opened.
'Ding!'
[Congratulations, host. You have received a Porsche Cayenne 3.0T version. Please go to the dealership to claim it.]
"Porsche?" Zhang Yang's expression brightened with joy.
The system was fair and understood the principle of gradual progress. It hadn't immediately given him a Bentley, Rolls-Royce, or some supercar. In fact, Zhang Yang had never dared to hope for something like that.
A Porsche Cayenne was already enough to pleasantly surprise him.
After all, in the world of ordinary people, cars costing one or two hundred thousand were still the mainstream. A car that cost over a million after taxes was unquestionably a luxury car in his eyes. Even with Zhang Yang's current income of ten thousand a day, he would still need to save for nearly four months to afford it.
Satisfied. Extremely satisfied!
He walked out of the bathroom and excitedly lay back on his bed, enjoying for the first time the joy and baptism brought by wealth.
"What a pity. There's no one to share this happiness with right now." After a long while, Zhang Yang sat up and shook his head with a smile.
After calming down from the excitement, he began thinking more deeply.
Once some things begin, they will not stop.
How could he be satisfied with ten thousand a day?
"Just ten more experience points and I can reach Level 3. If I reach Level 3, according to the system, the daily cashback will become twenty thousand-double!"
"The question is, how do I earn experience?"
Zhang Yang focused his mind on the system.
Behind the task he had just completed, there was still a small plus sign.
Zhang Yang casually tapped it.
[Task]
Maintain body shape; reduce body fat ≤15%
[Reward]
5 experience points/month
Zhang Yang naturally knew that body weight had never been the only standard for determining obesity. Body fat percentage was what truly mattered. Even if someone weighed 100 kgs (220 lbs), as long as their body fat was low enough, they could still be healthy.
The system's first task requirement had actually been quite lenient, using only body weight as the standard without incorporating the concept of body fat percentage.
Because of that, he had been able to recklessly focus only on dropping weight.
But now that wouldn't work anymore.