“Warming up before a workout is very important. Only with sufficient warm-up can you ensure you don’t hurt yourself during exercise.”
The man’s magnetic voice came close to her ear, and Zhang Fan’s thoughts wandered.
If not for the composure she had cultivated over years of work—the kind that lets one face Mount Tai collapsing without flinching—she probably would have turned red as a boiled shrimp by now.
This feeling was quite nice, actually. So why hadn’t the System given her a mission success notification?
She had no idea how long she’d been exercising. Zhang Fan couldn’t remember a single move she’d done—her mind was filled only with Zhao Jiajun’s handsome face and the overwhelming wave of hormones.
Perhaps she really should treat herself to some fresh meat to nourish herself properly.
“Come work out for half an hour every day from now on. I guarantee your entire body will be reborn from the inside out!”
Zhao Jiajun led Zhang Fan to the front desk and knocked on the receptionist’s table: “Get my sister a membership card—the most discounted kind!”
“Sure thing, Brother Zhao!”
The receptionist flashed her signature brilliant smile and handed Zhang Fan a membership brochure: “Miss, our lowest package is six thousand six hundred sixty-six. Since you’re Brother Zhao’s friend, we can give you an internal discount—just one thousand eight hundred and you can enjoy one-on-one professional body sculpting instruction for half an hour every day!”
One thousand eight hundred—when Zhang Fan was still working, after deducting miscellaneous expenses, rent, utilities, transportation, and living costs, that was about how much she had left.
Now, all she had to do was keep breathing for half an hour, and the money was there.
Money came so easily. If it could buy happiness, she wouldn’t feel the least bit of pain spending it.
But even now, the mission success notification still hadn’t arrived. Clearly, Zhao Jiajun couldn’t help her complete the mission.
“Six thousand six hundred sixty-six a month—that’s two hundred twenty-two per day!”
Zhang Fan smiled and scanned three hundred with her phone: “Two is too many. I don’t like it. Here’s three hundred—keep the change!”
With that, she looked at Zhao Jiajun: “Thank you for the clothes, and thank you for the guidance. But I’m too lazy—half an hour every day is really beyond me. Sorry!”
This yoga outfit was worth a hundred at most, and the so-called internal price was just a gimmick. Giving them three hundred meant they’d already made a killing.
She held her head high, grabbed her phone, and strode out of the gym.
“Sis!” Zhao Jiajun caught up and cornered her at the elevator entrance: “Sis, did I do something wrong? It’s okay—I can explain. Some professional things are genuinely hard for laypeople to understand!”
His arms really were long, and his muscle definition looked pleasant—fair and clean, without much body hair.
For a moment, a wicked thought flickered through Zhang Fan’s mind, but she quickly suppressed it.
What she needed was a good boy from a decent family—not this kind. Not safe!
“No, you’re absolutely perfect!”
She’d just glanced at her account balance. Those numbers were full of security, and she no longer needed to be timid.
Zhang Fan met Zhao Jiajun’s gaze, her smile confident: “You’re the one who made me realize my time is precious and shouldn’t be wasted!”
“Ding!” The elevator doors opened.
She tilted her head with a smile and ducked under Zhao Jiajun’s arm: “Nice meeting you. Goodbye!”
By the time she walked out of the mall, the city was aglow with countless lights.
Watching the people hurrying past, rushing home, Zhang Fan couldn’t see a single light lit for her.
In this vast city, she had no home!
Every time she had thought about this in the past, she would feel deeply dejected and sad. But now, she had let it go.
Money really could replace everything. Though she still felt lonely, she no longer felt sad because of it.
She walked to a flower bed and sat down, watching the people coming and going on the street.
Her mood was calm.
A tawny-colored mongrel dog walked over from a distance, tilted its head to look at her, then quietly lay down at her feet.
Zhang Fan looked down at the dog at her feet, and the dog timely raised its head to look at her. Their eyes met—perhaps this was what people called eye chemistry. Both parties found each other agreeable.
So she spent three yuan, bought a sausage, and lured the dog away.
“Hey, walking a dog without a leash is the same as a dog walking a dog!”
A woman holding a Teddy dog pushed Zhang Fan’s shoulder and pointed at the mongrel following behind her: “Your dog scared my son!”
Zhang Fan looked up at the Teddy in the woman’s arms. How did that look scared at all?
It was barking wildly, fierce as could be.
In contrast, Da Huang, after being accused, stood there awkwardly, at a loss. Perhaps to avoid causing trouble for Zhang Fan, it sensibly turned around and headed back.
“That’s not your dog?”
The woman wore a disgusted expression: “Honestly, stray dogs everywhere, and no one does anything about it. Big dogs like this that nobody wants should just be put down!”
She shook her head and walked on with a curled lip. But Zhang Fan quickly stepped forward and blocked her path: “That dog indeed wasn’t mine, but now, it is!”
Having said that, she looked at the Teddy: “How come your son can’t talk and only barks like a dog? If it’s sick, it still needs treatment!”
She grinned, quickly turned and walked away. Along the way, she bought a sausage from a stall, followed Da Huang’s trail, and lured it out with the sausage.
“You ate my food, so you’re my dog now!”
Zhang Fan carefully reached out her hand, wanting to pet Da Huang’s head. Da Huang, who was eating the sausage, paused for a moment. Their eyes met, and Zhang Fan was visibly nervous.
It wouldn’t bite her for guarding its food, would it?
But Da Huang proactively stretched its head over and nuzzled against Zhang Fan’s palm.
Wow… what a human-like dog!
In that moment, Zhang Fan was happy. This dog definitely liked her, and it was one hundred percent genuine!
So genuine affection didn’t cost much after all—a single sausage could buy it.
“You have no home, and I have no home. Nobody wants you, and nobody wants me. Why don’t we stick together? That way, we’ll both be wanted!”
Da Huang didn’t answer her. It just quietly finished the last bit of sausage and happily licked her hand.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the System upgrade, beginner task!]
[System upgrade complete!]
[Subsidy amount increased to two yuan per second!]
[Would the Host like to continue accepting upgrade tasks?]
A mechanical voice sounded in Zhang Fan’s mind. So this counted as completing a task too!
Two yuan per second—twenty-four hours of income would be one hundred seventy-two thousand eight hundred yuan.
Not enough, far from enough!
“Continue accepting!”
Zhang Fan smiled and glanced at Da Huang, silently thinking in her heart.
[Ding!]
[“Super Subsidy System” upgraded. Intermediate task unlocked for the Host!]
[Please help five people free of charge, and gain their favor and gratitude!]
[The task duration is three days. Upon success, the per-second subsidy will increase to four yuan!]