Chen Jue and Jiang Zhe crouched side by side on the curb outside Jingtanghui.
Watching Wang Xing's BMW X5 drive off with a designated driver behind the wheel, Jiang Zhe pulled a cigarette from his pocket and handed it over. "Fourth, when you make it big, don't forget to take me along!"
"Get lost!"
"Come on, it's not like I've made it big yet." Chen Jue laughed and cursed at him.
He didn't refuse. He took the cigarette, borrowed a light, and crouched there, puffing away.
Quitting smoking was seriously hard!
Even knowing that smoking was bad for your health, no smoker could resist having a post-drink cigarette when the night grew quiet.
Thinking back to what had happened at Jingtanghui, Chen Jue couldn't help sighing. "Connections really do matter when you're rich!"
If Zhu Hongbin and President Tang hadn't suddenly shown up, there was a good chance his job opportunity would have fallen through.
As for the Hang City International Darts Club, he planned to check it out too.
He had nothing else to do, and if he really could forge a path as a professional darts player, it would be a huge improvement to his life.
Who would turn down an opportunity like that?
Especially someone like Chen Jue, who had just lost his job and was about to live off his meager savings.
After crouching there smoking and chatting for a while, the two of them finished complimenting each other and called designated drivers.
Back in the cramped rental apartment in Changhe Residential District, Chen Jue lay down and thought about a lot of things.
If he hadn't unexpectedly awakened the Attribute Panel, he would probably have kept muddling along.
Instead, he'd not only landed an internal referral to one of the industry's top three conglomerates, he'd also unexpectedly caught the eye of a darts big shot.
He took out his phone and browsed Zhu Hongbin's Moments. The account seemed to be for work, and most of its posts were related to international darts.
There were short posts about club events, videos of the club's professional players competing internationally, and group photos from charity work and other community service.
In short, the big shot led a colorful life. Unlike office drones like Chen Jue, who kept their Moments visible for only six months, afraid people might see how poorly they were doing.
Early the next morning, Chen Jue woke up a little after six.
He figured it was because he'd drunk the night before. When he got up, his mouth was dry and his breath reeked of stale alcohol.
He brushed his teeth twice, changed, and headed out.
He didn't rush to get breakfast. Instead, while he still had time, he went to a corner of the residential complex.
When he saw that the group of old men and women practicing Taiji were still there, Chen Jue joined in.
This simplified version of the Twelve Taiji Forms looked soft and had no real power when practiced, but its strength lay in promoting health and fitness.
After his last hospital checkup, Chen Jue had learned that he had a whole host of health problems.
He didn't want surgery or to have any organs removed, so he could only place his hopes in the miraculous Attribute Panel and this kind of health-preserving exercise.
They began with the opening stance, then moved on to Parting the Wild Horse's Mane and White Crane Spreads Its Wings. Chen Jue followed along, performing Taiji slowly to the gentle, soothing music.
Now that the Twelve Taiji Forms had reached Lv1, the movements no longer felt unfamiliar or sluggish. His breathing rhythm was still a little off, though, and not as steady as that of the regulars.
After about an hour, he'd worked up a light sweat. His Twelve Taiji Forms proficiency had increased by more than eighty points, and the Attribute Panel in his field of vision prompted him again:
[ Ding~ ]
[Completed one qualifying aerobic exercise]
[Free Attribute Points +0.01]
[ Ding~ ]
[After a period of moderate exercise, your muscle groups have stretched out nicely. Your cardiopulmonary function and metabolism have improved, and your muscles recover slightly faster.]
[Constitution +0.01]
[ Ding~ ]
[Accumulated Constitution has reached 1.00]
[Milestone achievement unlocked: Escaped Suboptimal Health]
[Character evaluation has changed]
Watching the prompts scroll by, Chen Jue finished the routine and stood upright, letting out a long breath. He felt a warm current nourishing his entire body.
Compared to regular workouts, the Twelve Taiji Forms seemed to build up his Constitution faster.
Earlier, he'd earned quite a few attribute points by training in Stone Skipping and Darts, but the process had been exhausting. He'd basically had to drain all his stamina just to earn a tiny point.
The Twelve Taiji Forms were nothing like that. He could just follow along, and his attributes kept climbing.
"Could this health-preserving exercise really be working?" Chen Jue wondered, glancing at his current stats.
Character: Chen Jue
Strength: 0.82+
Constitution: 1.00+
Spirit: 1.07+
Skills: [Stone Skipping (Mastery)] [Darts Lv3 (1623/2000)+] [Twelve Taiji Forms Lv1 (85/200)+]
Free Attribute Points Available: 0.01
(Character Evaluation: An office worker who has come to his senses. Your body has escaped suboptimal health, but some underlying issues remain. Targeted treatment is recommended to keep you from letting a minor illness become a serious one.)
"'Letting a minor illness become a serious one'?"
"Is it talking about me?"
Reading his new character evaluation, Chen Jue couldn't help feeling uneasy.
Even the panel was telling him to get treatment. Clearly, these minor health problems were indeed a threat to his well-being.
"Forget it. I've put it off for so long and nothing serious has happened. A few more days won't make a difference."
"I should get the job situation sorted out first!"
Chen Jue reassured himself, planning to go to the hospital the next day or the day after.
If it came to it, he'd choose conservative treatment. He could accept taking some medicine or getting an injection.
But there was no way he'd agree to surgery to have an organ removed. He'd rather die.
That was the stubbornness of a longtime shut-in. Once he made up his mind, no one could talk him out of it.
By the time he finished his morning exercise, it was nearly eight. While he was having breakfast, Wang Xing, the General Manager he'd met the night before, sent him a message on WeChat.
His tone was very polite, and he forwarded Chen Jue the contact information for Hengtong Group's human resources supervisor. He said he'd already put in a word for him, so Chen Jue just needed to find some time during business hours to go in and talk.
Seeing how invested Hengtong's vice president was in helping him land the job, Chen Jue could only sit there and give a dry laugh.
He marveled at the power of a big shot's connections. They'd only happened to meet, and already the man had helped him get ahead.
Chen Jue sent Wang Xing a few polite words of thanks on WeChat, then hurried back to his rental apartment to shower and shave. He changed into a fresh outfit and drove to Hengtong Group.
Hengtong Group was on Qingchun Road, in the true heart of Hang City's CBD. It was just a short walk from the West Lake scenic area.
Glass-fronted Class A office towers filled his view, along with the headquarters of various banks and clusters of securities firms.
A city's CBD was built on the back of financial companies like these.
To interview somewhere so upscale and make a good impression by arriving on time, Chen Jue had even taken extra care with his appearance. He pulled up just as business hours began.
Who would have thought that after he arrived at Hengtong Group's human resources department and sat down to talk with Supervisor Li about a few work-related details, he'd be taken straight to meet General Manager Luo from the Risk Control Department?
After asking a few questions about risk-control data and looking over the historical overdue-payment records from Chen Jue's work experience, General Manager Luo told him he was hired on the spot!
The position was a data analyst in the Risk Control Department. It wasn't a management role, and he wouldn't have anyone working under him to share the load, but the salary jumped to 20,000 a month, not counting social insurance, housing fund, or the year-end bonus.
Even better, Hengtong Group provided every new employee with an apartment in its talent housing program. They were all furnished one-bedroom units with living rooms, ready to move into. He wouldn't need to spend his own money renting a subdivided room.
"No wonder they're a big group with foreign investment!"
"The benefits are incredible!"
Chen Jue thought back to all the years he'd worked himself to the bone at Taisheng Finance.
If a piece of paper proving his education hadn't blocked his path to promotion, he wouldn't have had to live so frugally all those years.
He filled out his personal information, registered his fingerprints, and added Hengtong Group on DingTalk.
He also took his employee card to the administration office and picked up the smart key to his talent apartment.
By the time he'd gone through the whole process, the morning was over.
But since he'd only just been hired, Chen Jue didn't need to start work right away.
His direct supervisor, General Manager Luo, messaged him to say he could report as late as next Monday. Then he could meet his new colleagues and get familiar with the position.
Chen Jue was delighted to hear that.
He could slack off for a few more days.
He went to a nice Chinese restaurant by West Lake, ordered a few dishes to celebrate, and let Jiang Zhe know he'd been hired.
"(Nice!)"
"(You know what to do.)"
"(Smirking)"
Jiang Zhe was probably having lunch too. He replied instantly.
Seeing that familiar trio of stickers, Chen Jue laughed and sent him the Jingtanghui location. Then he went on a group-buying app, bought two electronic vouchers worth a thousand yuan each, and sent them over.
He'd promised his roommate he'd treat him once things worked out, and Chen Jue intended to keep his word.
If Jiang Zhe hadn't helped, he might have been unemployed for a long time. There was no way he'd have found such a well-connected new employer so easily.
They chatted on WeChat for a while.
After lunch, Chen Jue walked along the lakeside to help digest the meal, his belly sticking out.
Thinking that Zhu Hongbin and President Tang were responsible for ninety percent of his good fortune in landing the job, Chen Jue changed course and headed straight for the Hang City International Darts Club.
The club was located in a large sports and startup complex near Hang City Gymnasium.
It was a multi-purpose complex. Along with Zhu Hongbin's darts club, there were other clubs for badminton, table tennis, fencing, archery, golf, hiking, and other outdoor activities.
Driving past, Chen Jue even spotted a large swimming center and a football field.
The place was huge, and plenty of people came there to exercise.
But since it was during work and school hours, most of the people he saw in the complex were retirees and wealthy people arriving in luxury cars.
As soon as he parked, Chen Jue spotted a familiar black Mercedes-AMG GT R in one of the spaces.
He glanced at the license plate and confirmed it belonged to Lin Ning, the coach from Yilian Fitness.
"Is she here too?"
"What a coincidence."
With a few questions in mind, Chen Jue walked into the darts club.
The interior was stylish and minimalist, and the club was about twice the size of Yilian Fitness.
It even had a dining bar, a café, and a reading room. At a glance, it was the kind of place wealthy people liked to visit.
Chen Jue showed his business card from Zhu Hongbin at the front desk, explaining that President Zhu had invited him. He also asked about membership and learned the annual fee was 6,888 yuan.
Thinking of how he'd only landed his new job thanks to President Zhu's connections, Chen Jue scanned the code and signed up without a second thought.
He wasn't good at socializing, but he knew how to repay kindness and always remembered the people who had helped him.
Seeing that Chen Jue wanted to join, the girl at the front desk immediately became very friendly.
She helped him set up his membership and register in the system, then showed him around the club.
When they reached the proper darts practice area, Chen Jue spotted Lin Ling from a distance. She had a strikingly curvy figure and a face that was both innocent and alluring.
She was practicing hard at an electronic dartboard alongside another equally curvy beauty.
A few young men and middle-aged guys stood around them, eyes shining as they struck up conversations now and then. It was hard to tell whether they were offering advice or just chatting.
In all likelihood, they were a bunch of horny guys attracted by the two young women's looks.
Of course, Chen Jue was a bit of a lecher himself, but he wasn't about to walk up and hit on them like that.
It was too undignified and could leave a bad impression.
While he toured the place with the receptionist, he casually passed by them. Sure enough, Lin Ling called out to him.
"Hey!"
"Mr. Chen! You came to the club too?"
"I knew it! An amateur ace like you should come here and get some experience." Lin Ling put down her darts and greeted him, sounding pleasantly surprised.
But as soon as she spoke, Chen Jue felt like he'd set off an AOE taunt in nothing but cloth armor, drawing every bit of aggro in the room.
All the club members nearby, young and middle-aged alike, turned to look at Chen Jue in unison.
Oh, man!
A bunch of fellow perverts glared at him. Were they about to make him the raid boss and jump him all at once?
Before you continue