Changing Your Life Starts with Self-Discipline (New Book Sets Sail, Seeking Collections)

Early April, five o'clock in the morning.

The phone alarm rang right on time. Zhang Yang struggled in bed for a moment before kicking off the thin quilt, rising briskly, washing up, and changing into loose, sweat-wicking clothes to head downstairs.

The apartment building was silent at five, and the city skyline far beyond the stairwell window looked exceptionally majestic.

Have you ever seen the Magic City at five in the morning?

A month ago, Zhang Yang hadn't, but for the past month, he had seen it every single day.

He would take the elevator from the fifteenth floor to the lobby, then, on an empty stomach, start climbing the stairs all the way to the thirty-third floor, repeating the cycle at least five times.

He had been sticking to this repetitive, monotonous exercise for a month now.

In the pitch-black stairwell, there was nothing but dim lighting and the sound of Zhang Yang's breathing as he climbed steadily, one step at a time.

"Third round." Zhang Yang checked his fitness tracker to ensure his heart rate was in the fat-burning zone. Sweat rolled down his forehead and face, dripping onto the steps, and his shirt was soaked through.

A month ago, he was just a minor office worker who woke up and clocked in at the very last second.

Since graduating years ago, his life had remained unchanged, and he had grown accustomed to his own mediocrity. After all, wasn't that how ordinary people lived? Their lives just rolled along like wheels, following a set routine until it was all over.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with being ordinary.

Until... until that day, when, spurred on by who knows who, he impulsively posted a selfie on Little Blue Book with a title.

[Life's major issues remain unresolved; where do you all think the problem lies?]

His original intention was just to seek advice. After all, even an ordinary person hopes to improve themselves deep down. He never expected to be struck by lightning half an hour later.

"Suggest a restart."

"Are you addicted to being a pig? Why are you so fat?"

"The problem? There are too many problems. From head to toe, I couldn't find a single place that wasn't a problem."

"Tacky and fat. Sigh, you'd better start by losing weight to see if you can save yourself."

It was a bolt from the blue. Although Zhang Yang knew he was quite fat, didn't know how to dress, and was incredibly tacky, it was the first time in his life he had been criticized to the point of doubting his existence.

Could he not even be an ordinary person? Or was everyone on the internet a 190cm god?

Fortunately, the Advice-Listening System descended from the sky, and the gears of fate began to turn at that very moment...

Task: Lose 20 jin in one month (Current progress: 19.8 jin)

Task Reward 1: No loose skin forever

Task Reward 2: 5 EXP

Current Host Level: 1 (0/5)

Current Daily Cashback: 0

Zhang Yang glanced at the task progress, a flash of endless motivation in his eyes.

"Forget it, today is the last day of the month. To be safe, I'm fasting today!"

He knew, of course, that this kind of weight loss was extreme and unhealthy, but opportunities were fleeting, and he had to be ruthless with himself!

Why push so hard? To level up!

The EXP from completing this task would be enough to get him to level two.

What did level two mean? It meant his daily cashback would leap from zero to ten thousand, totaling three hundred thousand a month! That was three million six hundred and fifty thousand a year! With an income like that, even in the Magic City, he would deservedly stand at the peak of the working class.

According to incomplete statistics, among the ten million workers in the Magic City, those with an annual income of over two million account for only 0.17 percent, and if he reached over three million, he would be even rarer.

Twenty-five wasn't just his age; it was the watershed moment of his life!

A rebirth, starting today!

When Zhang Yang stood on the top floor, drenched in sweat, it was already broad daylight outside.

"Finally finished climbing."

He squeezed the hem of his shirt, and sweat poured out. Although he was physically exhausted and drained, his heart was filled with an indescribable sense of fulfillment and achievement.

Thirty full days of climbing stairs on an empty stomach, going to bed early and rising early to avoid staying up late, eating oats, potatoes, boiled vegetables, and chicken breasts until he felt like vomiting...

Now that the goal was within reach, it was all worth it!

A short while later, Zhang Yang returned to his studio apartment.

Inside, the room was neat and tidy, everything kept clean and fresh. On the table sat a two-kilogram tub of oats—his daily breakfast. He usually paired it with eggs, milk, and some vegetables like cucumbers to ensure a balanced diet.

But today, he hesitated, gritted his teeth, gave up on breakfast, and went straight to take a shower.

After showering, he stood in front of the mirror.

Zhang Yang looked at the loose skin on his body. This month of excessive weight loss had caused his physique to sag even more severely.

Fortunately, the system was thoughtful; once he completed the task, the loose skin would disappear accordingly. Otherwise, this saggy, loose mess would be hideous to look at.

He opened his phone. The first post he ever made on Little Blue Book still had a constant stream of replies.

There were sharp taunts, and naturally, there were also blunt truths.

However, he had disappeared after that first post, and many netizens assumed he was just all talk.

"Forget it. No matter how much we say, it's useless if you don't change yourself. Good luck!"

This was the comment with the highest number of likes.

Zhang Yang studied it for a long time, suppressed the urge to post a second update, and headed out to work on an empty stomach.

Mingyang Media had a staff of a few dozen people, making it quite insignificant among the vast sea of advertising agencies in Magic City.

At 7:50, the flow of people beneath the office building became constant.

At this hour, Zhang Yang had just clocked in.

As an ordinary copywriter in the planning department—a mere cog in the company machine—he had worked diligently for two years, only managing to earn a monthly salary of just over ten thousand for the first time last month.

With a junior college degree, average ability, and the limited platform of the company, this salary was essentially his limit.

Zhang Yang had just sat down and poured himself a glass of water when a large head popped up from the desk opposite his. It was Xiang Youde, who had joined the company at the same time as Zhang Yang.

"Zhang Yang, look over there." He pursed his lips, gesturing in a certain direction.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yang glanced into the distance and saw a tall, thin, handsome figure standing beside a desk, looking somewhat at a loss.

Isn't that the guy who just started last month?

"Bei Wei, didn't you say you loved the soup dumplings from this place?" the young man asked foolishly.

At the desk, a girl with long black hair and skin so fair it seemed to glow was decisively shoving the breakfast back toward him.

That was Bei Wei, the best-looking girl in the company.

"Zhou Song, I really only see you as an ordinary colleague. What are you thinking?" Bei Wei opened her beautiful eyes wide and asked back in disbelief.

"Th-this... how could that be?" The young man clearly hadn't expected Bei Wei's attitude to be so resolute; his lips trembled weakly. "But you clearly..."

Zhang Yang and Xiang Youde exchanged a look, both of them quite accustomed to such scenes.

"Another one has fallen for it. This guy gets carried away too easily."