When Life Turns a New Page

Well, the time for a showdown had finally arrived.

Before he could even reply, Xiong Yaqian on the other end sent a rapid-fire string of question marks.

He could practically feel her indignation and embarrassment through the screen.

"Actually... how about we just stay friends? What do you think?" Zhang Yang had been rejected by girls plenty of times, but this was his first time being the one to initiate the rejection.

"Why?" She seemed incredulous, as if the possibility of being politely turned down had never crossed her mind.

"I'm a slow burner, and I don't really want to put my energy into this right now, so..." Zhang Yang replied.

"Then why go on a blind date? And here I thought you were decent. Let's just delete each other!" The girl's composure shattered completely.

After a while, when there was no further movement from her side, Zhang Yang casually sent an emoji, and sure enough, the red exclamation mark appeared.

Deleted?

Good riddance!

"Got deleted?" Xiang Youde had sharp eyes and spotted the red exclamation mark immediately. "Don't be discouraged, brother. We'll definitely find someone better. Being rejected is no big deal—keep your chin up and bounce back."

He began to recount his own romantic history, claiming he had once been a dashing young man back in college.

"It's a pity, though. I'm past my prime, youth is gone, and in this life, all I have left is making money—making a killing!" Xiang Youde took off his glasses, a few stray hairs fluttering in the wind.

Zhang Yang looked at the chat box with Xiong Yaqian and deleted it.

With this deletion, there would finally be no further complications.

As for his parents, he would just mention it to them later. They had only met once, and she had inadvertently helped him complete the task; as for him, he had treated her to a fancy meal, so there was no question of anyone wasting anyone else's time.

The meal lasted until past nine. Once they were both full and satisfied, Xiang Youde prepared to leave, feeling quite content.

On the roadside below the apartment building, Zhang Yang helped him hail a taxi.

"Brother, I won't stand on ceremony with the stuff," Xiang Youde said, his face glistening with oil before hopping into the cab.

"Don't mention it. Get some extra nutrition when you get back. Also, try not to 'reward yourself' too often." Zhang Yang opened the car door, eyeing Xiang Youde's premature balding—usually a sign of excessive androgen levels.

Xiang Youde's face flushed instantly; he ducked his head and scrambled into the car, shouting at the driver to hurry up.

Zhang Yang stood where he was, shaking his head with a smile as he watched the car disappear into the distance.

The next morning, Zhang Yang sold off all the old items in his apartment.

It was all scrap value, barely fetching any money, but he told himself it was better than nothing—at least he hadn't wasted anything.

In the blink of an eye, the apartment was completely empty.

With the money still warm in his pocket, Zhang Yang grabbed breakfast on the way, then packed his personal belongings, got into his Cayenne, and drove to his new residence: Ruijie Executive Apartment.

The environment of the new apartment was quiet and refined.

The spacious garage, the hotel-style lobby, and the twenty-four-hour front desk all exuded a sense of professional positioning.

The complex consisted of three buildings, each 25 stories high. Zhang Yang lived on the 20th floor of the front row, offering an incredibly expansive view.

"It's like night and day." Inside his new home, Zhang Yang walked around to get a feel for the place.

Though 93 square meters wasn't huge, it was only a one-bedroom unit. Since it only needed to accommodate him, the comfort and sense of well-being skyrocketed compared to his previous place.

After simply putting away his personal items, Zhang Yang lay back on the soft bed, blissfully enjoying the comfort that enveloped him.

The six months of rent had left his wallet empty, but another twenty thousand had hit his account that morning.

This was what security felt like.

The new place was basically equipped with all the necessary appliances, furniture, and kitchenware, but there were still plenty of things to add. Plus, the fridge was empty and needed stocking, so Zhang Yang didn't stay long before heading out to shop.

This trip turned into a massive spree.

From bedding to daily necessities, to food and clothes, by the end of the day, the newly cashed-in twenty thousand was mostly gone.

In return, Zhang Yang returned home fully loaded.

The large fridge was stuffed, the bed had fresh sheets, and all his toiletries were brand new. As he busied himself with the setup, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction, as if he were truly building a new home.

"Right, time for an update."

After all, going from a daily return of twenty thousand to fifty thousand was a massive leap. Twenty thousand a day was a lot, but Zhang Yang had to admit that human desire is insatiable—the more he got, the more he wanted.

Thinking about it without acting wouldn't get him anywhere.

After all, he was still a full twenty-four experience points away from reaching level four.

During the gap before dinner, he spent a good while trying on the outfits Bei Wei had helped him pick out, taking photos, and posting them on the Little Blue Book.

Each photo had its own appeal.

Although Zhang Yang wasn't six feet tall, his 1.78-meter frame paired with the carefully curated outfits produced surprisingly good results.

"Picked out a few outfits, would love some suggestions."

The benefit of increased popularity was that the response time for every new post was getting faster and faster.

"Retro, minimalist, Hong Kong style... you've got a pro behind you, blogger!"

"Yes, yes... I actually felt the tide!!"

"The outfit is impeccable, but do you want to try more styles? (Side-eye smile)"

"They all look good, but if I have to choose, I'd say P1 is the one!"

"Light mature style is the GOAT!"

"Blogger, I'm a guy, I want to learn from you. I'm going to start changing from today."

Ding!

System has adopted new suggestions.

Mission: Fashion Expert

Mission Details: Host must change daily dressing style for at least one workday.

Mission Reward 1: 3 EXP

Mission Reward 2: Enhanced fashion appreciation ability

Zhang Yang scanned the new mission with practiced ease.

The mission was simple; to put it bluntly, it was just changing his outfit. The commuter wear he always loved to wear to work wouldn't cut it anymore. As for the rewards, EXP went without saying—without these small accumulations, how could quantitative changes lead to a qualitative leap?

Then there was the fashion appreciation ability, or simply put, taste in clothes, which was naturally one of the most basic qualities an excellent man needed to possess.

Though the rewards weren't stunning, they were all essential.

Following the netizens' suggestions, Zhang Yang picked out a set of daily commuter wear for himself. It was clean and sharp, and the netizens also felt this look made him appear capable and sunny.

"Done and dusted."

Today was the first dinner in the new home, and Zhang Yang made it quite ceremonial.

There was glossy, slightly sweet Wuchang rice, tomato beef brisket stewed until soft and falling off the bone, and a pot of slow-cooked old hen soup.

Zhang Yang from a month ago wasn't without his merits; for instance, he was exceptionally good at whipping up food.

Before bed, Zhang Yang tested the bathtub in his new home.

"This size, it has to be for two, right?" Zhang Yang thought inexplicably as he watched the bathtub bubbling and filling with steam.

Soaking in a large bathtub was refreshing, and a glass of hot milk before bed was even better. Although he was living in an apartment that didn't belong to him, Zhang Yang still felt the tangible changes in his life bit by bit.

Thanks to Zhao Kuangsheng, Hello 2019, and Young Master Dragon for the tips.