Old Zhang Wants to Cause Trouble Too

Early the next morning, Zhang Yang had a workout at the gym on the top floor of the Ruijie Executive Apartment, and everything felt quite good.

Most of the people in the gym were middle-aged men warming up on treadmills. They appeared to be corporate expatriates, holding meetings while they ran, their mouths constantly spouting names like Lucy or Andy, along with high-end buzzwords like "empowerment," "closed-loop," and "sedimentation."

Next to the gym was a temperature-controlled swimming pool. The water was clear, and a few well-maintained women in swimwear were splashing about inside.

Zhang Yang stuck to the climber machine, finishing his workout only after forty minutes of heavy sweating.

After showering, Zhang Yang didn't cut corners on his first breakfast in his new home:

Oatmeal, Greek yogurt, a handful of nuts and blueberries, and a plate of fragrant pan-fried cod.

The dining room was bathed in ample light, the table gleaming.

Zhang Yang chewed slowly, feeling incredibly relaxed. Sometimes, one really shouldn't think of money as vulgar. Those who seem to live a quiet, peaceful life and pursue what they want are usually those who already possess a sufficient economic foundation.

If one struggles for food and clothing, where is there room for poetry and distant horizons?

After breakfast, Zhang Yang put on the business casual outfit from the night before, checked the time, and prepared to leave, unhurried.

Standing at one meter seventy-eight, he looked incredibly sharp and radiant in his well-fitted attire, exuding an air of mature competence.

When he entered the office and finished clocking in, he ran straight into Bei Wei.

Seeing that Zhang Yang was wearing the exact outfit she had picked out for him, Bei Wei's face flushed instantly. She lowered her head and walked away without even greeting him.

Zhang Yang found it a bit strange. Bei Wei was always open and natural when she saw him; why was she dodging him today?

Back at his desk, Zhang Yang opened his computer to handle the work that had piled up while he was on leave. He was busy until past nine, and the moment he looked up, he saw Bei Wei get up and head out.

He knew Bei Wei usually went to buy a Starbucks every morning, and today was likely no exception.

Before long, Zhang Yang saw Bei Wei return carrying a Starbucks paper bag, and then, to his surprise, she walked straight toward him.

"Brother Zhang, I ordered too much, so I'm sharing one with you," she said quietly as she set the coffee down, then turned and walked away.

Zhang Yang wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but he felt that Bei Wei's ears looked a little red.

He touched the coffee cup; it was hot but not scalding.

"How come I didn't get one?" Xiang Youde sat opposite him, eyes wide.

"Want one? Should I treat you?" Zhang Yang asked, looking at Xiang Youde.

"Who wants a treat from you?" Xiang Youde said sourly.

A long while later, Zhang Yang received a message from Xiang Youde.

"Old Zhang, you're not a dense guy, don't go getting the wrong idea, okay?"

"The wrong idea?" Zhang Yang blinked.

Whether it was the wrong idea or not depended on the person. Without strength, of course it was an illusion, but if one had the strength, even an illusion could become reality, right?

The morning's work proceeded in an orderly fashion. Zhang Yang finished his tasks and finished his Starbucks, and it was already past ten o'clock.

In the distance, the door to the boss's office suddenly opened.

Song Mingyang, the boss of Mingyang Advertising, walked out, closely followed by the Sales Director and the Planning Director.

"Wang Shijie, the marketing lead from Shihong Real Estate is coming tomorrow. Have one of the veterans from your planning team accompany them," Song Mingyang instructed.

Wang Shijie stood up quickly and agreed.

After the boss left, Wang Shijie walked around and found Zhang Yang.

"Zhang Yang, you're quite familiar with the Shihong project. Why don't you go along this time?"

"Sure." Zhang Yang nodded without hesitation.

Shihong Real Estate was a major client for the company. Having collaborated several times, he had participated in their projects multiple times, so he was naturally no stranger to them.

In the blink of an eye, it was lunchtime.

At noon, he and Xiang Youde went to the newly opened Chinese fast-food restaurant downstairs. He ordered broccoli, steamed egg, a chicken leg, and a bowl of rice, removing the skin from the chicken leg as he ate—after all, meeting his monthly body fat target would net him five experience points.

Xiang Youde had no such restrictions; braised pork, spicy diced chicken, and dry-fried cauliflower—everything was glistening with oil.

"Why are you eating so plainly? Have a piece of braised pork?" Xiang Youde urged enthusiastically.

"No, no, don't you see I'm specifically balancing this?" Zhang Yang politely declined, spotting Bei Wei in the distance eating with a few female colleagues.

Seeming to notice he was eating there too, Bei Wei glanced over from time to time, only to quickly lower her head again.

"What are you looking at?" Xiang Youde turned his head. "Are you looking at... Bei Wei?"

He widened his eyes, as if he had discovered something incredible. "Old Zhang, oh Old Zhang, you aren't serious, are you? Don't do anything reckless!"

There was one thing he didn't say out loud: did a toad like them really dare to dream of eating swan meat?

However, before the words could leave his mouth, he looked at Zhang Yang again and his momentum instantly fizzled out.

Compared to a month ago, Zhang Yang was a completely different person; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had been reborn.

While he lacked the youthful, fresh-faced vibe of the fresh graduates in the company, Zhang Yang was now leaning fully into maturity. Boys and students might focus on youthfulness, but a man's main appeal was maturity.

"Can't I just look? Let me ask you a question: have you seen the movie Caught in the Web?"

"What? Why are you bringing up a movie?" Xiang Youde was completely bewildered.

"Shen Liushu has a line in there that goes, 'Old Shen here wants to run wild too,' have you heard it?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

Xiang Youde looked up blankly, catching Zhang Yang slowly eating his meal. For a fleeting moment, the temperament between Zhang Yang's brows left him stunned.

In the distance, Bei Wei stood up along with several girls from the Design Department.

As they passed by Zhang Yang, Bei Wei stole a glance at him, but Sister Liu, who was walking beside her, suddenly stopped and said with a laugh, "Zhang Yang, is the coffee good? We've never enjoyed the treatment of Bei Wei buying us coffee one-on-one."

"Sister Liu, Brother Zhang brought me food during my shift last time, that's why I..." Bei Wei tugged at the corner of Sister Liu's shirt, rushing to explain.

Zhang Yang looked at Bei Wei, who was blushing slightly as she explained, and then at Sister Liu.

"Sister Liu, how about I buy you one too?"

"How could I be so bold?" Sister Liu said politely, though in reality, she felt no embarrassment at all; after all, she was a senior employee, and there were always people flattering her.

To Zhang Yang, this kind of older sister who loved petty gains was actually the easiest to deal with.

That afternoon, Zhang Yang bought a Frappuccino for every colleague in the Design Department and the Planning Department. A dozen or so cups only cost a few hundred yuan, which was mere pocket change for someone pulling in twenty thousand a day.

Take someone's gifts and you'll be soft-spoken; eat someone's food and you'll be soft-handed.

With so many female colleagues in the Design Department, after everyone had a Starbucks in hand, they had plenty of nice things to say.

"Zhang Yang, you're not exactly young anymore. When you get a chance, Sister Liu will introduce you to someone," Sister Liu promised while sipping her Starbucks.