Ask Her Out!

Song Mingyang finally understood. The reason things had worked out in the end was Zhang Yang's finishing touch.

"No problem, definitely no problem!"

"Good." Tang Leyi nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's leave it at that. How about we call it a night?"

She stood up, and everyone else at the table rose with her.

Song Mingyang was filled with emotion. He shot Zhang Yang an approving look, too. The evening hadn't gotten off to a smooth start, but in the end, the setbacks had paid off, and everyone was happy.

Late that night, after seeing Miss Tang and the rest of the Shihong Real Estate group back to their hotel, Song Mingyang stood outside the entrance, still unable to stop marveling.

"Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang, I owe you one this time. Here's what I'll do: I'll double your salary this month. Once the project's finished, I'll give you a bonus on top of that. Keep up the good work, and you've got a promotion in your future!"

Zhang Yang simply thanked him, without showing much of a reaction.

Normally, when a boss made an offer like that, a subordinate would at least be overcome with gratitude and say something like, "Thank you for recognizing my efforts, boss." But... come on. He was making six hundred thousand a month. Who did he need to suck up to?

For him, going to work was now just a rare bit of entertainment in his life. After all, even earning twenty thousand a day, it would still take him fifty days to save up a million. With such a long stretch of time ahead, taking it easy as Old Zhang wasn't so bad.

He politely turned down Song Mingyang's offer to drive him home and took a cab back on his own.

Back at his apartment, before showering, he took his usual selfie and updated his Little Blue Book: "Thanks to everyone online for teaching me how to fish. I put this outfit together myself this time. Let me know what you think."

It was already late, so he didn't wait for his followers to respond. After his shower, he fell fast asleep.

Early the next morning, as soon as Zhang Yang opened his eyes, he grabbed his phone to check the comments. They immediately caught his eye.

"Holy crap, holy crap, that's awesome!"

"No, seriously, how did you come up with this outfit? It suits you so well. It's amazing..."

"You nailed it, man. This is so inspiring!"

"Ever since the blogger started losing weight, he's looked different every single day."

"I'm so excited! It's so rewarding! Watching the blogger change day by day makes me want to say: a real-life makeover game is just the best!"

"By the way, blogger, how tall are you?"

Zhang Yang saw the comment and replied honestly.

"178 centimeters."

A chorus of regretful comments immediately followed.

They said the thing men dreaded most was being told they were 179 centimeters tall. That showed just how painful it was to be stuck right below the 180-centimeter mark.

179 centimeters and 180 centimeters were two completely different things. They just weren't the same.

"Don't be discouraged, blogger. There are plenty of ways to make up for it."

"Exactly! Pick the right shoes, and you can easily look 180 centimeters tall!"

"Right! I recommend canvas shoes. They might not look like much, but they're actually great for adding height!"

"Chunky sneakers are great too. They definitely make you look taller! Blogger, you should try some."

"When a guy's tall, he just seems like a completely different person!"

"Agreed."

Ding:

The system has accepted a new suggestion

Mission: Change Shoes to Look Taller

Mission details: Host must change into a suitable pair of shoes that goes with his outfit and makes him over 180 centimeters tall when worn.

Mission reward 1: 3 experience points

Mission reward 2: Increase height by 2 centimeters

As soon as the mission appeared, Zhang Yang's heart gave two powerful thumps. That moment of excitement was even more intense than leveling up.

As expected, reaching 180 centimeters was an obsession for every guy who was close to that height.

He didn't believe in pretending. 178 centimeters was 178 centimeters; he wouldn't claim to be 180 just to save face. But did that mean he didn't want to be 180 centimeters tall?

Of course he did. More than anything.

Now that the mission he'd been dreaming of had appeared, Zhang Yang was genuinely ecstatic.

He was tempted to rush out and complete it right away, but he still managed to hold himself back.

No hurry. He could do it after work.

As usual, he went for a morning run in the apartment complex's gym, then headed to work.

The boss was running late today, and Old Shao, the sales director, hadn't come in either.

Only Zhang Yang knew that the two of them had probably gone to sign the contract. They'd reached an initial agreement, so they'd naturally want to strike while the iron was hot and finalize everything.

Sure enough, sometime after ten in the morning, Song Mingyang strode into the office with Old Shao, beaming from ear to ear.

"Mr. Song, did you close the deal?" The woman from accounting happened to be heading to the sales department and asked when she saw him.

"We did! It's a big one!" He slapped the contract down on the table, his voice booming with confidence.

The employees began whispering among themselves.

Song Mingyang, however, headed straight for Zhang Yang and spoke in front of everyone.

"Zhang Yang, you played a huge part in closing this deal. I'll have you take the lead on the planning proposal for Shihong. I'll be asking you to put in a little more effort this time!"

Zhang Yang hadn't really wanted to take it on. He just wanted to coast at the company and while away the hours. He had no intention of giving himself more work.

But after thinking it over, he nodded.

Everyone looked at him enviously. After all, once the boss noticed you and entrusted you with important work, a promotion and raise couldn't be far off.

The only one who didn't care much was Zhang Yang himself.

Song Mingyang offered a few words of encouragement in front of everyone, then left in high spirits. Zhang Yang had just lowered his head to get back to work when a message from Bei Wei popped up on his phone.

"Brother Zhang, congratulations!"

Zhang Yang: Congratulations on what? On being worked around the clock?

Bei Wei: But you'll get lots of bonuses, and you might get promoted too... Okay, maybe Brother Zhang doesn't care about that stuff.

Zhang Yang: Since you're congratulating me, how about we get dinner together tonight?

After that, Bei Wei took a long time to reply.

"Seriously?" Zhang Yang blinked, a little surprised. Could his very first invitation really end in failure?

Even if she turned him down, he wouldn't feel awkward about it. He'd only changed so recently; deep down, he was still the same Zhang Yang. Besides, confidence didn't mean arrogance. He'd never believed that he could get whatever he wanted now.

He put his phone down and settled back into his work. Every now and then, he glanced up and saw Bei Wei still bent over her desk, apparently busy with something.

Ding!

Another message came in.

Zhang Yang glanced at it. It was a belated reply from Bei Wei.

"Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang, how about this place? The reviews look great. Oh, and just so we're clear, I'm definitely treating you this time!"

So that was what Bei Wei had been doing all this time—figuring out where to eat.

"Sounds good. If you're treating, then you're treating." Zhang Yang didn't hesitate, happily giving Bei Wei the chance to pick up the bill.

Just as he finished chatting with Bei Wei, Xiang Youde caught his eye from across the way and gestured for him to check their messaging app.

Xiang Youde: Let's grab a bite tonight... Actually, not at a restaurant. Come to my place.

Zhang Yang: How about another day? I have plans.

Xiang Youde: Right, you just turned someone down, didn't you? You have plans? Yeah, sure.

Zhang Yang: I really do have plans. Believe it or not.

Sitting across from Xiang Youde, Zhang Yang could hear him let out a long, scornful snort.

Thanks to Wolf Who Loves Sheep, Positive Cucumber, and Cloudless for the tips.