I, Zhang Yang, Owe Today's Success Entirely to My Own Efforts

Standing before the mirror, Zhang Yang watched his reflection while listening to the pleasant chime of the system notification in his mind.

The mission had been completed just like that.

Three experience points were credited, leaving him 18 points away from leveling up, along with a reward Zhang Yang had long been anticipating: a two-centimeter increase in height.

A solid, barefoot height of 1.8 meters.

A man standing 1.8 meters tall, weighing 140 pounds, in good health, with regular features, and earning 20,000 a day—not to mention his formidable strength and stamina—was already a highly sought-after catch in the marriage and dating market.

The second reward wasn't convenient to claim just yet, so Zhang Yang decided to save it for when he returned.

"Then I'll take this pair." Zhang Yang chose the shoes Bei Wei had picked out.

"I'll go pay." Bei Wei immediately followed the sales assistant to the counter. A moment later, she returned with the receipt and held out her hand to Zhang Yang.

"What's this?" Zhang Yang looked at her open palm.

"One yuan!" Bei Wei demanded without ceremony.

Zhang Yang didn't believe in such superstitions, but seeing how serious Bei Wei was, he had no choice but to transfer her one yuan.

Having received the yuan, Bei Wei was suddenly beaming.

Zhang Yang truly had no idea what she was so happy about.

After buying the shoes, it was past nine o'clock. Zhang Yang insisted on seeing Bei Wei home, and this time, she acquiesced.

Outside a high-end apartment complex, the path wound through a secluded garden, and the distant lobby was brightly lit.

Bei Wei walked beside Zhang Yang. On the way here twenty minutes ago, she had been quite lively, but upon reaching her residence, she became increasingly quiet, remaining silent for a long while.

Zhang Yang looked at Bei Wei, who was walking with her head down, stepping on shadows, and smiled as he stepped closer.

"Watch where you're going."

"Huh?" Bei Wei looked up in a slight panic, her eyelashes fluttering wildly.

Zhang Yang stood to the side, looking at Bei Wei's fair, dazzling face under the streetlamp and her slightly trembling eyes. He chuckled inwardly and, without hesitation, took her hand into his own.

Her skin was delicate. For a second or two—just as he first gripped it—she stirred, but then she let him hold it.

Wasn't this a success?

"Bei Wei." Zhang Yang looked at the streetlamp in the distance, then back at Bei Wei, who was standing before him with her head bowed and cheeks flushed red.

"Mm..." Bei Wei's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum.

Zhang Yang's right hand naturally fell to Bei Wei's waist, preparing to strike while the iron was hot and pull her into his arms.

"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?"

Bei Wei shuddered, pulling away from Zhang Yang's side as if startled.

Zhang Yang felt annoyed and looked back.

A girl with a spicy figure, wearing a crop top, walked out from the tree-lined path, her eyes scanning Zhang Yang up and down. Beside her stood a tall, handsome boy.

"Who is this?" Zhang Yang looked at Bei Wei.

"My roommate." Bei Wei couldn't help but cover her face, then her burning red ears. "Brother Zhang, I'm going up first."

Flushed with embarrassment, she buried her head and ran toward the distant apartment lobby.

"Seriously, do you have to interrupt like that?" Zhang Yang frowned at the girl.

"With those ulterior motives, it's a good thing I saw you, otherwise you might have actually succeeded!" The girl looked at Zhang Yang with hostility. "How did Bei Wei fall for someone like you?"

"Hold on, beauty, that's a bit uncalled for, isn't it?" Zhang Yang found it somewhat amusing; he felt she was carrying quite a bit of resentment.

What did it have to do with her?

"Am I wrong? Looking at those shoes, you probably aren't even 1.8 meters tall, and you look average." The girl pulled the tall, handsome boy over. "See him? He's been chasing me, and I haven't even agreed yet."

The handsome guy rubbed his nose and looked at the sky, his expression awkward.

"Buddy, this one is probably a 'butch,' be careful and cut your losses." Zhang Yang couldn't be bothered to argue with a woman, so he tossed the remark over his shoulder and brushed past them, leaving the way he came.

The girl's eyes widened as she stood rooted to the spot.

"Butch? You called me a butch? You wait!"

Zhang Yang didn't care that Bei Wei had a best friend who now hated his guts.

When all is said and done, one must rely on one's own strength.

Though he, Zhang Yang, had the backing of the system, every step he took was one he had walked firmly on his own.

"System, claim reward."

Inside his apartment, Zhang Yang stood before the mirror, having long since grown impatient.

To hell with being under 1.8 meters!

From this moment on, he was a true 1.8 meters—a genuine, verified height. Never mind that everyone on the internet claims to be 1.85; in reality, 1.8 meters was plenty tall.

With this height, plus high-top shoes and a good physique, the visual effect would be no worse than 1.85.

In the mirror, Zhang Yang was visibly shooting up in height once again.

His entire physique began to turn tall and lean; with a foundation like this, if he put in some effort to dress up, he could actually be called handsome.

Zhang Yang looked at himself in the mirror, and the image of the guy he saw that evening involuntarily flashed through his mind. In all fairness, that guy was truly handsome—tall, dashing, with sharp, chiseled facial features. He was indeed still quite a distance away from that level.

But I have potential! Who would have thought that just a month ago, I actually looked like this? Zhang Yang looked at the old photos on his phone—fat, unrefined, with dull eyes filled with nothing but confusion about the future.

And now? It was more than just looking like a different person; compared to his former self, he was downright handsome.

It was time to pull in a massive wave of attention.

Zhang Yang opened Little Blue Book. Although he had been updating his status in a timely manner, only the followers who had been tracking him from the start understood the context; casual users likely just scrolled past.

This time, he prepared a comparison photo, ready to drop a bombshell.

He had figured it out: the higher the engagement and popularity, the faster the system responded to new suggestions.

Digging through his photo album, Zhang Yang selected the most slovenly, greasy, and obese picture he had, then took a new photo of his current state. Now, his eyes were vibrant and spirited, his figure was slender, and his outfit exuded a mature charm.

Faced with such a stark contrast, let alone others, even Zhang Yang himself found it hard to believe.

"Thanks to everyone for your advice along the way. Looking back at my past self, I'm overwhelmed with emotion. Thank you for helping me meet a better version of myself."

After uploading, Zhang Yang went off to get some rest.

At this moment, his newly uploaded post not only attracted the immediate attention of the long-time followers who had been tracking him, but also made many Little Blue Book sisters who stumbled upon it stop and stare. While Zhang Yang was still fast asleep, the discussions became unprecedentedly heated.

In an instant, the topic of a certain Little Blue Book "advice-taking" blogger undergoing a earth-shattering transformation thanks to the efforts of countless "product managers" suddenly went viral.