A Small Test of Skill

For them, the disparity was simply too great.

But for Zhang Yang, it was a complete transformation that far exceeded his expectations. After all, the person behind the mask was the version of himself he was familiar with; achieving such a change just by putting on a mask was an absolute, pleasant surprise.

I never expected the difference between wearing a mask and not wearing one to be this huge! A background track began to play in his mind for no reason.

[I've started changing my hairstyle, losing weight, switching up my style, and moving forward. Sorry, but this time, I'm determined to win!]

Yes, he had already won, and the future would only bring more victories.

Returning to his place at noon, Zhang Yang simply stewed some beef brisket and made himself a deluxe version of braised beef noodles.

The noodles were uniform in thickness, and the broth had been reduced by Zhang Yang until it was incredibly rich. Whether it was the presentation or the taste, Zhang Yang gave himself full marks.

While burying his face in his noodles, he didn't forget to open the comment section of his Little Blue Book account to take a look.

"Looking forward to the little brother's next level-up."

"I hope you don't ruin your hair; I hope the little brother finds a reliable barbershop."

"Just do your best. After all, the foundation is what it is; a total overhaul is unlikely, but at least it's better than before, right?"

"Let's hope so. Being willing to listen to advice, having perseverance, and having the drive to act is already quite commendable."

Zhang Yang read through them once and posted a question in the replies below.

"Urgent: My family has arranged a blind date for tonight. Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

Now that his popularity had risen, the response speed was much faster.

"What!? This is too rushed, too rushed! Our makeover has only just begun. Going on a blind date now? It's hard to say if you'll succeed or fail!"

"You're really trying to 'clutch at straws' here. The time is too short; we aren't experts at forcing growth!"

"Sisters, he's here to ask for help, not for us to pour cold water on him. I'll just say this: be confident. You must be confident. Girls love confident boys the most."

"Promise me, don't be a 'simp.' As a girl, I accept the existence of simps because I enjoy the feeling, but that doesn't mean I'd ever accept one as a partner."

"Did you change your hairstyle? Did you take off your glasses? Dress cleanly, be confident and poised. Since time is short, that's all you can do for now."

Generally speaking, most people felt that Zhang Yang's blind date was too rushed. However, operating on the "treat a dead horse as if it were alive" mentality, everyone still chimed in with advice.

Zhang Yang scrolled through the replies for a long time before deciding to open a new post to share his latest status.

"I've already changed my hairstyle according to everyone's suggestions and taken off my contact lenses. Please give me some advice to help me succeed on my blind date."

He held up his phone and used the 12-megapixel front camera to take a selfie, then posted it online.

In an instant, the internet exploded.

"Help! Is this really you?"

"Wow, wow, wow! Listening to advice really pays off!"

"Why does your hair quality look so high-end? The hairstyle is a replica of Bosco Wong!!"

"Getting more and more handsome. Losing weight, changing hairstyles, taking off glasses—what step is this even at? The change is already earth-shattering!"

"Even so, his eyes are so expressive! Just looking at his eyes, I'm sold!!!"

"Please, please, please wear a mask! I want to see you with the mask on!"

Faced with such sincere requests from everyone, Zhang Yang didn't hold back; he put on his mask, took another photo, and uploaded it.

As everyone knew, he was two completely different people with and without the mask.

Suddenly, the comment section was blown to pieces.

"It's over, he's already someone I can't afford to reach."

"Oh my god, looking at you like this, you're already a handsome guy, aren't you?"

"Just weld the mask to your face."

"This is super inspirational. I've actually started looking forward to the results of your blind date tonight."

"I don't want to praise you for fear of making you arrogant, but you are really too good."

"Just go on the date like this, be confident, be natural, be a gentleman, and I guarantee the girl will have a massive crush on you!"

Ding!

System has adopted new reasonable suggestions!

Task: A Small Trial

Task Content: Please showcase yourself during this blind date and make the blind date partner's favorability reach 80 or higher. Current favorability: Xiong Yaqian (0/100)

Task Reward 1: 5 Experience Points

Task Reward 2: Height increase of 2 centimeters

Zhang Yang's spirits were instantly lifted. He had actually triggered a new task!

The task content was, plainly put, to perform well on this blind date and get the other party's favorability to eighty. To be honest, compared to the previous ones, this task had some difficulty, but the corresponding rewards were high too!

For example, five experience points, added to the six he already had, would allow him to level up to level three immediately.

What did level three mean? It meant his daily cashback would instantly double to twenty thousand, which meant a yearly cashback of 7.3 million!

Right, and another two centimeters in height.

His current height is 176cm, which is above average. If he grew another two centimeters, he would be 178cm.

Young people nowadays are well-nourished, and there are plenty of tall guys around, but it's not like the streets are crawling with people who are 180cm. A height of 178cm is already quite decent, and as everyone knows, there is no such thing as a guy who is 178cm, because guys who are 178cm all collectively refer to themselves as 180cm.

As for this favorability rating, it's currently at 0? Zhang Yang looked at the system and fell into deep thought.

Xiong Yaqian is the name of his blind date, and her current favorability toward him is 0... there is no favorability at all.

Looking back on it now, Zhang Yang didn't find it strange.

First, the two of them had never met. Second, his WeChat Moments were unremarkable and lacked content. Third, their conversation was essentially non-existent; they weren't on the same wavelength at all. Combining all of the above, to her, he was equivalent to a stranger with no intuitive impression.

Naturally, there was no favorability.

"But that's fine, we'll just take it slow." Zhang Yang casually sent over the meeting location at The Bund for the evening.

Before long, the other party replied quite promptly.

Xiong Yaqian: "This place? Isn't this place very expensive?"

In that very instant, he saw that Xiong Yaqian's favorability toward him had suddenly jumped by twenty.

Just like that, because of a high-end restaurant?

Zhang Yang felt amused.

Zhang Yang: The atmosphere is right, the taste is right, it's worth it even if the price is a bit high. If you have any better recommendations, we can change it.

Xiong Yaqian: "No, no, you decide. By the way, I'm making you spend a lot of money this time."

Zhang Yang: "Don't mention it. Send me your location, and I'll drive over to pick you up."

Xiong Yaqian: "You have a car? Hold on, let me send you the address."

A moment later, Xiong Yaqian sent over her location.

Zhang Yang glanced at the address: "Alright, address received. Let's make it five o'clock this evening."

Zhang Yang chatted with Xiong Yaqian for a few minutes and agreed to drive over to pick her up that evening.

A few minutes of simple conversation had already brought her favorability up to twenty, and Zhang Yang suddenly felt a bit more confident about completing the mission.

If I can level up smoothly, I'll start getting a daily return of twenty thousand starting tomorrow. A faint light flickered in Zhang Yang's eyes.

At this rate, although it wouldn't be enough to settle down in Magic City in the short term, returning to his hometown to immediately live in a villa, drive a luxury car, and reach the pinnacle of life would be effortless.

If he had some ambition and worked hard, living in a luxury mansion in Magic City wouldn't just be a dream!

In the afternoon, Zhang Yang took some time to head to Vientiane City to pick up a few new outfits for himself.

This time, his choice of attire was purely improvised, but not haphazardly so.

Although he didn't know much about fashion, he could learn. A white T-shirt paired with a casual blazer instantly elevated his temperament. It wasn't that he didn't want to dress more youthfully, but at twenty-five, it was no longer appropriate to go for a "boyish" look.

This outfit fit his current age perfectly and suited his temperament well.