Grasp with Both Hands, Keep Both Strong

Li Wei and Emma stood at the entrance, watching the Range Rover SV disappear around the corner of Madison Avenue.

"Still looking?" Emma turned to Li Wei, who was staring at the taillights. "One smile from her and she's already stolen your soul, huh?"

Li Wei reluctantly withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, then said, "Not really. I was just wondering why she didn't tip today."

"You idiot." Emma smacked him with an exasperated laugh. "She said she'd remember you. Isn't that enough?"

I'd rather she didn't remember me. Li Wei sighed and headed back inside with Emma.

"Think about it," Emma said excitedly, counting on her fingers as she spoke. "Someone like her probably gets over a hundred thousand dollars a month just for pocket money. Add in the spending power of her besties and friends—if you can keep this big spender happy, you might even earn enough for a year of college tuition."

"Isn't her family old money?" Li Wei casually asked as he opened the door. "How can she only get a little over a hundred thousand a month?"

"You think families like that are nouveau riche?" Emma explained. "They keep a tight grip on the younger generation's money so they won't spend recklessly. And she definitely isn't their only child. It's perfectly normal for a family like that to have more than a dozen heirs."

Li Wei thought about it and realized she was right. A great family that had endured for a hundred years couldn't possibly indulge its descendants without limits.

"By the way, that tiara she wants to rent," Li Wei asked, "it's not cheap, right?"

"Not just not cheap—it'll probably cost several million dollars," Emma said, then sighed. "Ah, when will I ever make several million dollars?"

Still, working at a high-end luxury buyer's shop had given Emma strong emotional resilience. She quickly recovered and switched back into work mode.

When the morning shift ended, Li Wei once again briefly stepped away from the bustling life of the Upper East Side and took the subway back to Brooklyn.

This time, however, he didn't take the subway and then transfer to a bus straight back to Bay Ridge. Instead, he got off at Sunset Park Station.

When he had left that morning, he had found the refrigerator nearly empty and needed to restock on ingredients.

After buying vegetables, seasonings, and seafood at a Chinese-owned fresh grocery store, Li Wei walked to a butcher shop in Bay Ridge and bought beef and lamb.

When he had gone grocery shopping in Bay Ridge before, he had noticed that two otherwise identical supermarkets just one street apart could charge more than thirty percent extra for the same ingredients.

The residents of Bay Ridge were generally working-class families with steady jobs. There were also many Italian and Middle Eastern immigrants here, creating a stark contrast with Sunset Park just a street away, where Chinese and Latino communities were concentrated.

Although Bay Ridge was closer to the sea than Sunset Park, the difference in dietary habits meant that seafood was actually cheaper in Sunset Park.

After returning home, Li Wei filled the refrigerator again.

That afternoon, Rogue Fitness Equipment Company delivered the goods to the curb. They included 800 kilograms of weight plates and over 100 kilograms of various equipment. Including the basic shipping, packaging, taxes, and the equipment itself, Li Wei had spent more than $3,000.

There were two reasons for spending so much on equipment. One was to meet the minimum shipping cost, while the other was to prepare for future evaluations.

His current strength had already begun attracting attention at the gym. If he kept improving, someone would probably film him and post it online, triggering a series of unnecessary problems.

Besides, inferior equipment couldn't withstand his current strength. It was better to buy some good gear for home all at once, so he could properly track the changes in his body for a long time to come.

"You sure you don't need me to call in a forklift to help?"

After unloading the goods at the curb, the driver, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, called out to Li Wei. "It's only $199, buddy. This pile of iron weighs at least a ton!"

"It's only a few steps. $199 is way too expensive," Li Wei said as he bent down and picked up a 100-kilogram weight plate. "I'll do it myself."

"What the fuck..."

The driver's eyes widened as he watched Li Wei carry the weight plate into the house as though he were holding a child. For a moment, he wondered whether he had delivered the wrong cargo—had he accidentally brought some lightweight display plates instead?

But after Li Wei entered the house, the driver jumped down from the truck and inspected the plates carefully. When he found that he couldn't move them no matter how hard he tried, he finally confirmed that he had delivered the right goods.

Watching Li Wei walk back out of the house without so much as a change in expression, the driver could only give up on earning the extra delivery fee. Muttering to himself, he climbed back into his truck and drove away from Bay Ridge.

After nearly an hour, Li Wei had assembled the power rack. He nodded in satisfaction, lay down on the bench, and began allocating points.

The last time, he had increased the gap between his physical attributes to 0.4 all at once, leaving his body with a strange sense of lag. This time, he had learned his lesson and focused on developing all three attributes evenly.

He first added 0.1 attribute points to Strength in one go.

[Strength 1.8]--[Strength 1.9]

A familiar heat flowed from his spine and spread throughout his body, reaching every corner of his muscles.

Li Wei could feel every muscle fiber forming deeper connections, becoming denser and far more resilient.

Under the effects of that heat, Li Wei didn't feel his physique expanding. On the contrary, he felt as though he had become a little more "solid."

After thinking it over, Li Wei added the remaining 0.3 attribute points to [Constitution] and [Agility].

Constitution increased by 0.2 points.

[Constitution 1.5]--[Constitution 1.6]

[Constitution 1.6]--[Constitution 1.7]

Agility increased by 0.1 points.

[Agility 1.6]--[Agility 1.7]

After allocating the points, Li Wei lay quietly on the bench without rushing to get up. He closed his eyes and slowly savored the feeling of his body gradually evolving.

Once Constitution and Agility caught up, the discomfort and stiffness in his body vanished completely.

Previously, he had been able to bench press 225 kilograms without feeling any discomfort, but after allocating these points, his awareness of his body rose to another level. He felt a subtle sense of balance.

Constitution had risen from 1.5 to 1.7 in one go, and the changes it brought seemed to be more than just increased endurance. Something deep within his marrow had become tougher.

He felt his bones becoming harder, filled with resilience and support. It was as if his joints had gained an extra layer of connective tissue, like they had been fitted with a more shock-absorbing, more flexible suit of armor.

Li Wei suddenly opened his eyes and sprang up from the bench. His body moved as his will commanded, and his will followed his heart.

Street workout moves he had once considered difficult could now be performed with ease.

"Let's warm up first." Li Wei loaded six large plates onto the new barbell. "This time, I'll start warming up at 170 kilograms."

170, 180, 190... He quickly surpassed his previous 225 kilograms.

When Li Wei loaded 230 kilograms, he finally felt a hint of heavy pressure. But rather than frightening him, that pressure excited him.

Thanks to the improvements that came with increased Constitution, even when bench pressing extreme weights, he felt no discomfort whatsoever in his elbow or wrist joints.

Before, he had been like a precision hydraulic press. Now, that hydraulic press had been thoroughly lubricated and carefully maintained.

Li Wei stopped only after pressing 250 kilograms, steadily returning the barbell to the rack.

Balanced point allocation really is the way to go, Li Wei thought as he unloaded the plates. Grasp with both hands, and keep both strong.