Chapter 40: Fill Up Your Wuling with Gas

Looking at the glaring 100,000 yuan withdrawal limit, Tang Song clenched his fists and withdrew it immediately!

"Ding—" The SMS notification sounded.

"[China Merchants Bank] Your account ending in 6800 received RMB 102,000.00 on April 20 at 18:39."

"Awesome!" Tang Song blurted out, his eyes burning with intensity.

He opened his personal information interface.

[Player: Tang Song (34)]

[Role: Jinxiu Trading - Development Engineer]

[Height: 181.5cm, Weight: 79.5kg]

[Constitution: 59, Endurance: 56, Agility: 50, Savvy: 76]

[Asset Status:]

Balance: 104,100 RMB (Investment Fund: 1 million, Debt: 40,000)

Enterprise: None

Real Estate: 200sqm office space in Yunxi Mansion

Vehicle: Wuling Hongguang S

...

For the first time in his life, his bank balance had exceeded 100,000 yuan.

Looking at the red debt information, Tang Song did not hesitate. He first paid off the 40,000 yuan owed to Jiebei and Weili Loan; the total interest came to exactly 100 yuan.

Although his balance shrank to 63,000 yuan, he felt light as a feather without the debt. It felt great!

With the title [The Popular Me], as long as he operated his accounts on the two platforms well, making money wouldn't be difficult at all.

Thinking of this, Tang Song couldn't sit still.

He opened his photo album to check the "Phase 1 Summary of the Advice-Following Transformation Vlog" video he had made previously.

Although it was called a video, it was essentially just a montage of still images.

Furthermore, he hadn't put much effort into it at the time, so the visual appeal was quite mediocre.

This was why, despite the excellent transformation results, the video hadn't gone viral.

After a moment of thought, Tang Song walked quickly to his computer and opened the desktop version of the editing software.

He imported all the footage from his phone into the computer and carefully organized it in order.

He selected the best photos and created several progressive transformation comparison shots.

Using each day as a node, he combined daily weight, fat-loss meals, and exercise to make his transformation process appear smoother.

Next, he referenced the transitions, copywriting, and BGM of several similar viral videos, borrowing everything that suited him.

Busy until 9:00 PM, a meticulously crafted vlog of an ordinary person's transformation comeback was complete.

Tang Song watched it repeatedly, unable to help but give it a like himself.

The transitions, the effects, the BGM—it was truly inspiring!

By comparison, his previous attempt had been too careless.

As expected, motivation follows inspiration.

He opened the Douyin app, imported the finished video material, and clicked next.

[Caption: "Life requires the courage to transform yourself from an NPC into a protagonist!"]

[Hashtags: #OOTD, #AdviceFollowingTransformation, #OrdinaryPersonTransformation, #Comeback, #Inspirational]

After checking it several times to ensure there were no issues, he clicked publish.

Tang Song let out a long sigh of relief. Next, he needed to think about how to make better videos; ideally, he should find time to study video editing and production more deeply.

Due to system restrictions, he could not use any marketing or promotion methods; his only way to win was through video quality.

If he could produce a viral hit like his last hairstyle transformation mishap, the increase in followers would be substantial.

He daydreamed for quite a while.

By the time Tang Song snapped back to reality, it was nearly 10:00 PM.

He patted his flushed face, went to the bathroom to wash up, and finally began to calm down.

Indeed, he was still not composed enough; a small title reward had made him lose his head.

In truth, thinking about it carefully, this reward wasn't exaggerated.

Relying purely on organic traffic, it is difficult for an ordinary creator with no special talents to gain followers on any platform.

It had taken him a full 20 days to reach 1,000 followers on Xiaohongshu, and that was only because he had chosen a good niche and produced a viral note about a bowl-cut hairstyle.

After completely suppressing his excitement, Tang Song changed into comfortable pajamas and leaned against the headboard to read *Make It Stick* for a while.

He fell into a deep sleep while contemplating the contents of the book.

...

April 21, 2023, Friday, Rain, 6–11°C.

The temperature in Yancheng plummeted today, with dark clouds pressing down and continuous rain.

After waking up, Tang Song climbed the stairs in the building for 40 minutes to complete his daily fasted cardio.

Standing before the mirror in tight-fitting sportswear and wearing a mask, he adjusted the angle, lighting, and position multiple times to film a satisfactory clip.

After a shower, he changed into dry, warm clothes and began preparing today's breakfast.

Boiled egg + milk + boiled corn + a cucumber.

He had now integrated discipline into his life and had begun to enjoy this healthy lifestyle.

His weight had now reached a normal level; in normal clothing, he looked like a spirited young man—neither fat nor thin.

However, his muscles were not prominent and lacked definition; his body fat percentage was around 20%, meaning there was still significant room to improve his physical charm.

Following the suggestions of netizens, his next goal was to lower his body fat to 15%, which would mean having slight abdominal muscles.

He would look much more proportional and coordinated.

After breakfast, Tang Song opened the system interface to check the details of the title [The Popular Me].

[Current Cash Reward: 4,100 RMB (Total: 106,100 RMB)]

Over the course of one night, he had only gained 41 followers.

Checking his phone, his Douyin followers had increased by 27, and Xiaohongshu by 14.

This was considered normal data and within his expectations.

Sitting at the computer, he organized today's transformation footage into a video and uploaded it to both platforms.

Tang Song packed his things, took his car keys and an umbrella, and went downstairs.

"Vroom, vroom—" The Wuling Hongguang started slowly and gradually disappeared into the hazy curtain of rain.

Because it was still raining, the cars on the road were driving very slowly.

Sitting in the car, Tang Song once again experienced the benefits of owning a vehicle.

Looking at the pedestrians weaving through the rain with umbrellas outside the window, he couldn't help but think of Zhao Yaqian.

His beautician friend was not financially well-off; she usually took the Route 26 bus to work, but in weather like this, traveling was a hassle.

Arriving at the company and seeing the rain getting heavier outside, Tang Song opened Zhao Yaqian's chat box again.

The message was still the one he had sent yesterday afternoon: "Do you want to go shopping together this weekend? It won't take much of your time, just at Yunshheng Plaza. I want to hear your fashion advice and have you help me pick out some clothes."

Despite this simple invitation, Zhao Yaqian had not replied.

After a thought, Tang Song left a message: "It's very windy and rainy today. Stay safe on the road."

Not long after the message was sent, his phone vibrated.

[Zhao Yaqian: Rainbow_Umbrella.jpg]

[Zhao Yaqian: "Don't worry, I have a big umbrella protecting me. I won't get rained on."]

Receiving the beautician's reply and seeing that familiar umbrella, Tang Song couldn't help but smile.

After hesitating for a moment, he sent her a small 20-yuan red envelope.

He continued: "Last time, Teacher Zhao's umbrella helped me shield the wind and rain and escorted me home. This time, I'm treating it to a taxi ride!"

[Zhao Yaqian: "No, no, I can't take this."]

Tang Song: "It's for the rainbow umbrella. The wind is too strong today; I can't bear to see it suffer."

Zhao Yaqian remained silent for a long while before finally accepting the red envelope.

After a while, she shared a Didi trip itinerary, from Tiankuo Garden Community to the entrance of the pedestrian street.

[Zhao Yaqian: "I've already escorted it into the car. Thank you. Once I get paid, I'll fill up your Wuling with gas."]

Seeing this message, Tang Song burst out laughing.

This sentence seemed to have become her catchphrase.

Since they met, he had heard her say "once I get paid, [something or other]" at least seven or eight times.

Just as he was about to reply, two more messages popped up.

[Zhao Yaqian: {Red Envelope}]

[Zhao Yaqian: "I don't have much money right now, so I'll give it 20 yuan worth of gas first, to thank it for taking me out before."]

Seeing this, Tang Song pursed his lips and accepted the red envelope.

(End of Chapter)