Chapter 4: Restraint and Perseverance

April 7, 2023, Friday, sunny, 6~16°C.

6:00 AM, the morning glow just began to light up the horizon.

"Ring-ring—" The alarm clock sounded.

Tang Song got up nimbly, tidied his bed, drank a glass of warm water, and emptied his bowels in the bathroom; his body's vitality was quickly awakened.

Standing in front of the mirror, he wore a sincere smile on his face.

"Ding-dong—" The bank's deposit notification arrived right on schedule.

A good mood to start the day.

As the saying goes: True wealth is the smile on your face.

Tang Song deeply agreed with this.

He opened the system interface to check his personal information.

【Player: Tang Song (25)】

【Role: Jinxiu Trading - Development Engineer】

【Height: 180CM, Weight: 86.5KG】

【Physique: 56, Stamina: 55, Agility: 49, Comprehension: 76】

【Asset Status:】

Balance: 46,020.80 Yuan

Enterprise: None

Real Estate: None

Vehicle: Yadea Electric Scooter

…

Today was the 6th day of his weight loss plan, and the results were excellent.

His weight had dropped to 86.5KG, his agility had increased by 1 point, and his charm rating had reached 25.

He touched his lower abdomen; he could clearly feel it was smaller, and his body felt much lighter.

"Nice!" Tang Song snapped his fingers happily.

No one can refuse becoming better. Watching himself move closer to his goal bit by bit was truly exhilarating.

He put on his sportswear, did 10 minutes of full-body stretching, and then, facing the faint morning light and breathing in the cold air, he began his 40-minute fasted cardio.

After a long night of fasting, the body's glycogen reserves are low. Performing aerobic exercise at this time makes it easier for the body to use fat as an energy source, making the fat-loss effect excellent.

"Huff, puff—"

Large beads of sweat rolled down, his clothes were soaked through, and his legs were trembling.

The sounds of his footsteps, breathing, and heartbeat wove together into a passionate concerto in his ears.

Thoughts of laziness, avoidance, and slacking off popped up in his mind one by one.

Tang Song struggled to adjust his breathing rhythm, painfully enjoying his own fat-burning moment.

In fact, today was already much easier.

During the first few days of exercise, the buildup of lactic acid in his muscles caused soreness all over his body, making even going to the bathroom a struggle. He had relied entirely on willpower to keep going.

Returning to his place, he took a quick shower and began preparing his meals for the day.

Breakfast was simple: milk (250ml), purple sweet potato (150g), 1 boiled egg, and 1 apple.

Lunch was more troublesome to make: steamed corn and pumpkin, winter melon with shrimp, and black pepper mushrooms.

After finishing breakfast and cleaning the kitchen, Tang Song carried his lunch box and walked to work.

The reason he hadn't quit his job yet was mainly to obtain the reward corresponding to 【Charm 30】 as soon as possible.

According to the system's criteria for charm, before having a career of one's own, a stable job and interpersonal relationships are very important.

If his 【Role】 became an unemployed drifter, his charm value would certainly drop significantly.

Being in the development stage, his top priority was to unlock the first-stage reward as soon as possible—everything had to be stable!

……

8:50 AM.

20th floor of Linjin Building, Jinxiu Trading.

"Morning!"

"Morning!"

"Morning, Brother Zhang!"

"Good morning, Little Song. You've lost quite a bit of weight lately! You look much more energetic."

Tang Song wore a warm smile, greeting colleagues he bumped into from time to time.

He put his lunch box in the refrigerator, poured a large cup of hot water, sat at his desk, and opened his laptop to start studying.

Quality sleep left him full of energy, and combined with the weight loss, his whole person had undergone a visible change.

Quite a few female colleagues even asked him for his fat-loss meal menu.

He was in a great state of mind now, arriving at work at 9:00 and leaving promptly at 6:00.

He did his work in moderation; overtime was absolutely out of the question. His main energy was focused on self-improvement.

He would also walk around the hallway every now and then to avoid sitting for too long.

At lunch, Zhao Yue suddenly leaned over.

She glanced at Tang Song's lunch box and sighed, "Brother Song, your fat-loss meals are getting more and more professional. They look very appetizing!"

"I'm just messing around following tutorials; the taste is actually average."

"I don't believe you." Zhao Yue covered her mouth and chuckled, directly using her chopsticks to pick up a shrimp and tossing it into her mouth to taste. "It's not as bad as you say at all; the taste is quite good!"

After saying that, she took a cup of yogurt, placed it on Tang Song's desk, patted his shoulder, and said, "Cheering you on, Brother Song! Strive to lose weight soon! Help pull up the average attractiveness of the boys in our department!"

"No problem." Tang Song smiled and made an OK gesture.

As their eyes met, Zhao Yue seemed a bit embarrassed; she quickly looked away and sat back at her desk.

Tang Song looked at her back and couldn't help but shake his head.

When he first joined, he thought this female colleague liked him.

After all, her speech and behavior were quite intimate, and she didn't seem to have any sense of distance.

However, a few things that happened later made him gradually realize that Zhao Yue was just "fishing."

What she likely valued was his decent technical skills, which could help her with her work.

In terms of looks, Zhao Yue wasn't particularly beautiful; she could be rated a 6 after makeup.

In her early 20s, extroverted personality, average build, monthly salary of 6k.

Yet, even for a girl who wasn't particularly outstanding, she had quite a few pursuers and "simps" around her.

She received gifts and flowers every holiday, and her social media feed was colorful and rich.

This also led to an inexplicable sense of superiority about her.

In her standards, Tang Song was likely defaulted into the "simp" category.

Every now and then, she would toss him a bone, just like she did just now, to maintain intimacy.

……

After 3:00 PM, his body was in a fasted state again.

Tang Song exercised on the elliptical machine for half an hour and worked up a sweat.

Not long after returning to his desk, a fierce wave of hunger surged.

His gaze involuntarily fell on the snacks of his colleagues nearby, and his throat bobbed up and down.

Potato chips, ham, pickled pepper chicken feet, crispy noodles, chocolate…

They were all things he loved to eat!

Tang Song licked his lips, trying hard to divert his attention.

The hunger during this period was the hardest to endure, but as long as he pushed through it, his body would start burning fat, stabilize blood sugar levels, and the hunger would subside significantly.

After persisting for half an hour, the colleagues around him suddenly started discussing afternoon tea.

Tang Song scanned the work group and, sure enough, saw the notice HR had just sent out.

【Dear all: It's delicious afternoon tea time again. Thank you all for your hard work in your daily tasks. Cakes and milk tea are prepared in the activity area. Come and eat!】

Below were a few pictures.

Fragrant cream cakes, golden crispy croissants, large cups of pearl milk tea, and chocolate-covered waffles.

Jinxiu Trading's employee benefits were always good; they provided free afternoon tea every Friday as a form of humanistic care.

His colleague Wang Chaoyang waved at him, "Let's go, Tang Song! If we go late, we won't be able to grab the good stuff."

Tang Song stared at the photos and swallowed hard.

【Sweet and smooth cream, soft and delicious cake, buttery croissants!】

【If I just eat one or two pieces, it definitely won't be a problem!】

Tang Song stood up slightly, then bit his lower lip hard and sat back down.

He said with difficulty, "No thanks, I'm losing weight lately. You guys enjoy."

The desire to complete the task ultimately triumphed over the temptation of delicious food.

6:00 PM.

Tang Song closed his laptop and left work on time.

Having survived that heart-wrenching hunger, he actually felt much more relaxed now.

Walking out of the office building, the April breeze hit his face.

Tang Song took a deep breath and went for a jog against the orange sunset.

Returning to Qingxin Garden, he began to prepare his long-awaited dinner.

Boiled spinach (200g) + steamed fish (150g) + a bowl of brown rice.

The sunset gradually disappeared below the horizon, and the night shrouded the entire city.

The living room lights were turned on.

Tang Song sat at the dining table, silently feeling the satisfaction brought by the food, dreaming of the future.

(End of chapter)