Chapter 4 Restraint and Persistence

April 7, 2023, Friday, sunny, 6~16℃.

At 6 a.m., the dawn had just brightened the sky.

"Ding-a-ling-a-ling—" The alarm clock went off.

Tang Song got up briskly, made his bed, drank a cup of warm water, emptied his body of waste in the bathroom, and his vitality was quickly awakened.

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

"Ding-dong—" The bank's deposit notification arrived as expected.

It started off a good mood for the day.

There's a saying: 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)]

[Character: Jinxiu Commerce-Development Engineer]

[Height: 180CM, Weight: 86.5KG]

[Constitution: 56, Endurance: 55, Agility: 49, Comprehension: 76]

[Financial Status:]

Balance: 46020.80 yuan

Enterprise: None

Real Estate: None

Vehicle: Yadea Electric Vehicle

...

Today was the sixth day of his diet plan, and the effects were very good.

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

He touched his belly, which had noticeably shrunk, and his body felt much lighter.

"Nice!" Tang Song happily snapped his fingers.

No one could refuse to become better, and watching himself move closer to his goals bit by bit was truly exhilarating.

After putting on sportswear and doing 10 minutes of full-body stretching, he faced the faint morning light and, breathing the fresh, crisp air, began 40 minutes of fasting aerobic exercise.

Having fasted for an extended period overnight, the body's glycogen stores were low, making it easier to use fat as an energy source during aerobic exercise, resulting in excellent fat-loss effects.

"Huff puff huff puff—" Big beads of sweat rolled down, soaking his clothes, and his legs trembled.

The sound of footsteps, breathing, and heartbeat wove an uplifting concerto in his ears.

Thoughts of laziness, evasion, and slacking off popped up one after another in his mind.

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

In fact, it was already much easier than at the beginning.

During the first few days of exercise, the buildup of lactic acid in his muscles caused soreness throughout his body, making even going to the toilet a struggle. He had persevered entirely on willpower.

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

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

Lunch required a bit more effort: steamed corn and pumpkin, winter melon with shrimp, black pepper mushrooms.

After breakfast, and having cleaned the kitchen, Tang Song walked to work with his lunch box.

The main reason he hadn't quit his job was to quickly obtain the rewards corresponding to [Charm 30].

According to the system's standards for evaluating charm value, a stable job and interpersonal relationships are very important before owning a business.

If his [Character] became an unemployed vagrant, his charm value would definitely drop a lot.

For him, in his developmental stage, the priority was to quickly unlock the first stage of rewards—stability was key!

...

8:50 a.m.

Linjin Building, 20th floor, Jinxiu Commerce.

"Morning!"

"Morning!"

"Morning, Brother Zhang!"

"Good morning Song, you've slimmed down quite a bit lately! You look more spirited too."

Tang Song's face was adorned with a warm smile as he greeted colleagues he encountered.

After placing his lunch box in the fridge and pouring a large cup of hot water, he sat down at his workstation and started studying on his laptop.

Quality sleep had left him feeling refreshed, and with the weight loss, there had been a noticeable change in his demeanor.

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

Now, with a great mindset, his daily routine was set: arrive at work at 9 a.m. and leave on time at 6 p.m.

Work should be done in moderation, and overtime is absolutely out of the question; the main focus is on self-improvement.

Occasionally, I would also take a few laps around the corridor to avoid sitting for too long.

At lunchtime, Zhao Yue suddenly came over.

She glanced at Tang Song's lunchbox and sighed wistfully, "Brother Song, your fat-reduction meals are getting more and more skilled, they look totally appetizing!"

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

"I don't believe that." Zhao Yue covered her mouth with a light chuckle, directly picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks, and tasted it, "It's not as bad as you said, the taste is quite good!"

After saying that, she took a yogurt cup and placed it on Tang Song's desk, patting his shoulder, "Here's a little boost for you, Brother Song—hang in there and slim down soon! Lift the average charm value of the guys in our department!"

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

Our gazes met, and Zhao Yue seemed a bit embarrassed, quickly averting her eyes and sitting back at her own workstation.

Watching her back, I couldn't help but shake my head.

When I first joined the company, I thought this female coworker had a thing for me.

After all, she was quite friendly in her speech and behavior, without any sense of distance.

However, a few incidents later, I gradually realized that Zhao Yue was just 'fishing'.

What she was interested in was probably my decent technical skills, which could help her with work.

In terms of looks, Zhao Yue wasn't particularly beautiful, scoring a 6 after makeup.

In her early twenties, extroverted, neither fat nor thin, with a monthly salary of 6k yuan.

Yet, such an unremarkable girl had no shortage of pursuers and sycophants.

She would receive gifts and flowers on holidays, and her social media was lively and colorful.

This gave her a kind of inexplicable superiority complex.

In her standards, I guess Tang Song was automatically lumped into the category of sycophants.

Periodically, just like she did earlier, she would throw me a bone to maintain a certain closeness.

...

At around 3 p.m., my body once again entered a state of hunger.

I exercised on the elliptical machine for half an hour, breaking into a sweat.

Not long after I returned to my desk, a fierce hunger panged through me.

My gaze unintentionally fell on the snacks of the colleagues around me, and I swallowed hard.

Chips, ham, spicy chicken feet, crispy noodles, chocolate...

All my favorites!

I licked my lips, trying hard to redirect my attention.

This period of hunger is the most difficult to endure, but if I just hold on, my body will start to burn fat, stabilize blood sugar levels, and the hunger will significantly decrease.

After persevering for half an hour, my colleagues suddenly began discussing the afternoon tea.

I glanced at the work group chat and, sure enough, saw the notification sent by HR just now.

[Dear all: It's time for our delicious afternoon tea again! Thank you for your hard work every day. We have cakes and milk tea ready in the activity area, come and enjoy!]

There were even a few pictures underneath.

The fragrant cream cakes, golden and flaky croissants, large cups of pearl milk tea, waffles dripping with chocolate.

Jinxiu Commerce always had good employee benefits, offering a free afternoon tea every Friday as a form of employee care.

The colleague beside me, Wang Chaoyang, waved at me, "Come on, Tang Song! If you're late, you'll miss out on the good stuff."

I stared at the photos, gulping heavily.

[The smooth and sweet cream, the soft and delicious cake, the buttered croissants!]

[If I just have one or two pieces, it definitely won't be a problem!]

I started to get up, then bit my lower lip forcefully and sat back down.

"I can't— I'm on a diet recently. You guys enjoy your meal."

The desire to accomplish my goals ultimately overcame the temptation of food.

At 6 p.m.,

I shut down my laptop and left work on time.

After surviving that heart-wrenching hunger, I now felt much more relaxed.

Exiting the office building, the April breeze greeted me.

I took a deep breath and jogged towards the orange sunset.

When I got back to Fresh Home, I started preparing the long-awaited dinner.

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

The sunset slowly vanished beyond the horizon, and night shrouded the city.

The lights in the living room were turned on.

I sat at the dining table, quietly savoring the satisfaction of the meal, dreaming of the future.