Chapter 15 Du Shaokai's Little Scheme

April 13, 2023, Thursday, cloudy to light rain.

Jinxiu Commerce Co., Ltd.

"Good morning, everyone!" Guo Peng walked into the office area humming a tune, with a joy he couldn't quite conceal on his face.

"Good morning, Brother Peng, I heard you took two days off to buy a car. Did you drive here today?"

"What car did you buy? You didn't even post it on your Moments."

At that, they hit right on Guo Peng's sweet spot.

He quickly took out his phone from his pocket and shared the photos he had taken that morning in the group, "Hehe, check this out, guys. Is it worth it? A 2013 Honda Civic, on the road for 36,000. My cousin runs a repair shop, and he found this car for me."

"The car looks really good, and it's the high-end version too, this price is pretty good."

"Pearl white, a classic color choice."

"Not bad at all, Brother Peng! That's a Civic!"

The staff in the technical department were all young, and they often discussed cars, many of whom were quite knowledgeable, and they began discussing enthusiastically.

Guo Peng smiled smugly, excitedly said, "Automatic transmission, a beauty of a one-owner car, brand spanking new! 1.8L displacement, three large screens, leather seats, equipped with cruise control, multifunction steering wheel..."

While talking, he kept sending pictures of the car's details to the group.

It was evident that Guo Peng cherished his second-hand car a lot.

He cleaned it inside and out, arranged car fragrances, seat covers, backrests, and ornaments neatly, and even tied a red ribbon to the rearview mirror.

"Congratulations, Brother Guo, on the new set of wheels." Tang Song also sincerely complimented, with a hint of envy in his eyes.

He was also very interested in cars and had obtained a driver's license during his college years.

However, after graduation, he prioritized saving money for a house, not even daring to consider a second-hand car and could only indulge his cravings online.

After chatting with his colleagues about his new car, Guo Peng turned around and was taken aback when he saw Tang Song.

He stepped closer to Tang Song, a look of astonishment on his face, "It's been just a few days since we last saw each other, and you've changed so much? You've lost weight and even got a new hairstyle! Gosh, why do I feel like you've gotten a little handsome!"

Today was Thursday, and he had taken three days of annual leave; with the weekend, it had been only 5 or 6 days since he'd last seen Tang Song, but the transformation was striking.

The puffiness that once marred Tang Song's face was all gone, his double chin had become much less noticeable, and his belly had flattened considerably.

He appeared to have slimmed down all over, and with his cleaner skin and new haircut, he did indeed look much handsomer.

"How about I send you my plan? It's actually not that hard," Tang Song winked at Guo Peng.

"No, no, no, I'm not as hardcore as you are! Three meals of low-fat diet, climbing stairs, running, skipping rope, fat-burning exercises," Guo Peng waved his hands in refusal.

Tang Song's lips curled up in amusement but said no more.

Nobody could perceive changes in oneself as distinctly as oneself could.

Having gone through the initial phase of adapting to his new routine, Tang Song's weight loss was progressing more smoothly.

His daily schedule of sleep, diet, exercise, and reading was well-ordered and strictly followed.

He found himself in a unique state of positive feedback, relentlessly closing in on his goal.

As of now, his weight had dropped to 82.5 kg, a reduction of 7.5 kg, or 15 pounds.

What's the concept of 15 pounds? Converted into pork, that would take a long time to eat.

He was only 1.5 kg away from his goal!

He opened the system interface.

[Charm: 28]

As his physical fitness improved and his weight decreased, his charm value rose by another point.

He was just 2 points away from unlocking the first stage of rewards.

He entered the Task Center to check the progress of his tasks.

[Challenge Task: Restraint and Persistence]

[Task Description: Being overweight significantly increases the body's burden and the risk of various diseases. The challenge is to lose 9 kilograms within 20 days and return to a normal weight range.]

[Task Reward: Lung Enhancement Potion*1]

[Task Progress: ░░░░░░83% (8 days remaining)]

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According to the current pace, the task would probably be completed the day after tomorrow, and then the long-awaited [Lung Enhancement Potion] would be obtained.

By that time, charm value would certainly increase, meaning, a 30-point charm is within reach!

Tang Song took a deep breath, trying to calm his excited heart.

...

After finishing lunch.

As usual, Tang Song went downstairs and began walking around the Linjin Building to aid digestion.

In his mind, he was still processing the skincare tutorial that Zhao Yaqian sent him yesterday.

After succeeding in losing weight, apart from fitness training, this was another key project for his transformation.

Net friends had just given him some advice; the actual implementation was very complicated and required someone's help.

Thinking of this, Tang Song took out his phone and sent Zhao Yaqian a message, "Qianqian, are you free tonight? I'd like to take you out for a meal and also ask for your advice on using acids."

He pocketed his phone, when suddenly his shoulder was tapped.

His colleague Du Shaokai looped an arm around his neck, saying warmly, "Song, I knew I'd find you here. Got something to talk to you about, okay to chat?"

"Go ahead," Tang Song's brow furrowed slightly, his face void of much expression.

When he first started the job, he had a pretty good impression of this colleague.

Both were graduates of the Yan City University of Science and Technology class of 2020, and although they weren't in the same major, they recognized each other.

Du Shaokai looked refined and handsome, and he was particularly warm in conversation, occasionally even treating him to meals.

For these reasons, Tang Song had helped him a lot during work.

When he came to him for advice on the architecture and data structure of the SCM system, Tang Song didn't hold back any secrets.

However, he didn't expect that he would be brutally backstabbed by Du Shaokai, who took over the project maintenance work.

Although Director Chen said it was for effective team division of labor, Tang Song didn't believe a word of it.

Everybody in the workplace understood that to secure a place in the company without worrying about layoffs, one must get involved in core and profitable businesses.

And the company's new SCM system was undoubtedly one of those projects.

Du Shaokai shrugged his shoulders and said with a chuckle, "The HR department wants to add a new module in the SCM, and I've been too busy lately. I'll send you the requirement document later, do it when you have time, okay?"

Tang Song suddenly stopped walking and looked at him with amusement, "You think that's appropriate?"

Du Shaokai laughed it off, "With your capability, just working overtime on the weekend, I think it's quite fitting."

Hearing this, Tang Song immediately understood his little ploy.

Since graduation, Du Shaokai had been working at Jinxiu Commerce and was only responsible for maintaining a few corporate sites. His ability was actually quite poor.

If he were to be tasked with the secondary development of the SCM system, completing one module would take at least a month.

But for Tang Song, it would take at most a week.

In Du Shaokai's mind, asking him to be the workhorse was the most fitting scenario.

"How about I take you to Cloud Leisure Inn for a foot massage?" Du Shaokai raised his eyebrows suggestively, "I bet you've never been to such a place. I can guarantee you'll enjoy it, and you can pick any technician you want."

"Heh," Tang Song twisted his body, walked forward a few steps, and shrugged off his arm, "I'm busy."

A momentary lapse appeared on Du Shaokai's face, and his tone grew a tad colder, "Song, you can put your other tasks on hold for now; this project is the top priority. Oh, and President Chen has also approved this."