April marks the end of spring. As the temperature rises and the days stretch longer, people have swapped their attire for cooler clothes, preparing to welcome the restless summer.
Sitting in the stands, Zhang Beixing, panting and wiping sweat, watched the vibrant and youthful figures on the field. It's great to be young, he thought. It's great to be alive!
In his past life, he was nothing more than an ordinary office drone. Like many others, Zhang Beixing used to wake up earlier than the chickens and sleep later than the dogs, earning a measly salary for a workload worth much more. Every day, his boss would gaslight him, saying things like, "The harder you work, the luckier you'll become," and "Your future self will thank your present self," and so on.
To be honest, Zhang Beixing wasn't sure about being grateful, but he knew he was pretty unlucky. In a work environment so bad that even prisoners of war would cry foul under the Geneva Conventions, it was no surprise that he ended up with various ailments at a young age. A herniated disc and coronary heart disease were minor issues; the major one was cancer. Liver cancer. By the time it was discovered, it was already in an advanced stage. He was immediately admitted to the ICU.
Originally, the money he had saved over the years would have been more than enough for a liver transplant. However, due to his extremely poor physical condition and various concurrent diseases, he hadn't lasted two days before he kicked the bucket. When he woke up again, he found himself reborn during his university days. Thankfully, his body was much healthier back then; albeit a bit overweight, he had no major illnesses. Otherwise, the shock might have killed him again.
This time around, I refuse to be a workhorse! he resolved. They can all compete in their rat race if they want; I'm going to focus on my health, be happy, and live for myself! Having died once, Zhang Beixing had a great epiphany.
So, after watching the pretty girls on the field for a while and feeling refreshed, he headed back to his dormitory. When he returned, his roommates, who had been sprawled on their beds sleeping, were now up and shouting in front of their computers. Hearing the clatter of keyboards, he knew it was, unsurprisingly, another "lineage defense battle." Zhang Beixing didn't disturb them, just stood by patiently watching.
Only after the word "DEFEAT" flashed across all three of their screens simultaneously did they angrily rip off their headphones. Just as they were about to start their usual blame game, they noticed Zhang Beixing sitting beside them watching. One of them couldn't help but ask, "Lao Zhang, what's gotten into you these past two days? You've even started running?"
"What else could it be? He went to a hotel with a girl the other day, and she dumped him the next day, saying he was too weak. So now he wants to work out to show her up."
"Lao Zhang might actually be weak. Look at him, always looking so sickly, he practically floats when he walks."
"If that's the case, Lao Zhang, your haphazard running is pretty inefficient. You need to do tempo runs. That way, you run for longer, and the fat burns off faster. Five kilometers a day, and you'll see amazing results in a month! Though, if you ask me, it doesn't matter if you lose weight or not. I already asked around about that girl; she's just a gold-digger. Even if you slim down, Lao Zhang, she won't take you back!"
Hearing his roommates' words, Zhang Beixing's lip twitched. He was about to explain that he was running for his health, that it had nothing to do with any girl, and that while his constitution might be poor, he definitely wasn't 'weak'—he could perform! But before he could get a word out:
[DING—]
[Advice from a nearby person has been detected. The Persuasion System is now bound.]
[One piece of advice has been recorded. Please check.]
Zhang Beixing was bewildered by the crisp sound in his ears. He'd thought being reborn was already incredible enough, but he hadn't expected to get a 'system' too. Isn't this like a little cow stuffed with dynamite—freaking awesome!
System, show suggestions! he silently commanded in his mind. A blue panel promptly appeared before him.
He glanced at his three roommates out of the corner of his eye; they showed no reaction. Confirming that only he could see the panel, Zhang Beixing shifted his gaze to the single suggestion on it.
[Suggestion: Tempo Run. Difficulty: D. Reward: 0.5 Ability Points per 5 kilometers run.]
Looking at this, Zhang Beixing raised an eyebrow. A tempo run... that's what my roommate just suggested. But only 0.5 Ability Points for running five kilometers? Why isn't it even a whole number? What are these points used for? he wondered.
He questioned the System in his mind, but after asking for a long time, it remained silent. Realizing it probably lacked any intelligence, Zhang Beixing resignedly decided to call up his Personal Panel and study it himself.
[Name: Zhang Beixing]
[Status: Mildly Fatigued]
[Power: 63]
[Constitution: 61]
[Spiritual Power: 105]
[Ability Points: 0]
[Skills: None]
The Personal Panel was extremely simple, one might even call it crude. Looking at his Power and Constitution scores, which barely hovered above the passing mark, Zhang Beixing's mouth twitched; he was speechless. Although he knew he wasn't very strong, being this weak was truly beyond his expectations.
No wonder I died so young in my previous life, he thought. The underlying issues were already there back in university! But why is my Spiritual Power so high? Surely it can't be some superhuman mental fortitude I developed from enduring the capitalist 996 hell in my past life?
"Hey, hey, Lao Zhang! What are you thinking about so hard? You're completely spaced out. I've been calling you for ages and you haven't responded."
Just as Zhang Beixing was staring at the System panel, contemplating what these Ability Points were for, the chubby roommate sitting next to him nudged him with an elbow, snapping him back to reality.
Meeting his roommates' puzzled gazes, Zhang Beixing was about to say it was nothing. But then, remembering the System he had just acquired, he changed his tune. "It's nothing much. It's just that what Old Dong said about tempo runs reminded me. I was wondering if there are any other ways to lose weight."
The three of them looked at him in shock. "Lao Zhang, you're actually serious about this?"
After a moment's thought, they all started chiming in with suggestions.
Simultaneously, by Zhang Beixing's ear:
[Multiple suggestions detected. Suggestions recorded.]
[Suggestion: Jump Rope. Difficulty: D. Reward: 0.5 Ability Points per 2,000 jumps.]
[Suggestion: Squats. Difficulty: D. Reward: 0.5 Ability Points per 1,000 squats.]
[Suggestion: HIIT Fat-Burning Workout. Difficulty: C. Reward: 0.3 Ability Points per three completions.]
[....]
Looking at these new suggestions, Zhang Beixing had pretty much figured out the System's mechanism. It seemed to record suggestions whenever he asked a question and someone answered. The criteria for determining difficulty were still unknown. And those Ability Points... could they be used to improve my attributes?
Thinking of his Power and Constitution scores, which were barely passing, Zhang Beixing felt it was highly probable. After all, he had searched through the System interface for a long time but hadn't found any kind of 'system store.' Those Ability Points couldn't just be for decoration!
To test his theory, Zhang Beixing decided to try completing one of the tasks first. He began to look through the four suggestions, trying to pick one.