Lin Jiang put his phone back in his pocket and returned to the shop to help.
’Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve been home.’
’But the latest mission is to check in consecutively. Today is the third day, so there are still twelve days to go.’
’Once I’ve used up this Fitness Card, I should go home and see Comrade Li.’
Inside the shop, Chen Jingxian and Qiu Yunong were helping Li Yuanyuan with her work.
"You two both have your own important things to do, don’t busy yourselves here," Lin Jiang said, looking at Qiu Yunong.
"Especially you. Go take care of your company’s business."
Qiu Yunong glanced at her watch. "It’s almost noon. There’s nothing to do if I go back now anyway. I’ll just freeload a meal here and leave after I eat."
"Fine by me, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of your actual work."
"Yeah, I know what I’m doing."
After speaking with the two of them, Lin Jiang went back to the counter.
He noticed that quite a few people had ordered the Pan-Seared Steak Rice, and the reviews were excellent.
The homemade sour plum soup also received unanimously positive feedback.
Some people even wanted to order it for takeout, but the shop didn’t have the kind of cups used for bubble tea, so they had to give up on the idea.
The day’s business was surprisingly good. Even around two or three in the afternoon, the place was packed, and takeout orders were flooding in. In the end, they had no choice but to stop accepting new orders to ease some of the pressure.
And because business was booming, all the ingredients they had prepped in advance were sold out by just after six o’clock, forcing them to close up shop for the night.
After closing, Lin Jiang took the dozen or so staff members to a restaurant for a small celebration dinner.
"Thanks for all your hard work, everyone. I’d like to propose a toast."
Lin Jiang raised his glass after all the dishes had been served.
"Thanks, Brother Jiang."
The others raised their glasses too. Whether they could drink or not, everyone downed the glass. It was all about the atmosphere.
"Business is booming even more than I imagined. With the new items launched, it’s only going to get better. Yuanyuan, find four more servers. Yang Tao, hire two more kitchen staff. That way, you’ll all have an easier time, and when someone needs to take a day off, the others can cover for them."
"Got it."
"Yuanyuan, also contact a supplier and get some of those bubble tea cups. That way, people can order the sour plum soup for takeout."
"OK."
Lin Jiang smiled. ’She’s even busting out the English.’
Finally, Lin Jiang went over the problems that had come up during the day, reminding everyone to be more mindful in the future so they could improve their efficiency.
After discussing the issues, everyone started eating. The atmosphere was harmonious, and everyone was in high spirits.
A little after eight, Qin Yangyang gave Lin Jiang a call.
"The shop must have been busy today. I’ll talk to Shen Yuanhang in a bit and tell him you can come over tomorrow instead. One day won’t make a difference."
"We sold out of ingredients and closed early. I’m heading over now."
"Alright. It’s noisy on your end. Are you eating?"
"Yeah."
"You must have been drinking."
"Four bottles. Just to rinse my mouth."
"Wait there, I’ll come pick you up. I’m not far from you."
"Alright."
About ten minutes later, Lin Jiang got a message from Qin Yangyang. He said goodbye to his staff and left.
After getting in the car, he noticed Qin Yangyang’s outfit was a bit of a mismatch.
She was wearing an oversized T-shirt on top, sky-blue yoga pants on the bottom, paired with sneakers and white high-top socks. It looked a little off, no matter how you looked at it.
"You drank four beers? You’ve probably gained back everything you worked off yesterday. You’ll be lucky to keep your body fat at 16%," Qin Yangyang said.
"All we can do now is pray that Shen Yuanhang has as little self-control as you do, and his body fat went up instead of down. That’s the only way you’ll win."
"Woman, you have absolutely no faith in me. Aren’t you afraid I’m going to prove you wrong?"
"I’d love for you to prove me wrong. If you can get it down to 8%, I’ll be your personal fitness assistant and pick up your weight plates for you every day."
"I’ve thought about it. Picking up weight plates sounds a little boring."
Qin Yangyang gave Lin Jiang a playful look. "What if I picked them up for you while wearing yoga pants?"
"Nah. You can look at those, but you can’t rip them. Black stockings would be more appropriate."
"I’m gonna hit you! You’re talking nonsense."
[You have gained favor with NPC Qin Yangyang. Affinity +10]
[NPC: Qin Yangyang]
[Affinity: 20]
[Reward: 1,000,000 NPC Special Cultivation Fund. Has been deposited into your account.]
’I can gain Affinity from that?’
’Looks like Qin Yangyang is into this kind of thing.’
Soon, the two of them arrived at Suya Fitness Center.
The moment he stepped into the fitness center, a notification appeared.
[Check-in Successful: Day Three]
[Player has checked in for three consecutive days. Reward: 8% Body Fat.]
The moment the notification disappeared, Lin Jiang felt a change in his body.
It was as if all the flesh on his body began to tremble, and he broke out in a sweat.
"What’s wrong with you? The AC is on, why are you sweating so much?"
"It’s nothing. It’ll pass in a moment."
Qin Yangyang sized him up. "Are you feeling weak? Do you need me to prescribe some traditional Chinese medicine to help you recover?"
Lin Jiang: ...
"Thanks so much for your concern."
"Don’t be embarrassed. Kidney deficiency isn’t something to be ashamed of," Qin Yangyang teased.
"Get outta here. Go stand over there."
After entering, they first went to the locker room. Although they were here to face off against Shen Yuanhang, since they’d come all this way, they might as well get a workout in before leaving.
Before changing, Lin Jiang took a quick shower to wash off the sweat. He noticed that his muscles had become much firmer, and even the outline of his abs was more defined.
’Tongzi, you’re the man.’
After changing, when the two of them reached the equipment area, they saw Shen Yuanhang chatting and laughing with a huge, musclebound trainer.
Shen Yuanhang was wearing a tank top, and there were sweat stains on the back. He had probably been working out for a while.
"This doesn’t look good. Judging by his condition today, he seems very confident."
"I have to say, the power of love is truly great. It looks like he’s put in a lot of effort to get close to you."
"Women are different from men. If we’re not interested in someone, it doesn’t matter how they pursue us; we won’t develop feelings," Qin Yangyang said coolly.
"You, on the other hand, should prepare yourself. He’s definitely going to mock you after you lose."
"We haven’t even competed yet and you’re already saying I’ll lose. Aren’t you just boosting his ego at my expense?"
"You were already at a disadvantage, and you haven’t been very disciplined these past few days. Your chances of winning really aren’t high."
Qin Yangyang looked at Lin Jiang. "Being confident is a good thing, but being overconfident is not."
"The feeling you’re giving me right now is one of overconfidence—in the belief that I will definitely lose."
"Then by all means, prove me wrong. Besides, we already agreed. If I lose the bet, I’ll be your assistant."
"I don’t want an assistant who wears yoga pants."
"I’ll even wear black stockings, no problem. The prerequisite is that you have to win."
"You said it. I’m going to record this on my phone so you can’t go back on your word."
"I’m a lawyer. I have the utmost respect for the spirit of a contract."
"I don’t even trust my own mother, let alone you."
Lin Jiang took out his phone and pointed it at Qin Yangyang.
"Your phone doesn’t have a beauty filter. Let’s use mine."
Taking out her own phone, Qin Yangyang opened the front-facing camera and straightened her hair.
The two of them, one tall and one short, stood together, looking very much like a couple taking a selfie.
"I, Qin Yangyang, on the 28th of this month, at 8:45 PM, do hereby agree with Lin Jiang as follows: if he is victorious in his competition against Shen Yuanhang, I will wear black stockings and become his assistant, effective permanently. If he loses, he will wear a suit and become my driver, effective permanently."
Qin Yangyang’s speech gave Lin Jiang the distinct impression that this woman was practically a natural-born saint of the law.
’If I pissed her off, she’d probably slap me with a ’Fairy’s Judgment’ or something.’
Qin Yangyang extended her pinky, her expression a little smug and cute.
Lin Jiang extended his finger too, and the two of them hooked pinkies in front of the camera with a great sense of ceremony.
"Let’s go, Comrade Lin. Your opponent is waiting for you."
As she spoke, Qin Yangyang also sent a copy of the recorded video to Lin Jiang.
It was as if she were saying, ’This contract has been made in duplicate; please keep your copy in a safe place.’
"We haven’t even competed, and you’re already calling me ’Little Lin’?"
"I’ve already figured out what brand of suit you’ll wear. I’ll even pair it with leather shoes and white gloves. Perfect."
"Alright, alright. We’ll see about that," Lin Jiang said, fiddling with his phone without looking up.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking at Balenciaga black stockings."
"No need to look. If I really lose, I’ll buy the stockings myself. I won’t spend a single cent of your money."
"This is what I love about you rich girls who throw money around." Lin Jiang quietly leaned in closer. "What do you think of these crotchless ones? For easier bathroom breaks? We should get these then."
"Hmph, you pervert. Wait until you’ve actually won to talk."
With their agreement made, the two of them walked out from the corner.
Lin Jiang noticed that there were more people in the gym than before, and they were all looking in their direction.
The musclebound trainer saw them immediately and shot a look at Shen Yuanhang.
"Yangyang, you’re here."
Seeing Qin Yangyang, Shen Yuanhang came over like a simpering lapdog.
Qin Yangyang gave an indifferent nod without any further response.
Zheng Huiting walked over and asked Lin Jiang in a low voice:
"How has your training been these last few days? Are you confident?"
"It’s a guaranteed win. There’s no suspense," Lin Jiang said.
Qin Yangyang couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
’He’s talking tough, but he’s already cooked. This is all blackmail material. I have to save it and bring it up whenever I get the chance.’
"Shen Yuanhang just finished his test. His body fat is 19%, down 3 percentage points. Now it’s your turn."
"No problem."
While they were talking, Shen Yuanhang’s attention landed on Lin Jiang.
"Stop whispering over there. Let’s start now."
"I hear you dropped 3 percentage points?" Lin Jiang asked with a smile.
"Are you scared?" Shen Yuanhang flashed a smug, crooked smile.
"I already told you, I have a professional team. Losing body fat is easy. It’s just a matter of whether I want to or not."
"Wow, so amazing, so impressive. I’m just dying of envy."
"Envy won’t help you. The bet is set. After you lose, don’t show your face in this gym again, and stay away from Yangyang."
"We’re both men. Of course our word is our bond."
As they spoke, Lin Jiang stepped onto the body fat analyzer, which Zheng Huiting was operating.
The onlookers also crowded closer, all eager to watch the drama unfold.
About a minute later, an electronic voice announced:
"Your body fat percentage is 8%. Please continue to maintain it."

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