Lin Shen's strongest impression of Qin Yuenan was her "sour face."
Of course, that didn't mean she was ugly.
On the contrary, her lightly made-up face was exceptionally delicate and beautiful, her oval face tapering to a distinctively sharp, beautiful chin.
The reason Lin Shen called it a "sour face" was simply because of her cold, unapproachable attitude that kept everyone at arm's length.
Every time he reported to her at work, her expression was tense and humorless, as if someone owed her a million dollars.
Coupled with the natural aversion an employee has for their boss, Lin Shen didn't particularly like Qin Yuenan.
So, he sat at the butterfly machine, working on his chest muscles while waiting for someone on the treadmills to leave.
But after waiting for a long time, there were still no open spots, and Lin Shen scratched his head in frustration.
After all, the treadmill was a gym newbie's savior. Ask him to use any other equipment, and he wouldn't know how!
Finally, Lin Shen gave in.
'I'm quitting at the end of the month anyway, so what's there to be afraid of?'
So Lin Shen got off the butterfly machine, walked over to a corner, placed his water bottle and earbud case on a treadmill, and greeted Qin Yuenan with a casual, natural smile.
"President Qin, you're working out too!"
"..."
Qin Yuenan took off her over-ear headphones and glanced at Lin Shen, seeming to search her memory for his name before giving a slight nod in response.
"Mm."
PHEW—!
Qin Yuenan's coldness actually made Lin Shen sigh in relief. He immediately put on his earbuds and set the treadmill's pace to 8.5 km/h.
This was just right for him.
Here we are, don't turn away now♪
We are the warriors that built this town♪
As the epic BGM blasted from his earbuds, Lin Shen felt his blood pump, and he ran with more energy.
He barely even broke a sweat for the first kilometer, only starting to pant more heavily later on.
「Twenty minutes later.」
"I'm leaving."
Just as Lin Shen was lost in the long, torturous five-kilometer run, he suddenly heard a calm voice from beside him.
He turned his head and saw Qin Yuenan getting off the treadmill, dabbing her face with a towel and taking small sips of water as she walked away.
'Is she saying goodbye to me?'
Slightly surprised, Lin Shen carefully sized up Qin Yuenan's departing figure.
The sliver of her slender waist that was exposed looked incredibly delicate, and he could even faintly make out her sexy back dimples.
Her full, round butt was tightly wrapped in yoga pants, swaying slightly as she walked.
Combined with her full, shapely legs that had a hint of muscle, Lin Shen couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
'Who would have thought? Qin Yuenan's body, usually hidden under her business attire, is this good?'
'It's true, you can't have a perky butt and skinny thighs.'
'These kinds of shapely legs are the absolute best!'
This was the first time Lin Shen had ever observed Qin Yuenan in such detail.
Previously, because he was dating Gu Wanting, he never gave other women a second glance.
But now, with nothing holding him back, Lin Shen could freely enjoy social interactions with the opposite sex.
'But the prerequisite is changing my appearance.'
"Five kilometers completed. Time: 35 minutes, 12 seconds."
After getting off the treadmill, Lin Shen's legs felt like jelly, as if he were walking on clouds.
He quickly found an armchair and sat down to rest.
Besides being tired, Lin Shen felt nothing but satisfaction.
His five-kilometer time was a full three minutes faster than last night's!
Although a seven-minute-per-kilometer pace was nothing special, Lin Shen believed that if he kept at it, he would eventually break the six-minute mark!
'Maybe even the five-minute barrier!'
'Who knows, if I keep training, I might even be able to run a marathon!'
The corners of Lin Shen's mouth curled up as he indulged in his grand daydream and opened his phone.
[Upgrade Quest: Spend one hour in the gym (Completed)]
[Reward: Sports Health lv.3 → lv.4]
[Workout effect increased from 30% → 35%]
[Item: Facial Slimming Clay (Reduces facial fat after use, creating a perfectly sculpted face)]
[Upgrade Quest: Check in at the gym for three days, no less than one hour each time.]
'Facial Slimming Clay?'
The new item left Lin Shen amazed.
As everyone knows, the face is the hardest part of the body to burn fat from.
You can exercise other parts of your body, but with the face, you have to lose a significant amount of weight before you see it slim down.
His large face had long been a point of insecurity for Lin Shen; you could see his double chin the moment he opened his mouth.
But now, this new item could help him solve that problem!
"Nice!"
Inwardly ecstatic, Lin Shen got up, headed to the showers in the locker room to rinse off while humming a tune, and then left the company.
He didn't head straight home, however. Instead, he went to the supermarket near his apartment and made a beeline for the produce section.
Cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, eggs...
Following information he'd looked up on Xiaohongshu, Lin Shen, a fitness newbie, used the groceries he bought to make himself a simple, light dinner.
A vegetable medley!
Steamed, with no salt or oil.
Although it was bland and almost hard to swallow, Lin Shen had his own method.
He forced himself to finish, his jaw aching from the sheer willpower it took to chew and swallow.
Every time he wanted to give up, Lin Shen would tell himself that this period of suffering through his diet was probably the last great hardship he would have to endure in his life.
'Get through this, and it's a smooth road ahead!'
After finishing dinner, Lin Shen tried the [Facial Slimming Clay].
He scooped a viscous, sludge-like substance from the plastic jar with two fingers, then spread it evenly across his face like applying a mask—or spackling cement.
It started out icy cold, then gradually grew scorching hot.
Lin Shen suddenly felt like he was roasting his face in front of a space heater; the discomfort was so intense he couldn't even open his eyes.
Nevertheless, he followed the instructions and endured it for fifteen minutes before washing the clay off.
"Is... is this really me?"
In the bathroom, Lin Shen stared blankly at his water-splashed face in the mirror.
Although he couldn't see a significant change in his facial contours, his skin had become clean and smooth. It felt supple, too—no longer firm and tough when he pinched it.
"So this mud doesn't just contour your face, it improves your skin texture too."
Only now did Lin Shen realize how magical the system's items were, and his heart burned with even more excitement.
'As long as there's positive feedback, I can keep going!'
Lin Shen leaned against his headboard, drank a glass of milk before bed, and started scrolling through his phone.
Gu Wanting had updated her feed again with a photo of her and Cheng Yue. She'd also added two plane tickets to Paris, apparently planning a trip abroad.
Seeing this, Lin Shen hovered his thumb over the red delete button for a long time but ultimately didn't press it.
'She didn't unfriend me, so if I unfriend her, doesn't that just show how much I care?'
'Since she's trying to get under my skin, I'll get under hers right back!'
Lin Shen scrolled down his feed, and then his expression froze.
Gu Wanqing: [A year of intense study has finally paid off! (*^▽^*)!]
[Shanghai International Studies University English Major Acceptance Letter.jpg]
'Gu Wanting's little sister?'
Lin Shen suddenly remembered the girl.
Gu Wanqing was four years younger than her sister. He had met her once before when he went with Gu Wanting back to her hometown. She was a cute kid.
'I haven't heard anything about her for the past year. Turns out she was holed up studying for her senior year?'
"Impressive!"
Lin Shen said in admiration.
The English program at Shanghai International Studies University was one of its top programs, ranked among the best in the entire country.
Getting in was a true testament to her ability.
'Not bad at all!'
Lin Shen was about to post the word "Congrats" under Gu Wanqing's post, but on second thought, he had already broken up with Gu Wanting. Contacting her sister now would be a little inappropriate.
"I'll just leave it."
Lin Shen put down his phone. After taking a [Fatigue Recovery Potion] and a [Sleeping Pill], he took off his glasses, placed them on the nightstand, and rolled over to sleep, no longer staying up all night.