Chapter 17: I, Old Zhang, Also Want to Go Wild
Early the next morning, Zhang Yang did a morning workout in the rooftop gym of the Regal Edge Executive Apartments. Everything felt quite good.
Most of the people in the gym were middle-aged men warming up on treadmills. They looked like corporate executives on overseas assignments. While running, they were still holding meetings, casually mentioning names like Lucy and Andy, along with high-end corporate buzzwords like empowerment, closed-loop systems, and accumulation.
Next door to the gym was a temperature-controlled swimming pool. The water was crystal clear, and a few well-maintained women in swimsuits were splashing around inside.
Zhang Yang stayed on the stair-climbing machine, sweating profusely for forty minutes before finally finishing his workout for the day.
After taking a shower, Zhang Yang didn't slack off for the first breakfast in his new home:
Oatmeal, Greek yogurt, a handful of nuts and blueberries, and a plate of fragrant pan-fried cod.
In the brightly lit dining area, the dining table shone spotlessly.
Zhang Yang chewed slowly, feeling extremely relaxed. Sometimes people shouldn't think money is vulgar. Those who appear to live peacefully and pursue the life they want usually already possess sufficient financial foundation.
If even food and clothing are problems, where would poetry and distant dreams come from?
After breakfast, Zhang Yang changed into the commuting outfit he had chosen last night. Checking the time, he calmly prepared to head out.
Zhang Yang wasn't 1.8 meters (~5 ft 11 in) tall, but at 1.78 meters (~5 ft 10 in), paired with carefully selected outfits, the results turned out surprisingly good.
When he entered the company, he had just finished clocking in when he ran into Bei Wei.
Bei Wei glanced at the outfit he was wearing today-it was exactly the one she had picked for him that day. Her face instantly flushed red, and she lowered her head and quickly walked away without even greeting him.
Zhang Yang found it a bit strange. Bei Wei had always been quite open and natural when seeing him before. Why was she avoiding him today?
Returning to his desk, Zhang Yang turned on his computer and dealt with the backlog of work from when he had taken leave. He worked continuously until after nine. Just as he raised his head, he saw Bei Wei getting up and walking out.
He knew that Bei Wei usually ordered a cup of Starbucks every morning, and today was probably no exception.
Sure enough, after a short while, Zhang Yang saw Bei Wei return carrying a Starbucks paper bag. Then, unexpectedly, she walked straight toward him.
"Brother Zhang, I ordered too much. I'll give you one." She placed the coffee down and said quietly before turning around and leaving.
Zhang Yang wasn't sure if he had seen it wrong, but Bei Wei's ears seemed a little red.
He touched the coffee cup. It was warm, but not too hot.
"Why didn't I get one?" Xiang Youde, sitting across from him, widened his eyes.
"Want one? I'll buy you one." Zhang Yang looked at Xiang Youde across from him and said.
"Who wants one bought by you?" Xiang Youde said sourly.
After quite a while, Zhang Yang received a message from Xiang Youde.
"Old Zhang, you're not someone who can't tell things apart. Don't start getting any illusions."
"Illusions?" Zhang Yang blinked.
Whether something was an illusion depended on the person. Without strength, it was naturally an illusion. But with strength, even illusions could become reality.
The entire morning's work went smoothly and orderly. After finishing his tasks and drinking the Starbucks coffee, it was already past ten.
In the distance, the boss's office door suddenly opened.
Song Mingyang, the boss of Mingyang Advertising, walked out. Beside him followed the sales director and the planning director.
"Wang Shijie, the marketing manager from Grandstone Real Estate will come tomorrow. Arrange for someone experienced from the planning department to follow along," Song Mingyang instructed.
Wang Shijie quickly stood up and agreed.
After they left, Wang Shijie walked around and found Zhang Yang.
"Zhang Yang, you're quite familiar with Grandstone's project. How about you go along this time?"
"Sure." Zhang Yang nodded without hesitation.
Grandstone Real Estate was considered one of the company's major clients. They had cooperated several times, and Zhang Yang had participated in several of Grandstone's projects before, so he was quite familiar with it.
In the blink of an eye, it was lunchtime.
At noon, he and Xiang Youde went to the newly opened Chinese fast-food restaurant downstairs. Zhang Yang got broccoli, steamed egg custard, a chicken leg, and a bowl of rice. While eating, he even removed the chicken skin, since achieving his monthly body fat target would earn him five experience points.
Xiang Youde had no such restrictions-braised pork, spicy diced chicken, and dry-fried cauliflower, everything glistening with oil.
"Why are you eating so lightly? Want a piece of braised pork?" Xiang Youde enthusiastically urged.
"No need, no need. Can't you see I deliberately paired this meal?" Zhang Yang politely declined and noticed Bei Wei sitting at a nearby table with several female colleagues.
She seemed to notice that he was also eating here. From time to time, she glanced over from afar, then quickly lowered her head.
"What are you looking at?" Xiang Youde turned his head to look. "You're looking at… Bei Wei?"
His eyes widened as if he had discovered something incredible. "Old Zhang, you're not serious, are you? Don't do anything stupid."
There was another sentence he didn't say aloud-that people like them were like toads dreaming of eating swan meat.
But before he could say it, he looked more closely at Zhang Yang sitting in front of him and suddenly lost some confidence.
Compared to a month ago, Zhang Yang was practically a completely different person. Calling it a rebirth wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Although he didn't have the youthful aura of those fresh graduate interns in the company, Zhang Yang was now moving toward a mature style. Boys and young men relied on youthful charm, but men relied on maturity.
"Just looking isn't allowed? Let me ask you something—have you seen the movie [A 2012 Chinese film directed by Chen Kaige, centered on online media, public opinion, and personal privacy.]?"
"What? Why are you suddenly talking about a movie?" Xiang Youde looked confused.
"There's a line in it—[A wealthy, composed businessman in the film who appears restrained but has underlying desires to break free from control and expectations.] says, 'I, Old Shen, also want to [To act freely and impulsively without restraint, breaking away from usual rules or self-control.].' You've heard it, right?" Zhang Yang continued with a smile.
Xiang Youde looked up blankly. Zhang Yang was slowly eating his meal, and for a brief moment, the temperament in his brows made Xiang Youde freeze.
In the distance, Bei Wei and several girls from the design department stood up together.
As they passed by Zhang Yang, Bei Wei secretly glanced at him. Beside her, Sister Liu suddenly stopped and spoke with a smile.
"Zhang Yang, was the coffee good? Bei Wei treating someone to coffee alone is a privilege none of us have ever enjoyed."
"Sister Liu, last time when I was on duty, Brother Zhang brought me food, so that's why I…" Bei Wei tugged at Sister Liu's sleeve and hurriedly explained.
Zhang Yang looked at the slightly blushing Bei Wei, then looked at Sister Liu.
"Sister Liu, how about I treat you to a cup too?"
"Oh, how could I accept that?" Sister Liu said politely, though she didn't feel embarrassed at all. After all, she was a senior employee, and plenty of people usually tried to curry favor with her.
For Zhang Yang, older colleagues who liked small benefits were actually the easiest to deal with.
In the afternoon, Zhang Yang directly bought a cup of Frappuccino for every colleague in both the design and planning departments. Over a dozen cups cost only a few hundred yuan. For someone earning twenty thousand a day in cashback, it was nothing.
When people take something from you, they naturally feel obliged.
The design department had many female colleagues. After everyone received a cup of Starbucks, plenty of pleasant words followed.
"Zhang Yang, you're not young anymore. Later, Sister Liu will introduce you to a girlfriend," Sister Liu promised while sipping her Starbucks.