Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Hurry Up and Praise Me

"Gao Yuan, thank you."

The message from Xiao Xiao was as simple as ever, making it impossible to tell if there was any other meaning behind it.

Gao Yuan thought of her social media posts. ’A woman so focused on spiritual sublimation probably isn’t mired in carnal desires like I am.’

"Don’t mention it. Just treat me to a meal."

Whether Xiao Xiao was interested or not, Gao Yuan was captivated. He wanted to flirt with her at every opportunity.

It was like they say, you never know unless you give it a shot.

What if he got a lucky break?

Even if nothing came of it, just spending time with a top-tier beauty like Xiao Xiao would be a good way to refine his aesthetic tastes.

"Okay, when I get back."

Seeing Xiao Xiao’s reply, Gao Yuan didn’t message her back. Just then, he received a system notification that his task reward had been issued.

As for saying goodnight to Xiao Xiao, that was out of the question.

Their conversation today could hardly be called an intimate chat, so why would he say goodnight?

’Only a hopeless romantic would set himself up for embarrassment.’ He had to maintain the right distance between them.

[Ding! You have a task reward to claim!]

Gao Yuan put down his phone, closed his eyes, and tapped ’Claim’.

Instantly, a card appeared on the task panel with the words "Low-Tier Upgrade Card" written on it.

He used it without hesitation!

[Ding! "Monthly Income of 3000 Seconds" has successfully upgraded to "Monthly Income of 30,000 Seconds." This month’s duration will be recalculated.]

Seeing the system’s notification, Gao Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just that the number of women around him had inexplicably grown.

He wasn’t even counting Meiting and Xiaoyan, whom he only "took care of" occasionally.

The main issue was that Lin Wanyu was a bit hard to please, and on top of that, there was Li Mengqing, whom he also had his eye on.

If he added tonight’s landlady to the mix, Gao Yuan’s back ached just thinking about it.

’Looks like I need to find time to grind some quests that can replenish my essence. Otherwise, all this time won’t do me any good!’

His mind racing with these thoughts, Gao Yuan gradually drifted off to sleep.

「In Xiao Xiao’s home.」

After Gao Yuan left, she also packed the things she needed to take with her tomorrow.

Once she finished packing, she lay on her bed, her thoughts involuntarily turning to her tenant, Gao Yuan.

When they first met, her impression of him hadn’t been this strong. She had simply thought he was probably some kind of corporate executive.

Young, without any worries about making a living, with a certain level of refinement and character.

Back then, she had only seen Gao Yuan as a regular tenant.

She hadn’t expected that in the time since, she would occasionally overhear people discussing Gao Yuan while she was practicing yoga.

Just as men, when they gather, mostly talk about making money and women,

women, when they gather, mostly talk about beauty and men.

She’d heard comments like, "There’s a new guy at the gym, he looks so classy, probably a diamond Wang the Fifth type," many times. This made her unable to resist glancing over at the fitness area after finishing her yoga sessions.

That was how she and Gao Yuan had locked eyes last time.

This time, when she was invited to a charity home in Shanghai and needed to find someone to look after her Sheltie, Gao Yuan’s name immediately popped into her head.

She contacted Gao Yuan, just to see if he would, and to her surprise, he didn’t refuse.

Seeing Gao Yuan again, Xiao Xiao’s perception of him had changed significantly.

His confidence, the air of having everything under control that he exuded with every move, made her subconsciously feel that this man was very reliable.

Xiao Xiao was well aware of her own figure; almost no man could ignore it.

She had actually noticed the way Gao Yuan looked at her tonight.

Compared to other men, Gao Yuan had been quite polite, so she didn’t mind.

In fact, from Xiao Xiao’s perspective, Gao Yuan was one of the few men who could look at her with genuine appreciation.

That was why she had made a point of thanking Gao Yuan again tonight.

After putting her phone down, Xiao Xiao closed her eyes but didn’t fall asleep right away. Her mind drifted uncontrollably to the past, and to her daughter who was still studying in Shanghai.

...

「The next morning at six o’clock.」

Gao Yuan was leading the Sheltie to the gym to work out, while Xiao Xiao pulled a suitcase out of the residential complex’s main gate and got into a white Elfa.

The two of them didn’t run into each other, each starting their new day separately.

He started his run, and naturally, the task of walking the dog was handed over to Wang Lin. After Wang Lin was done, she would just put the dog in the cage by the gym entrance.

Although working out was tedious, having the chatterbox Wang Lin by his side at least kept Gao Yuan from getting annoyed and slacking off.

He had been sticking with his workouts for over ten days now. At first, it was just to earn a large amount of EXP to upgrade his system and get a higher daily cash-back limit.

Now, he had gotten used to his morning and evening workouts. With such a healthy routine, Gao Yuan had come to believe the system’s fitness quest was actually a temptation.

After completing the 12,500-kilometer run, his physique should improve by a huge margin.

Back home, just as he walked in the door, Gao Yuan heard a noise from the kitchen.

’No need to guess. Today’s Monday, so it must be Li Mengqing who’s already up.’

Lin Wanyu could never get up this early. That little lazybones must still be in bed, fast asleep.

He walked to the kitchen doorway, and sure enough, it was Li Mengqing cooking.

When Gao Yuan went downstairs to the gym in the morning, he had already put yam and millet in the soy milk maker, so the congee was already done.

Li Mengqing was stir-frying some celtuce, and there were probably steamed buns in the steamer next to her.

Gao Yuan leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching Li Mengqing in her apron, wielding a spatula, and he smiled.

’This woman... she might be a bit cold, but that doesn’t stop her from being so wonderfully domestic.’

Lin Wanyu was more on the lively side, wearing her heart on her sleeve and living a carefree life every day.

The two of them were completely different types, yet they managed to be best friends. ’Their personalities must complement each other.’

Ever since the system revealed that Li Mengqing was secretly helping him, Gao Yuan had subconsciously started paying more attention to her.

He found that this woman was quite foolish at times. Not foolish in the sense of being brainless, but in her habit of doing things quietly, regardless of whether anyone else knew she was the one who did them.

It was really quite endearing—and a little heartbreaking.

Gao Yuan didn’t realize it, but he had gradually moved from his initial lust for Li Mengqing to genuinely caring for her.

The change was magical. It began with desire, but through their shared life, emotion began to blend in. Subtly, time was teaching him how to love.

After watching for a little while, Gao Yuan went to wash up.

The bathroom gradually filled with white steam. Hot water streamed down Gao Yuan’s already somewhat muscular body, as if washing away his past bit by bit, allowing him to emerge into a new life.

...

After washing up, Gao Yuan went to the master bedroom to wake Lin Wanyu.

Naturally, he couldn’t help but enjoy her adorable pouting. It was part of Lin Wanyu’s nature, and a pleasure that Gao Yuan was happy to indulge in.

After the three of them finished breakfast, it was time for Li Mengqing to go to work.

Just before she left, Gao Yuan walked over to her. "Take it easy. Don’t work yourself too hard."

Li Mengqing looked up at Gao Yuan. She hadn’t expected him to be so observant and realize she was secretly helping him.

Without a word, Li Mengqing just gave a slight nod.

Li Mengqing left for work, and Gao Yuan started cleaning the kitchen.

But just then, Lin Wanyu wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

"Honey, am I pretty useless?"

Wiping the stove, Gao Yuan turned his head slightly. He didn’t understand why Lin Wanyu would suddenly ask such a question.

"Look, even Qingqing can help you now, but all I do is eat, sleep, and play. It feels like I can’t help you at all."

As she spoke, Lin Wanyu’s spirits sank lower and lower.

"Honey, if you meet other women in the future... will you stop liking me?"

Lin Wanyu’s voice was barely a whisper, but her arms around Gao Yuan tightened.

Gao Yuan took off his gloves, turned around, and swept Lin Wanyu into his arms, carrying her to the sofa.

"Who said you were useless?"

"You bring me so much happiness!"

Gao Yuan reached out and gently pinched Lin Wanyu’s elegant nose. Seeing the uncertainty still lingering in her eyes, he continued, "Everyone is different. The things Qingqing does are things she likes and wants to do."

"You have things you like and want to do, too. You can’t just write yourself off because you see something that seems more ’useful’ at the moment."

Looking into Gao Yuan’s utterly sincere eyes, Lin Wanyu’s expression finally softened a little.

She hesitated for a moment. "Honey, then tell me... what are my good points?"

"Good points?"

A wicked smile spread across Gao Yuan’s face.

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