Chapter 113: Chapter 12: Every Girl’s Check-In Photo

Although the task was already completed, having tasted the sweet benefits of his enhanced physical prowess, Zhang Yan maintained his habit of morning jogs and Kegel exercises, planning to gradually add some new fitness activities to his routine.

After all, he had far too much free time during the day. While he had initially been busy experiencing a multitude of new things, Zhang Yan was now visibly losing interest in them. Archery, bowling, fishing, golf... they were fine to try out, but they didn’t really spark any lasting passion.

Since Xia Xiqing went to work at Yikoo again today, he didn’t need to go out of his way to jog near her house. He simply settled for a quick run downstairs.

After his workout, he took a refreshing shower. On this Monday morning, while the corporate slaves were already commuting to work, Zhang Yan lounged on the sofa with his legs crossed, leisurely swiping through his phone.

He liked and left a comment on his parents’ travel photos, which showed them horseback riding and camping in the Hulun Buir Grassland not long ago. Under the vast, boundless sky, one could clearly tell that the air there was far superior to the polluted smog of the city.

His parents’ mental and physical health seemed to be getting better and better. Their faces were glowing, and the radiant smiles they wore made the corners of his own mouth inevitably turn up. It seemed that as long as the heavy burdens of "making a living" were lifted, many people would naturally become healthy and happy.

However, the private messages they sent every few days—asking if he had found a new girlfriend and when they could hold a grandchild—annoyed him a little. He could only reply to his parents, "I’m working hard on it every day!"

Since Xiaoyan had gotten to know him on a deeper level, she no longer bothered posting her beautiful photos on her Friends Circle. But at Zhang Yan’s request, she still sent him some relatively private, artistic photos of herself every day, euphemistically calling it her "daily check-in greeting."

Scrolling through her messages, most of them were lifestyle updates, gossip among friends, and hints about the latest luxury item she had set her sights on and desperately wanted. There were also minor complaints about him not replying to her messages.

[Xiaoyan’s Daily Check-in Greeting.JPG]

Yanhua Xiaomeng: "Darling, why didn’t you reply to my messages last night?"

Zhang Yan frowned slightly. It seemed she still needed a lot of discipline; he couldn’t let her develop the illusion that she could throw petty tantrums at him. He dialed her number directly.

Xiaoyan was busy with something unknown and took a full minute to answer.

"Hello, darling. Why are you just now calling me? Yesterday I—"

"Quiet."

Faced with Xiaoyan’s slightly whiny and coquettish tone, Zhang Yan’s cold response made her instantly fall silent out of fear.

"From now on, unless you’re sleeping, you must answer my calls within five seconds, no matter what you’re doing. Do you hear me?"

"Huh? But what if I happen to be busy..."

"I asked you, did. You. Hear. Me?"

Seemingly sensing the unquestionable authority in Zhang Yan’s words, Xiaoyan didn’t try to argue this time. She replied pitifully, "I hear you."

"Yesterday, I was at a very important business function. Not a single person in attendance had a net worth of less than thirty million. Did you expect me to leave halfway just to reply to your message?"

As if frightened by his imposing manner, Xiaoyan lowered her voice. "I was just worried about you... I was also scared you were ignoring me."

"Be a good girl. Wait for me patiently and don’t distract me. Understand?"

"...I understand."

Following the principle of the carrot and the stick, Zhang Yan naturally wouldn’t just scold her. "By the way, I saw that you took a liking to a bag earlier. How much is it?"

"Over twenty thousand..."

[Transferred to the other party: 30,000 RMB (Received)]

[Your debit card account 2447 has received a UnionPay deposit of 30,000.00 RMB. Balance after transaction...]

Only after transferring the money did Zhang Yan continue speaking, his tone now gentle. "I’ve been a bit busy lately and don’t have time to keep you company. Take good care of your injuries for now. Once I’m done with my work, I’ll come find you for some fun. Be a good girl, okay?"

Seemingly warmed by this sudden gentleness, Xiaoyan’s tone lost all traces of grievance. Instead, she replied in a soft, sweet voice, "I know, I’ll be good~"

"I’m hanging up now. I have business to attend to later."

"Make sure to rest, darling. Don’t tire yourself out too much. Bye~"

Xiaoyan lay on her stomach on the bed, staring at her phone screen. Although she had been scolded, she felt that she wasn’t being ignored, and she was entirely understanding of her boyfriend’s busy schedule. She figured that since he was so wealthy, he definitely had to be busy with a lot of businesses.

Moreover, her boyfriend’s domineering tone and attitude always sent a special thrill through her heart, gradually making her a little addicted to it. She seemed to be growing increasingly attached to this kind of life, where she didn’t need to overthink anything and could live completely worry-free just by peacefully playing the role of a kept canary.

Looking at her newly updated bank balance, she gleefully got ready to invite a few friends out shopping. After all, if no one saw you spending money, wouldn’t that money be spent in vain!

***

On the other end, Zhang Yan didn’t feel much sentimentality after hanging up. Xiaoyan was a classic example of a girl who had been spoiled since childhood. There were still many areas where she needed to be taught, but that just brought its own unique joy of grooming her.

In comparison, his junior schoolmate Chi Xinyue was much more sensible. Every day, she would constantly use casual chat messages to report her every move, ensuring she remained a constant presence in Zhang Yan’s life. Regardless of whether Zhang Yan replied or not, she persisted without fail, never interrupting his day forcefully.

[Chi Xinyue’s Daily Check-in.JPG]

Lotus Pond New Moon: "Senior, my father has used the best medicine, and his condition has drastically improved!"

...

Lotus Pond New Moon: "Senior, I’ve settled in and started living here!"

[Location Shared]

...

Lotus Pond New Moon: "Senior, I heard there is already news about a liver donor for my father. We should be able to prepare for the surgery soon!"

...

Lotus Pond New Moon: "Senior, I’m missing you a bit again."

Zhang Yan had replied to some of these messages and ignored others. He really had been giving the junior schoolmate the cold shoulder lately. He still didn’t reply to the latest message immediately, as he planned to set off for Beijing today to give her a surprise in person.

Finally, he opened the files sent over by Old Niu. They generally detailed Xia Xiqing’s whereabouts when she was out of his sight, tracking her movements after leaving her residential compound and monitoring her situation while working at Yikoo.

Regarding Xia Xiqing’s work, Zhang Yan had specifically collected past issues of that magazine to roughly determine when she had started her part-time job there. Opening an illustration in one of the recent magazines, he could broadly see that Xia Xiqing mostly just served as a faceless fitting model, though the final photos turned out exceptionally well.

According to the inside report, Fang Hanyu’s plan was going to be put into action in a few days. He had already gained their trust on his end and had even been assigned a minor role in the scheme. To this, Zhang Yan couldn’t help but say, "You’re a badass, man!" He planned to meet up with him properly once this matter was settled and give them a hefty bonus.

Looking at the so-called plan, Zhang Yan smiled faintly, seemingly having already figured out how to use it to his advantage.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.