Returning to his workstation, Lin Shen suddenly felt that people around him had become friendlier.
The menopausal team leader stopped being troublesome; the usually stern middle-aged uncle greeted him with smiles.
It was as if they suddenly understood politeness and respect.
Could an image change really cause such a positive feedback effect?
Lin Shen found it somewhat incredible.
The work that had been so distressing before became much easier for the day.
After all, without financial pressure, Lin Shen handled everything with ease.
At five in the evening, after getting off work, Lin Shen first went up to the third floor to Qin Yuenan's office, only to find she wasn't there.
Then he went to the fourth-floor gym as usual.
Lin Shen looked around but still didn't spot that familiar figure.
It was Monday—was Qin Yuenan in a meeting?
Lin Shen felt somewhat empty inside, but quickly adjusted his mindset, stretched his leg muscles, and did high knees to warm up.
Today, he planned to push his running pace under six minutes!
After getting ready, Lin Shen began moving his legs on the treadmill set to 5'50".
At this moment, he felt the physical burden was much lighter than before.
There's hope!
Lin Shen got more excited as he ran, maintaining his breathing rhythm with the music in his earphones.
However, the first three kilometers were fine, but the last two kilometers became difficult to sustain.
Helplessly, Lin Shen had to adjust the treadmill's pace to around six and a half minutes.
Honestly, if it was just about running, he still preferred outdoor running.
At least he could adjust his rhythm freely, unlike indoors where he had to manually adjust the treadmill's pace.
Troublesome.
Finally, his five-kilometer time was fixed at 30 minutes and 20 seconds.
"Still couldn't do it."
Getting off the treadmill, Lin Shen felt somewhat regretful.
Although his pace had improved tremendously from the first time, and his overall breathing after running was quite steady.
But a week's running volume still made it difficult for him to break the thirty-minute barrier.
Even with the 50% exercise effect boost, it wasn't enough.
"Weak means more practice needed."
Lin Shen joked about himself, wiping sweat while sipping electrolyte water.
Just as he was about to head to the butterfly machine for chest exercises, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
At this moment, Qin Yuenan was at the squat rack, lifting a barbell.
When she was standing, it wasn't obvious, but once she squatted down, the full curves outlined by her gray yoga pants created a heart-shaped alluring arc.
Although not as voluptuous as those PS-enhanced peach bottoms online, it was extremely round and smooth.
Wonderful!
Lin Shen couldn't help but silently admire.
Although there were only two small plates on the barbell, with the bar it probably weighed fifty or sixty pounds.
Impressive!
Perhaps sensing the intense gaze from behind, Qin Yuenan glanced back at Lin Shen, her narrowed cold eyes radiating a chill.
"Where are you looking?"
"I was worried you couldn't handle it and wanted to spot you."
Lin Shen somewhat guiltily touched his nose, which gave Qin Yuenan an opening.
"Perfect timing."
With that, Qin Yuenan went to the bench press, lay down, and gestured to Lin Shen.
"Help me spot."
"Sure."
Lin Shen walked to the position above Qin Yuenan's head. He originally didn't want to look around, but the scenery below was too good.
Sweat had soaked through Qin Yuenan's white sports tank top, flowing down her delicate neck into the deep valley.
Even without internal support, it remained shapely and firm.
What man could resist this?
Moreover, their current position with one lying and one standing felt somewhat suggestive…
Lin Shen had tried this position with Gu Wanting beside the bed before, nearly choking her.
After that, she never wanted to do it again.
Lin Shen quickly reined in his thoughts, afraid of embarrassing himself if caught.
Qin Yuenan seemed not to notice his abnormality, "huffing and puffing" while lifting the barbell and saying in a low voice.
"After evaluation, the proposal for extending pet food to lower-tier markets was rejected."
"Why?"
Lin Shen was puzzled.
"There aren't many pet brands in lower-tier markets yet—it's a great opportunity to capture market share."
"Because market research found that people who can afford pets are mostly middle-class families. Compared to price, they care more about food quality."
After a few barbell presses with Lin Shen's help, Qin Yuenan returned it to the rack, then wiped sweat with the towel hanging nearby.
"It's like raising a child—would you give them cheap formula?"
"Why not?"
Lin Shen muttered to himself.
Only the strong deserve to be my children.
"Anyway, high-consumption thin-profit marketing strategies don't suit the pet industry, but your suggestion was still useful."
Qin Yuenan hesitated for a long time before finally mentioning casually, as if it didn't matter.
"Haven't had dinner yet, right? My treat."
"No thanks."
Lin Shen patted his stomach and smiled.
"Can't indulge too much, or all the effort will be wasted."
"You're quite persistent."
Qin Yuenan seemed not to expect Lin Shen would refuse her, frantically avoiding eye contact and changing the subject.
"I still have yoga class, I'm leaving first."
"Wait!"
Lin Shen quickly called out to Qin Yuenan, then pulled out a neatly folded A4 paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
"This is my resignation letter. When I went to your office earlier, you weren't there."
"I was in a meeting."
Qin Yuenan casually glanced at the paper's contents, confirmed it was correct, then said softly.
"Have Xiao Xu take over your work when the time comes. I'll have finance prepare your pay stub early."
"Thanks, President Qin."
Watching Qin Yuenan leave, Lin Shen couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
He'd finally taken this brave step!
Resignation, then welcoming a beautiful future!
July 31, 2025, Thursday.
「China Construction Bank: Your account ending in 7946 received RMB 1,700 on July 31 at 00:01. Current balance: 89,000」
Lin Shen's workload today was almost equivalent to his entire week's worth.
Although not much, it was tedious.
First was categorizing and organizing work materials, then handing them over to Xu Lei.
"Pay attention here, don't mix it up with your own stuff."
"Okay."
Xu Lei nodded in agreement, but had already stolen glances at Lin Shen's profile several times.
At her friend's encouragement, she'd originally planned to ask Lin Shen for his WeChat on Friday.
But who knew he'd resign today!
This surprised Xu Lei while also making her inexplicably sad.
It also firmed up her hesitant thoughts.
"Um!"
Just as Lin Shen was carefully explaining his work, Xu Lei suddenly turned to face him and asked quietly.
"Brother Shen, can I add your WeChat? To ask you about things I don't understand?"
"Sure, my number's in the group."
"I mean personal WeChat, not the work account."
Personal WeChat?
Lin Shen was stunned for a moment, but when he saw Xu Lei's hair-twirling gesture, he immediately understood everything.
This girl had ulterior motives!
"Alright."
Lin Shen smiled slightly, his heart filled with emotion.
Indeed, after changing and improving himself, romance came without seeking it.