C4 Work

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

Zhang Yang woke with a throbbing headache, the relentless ringing of his phone dragging him from slumber. It took him a moment to shake off the remnants of his dream, which left him feeling unsettled.

Could the dream be connected to that app on his phone?

He glanced at the insistent device, hesitated, then answered the call.

"Hello, Zhang Yang. Why are you late on your first day of work?"

The voice on the other end was the same disgruntled Mediterranean man from yesterday.

That's when it hit Zhang Yang—he had just landed a job as a CEO assistant with a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan. But why bother with a job when he could earn the same amount by running ten kilometers in two days?

He was about to tell the man he wouldn't be coming in when—

*Ding!*

A message flashed on his screen: [Prompt: The package you've redeemed cannot be voluntarily canceled. Canceling will result in a deduction of 100 times the Achievement Points. PS: Your Achievement Point balance can go negative.]

Zhang Yang paused, absorbing the warning. The career package he'd redeemed cost him ten Achievement Points. A hundredfold penalty would mean a loss of a thousand points, nearly a million yuan in value!

Jolted into action, he sat up straight.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry. I helped a little girl who was lost find her parents. I'm on my way now."

"A little girl?"

"Yes, don't worry, I'm heading over immediately!"

With that, Zhang Yang hung up, leaped out of bed, and hurriedly got ready before dashing out the door.

Initially, he considered using a shared bike with an accelerator package, but quickly realized it was more economical to take a taxi—a few hundred yuan versus the value of three thousand for three Achievement Points.

He flagged down a taxi and sped off.

By 10:30, Zhang Yang was racing into the office building, gasping for breath as he leaned against the door frame, trying to catch his breath.

Just then, Director Bai, who had come up from the elevator, caught sight of Zhang Yang and inquired, "What are you up to here?"

"Ah, good morning, Director Bai. I'm starting as your assistant today. I look forward to learning from you."

Zhang Yang snapped to attention, straightening up immediately.

"Alright, work hard. And remember, at one o'clock this afternoon, you need to pick someone up at Hua Ling Airport. Just bring a sign with 'Bai Ling' written on it."

Director Bai gave Zhang Yang an odd look, finished giving her instructions, and then headed into the company.

Once Director Bai was gone, Zhang Yang exhaled deeply, still shaken from the encounter. It had been far more nerve-wracking than getting caught skipping class as a kid.

"Hey."

Out of nowhere, a hand clapped onto Zhang Yang's arm, nearly scaring his soul out of his body as he shuddered.

Turning around, he saw it was the balding interviewer from yesterday, now staring at him with a stern face.

Zhang Yang tensed up, suspecting the balding man was about to reprimand him.

But unexpectedly, the balding man let out a sigh, patted Zhang Yang's shoulder gently, and said with a hint of significance, "Kid, from now on, you might not have to follow the company's rules, but you better watch yourself. Don't mess up."

The balding man's words were cryptic, and without elaborating further, he cast a meaningful look at Zhang Yang before returning to his office.

Scratching his head in bewilderment, Zhang Yang couldn't fathom what the balding man's words meant.

But he didn't have time to dwell on it, as there were only two and a half hours left until one o'clock, and he had to pick up Director Bai's guest.

Leaving the company, he intended to take the subway to the airport but then decided to earn some extra Achievement Points by riding a shared bicycle instead.

For Zhang Yang, a two-hour bike ride was a breeze, thanks to his athletic background. He felt a surge of relief, grateful for his physical fitness, which allowed him to earn those Achievement Points.

Upon arriving at the airport, Zhang Yang was pleased with himself. He had managed to earn three Achievement Points, equivalent to 3000 dollars, in just two hours.

Zhang Yang held a sign with Bai Ling's name on it high above the crowd at the airport terminal. Despite waiting for quite some time, no one approached him. Bored, he was about to pull out his phone to pass the time when he noticed a little girl standing beside him. At just 1.4 meters tall, she had gone unnoticed by Zhang Yang until now.

The girl had brown hair and wore a pristine white dress. Her pink hands were nervously rubbing together. Zhang Yang crouched down and asked softly, "Little girl, are you lost?"

To his surprise, the girl kicked him and pouted, "You dummy, I've been standing next to you for ages and you just noticed? How could my sister hire someone as clueless as you?"

Zhang Yang, taken aback by the girl's reaction, inquired, "Are you Bai Ling?"

She huffed, "Who else would I be?" and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her back to him.

Embarrassed, Zhang Yang quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry. I'll take you home right now."

"No, I'm hungry. Take me to get something to eat."

"To eat... Okay, then. Would you prefer KFC or McDonald's?"

As Zhang Yang reached for Bai Ling's hand to lead her away, she had another idea.

"Tang Pavilion."

The Tang Pavilion... the only three-star Michelin restaurant in the country.

Zhang Yang winced. "Bai Ling, how about we go home first? Your sister can take you out to eat later."

He was internally groaning. He had been prepared to treat her to a meal worth a few dozen yuan, given her adorable demeanor, but he hadn't expected such an extravagant request. Although he was well-off now, he certainly didn't want to lose money on the job.

With a roll of her eyes, Bai Ling retorted, "Look at you. I'll treat you." She tossed her small backpack to Zhang Yang and strutted ahead.

Taking Bai Ling's bag, Zhang Yang hurried to catch up to her, now several paces ahead.

"Hey, aren't you going to drive?"

Once outside the terminal, Bai Ling looked puzzled to see Zhang Yang still on foot.

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Zhang Yang explained that he had cycled there, but he had already called a taxi and asked her to wait.

"Bike...has my sister hired a dud this time? Ugh, the last one was so much better. If only I had known, I wouldn't have given him such a hard time," Bai Ling murmured to herself, her head bowed.

Her voice was barely audible. Zhang Yang, nearby, didn't catch her words as he was engrossed in his phone conversation. Sunn Pang was on the line, asking if he was up for barbecue tonight and suggesting he could stop the job hunt—his friend had a network administrator position available.

Zhang Yang chuckled and declined, mentioning he'd already secured employment.

Just then, a ride-share car pulled up. He quickly excused himself, saying he had to run, and gestured for Bai Ling to follow him to the car.