My Exclusive Dream World Adventures

Chapter 96: 096 Power
 

Beep, beep, beep…

Chen Xu woke up to the sound of his phone alarm, fumbling to turn it off and sitting up.

It was still dark outside, pitch black all around, with only a faint white light coming through a small window from a street lamp outside.

He flipped the switch on his bedside lamp, and the LED bulb above him lit up in a dazzling white light. This was a rather cramped attic, with a high ceiling in the middle and low sides, covered with tiles that provided no insulation.

He rubbed his face, forcing himself out of the warm comfort of his bed, feeling nothing but a whoosh of cold.

On a cold winter day, this was undoubtedly a painful ordeal, especially before dawn had even broken.

After getting out of bed, he quickly changed into a set of sportswear and went downstairs via a ladder staircase to brush his teeth and wash his face. He then warmed up for a while in the store.

Once he was ready, he opened the rolling shutter door, and a gust of cold wind hit him, making him shiver.

After locking the door again, he glanced at his watch to note the time. He exhaled, and his breath turned into a mist that dispersed as he started to run.

The buildings here were old, and the streetlights were of an older style, not very bright, spaced about twenty meters apart.

It was all eerily quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog heard.

By the time he neared a street corner, there was a stall selling steamed buns, lit by a lamp, and from afar, a plume of white steam could be seen rising.

On the streets at five in the morning, it almost felt like he was walking in a dream.

A few minutes later, he had run beyond the confines of this urban village to the nearest square, where he began running laps around the plaza.

In the dead of winter, there were quite a few people out for morning exercise, mostly middle-aged and elderly.

A large floodlight stood in the middle of the square, its orange glow illuminating the entire area. Some older ladies were there doing their dance routines.

Chen Xu admired their perseverance.

He also saw other people jogging, mostly older adults too.

Chen Xu did not deliberately control his pace and, after running two laps, he was getting out of breath. He glanced at his watch—he had been running for ten minutes—gritted his teeth, and continued to push on.

After another lap, at thirteen minutes, he finally slowed down, walking while heavily gasping for air. The cold air entered his lungs through his mouth, causing a slight stinging sensation in his chest and severe dryness in his throat, which was extremely uncomfortable.

He took the stainless steel thermos from his waist bag, poured some water into the lid, and sipped it slowly, moistening his mouth and throat.

After finishing, he tightly capped the thermos and returned it to his waist bag.

He didn’t stop to rest, continuing to walk slowly. After a few minutes, the almost numbing discomfort in his lungs gradually subsided, and his breathing eased.

He walked a lap and felt quite recovered. He glanced at his watch, having rested for about thirty minutes, and started running again.

Fifteen minutes later.

He once again felt that unbearable sensation in his lungs, almost unable to keep running.

At that moment, a middle-aged man, slightly balding, passed by and seeing him in this state, said, “Young man, you must have just started running, don’t go too hard all at once, and be careful not to hurt yourself.”

While panting heavily, Chen Xu managed a weak smile in gratitude.

The man quickly ran off. Chen Xu leaned on his waist, taking it step by step, and despite the discomfort, a sense of joy spontaneously arose within him.

Today was his second day of morning running, from initially getting winded after five minutes to now managing fifteen, it could definitely be said that his progress was rapid.

After obtaining the basic “Endurance” card, his recovery ability greatly improved. No matter how tired he was, a short rest would quickly rejuvenate him.

He was now using the most straightforward and brutal method of training. He pushed his body to its limits time and again, running until he couldn’t run anymore, resting for a bit, then running again. When tired, he’d rest again and then continue running.

Each time, he could distinctly feel his progress. This feeling was truly great; compared to it, physical exhaustion was nothing.

It was just like playing a game, where leveling up might be tedious, but once the character upgraded and all attributes improved, he felt very satisfied and motivated.

Chen Xu’s situation was similar; he was almost addicted to training, finding it hard to stop.

…

Unknowingly, daylight had broken.

After completing his fourth round of running, Chen Xu noticed more people around and saw it was already 7:30 AM, so he headed back.

He casually bought breakfast on the way home. Back at his apartment, Chen Ziqi was already awake, lying in bed with headphones on, memorizing English.

“Ugh, don’t come near me.” She looked up and made a face of disgust, pinching her nose, “What have you been doing these past days? You reek of sweat.”

“Eat your breakfast.”

Chen Xu put down the rice noodle rolls he was holding and went into the bathroom with his clothes.

After showering and having breakfast, he went to work.

Today was a special day. When he arrived at the company, he could feel that the atmosphere was much more eager than usual.

“Chen Xu, do you think Mr. Liu is serious about the overtime pay?” Even the usually carefree Dai Zixin was full of anticipation.

“Hard to say.”

Chen Xu felt that given Liu Kun’s way of doing things, he probably wouldn’t go back on his word, but he didn’t want to jinx it.

His previous advertising department rarely worked overtime; even during the busiest time at year-end, they would work just an hour or two extra and receive a symbolic bonus as overtime pay. An official method of payment wasn’t really established. It was a bit frustrating, but that was reality.

As usual, today was payday, and driven by this, everyone was somewhat distracted.

After the morning staff meeting ended, Secretary Guo considerately distributed everyone’s pay slips.

“Stop by HR later,” she mentioned when handing one to Chen Xu.

Chen Xu had a hunch it was about discussing his resignation. After receiving his payslip and checking it, he was surprised to see that his net salary exceeded ten thousand yuan. A large portion of it was overtime pay.

Mr. Liu was generous.

He felt joy in his heart. This money came just in time, and his regard for Liu Kun greatly increased.

Looking at his colleagues, each one was visibly joyful.

He believed that from now on, everyone’s enthusiasm for work would reach a new level.

Just like he had told Liu Kun before, as long as the overtime pay was good, a little hard work was nothing.

Chen Xu went to the HR department as instructed, and was greeted by Mr. He, who was tall and skinny.

“This time, I called you here to discuss a change in your job duties,” Mr. He said through his glasses, looking at him with a slightly strange expression. “Mr. Liu suggests making you the deputy head of the E-commerce department, responsible for advertising. Correspondingly, there will be an adjustment in your salary and benefits. Here are the details; take a look.”

“Deputy head?”

Chen Xu looked up, surprised. This proposal was completely unexpected.