Chapter 142: A New Task

Late at night, Zhang Yang couldn’t sleep, so he began thinking about the system.

Not long ago, he still vividly remembered the joy of asking for advice on RedNote, triggering tasks, completing them, and receiving rewards that gradually changed his life.

But ever since his appearance had become nearly perfect and his wealth had grown stronger day by day…

His RedNote account had stopped updating, and he hadn’t asked for advice for a long time.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to ask-it was just that his current persona no longer suited asking for advice there.

He couldn’t exactly ask people how to invest in a big project or how to earn another hundred million yuan.

That would completely break his character image.

“Looks like I need to start a new account,” Zhang Yang thought silently.

He opened the backend of his long-inactive RedNote account. Even now, there were still many messages from female followers.

They were all quite concerned about his recent situation.

“You’ve disappeared lately. We haven’t heard from you in a long time.”

“Are you doing okay? Just busy?”

“It feels like the blogger hasn’t shared anything in ages. I’m really curious about how you’re doing now.”

In the middle of the night, Zhang Yang scrolled through messages ranging from older ones to the most recent.

He felt a bit touched.

Although his success today was inseparable from his own efforts, the advice from those sisters on RedNote had also played a significant role.

Thinking about it, he posted a new update on his account:

“Long time no see. Everything in my life is finally on track now. Thank you all for accompanying me along the way.”

He originally thought that posting something in the middle of the night wouldn’t attract much attention.

But unexpectedly, not long after posting, there were already likes, comments, and new private messages.

“Wow, a midnight update! Finally waited for you.”

“Wait, this post feels like you’re about to disappear forever?”

“If possible, please update us about your recent life so we won’t worry.”

Before Zhang Yang could finish reading, he suddenly received a private message.

“Little Yang, why does your post sound like you’re going to stop updating indefinitely? Did you follow everyone’s advice about fitness and skincare?”

“Don’t give up. Life will always have trivial matters and setbacks, but never forget to become a better version of yourself. Always grow toward warmth and walk toward the light.”

Ding!

In the middle of the night, Zhang Yang had already been wide awake. But now, the sudden system notification completely jolted him.

A new task had been triggered.

The system accepted the reasonable suggestion.

Zhang Yang paused for a moment and thought carefully about the new task.

The task itself was easy to understand-he simply needed to film a VCR summarizing his recent life and upload it.

However, to ensure quality, the system required it to reach at least ten thousand likes.

That part might be somewhat difficult.

But looking at the rewards…

Experience points were nothing new. Every task included them-they were the foundation for leveling up.

But the second reward…

Zhang Yang inhaled sharply.

It seemed the system thought he had been too low-key in front of his family and wanted to raise the difficulty for him.

The second reward was obviously something that increased his luck.

However, it would gradually wear out with use until it disappeared.

What benefits did increased luck bring?

Zhang Yang immediately thought about the raw gemstone he bought before.

That time, he had relied purely on gambling instincts-betting on a fifty percent chance.

Fortunately, it turned out profitable, earning him several million yuan and allowing him to confidently drive a Cayenne back home for the first time.

“This time, with the Luck Stone, wouldn’t that be basically a guaranteed win? I might even uncover something even better!”

Zhang Yang felt excited just thinking about it.

Although buying raw gemstones was a cliché plot in novels, it didn’t change the fact that in reality the gemstone market in Ruili was crowded every single day.

Just because something sounded cliché didn’t mean he shouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity.

Novels were novels-what did that have to do with reality?

When the time came, he could buy a batch of raw stones and openly tell Zhang Zhaohai and his wife about it.

That way, he wouldn’t have to keep driving a Cayenne every time he went home.

“This task is absolutely worth completing.”

Zhang Yang gently held the sweet girl beside him, who was breathing evenly in deep sleep. His mind settled, and he gradually calmed down.

After some time, sleep finally came to him.

He fell asleep deeply.

Early the next morning, when Zhang Yang opened his eyes, the person beside him was gone.

But he could faintly hear sounds coming from the kitchen.

“She’s already up making breakfast?” Zhang Yang muttered as he lifted the thin wool blanket and got out of bed.

In the living room, he went straight to the bathroom to wash up and shower.

When he came out, breakfast was already neatly arranged on the table.

It looked light and appetizing.

“Husband, breakfast is ready.” Bei Wei stood there with her black hair draped over her shoulders, gently removing her apron, looking like a perfect housewife.

“Coming.” Zhang Yang sat down and enjoyed the quiet and beautiful morning.

Pumpkin millet porridge, small side dishes, and homemade beef guokui.

Zhang Yang ate with great satisfaction.

“Good, right?” Bei Wei sat beside him, feeling very happy watching him enjoy the food she made. “From now on, whenever you stay here, I’ll make breakfast for you every morning.”

Zhang Yang paused slightly and looked at her.

“So you’re trying to win my heart through my stomach?” he laughed.

“Caught already.” Bei Wei rested her chin in her hands and watched him eat attentively. “I want every morning in the future-no matter where you are-if you think about the breakfast I made, you’ll feel warm and comforted.”

Zhang Yang freed one hand and gently pinched her cheek.

Sometimes silence spoke louder than words.

Today, Bei Wei had arranged to take his little cousin shopping.

Zhang Yang wasn’t particularly interested in going along.

“So, you’re taking Song Yumeng shopping today, right? You two go ahead. Here-I’ll transfer 500,000 yuan to you so you can buy whatever you want.”

He knew Bei Wei had originally planned to pay for everything herself and buy a lot of things for his cousin.

But since he wasn’t short of money, how could he let Bei Wei spend her own?

“No.” Bei Wei immediately pressed his hand down. “I have enough money to buy clothes for your cousin.”

“Don’t worry. If I run out of money, I’ll definitely ask you for more. You don’t think I’d feel embarrassed, do you?”

“Alright.” Zhang Yang nodded and didn’t insist.

Recently, he had instructed the franchise fees from the Shanghai branch of Shudu Spicy Roast Duck to be transferred to Bei Wei’s account.

Those funds meant little to him anyway-he might as well treat them as pocket money for her.

Soon after, they went their separate ways.

Bei Wei drove the Porsche Panamera to the W Hotel to pick up Song Yumeng.

Zhang Yang got into his Cayenne and began thinking about how to complete the task.

“For professional work, it’s better to find professionals.”

After browsing short videos for a while, he quickly found several independent photographers in Shanghai who also handled short film production.

Their contact information was listed directly on their profiles.

Zhang Yang easily contacted one whose style he liked.

“No problem, no problem. I’m finishing a street shoot this morning. It won’t take long. How about we meet after I finish?” the photographer replied enthusiastically.

“Where are you? I can come find you.” Zhang Yang replied.

The other party quickly sent the address.

Zhang Yang looked at it.

Coincidentally, it was near Xintiandi on Huaihai Middle Road.

Soon after, he started the car and headed straight toward Xintiandi.

On the roadside of Huaihai Middle Road, Zhang Yang parked the car.

Following the location, he quickly found a girl with a very androgynous appearance holding camera equipment, filming a video of a curvy internet influencer.

The influencer herself looked ordinary-one of those typical “internet faces.”

But the photographer was different.

With medium-length short hair and a sharp aura, she looked quite heroic despite being a woman.

Since they were still busy, Zhang Yang didn’t rush them.

He got out of the car, leaned against it, and slowly smoked a cigarette.

Not far away, the independent photographer Xiaomi had just finished shooting a set of sample photos.

“Let me see.” The minor influencer leaned forward and carefully checked the photos. “Nice work, Xiaomi. Your timing for candid shots is always great. These look beautiful.”

Xiaomi smiled slightly but didn’t say much.

The girl in front of her was a regular client-a small influencer just starting out without a professional team, so she relied on independent photographers to produce content.

“Are you satisfied? If so, we’ll go with this set.” Xiaomi said.

“Yeah, it’s good. Let’s use these.” The small influencer nodded, but suddenly froze, staring across the street.

“Oh my god, that guy over there is insanely handsome.”

“Hm?” Xiaomi instinctively looked up.

With just that one glance, she couldn’t look away.

Across the street, a tall and handsome man was leaning against a car.

Under the sunlight, his silhouette seemed outlined with gold.

His presence was so striking that the charm was obvious even across the road.

Staged photos were everywhere.

But something real like this-was far more rare.

Without thinking, she raised her camera. She didn’t even need to search for an angle-just a casual snap, and the photo already looked perfect.

“Done. Now I’ve got content for today’s post.” She felt delighted.

She had always insisted on posting daily street captures of passersby. Most of them were actually hired models pretending to be pedestrians, because it was extremely rare to capture real passersby who could produce good results.

She hadn’t expected to encounter such a perfect handsome man today.

“Hey, hey, Xiaomi, I think he saw you. He’s coming over. Do you want to explain?” The small influencer beside her took a deep breath and quickly pulled out a makeup mirror to check her face.

“Hmm… looks like my foundation is a little patchy.”

As she spoke, the handsome man from across the street had already walked over.

“You were just taking a photo of me, right?”

The handsome man was none other than Zhang Yang.

He had been waiting around out of boredom, seeing that the photographer was about to finish her work and planning to approach her to discuss the filming project. But before he could do that, she had suddenly pointed her camera at him and snapped a photo.

“Ah? I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Xiaomi stammered slightly when faced with such a powerful presence. “I’m an independent photographer. I just thought your appearance was excellent, so I couldn’t resist taking a candid shot. Please don’t mind. Also, I have a small request…”

She wanted to ask whether he would allow her to post that candid photo as part of her portfolio.

“A request? Let’s talk about that later. Are you done with your work? Let’s chat. I contacted you earlier.” Zhang Yang smiled.

“Huh?” Xiaomi stared blankly at the handsome man in front of her and suddenly exclaimed, “You… you’re Mr. Zhang?”

“Yes. Are you finished?” Zhang Yang nodded.

A moment later, on the roadside.

Zhang Yang explained his requirements.

“Actually, just shoot something like this.”

He directly pulled up a short video as a reference. The video emphasized the feeling of looking back and realizing that countless mountains had already been crossed, while looking forward and seeing a bright road ahead.

It perfectly matched the theme of the task: the end is also a beginning.

“No problem?” Zhang Yang asked.

“Mr. Zhang, absolutely no problem. Leave it to me.” Xiaomi watched the video once and immediately understood the idea, quickly making an OK gesture.

Soon after, under Xiaomi’s direction, Zhang Yang began filming.

Various scenes, various angles.

By the afternoon, the two arrived at the Bund.

Standing by the Huangpu River, Zhang Yang followed Xiaomi’s direction and posed while looking across toward Pudong in the distance.

Xiaomi stood nearby with the camera, watching the incredibly handsome profile illuminated by the sunset through her lens.

Her heart suddenly pounded heavily.

So what if she dressed in a neutral style?

She was still a woman. Didn’t she have the right to like handsome men?

If she ever met someone she truly liked, she could grow her hair long and become gentle as well.

“Are we done yet?” Zhang Yang’s voice suddenly brought her back to reality.

She quickly nodded.

“All done!”

“Alright. How long will it take for the final video? I can pay extra if you can finish it today.” Zhang Yang asked.

“No need to pay extra. I’ll work overtime if I have to. I can definitely finish it today.” Xiaomi hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously. “Mr. Zhang, about that photo I took of you earlier… can I post it?”

She carefully explained her request.

“Let me see it first.” Zhang Yang didn’t agree immediately.

Xiaomi quickly pulled up the photo and showed it to him, waiting nervously.

Why was she nervous?

Because the photo looked incredible. It was the kind of shot that, even when people were casually scrolling through short videos, would make them immediately scroll back to like and save it.

“Hmm… alright.” Zhang Yang looked at the photo and nodded with satisfaction.

“That’s great!” Xiaomi couldn’t help cheering. “Trust me-once this is posted, getting over ten thousand likes will be easy!”

“Ten thousand likes? Just make sure you finish my VCR properly first.” Zhang Yang laughed.