Chapter 6: Exempt from Military Training

Li Hang lay in bed with his eyes closed, wide awake. He opened the system screen and found the treasure chest section.

“System, exchange my points for a Bronze Treasure Chest.”

[Ding! 500 Shock Points spent. Opening Bronze Treasure Chest.]
[Congratulations, Host! You have acquired Beginner Music Skill.]

Li Hang blinked, then grinned. Beginner Music Skill basically meant he could sing well. That was useful. He could sing a few lines to surprise his roommates, then sing for his class and surprise everyone. The Shock Points would pour in.

And if he succeeded in losing weight and became good-looking, imagine him standing onstage with a guitar. The thought alone was exciting.

With the skill secured, he turned to his attributes. He had a hundred million yuan, and he needed more stamina to help his body recover. More stamina would make exercise more effective and speed up his weight loss.

“System, exchange money for 2,000 Shock Points.”

[20 million yuan spent. 2,000 Shock Points acquired.]

Seeing twenty million disappear from his account made his mouth twitch. But it was money he had to spend. He gritted his teeth and traded the points for two attribute points, putting both into stamina.

[Stamina: 44]

Up from 42. He didn’t feel much different, but he knew changes like this took time. Small gains would add up. It was a good start.

The next morning, Li Hang woke at 7:20. The original owner would never have gotten up before ten, but Li Hang had been an early riser in his previous life, and going to bed early had let his body clock wake him. Fortunately, he didn’t snore. At 300 jin, his snoring might have been heard across the entire floor.

He climbed down quietly and spent ten minutes washing his face and brushing his teeth. The round face in the mirror was as plump as ever, but there was a different energy in his eyes.

Downstairs, he bought a breakfast of corn, eggs, and unsweetened soy milk, choosing enough to sustain him without buying extra things on impulse. Then he went back and bought breakfast for each of his roommates. Unsure what they liked, he chose a variety of steamed buns, eggs, soy milk, and fried dough sticks.

All three were awake when he returned. Shi Xiao sat on his bed with hair like a bird’s nest, staring into space. Qiao Chuan was brushing his teeth, and Xu Haodong had just come out of the bathroom after washing his face.

“I brought you breakfast. I hope there’s something you like.” Li Hang set the bags on the desk.

The three stared. Shi Xiao recovered first and cheerfully rummaged through the bags. “That’s quite a spread, Hang. How much? I’ll transfer you the money.”

“No need. It’s only breakfast.”

“I can’t let you—” Shi Xiao pulled out his phone. Qiao and Xu also offered to pay, but Li Hang waved them off firmly.

“Really, it’s fine. You can treat me another time.”

They exchanged glances and stopped insisting, though each made a mental note. Xu bit into a bun, thinking the big guy knew how to get along with people. Shi Xiao thanked him around a mouthful of egg. Qiao said little but finished everything.

Afterward, Li Hang asked Xu for the trainer’s contact information. “I’ll try a session this afternoon.”

Xu had spoken to his friend the previous night and sent the contact card over WeChat. “Tell him I referred you. His surname is Fang; call him Coach Fang. He’s reliable and has trained plenty of heavier clients.”

“Thanks.”

Li Hang got ready to visit his counselor at the department office for his exemption paperwork. On the way, his steps felt lighter than yesterday. Maybe it was the two extra stamina points, or maybe it was psychological. Either way, after so much exercise yesterday, he wasn’t sore at all. He actually felt energetic. It was the first time he’d felt that way since beginning this venture.

He knocked on the office door.

“Come in.”

Behind the desk sat a young woman who looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a ponytail, fine-framed glasses, and a light blue shirt. She looked neat and brisk, probably a counselor who had graduated only recently.

“Hello. I’m Li Hang from Room 304. I contacted you on WeChat yesterday about an exemption from military training.”

Counselor Meng looked up, her eyes widening slightly. She’d heard he weighed over 300 jin, but seeing him in person still made an impact.

[Shock Points +4]

She quickly recovered her professional smile and indicated a chair. Taking a form from a drawer, she said, “Yes, your weight is significant. You certainly shouldn’t participate in training in this condition. Fill out this application, and I’ll sign and stamp it.”

Li Hang sat down. The desk was a little low, his belly pressing against its edge, but he completed the form neatly despite the awkward position.

Meng checked it and signed. “I’ve handled the paperwork. But an exemption doesn’t mean you do nothing. The university requires exempt students to observe training every day from a shaded area beside the field. Can you accept that?”

“No problem.” Watching from the shade beat standing at attention in the sun.

As she sorted the papers, Meng looked at him again, her tone becoming conversational. “You’re from Henan Province? Your score must have been quite good to get into computer science.”

“It was all right. I did well on the entrance exam.”

They chatted briefly. Meng noticed he spoke calmly and clearly, an interesting contrast with his age and build. She even thought he might make a good class monitor: steady and organized. But one look at his size made her set the idea aside. The monitor would need to run errands constantly, which wasn’t realistic for him at present.

“That’s everything. During training, remember to sign in at the observation area on time.” She walked him to the door and added, “Li Hang, I heard you want to lose weight. Keep at it. Four years at university is enough time to change a lot.”

He turned and smiled. “Thank you, Counselor Meng. I will.”

Outside, the afternoon sun felt warm. Li Hang took out his phone and messaged Coach Fang to book a session for three o’clock.