In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

Sun Lei lowered the curtains and sat back on the edge of the bed.

He was clutching a crumpled piece of paper with a phone number on it.

He stared at that string of numbers for a long time.

The commotion downstairs has stopped.

Zhang Defa and Zhang Yong put down their fists, chatted and laughed as they went upstairs, their footsteps echoing as they ascended each floor, pausing briefly when they reached the fourth floor.

Sun Lei instinctively held his breath.

The footsteps continued upwards, seemingly reaching the eighth floor. The door opened and then closed.

He let out a long breath.

……

It turned out that at noon during the day, before Sun Lei even entered the gate, he was stopped by a middle-aged man.

The man was short, had a friendly smile, and offered Sun Lei a cigarette.

"Comrade, is this Jinsong Residential Area?"

Sun Lei glanced at the cigarette; it had a filter, but he didn't take it. "Yes."

"Wow, this place is pretty nice." The middle-aged man looked inside and nodded.

"I'm from Tongxian County, here on business. I'm looking for a friend, but I can't remember where he lives, so I'm asking."

"By the way, comrade, are you from this compound?"

"Hmm." Sun Lei wasn't on guard at all. Asking for directions was perfectly normal, and it was customary to exchange a few words after meeting.

The middle-aged man chuckled and chatted for a few minutes about how hot it was and how school was about to start. Then he changed the subject.

"The winery in my hometown of Tongxian is going to hold a tasting event soon, and it's going to be quite impressive."

Sun Lei suddenly realized. "The Wei Family Winery?"

"Yes, it's Wei Dabiao's factory." The middle-aged man took a drag of his cigarette.

"A young man recently joined the factory, his name is Zhang something... Zhang Yong, yes, that's Zhang Yong. I think he lives around here?"

"He repaired cars and wrote articles, so the factory manager valued him highly. Even the factory manager's daughter treated him differently."

After saying this, he glanced at Sun Lei, whose face was gloomy.

The name "Zhang Yong" was like a fishbone to Sun Lei; hearing it made him feel uncomfortable.

Just last month, he parked his bicycle downstairs.

I looked up and saw a very beautiful girl standing at the entrance of the building.

Her long hair was tied in a ponytail, her shoulders were narrow, and the contours of her face were clean and clear under the afternoon sun.

She was smiling at Zhang Yong.

At that moment, he felt a pang in his heart, and when he got home, he started asking his mother for information.

"Mom, who's that girl downstairs?"

"Which one?"

"The one riding a bicycle in a floral dress."

Sun Jian's wife pursed her lips. "The daughter of the director of Tongxian Winery, named Wei Shuyun, got into Tsinghua University. She's the one who delivers motorcycles to Zhang Yong."

Tsinghua University.

The factory manager's only daughter.

From then on, Sun Lei kept an eye on what was happening downstairs every day.

Every time Zhang Yong rode his motorcycle out, he would watch from behind the curtains; every time Wei Shuyun called the gatehouse looking for Zhang Yong, he would listen from afar.

The more he looked, the more itchy he became, and the more itchy he became, the more irritable he became.

But in front of Wei Shuyun, these things were not even worth mentioning.

She had no idea that a man named Sun Lei lived on the fourth floor.

……

Sun Lei's expression changed several times, his lips tightening and relaxing repeatedly.

The middle-aged man seemed to understand.

"Sigh, actually I also think that Zhang Yong is quite unpleasant."

He sighed. "I used to help out at the distillery, so I was someone with some standing. But as soon as Zhang Yong arrived, everyone fawned over him, and I was left like a shadow. Who paid any attention to me?"

He shook his head, his tone tinged with grievance.

"So what if you can write a few articles? If we're really talking about ability, who's that much worse than whom? It's just that the opportunity hasn't come our way yet."

Sun Lei didn't say anything, he just stood there blankly.

"You live in this courtyard too?" The middle-aged man seemed to just realize something. "So you're his neighbor?"

"...They live upstairs and downstairs." Sun Lei's voice was muffled.

"Then you definitely know better than I do," the middle-aged man said in a low voice. "Isn't this guy usually quite arrogant?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Lei felt a surge of anger rising within him.

"He's just a lousy car mechanic who got lucky and wrote a few pages! What gives him the right to brag!"

After saying that, he paused for a moment, then turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, brother, don't rush."

The middle-aged man stopped him, glanced left and right to make sure no one else was at the door, and then leaned close to Sun Lei's ear.

"I'll tell you the truth," he said in a low voice, "I want to trip up Zhang Yong."

Sun Lei stopped in his tracks.

"You don't need to do anything, just do me a small favor." The middle-aged man smiled and took out a slip of paper.

"Just keep an eye on his movements for me. For example, if he goes to Tongzhou to attend that tasting event, give me a call in advance to let me know. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Why should I help you?

"It's fine if you don't help me." The middle-aged man threw his cigarette butt on the ground, crushed it under his shoe, and said in a nonchalant tone.

"What a pity. If Zhang Yong had gone to that tasting event, the marriage between Director Wei's daughter and him would have been settled. What a beautiful young lady, how could she have fallen for Zhang Yong?"

Sun Lei's head was spinning.

Wei Shuyun.

Tasting event.

It's settled.

What does "decided" mean?

His mind was instantly filled with that image—a floral dress, a ponytail, and that smiling face at Zhang Yong.

Then another series of events followed: the motorcycle, the rag, the buttons, his mother kneeling by the swill bucket rummaging through the rag, his father raising his hand, and the whispers of the entire neighborhood.

Sun Lei stood there, his mind in turmoil.

He vaguely guessed that what this middle-aged man wanted to do was far more than just "tripping someone up".

But he didn't ask.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned around, took the note from the middle-aged man, and clutched it tightly in his hand.

The middle-aged man smiled.

"Brother, you're generous. Remember, it's just one phone call, and once it's over, you're out of the picture."

After saying that, the middle-aged man walked east along Jinsong South Road.

......

The middle-aged man turned the corner, walked to a Jeep parked on the side of the road, bent down and took a mobile phone from the car window.

I dialed a long-distance number.

"Boss, we've hooked up with the guy."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Keep a close eye on them."

"Don't worry."

The call ended. The middle-aged man opened the car door and got in.

The Jeep's engine roared to life as it merged into the evening traffic.

……

Zhang Yong was unaware of these things.

As soon as he got home, he quickly took a cold shower and went into the bedroom.

[Writing Lv.4: Progress 37% (AFK efficiency +10%, 33x speed)]

[Driving Lv.6: Progress 6% (fixed)]

[Auto Repair Lv.5: Progress 27% (AFK... 30x speed)]

[Fighting Lv.0: Unlocked - Beginner Progress: 33%]

[Note: There is insufficient incremental information for the current movements; repeating routines is not effective in advancing the learning progress. Differentiated sparring practice is recommended.]

The system panel notification made Zhang Yong frown.

really.

My dad used military boxing to beat him for more than 20 minutes. It worked at first, but it stopped at 33%.

The system determined that the information increment was insufficient, and the repeated punches and blocks no longer provided any new triggers.

To continue progressing, we must find someone who has actually trained to fight.

We still need to find Coach Yang.

Moreover, he always felt that he hadn't been suspicious during the day.

I'm sure I'm being watched.

.......