Reborn as a high school freshman with an awakened system, a fat boy transforms into a male god.

When he reached five kilometers, he stopped to catch his breath, bent over and supported himself with his knees, sweat dripping onto the ground and forming a small puddle.

The system popped up a notification:

Today's exercise: 5.1km brisk walk

[System Evaluation: Barely met the minimum standard. Remember, this is only day one. For the next six days, maintain this intensity, or even higher. The host's current state is like a beginner in a bronze-level game; although the performance is terrible, at least the player isn't AFK. Keep it up.]

Lin Bei stood up, panting heavily, and took out his phone to check the time: 6:45.

He turned and walked back.

The streets were already bustling with activity in the early morning. Steam rose from the steamers of breakfast shops, fried dough sticks sizzled in the pans, and soy milk machines hummed.

An old man in a vest was squatting by the roadside walking his dog. When the teddy bear saw Lin Bei running over, it barked twice, but the old man grabbed it and said, "Don't bark, it's on a diet, why are you barking?"

Lin Bei's lips twitched.

Even the dogs were laughing at him.

[The system clarifies on behalf of the dog: The dog wasn't mocking its host. The dog simply smelled the host's sweat and experienced a stress response. This indicates the host's sweat odor has reached "biological weapon" level. The system advises the host to shower immediately upon returning and avoid lingering in any public places.]

Lin Bei: Really?

[What the system says is true. The truth is often not so pleasant, just like the host's appearance.]

Lin Bei: ...

It was exactly seven o'clock when I got downstairs in the apartment complex.

He climbed to the fifth floor.

He had climbed those stairs countless times, but today he felt especially tired. The soreness in his calves spread from the bottom of the stairs all the way to the fifth floor, and by the time he reached his doorstep, his legs felt like they didn't belong to him anymore.

I stopped briefly at the entrance of room 502.

Light shone through the crack in the door, and she got up.

Lin Bei took a deep breath.

[An increased heart rate has been detected in the host. This isn't a post-exercise symptom, it's tension. What is the host tense about?]

Lin Bei: I wasn't nervous.

[Alright, host, don't be nervous. The system just wants to point out that your face is a little red.]

Lin Bei: It's hot.

[It's early September, the outdoor temperature is 18 degrees Celsius. The host says it's hot, and the system believes him. The system believes everything.]

Lin Bei: ...

He ignored the system and knocked on the door.

Boom, boom, boom.

The sound of knocking echoed in the quiet corridor.

After about five seconds, the door opened.

Su Wantang stood behind the door, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and black sweatpants. The hem of the shirt was tucked into the waistband, making her waist look very slim.

Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, her face was clean and bare, without makeup, but her skin was so white it glowed. It wasn't the kind of whiteness that comes from applying foundation; it was a natural whiteness that shone from within.

A phrase popped into Lin Bei's mind: naturally beautiful.

Then the system popped up a notification that only he could see:

[Appearance Difference: The host's appearance score is 1, while Su Wantang's is estimated to be over 95. This difference is equivalent to a bronze player trying to solo kill a master. The host is advised not to overthink it and focus on losing weight.]

Lin Bei: I wasn't thinking anything!

[Host, the system resides within your mind; it knows every thought you have. This includes the thought just now, "So fair-skinned." It also includes the thought, "Such a slim waist." And the thought, "How can she be so beautiful even without makeup?"]

Lin Bei was taken aback: You know that?

Hehehehe...

That mesmerizing laughter… Lin Bei decided to ignore the system for the time being. Because if he continued to pay attention, he was afraid he would burst out laughing in front of Su Wantang, and then the situation would really get out of control.

His gaze fell on Su Wantang's eyes, where there was a faint bluish ring. The bluish color was so light that it was almost invisible unless you looked closely. But Lin Bei noticed it.

She didn't sleep well last night.

"Good morning," Lin Bei said, his voice still a little breathless. "Just give me the thermos; I'll take it back with me."

Su Wantang was stunned for a moment. She glanced at his soaked T-shirt, which clung to his body as if it had been pulled out of the water, outlining his physique perfectly... although there wasn't much to hide anyway. She then looked at his sweaty face, where the acne appeared even redder under the sweat.

"You... went for a run?"

"It's brisk walking," Lin Bei corrected. "At my current weight, my knees can't handle running. I walked five kilometers today. Scientific weight loss is a gradual process. Today I walked five kilometers at a pace of about twelve minutes per kilometer, burning about 300 calories, which is equivalent to half a bowl of fried rice."

Su Wantang's eyebrows twitched slightly. The movement was subtle, but she did move. Lin Bei wasn't sure if she was surprised by the "five kilometers" or by the "half a bowl of fried rice" analogy.

He leans towards the latter. After all, only an overweight person would use food calories to measure exercise intensity.

[Su Wantang's micro-expressions suggest she might be thinking, "This fat guy is quite interesting." Not "good-looking," but "interesting." But "interesting" is already the highest compliment someone with a 1 out of 10 in looks can get. If even "interesting" isn't enough, then all that's left is "oh."]

She didn't say anything, turned around and went inside to get the thermos.

The insulated container was spotless, and it was wrapped in a plastic bag with a neat knot tied at the end. The knot was symmetrical, like a bow, showing that the person who tied it had put a lot of care into it.

"Here you go." She handed over the thermos in a soft voice.

"Thanks."

Lin Bei took the thermos and turned to open the door.

"Lin Bei".

He stopped.

Su Wantang rarely called him by his name. In their previous life, they were neighbors for a year, and they exchanged no more than ten sentences in total, each one consisting of polite phrases like "hello" or "goodbye."

He turned around.

Su Wantang stood in the doorway, one hand on the door and the other hanging at her side.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only said one sentence softly.

"The pork rib soup... is delicious."

Lin Bei smiled. The smile started at the corners of his mouth, spread to his eyes, and finally his whole body seemed to glow.

"My mom will be so happy to hear that." His voice was filled with genuine joy. "There will be braised pork ribs tomorrow too. My mom's braised pork ribs are absolutely amazing, ten times better than what you get in restaurants."

He paused, then added, "But I'm on a diet right now, I need to lose 5 pounds in 7 days, so I might only be able to eat one piece. The rest are yours."

Su Wantang's eyebrows twitched again.

This time the amplitude is a little larger than before.

[Su Wantang's micro-expressions totaled 3 times. The first was a slight twitch of the corner of her mouth, the second was a slight twitch of her eyebrows, and the third was another slight twitch of her eyebrows. Although she still has a long way to go before she can truly laugh, it at least proves that the host isn't someone you'd want to shut the door on immediately. This is a good start.]

"5 jin? 7 days?" she asked.

"Yes." Lin Bei's tone carried a strange confidence. "I want to be tougher on myself. Anyway, I'm just killing time, and I'm already fat, so I might as well try to lose weight. What if I succeed? Even if I don't, losing two pounds is still a bonus."

Su Wantang's lips twitched slightly, then she gently closed the door.

Click.

The moment the door closed, Lin Bei saw a small smile on the corner of her mouth.

That was the beginning of a smile.

Lin Bei stood in the corridor, a smile on his lips.

She said, "The pork rib soup is delicious."

It's not "thank you," not "no need," not "don't bother."

It is "very delicious".

These seemingly ordinary three words carried entirely different weight in her situation. It wasn't just a polite compliment; it was telling him: I drank it, I drank it seriously, and I thought it was delicious.

She genuinely thought it tasted good. Not because she was hungry, not because it was free, she simply thought it tasted good.

This shows that she still takes food seriously, and she still takes life seriously, even if it's just a bowl of soup.

This is a good thing.

A person who drinks soup earnestly is unlikely to die easily. Perhaps, but Lin Bei couldn't guarantee it.

But at least today is a little better than yesterday.