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

Just then, my phone vibrated.

Zhou Ziheng's avatar popped up on the screen; it was a Shiba Inu wearing glasses. Lin Bei still couldn't figure out if that was Zhou Ziheng's real body or if he just thought it was funny.

Zhou Ziheng: "Brother Bei, guess what I searched for online today?"

"What?"

"How to lose weight quickly. Then I found a post that said someone lost 50 pounds in three months by eating only one meal a day and running 10 kilometers."

Lin Bei replied with two words: "You're courting death."

"I think so too. That person later ended up in the hospital with malnutrition and a stomach hemorrhage."

"so what?"

"So you should take it slow. If you lose one pound a day, you'll finish in two hundred days."

Lin Bei did some mental calculations.

"You're really good at math. Losing one pound a day, that's two hundred pounds in two hundred days—are you trying to make me disappear?"

Zhou Ziheng sent a "hehe" emoji, and then added: "Brother Bei, I think you looked especially handsome when you were running today."

"You have vision problems."

"No, I mean you didn't stop. A lot of people give up halfway through the race and walk the rest. You didn't stop; you kept running, even if you were slow. For the last fifty meters, you probably ran with your eyes closed, right?"

Lin Bei didn't reply.

"I saw you cross the finish line with your eyes closed. I thought to myself, this fat guy is pretty stubborn."

Lin Bei stared at the message for a few seconds.

stubborn.

Someone had said the same thing about him in his past life. The client revised the plan eight times, and he was still revising it; he worked overtime until 3 a.m., and he was still revising it; when the boss said, "This plan won't work," he asked, "What's wrong with it? I'll revise it." It wasn't because he was particularly dedicated, but because he didn't know what else he could do besides "continue."

He found out later.

It can also lead to sudden death.

The "stubbornness" Zhou Ziheng uses is not a derogatory term. In some people's mouths, "stubbornness" means "obstinate, unwilling to listen to advice, and inflexible." In Zhou Ziheng's mouth, "stubbornness" means "you know you can't do it, but you still don't give up." The difference between these two meanings is probably as big as the difference between "you're fat" and "you have a lucky face"...it depends on who says it.

Lin Bei: Why are you suddenly defending Zhou Ziheng today?

[The system isn't undergoing maintenance; it's translating. Zhou Ziheng's words need system translation to be correctly understood by the host. This is a value-added service of the system.]

Lin Bei: When did you become a translator?

[The system has always been a translator. The host just hadn't enabled this feature before. Now it's enabled, and it's free.]

"I'm asleep," Lin Bei replied.

Goodnight, Bei-ge. Can I copy your math homework tomorrow?

Write it yourself.

"Good night!"

Lin Bei put down his phone and turned off the desk lamp.

In the darkness, he glanced out the window. The light was on in apartment 502 across the street, and the curtains were still drawn, but light leaked through the gaps in the curtains, casting a thin beam of light on the windowsill.

She is still awake.

Lin Bei closed his eyes.

I have to get up early tomorrow.

……

Today is Thursday, December 6, 2012.

The alarm clock rang at six o'clock in the morning.

He threw back the covers and sat up; the system panel popped up:

[Task progress: 0.5/2.5kg]

[Today's exercise: Not started]

[System Evaluation: You lost 0.5 kg of water in the past two days, and your body's water content is approaching the dehydration threshold. It is recommended that you drink at least 2 liters of water today, otherwise you will become a skinny fat person. A skinny fat person is still fat, don't deceive yourself.]

Lin Bei ignored the system, put on his sportswear, and went out.

The hallway was quiet. The door to 502 was closed, and the food container on the floor mat was gone.

He bent down and glanced over. The food container was gone, the chopsticks were missing, and the floor mat was spotless. Someone had just mopped the hallway floor; it wasn't completely dry yet, and it gleamed damply under the motion-activated lights.

Lin Bei smiled slightly, then went downstairs.

He ran faster today than the previous two days. It wasn't the system forcing him; he wanted to run faster himself.

When he reached the third kilometer, his phone vibrated.

It wasn't Zhou Ziheng. It was a text message from an unknown number:

"Hello Lin Bei, I'm Su Yuan, Su Wantang's father. Wantang said you bring her food every day, thank you. But I hope you won't interfere too much in our family matters. Wantang is still young, there are some things she doesn't understand, and you're an outsider, so it's not appropriate for you to get involved."

Lin Bei stood on the river embankment, staring at the short message for more than ten seconds.

The early September morning breeze blew across the river, carrying the fishy smell and a hint of coolness. He put his phone back in his pocket and continued walking briskly.

When he reached the finish line, he took out his phone again and typed a message:

"Uncle Su, I didn't interfere. I was just bringing food to the neighbor."

send.

He didn't wait for a reply and turned to walk back.

When I got home, my mother was busy in the kitchen.

Lin Bei went to the bathroom and took a hot shower.

After taking a shower, he stood in front of the dining table without sitting down.

"mom."

Wang Xiulan came over with a bowl of porridge: "What's wrong?"

"Su Wantang's father sent me a text message telling me not to interfere in their family affairs."

Wang Xiulan frowned.

"What did you reply?"

"I told them I was just bringing food to my neighbor."

Wang Xiulan was silent for a few seconds, then put the bowl of porridge on the table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Let me see that text message."

Lin Bei handed over the phone. After Wang Xiulan finished reading it, her expression turned sour.

"What do you mean by 'You're an outsider, and it's not convenient for you to get involved'?" Wang Xiulan put her phone on the table, her voice low, but with a hint of anger. "Outsider? A neighbor I've lived with for over ten years is an outsider? When his wife brought me food back then, why didn't she look down on me as an outsider?"

"Mom, don't be angry."

"I'm not angry." Wang Xiulan picked up her bowl of porridge, took a sip, and then put it down. "I just think, how can this person be like this? He doesn't care about his own daughter, but when others help him, he complains that they're meddling? What kind of logic is that?"

Lin Bei didn't reply, but sat down and started drinking his porridge.

The pumpkin porridge was sweet and smooth, but he didn't find it very flavorful.

"Are you bringing lunch today?" Wang Xiulan asked.

"bring."

"Okay. I'll make scrambled eggs with tomatoes today, something light, so you can eat it even if you're on a diet. I'll also make shredded pork with green peppers; she's thin, so she needs to eat more protein." Wang Xiulan stood up and walked to the kitchen doorway.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Bei changed into his school uniform, took a food container out of the refrigerator, wrapped it in an insulated bag, and stuffed it into his schoolbag.

After going downstairs, Su Wantang was already standing at the entrance of the stairwell.

She was wearing her school uniform, carrying a backpack, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail. The dark circles under her eyes were still there, but they were lighter than yesterday; I didn't know if it was because she slept better or because she used concealer.

"Good morning," Lin Bei said.

"Good morning," Su Wantang said.

Lin Bei pushed the old-fashioned bicycle out of the shed and patted the back seat: "Get on."

Su Wantang sat down sideways, this time a little further forward than yesterday.

Lin Bei stepped on the pedal, and the bike started moving erratically.

"Your dad sent me a text message," Lin Bei said, his voice slightly distorted by the wind.

Su Wantang's fingers tightened slightly.

"What did he say?"

"Tell me not to interfere in your family affairs."

Su Wantang remained silent for a while.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't post it."

"But he contacted you because of my matter."

Lin Bei rode his bicycle through the path lined with sycamore trees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. As his wheels rolled over the trees, the shadows shattered and reformed, reformed and shattered again.

"Su Wantang," Lin Bei said.

"Um."

"Your dad sends his text message, and I do my thing. These two things don't conflict."

Su Wantang remained silent.

"You only need to do one thing."

"What?"

Don't give up.

Su Wantang's fingers gripped the spring beneath the seat cushion tightly.

After a while, she softly said one word: "Okay."

The bike arrived at the school gate. Lin Bei parked the bike, and Su Wantang jumped off the back seat.

"Let's go," Lin Bei said.

Su Wantang nodded and walked into the school gate with him.