At 8 p.m., Zack ran two laps around the housing complex to the accompaniment of the BGM played by the square dance aunties.
It was already hot in Webb City at the end of July. The weather in the south wasn't just hot; it was mainly suffocating. That feeling of being drenched in sticky sweat after just a few steps was something Zack despised.
But even so, he still chose to come out at night to run and exercise.
The reason was that typing fifty thousand words a day made him feel like he was going insane.
If he kept this up, before he could realize his dream of being a leisurely wealthy person, he'd end up in the hospital seeing a psychologist.
It was also out of fear of suddenly dying from overworking on his writing that Zack decided to start exercising.
What could he do? If he died suddenly from this, he'd be laughed at by countless predecessors with their systems.
"Five kilometers in twenty-six minutes, not bad, not bad. I'll try to push myself tomorrow and run for thirty minutes," he wiped the sweat from his forehead and panting, took out his phone to check the downloaded sports app, nodding satisfactorily.
"Zack, exercising?"
After finishing his run and taking a leisurely walk around for another lap, Zack, who was just about to go home, heard a middle-aged aunt's call.
"Aunt Clara," he replied.
"...Yeah, just finished exercising, getting ready to go back," he greeted hastily when he saw it was his neighbor from the same building who had just finished dancing.
As neighbors in a new housing complex, they generally didn't share the same kind of neighborhood camaraderie as in the past.
However, during Zack's school days, his mother often came over to help him clean his apartment. Over time, the two middle-aged women became acquainted.
Through this, Zack also got to know Aunt Clara and her family.
"Exercising more is good for your health; you'll get sick less often... Do you want to join with me for a dance tonight?"
Aunt Clara, who was in her mid-forties, enthusiastically asked.
"No, no, I'll stick to running," Zack waved his hand hurriedly.
Square dancing was a no-go. I'll join those middle-aged and elderly women for square dancing when I'm fifty or sixty.
"Zack found a girlfriend?"
Aunt Clara didn't intend to drag Zack into square dancing. At this point, she revealed her true intentions with a smile.
Upon hearing one of the elders' three probing questions, Zack felt a shiver run down his spine and quickly covered his stomach, saying, "...Aunt Clara, my stomach hurts from running just now. I need to go back and relieve myself."
"...Next time I have time, I'll come visit you at your place," he added.
After saying that, Zack couldn't suppress his expression and 'painfully' ran a couple of steps faster.
Once inside the building entrance, Zack sighed in relief.
It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that a woman in her mid-forties asking him this question meant she wanted to introduce him to a girlfriend.
As for who she would introduce, it would be her daughter, of course.
But to put it bluntly, Zack had met Aunt Clara's daughter before, and while she wasn't ugly, she didn't quite meet his aesthetic standards.
Although Webb City wasn't exactly a small place, anyone who could get into a Project 211 university in the capital was considered a hot commodity.
When Zack got into university, his parents threw a big banquet and invited everyone, which spoke volumes.
Escaping from Aunt Clara's questions, Zack went home and took a shower to wash off the sweat and stink.
Tonight was a crucial night. His book "Notes of Tomb Raiding" was finally going to be published and started earning money.
Although from various data, especially the book review section, it was evident that the performance after its release would be good, and Zack was confident.
Even so, he was still somewhat anxious.
After all, this concerned his next plan.
If he didn't have any bigger aspirations, once this plan was completed, he would truly have a life of ease and financial freedom for the rest of his life.
This was a major life event comparable to getting married, and of course, Zack was a bit nervous.
While the online novel industry hadn't reached saturation yet, there was a severe polarization among online writers.
Those top writers earned tens of millions of yuan a year with ease, while those at the bottom struggled to make ends meet with instant noodles.
Zack didn't plan to stay in this industry forever; he just wanted to make a quick buck.
He was a complete newcomer in this industry with no other work.
But the only good thing about this low-barrier industry was that if you had the talent, it wasn't difficult to rise to the top.
Zack didn't expect to make a fortune; he just wanted to earn a few hundred thousand this month to invest in the capital market.
He couldn't stir up too much trouble with that amount of money, but he could still use it to earn a fortune that ordinary people couldn't even dream of in their entire lifetime.
Of course, the more capital, the better, as it provided more maneuverability.
Zack had lost his interest in writing tonight. The book was scheduled to be released at midnight.
He had already prepared the drafts and would publish them when the time came.
After that, he would continue to work tirelessly, even if he had to churn out content to boost his performance.
Just as Zack was enjoying a rare break after obtaining the Life Reset Simulator and browsing videos online casually, his WeChat notification sounded.
He picked up his phone and saw that it was a voice call request from his mother.
Since discovering that WIFI calls didn't cost money, Zack's mother has been using this feature.
It could only be said that the elders had an unimaginable perseverance in saving money for the modern young generation.
"Mom!"
Zack answered after pressing the receive button.
"What are you doing, Zack?"
His mother's voice came through the phone.
"I told you before that I wanted to write some novels at home this summer and earn some money myself. I'm writing now," Zack paused the video he was watching on the webpage and concentrated on chatting with his mother.
"You're still a student; don't exhaust yourself. Making money or not doesn't matter," his mother said.
In the eyes of parents, students should focus on their studies and not think about those messy things.
"I'll be a senior next semester, and I'll have to look for a job next year. I'm not a student anymore, and it's time to think about making money," Zack replied.
Upon hearing this, Zack's mother agreed, "...It's good that you have this idea. Are you planning to prepare for the postgraduate entrance exam after graduating?"
"...Our family isn't struggling financially, and we don't require you to work. Your dad and I have discussed this matter," she added.
Zack was noncommittal, " Let's talk about it later."
The old Zack did have that idea before, but now with the Life Reset Simulator, why bother with graduate studies?
If he pulled this off, he wouldn't even need a job.
"Mom, why did you call me?"
"Oh, you distracted me, and I forgot. Your aunt and uncle are planning to bring your cousin to Webb City to play. I'm just letting you know," his mother said.
Upon hearing his mother's words, Zack thought of his cousin with her round face, who wasn't exactly pretty but was quite endearing, albeit somewhat annoying. He groaned, "...When are they coming?"
"Maybe in a couple of weeks. Your cousin still has classes outside and will finish them in two weeks," she replied.
"It's still two weeks away. Why are you telling me so early?" Zack sighed in relief upon hearing this.
If his aunt's family came to Webb City, he would have to spend a day or two accompanying them.
For Zack, who was currently pressed for time, this was quite troublesome.
But it didn't matter in two weeks. By then, this life experience would be over, and he would have finished this novel.
"You're studying in the capital, and your aunt's family has taken good care of you. Why do you say I'm telling you too early?"
Even through the phone, Zack could imagine his mother's angry expression with her eyebrows furrowed.
"Alright, alright, I got it, Mom!"
"So, you're already annoyed by your mom, huh?"
"How dare I talk back to you!"
" Garrulous !"
Zack argued a bit more with his mother before finally hanging up the phone.
This kind of thing is pretty much a daily occurrence in every family.
After ending the call, Zack opened the page of his novel to take a look, and his jaw dropped.
"One, two, three, four, five, six... Wow, someone tipped two hundred thousand in one go?"
Counting the digits, Zack blinked in disbelief.
That was two hundred thousand RMB, not two hundred thousand site credits. Damn, there are still so many rich folks!
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]