July 23, 2025.
Wednesday, 6 PM.
As usual, Lin Shen arrived promptly on the company's fourth floor after work.
Today was the final day of his [Three-Day Gym Check-in] quest, and he was already secretly anticipating what the fourth item would be.
This put Lin Shen in a good mood, making his smile quite bright when he greeted Qin Yue Nan.
"Director Qin!"
"Mm."
This time, Qin Yue Nan glanced at Lin Shen a few extra times, noticing significant changes recently in this subordinate she had previously overlooked.
Not only did he exude more confidence, but his physique had also clearly improved; he had slimmed down.
Such effective weight loss?
Qin Yue Nan took off her headphones and asked softly.
"Are you losing weight?"
"Yeah."
Lin Shen hadn't expected Qin Yue Nan to initiate conversation.
He took off his headphones, slowed his pace, and replied self-deprecatingly.
"I was too overweight, had to lose some."
"You didn't seem overweight."
Qin Yue Nan switched her treadmill to incline mode, lightly wiped the sweat from her delicate neck with a towel, and her slightly breathless tone became much cooler.
"I suggest you don't lose weight by starving yourself; that's not good for your body."
"Thanks for your concern, Director Qin, but I haven't been starving myself."
"Is that so? Suit yourself."
In Qin Yue Nan's view, Lin Shen's dramatic change in physique was most likely achieved through extreme methods like skipping meals.
She had offered well-intentioned advice, but he didn't seem to appreciate it.
Since that was the case, Qin Yue Nan didn't bother pressing further and changed the subject.
"How has work been recently?"
Work?
Hearing Qin Yue Nan ask this, Lin Shen felt a jolt, like a student suddenly called on by the teacher in class.
Because he planned to resign at the end of the month, he hadn't been very focused on work lately.
Most tasks were completed with AI assistance, just barely getting by.
But, he definitely couldn't be that honest.
"It's been going very well."
Lin Shen said with a sincere expression.
"Especially regarding the feature development for the Chong You Jia online app. Our team developed a community function, allowing customers to share pet care tips and enabling us to promptly gather feedback to optimize the app."
"Mm."
Qin Yue Nan, as Marketing Director, had heard enough of this kind of corporate speak from Lin Shen.
She now wanted to understand her subordinate's real thoughts.
"I mean, what are your views on the future of the pet industry?"
Huh?
Lin Shen really hadn't expected Qin Yue Nan to ask such a profound question.
After some careful thought, he spoke eloquently, showing no stage fright.
Since he was leaving anyway, he might as well pour out all the ideas he'd accumulated over the years.
"I believe the pet industry still has great potential, especially with the rise of aspirational middle-class spending patterns, making some so-called middle-class individuals more inclined towards personal consumption."
"The pet industry is a prime example. It fulfills the personal desire for companionship, and the price points for needs vary widely."
"Therefore, the pet industry has a bright future…"
"…"
Seeing Lin Shen's serious demeanor, Qin Yue Nan looked slightly taken aback.
Actually, she had asked the question on a whim.
She wasn't great at small talk and often blurted things out impulsively.
So, Qin Yue Nan hadn't expected to get any standard answers from Lin Shen.
However, Lin Shen's analysis of the pet industry's inner workings hit every key point, and some of his unconventional ideas even made Qin Yue Nan's eyes light up.
For example, the development of smart pet lifestyle products, buffet-style pet cafeterias, and so on.
These ingenious operational suggestions gave Qin Yue Nan a sudden insight, making her look at Lin Shen in a new light.
"With so many good suggestions, why didn't you propose them earlier?"
"Propose them to whom?"
Lin Shen shrugged helplessly.
If he were a new recruit, he would definitely show off his innovative ideas everywhere.
But now, Lin Shen knew very well that once you voiced certain ideas, they could become stepping stones for someone else's promotion.
If there was no opportunity to speak directly with the immediate supervisor, it was best to just keep your head down.
"To me."
Perhaps sensing Lin Shen's unspoken difficulties, Qin Yue Nan stated bluntly.
"If you have good suggestions, you can come to my office anytime."
"It's alright."
Lin Shen didn't beat around the bush anymore.
"I plan to resign at the end of this month."
Huh?
Qin Yue Nan froze, her first reaction being that Lin Shen was being bullied.
Her brow furrowed as she asked coldly.
"Who is your team leader?"
"It has nothing to do with her."
Lin Shen quickly clarified.
"I'm resigning of my own accord."
"Why? Unhappy with the salary?"
Qin Yue Nan actually recognized Lin Shen's professional abilities, coupled with his confident yet humble manner of speaking.
That alone made him better than those who only knew how to suck up.
At least Lin Shen actually got things done!
So Qin Yue Nan wanted to keep him at the company.
"Write a salary increase application and put it on my desk later. As long as it's not unreasonable, I'll approve it."
"Thank you for your kindness, Director Qin."
Lin Shen scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed, and wiped sweat with his sleeve cuff.
"I'm not leaving because I'm unhappy with the salary. I'm simply tired of working and want to travel around a bit."
"You like the outdoors?"
Outdoors?
Lin Shen pondered silently.
That reason works too, as long as it gets the point across.
Seeing Lin Shen nod, Qin Yue Nan's eyes lit up.
Because she also liked the outdoors.
Hiking, trekking, camping…
To enjoy these romantic and liberating outdoor activities, one often needs to break free from life's constraints.
And work is one of them.
Qin Yue Nan somewhat understood why Lin Shen was resigning.
"I understand."
Qin Yue Nan stopped the treadmill.
After hydrating and wiping off sweat, she suddenly waved her phone.
"Give me your personal WeChat."
"Huh? Oh."
Lin Shen hadn't expected the day would come when someone would ask for his WeChat.
Ding—!
"Contact me if you need anything."
"Alright!"
After adding each other, Lin Shen watched Qin Yue Nan leave, his stereotypical impression of her having changed quite a bit.
He had thought she was a strict, proud, and aloof female boss.
But actually, she seemed a bit cold on the outside, warm on the inside?
"Five kilometers completed. Time: 48 minutes 56 seconds."
Shoot!
The running information from his watch snapped Lin Shen back to reality.
He was so busy chatting with Qin Yue Nan, he forgot to pause the timer!
Running without timing is like running for nothing!
[Level-Up Quest: Clock in at the gym for three days, minimum one hour each time (Completed)]
[Reward: FitnessTracker Lv.4 → Lv.5]
[Exercise Effectiveness Increased 35% → 50%]
[Item: Bone Growth Calcium Tablets (Effectively increases height after consumption according to instructions)]
[Level-Up Quest: Please bring BMI within the normal range. Current: 80.2kg / Target: 75.6kg]
"Body Mass Index, huh."
Actually, Lin Shen had calculated that for his height of 178cm, the standard weight range is between 60-75kg.
So he still had about 4.6 kilograms to go to reach the target range.
"Still a long way to go."
Lin Shen couldn't help but sigh softly.