"Not bad luck!"
Lin Shen was secretly pleased—after all, earning over eight thousand without doing anything was like money falling from the sky.
Now he was only fifty thousand short of Payment Treasure's 200,000 mission.
Lin Shen pondered quietly.
Money should be saved, but he couldn't give up consumption entirely.
Otherwise, there'd be no motivation to save money.
So Lin Shen headed straight to Wanda to begin his shopping spree.
First were the basic equipment pieces.
Lightweight, breathable, non-slip hiking shoes; ice silk quick-dry shirts and pants; travel backpack;
And most importantly, sun protection clothing.
After researching online, Lin Shen finally chose the brand KAILAS.
First, it was a Chinese domestic brand, friendly to outdoor newcomers, and reasonably priced.
A complete set of equipment came to a budget of three thousand yuan.
Two hundred over budget, but still within Lin Shen's acceptable range.
Regardless of how long the hike would be, the equipment couldn't be cheap.
After sorting out clothes, Lin Shen began struggling with sunscreen spray.
After all, exposed areas like face and neck were easily sunburned.
Therefore, sunscreen was essential for summer hiking.
But sunscreen spray fell under cosmetics, which was Lin Shen's knowledge blind spot.
Plus, as a grown man shopping alone at cosmetics stores felt somewhat awkward.
So Lin Shen hesitated for a long time in front of the L'Oréal counter, when suddenly a surprised voice came from behind.
"Brother Shen!?"
?
Lin Shen turned around to see two girls running toward him, his expression immediately freezing.
"Xu Lei?"
Today's Xu Lei dressed differently from work.
A pure-desire style little black dress with black stockings and high heels.
Overall quite sexy, and with the addition of black-framed glasses, many passersby couldn't help but look curiously.
Of course, Lin Shen was curious too.
"Why are you here? Isn't today Friday?"
"I finished my work early."
Xu Lei guiltily tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Today in the meeting, the team leader said he'd redistribute your work, so I added most of my work to it too, hehe."
"…"
You have to admit, pretty clever!
Lin Shen was momentarily speechless, while Xu Lei enthusiastically introduced her friend.
"Then I took half a day off to accompany my heartbroken bestie Zheng Min shopping."
"Xiao Min, this is the Lin Shen I often mention, he's taken such good care of me at work!"
"Hello, Brother Shen."
Zheng Min quietly greeted Lin Shen, her eyes red and puffy—she'd clearly been crying for quite a while.
Seeing this, Lin Shen tried to make his voice as gentle as possible.
"Hello."
"Brother Shen, why are you shopping alone?"
Seeing Lin Shen carrying large and small bags, all KAILAS paper bags, Xu Lei couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Are you planning to go mountain climbing?"
"Going hiking this weekend."
Lin Shen smiled slightly.
"I was just trying to choose a sunscreen spray, but couldn't decide what to pick."
"I'll help you choose!"
Xu Lei was very helpful, directly taking Lin Shen into the L'Oréal counter and introducing like a salesperson.
"Actually for men, I most recommend this La Roche-Posay Ultra Protection, SPF50+."
"Strong stability, long-lasting protection, gentle on skin."
"I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about sunscreen products."
Lin Shen complimented her, and having no strong opinions, he readily adopted Xu Lei's suggestion.
"Thanks, I'll go pay for it."
"Wait!"
Xu Lei hadn't expected Lin Shen to pay so decisively, and quickly stopped him.
"For the weekend hike, can I come along?"
"You like hiking too?"
"I love it!"
Xu Lei immediately went along with it.
"It's just walking! Exercise is good for you in many ways."
"Maybe next time."
Lin Shen looked apologetic.
"I already have plans this weekend, but thanks for the suggestion—I'll treat you to dinner when I have time."
With that, Lin Shen took the sunscreen spray to the front counter to pay, leaving only Xu Lei standing there stunned.
Already have plans?
Could Brother Shen have gotten back together with his ex-girlfriend?
That couldn't happen so fast!
If not that, then who could it be?
"Lei Lei."
Seeing Lin Shen leave, Zheng Min immediately grabbed Xu Lei's arm and asked curiously.
"Didn't you say Lin Shen was quite fat? How is that fat?"
"He lost weight."
Xu Lei joked.
"Just like you, troubled by love."
"So he broke up too…"
Zheng Min murmured while looking at the elevator where Lin Shen had disappeared.
"He's quite handsome, why don't you introduce me?"
"Go away, go play somewhere else!"
Xu Lei rolled her eyes at her best friend.
"I haven't even gotten any meat yet, and you're already thinking about the soup? If anyone's dating him, it should be me first! I have bigger boobs than you!"
"My butt's perkier than yours!"
"Your butt's only perky because your boyfriend spanked it! Now that you've broken up, let's see how you compare with me!"
"Xu Lei!! Why do you bring up things that hurt!"
…
Taking the subway back near home, Lin Shen went to the supermarket for a big shopping trip.
Two bottles of Red Bull and Alien electrolyte water for tomorrow's preparation, plus buying a big bag of fruits and vegetables to make weight-loss meals to bring along, and restocking his nearly empty refrigerator.
Everything was ready—just waiting for tomorrow's hiking trip!
After packing his gear, Lin Shen carefully researched guides online to see if he'd missed anything.
Suddenly, a comment on Xiaohongshu reminded him.
"Are there any community health clinics near Sheshan? Walked too long and got blisters on my feet."
Right!
Lin Shen suddenly realized he should probably prepare some medical supplies.
After all, outdoor activities had certain risks.
So Lin Shen opened Meituan and ordered cotton swabs with iodine, bandages, and other first aid supplies, just in case.
At this moment, the cold goddess sent a message.
[Qin Yuenan: Meet at eight o'clock]
[Lin Shen: OK emoji.jpg]
After confirming the time, Lin Shen removed his contact lenses, applied eye patches, and prepared for sleep.
August 2nd, 2025, Saturday.
24°C～30°C, cloudy.
「China Construction Bank: Your account ending in 7946 received RMB 4,000 on 08/02 at 00:01. Current balance: 154,000」
Before the seven-thirty alarm could ring, Lin Shen had already gotten up early to wash up.
However, what gave him a headache was that his vision had improved by another 100 degrees!
This meant he had to buy another pair of 400-degree contact lenses.
"Feels like there's not enough time."
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Lin Shen muttered to himself.
After styling his hair in the mirror and changing into the hiking outfit he'd bought yesterday, his phone suddenly rang.
"I'm downstairs."
The cold four words on the phone made Lin Shen's heart panic.
He hated people who weren't punctual, so he held himself to strict standards too.
"Right away!"
After hanging up, Lin Shen immediately grabbed his backpack and rushed downstairs.
Sure enough, that extremely eye-catching Volvo S90 was already parked downstairs.
Qin Yuenan leaned against the driver's side door, arms crossed.
Today she'd specifically prepared an outdoor outfit for hiking.
White camisole + light gray loose cargo pants + sneakers.
Baseball cap + headphones (hanging around her neck) + sunglasses (hanging on her chest) as accessories.
The overall style leaned toward retro American, with a quite leisurely and relaxed feel.
Especially the slender waist with a white sun protection shirt tied around it, adding a touch of playfulness.
Qin Yuenan's careful styling truly made Lin Shen's eyes light up.