9: Chapter 9 Skincare Spa

Leaving iSport, Zhao Xiaoshuai went to a park to walk off his meal.

The park was filled with pine trees, their dark green needles piled high with snow; a gentle breeze would scatter a layer of white dust.

In extreme weather, there was even a chance to witness the spectacle known as rime ice.

Zhao Xiaoshuai looked at the scenery, feeling a sense of openness in his heart.

"Is a day really this long?"

He felt like he had already experienced so much today, yet it was barely past noon; he still had a long afternoon and evening ahead to spend at his leisure.

If this were a novel written by some amateur online, it would probably be twenty thousand words long by now.

Looking back, he couldn't seem to remember anything from the past seven years—those two thousand-plus days and nights.

It was as if that period of time had simply vanished into thin air.

Wasted life.

He pulled out the cigarettes left over from yesterday, put one in his mouth, but paused just as he raised his lighter.

Walking to a trash can, he threw the whole pack of cigarettes and the lighter inside.

He had been reborn; he no longer needed cigarettes to numb himself.

"Let's see the gift my ex-girlfriend left me."

He summoned the system and claimed the historical favorability treasure chest from his ex-girlfriend.

[Obtained multiplier silver card (permanent), attribute points * 4]

[Obtained multiplier silver card (permanent), attribute points * 6]

[Obtained multiplier silver card (permanent), attribute points * 10]

[Obtained multiplier silver card (permanent), attribute points * 18, advanced skill card (Insightful Eye)]

"What a generous gift. But this skill card... why do I feel like it's mocking me..."

Remembering he had also obtained a skill card earlier, he decided to use them together.

[Learned beginner skill: Slacking off]

[To slack off better, you have learned Multitasking.]

"...That's an unexpected effect, but it's still useful."

[Learned advanced skill: Insightful Eye]

[You can see a person's inner self; you will never be blind again.]

After learning Insightful Eye, he noticed that the entries in the system's previously unlocked encyclopedia were no longer just a single score, but broken down into numerous evaluation details.

For example, the evaluation content for female characters included over a dozen categories with different weights, such as looks, figure, temperament, experience, background, etc., with the score being the final weighted average.

Each category also contained numerous evaluation points; for instance, figure included both inner and outer aspects, while experience included emotional and physical aspects, and so on.

"I can only say, Cheat Dad, you're professional."

He also discovered that individual scores now had definitions.

6 points: Outstanding.

7 points: One in a hundred.

8 points: One in ten thousand.

9 points: One in a million.

10 points: One in a hundred million.

By Cheat Dad's strict standards, there weren't many eligible women in the world who could reach ten points in any single category.

This was just one indicator; no one could be perfect, so the weighted score would generally be lower than their best trait.

"I can only say, Cheat Dad, you're rigorous."

He looked at the mission system again.

The mission system could only accept three tasks at a time. He had already preliminarily selected his targets and would go to complete the second task shortly, while the third task wouldn't meet the conditions until tomorrow morning.

Since it was still early, he planned to proceed with another plan of his—unlocking encyclopedia entries.

He got on his electric scooter and headed toward a crowded area.

"Hello, could you tell me the way to Renmin Street?"

"What kind of drinks do you have here?"

"How much is a sweet potato?"

He didn't miss a single shop he passed; whether it was a street vendor, a sanitation worker, or a hurried pedestrian, as long as he could strike up a conversation, he would go up and unlock their entry.

As long as he could obtain enough multiplier cards, he could go crazy spending money in the game to cash out. This was the fastest method he had thought of to accumulate cash.

Once he got past the initial stage of primitive cash accumulation, he would soon soar to heights he had never even dreamed of reaching.

Most of the newly unlocked entries were ordinary people with no scores; only a few barely reached the copper frame tier, and most of those were shop owners.

The drop rate for multiplier cards wasn't high; most of what he got were cash-back cards that increased the number of attempts.

However, he didn't force it. His creed now was to enjoy life, and he wouldn't put the cart before the horse again.

He rode his long-time companion, wandering through the wintery Chuncheng, going wherever the wind took him, and stopping to watch the snow whenever he felt bored.

[cash-back card: 103, multiplier card: 32, multiplier copper card: 9]

"Doing what I want to do, and not doing what I don't want to do—this must be freedom."

He stretched, checked that the time was about right, turned on his phone, and typed into the search bar:

[First time going to a spa, how to pretend to be very experienced.]

Following online reviews, he arrived at a well-known boutique skincare SPA called Yuzhijia.

The shop's decor followed a minimalist black-and-gold style, appearing very clean and calm.

"Is this your first time, sir? I'm the receptionist, Tu Yuyu."

"Here is our package brochure. Of course, you can also let me recommend something for you."

Zhao Xiaoshuai pretended to be familiar with the process and chose the package highly recommended by netizens.

"Sign me up for a card, and then, I'll take this 90-minute soothing package."

Following the online guide, he checked off services like the "Jade Back Beauty," "Kidney Care," and "Spine Care" listed after the package.

The receptionist's smile became even brighter, "Sir, our card membership is 1,500, and this package is 668 after the discount. First-time customers can pay afterward."

"If you aren't satisfied, we will only charge you the discounted 668 yuan and cancel the card membership."

"May I ask, sir, do you have a preferred therapist? If not, I would like to recommend our most popular gold-medal therapist, Ms. Zhuang Jiali."

Zhao Xiaoshuai nodded, quite satisfied with the service here; the person recommended by the receptionist was also the one with the highest praise online.

It was said that this therapist would intentionally or unintentionally provide some extra perks, and netizens who had used her services all spoke highly of her.

He was about to agree when he suddenly saw a familiar figure flash by, "Huh, what was that therapist's name just now?"

The receptionist looked back, "Oh, that is Ms. Guan Xiaosu."

'It really is her.'

"Then I'll go with this Ms. Guan Xiaosu."

"Very well, sir. You didn't select your aromatherapy scent. Would you like me to introduce them to you?"

"No need, just lavender will do."

After showering in the shower room, Zhao Xiaoshuai was led through a dim corridor. Along the wall was a row of forest oxygen generators, their faint lights pulsing on and off, looking quite high-end.

He arrived at a small room and, following instructions, laid face down on the spa bed. Under the bed was an aromatherapy oxygen generator, making it easy to breathe while lying prone.

'This is really nice. I really should have come to enjoy this sooner.'

In the brief interval while waiting, he recalled the person Guan Xiaosu.

Generally speaking, universities usually have a "department beauty." When the whole department meets, everyone is together, making it easier to reach a consensus.

Although the Provincial University's online community was very active, there was no definitive figure before Chu Ziqing appeared, and several of the most outstanding department beauties were locked in a stalemate.

Guan Xiaosu was one of them.

She was the "ice queen" type—unsmiling, with an average figure—and was jokingly referred to as the "Ten-Thousand-Mile Glacier."

By coincidence, he had observed her up close; she should have been a B-cup, but her dressing habits were just too conservative.

They had met through campus activities and he had helped her a few times; they were friends who had spoken a few times and gotten along reasonably well.

It was just that after graduation, they had been too busy and hadn't been in touch for a long time.

Guan Xiaosu quickly entered the room and began the spa treatment.

Under her guidance, starting with deep breathing, the soothing session officially began.

Throughout the entire process, apart from the necessary guidance, there was no conversation at all, allowing one to be fully immersed in the atmosphere.

After a session of singing bowl ASMR, Zhao Xiaoshuai was completely lulled into a drowsy state.

I don't know how much time passed, but as the cool essential oil was applied, a pair of equally cool, small hands touched his back.

Those hands were gentle and deft; it wasn't a freezing cold, but a pleasantly cool sensation that felt incredibly comfortable on his body.

He could feel the fatigue in his entire body dissipating bit by bit under the kneading of those hands.

Whether it was physical or mental.

Before he knew it, he fell asleep.