9: The fifth settlement
As time passed, the music in the venue grew more intense, and the dancers' moves on the dance floor became increasingly abstract.
The accumulated stress from studies, work frustrations, and life's disappointments.
All the bad emotions that had built up were fully released at this moment.
Here, college students' dance moves were reserved and subtle; workers' dance moves were wild; and the Middle-aged man's dance moves were eye-catching.
Of course, no matter where you are, there are always a few attention-seekers who stand out.
Chen Xiangbei and his group, due to the increasing crowd in the venue.
They had already moved to the very front of the dance floor, in front of the DJ booth, leaving the bar area for the sugar daddies.
At this moment, the group was at the DJ booth, wildly shaking their heads to the rhythm of the music.
Because here, they didn't have to care about others' opinions.
Their unrestrained and wild swaying led more and more people into a state of ecstasy.
At this moment, all life's pressures were released, and everyone was immersed in the joyful musical atmosphere.
It was past 11:30 PM.
The music began to grow more intense, and people's dance steps quickened accordingly.
Their movements became more powerful, and their emotions soared.
The entire dance floor's atmosphere was like a carnival; everyone was immersed in it, unable to extricate themselves.
At this time, more and more people arrived at the disco, reaching the peak of the day.
So, the promoters, both inside and outside the venue, no longer needed to occupy resources, and everyone began to exit orderly towards the management office.
The management staff saw that everyone had returned and didn't rigidly adhere to the 12 AM checkout rule.
Tonight's atmosphere was so lively, and they deserved some credit for it.
So, even though it wasn't time yet, they generously paid them in full ahead of schedule.
Everyone queued up orderly to scan codes and collect their money. Chen Xiangbei was in the middle of the line, and it would take a few more minutes for his turn.
Today was his happiest day this month.
The long period of not finding a satisfactory job, that pressure, that negative emotion had suffocated him.
However, from receiving the system and its rewards these past few days, all the way to tonight's disco carnival, the negative energy he had accumulated for a long time was finally released.
The chemical reaction between the two reached its peak, leading to good health and abundant wealth, which cleared his mind.
Having goals and hope in life motivates people, fills them with energy, and changes how they react to things.
Chen Xiangbei was like this now; his future was full of hope. Many things he previously dared not imagine were now minor matters, and the system was his biggest backing.
Soon, everyone received their 150 yuan payment.
Adding the 120 yuan earned this morning and afternoon, Chen Xiangbei's total income today was 270 yuan.
Although it was less than yesterday, today's gains far surpassed previous ones, and the physical enhancement alone outweighed everything else.
Stepping out of the disco, he checked the time; it was almost 12 AM. Chen Xiangbei hailed a taxi and sat in the car, waiting for the system's prompt to sound.
“Ding, the system begins settlement: Host's daily income +270, average hourly wage 64+, system reward amount +1350, Physique +0.02, Intelligence +0.01, Settlement Points +100. Please continue to work hard!”
“Bank card number 4539 received 1350 yuan at 00:01, balance 7144.80 yuan.”
“Huh? Why is there an Intelligence point bonus today? I didn't do anything related to intelligence today,” Chen Xiangbei pondered.
“Ding, today the Host's mind was clear, so the Host is specially rewarded with Intelligence points. Intelligence encompasses IQ, thinking, creativity, memory, and other mental values. If the Host engages in mental work, the Host will be rewarded with corresponding levels of Intelligence points. Please explore other hidden conditions yourself.”
“So that's how it is. It seems there are many ways to trigger Intelligence point rewards. I'll have to try more different types of work,” Chen Xiangbei thought to himself.
Soon, the car arrived at the entrance of the urban village. Chen Xiangbei asked the driver to stop here, intending to walk the rest of the way.
Passing by a convenience store, he walked in and saw a young man playing a game at the cashier. Chen Xiangbei took a bottle of mineral water and went to the cashier.
“Two yuan, just scan it yourself,” the young man said without looking at Chen Xiangbei.
“Beep, Alipay received two yuan.”
The young man was sitting, Chen Xiangbei was standing. He glanced at the young man's phone and saw he was playing Timi. It seemed the battle was intense.
Chen Xiangbei decided to help him. He said to the young man, “Want me to play for you? I'm a hundred-star Grandmaster.”
The young man was about to lose; he knew his own skill wouldn't win this match, so he simply handed his phone to Chen Xiangbei and said.
“Thanks, handsome. If you win, I'll buy you a drink.”
Chen Xiangbei took the phone and quickly got into the zone.
The game situation was not ideal; none of his teammates were carrying, so he had to slowly build up the advantage himself.
Ten minutes later, the young man was restocking shelves nearby.
Seeing this, Chen Xiangbei carefully placed the phone on the cashier counter, then picked up his mineral water and turned to walk out of the convenience store.
Then he loudly said, “I left your phone on the counter, okay?”
“Okay, thanks! Next time you come, I'll buy you a drink!” The young man, seeing Chen Xiangbei had already left, shouted back towards the door.
Upon hearing the response, Chen Xiangbei took off running, his long legs, over a meter long, sprinting like he was hurdling.
Not long after, a flurry of angry shouts came from the convenience store.
It was unclear what was said, but he vaguely heard the words “3,” “slash,” and “19.”
Back at his rented room, Chen Xiangbei felt great. He had run three or four hundred meters at full speed without even breathing hard.
It was almost 1 AM. He went to the windowsill to collect his clothes and then started to shower.
Half an hour later, Chen Xiangbei emerged from the bathroom. He wasn't particularly tired today, but out of habit, he still showered for half an hour. Showering truly made one feel happy.
“Tomorrow, I'll do some physical labor. Otherwise, I'd be wasting this strength. That kind of work also pays much more, and it adds more to my physique,” Chen Xiangbei muttered.
Since gaining 1 Physique point yesterday, Chen Xiangbei had increasingly valued Physique. The benefits of increased Physique were very practical.
For example, heavy physical work that would take 5 hours to complete, you could finish in just 2 hours.
The time saved could be used to do other things, increasing your income streams.
Chen Xiangbei planned to find piece-rate heavy physical work tomorrow. His good physical condition gave him great confidence.
Adjusting his excited mood, he slowly fell asleep on this hot summer night.
At 7 AM, Chen Xiangbei woke up. He had only slept for a few hours but didn't feel sleepy or tired.
“Could increasing Physique have this benefit too?” Chen Xiangbei wondered.
After a simple wash-up, Chen Xiangbei left.
The summer sun rose very quickly; it was high in the sky before 7 AM.