The first day of the new year buzzed with energy on the second floor of the startup park.
Chen Yansen stood by the stairwell, handing a red envelope to every FoxTao member who passed.
*Humanity +0.05!*
*Humanity +0.05!*
…
System notifications flickered before his eyes. He didn't mind—every bit counted.
"Wow! A New Year's red envelope! Thanks, Class Monitor!" Xu Xingxing accepted hers with a beaming smile.
Chen Yansen smiled, waved her off, and continued distributing.
By 9 AM, only half of FoxTao's employees had arrived—the rest were away for the holiday.
Suddenly, whispers spread: salaries had been deposited. A rustle swept through the room as everyone checked their phones.
*Humanity's Flame +5.3!*
*Humanity's Flame +3.9!*
*Humanity's Flame +2.4!*
…
Dozens of dense notifications flooded Chen Yansen's vision. In a blink, the Humanity's Flame value on his panel soared from 31.7 to 96.
"System! Wait!"
He was about to allocate points but hesitated, recalling past experiences. He didn't want to cause a scene in the startup park.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and opened the team's salary spreadsheet.
He adjusted the customer service team's hourly wage from ¥10 to ¥12. Editors' base salaries rose from ¥3,000 to ¥4,000. Testers and designers saw increases to ¥5,000–6,000.
Business development base pay was set at ¥3,500.
The category team received the largest adjustments—salaries jumped from ¥5,000 to ¥6,000–7,000. Senior category operators like Chen Xu and Hu Li saw their monthly pay soar to ¥8,000.
Chen Yansen did this partly for external recruitment, partly to balance morale within the category team.
Otherwise, seeing salespeople earning seven or eight thousand a month—sometimes forty or fifty thousand—who would want to stay in category operations?
After reviewing everything, Chen Yansen sent the spreadsheet to Xu Dan, instructing her to notify everyone individually via email.
Then he got up and headed toward Room 0418.
Song Yuncheng glanced at his retreating back, then looked down at the ¥39,000 that had just landed in her account, remaining silent.
Ten minutes later.
Chen Yansen lay on the bed in Room 0418, staring at the ceiling, focusing his mind on his physique attribute.
"System, allocate points!" he whispered.
A wisp of white mist, thick as a chopstick, materialized and drove forcefully into his brow. A bone-deep chill assaulted him, nearly freezing him solid.
Every muscle and bone seemed to lock. Even his heart paused.
Thump—thump—!
Then, a warm current erupted from his heart like a volcano, raging through his body like a wild horse. Every inch of skin it touched trembled.
Cold and heat alternated, followed by a soul-stirring comfort!
Chen Yansen couldn't help but let out a soft groan. The strange sensation came and went quickly.
It felt like two or three hours had passed, but when he checked his phone, only three minutes had gone by.
"So short?"
He was astonished.
Sitting up, barefoot on the floor, he stretched his limbs. Lightly clenching his fist, he felt as if he could crush stone with ease.
This sensation of peak power was more intoxicating than hundreds of millions in wealth.
His physique value now: 2.63.
Just one step from the human limit!
Chen Yansen grabbed an unopened bottle of water, went into the bathroom, and squeezed the plastic bottle with all five fingers. It crackled but didn't burst as expected.
"Seems my current strength still can't crush rock. That was just an illusion from the sudden power surge."
He sighed, tossing the bottle aside dejectedly.
He measured his height and weight again—little change.
"I'll try the gym."
Once the idea surfaced, he couldn't suppress it.
Chen Yansen grabbed his jacket, got in his car, and drove to the off-campus gym.
The trial pass from last time had long expired. The front desk staff had changed—common in places that hired cheap student labor with high turnover.
Chen Yansen simply bought an annual membership, planning to give it to Wang Zihao later so it wouldn't go to waste.
Inside the gym, only three people were present.
During the New Year holiday, couples were out having fun, studious types were in the library, and gym-goers were likely all single.
So Chen Yansen mused as he walked toward the barbell rack.
"Hey! I thought the name Chen Yansen sounded familiar last time. You're the founder of FoxTao! Nice to meet you!"
Hu Yongfan, who was working his chest, immediately set down his weights and greeted Chen Yansen with a smile.
"Uh, hello." Chen Yansen was taken aback. This guy had lent him equipment before, but he'd long forgotten his name.
He couldn't help it—Chen Yansen only remembered pretty girls with good figures.
"Deadlifts?" Hu Yongfan asked.
"Yeah." Chen Yansen was suspicious of the other's orientation and didn't feel like talking.
"I'll help you load the plates!" Hu Yongfan seemed oblivious to Chen Yansen's disinterest and busied himself.
After a moment, he turned back. "Start with 140 kg?"
"220," Chen Yansen said casually.
His physique had increased by nearly 60%. If not for fear of startling Hu Yongfan, he'd have considered starting with 300 kg.
"Wow! Impressive!" Hu Yongfan gave a thumbs-up, his gaze eager.
Seeing his expression, Chen Yansen subconsciously took a step back.
"Alright! I'll get your belt and knee sleeves." Hu Yongfan stood and walked toward a nearby chair.
Chen Yansen grunted and approached the barbell. Each side had five 20 kg plates, plus the bar—roughly the weight of three adults.
He glanced at Hu Yongfan, still rummaging for gear, then bent down and gripped the bar firmly.
"Up!"
Chen Yansen exhaled. The 400+ kg weight felt almost weightless, easily clearing his knees.
Hearing the sound, Hu Yongfan turned and was instantly speechless.
A 220 kg deadlift… without any equipment?
Was Chen Yansen made of iron?
Thump! The barbell slammed heavily to the floor.
Chen Yansen carefully assessed the sensation—it felt like nothing, similar to his previous 140 kg lift, maybe even easier.
"Mr. Chen! Don't do that! If the owner sees, he'll cancel your membership on the spot!"
Seeing Chen Yansen about to add more plates, Hu Yongfan rushed over with protective gear, trying to dissuade him.
As a seasoned gym-goer, he could tell Chen Yansen weighed under 85 kg. He'd assumed Chen Yansen's previous 260 kg lift was due to a large frame, high density, and natural talent. But today's unassisted deadlift truly shocked him.
"Um, thanks." Chen Yansen took the belt and knee sleeves, put them on, and eyed the barbell.
After a moment's thought, he added another 20 kg plate to each side, bringing the total to 340 kg.
"Mr. Chen, you're not serious, are you?" Hu Yongfan couldn't believe it. Professional athletes typically lifted just over twice their body weight; three times was elite level.
Chen Yansen didn't answer. Gripping the bar, he adjusted his stance, searching for the most comfortable point of exertion—an indescribable, seemingly innate feeling.
"Lift!"
Veins bulged on Chen Yansen's arms as blood surged. His upper limbs, lower body, and back muscles engaged simultaneously.
From a distance, it looked like he lifted nearly 700 kg without a single pause.
"Damn! Is this even human?" Hu Yongfan swallowed hard, muttering under his breath.
Lifting four times his own body weight—it was terrifying!
Thump!
A dull thud echoed through the gym.
Chen Yansen, unfazed, flicked his wrists, feeling he still had plenty in reserve.
He kept adding weight.
The barbell passed 380 kg.
Chen Yansen maintained his mixed grip. This time, the strain was clearer—veins stood out on his forehead, but his movement remained fluid, indicating he hadn't hit his limit yet.
Only when the weight reached 420 kg did Hu Yongfan snap out of it, quickly pulling out his phone to record.
"Brother, put the phone away," Chen Yansen waved him off.
Normally, Hu Yongfan might have ignored it, but facing Chen Yansen, he didn't dare protest. He forced a dry laugh and stuffed his phone back into his bag.
He knew Chen Yansen could probably kill him several times over with one punch.
Creak—creak—!
The barbell groaned, bending into an arc under the weight of the plates.
Chen Yansen found the right moment to exert force, muscles tensing instantly. The 800+ pound load was genuinely strenuous.
Blood surged. His arms, thighs, and face flushed crimson. Muscles engorged with blood, their striations sharply defined.
A burning sensation filled Chen Yansen's chest. He summoned all his strength and pulled the barbell up with difficulty.
Thump!
Chen Yansen released his grip, exhaling a cloud of white breath. His forehead glowed red, and he panted heavily, clearly spent.
"Mr. Chen, at your level, you could dominate any domestic strength competition. You're incredible!"
Seeing he'd stopped and didn't intend to add more weight, Hu Yongfan quickly handed him a water bottle, praising him.
"No time for competitions. What's the use of brute strength nowadays? Money talks."
Chen Yansen scoffed, took the water, checked the cap discreetly, then gulped it down.
"Right! I forgot you're FoxTao's big boss. Someone as good at making money as you doesn't need to be this strong."
Hu Yongfan flexed his pecs and laughed.
"By the way, how did you train your strength? What supplements do you use? I heard there's something new in the U.S. that's super effective." Before Chen Yansen could reply, Hu Yongfan pressed on.
"Natural talent." Chen Yansen grinned arrogantly, not caring whether Hu Yongfan believed him.
Hu Yongfan smiled superficially but cursed inwardly, labeling Chen Yansen a 'tech-enhanced warrior'.
Last time, 260 kg deadlift. Now, just a month later, 420 kg.
Honestly, Hu Yongfan really wanted to ask what drugs Chen Yansen was taking—he wanted to try them too.
"Um, Mr. Chen, actually I applied for a business development position at your company. What do you think of me?" Hu Yongfan asked with a smile, sitting opposite him.
"Your communication skills are okay. We'll see after the first interview," Chen Yansen replied casually.
He still hadn't figured out this guy's orientation. If hired into the project team, Zhang Wenbo and Xiang Pengfei—fair-skinned and refined—would be in trouble. They were exactly the type muscular guys liked.
"Mr. Chen, how about I bring my girlfriend to the next interview?" Hu Yongfan suggested helplessly.
The suspicion in Chen Yansen's eyes was too obvious. He was truly speechless, even wishing he could drag Chen Yansen along to the hotel with his girlfriend.
"Sure!" Considering the other had lent him equipment twice, Chen Yansen couldn't keep refusing.
"…" Hu Yongfan's face stiffened. He sighed inwardly: Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain. Just because I have big muscles doesn't mean I have a problem.
Meanwhile…
The FoxTao members who received the salary adjustment emails were naturally thrilled. Many were only college juniors or seniors. A pre-tax monthly income over ¥8,000 made them practically consider the company home and Chen Yansen their father.
The business development team's joy was even greater. These dozen or so people earned between ¥7,000 and ¥8,000, with the highest exceeding ¥50,000.
In 2010, this income surpassed 95% of white-collar workers.
Instantly, everyone's motivation soared. Even without overtime pay for business development, they worked tirelessly from morning to night—cold-calling merchants, negotiating product selections.
The variety of categories, brands, and products on Super Cashback began to expand rapidly. After all, each featured brand group meant several thousand yuan in commission—who wouldn't be tempted?
Chen Yansen left the gym and wandered to the sports field.
He tested his 100-meter sprint, 10,000-meter endurance, and reaction speed. The final result: he was equivalent to a combination of Bolt (speed), Anthony (fastest reactor), and Devin (endurance king).
In individual events, he was slightly weaker. But in all three combined, he could outperform each specialist.
Buzz… Buzz…
Chen Yansen took out his phone. It was Zhang Jiancheng from Thinking Capital again.
After a moment's thought, he answered.