TGPA Chapter 12: No Pain, No Gain
Although it was called a washroom, it was actually originally the kitchen of Chen Hao's house. It was specially separated by a door, with plumbing, a large stove, and a big pot for boiling water inside. The floor was tiled, and there was a hole in the corner of the wall for drainage, with a drain cover to prevent insects from crawling in when not in use.
In one corner of the room, thanks to Qiao Xinmei's diligence and cleanliness in managing the household, even though it was in the countryside, the firewood, branches, and corn stalks were neatly chopped and stacked. Even though he hadn't done any rural work for over three years, Chen Hao had no trouble adding more firewood to the burning stove and water to the pot.
He first scooped out the hot water from the pot into an old aluminum basin on the ground. Not much water was put into the pot, and the lid wasn't covered. Since the washroom was already hot due to the fire, Chen Hao could undress completely. The glass window on the back wall could be covered with a plywood board on the ground. With the light on, he sat on a small stool and used towels and water to simulate a shower, pouring water over his body.
Brushing teeth, washing face, showering with body wash... Although it wasn't as convenient as having a showerhead, in his own home, in the warm environment, as long as you were willing to put in a little effort to heat the water, it felt much more comfortable than in Yanjing. The physique developed from cold showers made Chen Hao feel warmer after changing into his underwear and opening the door to the inner room. Going from warmth to cold and back to warmth again made him shiver involuntarily.
After crawling into bed, Chen Hao didn't turn on the computer. He turned off the main light and turned on the bedside lamp. He had been eager to play with his phone, check his friends' updates, and watch some live streams, but suddenly, on the news public account of LeLe's own platform, he saw a piece of news that made him lose interest.
Previously, there were some gossip news, some big revelations and such. Since LeLe took over the industry, these things were done in-house, more authoritative and convenient.
"Wealthy man spends 100,000 yuan on his favorite female anchor, but after meeting in person, the female anchor looks like this."
In the photo, the female anchor looked adorable and attractive in the live broadcast room, but in the real-life photo, her image was destroyed. It couldn't be said that she was ugly, but she could only be described as average. Without heavy makeup, she looked somewhat pleasing to the eye, but with makeup, it made people feel that her appearance was hard to accept.
In a very short time, the news gained a lot of attention and clicks, and the comments were varied. But most of them were criticizing the female anchor. Even if they didn't say it directly, the words they used revealed a sense that internet anchors were mostly creations in front of the camera. Consumers should be cautious, and fans should be calm.
Looking at the little bit of extra fat on his body, and feeling the difference between the hard abdomen after exercising before and the current softness, Chen Hao was grateful that he hadn't just sat in front of the computer for three years as a failed anchor. He had also been a supporting actor and a stand-in actor for over three years. Otherwise, he would have had more than just a little bit of fat on his body.
He had always thought that being an extra was a failed experience. If he hadn't wanted to become a star and had chosen to go to an art school for four years, he wouldn't have been able to persist in being an extra and a stand-in on set. But now, looking back, while it may have been a failure, at least it hadn't completely ruined his body.
Looks were given by his parents, without choice, and Chen Hao was actually quite satisfied. With good skin since childhood, he didn't get pimples even though he ate spicy food. In this regard, Chen Hao thought his natural advantage was quite significant.
Height was a combination of genetics and upbringing. With Chen Yuanping's big bone structure, Chen Hao wasn't short, and his genetic inheritance was pretty good. From mischief in the mountains and rivers since childhood to playing basketball after going to school, the 183 cm height was something he was proud of.
As for physique...
After seeing this news, Chen Hao suddenly felt it was necessary to prepare in advance. With the Perfect Anchor System, starting a live stream was just a matter of time. In front of the camera, was he really going to rely on infrared video? It had always been rumored that LeLe might innovate again with technology, and the day of reckoning for those anchors who relied on infrared video was coming to an end. LeLe was going to launch an exclusive camera system to eliminate "video beauties." Chen Hao deeply agreed, and thinking about this, he even thought that the news he had just seen might be LeLe's vanguard to test everyone's attitude towards anchors appearing more realistically on LeLe.
Phew!
"Regardless of whether it's true or not, your body is your own. Set yourself a plan and see if you can stick to it. You've endured over three years of hardship in Yanjing, can't you stick to a fitness plan?"
"Even if there's nothing else, isn't the reason of meeting a better version of yourself enough?"
Taking a deep breath, Chen Hao clenched his fists. He had tasted bitterness before, and now he had the opportunity to taste the most beautiful flavors in the world. For this, he needed to endure some hardship, and he didn't feel any pressure about it. He put down his phone, resisted the urge to stay up late, closed his eyes, and forced himself to quickly fall asleep.
The identity of being a supporting actor for over three years not only prevented Chen Hao's physique from deteriorating completely, but also helped him overcome the syndrome of not wanting to get out of bed. In rural areas, nobody cared whether you slept late, but if your curtains were still closed and there was no smoke coming from the chimney by seven or eight o'clock, and the yard wasn't cleaned, the whole atmosphere of the house being devoid of activity would be ridiculed.
In the yard, Chen Yuanping was feeding the poultry, while Chen Hao's mother was preparing to start a fire in his house. The autumn days were cold, not as cold as winter, but still required lighting the fire twice a day to provide enough warmth for the house.
"Son, are you feeling cold? I'll start a fire for you right away," Qiao Xinmei thought her son wasn't used to rural life and woke up cold early in the morning, so she immediately thought of starting a fire for him tomorrow morning.
"No need, Mom. I'm fine here. I'll make something for myself after breakfast and then go for a run," Chen Hao did warm-up exercises for more than a minute. His physical fitness as a rural boy hadn't been completely lost. Taking a deep breath, he quickly put on a set of sportswear and neatly folded the bedding on the kang cabinet, covering it with a curtain with patterns on it.
The time was 6:20. At this time, Chen Hao forced himself to get up, but for Chen Yuanping and Qiao Xinmei, they had already started cooking. If it were the busy farming season, they would have to get up even earlier. In the countryside, no one cared whether you slept late, but if your curtains were still closed by seven or eight o'clock, and there was no smoke coming from the chimney, and the yard wasn't cleaned, creating an atmosphere of inactivity in the whole house, it would be laughed at.
Many people saw Chen Hao on the way out of the village. In the past two days, they also knew that the son of the old Chen family had returned, and the discussions had never stopped. After all, what happened back then was quite sensational. Although they all said that the son of the old Chen family had emptied the family fortune all at once, forcing the eldest daughter to marry a cripple to compensate with the dowry money, and that this guy might cause trouble for the family in the future, these things were enough to make them hold some fear of him. If they bumped into Chen Hao, whether they were men or boys, they would smile and greet him warmly, saying, "Haozi is back."
Since he chose to come back, Chen Hao had long been mentally prepared for these rumors and behind-the-scenes discussions. He was worried that it might bring some negative effects to his parents, but thinking about the reality of society, once he returned and stood on that station, if his father really wanted to run for village chief, apart from the money he had to spend, those ruffians in the village and even the bullies from other villages would have to stand aside for him.
In this era where people laugh at poverty but not at prostitution, who cares about what you do, and who cares about what you've done?
Whether a man who injured seven or eight people with a pig-killing knife and chased a dozen people out for several miles brings disaster to his family or brings peace where no one dares to bully them, who can be sure?
NEXTTT