城市猎人：系统升级之王

Chapter 18: Skill Proficiency Increase

A skilled worker who had a good relationship with the foreman approached and patted him on the shoulder, "Boss Zhang, where did you find this laborer? He works like a bull; it's impressive!"
The foreman snapped back to attention and cleared his throat, "I didn't find him, he came knocking on his own." Pausing, he added, "Cut the chatter, get back to work."
"Boss Zhang, are you out of it? It's time for lunch," the worker chuckled. "I'm here to collect our lunch boxes."
The foreman glared at him, then shouted to Li Nianlong, who was still working fervently, "It's lunchtime, everyone stop. Come get your lunchboxes from me."
Construction workers have high energy demands and consume a lot. The standard lunch set by the foreman for his team cost twenty yuan, enough for twenty meat buns or a box meal with ample meat, ample for a hearty meal at home.
Upon the foreman's call, Li Nianlong stopped too. His clothes were drenched in sweat. Although his stamina was not an issue, he had burned through all his calories. Earlier, his excitement had sustained him, but now that he'd stopped, he felt a hollow hunger. However, looking at the fruits of his morning's labor, Li Nianlong smiled in satisfaction.
Life Profession: Architect (Intermediate, 27%): Building houses is a piece of cake, but limited to ordinary bungalows.
In just three hours, his proficiency had increased by 27%. At this rate, he could upgrade to Advanced tomorrow. It seemed upgrading life professions was quite manageable.
"Nianlong, well done." The foreman walked over, dusting off Li Nianlong's clothes with a broad smile. "Youngsters as hardworking as you are rare these days."
Li Nianlong, having gained significant benefits today, was in a good mood and joked, "Then give me a bigger paycheck."
The foreman, not expecting such humor from a rich heir, was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. "Sure, definitely a bigger paycheck. Eat first, fill your belly, regain your strength, then we'll talk money."
Li Nianlong nodded, not rushing to eat. He washed his face first and then texted Nalan Ruyue: Found a job, lunch is provided here, won't be back. Off work at 6:30 pm, will be home around 7 pm, prepare dinner for me.
Back in the villa, Nalan Ruyue sat at the dining table, lost in thought.
Yue Xi and her sister had woken up an hour ago. Yue Xi repeatedly apologized for not waking up earlier to cook breakfast and took charge of lunch preparations. Four dishes and a soup, all fragrant and appetizing, adorned the table while the Yue sisters indulged, yet Nalan Ruyue had no appetite. She was waiting for Li Nianlong's return.
Li Nianlong had said he would come back for lunch or call if he couldn't. It was already noon, yet there was no news from him, causing Nalan Ruyue some anxiety. But she dared not send a text, afraid of disturbing him.
"Sister Ruyue, it's his loss for not coming back for lunch. Don't punish yourself for it," Yue Xi noticed Nalan Ruyue's untouched food and placed a piece of fish in her bowl, snorting lightly. "I rarely make boiled fish; let's finish it without saving any for him."
Feeling Yue Xi's concern, Nalan Ruyue smiled faintly and thanked her with a simple hand gesture—curling her thumb twice, a sign many understood. Yue Xi had learned some basic sign language from Nalan Ruyue two days ago. Seeing the gratitude, Yue Xi giggled, "You're welcome." She added more vegetables to Nalan Ruyue's bowl. "Ruyue sister, eat up! It'll get cold."
Nalan Ruyue smiled and nodded. Just then, her phone beeped with a message notification.
This sound was customized for Li Nianlong. Hearing it, Nalan Ruyue hurriedly grabbed her phone, opened the message, and the Yue sisters looked up at her.
After reading the message, a hint of disappointment flashed in Nalan Ruyue's eyes, but she quickly smiled—he wanted her to prepare dinner for him.
Lifting her head to see the sisters watching, Nalan Ruyue blushed and placed her phone between them. They read the message, and Yue Chang softly exclaimed, "So brother found a job, great!"
"Pfft! What's so great about finding a job? He can't even come back for lunch." Yue Xi pouted, looking at Nalan Ruyue. "Ruyue sister, now you can eat without worry, right?"
Nalan Ruyue nodded with a smile and picked up her chopsticks...
After lunch, the Yue sisters left again for another outing, while Nalan Ruyue politely declined and stayed home. She tidied up a bit and went grocery shopping around four in the afternoon.
Nalan Ruyue didn't drive, but there was an electric scooter in the garage, which had belonged to Li Ying. Li Nianlong, unaware of its sentimental value, had given her the keys the previous day.
She spent an hour shopping and, upon returning home, chilled the newly bought beer in the fridge before starting to cook in the kitchen.
She texted Yue Xi to ask if they were coming back for dinner. Yue Xi replied that they might not be back by then and told her not to prepare for them, promising to be home by nine and asking her to leave the door unlocked.
Nalan Ruyue smiled, put down her phone, and chopped the chicken on the cutting board, preparing for a popular spicy hot pot chicken dish.
Grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, cleaning, gardening—within two days of arriving, Nalan Ruyue had been somewhat busy, yet she felt fulfilled and enjoyed this feeling. She preferred it to her past.
...
At the construction site, after four hours of intense work, Li Nianlong completed his tasks for the day. Everyone looked at him with admiration and respect; one man doing the work of five was an extraordinary feat.
The foreman, having monitored Li Nianlong's output, handed him five hundred-yuan bills when settling the account, liking him more and more.
The young man came from a good family, was physically fit, tall, handsome, and most importantly, unlike those arrogant rich kids. Though a bit proud and not overly approachable, he didn't shy away from interacting with others, even joking with these rough workers. When working, he was meticulous, fast, and efficient.
By the end of the day, the foreman's fondness for Li Nianlong was evident. Simultaneously, he felt a tinge of regret: If only I had a daughter, I'd marry her off to him! With such a son-in-law, I'd even smile in my dreams.
"Little Liu, do you have a girlfriend?" Despite not having a daughter, the foreman had nieces and nephews, two of whom were old enough and decent-looking. He considered setting them up. "How about I introduce you to one?"
Li Nianlong pocketed the money and chuckled, "No need, I have three at home."
"Three...three!?" The foreman was dumbfounded, and the workers waiting for their pay were astounded.
Li Nianlong smiled faintly and turned to leave.
"Huh?" The foreman came to his senses and yelled, "Little Liu, be here at the site by eight tomorrow, don't forget."
Li Nianlong didn't turn back, simply waving as he got into his Panda car and drove off.
"Young people really have the energey..." The foreman sighed. "Truly amazing! Having three girlfriends at home."
"Boss Zhang, envious, aren't you?" The worker who was close to the foreman chuckled. "You can't envy that. Look at Little Liu, his looks, his aura. If I were a woman, I'd follow him even knowing he has girlfriends. As for you? Tsk-tsk."
The foreman shot him a glance, jotting down notes. "Worker Wang's workload wasn't met today, pay him a hundred."
"What the hell, holding a grudge?"
"Insulting the foreman, deduct another fifty."
"You might as well kill me."
"Killing you costs three hundred."
"..."
Driving home, Li Nianlong was in high spirits. His life profession had reached Intermediate 63%. If he pushed hard tomorrow morning, reaching Advanced was guaranteed.
Upgrading life professions brought unexpected rewards. Being an architect, a profession reliant on physical strength, had increased his power. Would becoming a sprinter increase his speed? But was a sprinter a life profession?
Li Nianlong didn't dwell on it. As long as his abilities improved, nothing else mattered.