"Asher Parker, you look so radiant today. I noticed that you are also smiling broadly. What's the happy news?" Julian, Asher's best friend, started mocking Asher. They were sitting in a restaurant enjoying lunch.
Asher couldn't hide his smile as he looked at his girlfriend's picture on his mobile phone. Today is the anniversary day for Asher and his lover. Although they are separated by distance and time, Asher feels close to his girlfriend. He always sends messages, video calls, and gifts to strengthen their bond.
"Yeah, mate. Today is a special day for me and my girlfriend. We've been in a relationship for the past few years. You don't know what it's like to have the perfect girlfriend," Asher replied as he showed Julian a picture of his girlfriend.
"Ah, yes. I know you have a great girlfriend. But you guys are in a long-distance relationship. How do you manage to stay together when you're apart? It's tough for me to maintain a close relationship," Julian asked with curiosity and envy.
Asher smiled and looked at Julian with an affectionate gaze. "Mate, our secret is just one: trust and support each other. We never doubt or get jealous of each other. We always try to understand and respect each other. We never forget to love and please each other," Asher explained passionately.
Julian was silent for a moment, mesmerised by Asher's words. The man felt ashamed of himself. Julian realised that he had not been a good partner for his girlfriend. The man sighed and nodded.
"Wow, you're really great. I salute you. I hope your relationship with your girlfriend lasts," Julian congratulated Asher.
"Thanks, mate. I hope so, too," Asher thanked Julian.
They continued eating their lunch while joking and laughing together. Asher felt grateful to have a best friend like Julian, who always supported him. Asher also felt lucky to have a boyfriend like his girlfriend, who always loved him. Asher promised himself that he would continue to keep their relationship harmonious and happy.
"I'm a loyal person, after all," Asher said sincerely.
"I know, but what about your girlfriend?" Julian tried to tease Asher.
Asher was annoyed by Julian's question, but he knew that Julian was a good friend.
Asher answered steadily, "Of course, this girl is loyal to me."
Asher saw Julian's slightly doubtful expression. The man began to look at Asher's body from top to bottom. Julian remembered that a few years earlier, Asher still had a healthy and fresh body. But after Asher had a lover, he always ate fast food, which was not good for his health.
"Well, at least you have met each other and accepted each other's strengths and weaknesses." Asher looked nervous when he heard this statement from Julian.
"Actually, we've never met each other," Asher decided to speak the truth.
"Huh? Wait, how come? Have you ever tried calling or video calling with her?" Asher, who saw Julian who had wanted to feel calm, was suddenly worried.
"I've never contacted my girlfriend like that." Asher shook his head again.
Asher felt fear in his heart as he answered Julian's questions. But Asher still believed in his girlfriend. Asher was sure that his girlfriend was a good and loyal person.
"Then, how do you communicate with your girlfriend?" Julian asked again.
"Actually, we only send messages on the X app," Asher said embarrassedly.
"Mate, you've never met in person, not even Facetime. I think that shows that your relationship has no clear foundation. I'm afraid this girl is just playing with your feelings," Julian explained, trying to get Asher to wake up.
"Ah, you're being too negative. As long as I'm in a relationship with this girl, I've given her whatever she asked for," Asher evaded and tried to defend himself.
"Huh? What have you given this girl?" Asher saw Julian's astonished expression.
"I always send most of my monthly salary to my girlfriend," Asher innocently answered.
"Gosh, why are you so stupid in matters of romance?" Asher felt very wrong when he saw Julian's expression.
Julian could not understand Asher's behaviour that did not use his rational mind. Julian almost fainted at Asher's confession. They both work as car mechanics in a company.
This garage company only gives a monthly salary below the standard provisions set by the government, and moreover, the workers have to pursue sales targets just to get additional bonuses.
So, the salary Asher received was also uncertain. If he hits his targets, his salary is around $1500; if he doesn't hit his targets, it's around $700. Not to mention, Asher sends at least $490 to $1050 to his girlfriend.
"I think you should give your earnings to help your family's economy instead of maintaining this unhealthy relationship," Julian suggested reasonably.
"But my girlfriend says this money is to fulfil her need to look like an angel for me," Asher said innocently.
"Oh my God! Asher, you are really blinded by this fake love," Asher saw Julian reprimanding him in a slightly raised tone.
Shortly after that came the sound of a phone call. The name on the screen made Asher and Julian hurry to leave.
"Hey, you two get back to work quickly. Don't relax; there is a lot of work coming in; hurry up and do it," the boss of the workshop owner called the two.
Instantly, Asher and Julian returned to the workshop and continued their work shift.
Now, Asher is a little upset while working on servicing customer vehicles. He thought to himself, "What if what Julian said is true?"
After Asher finished high school and took a year-long particular programme at a community college, he and a few of his friends got an internship for a while at a garage company in Nevada. The fresh graduates obviously felt good about the job offer.
Asher and his friends were also tempted by the high salary, free housing and meals paid for by the company. But all of that was beyond Asher's expectations and wishful thinking. The man came from a lower class; Asher's father was just a contractor worker earning $10-20 a day.
The journey from the workshop to Asher's village was long enough that to travel from one point to another, Asher needed to spend at least $150.
Asher remembers the moment when he first arrived. Asher was given a makeshift place to stay, and there were several people in each small room.
The workshop company didn't even provide a stipend, and he had to be prepared to cover his own living expenses. It made Asher and his friends very disappointed.
In the first month, Asher and his friends were only paid around $500 on a per diem basis. It was only enough to cover food, not to mention that there would be deductions if there were holidays.
When facing such a complex reality, Asher's friends slowly became unhappy and chose to resign or not renew their contracts. Now, only Asher and Julian are left.
Although many employees often resign from the company, there are still many young mechanics who come from various schools; after all, Asher and Julian no longer think about resigning. Their salaries had gone up and were a little better.
Right now, there were far more essential things for Asher to do. He was upset and immediately contacted his girlfriend. Asher's girlfriend was named Britney, a girl Asher knew through the twt app without meeting in person.
But Britney's every flirtation and seduction managed to make Asher melt and choose to date the girl who lived in New Castle. Asher thinks that at least the girl is in a city not far from Asher's hometown. But after that, Julian came and broke Asher's mind. The man immediately replied with a sharp intake of breath, "Mate, you need to calm down. I have something important to tell you. It's all to do with your girlfriend. There's something important you should know." "I honestly don't want to see you get treated like this, but it's a painful fact," Julian said sadly. The man then showed Britney's tok account, which featured an intimate video between the girl and another man. It made Asher not want to believe. Asher took Julian's mobile phone and scrolled through Britney's account and saw that there was a lot of intimate content between the girl and other men. What's worse is that Asher seems to recognise the man in the content. "The man in the video is very familiar to me. Isn't this
Asher walked out of Walmart, carrying bags of groceries that he bought with the system's funds. He felt a sense of relief and satisfaction as he loaded them into the borrowed car. [RING! Congratulations, you have spent $1000 in less than 30 minutes after following the system's manual guidance. You get a $20,000 prize and three system points.] TRING! Asher checked his ancient phone that he got from his birthday gift and saw a surprising notification. [Dollar Bank Info: the Account's holder 0987654 made a transaction at 7.20 p.m., and the Total Balance is now $20.400." Asher was stunned; he had a bank account that he only used to receive his monthly salary. But now it seems that the consortium system is also connected to Asher's bank account. [Name: Asher Parker] [Level: 0] [System point: 3/100] [Charms Point: 4] [Skills: Basic Mechanical Enginnering] [Inventory: None] [Shop: Locked] [Lottery: Unavailable] [Balance: $20.400] [Task: System Manual Guidance completed] [Are you rea
A few days passed, Asher was sitting in a restaurant, working on some documents. He had a lot on his plate and needed some assistance. Asher decided to look for a personal assistant since he was not good at Management, so Asher needed someone else to run his businesses. "That woman is so suspicious. What happened?" Asher muttered softly when he saw a woman walk. Near the woman's table were a few men who looked shady. Those men kept glancing at the woman as if they had a plan. Asher felt a pang of pity; his intuition told him that the woman was in danger. "System, can you scan all their info?" Asher asked. [The ability to scan someone's data may be used on someone close to you.] "You can check that woman and those men." [Her name is Rachel Blackwood. Her age is 24. Her Charms point is in 9. Rachel is a management expertise.] [As the secretary of a large company, Rachel recently offended her boss because she did not want to be harassed, so she resigned and hid her identity]. [Th
"Is that a real gun?" Those guys exclaimed as he backed away. It turned out they only carry a gun and don't know how to use it properly. "Get down now, or I'll shoot your leg and make you crippled for life." "Fuck!" They were still reluctant, but when they heard the police sirens from afar, they panicked. "My friends are on their way," Asher said confidently. Asher knew he was risking his life. If this trick didn't work, Asher would be the one lying in the hospital forever. Asher was glad to see those men surrender. Asher grabbed the rope from his bag and tossed it to Rachel, who looked confused but understood what Asher meant. "I get it," Rachel used the rope to tie up the criminals. After securing them all, Rachel walked up to Asher and thanked him sincerely. Asher was thrilled as it was his first time being so close to a beautiful woman, so he was naturally nervous. "Thank you," Rachel said. Asher compared Rachel to his Britney and realised there was no comparison. Both of
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the office, making everyone turn their heads. Mr Turner, the pot-bellied boss, was furious. He had just received the news that his team had failed to secure a significant contract. He threw his coffee mug at the window, not caring about the mess or the cost. "Rachel, how can you get away with this!" he shouted at his secretary, who was standing nearby. "What are you looking at, you useless cunt!" The woman was stunned and immediately left the room. It happened because Rachel left the company after she had worked hard for Mr Turner for two years. A glimpse of memory appeared before his eyes. "Mr Turner, I'm a woman of honour," Rachel tried to reason with him. "It's not fair to force me to do something I don't desire." "Shut up! How dare you raise your voice like that!" Mr Turner yelled. "You're lucky I don't sue you for negligence!" "Negligence? I tried to forget this issue and move right past it. But I guess I'll see you in court." Rac
Asher took a Doctor's Suit and started to analyse the Patient as if he were going to cure him. [RING! New mission. You must cure an old man who is currently in a vegetative state.] The system referred to the nearby VIP ward in a room so luxurious that even the ward where Asher was treated could not be compared; it was more accurately called the Room of the Rich than the VIP Ward. "The system scanned this old man's identity," Asher said as he looked at the white-haired man lying unconscious on the bed with a digital device connected to his body. [Name: Sebastian Hayes] [Notes: One of the wealthiest people in Nevada today has been in a vegetative state for ten years; the older man's body is exposed to toxins that cannot be detected by modern medicine, which will degrade the body's functions day by day]. [If you don't save him within an hour, then the old man will die due to declining body functions, but if the task fails, you get no punishment.] Asher felt a pang of pity for the o
Asher felt exhausted after using his inner energy to cure the old man. He had never tried such a difficult task before, and he was not sure if he could succeed. He had to channel his energy through his hands into the old man's body and then draw out the poison that was slowly killing him. He watched as a thick black liquid emerged from the old man's mouth and flowed into a flower vase next to him. The liquid was foul-smelling and corrosive; it burned through the vase and spilt onto the floor. Asher hoped that no one would notice the mess. He was glad that he had locked the door behind him and that no one had disturbed him during his operation. He checked the old man's vital signs; they were stable and normal. His skin had regained some colour, and his breathing was steady. He had done it; he had saved him. Noora, who had witnessed the whole process, was amazed and grateful. She had seen Asher use his hands to heal her grandfather without any instruments or drugs. She had seen the p
It was evening; Asher and Rachel met at the same restaurant, and they exchanged glances. Asher was dressed casually, but he still looked handsome. He was sitting with Julian, his friend from Winchester, waiting for someone. "Wow, boss, look at that woman. She's stunning. Is she a celebrity?" Julian exclaimed as he saw a woman enter the place. "She's all right," Asher replied indifferently, making Julian wonder if his boss had lost interest in women after breaking up with his girlfriend. Julian, who was known as a flirt in his village, knew that he had no chance with this woman. "Good evening, boss," but what shocked and puzzled Julian more was that the woman greeted his boss. "Damn, is this his childhood friend he mentioned about?" Julian thought. "Have a seat," Rachel was amazed by the change in Asher. His beautiful eyes glanced at her with curiosity. "Don't look at me like that. I'm still the same person." Asher sipped his coffee and said, "This is just a side effect of yester