Liu Yue’s subconscious instinct was to exchange the bag, since the computer was expensive, but she quickly remembered—this was Hermès.
Including the matching accessories, this bag cost far more than the computer.
Moreover, Liu Yue actually would have preferred to exchange for the computer. After all, a 16-inch computer was heavy and definitely not as convenient to carry as a 13-inch one. But she had only bought her computer recently… Wouldn’t it be too wasteful to just leave it idle? She couldn’t sell it either.
Anyway, she hadn’t found a job yet, so the need to commute with a computer was still just a fantasy. She could think about it after she actually got hired—maybe the company would even provide her with a dedicated work computer.
Sigh, this is what happens when you’re used to a life of careful budgeting. Liu Yue couldn’t help but mock herself inwardly.
After the housekeeping service was completed and Liu Yue settled the bill, she picked out a few more items from her favorites and paid for them. Her spending task for today was officially complete.
She tapped the Cashback Roulette with eager anticipation, and when she saw the pointer stop at 50%, she nearly let out a cheer.
Liu Yue immediately checked her phone, and sure enough, Alipay popped up with a notification of 500,000 yuan received.
Awesome—the System’s money-transfer speed was lightning fast. She would forever support this Spending System!
System: “You only got 50%, and you’re this happy, Host?”
Liu Yue snorted twice. “What do you mean ‘only 50%’? That’s a full 400,000 more than the guaranteed 100,000!”
She had long realized that if she set her daily expectations at 100%, she’d only have a one-in-ten chance of being happy, with the remaining nine parts being disappointment and sadness.
But if she set her daily expectations at just 10%, then her worst outcome would merely match her expectations—neither sad nor happy—while there was still a nine-in-ten chance of a pleasant surprise!
Since she couldn’t control the roulette’s odds, she might as well choose a way of thinking that made her happier. If she drained herself with negative self-talk, only she would get hurt—who else would care?
System: “You truly are my chosen Host.”
Liu Yue liked that assessment. Who wouldn’t want free money from the System?
She had finished her task early today, so Liu Yue also consulted the System about whether she could learn tomorrow’s task amount earlier. She didn’t want to stay up late waiting every day.
System: “The 24-hour task window cannot be changed, but I can adjust the time zone for the Host.”
Liu Yue understood. She was currently on UTC+8 time, refreshing at midnight every day.
But if she switched to UTC+10, the midnight there would correspond to 10 PM her time for check-in, with the task ending at 10 PM the next day—still 24 hours.
Liu Yue said that was fine. The System reminded her that she could only adjust once every thirty natural days.
Liu Yue nodded. “No problem. I’ll spend money responsibly and won’t try to exploit the time zone.”
By the time Wen Huiyi returned to the dorm, what she saw was a floor so clean it looked brand new.
“This is way too clean.” She stepped in cautiously. “Who mopped the floor so well? Great work.”
Of course it was the housekeeping service. The feeling of using the power of money was indeed wonderful.
Liu Yue poked her head out from behind her bed curtain. “You’re off work so early today.”
“Because I’m heading to Macau soon.”
Wen Huiyi plopped her laptop bag onto the desk with a thud. “All thanks to Xie Zhengyang, really. I have to arrive early. His status isn’t that high, but he sure has a lot of demands.”
Xie Zhengyang—that name sounded familiar.
Liu Yue remembered now. Wasn’t he the male celebrity Qin Yi liked? Given that Wen Huiyi’s job was artist management, then…
So the culprit who made Wen Huiyi work overtime on New Year’s Day was Qin Yi’s idol. No wonder Wen Huiyi wouldn’t budge no matter what.
“That’s so tough.” Liu Yue said sympathetically. “If Tencent doesn’t give you an offer, heaven itself would be blind.”
Wen Huiyi let out two dry laughs. She really wanted to vent about something, but her professional ethics barely held her back.
Since she was going for work this time, her roommate didn’t ask her to do any shopping. But mentioning Macau made Liu Yue suddenly crave Portuguese egg tarts.
A bold idea suddenly popped into her head—what if… she went to Macau too?
Liu Yue had been to Macau before, and her Mainland-Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau travel permit hadn’t expired yet. Self-service visa renewal was also very convenient now—she could handle it directly at the port.
But what would she do in Macau? There weren’t any attractions there that interested Liu Yue. Would she go just for Portuguese egg tarts?
This kind of travel style was undoubtedly “wasteful,” because Liu Yue’s impression of travel was still that you had to experience everything worth seeing and doing at a destination to make the trip worthwhile.
But, but…
Liu Yue rolled over in bed, thinking to herself—she didn’t need to consider cost-effectiveness when spending the System’s money, so she might as well do whatever made her happy.
What was a trip to Macau, anyway? She’d seen online that rich people flew around the world just to enjoy fine food. Anytime, anywhere—they just went.
Well, today’s money was already spent. If she still wanted to go tomorrow, then she’d go!
—The next afternoon at 2 PM, Liu Yue appeared at the Taipa Ferry Terminal.
For the sake of a single egg tart, she still came.
Liu Yue took a cab to Andrew’s. She had checked the guides that morning, which said the original store had the best Portuguese egg tarts.
Because the tarts at the original store were all freshly baked, while those at other branches were delivered and then re-baked, making the pastry slightly less crispy.
She queued up and bought a freshly baked Portuguese egg tart.
The first bite was scalding hot, and only then did she feel the crispness of the tart shell.
To be honest, the flavor of the Portuguese egg tart wasn’t much different from KFC’s—both were equally rich and sweet. Andrew’s most obvious advantage lay in the tart shell itself.
The freshly baked shell had a strong aroma. If KFC’s was merely crispy, Andrew’s had a flaky quality, accompanied by a satisfying crunch.
At this moment, Liu Yue still felt she had been a bit impulsive.
But she was very happy—not because she had come to Macau itself, nor because she had eaten the Portuguese egg tart, but because she now had the ability to fulfill her wishes anytime, anywhere.
So what if she was impulsive? In this vast world, her own preferences mattered most.
Liu Yue walked through the streets of Macau, the wind blowing in her face, feeling for the first time that life could be this blissful.
Having money and time seemed to equal happiness.
“I really want to take a set of relaxed, effortless photos,” she said. “You know, that vintage film style, with warm tones, like strolling through the journey of life.”
So, should she buy a better camera?
Even though she didn’t get to take those photos this time, Liu Yue didn’t feel regret. Shenzhen was close to Macau—she could just come again next time.
How could she have regrets? When every imperfection could be confidently left to be made up in the future, such imperfections seemed utterly insignificant.
Liu Yue’s spending task for today was ten thousand yuan. Before she left, Sang Yu had already booked her hotel—the Metropolitan Suite at The St. Regis.
The hotel was recommended by Sang Yu based on the budget Liu Yue had given. Liu Yue was used to booking on travel websites. She found the price to be over five thousand yuan and was about to pay when Sang Yu said to wait—she had checked the official website and the price was the same, so she should book directly on the official site.
Liu Yue asked humbly, “Is there a difference?”
“Yes,” Sang Yu replied. “Booking through the official channel earns you hotel group points. After upgrading to a higher membership tier, you get many perks, like complimentary upgrades from base rooms to suites, late checkout, and various welcome amenities.”
After Liu Yue paid, Sang Yu also called the front desk at The St. Regis, requesting rooms 17 or 18 on floors 11 through 14.
“Why is that?” Liu Yue asked.
“Because the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room of Room 17 offers the best view of Macau’s Big Ben, and the bedroom also has a view of the tower.”
Sang Yu smiled after hanging up the phone. “You’re in luck. Their Room 1317 is still available tonight—you can stay there.”
Liu Yue never imagined there were so many tricks to booking a hotel. At the same hotel price, the information gap could truly make or break her travel experience.
She hugged Sang Yu’s arm and invited her to come to Macau together.
“Sang Yu, how would I ever travel without you! How do you know so much!”
Liu Yue deeply regretted that she had never been fond of buying clothes or going out to play, so she had never had the chance to discover how broad Sang Yu’s knowledge was, or how many hidden skills she had.
Sang Yu said, “I’d love to go, but I just went last month, and I can’t renew my visa right now.”
Well, people from Guangdong have their own anti-addiction system for Hong Kong and Macau.
So Liu Yue came alone after all. She checked into The St. Regis in the afternoon, then wandered the streets of Macau.
She took many photos of the scenery, bought local souvenirs, and searched for good restaurants based on ratings.
When she passed by a casino, the System specifically reminded her that gambling expenses would not count toward the task amount.
Liu Yue said, “Don’t worry, I will absolutely not gamble. Losing wouldn’t be a big deal—winning would be the scariest thing.”
She knew she had never been a person with strong self-control, and her luck was only average.
Rather than hoping to get rich at a casino, Liu Yue felt the System’s Spinning Wheel was more practical.
She had read online guides saying LEGO was cheaper in Macau than on the mainland, so she rushed over excitedly.
Whether it was actually cheaper, she had no idea. But she was absolutely delighted while picking things out, and that was enough—wasn’t buying toys all about having fun?
Today’s spending task was completed smoothly, and Liu Yue received four thousand yuan in Cashback.
After taking in the Macau night view, she carried her LEGO back to the hotel.
While waiting for the elevator, Liu Yue noticed a man beside her also carrying a yellow LEGO bag—the brand’s color scheme was really eye-catching.
Coincidentally, he also glanced her way.
Their eyes met, and Liu Yue smiled politely. The man seemed to smile back, then turned his head away.
As the elevator was about to arrive, Liu Yue heard a commotion in the hotel lobby—it sounded like many people screaming, seemingly calling out someone’s name.
Oh, Liu Yue remembered. Today was the Starlight Awards. A celebrity might be staying here, and fans were probably waiting around.
If it were any other day, Liu Yue might have thought about joining the crowd out of curiosity, but today she was tired from walking and didn’t want to move. All she wanted right now was to wait for the elevator to come down so she could hurry back to her room, take a shower, and rest.
When the elevator doors opened, the man beside her made a “ladies first” gesture.
Fine then, she wouldn’t stand on ceremony.
Liu Yue stepped in and swiped her room card, and the man did the same. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, someone outside pressed the button to open them again.
Several fans rushed into the elevator and quickly turned around, aiming their cameras and phones at the male celebrity approaching from the front.
Liu Yue finally heard what the fans were shouting—so it was Xie Zhengyang.
Her mood instantly became complicated. What a coincidence, really…
The elevator was packed with people, and Xie Zhengyang stood still right at the entrance. His staff members loudly shooed the fans, telling them to get out quickly.
Some came out, but others lingered inside. Seeing this, the staff member directly grabbed and pulled, and Liu Yue was also yanked out by the arm.
“What are you doing!” she exclaimed, startled. “I’m not a fan—I actually live here!”
Author’s Note: