Chарtеr 12: Intеrnеt-Аddiсted Lost Girl, Аm I thе Веаst of Burden Муself?
Ding-a-ling~ Тhe eаrlу bird саtсhеs the wоrm, but thе еarlу worm gеts eatеn bу the bird. Нehеhе~ Мy littlе slеeруhеаd, timе tо gеt up~~
“Whаt a drеаm disruptor!” Luo Qingxu hаd reсentlу grоwn асcustomеd to waking uр еаrlу, but last night shе was tоo eхсitеd tо fаll aslеep, onlу mаnаging tо сlose her еуеs arоund two in thе morning.
Thе аlаrm shе forgot tо сancеl rang out оn timе—thеrе was nо wаy she could get up now! Shе struggled tо rеасh оut, prеssed the stoр button, аnd then buriеd her hеad back under the covers, sinking into sleep once more.
Luo Qingxu had given both Xiao Kui and herself a day off today. Xiao Kui had already gone home, leaving Luo Qingxu alone in the house.
She had originally planned to spend the day cozying up with her beloved “wives and concubines” (her phone, computer, tablet, and other electronic devices). Strangely enough, Luo Qingxu now felt that her phone wasn’t all that fun anymore.
Scrolling casually through the newsfeed, she found the same repetitive content over and over again. Luo Qingxu was utterly bored.
Luo Qingxu sat up straight in shock. A few days of phone detox had, by sheer coincidence, saved this internet-addicted lost girl.
At this moment, instead of wanting to binge-watch videos, read novels, or play games, she found herself thinking about going to the company to check on the training progress for the next program.
Chosen beast of burden! The phrase echoed repeatedly in Luo Qingxu’s mind.
No, no, no—she couldn’t get addicted to work. She had promised herself a day off today, and she absolutely must not work overtime! Luo Qingxu quickly shook off these thoughts and decided to go out for a walk.
It had been over ten days since she unexpectedly arrived in this timeline. The first few days were spent sorting out her thoughts, and afterward, she had been fully focused on preparing for the first program. She hadn’t yet taken the time to properly explore this world.
True to her word, after changing clothes, Luo Qingxu grabbed her helmet, hopped onto her beloved electric scooter, and set off immediately. Destination: the city’s most bustling shopping mall—Wansheng Plaza.
What she didn’t know was that a figure had been crouching in the bushes near the underground garage entrance, staring intently at the vehicles coming and going, muttering under their breath: Damn Luo Qingxu, why hasn’t she come out yet?
Luo Qingxu had always been a self-sufficient person, perfectly capable of keeping herself occupied without needing company. Besides, she was rich now! Luo Qingxu felt terrifyingly powerful.
After returning home last night, her domineering eldest brother, Luo Jiankai, had sent her a big red envelope of 10,000 yuan with the note: Well done!
Her older sister, Luo Qinghuan, had also sent an encouraging red envelope of 5,000 yuan. Even the youngest twin brothers, Luo Yuanlai and Luo Yuanye, had each sent a 500-yuan red envelope.
As for Third Brother Luo Chengming and her own brother Luo Wenqu, one was training in some remote corner of the world, and the other was filming in the depths of the mountains and forests. There was no news from either of them for now.
Although the Luo family’s fortune was vast, their upbringing of the children was exceptionally strict.
Minors received only 2,000 yuan in monthly allowance and were taught from a young age how to manage their expenses wisely and make their money grow. At 18, the allowance was cut off, and the Luo children had to learn to be self-reliant.
Thus, Luo Qingxu, who was about to turn 18, was essentially a penniless pauper with a dangerously depleted little treasury. When she first arrived here, she had even worried about starving to death.
On a sunny afternoon, Luo Qingxu wandered alone through the bustling shopping center. Her first stop was inevitably the doll machine area, decorated like a fairy-tale world.Looking at the colorful plush toys, a glint of mischief flashed in her eyes. She walked up to a claw machine, her gaze fixed intently on the large-eyed pink frog doll inside. Gently maneuvering the joystick, she adjusted the angle and pressed the button. The machine whirred to life, the claw firmly grasping the frog doll before slowly moving toward the exit.
“Yes! I got it! My skills are still as sharp as ever.” Luo Qingxu jumped excitedly, a triumphant smile spreading across her face as she hugged the doll before continuing to operate the machine.
Some might think that spending so much money on claw machines is less practical than simply buying a few dolls outright.
But Luo Qingxu particularly enjoyed the process of clawing for toys.
When she failed to grab one, she would feel frustrated, yet this sense of defeat only fueled her determination. And when she successfully retrieved a doll, a wave of accomplishment and joy would wash over her, leaving her utterly satisfied.
Back in the day, to master the skill of clawing toys, Luo Qingxu had poured almost all her pocket money into it, all for the sake of that fleeting moment of happiness.
As the game tokens in her basket gradually dwindled, the number of dolls in Luo Qingxu’s hands steadily grew.
Seeing this, the staff simply brought over a small cart for her to pile the dolls onto. Immersed in the world of claw machines, Luo Qingxu didn’t notice the growing crowd of onlookers around her.
When she missed, the spectators would sigh in sympathy, silently cheering her on. And when she succeeded in grabbing a doll, excitement and enthusiasm lit up everyone’s faces.
“Mom, help me grab a Happy Kitty doll.” Watching Luo Qingxu’s near-invincible streak, a little child tugged at their mother’s sleeve, finally unable to resist asking.
“Your mom doesn’t have that skill. You can ask the big sister for help.” The young mother felt a bit embarrassed, having already spent dozens of tokens herself only to end up with an unsightly gray caterpillar doll.
“Big sister, big sister, can you help me grab a Happy Kitty doll?” The cheerful little girl, hearing her mother’s suggestion, excitedly raised her basket high, seeking Luo Qingxu’s assistance.
Luo Qingxu turned her head, first glancing at the little girl, then at her mother, momentarily puzzled and unsure what was happening.
The child’s mother, noticing her confusion, immediately felt embarrassed and quickly explained to Luo Qingxu, “My child really loves Happy Kitty. Could you help grab one for her?”
As she spoke, she glanced at the caterpillar doll in her hand, finding it rather unappealing, but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to suggest swapping it.
“Of course. Here, this Happy Kitty is for you. No need for tokens.”
Luo Qingxu agreed readily, skillfully and effortlessly clawing a brand-new Happy Kitty doll and handing it to the little girl.
“Wow! Thank you, big sister.” The little girl’s chubby face beamed with a bright smile as she tightly hugged the doll, happily thanking Luo Qingxu.
The child’s mother expressed her gratitude while pouring the last ten or so tokens from her own basket into Luo Qingxu’s, then left with her child.
Other children, witnessing this scene, followed suit, eagerly calling out “big sister” and “big sister,” asking Luo Qingxu to help them grab dolls. Even some adults who enjoyed collecting dolls shyly requested her assistance as well.Faced with this situation, Luo Qingxu smiled and asked everyone to line up, patiently fulfilling their requests one by one.
After Luo Qingxu helped all the children grab their plush toys, the basket of game tokens was full again.
Having had enough of the claw machine, Luo Qingxu tried everything from the dance machine and fishing games to basketball shooting and racing games before leaving the arcade feeling satisfied.
By then, someone had already filmed a video of Luo Qingxu playing the claw machine and posted it online with the hashtag #Shocking! The Stunning Beauty Turns Out to Be a Claw Machine Master#
However, only a few people who were interested in claw machines paid attention, and most of the focus was on Luo Qingxu’s clean, efficient technique and nearly 100% success rate.