NOVEL SIMPLE
Chapter 40
Yu Shu walked up to the glass wall, gazing at the multitude of marine creatures swimming inside. With over 80,000 oceanic beings, it felt like being immersed in an eternal private aquarium. Every corner of the first floor offered a view, allowing her to sleep alongside the sharks.
Yu Shu transferred the room fee to Shen Youlin and tossed her phone aside. She approached the glass wall where a devilfish swam over, grasping a colorful tropical fish in its mouth. The devilfish pressed its body against the glass, blocking the view of other fish, and proceeded to devour its prey.
Yu Shu pointed at the devilfish through the glass and whispered, "You rotten devilfish, I'll report you for eating your colleagues."
Surprisingly, she didn't feel a pang in her heart despite the extravagant cost of the room. Indeed, it was difficult to resist the allure of luxury.
People are always insatiable. After experiencing a better life, they yearn for more. Yu Shu wanted to live a carefree life like this forever.
She needed to figure out a way to earn more money than she spent.
No amount of money was ever enough.
After admiring the school of fish for a while, Yu Shu realized she hadn't eaten lunch—she had slept through the meal service on the plane.
Yu Shu took a shower and changed into a spaghetti strap dress, wearing a chiffon coat on top to protect her shoulders and the scars on them. Before leaving, she found her phone that she had left in a corner and noticed a notification from an app that caught her attention.
"Sudden Wealth Super Evolution" had updated, and five new chapters were available.
Yu Shu had almost forgotten about this serialized novel. The day after she discovered it, the author stopped updating, and it had been on hiatus since the Lunar New Year until now.
A few days before the hiatus, Yu Shu would occasionally check for updates. But after learning about the author's terrible behavior through the book review section, she abandoned the novel altogether.
"Sudden Wealth Super Evolution," written by the author 88% (Ba Ba Zhe), was known as the most unreliable author according to readers. Stable updates? Impossible! This guy had once updated ten thousand words in a year and eighty thousand words in a single day. In short, whether there were updates or how many, it all depended on his mood.
When asked why he didn't update on time, Ba Ba Zhe had replied with just eight words: "With abundant wealth, I act as I please."
Having money meant being capricious.
No matter how well the story was written or how excellent the writing style, Yu Shu didn't want to indulge him. She didn't bother asking for updates, let alone urge him to do so.
It's not like her life depended on reading this book.
Yu Shu felt no emotions stirring within her and grabbed her phone as she left.
She was going to eat Hainanese chicken rice, the one featured in the YouTuber's video.
Just as she stepped out, she bumped into Shen Youlin, dressed in a floral shirt, loose shorts, and sandals, circling her like a tape recorder, asking, "Where are you going? Where are you going? Where are you going?"
"You're making me dizzy!" Yu Shu rubbed her temples. "You're even more flamboyant than a peacock."
Shen Youlin glanced at her colorful dress and pouted. "You're no different, always talking about me!"
Yu Shu twirled her dress. "But I look good~ As for you, you're just plain ugly~~~"
"I'm injured! My tender heart has suffered a fatal blow," Shen Youlin exclaimed, clutching his chest as he pretended to stumble and fall to the ground. He weakly reached out a hand towards her and said, "Heartless woman, if you don't save me, you will forever be condemned by your conscience."
Yu Shu pressed her hand against her fluttering chest and retorted, "Seductive woman like you lacks a conscience."
"Ah, I don't care, I don't care!" Shen Youlin kicked his legs in protest. "If you treat me to a meal, I will forgive you!"
Shen Youlin hadn't eaten lunch either and now realized he was hungry. He thought the airplane's lunch wasn't fresh, so he decided to go out and find food.
Yu Shu extended her hand to help him up and said, "Let's go, I'll show you what life is like."
------------
The two of them left the scenic area and headed towards the outskirts of the city. After wandering through numerous winding alleys, they found a small shop run by an elderly couple.
Yu Shu thought Shen Youlin would look down on it, and she had prepared herself to take the moral high ground and punish him. However, to her surprise, Shen Youlin appeared completely at ease, as if he were a fish in water.
As soon as they entered the shop, they struck up a conversation with the elderly couple, discussing everyday matters. Shen Youlin even helped their grandson with his homework. Amidst the admiring gazes of the second-year middle school students, he confidently sat down in front of Yu Shu, with a face that seemed to say, "Praise me now!"
"Wow, you're amazing! You can solve even middle school physics problems!" Yu Shu exclaimed.
"Enough with the flattery, cut it out!" Shen Youlin waved his hand dismissively. He picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks, separated them, and smoothed out any rough edges. "Don't make it sound like I'm ignorant. After all, I am a Ph.D."
".........."
Seeing that she didn't believe him, Shen Youlin held the chopsticks in his mouth and took out his student ID card from his wallet. He slapped it on the table in front of her. "I'm pursuing my Ph.D. It's real!" Yu Shu picked it up and carefully examined it. "Indeed, it doesn't look fake."
"No kidding! It's authentic! It's mine! Hmph!" Shen Youlin reached out and snatched it back, gave a satisfied smirk, and tucked it back into his wallet as if it were a treasure.
"Do you always carry your student ID with you?"
"Of course! It's for getting discounts at tourist attractions! Some places even offer a 50% discount!" Shen Youlin looked at her with a disdainful expression. "You have no idea about the struggles of the common people!"
".........."
Young master, you stay in a luxurious suite worth a hundred thousand yuan per night, travel in first class, and yet you care about discounts at tourist attractions? You're lecturing her about the struggles of the common people?
Seeing that Yu Shu was rendered speechless, Shen Youlin triumphantly raised both hands in victory. "Yay, I win!"
Yu Shu didn't respond to his taunt and instead asked, "I'm curious about your view on money. Why is it so...peculiar?"
The shop owner's wife brought two plates of Hainanese chicken rice and the side dishes they ordered, interrupting their conversation.
Shen Youlin opened his mouth wide and swiftly devoured the food. After he had filled his stomach, he began discussing his perspective on money, all the while enjoying the side dishes.
"What's the point of money? It's all about happiness. When I spend money, I only aim for one thing: to be happy. I love the melodious sound of antique objects hitting the ground, so if I buy an antique, the sound of money hitting the ground doesn't bother me. Am I bothered? Not at all! Any problem with that? None at all!"
Shen Youlin began his cultural invasion, dancing and gesturing as if he were the most intoxicated orator in the world: "I lost a steel coin when I went out, and with the coin gone, I haven't gained any happiness. It's definitely uncomfortable, very heart-wrenching! With one yuan, I could buy a small pudding!"
"Do you even know about small puddings?"
"Of course! I also know about big meat chunks that cost one mao per piece!" Shen Youlin sang, "Your childhood, my childhood, they seem to be the same~"