Today, besides finding a stunningly beautiful girl, nothing went right for me.
In the morning, I received a call informing me that I had been fired from my job. In my frustration, I accidentally tossed my phone into the river—goodbye to that 300 yuan counterfeit Motorola.
Next, I went to withdraw money to pay my rent, only to have my wallet stolen. To make matters worse, the ATM swallowed my bank card. My dear bank, the 500 yuan in that account was meant for my rent—how could you betray me like this?
Then, my trusty old bike, which had been my companion for over three years, was confiscated by the city maintenance officers. Apparently, it was deemed too old and unsightly. They arrested my bike on the spot.
With no dinner in sight, I stumbled back to my apartment complex, feeling utterly defeated.
But when I got there, I was in for a surprise—a BMW was parked downstairs!
Peering through the car window, I vaguely saw a girl driving, her shoulders shaking slightly as if something was wrong.
I wasn't the type to stick my nose in other people's business, so I walked through the complex, glancing around. And then, like a beacon of hope, I spotted it—someone had planted some fresh greens in a flowerbed!
As I made my way over, I plucked a small bunch of leafy greens, brushing off the fresh spring soil. A little vegetable porridge would do just fine—it wasn't much, but at least it was fresh.
My apartment was on the fifth floor, a three-bedroom flat. I rented the middle room for 500 yuan a month, a bargain because no one else wanted it. At first, I thought the place was haunted, but it turned out the neighbors were just a little... unusual.
To the left of my room, there were a few young girls who often brought middle-aged men home, and I could hear the unmistakable sounds of "mmm… ahhh…" coming through the walls. Of course, as a decent, jobless guy, I had no idea what they were up to. On the right, a group of music students lived next door. They were constantly making noise, banging on drums and playing instruments.
So, many nights, I'd wake up to two distinct sounds echoing through the walls—"mmm… ahhh…" and "I'd die for love…"
In each lonely, quiet night, I found myself drifting in and out of sleep, caught somewhere between desire and despair.
...
Shaking out the rice bag, I realized there were barely any grains left—less than a hundred! Upon closer inspection, there were exactly fifty-six grains. Fifty-six grains for fifty-six nations, fifty-six flowers, fifty-six ethnicities, all united!
I felt a surge of excitement. Yes, excitement! At least I wouldn't starve tonight!
I quickly washed the greens, chopped them into small pieces, and threw them into the pot. That way, I could have more bits to chew on, which would make me feel like I was eating more. Sometimes, tricking myself into thinking I'd had enough was the key to getting full—this was the law of survival!
The porridge began to simmer, and I went back to my room to open my computer. What I saw shocked me: nearly every website was buzzing with news about Ling Tong, the virtual game that was opening tomorrow at 6 PM. After years of stagnation in the virtual gaming market, Ling Tong was undoubtedly a bombshell that could revive the entire industry!
Unfortunately, I couldn't afford a gaming helmet. Even though I had the special game internet line, I wasn't hopeful about logging in at the game's opening.
...
Then, a bizarre turn of events occurred. I had just saved the beautiful girl in the BMW downstairs, and now, I found myself locked out of my room!
Her stuff was still in the lobby—among it was a Ling Tong gaming helmet!
I stood there, stunned. Could this really be the Ling Tong helmet? I thought it was only supposed to be available tomorrow morning, but here it was already!
I was full of questions. Who was this beautiful girl sleeping in my room?
Just then, a pleasant ringtone went off. I realized the girl's phone and car keys were in the bag with the helmet!
I looked at the screen—it said "Sister" on the caller ID.
Wait... her sister was calling?
Great! Maybe she could come take this girl out of my room! I mean, I had prayed to the heavens for a beautiful girl like this, but there's no reason for me to be stuck with her overnight, right?
I quickly answered the phone.
A sweet voice came through: "Hello? Ling Xue, where are you? Why aren't you home yet?"
Her voice sounded exactly like the girl in my room. It seemed like this really was her sister!
I asked, "Are you her sister?"
The voice on the other end became cautious. "Who are you? Where's Ling Xue? What have you done to my sister?"
I quickly reassured her, "She's fine, she's in my room!"
She panicked. "You... you bastard! What have you done to my sister?"
I was furious. Today had been a complete disaster. I saved this girl, Ling Xue, and now her sister was accusing me of something?
I snapped back, "You overbearing woman! Let me explain, okay?!"
There was a brief silence, then she responded, "Where is she? I'm driving over right now!"
Just as I was about to speak, the phone buzzed with a notification: "Battery low…"
Great. The phone died.