When it was ten minutes to nine, Li Shuoxing entered the game.
As soon as he entered the game, he was surprised by the brand new game screen.
He saw that the originally colourless room had been redecorated, with red stickers reading “11.11” pasted on the porch and windows, and figures of little people holding large and small shopping boxes painted on the stickers.
And the courtyard was even more exaggerated, with the green lawn directly turning red and a big black 11.11 in the centre.
Li Shuoxing was speechless for a moment and understood the game’s determination to promote Double 11 to cheat players’ money.
He tried tapping on these decorations and an interactive menu actually popped up.
[Courtyard Skin]: Double 11 – Shop till you drop! (Date 11.11; 06:00-24:00)
[Price]: —
[Effect]: When dressing up the courtyard skin, you will get a 10% discount on your purchases.
[Acquisition Method]: Limited date game gift
In addition to the above description, the game popped up an option.
“Do you want to put away the skin? Yes/No”
Of course, Li Shuoxing chose no.
The 10% discount wasn’t much, but free things weren’t unwelcome, and mosquito legs were always meat.
It was just…
“It’s always said that it’s free things that are the most expensive.”
Li Shuoxing muttered to himself and scrutinised the game with suspicious eyes. He once again strengthened his determination to hold off on throwing in money and began searching the screen, looking for the little person.
Before he found the little person, he noticed a faint glow at a corner of the bookshelf in the room. Taking a closer look, it was the travel journal that was emitting the glow.
Li Shuoxing’s heart moved.
Did the dreaming succeed?
He reached out, slid the travel journal out of the bookshelf and placed it on the table. But instead of opening it immediately, he called out, “Cub?”
A moment later, a voice came from the game. “Ximu?”
Being able to use my voice is convenient!
Li Shuoxing asked, “Where are you?”
Su Mingqian replied, “In the courtyard. I’m looking at pumpkins. I don’t know why, but when I got up this morning, the room had changed. Fortunately, the pumpkins don’t seem to be affected.”
As he spoke, the door of the room was pushed open and Su Mingqian came in from outside. He looked around, a little hesitant. “Ximu, are you in this room? I heard your voice coming from here…”
If it hadn’t been for Su Mingqian’s reminder, Li Shuoxing would’ve forgotten that he’d planted a wave of pumpkins and hadn’t harvested them.
Thrifty cub!
It happened that today was a shopping day and he was still short of contribution points. Li Shuoxing rushed out to harvest and sell the pumpkins, returning 39 contribution points of blood and 8 pumpkin fragments.
The total number of pumpkin fragments was now 31 pieces.
Last time there were 10 pumpkins and 3 fragments, a 30% probability.
This time there were 39 pumpkins and 8 fragments, a 20% probability.
And the game’s announced probability was 10%.
Li Shuoxing was a bit worried. “It can’t be that my luck in this game is all in the planting and harvesting of fragments, can it?”
It was no good thinking too much. He collected the pumpkins and went back to the room. This process was actually very quick. Li Shuoxing even made it in time to answer Su Mingqian’s question. “To be more accurate, I’m looking at the room, so my voice comes from here.”
He continued, “Cub, did you have a dream last night?”
Su Mingqian was stunned. “…I think I did.”
Li Shuoxing: “What kind of dream?”
Su Mingqian: “I don’t remember. I had no impression when I woke up.”
Li Shuoxing was surprised.
It could even be like this.
He had originally thought that the meaning of dreaming was to have the cub recall past situations in his dreams. But now, it seemed that only some fragments of the past were recorded in the travel journal.
Su Mingqian frowned slightly and asked, “Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing…” Li Shuoxing began explaining. Of course, he didn’t tell the real situation, which would reveal the existence of the game to the little person. But he couldn’t think of any scientific way to explain dreaming for a moment, so he began to talk nonsense. “I purchased a temple ritual for you, which can help you recall the past in your dreams. That’s why I came to ask you if you dreamed anything yesterday.”
A long silence.
The little person didn’t move or say a word
Li Shuoxing: “…What’s the matter?”
Su Mingqian was baffled. “Why would you believe this kind of thing?”
Slow -1.
Su Mingqian continued, “This kind of thing isn’t credible.”
Again -1.
Li Shuoxing accepted it with an open mind, and then reminded, “But, something new seems to have appeared in the travel log.”
Su Mingqian still looked suspicious. But he opened the travel log anyway.
Su Mingqian: “…”
Then.
+1+1+1.
Two +1’s and two -1’s cancelled.
As for the last +1, Li Shuoxing happily regarded it as the little person’s apology to him.
Then he leaned in and saw the new content in the log.
A brand new photo and brand new text had appeared on the blank page.
The moment he saw the photo, astonishment emerged in Li Shuoxing’s mind.
The photo was so unique.
It was a gourmet meal laid out on a laboratory table.
Juice in beakers, wine in flasks, pudding in petri dishes, and something like a cloud, with fruits burning in the smoke and flame, and in the very centre, a birthday cake with a glass rod as a candle.
This must be a birthday party.
Because around the long laboratory table filled with food sat a row of people wearing white coats.
There were men and women in these white coats, some chatting and laughing with the people to their left and right, some bowing their heads and shaking hands, making wishes.
And on the birthday cake in the centre, in addition to the glistening and red strawberries adorning it, a specially customised chocolate plaque was inserted.
The style of the chocolate plaque was just as unique as the food utensils on the table. It was a combination of a series of numbers.
551/12&0
Li Shuoxing didn’t understand what it meant at first.
Until he saw a few lines of familiar handwriting under the photo.
“John strongly requested that his birthday be postponed until the day it’s born. He wants to jointly celebrate this beautiful day with it.
“John suggested I do the same, but I refused. It really would be too long to write my birthday on it too.
“Anyway, everyone’s happy and the lounge area is a mess.
“This is a moment to remember, its birth.
“What kind of name should we give it?”
Li Shuoxing figured it out.
Fifty-five and one-twelfth was John’s age. He was 55 years old and a month.
The zero, on the other hand, referred to the “it”.
It was a joint birthday for two people, and the focus of the birthday wasn’t John, but “it”.
But… what was the “it” that didn’t have a name yet?
While Li Shuoxing examined the photo, Su Mingqian looked at the new content on this page.
His fingers glided lightly over the thick and delicate paper, and he watched the faintly faded words slide out under his fingertips one after another. He felt like he was holding a pen and writing them down one by one.
“Ximu,” Su Mingqian suddenly spoke.
Li Shuoxing: “Hmm?”
Su Mingqian: “I don’t have any impressions of this photo.”
He said that and paused lightly.
The little person’s face didn’t show much expression. But two +50’s successively jumped out of his head, proving his attitude.
When he spoke again, even his voice carried a smile. “But for some reason, looking at this picture maes me very happy. I seem to understand how the food in it is made. For example, the strawberries on the cake, to be red to this crystal clear appearance, must have been processed through a vacuum; for example, the juice must have been a centrifuge; maybe they even used liquid nitrogen to make ice cream, served with frothy potatoes…”
He stopped there, only adding one last sentence:
“Thiking about it, it seems very fun.”
The molecular cuisine birthday photo on the travel log was also taken in full live action. While Su Mingqian was talking, Li Shuoxing took a screenshot and searched it on the internet, but no search results came up.
It was clear that this photo at least wasn’t casually picked up from the internet.
In that case… Li Shuoxing inwardly admired the system’s level of dedication in planning Su Mingqian’s memories, then answered Su Mingqian, “Thinking about it, I kinda want to eat it.”
Su Mingqian: “Huh?”
“Molecular cuisine. The authentic molecular cuisine here is very expensive, and it doesn’t look as appetising as what’s on your table.” Li Shuoxing then suggested, “Even though we didn’t go on-site this time, let’s write something.”
Su Mingqian handed the book to Li Shuoxing.
Li Shuoxing picked up the pen and was about to write when he suddenly remembered something.
When the Canyon Sunrise was unlocked before, he was able to purchase small stickers.
This time…
Li Shuoxing had an ominous feeling. He tried tapping on the blank page and saw the interactive menu for editing, but there were no stickers.
The system told him with cold reality.
There were no stickers for scenes that weren’t opened with plane tickets.
Even though the favourability was now so negative that he couldn’t buy a sticker even if there was one… he still felt like the benefits were being withheld!
Li Shuoxing made a sound of grinding teeth.
Su Mingqian was sensitive to it and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Li Shuoxing sighed. “There are no stickers this time. Maybe it’s because we didn’t use a plane ticket to actually go to this place. Why be so stingy!”
With that, he wrote down his thoughts at that moment with a large stroke of his pen.
“I want to eat molecular cuisine. Unfortunately there are no stickers.”
The book returned to Su Mingqian’s hand.
Su Mingqian looked at the line.
He couldn’t do anything about stickers. But molecular cuisine should still be within his capabilities.
He likewise wrote a sentence in response: “When I have the experimental equipment, I’ll make molecular cuisine for you.”
Li Shuoxing was touched.
But for some reason, he once again remembered the plate of weeds that’d been fried black…
At that moment, a red heart suddenly drifted past the window in front of the table.
The two of them looked at the window together.
They saw a second, a third… countless red and pink hearts slowly drifting down from the sky in the courtyard.
Li Shuoxing looked at the time.
Nine o’clock sharp.
The red envelope rain from the sky had arrived!
He flashed out of the room and came to the courtyard while shouting, “Cub, come out and pick up red envelopes! All the discounts and perks for our shopping today are here!”
He swore in his heart.
I won’t throw in money today! I’ll only spend all the discounts and perks given by the system!