When Lin Li first bought this TV, he'd looked up tons of user reviews online. Everyone said this brand's TVs were excellent quality and would last for eight to ten years without any issues.
But now, he'd had it for less than a year, and it wouldn't even turn on? Everyone else's worked just fine, but when it came to him, this happened. 'My luck can't really be this rotten, can it!'
Thankfully, the TV was still under warranty. Just as Lin Li was about to contact customer support, his eyes suddenly fixed on a spot on the television set.
Normally, there was a small indicator light in that spot. When the light was on, it meant the TV was receiving power.
Now, the small light was dark, which meant… 'No way! The power is out!'
To confirm his suspicion, Lin Li immediately got up to flip the light switches.
CLICK, CLICK, CLICK...
He tried several switches. Not a single light turned on.
'Of course, this would happen.'
Lin Li muttered to himself, then picked up his phone and opened the app for paying his electricity bill. It showed that the account was two months overdue, with a total of 375 yuan owed. The power had been shut off.
'So the power really was cut because of the unpaid bill.' Confirming his suspicion, Lin Li scratched his head. He then immediately opened another app on his phone.
The backend for Superfast Recycling showed a message: *Your items are being processed. Please be patient.*
'This is bad.' The rabbit and Wild Boar Beasts were still being processed, so he wouldn't be getting paid anytime soon. He was completely broke, and it would be dark in a little while. The house would be pitch-black.
What was worse, his phone's battery was down to just fifteen percent.
In this day and age, the blow of a phone dying was undoubtedly a massive one for most people.
To give an example of how important phones are to people nowadays, he recalled a news story he'd seen recently.
Someone was on the operating table for surgery. Afterward, before the anesthesia had even worn off, the groggy patient actually lifted his right hand and started miming the motions of using his phone.
Seeing that his phone only had fifteen percent battery left, Lin Li immediately thought of how to conserve power.
He opened his phone's settings, dimmed the screen, and then locked it.
As long as he left it alone, the phone could last another seven or eight hours on standby.
Since he was broke, paying the electricity bill was impossible. The only way out of this mess was to wait.
Once Superfast Recycling sold his haul and he got paid, all his problems would be solved.
"Damn… I can't believe I've sunk to the point where I can't even pay my electricity bill," Lin Li muttered to himself, slumping on the sofa with a gloomy expression.
RRRING…
Just as he was thinking about conserving power and making his phone last until the money from Superfast Recycling came through, he got a call.
'Who could this be? Don't they know answering calls drains the battery?' Lin Li grumbled. He picked up his phone, saw it was Su Yue, and answered.
"Hello? What's up?"
"Lin Li, an old man in my neighborhood went fishing by the river and caught a ton of fish. I happened to run into him on my way back, and he gave me several snakeheads. I'm planning to make snakehead fish soup for dinner. You want to come over and have some?"
"Yeah! I'll be right over," Lin Li immediately agreed.
As for his injuries… the bruises on his right arm had faded much faster than Lin Li had expected.
'The wound on my left hand is wrapped in gauze, so she can't see what it looks like. I'll just have to come up with some excuse to fool her.'
After the call with Su Yue, his phone's battery was down to fourteen percent. But now, Lin Li wasn't worried about it dying anymore.
Because he was about to go to Su Yue's for dinner, he could charge his phone while he was there.
'Should I bring my charger…? Nah, better not. Su Yue will have one.'
'Phone chargers are universal these days anyway. It'd be kind of weird to show up for a free meal and bring my own charger.'
...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK…
"Coming!"
With a CLICK, the door opened!
Su Yue appeared before Lin Li, her figure as fiery as a blooming rose.
She was wearing a blue slip dress today. It was simple and clean, without any excessive accessories.
Although the dress was simple, its strength lay in its snug fit. The fabric clung to Su Yue's body, perfectly accentuating her chest, slender waist, and long legs.
Under the light, her curves were even more pronounced, making her look fiery and alluring.
Lin Li was completely dumbstruck. Su Yue knew exactly how stunning she looked.
Before Lin Li arrived, she had checked herself in her bedroom mirror several times. Now, seeing his dumbfounded expression, she was absolutely delighted, a sweet feeling spreading through her heart.
"Huh? Lin Li, what happened to your left hand?" Su Yue suddenly noticed his left hand was wrapped in white medical gauze and asked with concern.
Snapping out of it, Lin Li raised his injured left hand, gave it an easy flex, and recited his prepared excuse with a smile.
"I accidentally cut it while chopping vegetables for lunch. It's nothing serious. I put some ointment on it; it'll be fine in a few days."
"Geez, how can you be so clumsy! Injuring yourself just by chopping some vegetables…"
"Accidentally cutting yourself while cooking is a pretty normal thing to happen!"
"Who told you that? I've been cooking for years and I've never once cut myself."
"…" Lin Li was speechless. 'You're just naturally gifted,' he grumbled internally. 'How am I supposed to compare to that?!'
"Alright, the fish soup is almost ready. Hurry up and come in!" Su Yue didn't doubt his story. She mumbled something, then turned and bent over to get a pair of indoor slippers—Lin Li's designated pair—from the shoe cabinet.
Since she was already wearing such a form-fitting dress, Su Yue's casual movement as she bent over was filled with allure.
'Prosperity, civility, freedom, equality, justice, integrity… Hmph. A minor scene like this won't be my undoing.'
Lin Li quietly recited the Purifying Heart Spell from another world, turning his head to the side to avoid looking at Su Yue.
"Lin Li, what are you muttering about?" Su Yue asked, placing the slippers in front of him and looking at him quizzically.
"Nothing!" Lin Li quickly slipped on the slippers and strode toward the kitchen.
Seeing Lin Li's flustered state, Su Yue's pretty face finally broke into a sly, fox-like grin.
...