"Congratulations! You've won the grand prize in our tenth-anniversary event: a 'Zhi Xie GL-233' laptop!" The supermarket employee smiled broadly at Ling Ning, unable to hide the envy in her eyes.
Ling Ning stared at the laptop in front of her. She had only dropped by the supermarket after work to grab so groceries when she saw they were running an anniversary event. As for the raffle, she hadn't expected anything at all—certainly not the grand prize, and definitely not a laptop she had been dreaming of. Could it be that she was actually blessed by the gods of luck?
She had heard of the 'Zhi Xie' brand—it was well-known for its high-quality laptops, each costing at least five figures. The 'Zhi Xie GL-233' was their latest release, with perfect specifications and, of course, a sky-high price. Ling Ning had looked it up online, initially planning to buy a second-hand laptop once she got paid, but now... she didn't need to.
"Could we take a picture of you holding the laptop?" the employee asked.
"Of course, of course!"
Not only was she fine with taking a photo—she'd do even more if they asked... Wait, let's not go that far. After taking the photo, Ling Ning happily cradled the laptop in her arms and headed ho.
As soon as Ling Ning left, the employee's smile vanished instantly. That laptop was only there as bait—a promotional trick. The grand prize existed, sure, but it was hidden amidst a mountain of "Thank you for participating" tokens. They had planned to rig it so soone in on the promotion would win the laptop tomorrow. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine soone would actually win it for real today. The employee could already imagine the supervisor's smile, and it wasn't a pleasant thought.
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Ling Ye watched in disbelief as Ling Ning giggled foolishly at her laptop. Ever since she got back, that silly grin hadn’t left her face. However, now that Ling Ye understood how Ling Ning had gotten the laptop, it made a bit more sense.
Caressing the sleek, industrial design of the laptop, Ling Ning found herself liking it more and more. The room they lived in didn’t have an internet connection yet, but she figured she could talk to the landlord about setting it up tomorrow—she could afford to pay for the connection.
Turning to Ling Ye, Ling Ning said, "Ye Ye, whenever you’re bored at ho, you can play on the computer too. Mom will download so gas for you~ As for... inappropriate content, I trust you wouldn’t go looking for that... right?"
With a computer in her hands, Ling Ning could finally transfer her saved manuscripts to a digital format. Her original plan was to start serializing her novel online once she got a computer, and now she could start much earlier than she thought.
Watching Ling Ning typing away on her new laptop, Ling Ye touched the USB drive in her pocket. She still hadn’t managed to throw it away. After all, it contained a lot of knowledge—ahem, information—she hadn’t fully studied yet. And now that they had a computer at ho, she could finally explore it properly.
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"What's with that grin on your face? Did you win so big prize or sothing?" Chu ngyao asked, her tone playful as she glanced at Ling Ning’s expression.
"Eh!? How did you know?" Ling Ning was stunned. She hadn’t told anyone about winning the laptop, so how on earth did Chu ngyao know?
"It's probably sothing like a pack of tissues, right?" Chu ngyao teased.
"Nope! Ling Ning actually won a laptop. I saw her win the grand prize yesterday at the supermarket—a 'Zhi Xie' laptop, the latest model 'Zhi Xie GL-233'," Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly chid in.
"But I didn’t see you there. And isn't your ho in the opposite direction?" Ling Ning pondered for a mont. She really hadn’t seen Zhou Xiaoxiao yesterday.
"You’ve got so nerve! I called out to you so many tis, but you were just walking away, smiling like a fool," Zhou Xiaoxiao said, puffing her cheeks in irritation.
"Did you? Really?" Ling Ning smiled awkwardly, and just thinking back to yesterday’s events made her mouth curl into a smile involuntarily.
anwhile, Chu ngyao had completely lost interest in their conversation. She was squatting in a corner, muttering phrases like, "There’s no end to the luck of the Europeans, and the tears of us Africans will never run dry," before breaking into song, "A friend for life, if you go to Europe, you’re a dog..."
"Is she okay?" Ling Ning asked, eyeing Chu ngyao crouched in the corner.
Zhou Xiaoxiao glanced at her dismissively. "She’ll be fine—it’s just the usual existential crisis of soone forever unlucky. By the way, weren’t you planning on buying a phone? I need to get a new one too, so how about we go shopping on our day off?"
"Sure!"
With the laptop taken care of, Ling Ning could now use the money she had saved for the computer to buy a new phone. Life without a phone had been far too dull for her—a self-proclaid phone addict in her previous life, she honestly had no idea how she had survived this long without one.
"Alright then, it's settled."
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"Hey there, beautiful, can I get your number?" Zhao Tiancheng asked, looking at the girl in the maid outfit standing in front of him. She was exactly his type—everything from her figure to her deanor. Especially those long legs wrapped in black stockings and that tantalizing band of pale skin at her thighs—he just had to know what it felt like.
"Sorry, sir, but I’m still a student and don’t have a phone," Ling Ning replied with a forced smile, suppressing her disgust. Even if she had a phone, she wouldn’t give her number to a stranger. Besides, the way this guy had been staring at her legs gave her the creeps.
"No phone? Well then, could I at least get your na?" Zhao Tiancheng asked, undeterred.
"My na is Li Qian," Ling Ning replied without missing a beat, using the na of a classmate she didn’t particularly like.
"And where do you go to school?"
"Sorry, that's a private matter and I can’t disclose it," Ye Xuan suddenly interjected. She had been watching Zhao Tiancheng’s eyes lingering on Ling Ning’s legs and couldn’t hold back any longer. For reasons she couldn't quite understand, she found it incredibly irritating to see soone ogling Ling Ning like that.
Zhao Tiancheng looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared. She was pretty, but she wasn't his type. He knew he had been a bit presumptuous, so he smiled awkwardly and said, "I apologize for overstepping. How about I make it up to you by taking you out for dinner after your shift?"
"Thanks, but I have plans tonight. Maybe another ti." Ling Ning had already given him an easy out. If he continued to push, she wouldn’t mind showing him her less-friendly side.
"Alright then, maybe next ti."
Though he had been turned down, Zhao Tiancheng wasn’t discouraged. He could tell she was still a student, and young schoolgirls like her... well, they were exactly the kind he liked to ss around with.
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Author's Note:
I finally got Xuanyuan Ji today—feels like my entire soul’s been drained. Clicks, favorites, and so encouragent, please! And tips are always welco!
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