Chapter 31: Set a Small Goal

Ultimately, Su Yunzhou chose to answer that slightly awkward question with practical action. There was no process more joyful than putting theory into practice. He had always believed that joy shared was joy multiplied. Under his relentless efforts, Liu Yiyi let out soft snores, curled up in his arms like an overly exhausted kitten. Perhaps because he had slept too long during the day, he actually didn't feel sleepy at all.

The night was as cool and calm as water. A single beam of moonlight spilled through a corner of the curtains, casting a unique beauty over the room.

Su Yunzhou's thoughts churned. In truth, the question Liu Yiyi had asked earlier still lingered in his mind.

"What is the meaning of life?" he wondered.

Once, he had worked so hard just to find his own little lit window among the tens of thousands of city lights. For the sake of making money, he had slowly morphed from a carefree youth into a mere tool, constantly compromising his own bottom lines. Sometimes he knew what he was doing was wrong, but the gaslighting from his boss, the cutthroat competition among colleagues, and the seemingly endless monthly bills left him with no other choice.

On top of that, his ex-girlfriend used to constantly talk about how one friend met a man who bought her countless gifts, or how another friend married a rich husband who served nothing less than premium vintage liquor at their wedding. It made Su Yunzhou feel as though everyone else was living a fantastic life, while he alone was struggling in the quagmire of hardship. He couldn't even remember when he stopped caring about his appearance, cutting his hair short and wearing generic commuter clothes, fading into the crowd to become just another diligent corporate drone.

After the breakup, the system had descended from the heavens. In a short span of time, he had acquired the kind of wealth that would have otherwise taken half a lifetime of hard work to earn, and he had met so many beautiful women. But where was he supposed to go from here?

Lost in his own thoughts, Su Yunzhou completely failed to notice that Liu Yiyi had woken up in his arms.

"What's wrong?" Liu Yiyi asked.

Su Yunzhou looked at the charming beauty in his arms, and a thought suddenly formed in his mind, though it felt obscured, as if hidden behind frosted glass. "Nothing! I probably just slept too long during the day!"

A hint of confusion flashed in Liu Yiyi's eyes, but she didn't press the matter, instead just hugging him tighter. Su Yunzhou kissed her gently on the forehead and revealed a relieved smile.

"Why overthink things?" he thought. "It's better to seek pleasure while I can and live in the moment. The brave enjoy the world first. No... Only the rich get to enjoy the world. I barely have any money in my pockets right now, yet here I am worrying over nothing. It won't be too late to ponder these philosophical questions after I achieve a small goal first."

Having cleared his mind, Su Yunzhou felt entirely refreshed. With a beauty in his arms, how could he possibly refuse another battle? Acting on his impulse, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. His warm breath made Liu Yiyi's face flush bright red.

"You're so bad!" she scolded softly. "I knew it... Hmph... If I had known, I wouldn't have worn..."

Although Liu Yiyi complained, she still agreed to give it a try.

RIP!

THUMP!

"Mmm... slow down..."

For the next few days, Su Yunzhou lived an unpretentiously blissful and intimate life. Although Liu Yiyi's Affinity was stuck at 89 points and wouldn't go up, the two had developed perfect chemistry after a few days of getting used to each other. Liu Yiyi hadn't made their relationship public, so her best friend Li Yan still had no idea that they had already engaged in multiple in-depth exchanges.

Before he knew it, the weekend arrived. Liu Yiyi mentioned that her best friend's training was over and that she would be coming over to her place to hang out for two days. Su Yunzhou naturally understood; he considered it a well-deserved two-day vacation for his little brother anyway.

Saturday brought exceptionally good weather with cloudless, clear skies. Su Yunzhou sent a message to Jiang Shiyue, who had checked in with him a few times already.

[Are you free today?]

It didn't take long for Jiang Shiyue to call him back. The two agreed to meet at six o'clock that evening at a restaurant with a rather quirky name—Balishijia BBQ.

Su Yunzhou was a punctual man. At 5:50 PM, he walked out of a small alley and arrived at the barbecue joint. This part of the old neighborhood was undergoing road construction, so luxury cars couldn't even drive in. If he didn't have the exact address, he never would have guessed that such a trendy barbecue restaurant existed hidden away in this cramped, rundown residential area.

The restaurant's overall decor perfectly embodied the modern internet slang: "So tacky it's actually fashionable." The storefront featured a trendy color palette, haphazardly wrapped in the classic red, white, and blue striped tarp you could buy at the farmer's market for less than a dollar a meter. A bold store sign was written across it in black, standard-script fonts in both Chinese and English. The interior was incredibly bold, fully committing to an industrial "cement woven bag" aesthetic. The surrounding walls were plastered with posters personally designed by the boss. Upon closer inspection, it actually did give off a somewhat avant-garde vibe.

Quite a few fashionably dressed men and women were waiting for a table at the entrance. Su Yunzhou took one look and immediately spotted Jiang Shiyue standing out from the crowd like a crane among a flock of chickens.

At that moment, she had her head down, looking quite gloomy. She wore a pure white sun-protective jacket over a black camisole. Unfortunately, that alluring peek-a-boo visual effect lost some of its magic when applied to a flat chest. For her lower half, she wore a pair of light-colored, perfectly fitted jeans paired with classic bright yellow Timberland boots. Her legs were truly flawless—slender, long, and perfectly straight. If she were to swap her jeans for some authentic Paris World tights, the effect would be absolutely devastating.

KNOCK KNOCK.

Su Yunzhou walked up and gently tapped the table to catch Jiang Shiyue's attention.

"You're here!" she said, looking up and squeezing out a forced smile.

Seeing her obvious feigned cheerfulness, Su Yunzhou had a bad feeling about this. "It looks like I might not be able to raise her Affinity today either," he thought to himself.

He then asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Looking at your expression, who offended you?"

Jiang Shiyue let out a sigh and extended her slender, jade-like finger, pointing it straight at him.

"Huh?" Su Yunzhou asked, completely bewildered. "What did I do?"

A heartbroken expression appeared on Jiang Shiyue's face. "Isn't it because I was treating you to dinner? I wanted to come early to get a queue number. But the road ahead is under construction, and vehicles aren't allowed in, so I had to park outside before coming to get a ticket..."

Perhaps because she was slightly agitated, her voice was a bit loud. Several male diners nearby silently eavesdropped on the beautiful woman's words. Hearing that such a gorgeous girl had come early just to wait in line for a guy made them as sour as a Lemon.

A flashy young man carrying a motorcycle helmet grumbled internally, "What's so great about this smug-looking bastard? Why don't I have such a beautiful girlfriend? And those legs are absolutely out of this world. What a treat that would be, tsk, tsk, tsk!"

However, in the very next second, he would find out exactly what the gap between them was.

After getting the full picture, Su Yunzhou realized she was just feeling heartbroken over her beloved little motorcycle. But how expensive could a motorcycle really be? It was probably just around ten thousand yuan. Was that even a big deal?

"I guess I am slightly responsible for this," he admitted. "How about I compensate you with a brand new one?"

Jiang Shiyue looked stunned. "But my Kawasaki Ninja 650 is barely a month old."

"That's perfect then! I'll just buy you another one, and you can alternate between the two," Su Yunzhou said casually.

At this point, the flashy young man nearby couldn't listen anymore. This guy was showing off way too hard, and he felt obligated to step in and save the long-legged Female Knight.

"Bro, do you even know what a Kawasaki Ninja 650 represents?"

Su Yunzhou shook his head. He honestly had no idea.

Holding his helmet, the flashy young man wore an inexplicably solemn expression as he turned to the beautiful, long-legged Female Knight. "Every bike is a Highway Knight's soulmate. Plus, the Kawasaki Little Ninja is extremely hard to order. Do you have any idea how long the waitlist is for a new one? Or how much it costs?"

Su Yunzhou sized the flashy young man up. Although he found the guy somewhat baffling, he still asked, "How much does it cost?"

The flashy young man recited the details as if listing his family's treasures, "The official price for a Ninja 650 is seventy-five thousand. With all the miscellaneous fees and paperwork, it costs at least eighty thousand yuan. Yet you just casually say you'll buy her a new one! Can you even afford it?"

"Oh?"

Hearing the price, Su Yunzhou was slightly surprised. Were motorcycles really this expensive nowadays? Eighty thousand yuan just to buy a motorcycle? That certainly wasn't cheap. Before getting the billionaire system, he wouldn't have even dared to imagine spending that much.

But now, eighty thousand yuan was nothing more than a trivial speck of dust.

Su Yunzhou glanced at the smug, flashy young man before turning his gaze back to Jiang Shiyue.

"Do you think I can afford to compensate you?"