"一杯摩卡,冰的,谢谢."
A cup of mocha, iced please
"好的,一共是七块钱."
Alright, that will be $7
After leaving the shop, Mo Yu went to a nearby café to sit and think through what he needed to do for the time being. First, his debts, with 12,000 dollars in his bank account, he could finally repay his student loans and other bills that had been stacking up. Utility bills, phone bills, rent etc. After paying for everything that he could think of, he was left with $8000, which was more than enough.
「原来,不再为钱担忧的感觉, 是那么的自由!」
So this is what it feels like, not having to worry about money, it's pure freedom!
Mo Yu never felt so free, so free of burden. He slouched back into the sofa, closed his eyes and enjoyed the ambience at heart. Just a few days ago, he was always reminded of payments, he had to always plan what he ate, what he needed to do, and how to survive for the day and the day after that and the day after the next, but now he need not ever need to do it again.
"您的摩卡,先生."
Your mocha, sir
"谢谢."
Thank you
Mo Yu replied as he opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the mocha in front of him. It was something he never imagined he'd be able to afford again. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he took a slow sip, savoring the taste. Taking out his phone he continued the planning with his Kakis for tomorrow.
[Kopi4Lyfe ☕]
[Timestamp: 03/05/25 | 16:43]
Mo Yu:
明天两点见?
Tomorrow meet at 2?
Ren Jie:
我如果迟到,是地铁的错,不关我事
If I'm late, blame the MRT, not me
Yu Fei:
你敢迟到我就惩罚你
If you're late, I'm charging you for a cheese top oolong
Ren Jie:
哎哟,好凶 ~ 我喜欢
Oof, so fierce ~I like that
Ling Ling:
记得买奶茶, 我要三分糖,少冰
Who's bringing milk tea? I want 30% sugar, less ice
Ren Jie:
半糖
Half sugar
Yu Fei:
我也要
I want too
Mo Yu:
怎么感觉我是跑腿的?
Why do I feel like I'm the errand boy here?
Ling Ling:
因为你就是.记得买奶茶,谢谢
Because you are. Don't forget the bubble tea, thanks
Rolling his eyes at the chaos in the group chat, Mo Yu exited the group and glanced at his messages. Still no reply from Yan Ning. He decided to try texting again.
[Yan Ning]
[Timestamp: 03/05/25 | 16:50]
Mo Yu:
表哥,你还在游戏里吗?
明天两点来我家
一定要活着回来啊
Cousin, are you still in the game?
Come to my house at 2 PM tomorrow, text me when you're out
Please come back alive
Setting the phone down beside him, Mo Yu leaned back and enjoyed his iced mocha while sinking into the quiet afternoon. An hour later, hunger won. Mo Yu left to buy Mala from the nearby restaurant. He took the MRT back, earbuds in, blankly staring at nothing. Before heading home, he popped into the supermarket for essentials—and, on impulse, added a tub of ice cream and a massive cake from Katerasie to his basket. He didn't even check the price. He was done being frugal today.
Back at his flat, the first thing he did was blast the air con. Mo Yu was someone who couldn't stand the heat, so even though he'd been struggling financially all these years, he was willing to pay for comfort. He stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the grime of the city, easing the tension from his muscles.
An hour later, Mo Yu stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his slim waist. He grabbed his hairdryer and blew his hair dry while his laptop booted up. With the biggest slice of cake in hand, he curled up on the couch, ready to lose himself in the next episode of that dramatic reincarnation palace show—where everyone wore eyeliner like they were born with it.
He hit play. Nothing happened, instead the screen flickered—once, then blacked out completely.
「哈?坏了?」
Huh? Don't tell me it crashed?
Then came the buzz—the low, sickly hum of static crawling down his spine. The lights in his flat dimmed.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
A card has been drawn for you.
★★ Card –骨桌之血(Blood of the Bone Table)
Please use the card within 24 hours.
The card emerged directly from the screen, eerie as always. But this time, Mo Yu wasn't scared. In fact, he leaned forward with a smile.
「哈哈,我的薪水又来了.」
Haha, my salary has arrived
but just as he was about to lean in, the card flickered and disappeared. Another system prompt followed suit.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
CARD STORAGE UNLOCKED – Cards drawn will be automatically stored.
「吓死我了,我还以为卡片没了.嗯,但其实这样也不错,至少可以提前准备任务了.」
Scared me for a second, I thought the card vanished. Actually, this isn't bad. At least now I can prepare before missions.
But a darker thought crept into his mind.
「如果不在时限内使用卡,会怎样?它会自动消失吗?还是会强制开启?难道是死亡?」
What happens if I don't use the card in time? Does it vanish? Auto-start? Couldn't be death right?
He didn't plan to find that out. Opening the app, he tapped into the card log. There it was—waiting for him in the storage. He clicked into the mission description.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
★★ Card – 血骨之桌 (Blood of the Bone Table)
Mission: Survive the rounds
Time Limit: 01:00:00:00
Reward: 1,600 Wen
Failure: Loss of body parts
「失败是断肢?操,早知道就该买那个项链!」
Failure means losing a limb? F*ck, I should've bought that necklace!
Mo Yu cursed at himself for a short while but quickly realised.
「喔等下,我不够文,哈哈哈哈」
Oh wait, I didn't have enough Wen, hahahaha
He glanced at the clock—19:46. Still hours before tomorrow's meetup. With zero Wen left, there wasn't much that he could prepare for.
「与其在这边瞎猜,不如早点完成这个任务比较好.」
No point guessing. Might as well finish this mission early
「来吧,血骨之桌.看看今天的运气怎样.」
Alright, Blood of the Bone Table. Let's see what luck has in store for me today
With a resigned breath, Mo Yu clicked [Use Card]. The world began to dissolve. The last thing he saw before the darkness claimed him was the faint flicker of the drama's subtitles and voiceover:
"臣妾做不到啊——!"
I can't do it, my lord—!