Chapter 24: Involution

Su Shiyi, a woman capable of driving Weibo programmers to the edge of collapse.

Although you’re a rich woman, could you please calm down a little? Wasn’t five trending topics enough yesterday? Why do you have to create a few more explosions today? The server backend really can’t handle the huge surge in traffic!

It’s not just regular netizens—they can’t even repost Su Shiyi’s latest Weibo anymore, which is delaying everyone from winning prizes!

Programmers are working frantically, even though Weibo is very slow, the discussion about it online remains enthusiastic. Many people are going crazy over the 11,111 yuan cash and the Gu family’s big gift package, but quickly, those who understand the business pointed out that the real splurge was the exclusive amusement park booking.

Rumor has it, renting out the entire amusement park for a day costs around 50 million yuan, not to mention the round-trip flights for 400 people—well, there’s no limit on that. Miss Shiyi said even first-class is fine, just go with whatever is most comfortable. She even offers two major themed hotels for accommodation, and souvenir shops can be visited freely…

Although the lottery hasn’t even started yet, some people are already dreaming of filling ten sacks with goods. Normally out of breath just running 800 meters, now they all think they’re Popeye after eating spinach—if their bags are big enough, they can drag the whole store home.

Just think about it—an entire 3.9 million square meter resort, with only 400 visitors, and all the rest of the staff are there to serve them! No need to queue for any attraction, perfect photo opportunities in wide open spaces, interact freely with the NPCs in the park without worrying about others rushing you…

Pick a slightly off-the-beaten-path spot, and you could enjoy treatment straight out of a Mary Sue novel. The CEO personally rents the venue just for you, with everyone performing for you!

Su Shiyi booked the event for five days later, and the 100 lucky winners haven’t even been selected yet, but some bloggers have already started bidding online, wanting to buy tickets to enter the park. They can’t afford to rent the venue, but spending tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands to get in on the buzz and take amazing photos and videos in the park is definitely a huge profit.

Seizing this moment of excitement over the lottery, Kevin quietly released some “insider information” about the upcoming traveling comic convention. Just the announcement of a real-life clothing display was enough to spark another online frenzy.

He didn’t even have to contact anyone—many famous cosplayers, egged on by fans, rushed to sign up. After all, this was a convention hosted by Su Shiyi. Who knows, they might even get the chance to meet the rich woman herself?

Mommy, your long-lost darling is here to find you!

The news about the comic convention is, of course, very lively. Even those who don’t usually pay attention to such events are curious about “the rich woman hosting her own convention.” Everyone is discussing how grand and lively the convention will be, given Su Shiyi’s wealth and extravagance.

In the midst of the overwhelming joy, only a small group of people’s bitterness remains unseen.

—The happiness is for the netizens, but the sorrow, tested by the server’s brink of collapse, will be borne by the programmers.

Please, Su Shiyi, this rich woman who makes people love and hate her, could you stop making headlines?

—

Not long after breakfast, the busy members of the Gu family each left, heading for flights to various parts of the world.

As for salted fish Su Shiyi, she was lying on her soft, air-conditioned bed, swiping her phone with her right hand and holding the sleepy little cat, Milk Candy, in her left arm.

Actually, allowing the Ragdoll cat onto the bed is a major offense, because Ragdolls shed a lot. But what does that matter to Su Shiyi? After all, her sheets are cleaned by professionals.

Once Milk Candy arrived, all the stuffed animals on her bed were instantly neglected. No matter how soft and comfortable the fabric of those toys was, nothing could compare to the cat’s soft, long fur. And Milk Candy is the cutest little kitten in the world!

Su Shiyi once again took a series of close-up shots of Milk Candy, turning off the flash and then posting countless pictures on Weibo, feeling quite pleased. After seeing the comments section full of people “eating lemons” (a term for being jealous), unsure whether to envy the rich woman or the cat, she happily switched over to Lujiang Literature City.

She hadn’t caught up on updates for several days. The author of Empress, Miemie-chan, had been working tirelessly, ensuring a daily output of at least 10,000 words. Su Shiyi had been reading along, and by now, the plot had progressed to the part where the heroine gains her first female official team member—a neglected and about-to-be-married-off concubine’s daughter from the Jing’an Marquis House, who is to be sent to the Duke’s residence as a second wife.

This concubine’s daughter, struggling for survival in a harem environment, further made the heroine realize how naïve she had been and how much effort her mother had put in behind the scenes for her to live such a carefree life. The fractured mother-daughter relationship was finally healed, and the heroine gained a clearer understanding of her mission, making a grand resolution.

Just like the fans in the comments section, Su Shiyi was moved to tears. She waved her hand and threw a few “Deep Water Torpedoes” (a term for making big donations or showing support). She then switched over to the forum, where she saw that the previously obscure July Green Plum had also become the new trending topic.

The ongoing story could even hitch a ride on the trend of metaphysics, and people were speculating how the completed version of the novel successfully attracted the attention of a rich woman and even sold the publication rights. Many guessed that the person buying the rights might actually be the rich woman herself.

The reason was simple. Everyone who clicked on the book to read it got deterred before reaching the paid chapters due to its high level of academic complexity and the difficult-to-understand Model United Nations content. Only a few niche fans could understand it, and those complicated MUN rules and academic background really required an encyclopedia to appreciate.

Hmm, it seems the rich woman’s tastes quickly shifted from historical fiction to modern-day stories. Authors who excitedly opened up historical fiction plots, only to find the rich woman didn’t take interest, were now rolling around in various forums lamenting their bad luck.

Su Shiyi, who felt guilty for letting down the historical fiction channel: …

You see, this is the pressure a rich woman faces. (Takes a drag on a cigarette)

To cheer up these cute authors, she started a “Random Acts of Kindness” event within the channel, giving Deep Water Torpedoes to any stories she still enjoyed on the leaderboard, as a form of encouragement. Everyone had already figured out her donation pattern—she especially loved big female protagonists and wasn’t fond of stories with too much male lead focus.

When the forum was once again filled with hot discussions about rich women returning to historical fiction, Su Shiyi had already quietly finished her business, fading into the background and keeping her achievements low-key.

Sigh, these authors are truly novelists—they are even better at flattering than the netizens on Weibo, but they can’t read too much praise, otherwise, they’ll get carried away.

She, Su Shiyi, is a rational and self-disciplined rich woman, incredibly strong in self-control.

Time always flies by when you’re relaxed. Even though she hadn’t done much, the morning passed in the blink of an eye. By 11 o’clock, Su Shiyi had already placed her lunch order.

The Gu family has a Michelin-starred chef team that works in 24-hour shifts, with over a hundred members. Some travel with the Gu family to ensure they can always have certain dishes wherever they are. For example, Gu Lang always takes along the chef who makes the best “^[1]Tang Bu Shui (糖不甩) is a Cantonese dessert made of glutinous rice balls coated in a sweet syrup and topped with roasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts. The name translates to “sugar … Continue readingTang Bu Shui”, even if he doesn’t eat it every day—he just has to have it when he wants.

Others are stationed at the Gu family’s various vacation resorts around the world. For example, there are three chefs at the Billion Island location. The largest team stays in the Taihe Courtyard, capable of preparing meals and desserts from various cuisines around the world. When the Gu family has free time, they order their meals, when they’re busy, they follow the nutritionist’s arrangements and the chefs’ recommendations.

Now that the busy members of the family had all left, only Su Shiyi was at home, so of course, she was in “ordering mode!” Unfortunately, Wu Feifei had other plans in the morning and couldn’t come earlier, or she would’ve joined her to make it even more enjoyable.

For lunch, Su Shiyi ordered beef hotpot, and specifically requested extra fatty brisket. This particular cut, always out of stock at specialty beef hotpot shops and one she rarely had the chance to eat, was exactly what she wanted to indulge in today.

When the meal was ready, she carried Milk Candy downstairs. At the center of the long table sat a bubbling beef bone soup pot, surrounded by various platters of different cuts of beef, along with raw beef balls, beef tendon balls, and beef tripe.

It was simple—this was the joy of an all-beef feast. The Gu family’s housekeepers and nannies dined in another building’s staff restaurant, leaving only Kevin and Lucy to join her for hotpot. Andrew politely declined Su Shiyi’s invitation, explaining that due to his age, he had to strictly follow the nutritionist’s meal plan to maintain his health and stay energized every day.

Su Shiyi couldn’t help but feel a bit ashamed for quickly abandoning the nutritionist’s advice after Father Gu Lang left, but she quickly reassured herself—it was okay, she was a salty fish combined with a useless person.

Once a person embraces laziness, they become invincible.

The versatile Kevin was also an expert at hotpot, carefully following the three-raise, three-dip technique for cooking the beef. The tender meat was cooked in 10 seconds. Su Shiyi lightly dipped it in a mix of satay, peanut, and chili sauce, and the flavor was so delicious it almost made her fly.

Wuwuwu, the beef that was just slaughtered half an hour ago is really delicious. Unfortunately, this place is in the capital city, and the space is ultimately limited, constrained by the central city’s restrictions. If this were on her Billion Island, from slaughtering to serving, it would take no more than ten minutes.

Su Shiyi, like an emperor who favors his harem, tasted every part of the beef, including tender meat, fatty beef, braised beef, hanging beef, spoon meat, spoon handles, beef tongue, brisket, and three-flower hoof. She tried a few slices from each part, finally indulging in her favorite ^[2]“白月光” (Baiyueguang) literally means “white moonlight,” but in modern Chinese, it’s often used metaphorically to describe a person or thing that is an unattainable, … Continue readingwhite moonlight (Five-flower Hoof), eating four plates by herself.

Hmph, certain people still put a limit on this and never manage to order it!

“Sure enough, compared to sukiyaki pot, I still prefer beef hotpot,” Su Shiyi casually chatted with Kevin. “Wagyu is best for sashimi and charcoal grilling.”

Kevin was very attentive: “On Billion Island, we will be adding a yellow cattle breeding area so that when you’re on the island, you can always enjoy the freshest ^[3]“潮汕牛肉火锅” (Cháoshàn niúròu huǒguō) refers to Chaozhou (Chaoshan) beef hotpot, a famous hotpot style from the Chaoshan region of Guangdong, China.Chaozhou beef hotpot.”

Yay, Kevin always thinks one step ahead of her. Having a good secretary is great!

After finishing her meal, Milk candy ate the specially prepared food from her pet nutritionist, then jumped onto Su Shiyi’s lap, affectionately rubbing against her slightly bloated belly from overeating.

Su Shiyi: …

Alright, good little one, thank you for reminding me, I can’t eat any more TAT.

After eating and drinking enough, Su Shiyi and her cat went to the glass room to bask in the sun. Su Shiyi really liked it here—it provided both the warmth of sunlight and ample air conditioning, in a perfect balance of cold and heat.

She lay on the rocking chair, with Milk candy lying at her waist. Classical music played soothingly in the background, and she could smell the faint fragrance of flowers from the garden.

Such days are really nice.

No pressure from rent or utility bills, no fatigue from commuting, no endless copywriting or revisions, no high-intensity unpaid overtime. She can travel the world and indulge herself, or lie here, doing meaningless things and quietly passing the time without feeling anxious about wasting hours.

She wants to continue lying flat. Let others deal with the competition.

—

In the afternoon, Wu Feifei, who had been overwhelmed with work, arrived at her house wearing a Chanel summer dress. Su Shiyi watched as the usually lively Feifei awkwardly put on high heels while she herself just came out in SpongeBob pajamas.

The roommates exchanged glances, and both thought: …

An unspoken moment between the sisters: “Damn, why are you dressed like that?”

Wu Feifei immediately rolled her eyes: “I thought Mr. and Mrs. Gu were home. If you’re here alone, couldn’t you have sent me a message in advance?”

“…Is that necessary?” Su Shiyi didn’t quite understand, then asked, “What would you wear if I told you in advance?”

“Of course, a T-shirt and shorts with flip-flops!”

Su Shiyi: ?

Get a grip, this is the capital city, not Guangdong Province!

Since only her roommate was at home, after entering her room, Wu Feifei completely let go of herself. After asking Su Shiyi for her opinion, she took a set of pajamas from her wardrobe and changed into them.

When Su Shiyi came out of the bathroom, she saw Wu Feifei sitting on the carpet, affectionately petting Milk candy. However, her little stuffed toy wasn’t swayed by the unfamiliar lady. As soon as it saw Su Shiyi come out, it decisively abandoned Wu Feifei and fled to her side, putting its front paws on her calf, asking for a hug.

Wu Feifei was heartbroken, while Su Shiyi beamed with pride, picking up Milk candy and giving it an air kiss.

The two of them played with Milk candy while chatting about various topics. Wu Feifei finally found someone to vent to face-to-face, ranting about how she had been caught up in the competition at home with her cousins. She expressed envy for Su Shiyi, whose family relations were so simple in the wealthy circles.

However, she still quietly asked, “Is Mr. Gu good to you? What’s it like, being together with him?”

Although, based on Su Shiyi’s high-profile behavior online, netizens thought that she must be living quite well in the Gu family, the wealthy circles were full of gossip. People felt that the appearance of this adopted daughter was a bit mysterious, and there had to be some hidden truth behind it.

Wu Feifei knew the real situation but had kept silent about it. However, since Su Shiyi wasn’t related by blood to Mr. Gu, and Mrs. Gu had been married to the family for so many years without having children, Wu Feifei couldn’t help but worry about her best friend’s living situation in the Gu family.

In terms of material life, there was certainly no lack of security—the Gu family wasn’t short of money to put on a front, but what was the real situation?

Su Shiyi was furious: “He’s so bad! I didn’t expect him to be such a terrible middle-aged man, using these tactics!”

Wu Feifei’s heart skipped a beat, and then she heard Su Shiyi continue: “He keeps throwing money at me, trying to corrupt my noble, free-spirited soul with dirty money, and the worst part is I can’t resist! You tell me, isn’t he too bad to do this?!”

“How can I still be a qualified successor to socialism with him seeping into my life like this?”

Wu Feifei: …

Her fists were clenched. If this wasn’t her dear roommate, she would have already punched her!

Su Shiyi kept going: “He even supports me in wasting money. Even if I throw millions into a movie that’ll never break even, he immediately sends me ten times the amount. He spoils me like this, how can I develop a good investment sense? Sigh, my dad always has to back me up, which makes me not afraid of losing money, and I don’t think twice when making decisions.”

Wu Feifei: ?

Wu Feifei: ???

Woman, your name is shameless!

In order to interrupt Su Shiyi, Wu Feifei quickly changed the subject:

“The variety show you organized, I think the home episode’s live broadcast has already started. How about we watch it?”

Actually, she wasn’t very interested, but as long as it would make Su Shiyi shut up, she was willing to do anything.

Wu Feifei, at 21 years old, had never encountered such a shameless person!

Oh, indeed, the home episode of Return to Senior Year was considered a prequel, and the guests had started their live broadcasts one by one. Kevin had told her about it, and Su Shiyi had been eager to watch, but with so many things to enjoy in life, she had completely forgotten about it.

Since Wu Feifei brought it up, they decided to watch it together.

She used the smart voice control system to dim the room’s lights and turned on the large screen hanging on the wall, connecting it to her tablet.

While waiting for the sync, Su Shiyi didn’t forget to say, “Sigh, whenever I organize a variety show, my dad always praises me for my marketing skills. It’s all just luck on my part, but my dad insists on hyping me up. Today, he even made fun of my older brother, so how am I supposed to act at home?”

Wu Feifei: …

Hey, is this the police? She’s about to report a crime!

After logging into the variety show collaboration platform, Su Shiyi found the Return to Senior Year program section. She browsed through six live streams, first selecting the one from Xia Gaofei, whom she had personally invited, to see how his studies were progressing.

Among the six guests, Xia Gaofei had the highest popularity, and at that moment, his live stream had the most viewers. At Su Shiyi’s request, the program had disabled all donations to avoid encouraging any irrational spending by younger fans.

Xia Gaofei, after all, was a graduate of the prestigious Diguo University, and the foundation he built back then was still very solid. When Su Shiyi entered his live stream, he was discussing the final large question on a math test with his teacher.

After confirming with a glance, this was the question Su Shiyi had given up on during her own exam preparation… The teacher had also mentioned that such difficult questions were meant to screen top-tier university candidates. Sure enough, Xia Gaofei had made it, while she had failed to get into Tsinghua or Peking University (lighting a cigarette).

Wu Feifei, her university roommate, likely had similar test scores, and when their eyes met, they both saw in each other’s gaze the admiration for academic achievers and the sighs of being ordinary students.

The comments were filled with “Big brother is amazing!” and “Learning together with big brother,” which made the program’s investor, Su Shiyi, very satisfied.

This was what positive energy guidance from idols looked like—this was a perfect example of progressing while chasing stars!

Xia Gaofei solved the problems on the test paper with ease. After completing the large question, he glanced at the screen and said:

“Alright, I look forward to everyone applying to Diguo University. Welcome to become my alumni!”

Fans: …

Oh, my dear brother, do you think we aren’t applying to Diguo University because we don’t want to?

At this moment, countless comments like “Okay, I’ll aim for Diguo University this year,” “It’s tough, but I’ll work hard,” and “I’ll dream about this tonight” flooded in, fully reflecting the diversity of the world.

Su Shiyi sighed, “Sigh, if I had such a variety show and an idol like this back in high school…”

Wu Feifei curiously asked, “Then you would have worked hard and gotten into Diguo University?”

“No,” she answered honestly, “I would just think that following him is too exhausting, and then I’d quickly unfollow and find an idol I like that’s less tiring.”

Wu Feifei: …

No wonder you only managed to get into G University!

Wait, she’s also from G University, sob sob sob, we’re all equally mediocre.

Xia Gaofei had been a liberal arts student, so the math problems they could still barely understand. But when they switched to the live streams of Sun Siling and Li Hanhai, the two science students were reviewing chemistry and physics, which left them both confused. In the end, they silently exited the stream.

“I think these three will definitely be fine,” Su Shiyi was still very confident in them. “Great, the responsibility of promoting educational and scientific knowledge for this variety show will be on their shoulders.”