Chapter 32: Blind Box

After intense mental labor (?), people tend to become lazy.

That was Su Shiyi’s excuse for lying around in the villa for three days straight. She felt she had worked way too hard—first, exhausting herself writing a “^[1]“Rainbow praise” (彩虹屁, cǎihóng pì) is a Chinese slang term that refers to exaggerated, over-the-top compliments, often to the point of being humorous or unrealistic. It is … Continue readingrainbow praise” paper, then planning and building such a massive island. It was just too much effort.

Regarding the dinosaurs, although the professional laboratory surely knew what they were doing, Su Shiyi still couldn’t help but repeatedly remind them—whether the genetic experiments succeeded or not didn’t matter, safety was the most important thing. The dinosaurs had to be controllable, and internal confidentiality had to be strictly maintained. This dangerous information must never leak out.

The lab director nodded repeatedly, assuring her that they would strictly follow these principles. They would start with herbivorous dinosaurs like Triceratops and Stegosaurus, avoiding any hasty research on terrifying creatures like the T. rex until they had achieved stable results.

However, the director also warned Su Shiyi in advance that the success rate was actually quite low. They would do their best, but more likely, the research would inspire breakthroughs in genetics rather than directly creating dinosaurs. No matter what, the research funding would produce results—just not necessarily the dinosaurs she wanted.

Su Shiyi waved it off, thinking to herself, Right, now that’s a logical and realistic answer. If you had guaranteed success, then I’d really start questioning reality…

Besides the dinosaur project, launching the amusement park wasn’t easy either. How to build the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, design the holographic projections, and script the immersive experience—each of these posed a massive workload and major challenges for her team. But Su Shiyi planned to raise their salaries and hand out bonuses.

As a former corporate worker, she deeply empathized with hard-working employees. So, even though she occasionally made some difficult demands, her department still ranked among the top five most desired teams in the Gu Corporation.

High salaries, great benefits, and most of the time, all she really wanted to do was spend money. Most importantly, the big boss pampered her, and she didn’t seem like someone with grand ambitions.

Working under Su Shiyi meant having a chance to gain Gu Lang’s favor without the risk of offending Gu Chen. Just look at Kevin—he had only been in the role for two months, and he was already climbing up in Gu Lang’s eyes.

Unaware that being around her had become such a sought-after position, Su Shiyi was having the time of her life. Every morning, she naturally woke up at nine, ate a tea egg made from Qimen black tea, and drank a fresh, sterilized glass of milk directly supplied from the estate’s dairy farm. That counted as her simple breakfast.

The rest of the morning, she lay in bed with the air conditioning on, playing on her phone. Occasionally, Sunday would remind her to change positions, stand up, jump around, or stretch her legs.

She didn’t play on her phone for too long, just switching between Lujiang and a few game apps. When she felt like it, she would check out live streams on Kuaiyin. Xia Gaofei had been dethroned from the top spot, with Chen Mingwei now holding first place by a narrow one-minute lead.

What surprised Su Shiyi was that there was still no clear ranking gap—the difference between the eight contestants was getting smaller. It was Lucy who told her that their variety show’s live stream had been officially praised by People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, and other state media.

It was all about timing. The authorities were cracking down on problematic live streaming trends, and their show—where guests didn’t accept donations, focused entirely on studying, and even fan interactions revolved around teaching problem-solving—was a shining example of positive content.

Although public opinion on “^[2]“celebrity worship” refers to an intense admiration or obsession with celebrities. It can range from casual fandom to extreme devotion, where fans closely follow a celebrity’s life, … Continue readingcelebrity worship” hadn’t improved much, students could now watch live streams at their desks without fear of parental backlash.

If parents questioned them, they could confidently say, “I’m studying with my idol! Our live stream is purely about learning. Come check for yourself!”

Parents: Well, okay… Studying while watching a phone isn’t the most efficient, but it’s better than playing games. Oh, and this little idol even graduated from a top university—at least there’s some positive influence here.

Unintentionally, Su Shiyi had kicked off a nationwide study craze this summer. Many netizens knew their chances of winning a villa were slim, but studying alongside their favorite celebrities, in a group atmosphere that helped them overcome laziness, was incredibly motivating.

Everyone praised the rich lady, calling her beautiful, kind-hearted, and selflessly considerate!

Kevin also informed her that the variety show’s educational live streams had secured sponsorship deals from educational brands. After deducting the celebrities’ and platform’s shares, the massive ad revenue had nearly covered the cost of building and decorating the five villas—with extra profit left over.

Due to overwhelming fan demand, high-quality stationery featuring the show’s branding was also selling out. Following Su Shiyi’s “happiness first” policy, the production team set fair prices, without the typical celebrity-brand markup. Their products were priced at the market average or even better in terms of value, making fans feel they were truly getting their money’s worth.

Oh my god, in a world where most merch is just cash grabs, someone is actually focusing on quality! This is a rare find!

Since stationery is a necessity, people figured they might as well support their favorite idol’s brand. It’s affordable and practical—Su Shiyi, our forever queen!

Thanks to its low-margin, high-volume strategy and enthusiastic fan promotion, the stationery line achieved astonishing sales, earning Su Shiyi a hefty sum.

Of course, this amount was insignificant to the Gu family, but the fact that Su Shiyi actually made money left everyone amazed. In the group chat, Gu Pan, Li Shuman, and Gu Lang all took turns showering her with praise, calling her incredible and outstanding.

Gu Lang even said, “She reminds me of my younger self.”

Gu Chen, utterly baffled: ?

He showed off his latest business deal, which had profits thousands of times higher than what Su Shiyi made selling stationery. But Gu Lang pointed out at least a dozen areas for improvement, criticized him harshly, and scolded him—how could he proudly present such meager earnings? His small-mindedness was completely unlike the style of the Gu family!

Gu Chen: Whatever, but it’s still kind of exhausting.jpg

Damn it, his dad was totally biased—he finally saw it clearly!

Su Shiyi, who originally just wanted some fun: “…”

Ah, she only wanted to spend money for enjoyment. How did she end up making money instead? Was making money really this easy?

Anyway, she achieved her goal, and her fans were happy too. A win-win ending—awesome!

The other guests, struggling to keep up: ?

#I didn’t even work this hard before my college entrance exams

#I dreamed about trigonometric functions again last night

#What is this English listening test even saying

They couldn’t complain online and only dared to vent a little to their close friends. If they had the chance to do it all over again…

Of course, they’d still choose to join this variety show! Their fan count had doubled again! Even though Rich Queen Shiyi was hardly human, she had given them so much!

Grind? They had to grind. If there was one thing they were good at, it was rolling spring rolls!

Unaware of the guests’ suffering yet competitive mindset, Su Shiyi enjoyed a leisurely life. She lay in bed all morning, had her lunch delivered to her room, and ate from a menu curated by a nutritionist using fresh ingredients from the estate.

The joy of having a private chef was that they knew her dietary preferences and dislikes inside out. Every dish was a guaranteed hit. With their superb cooking skills, they transformed all ingredients into delicious meals, ensuring balanced nutrition while perfectly controlling her portion size—leaving her just the right amount of satisfied after the last bite.

After lunch, Su Shiyi went to play with the big tiger, Isela. A majestic tiger, yet every day, he played frisbee with her and seemed to enjoy it, as if he had discovered a new favorite game. Her roommates, watching through video calls, frequently remarked that this tiger was becoming more and more like a dog (?).

The tiger could keep going for a long time, but Su Shiyi would tire quickly. Once she felt exhausted outside, she’d take Isela indoors, rest her head on his belly, and take a luxurious afternoon nap.

She was truly a champion sleeper—at this rate, half of her future life would be spent asleep. Upon waking up, she would decide whether she wanted afternoon tea based on her mood.

The kitchen was always stocked with her favorite treats—tiramisu, red velvet cake, cream puffs, and Portuguese egg tarts. As for drinks, there was no need to worry, they could recreate nearly any milk tea flavor from any brand, but with even higher-quality ingredients.

To ensure she never had to wait when craving sweets, desserts were freshly made every hour. The untouched portions were eaten by the pastry chef, who used it as an opportunity to evaluate their own work and strive for improvement.

Su Shiyi didn’t laze around in the afternoon—she had LEGO sets to build. Given her current collection, which was constantly expanding with new purchases, she might not even finish them all before she died at this pace.

“There’s just too much,” Su Shiyi kept complaining, yet every time she picked a set like an emperor selecting concubines, she was delighted. “Dad gave me way too many!”

Sigh, this castle set was beautiful, that street scene was tempting, and what—there was a collaboration edition over there?! Today, she had to build the ^[3]Infinity Gauntlet refers to the powerful glove in the Marvel universe that holds the six Infinity Stones. When assembled, it grants the user immense power, including control over time, space, … Continue readingInfinity Gauntlet first!

Her vacation in Russia was simple and uneventful, but having a big tiger for company made it wonderful. However, she had to return to the capital—after all, Gu Chen’s birthday was on Friday. As his sister, she wasn’t particularly busy, so it would be unreasonable if she didn’t show up.

Before leaving, she made a special trip to the wildlife reserve to say goodbye to the white tiger. Unfortunately, the white tiger remained as aloof as ever, merely rubbing his head against her palm without letting her hug him.

There was nothing she could do about it. According to his caretaker, this was already the white tiger’s maximum level of affection. Normally, if anyone got within a meter of him, he would visibly express his displeasure, even assuming an aggressive stance to force them back.

Unlike Isela, who was friendly to all humans, the white tiger always maintained his distance. The fact that Su Shiyi, after only meeting him twice, was allowed such close contact proved that he favored her.

“I heard you don’t have a name yet.” She gently stroked his head, reluctant to leave. “You’re the only white tiger here, so they just call you ‘White Tiger.’ How about I call you Xiao Bai from now on?”

Xiao Bai: …

It was unclear whether the white tiger understood Su Shiyi’s words, but judging from his expression, he didn’t seem to approve of the name.

Su Shiyi sighed. “Goodbye, Xiao Bai. I’ll come see you next time.”

Just as she was about to turn and leave, the white tiger pressed his paw down on her arm. He couldn’t speak, but his blue eyes stared directly at her.

Damn it. Su Shiyi felt as if she could read the question in his gaze—”When will you come next time?”

That was just a polite farewell, how could it have a specific date? Su Shiyi answered honestly, “When I have time.”

Xiao Bai was obviously dissatisfied and refused to release his paw. From his stance, if she didn’t give a clear time, he wouldn’t let her go.

Su Shiyi: ?

White tigers generally had a maximum lifespan of twenty years, and since the founding of the nation, supernatural beings weren’t allowed—what was going on with him?

But since Milk Candy and Isera were also very smart, almost like they could understand human speech, Su Shiyi just chalked it up to “animals in a Mary Sue world are different” and didn’t overthink it.

She tried negotiating. “Three months later?”

Too long. Xiao Bai disagreed. He didn’t need to nod or shake his head—just not letting go of his paw was enough.

Su Shiyi continued, “Two months later?”

Still no. Xiao Bai’s gaze even became a bit sharp, making her feel inexplicably guilty, as if she were some heartless playboy answering his wife’s question about when he’d come home.

Wait, no—Xiao Bai wasn’t her wife!

“One month later, then.” Su Shiyi lightly patted his paw. “I have other matters to handle after returning home. I promise, I’ll come back to see you in a month.”

Xiao Bai still seemed dissatisfied but finally let go of his paw. He even nodded haughtily, as if granting permission.

Before leaping back into the forest, he cast Su Shiyi a final glance that clearly said, I grant you permission to come pay respects to me in a month.

Su Shiyi: ……

Seriously, are all felines this tsundere?

She had thought about taking Xiao Bai to the zoo on Billion Island, but the environment there couldn’t compare to this place. In Russia, they could roam and hunt freely instead of being trapped behind walls and fences, gradually losing their instincts.

Perhaps when they grew old, she could bring them to the zoo to live out their retirement in comfort, where she could visit them daily. But while they were still young, it was best to let them run wild.

Su Shiyi left in a sightseeing vehicle, unaware that hidden behind the dense forest, a pair of beautiful blue eyes watched her departure.

She said she would come back in a month.

He would wait.

—

After returning to the imperial capital, Su Shiyi’s lazy lifestyle remained unchanged, except that chatting with her roommates became more convenient—finally, no more time zone differences.

With plenty of free time, she quickly played through all the games she liked on the market, even trying out various gacha games. She didn’t need to stick with them—just creating an account and playing until she reached the parts she found interesting was enough. As for the daily and weekly quests, resource management, optimization for better returns, and scheduled farming—Linda would handle all of that for her.

Linda was her new assistant, currently in charge of managing her game account progress. With her around, not only did Su Shiyi never miss any daily or time-limited events again, but even her forest energy was never stolen anymore.

All the grind-heavy tasks were handed over to her assistant. Every time Su Shiyi logged into the game, it was just to admire the collection, decorate her home, and personally roll for characters.

After all, in gacha games, the real joy was in pulling again and again, witnessing the moment when the featured character appeared and was finally upgraded to five stars!

As for leveling up skills and grinding affection points—those could all be left to the assistant. It couldn’t be helped, she had too many games she adored and only so much energy to spare.

And in her dedicated toy room, there were still so many building blocks waiting for her.

Su Shiyi, a devoted gacha enthusiast, was lured into the world of blind boxes thanks to her roommate Wu Feifei’s enthusiastic recommendation. Normally, Wu Feifei wouldn’t push someone down a financially ruinous path, but Su Shiyi was different.

If an average person didn’t get the figure they wanted, they’d either give up or reluctantly buy another one. But if it was rich lady Shiyi… she might just get frustrated and buy out the whole blind box company.

Wu Feifei introduced her to two brands: ^[4]Pop Mart is one of the most well-known blind box brands, famous for collaborating with artists to create collectible toy series. They have popular lines like MOLLY, DIMOO, PUCKY, and various … Continue readingPop Mart and ^[5]52TOYS also focuses on collectible figures and blind boxes but is known for a wider variety of themes, including transforming toys and nostalgic collaborations. They have partnerships with IPs like … Continue reading52TOYS, both featuring Disney collaborations—Su Shiyi’s favorite.

Happily, she opened Taobao and, sure enough, fell into a sea of joy while browsing blind box stores.

First, she searched for keywords under Pop Mart. Nice! The Avengers figures looked so detailed!

As a newbie to the blind box world, Su Shiyi carefully studied the product page rules. Oh, so buying a single box was like pulling a single gacha, while buying a full case guaranteed all the regular figures. If there were duplicates, the store would even offer exchanges—how considerate!

She kept scrolling. Hmm, there were two secret rare figures. Did that mean she had to pay extra?

After analyzing the information, she understood: a full case might contain a secret rare figure, but it wasn’t guaranteed. Buying a case only ensured getting all the regular figures, while the secret rares still depended on luck.

She figured that if Gu Pan were rolling, she’d probably hit both secret rares in one go. But if it were her, luck wouldn’t be on her side.

After all, she’d already used up her lifetime’s worth of luck just by transmigrating into a novel. The wealth she had now? Even if she won the lottery jackpot every day from birth to death, it wouldn’t come close.

No worries—bad luck wasn’t a problem. She could do math. And when math wasn’t enough, she had money.

The production ratio of regular to secret figures was 1:144. Buying one case changed the odds to 12:144, or 1:12. If she bought twelve cases, she’d have a reasonable chance of pulling one secret rare.

She didn’t like incomplete collections. If there were two secret rares, she had to have them both. That meant twenty-four cases.

To be safe, she’d go with forty-eight. That way, the odds of getting both secret rares would be even higher!

Yes, that was the plan. She was just an unremarkable little math genius.

One case cost 708 yuan, so forty-eight cases would be just over 30,000 yuan. So cheap!

After adding all forty-eight cases to her cart, she went on to explore more treasures in the store. Of course, she had to buy the Justice League set too. Since it only had one secret rare, twenty-four cases would do.

The Princess Series had so many figures? Buy them all. The Chinese Paladin series? A childhood memory—had to get that too.

Zootopia was way too cute, not buying it would be a crime. Plus, the secret rares were a matching set—how generous!

Oh, Honor of Kings had a collaboration too? She didn’t play the game, but the figures were adorable, so into the cart they went.

Harry Potter? Impossible to skip. The umbrella-wielding secret rare was just too cute…

Scrolling through, she grabbed everything from franchises she recognized, anything that looked cute, and anything uniquely designed. Finally, she added some display shelves from the store. That was enough shopping for today.

When she glanced at her cart—wait, how did it add up to several million yuan? She hadn’t bought that much, had she?

Scrolling up, she realized… oh, she had indeed bought quite a lot on impulse.

After confirming the shipping address in the auto-popup, she moved on.

Pop Mart was done—now for 52TOYS. Wu Feifei said they were just as good. She’d take a look.

The moment she entered, the teacup-style princess figures made her heart race. Buying them was the only option—hesitating even a second would be disrespectful to her feelings!

Hmm… the secret rare odds here were 1:96. A case had six figures, meaning 1:16 odds. Understood. Buy thirty-two cases. Her math was getting so sharp.

Hogwarts-themed figures? Of course, those were a must. Oh, no secret rares? That meant a whole case guaranteed a complete set. She felt like she was getting an incredible deal.

52TOYS was really a treasure trove. The Princess Dessert series was sold in clear boxes? Perfect—grabbed them all.

The store had so many collaborations!

Crayon Shin-chan? Must buy.

Chibi Maruko-chan? Definitely.

Tom and Jerry? How could she pass that up? As many as possible.

There were too many cute blind boxes to count!

Like a mouse who had fallen into a vat of rice, Su Shiyi gleefully scurried through the store.

As expected, her cart total hit seven figures again. She didn’t think much of it and paid in one swift motion.

Linda is her new assistant, currently in charge of managing her game account progress. With Linda around, not only has Su Shiyi never missed a daily or limited-time event in any game, but even the Forest Energy has never been stolen again.

The grinding parts are left to the assistant, so whenever Su Shiyi logs in, it’s just to admire the gallery, check out her home, and personally draw gacha.

For a gacha game, the best part is pulling the characters yourself, witnessing each draw firsthand, and finally collecting a five-star character—that’s the real joy!

As for leveling up skills and grinding affection levels, those are the assistant’s job. There’s no other way—she loves too many games and just doesn’t have the energy to keep up with them all.

In her exclusive toy house, there are still tons of building blocks waiting for her attention.

Su Shiyi, who loves gacha, has now fallen into a new pit—blind boxes—thanks to the enthusiastic recommendation of her roommate, Wu Feifei. Normally, Wu Feifei wouldn’t casually lead someone down the path of financial ruin, but Su Shiyi is different.

When ordinary people don’t get the design they want, they either give up or grit their teeth and buy another one. But if it’s Rich Lady Shiyi… in a fit of frustration, she might just buy the entire blind box company.

Wu Feifei introduced her to the brands Pop Mart and 52TOYS, both of which had collaborations with her favorite Disney. Su Shiyi happily opened Taobao and, sure enough, fell into a sea of joy while browsing the blind box stores.

She first searched for keywords in Pop Mart. Oh, nice! The Avengers figures look really detailed!

As a newcomer to the blind box scene, Su Shiyi carefully studied the rules on the product page. Oh, so buying a single box is a random draw, while buying a full case guarantees one of each design. If there are duplicates of the standard designs, the store even allows exchanges—pretty considerate.

She scrolled down further. Hm, there are two secret rare figures—does this mean extra costs?

After reading through the details, she understood: buying a full case guarantees all the standard figures, but secret rares are purely luck-based.

Su Shiyi thought about it—if it were Gu Pan drawing, she’d probably get both secret rares in one go. But her luck wasn’t that great. Had she already used up all her lifetime’s luck just by transmigrating into a novel? After all, even if she won the lottery jackpot every day from birth to death, it wouldn’t be enough to match her current wealth.

No problem! Bad luck isn’t an issue—she could just calculate the odds and use money to fix it. The production ratio of regular figures to secret rares was 1:144, so buying one case (12 boxes) made it 12:144, or 1:12. If she bought 12 cases at once, she’d have a statistically fair shot at one secret rare.

Su Shiyi didn’t like incomplete collections, so she had to get both secret rares. That meant 24 cases. To be safe, she might as well buy 48 cases—this way, her chances of getting the secret figures would be even higher!

Yes, this was the plan. She was just a humble math genius. One case cost 708 yuan, so 48 cases were only around 30,000 yuan—such a bargain.

After adding all 48 cases to her cart, she continued browsing the store. Of course, she also had to buy the Justice League set. Only one secret rare? Then 24 sets should do. The Disney Princess series had so many designs—better get them all. And how could she forget the classic Chinese RPG series? Childhood nostalgia had to be accounted for.

Zootopia was way too cute—skipping it would be inhumane. The secret rare even had two figures in a pair, so worth it. The Honor of Kings collab? She didn’t play the game, but they looked adorable—added to cart. The Harry Potter series was a must-buy, and the secret rare holding a tiny umbrella was just too cute.

As she scrolled, Su Shiyi bought every familiar IP, every figure that looked cute, and every unique design that caught her eye. She also grabbed a few display shelves to organize them.

Then, looking at her cart—huh? How did it reach several million? She hadn’t bought that much, had she?

Scrolling up, she realized—oh, she really had added that many.

After placing the order, she confirmed her shipping address in the auto-popup. Pop Mart’s store was done—time to check out 52TOYS, which Feifei had also recommended.

The moment she entered, a princess-themed teacup figure caught her eye. Buying it was the only option—hesitating for even a second would be disrespecting her own excitement.

Hm… the secret rare ratio was 1:96, and each case contained six boxes, making it 1:16. Understood—buying 32 cases should do. Her calculations were getting smoother by the minute.

The Hogwarts series? A must-buy. Oh? No secret rares? A full case guaranteed a complete set? Su Shiyi suddenly felt like she was making a huge profit.

52TOYS was really worth it—the Princess Dessert series had transparent packaging, meaning no surprises. Might as well grab all of them. The collabs in this store were insane!

All the Crayon Shin-chan figures? Bought. Maruko-chan? Bought. Tom and Jerry? How could she miss those? She bought as many as possible, losing count along the way. Why did this store have so many adorable blind boxes?!

Like a mouse that had fallen into a vat of rice, Su Shiyi excitedly darted around the store. Unsurprisingly, her cart total hit seven figures again, but she didn’t even bat an eye before checking out.

She set the shipping address to Taihe Courtyard in the capital. Although the figures would eventually be sent to Billion Island, she wanted to personally enjoy the thrill of unboxing them first!

Perfect. Her display wall at the entrance of her suite could finally get a refresh. As long as she kept buying, she could keep rotating her collection. Besides, her actual collection room was still mostly empty, waiting for her to slowly fill it up.

She was about to exit Taobao when Pop Mart’s customer service messaged her.

Clicking in, she saw the rep politely asking if she had placed the order by mistake. There was still time to cancel—blind boxes were a special category, and once shipped, they couldn’t be returned or exchanged.

How responsible! But Su Shiyi replied: No mistake, that’s the correct amount.

No mistake.

No mistake.

No…

The Pop Mart rep stared at the massive order, completely dumbfounded. They’d seen wealthy customers before, even ones who bought every item in the store, but what was up with this quantity?!

Was she buying blind boxes wholesale?

In order to avoid any issues later, the rep reminded her again that ordering dozens of sets was excessive, and their store had a strict no-return policy.

Su Shiyi replied: No problem, I’m just making sure I get the secret rares.

Customer Service: …

Wow, this customer really didn’t trust her luck.

For the third time, the rep reminded her—if she pulled a secret rare in the first few cases, the rest couldn’t be returned, even if unopened. Wouldn’t it be better to try a smaller batch first?

If she weren’t bound by store policy, the rep would have just told her to buy the secret rares secondhand. It’d cost more than a single box, sure, but definitely less than buying dozens of cases.

Of course, earning more was great, but a rich customer demanding refunds later would be a nightmare. Best not to offend someone who could casually drop millions on blind boxes.

Su Shiyi considered it briefly but then realized—if luck was a fixed resource, wasting it on blind boxes meant having less for other things.

That wouldn’t do. If money could solve the problem, why rely on luck?

She replied: No way, I’ve worked hard to accumulate my good luck—can’t waste it on this. It’s fine, I’ll give the duplicates to friends first, then resell the rest.

Customer Service: …

Most people pray for good luck when buying blind boxes.

How did she end up pushing hers away?!