Chapter 291 - 290: Food Delivery Is Truly Not Easy (Part 2)

Chapter 291: Chapter 290: Food Delivery Is Truly Not Easy (Part 2)

Are there any guys who don’t love computers?

Yes.

Some genuinely don’t care. Some just haven’t looked deep into their own souls yet. And a huge portion of them are just broke—they can’t afford to love them, so they don’t dare to.

What’s the use of loving them? With no cash, all you can do is stare helplessly. The rules are basically the same as for chasing girls.

Shi Tiexin was the type who had no cash and couldn’t afford to love them.

Of course, even though he had a few value points now, it didn’t mean he was getting a big head and was ready to blow all his savings on fun. The only reason he’d come here was that, after several rounds of rational analysis, he’d identified the key reason he couldn’t snatch any orders—

His computer was too slow!

The wrist-device he was using was a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down, something he’d gotten from an older kid at the Orphanage a long time ago. Looking at its release date, it was twenty-one years old, made by a company that went bankrupt nineteen years ago.

It was the equivalent of using a Voodoo graphics card in the age of RTX. From hardware performance to driver updates to software support, it was completely behind the times. If Shi Tiexin hadn’t found someone to flash it and install a new OS, it would have been completely unusable.

It was usable now, but just barely hanging on for dear life. The thing on his wrist practically coughed up blood just to run any software, and it was half-dead even when making a simple transfer. The display lag was especially bad; he’d constantly hear the audio, wait three seconds, and only then see the picture.

Normally, it wasn’t a big deal. He was broke, so he put up with it. As long as it had the basic functions, it was fine.

But now, as Shi Tiexin watched orders disappear the moment their pop-up windows began to form, he felt the profound constraint of his information-processing capabilities.

’I have to find a faster wearable device! Only if my computer’s reaction speed improves can I at least see the orders the moment they appear. Only then will I have a chance of snatching one.’

So, after taking stock of his savings, Shi Tiexin was filled with a mix of two conflicting emotions: ’I’m not the man I used to be!’ and ’I’m still a habitual penny-pincher, I should probably just stick to the cheap stuff...’ With his chest puffed out and stomach sucked in, he tiptoed into the computer mall.

The computer mall was a huge shopping center several stories high, bustling with people coming and going in front of countless counters.

With a cautious heart, Shi Tiexin first went to browse the second-hand market. He found that the used goods there were indeed much better than his own wrist-device. In terms of style, function, and performance, they were all in a completely different league.

Then he looked at the prices, and Shi Tiexin suddenly realized he really did have money now. Models he could only look at before were now completely affordable. He was overjoyed and prepared to make a purchase.

But on second thought, he held back his eager hand.

’I’m buying a computer to snatch orders. No matter how good a used one is, it’s not the latest or the most powerful. If I buy a used one and still can’t get any orders, it’s a waste of money, no matter how cheap it is.’

’In that case, I might as well go all out and buy a good one! As long as I can snatch orders, I’ll eventually make the money back.’

Shi Tiexin checked his wallet again, confirming that last month’s payment from Vice Director Tao had arrived. Then, puffing out his chest and stomach, he charged toward the counter for new wearable devices.

The first things that caught his eye were all sorts of dazzling, kaleidoscopic advertisements. The technological level of the Main World Line was far higher than the other two he had experienced, and the ads were top-notch and incredibly eye-catching.

Shi Tiexin stared at the ads for a long time and found that the new models were indeed superior to the used ones in terms of reaction speed, display speed, performance, and features. Looking at the prices, they ranged from 1,999 to 2,999 and 3,999.

’They’re so much more expensive than the used ones...’

Shi Tiexin felt the urge to back down again.

But then he had another thought. ’You have to spend money to make money. No matter how capable you are, you can’t show it without the right material conditions. In the last world line, if I didn’t have that Harley Black Venerable motorcycle, but some cheap, second-hand bike instead, would I have become the street champion? Would I have been able to rake in so much Celestial Golden Light?’

Spend big to earn bigger.

His days as the Da Xing Incense Master had quietly changed some of his ideas, broadened his horizons, and given him a mindset that the penny-pinching, go-it-alone orphan of the past would never have had.

This kind of change wouldn’t be reflected in his stats, but it was just as valuable.

And so, Shi Tiexin steeled his resolve. He decided to buy the expensive one!

’The 6,999 high-end model. It’s good-looking and powerful, with a great screen and long battery life. You’re the one!’

Before pulling out his money, Shi Tiexin decided to chat with the owner for a bit.

"Is this model fast?"

"Don’t you worry, you get what you pay for!"

"Is the network speed fast?"

"You bet. You get what you pay for!"

"Will I be able to snatch Jingtuan orders with this model?"

"Absolutely. You get what you pay for!"

"Is there anything better?"

"Yes." This time, the owner said something different. "We have a little something... the treasure of the shop."

"The treasure of the shop?" Hearing this, Shi Tiexin’s interest was piqued.

’Today, I’m buying the best of the best!’

"That’s right, the treasure of the shop." The owner said with a straight face, "The price is one hundred ninety-six thousand, eight hundred value points. Non-negotiable. Care to consider it?"

"Er..."

’I think I’ll just make do with the second-best model after all...’

Shi Tiexin felt a little awkward, then his curiosity got the better of him. "Boss, what kind of device costs that much? Is it really worth it?"

The owner chuckled. "You don’t get it?"

Shi Tiexin nodded.

The owner asked in return, "Do you know what ’196’ refers to?"

"196?" Shi Tiexin ventured a guess. "Work from one to nine, six days a week?"

"Haha! You’re an interesting one, kid." The owner put on a mysterious expression. "When you understand the meaning of ’196,’ you’ll understand why a one-hundred-ninety-thousand-point device costs one hundred ninety thousand. You just need to remember one thing—you get what you pay for. Money is never spent for nothing."

Seeing the owner’s face, full of little secrets he refused to share, Shi Tiexin nodded in a daze. ’What the heck is 196?’ he muttered to himself. Then, after all sorts of haggling, tactical conversations, and persistent wheedling—and after flexing his Rhetoric skills to an extraordinary degree—he bought that rather brutal second-best model for 6,999.

He took off his half-dead wrist-device and put on the brand-new wearable. Shi Tiexin’s mood immediately soared.

’Good stuff is good stuff. Just look at this design, isn’t it gorgeous? Look at this boot-up screen, isn’t it cool? Feel this craftsmanship, isn’t it exquisite? And feel this skin-friendly material! It’s like touching Situ the Bald’s genuine leather sofa on Central Star. The texture feels so good it could probably cure diseases. These seven thousand points were well spent!’

Shi Tiexin fiddled with it for a long time, unable to put it down. He then installed and configured the Jingtuan client, feeling that even installing an app was many times faster on the new device.

’This time, it’s a sure thing!’

Perhaps because spending money came with some kind of karmic boost, the moment Shi Tiexin synced the Jingtuan interface, an order notification popped up with a DING.