Chapter 18

Yu Jingshan had run back mainly because curiosity had seized his brain at that moment. He really wanted to see if this thing could actually fly, and for a fleeting second, he even considered buying it all to make a "debunking" video.

However, upon closer reflection, he felt that would make him look like a complete idiot. After all, who would hear a stall owner’s obviously fake pitch and then actually buy the items just to film a video exposing them? Yu Jingshan didn't even need to think to know how the comment section would mock him. It would probably be something like: "Hey OP, use your brain. My two-year-old niece wouldn't even be fooled by this."

Consequently, once he had actually uttered those words, Yu Jingshan already regretted it. The bamboo dragonfly cost ninety-nine, but the other two items were one hundred and ninety-nine each. That added up to nearly five hundred yuan.

"Hold on!" Yu Jingshan quickly pointed a finger at the bamboo dragonfly. "I only want that bamboo dragonfly."

The bamboo dragonfly was the cheapest thing at the stall. Besides, he wanted to use it on the spot; he had to see if it could fly. If it couldn't, he would demand a refund right there and then! He would even go around spreading the word that this was a scam stall!

Xia Zui pointed to the QR code placed to the side. "Scan it."

Yu Jingshan pulled out his phone, scanned the code, and paid. The stall owner then handed him a bamboo dragonfly. It was red, made entirely of plastic; no matter how he looked at it, he felt like he’d been scammed! He suddenly felt like a fool for spending ninety-nine on it.

"Here," Xia Zui handed him the instruction manual. "Follow the steps on here to use it."

Yu Jingshan took the paper and glanced at it. "Step one: place the bamboo dragonfly on top of your head."

Step two: control the takeoff, speed, and landing of the bamboo dragonfly through your conscious thoughts.

Step three: find a dry place to store the bamboo dragonfly after use.

Yu Jingshan: ...

The more he read, the more he felt like an idiot! Controlling it through conscious thought? Did she think this was a sci-fi movie?!

However, thinking that this was at least something he had paid a staggering ninety-nine for, Yu Jingshan obediently placed the bamboo dragonfly on his head, ready to debunk it at any moment.

Yet, in an instant, Yu Jingshan felt a sense of weightlessness. How to describe this feeling? It was as if he had turned into a feather, free to dance in the sky.

Then, Xia Zui watched as his feet left the ground and he slowly ascended. She hurriedly grabbed his leg. "Stop flying! This area has a no-fly restriction. Just experiencing it is enough." She certainly didn't want anyone to see him and have her hauled off to a research institute.

Yu Jingshan looked down at the stall owner, his mind racing: *Who am I? Where am I? I actually flew! This plastic bamboo dragonfly really can make me fly! Wait! I must be dreaming!*

Yu Jingshan pinched his thigh hard. It didn't hurt!

"Ouch!"

Xia Zui looked at the back of her hand where he had pinched her. "You’re done for, kid. Get ready to pay me a hundred or two hundred thousand in medical bills!"

Startled by her exclamation, Yu Jingshan looked down and hurriedly apologized in a flustered state, "I didn't mean to, I wanted to pinch myself."

Xia Zui: "Just get down already."

Once Yu Jingshan landed, he immediately took the bamboo dragonfly off his head and looked at the stall owner with sparkling eyes. "It's actually real!" He pinched his thigh again; feeling the pain this time made him even more excited.

There really were flying bamboo dragonflies in this world! And they only cost ninety-nine yuan!

Xia Zui squatted on the ground, supporting her chin. "How about it, young man? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

"Want to take a look at the other items? They are all top-tier goods~"

Yu Jingshan licked his lips, wondering if the world had developed to a point he wasn't even aware of. But that was very possible! Now there were vending machines on buses, and autonomous taxis were becoming popular, so a flying bamboo dragonfly... well, that still wasn't normal!

"Boss, isn't your price a bit too cheap?" She should at least be selling them for 99,999!

Xia Zui looked mysterious. "Young man, do you think this thing sells for ninety-nine everywhere?"

"It's just that you and I have fate, you know~"

Yu Jingshan took a deep breath. "I know! I know!" Although the stall owner was wearing a mask, her temperament was clearly extraordinary! She definitely wasn't an ordinary person; perhaps she was an alien! Could it be that he was a hidden genius, and an alien had come to gift him a cheat code? Very likely!

The more Yu Jingshan thought about it, the more excited he became. He squatted down in front of the stall as well. "Boss, how long is the battery life on this bamboo dragonfly?"

Xia Zui sneered, "Strictly speaking, you can treat it as a family heirloom!"

Yu Jingshan: !!!

"I'll take all of these!"

Since such a great item existed and the bamboo dragonfly could actually fly, the others couldn't be fakes either. He had encountered a miracle. Once he got home and made the video, he was guaranteed to hit the trending page!

"Each person is limited to one of each item," Xia Zui said as she packed them up for him. She then held out her hand. "Please scan the code."

In the afternoon, at Jiangchao Airport.

There were many people walking hurriedly through the airport, but some, even in their busyness, took a moment to look back at someone who had just entered. It was almost winter, and the weather in Jiangchao City, if not freezing, was definitely very cold. Yet, that person was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, with a toy bamboo dragonfly on his head, walking with a strange gait. He looked like something might be wrong with him.

However, people just glanced back and didn't say much. After all, you could see all kinds of outfits at an airport; people were used to it.

At this moment, Yu Jingshan was completely oblivious to the strange looks from those around him; he felt wonderful. He wore a temperature-control bracelet on his wrist and the bamboo dragonfly on his head. Not only was the temperature pleasant, but walking didn't even take any effort. No one noticed that his feet were actually 0.5 centimeters off the ground—he wasn't walking at all, but quietly hovering.

Yu Jingshan had already planned how to make this video. Once he got home tonight, he would showcase all the products he bought. By then, the comment section would surely be full of people envying him, hahahahaha!

Thinking of this, he took out his phone and called his good friend. His good friend was a second-generation rich kid. How rich? Simply put, as long as he didn't do anything reckless like starting a business, the money left by his ancestors would be enough for him and his children to live on for five lifetimes.

"Hello?" After the call connected, Yu Jingshan said immediately, "Guess what I bought!"

The person on the other end didn't seem fully awake yet. "What?"

Yu Jingshan covered his phone and whispered, "A flying bamboo dragonfly!"

"Beep, beep, beep..."

Yu Jingshan: ...

He looked at his phone and laughed out of anger. "Just you wait, you'll regret this!"

With that, he headed to get his ticket with the bamboo dragonfly still on his head.

Meanwhile, at Jiangchao Park, Xia Zui was squatting behind her stall waiting for customers. Three elderly women and one elderly man passed by; they all looked at the prices in unison and walked away without looking back, muttering that young people starting businesses nowadays had their eyes higher than the sky. One child clamored to buy a bamboo dragonfly, but his mother glanced at the price and snapped, "Buy what? Have you finished your homework!"

The child: "..."

By nightfall, when the lights of Jiangchao were all turned on, there were even fewer people. Xia Zui was just about to pack up and go home when she saw a woman staggering down the steps with a wine bottle in her hand. The woman was wearing a black sweater with a coat over it and high heels, making a clacking sound with every step. Xia Zui winced just watching her, afraid she might fall.

When the woman reached the open space, she seemed to completely ignore Xia Zui and her stall. Xia Zui felt this was abnormal; looking at the woman's state, she seemed to be in danger.

She observed quietly. Just then, the woman took a step forward, and Xia Zui hurriedly spoke up, "Sister! Don't be impulsive!"

"There are still many things worth cherishing in this world!"

Wen Feng stopped, turned, and looked at her. "Really?"

Xia Zui nodded. "Of course. The world is so beautiful, and what we see is merely the tip of the iceberg. What is it that you can't let go of?"

Wen Feng looked at her effort to console her and couldn't help but sigh. "Sigh, I was just laid off by my company, my boyfriend cheated on me, and my parents don't understand me; they only nag me to get married and have children."

"I don't think I can find any meaning to go on."

Xia Zui let out a hiss and walked over to her side to prevent her from doing anything rash. "So what if you were laid off! You can just change to another company!"

"Your boyfriend cheated on you? That’s a good thing! It let you see his true character early on. We don't need such scum!"

"As for what your parents say, if they are willing to listen, you can explain your thoughts to them clearly. If they aren't, just live your own life."

"You only live once, not for the sake of others!"

Eleven cheered in her mind, "Xia Xia is right!"

Wen Feng took a sip of wine. "But I... wuwuwu." She squatted down and buried her face in her arms. Xia Zui scratched her head, took a pack of tissues from her pocket, opened it, and handed it to her. The river breeze and the sounds of Jiangchao masked her crying; only Xia Zui could hear it.

"I sometimes really don't know why," Wen Feng said after crying for a long time, looking up to wipe her tears with a tissue, "why living is so hard."

"I had been at the company for five years, but then they suddenly laid off staff, and I was the one who got cut."

"They said they wanted to leave job opportunities for the young, but in reality, they just thought I was getting old and might get married and take maternity leave."

"My boyfriend—I was with him for eight years!" She held up eight fingers. "After so many years, he ended up cheating."

"And my parents... sometimes I really don't know if marriage and having kids are that important."

"Why must I be the same as everyone else? Why!"

Xia Zui pursed her lips. "Try another company; perhaps you'll find a path through the darkness and into the light."