Claiming Rewards

"Mei, your birthday's coming up. How about I buy you a handbag?"

"Too expensive? It's not! We're not short of money now. Remember that big-budget film based on the IP everyone's been talking about? I wrote the script. It runs for hundreds of hours."

"Save money... Just have a meal together from now on? Don't be mad. I promise I won't waste money, okay? Mm, love you. See you tomorrow."

Gao Moumou put down his phone. He felt as though he had just eaten a scoop of happiness-flavored Häagen-Dazs, its silky sweetness spreading from his mouth through his whole body.

With a girlfriend like her, he had left all those single dogs and desperate suitors a hundred thousand miles behind. He had gone straight to the final stop; all that remained was to meet Buddha and attain perfection.

"Sure, writing that script shaved a little off my lifespan, and my head hasn't been quite right since I finished it, but that's fine."

Gao Moumou turned on the stove, took out a packet of Braised Beef instant noodles, crushed it with one punch, and threw it in the trash. Then he took out a packet of Old Altar Pickled Cabbage Beef noodles.

"The pay was generous. Thank you, Shuhang. Go to Hell."

"Now I can enjoy a quiet, ordinary Happy Life. Hahahaha!"

The noodles had been in the boiling water for barely ten seconds when Gao Moumou turned off the stove. Carrying the little saucepan, he went straight to the living room and sat on the sofa, ready to eat.

He liked his instant noodles with a little firm crunch. The walk from kitchen to living room gave them just enough time to keep their springiness.

"It's so quiet without Mei." Gao Moumou took a bite of noodles and switched on