Lin Jincheng hung the Loropiana bamboo-woven sachet in her closet.
The Chanel scented candle, weighing a full 1000g, she set on the table.
The candle stood over ten centimeters tall — an absolute monster of a candle.
Solid black body, with a golden flower blooming across the front, set off elegantly against the white wall.
The pickup station had sent a third collection code — her sanitary pads had arrived too.
Lin Jincheng pulled her gaze back, lowered her head, and opened Meituan to order a courier run.
The distance from the community pickup station to home was 434 meters, with a base rate of 15 yuan for one-on-one express delivery.
Add a 100 yuan tip, for a total of 115 yuan.
The moment she placed the order, someone accepted it immediately.
Before exiting, Lin Jincheng suddenly noticed an unread message in her inbox.
It was from the delivery rider from last time.
It opened with thanks for the 188 yuan tip, followed immediately by wishes for her work to go smoothly and for peace and good health.
The whole message overflowed with sincere blessings.
The order was already closed, so Lin Jincheng couldn’t reply — she simply screenshotted the page and saved it.
She hoped she’d run into him again next time she ordered food.
After closing Meituan, she opened her shopping app.
With the remaining 101.2 yuan, she thought about browsing for a candle lighter — and browsing turned into buying a whole five-piece tool set.
Besides the rechargeable lighter, it included a candle snuffer hook, wick trimmer, snuffer cap, and tray.
Cost: 105.3 yuan.
[The 300,000 yuan romance fund has been fully spent. A 60,000 yuan cash bonus has been disbursed.]
Right on the heels of the Money-Dumping System’s electronic voice came a bank text notification.
Lin Jincheng sat cross-legged on the floor, back against the bed, and murmured, “I’m really something, huh — able to just sit here calmly with 60k free cash in hand!”
Of course she could sit calmly. She’d spent a full 300,000 today.
Just at LoroPiana in Hang Lung alone, she’d burned through nearly 280,000 — her threshold was climbing fast.
“But I’m still really happy, hahahahaha.” Lin Jincheng’s almond eyes curved into crescents. “Money really can solve 99% of life’s problems.”
She wasn’t considering funds or other investments for now — with the bank’s three-year 1.75% rate still available, she put it all into a fixed-term deposit.
The Big Four banks were already under 1.6%. Locking it in now was basically free money.
After putting the money away, Lin Jincheng walked over to the fruit box by the wall and crouched down to pick out kiwis. A few gave slightly when squeezed — just right for eating.
She picked those out, and along with the yogurt and coconut water in the room, carried them over to Qiao Di’s room. | black lotus Novel Translations — BLACK LOTUS NOVEL
She’d just stepped out when she ran into Xia Yaoyao, who lived in room 02, pushing the door open and walking into the living room.
The moment Xia Yaoyao spotted Lin Jincheng, she quickened her pace and came straight over.
Lin Jincheng frowned at her.
Xia Yaoyao opened her mouth right away. “You’ve got a washing machine in your bathroom, right? I heard it running yesterday.”
Lin Jincheng: “I did laundry before eight. That’s not a disturbance.”
“You’ve got me wrong.” Xia Yaoyao’s smile was warm and friendly. “We’re roommates — there’s no such thing as disturbing each other.”
Lin Jincheng had a feeling Xia Yaoyao wasn’t done yet.
Sure enough, Xia Yaoyao got straight to the point: “You’re not using your washing machine right now anyway — I’ve got a few clothes I want to wash at your place later.”
Lin Jincheng: “?”
Having said her piece, Xia Yaoyao headed straight for the next bedroom, never once thinking to ask whether it was actually okay with Lin Jincheng.
She’d always used the machine in the shared laundry room before — but the day before yesterday, she’d caught her boyfriend tossing his shoes in there to spin!
They’d lived together for half a month now, and Xia Yaoyao and Lin Jincheng had barely crossed paths.
In the few times they had, they’d barely exchanged a word.
From this, Xia Yaoyao had concluded that Lin Jincheng was thin-skinned, too awkward to speak up to others.
Someone like that would never have the nerve to refuse.
Xia Yaoyao came back out carrying her few pieces of clothing and laundry pods, arrived at the door, saw Lin Jincheng blocking the way, and said, “Mind moving?”
Lin Jincheng didn’t budge, expression flat. “I have a cleanliness thing. I don’t like sharing washing machines with other people.”
The smile frozen on Xia Yaoyao’s face stiffened further. “My clothes have only been worn one day!”
Lin Jincheng turned and slammed the door shut behind her, a flicker of genuine confusion in her clear eyes.
So what? Isn’t it still your clothes?
“???”
Lin Jincheng said nothing more and walked past Xia Yaoyao toward Qiao Di’s bedroom.
Qiao Di was on the balcony plugging in a power strip and rice cooker, the balcony door closed, so she hadn’t heard the commotion in the living room.
By the time Lin Jincheng finished giving her the quick rundown, Qiao Di didn’t even bother mocking Xia Yaoyao — instead she looked stunned. “You actually snapped at her? I’ve known you this long and never once seen you snap at anyone!”
Lin Jincheng sprawled in the chair, drained. “That’s not really snapping. That’s just a normal refusal.”
If Xia Yaoyao had insisted on using the washing machine, it really could’ve turned into a fight.
Lin Jincheng’s opinion of Xia Yaoyao and her boyfriend leaned negative to begin with.
So forget lending out the washing machine — she wouldn’t even want to lend them a pair of scissors.
“I don’t like arguing with people, but I’m not a pushover either.” Lin Jincheng bit down on her straw, drinking yogurt. “Take Chi Xin at my company — if you don’t refuse him firmly, he’ll dump every single task on you.”
Qiao Di posed the soul-crushing question: “This overtime grind of yours — this is you after refusing?”
“…”
Lin Jincheng suddenly found the yogurt in her mouth tasteless. BLACK LOTUS Translations · Black Lotus Novel
She really should’ve quit ages ago!
Before long, the courier knocked — all three packages accounted for.
“Thanks.” “No need to thank me!”
The runner’s grin nearly split his face. “Everyone in the group chat is dying of envy that I snagged this delivery order!”
Normal hourly pay was maybe 10-20 yuan, but today a job of just a few hundred meters had paid out as high as 115 yuan — he’d made a killing.
The timing worked out perfectly — as the runner stepped into the elevator, the food delivery rider stepped out of the same one.
Lin Jincheng called Qiao Di over to grab the food delivery. “I’ll come back after I finish unpacking these.”
“No rush.” Qiao Di said, “I’ll go put the daikon and beef balls in first.” Daikon only got tastier the longer it simmered.
The first package she unpacked was the Jellycat Westie charm.
Lin Jincheng had complained the 229 yuan price was way too much when she ordered it — but seeing the actual item now, she was instantly won over.
The little dog was soft and squishy to the touch, incredibly, incredibly cute.
Worth it, worth it — it was worth every yuan!
[You previously rated it “ugly-cute and sloppy-looking.”]
Lin Jincheng hugged the little dog close. “Not listening. That was a bad review.”
Money-Dumping System: […]
The detail it had remembered didn’t seem to have made its host any happier.
Lin Jincheng hooked the Westie charm on with a fingertip and went ahead and unpacked the other two packages while she was at it.
Six packs of liquid sanitary pads and a jar of Kérastase black diamond hair mask.
Just as she finished, the SF Express courier arrived with her Lancôme order too.
Lin Jincheng first carried the charm, the pads, and the hair mask back to her room, then came back out to unpack the Lancôme delivery at the door.
She tore open the outer shipping box — inside was a gift box.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Jincheng caught sight of Xia Yaoyao, but didn’t even look up, focused on checking that everything in the gift box was there.
Seeing Lin Jincheng ignore her, Xia Yaoyao swallowed her irritation. “I’ll give you ten yuan to use the washing machine once. That work?”
Lin Jincheng: “…”
The silence made Xia Yaoyao suspect Lin Jincheng was angling to jack up the price. “Ten’s too little? Fine, thirty — enough to cover a meal for you.”
Ever since moving in, Xia Yaoyao had been sizing up her two roommates’ standard of living.
Sure, Lin Jincheng had the master bedroom with its own bathroom, but her food and daily spending were nowhere near as nice as her own.
Wait.
Lin Jincheng actually bought Lancôme Génifique?
Lin Jincheng stood up holding the gift box and glanced flatly at Xia Yaoyao.
Having received a string of packages she liked today, her mood was good and her energy had bounced back somewhat, so she said coolly, “Ten yuan, thirty yuan — how about I give you fifty yuan to buy your silence?”
Money-Dumping System: [0.o]
Xia Yaoyao flushed with humiliated anger. “Lin Jincheng!”
“What’s going on, what’s going on?!” Qiao Di came jogging over. “If she doesn’t want to lend it, she doesn’t have to — are you trying to start a fight?”
Mid-intervention, Qiao Di suddenly noticed the Lancôme-branded gift box in Lin Jincheng’s arms.
“Oh my god, you bought Lancôme too? Didn’t you just buy Chanel?” — B L A C K L O T U S Novel Translation Site
Lin Jincheng’s gaze settled back on Qiao Di, her tone easing. “The perfume, essential oils, and eyeshadow were from Chanel. The Génifique skincare line is from Lancôme.”
With that, Lin Jincheng walked straight into Qiao Di’s bedroom, Qiao Di right behind her.
Xia Yaoyao stood frozen in place, cheeks burning red.
A single bottle of Chanel perfume cost hundreds to over a thousand yuan — could someone with Lin Jincheng’s standard of living really afford that?!
But… the Lancôme box looked like the real deal too.
Beyond the door, out on the balcony, a rich spicy aroma was already wafting through.
Lin Jincheng sat down and watched the spicy broth in the pot bubble away like molten lava — the little flare of annoyance Xia Yaoyao had stirred up got boiled away with it.
“This hot pot base smells amazing.”
“Right? I specifically asked a local classmate about a neighborhood shop the locals actually eat at.”
Qiao Di dropped in some beef tenderloin. “This place has been open twenty years — tons of regulars.”
The tenderloin cooked fast.
Lin Jincheng picked up a slice and ate it plain, without dipping sauce.
Her taste buds first hit a wall of intense numbing spice — medium heat, well within what Lin Jincheng could handle.
And a few seconds later, the spiciness even left a sweet aftertaste.
Qiao Di leaned down and dug through her backpack for the local specialties she’d specifically brought back. “Told you I’d bring these — here, take them.”
Lin Jincheng didn’t stand on ceremony either, teasing with a smile: “Thanks for hauling these back in person.”
“What all did you buy? This whole big bag.”
“Hot pot base, peach slices,” Qiao Di recalled, “and spicy fava beans and dried beef strips too.”
After finishing the hot pot, Lin Jincheng brought out the whipped blush she’d bought from Chanel.
“Not sure if you’ll be in Shanghai for your birthday next week, so here’s your gift early.”
“AAAAAAAH! Thank you!”
Qiao Di tore open the packaging right in front of Lin Jincheng, saw the whipped blush inside, and her smile deepened. “I love this color!”
She put the blush back in her room, then came back out to wash pots with Lin Jincheng in the kitchen.
Partway through, Qiao Di spotted Xia Yaoyao’s boyfriend coming home from work and heading into their bedroom, and quietly gave Lin Jincheng a heads-up. “I had a falling-out with those two before, and within a couple days someone posted a callout about me on Xiaohongshu, trashing my character and my photography skills.”
This was the first Lin Jincheng had heard of it. “Which post? I’ll get my friends to help clear your name.”
“No need, no need. I already reported it.” Qiao Di said, annoyed. “The account smearing me didn’t hide its daily life photos — same face as Xia Yaoyao’s boyfriend!”
Using herself as an example, Qiao Di said worriedly, “You know I’m moving out next Monday — can you handle those two on your own?”
Lin Jincheng rinsed her gloves clean while running through a few possible scenarios in her head.
Worst case, things escalated into a fight, tempers flared, and Xia Yaoyao and her boyfriend both came at her physically.
If it actually came to blows, she’d definitely be the one at a disadvantage.
[Moving out immediately maximizes avoidance of potential disputes with current roommates. This is the optimal solution.]
Lin Jincheng already knew that much herself, and said, troubled, “I’m just kind of dreading the whole moving thing — packing, sorting things by category when you move in, it’s all such a hassle.”
Even hiring movers and an organizer, she’d still have to supervise everything.
Suddenly, something occurred to Lin Jincheng. B L A C K L O T U S Novel Translation · Black Lotus Novel
“I could just stay in a hotel first! There’s two months left on this lease before it’s non-refundable anyway — that’s basically paying seven-thousand-something to rent a little storage unit for a pile of luggage.”
The next day, the moment Lin Jincheng opened her eyes, the electronic voice sounded.
[Good morning.]
“Morning, morning, morning!”
Lin Jincheng rolled over once under the covers. “I’ve been way too blessed these past few days.”
The Money-Dumping System assumed she meant the romance fund disbursed for today, only to immediately see Lin Jincheng already sitting up hugging the blanket, cheeks flushed rosy-white, “I’ve woken up naturally, no alarm, several days in a row now!”
No alarms to set, no design deadlines to rush, no all-nighters.
So relaxing, so wonderful.
The Money-Dumping System watched silently for a few seconds. [550,000 yuan in romance funds has been credited. A 70,000 yuan cash bonus will be granted upon full expenditure.]
How much?!
Lin Jincheng checked her bank deposit notification like someone who’d never seen money before — 550,000!
Good lord.
Three years of work plus year-end bonuses hadn’t even added up to 550,000 for her.
If it weren’t for the fact that spending it all would trigger another payout, Lin Jincheng genuinely wanted to just save the whole 550,000.
Oh wait, no — there was no telling when the next one would come after she spent this.
She’d been living too comfortably these past few days and had nearly forgotten the System had said the interval between two payouts wasn’t always 24 hours.
It could be 24 hours, could be 48 hours, but would never exceed 30 days.
“When does the mechanism triggering an interval longer than 24 hours kick in?”
[The main program specifies it won’t trigger until daily spending falls below 5,000,000 — otherwise it wouldn’t fit the “wealthy boyfriend” persona.]
Lin Jincheng: “…”
Hahahahahahahahaha, thank god she’d picked “wealthy boyfriend” and not just “boyfriend.”
Today was 550,000 — nowhere near 5,000,000.
Even if the 30-day interval did trigger, spending 5,000,000 a month meant 60,000,000 a year, 120,000,000 over two years.
That was the kind of overnight-riches life plenty of people could only dream of.
In the original plot, she’d been the sole heir of a distant relative, squeezing into high society, actually living off 100,000 yuan a month drawn from a trust fund.
That distant relative had said it was so someone in the world would always remember them.
Now — 5,000,000 a month! 5,000,000! 5,000,000!
[Maxing out the trigger for the 30-day interval — the next payout is guaranteed to double.]
Lin Jincheng: 0v0!
Music to her ears!
Lin Jincheng patted her chest to steady herself, then pulled up the hotel she’d scoped out the night before on the app — Banyan Tree.
Its reputation didn’t quite reach the level of Bulgari, the Peninsula, or the Ritz-Carlton.
The building itself was older too, built over a decade ago — the decor was probably dated.
Lin Jincheng picked it mainly because the room types available for last-minute booking at the other hotels couldn’t compare.
Starting tomorrow, she’d stay 4 nights, to avoid the hassle of moving around repeatedly.
After those 4 nights, she’d get to try out other five-star hotels.
Banyan Tree had a dozen-plus room categories — light-luxury river-view rooms, Bund river-view rooms, river-view suites, and so on. | Black Lotus novel Translations — BLACK LOTUS NOVEL
Prices ranged from 2,500+ to over 10,000.
Lin Jincheng was about to go straight for the room type she’d picked out the night before, when the page threw up an 88,888 suite out of nowhere.
Presidential Suite – Oriental Pearl Tower View, 307㎡…
She’d thought these past several days of spending had already toughened her up.
Turned out she’d overestimated herself.
Lin Jincheng agonized over it for a few seconds, but still couldn’t bring herself to drop 88,888 on a room, and booked the next tier down instead — the Grand River-View Suite.
This suite also came with an Oriental Pearl Tower view suffix, 158㎡.
Plenty for her alone.
Though netizens were split on some of the room types, the Grand River-View Suite’s reputation held up well.
Lin Jincheng placed the order right away.
New-customer discount knocked off 9,332 yuan, first-booking discount another 1,867 yuan.
For 4 nights, the total came to 51,001 yuan.
