Lin Xiaolu once again fell silent, her fingers gripping the phone tightening ever so slightly, as if she were enduring something. Finally, she sat up abruptly and tossed the phone aside:
"Boring, I quit! Let's watch TV!"
She snatched the remote control out of Xia Liang's hand, and without waiting for Xia Liang to react, she rapidly pressed the buttons, flipping back to the channel that was airing cartoons.
"What the heck, I wasn't done watching the news, switch it back!" Xia Liang protested.
"You weren't watching anyway," Lin Xiaolu retorted confidently.
"You were the one who stopped watching first!"
"Well, now I want to watch!"
"You're not playing the game anymore?" Xia Liang raised an eyebrow.
"Not playing!" Lin Xiaolu stated emphatically.
"But didn't you still want to get a character you haven't got?"
"It's just virtual data, who cares if I don't have it!" Lin Xiaolu stared at the TV, her chin lifted a bit.
"But, I clearly saw the interface of that gacha saying '12 pulls left to summon the designated Magical Girl'."
Xia Liang picked up Lin Xiaolu's phone from the sofa cushion next to her, pointing at a line of text on the screen: "Look."
The firm expression on Lin Xiaolu's face suddenly wavered. She tried to pretend she was focused on the TV, but her constant glances to the side betrayed her. After realizing this, she eventually gave up the pretense and silently reached out, somewhat resignedly taking the phone from Xia Liang.
She looked at the screen and indeed, there it was, the line of text Xia Liang mentioned. She tapped on the list behind that line and quickly found the "Emerald Sparrow" she had been longing for; a glint of excitement flickered in her eyes again.
"Just 12 more pulls, just 12 more..."
She began to think hard: "But how can I gather enough for these 12 pulls?"
She had already claimed most of the early game level completion rewards, and the difficulty of later levels was increasing—without being able to rely on "support characters," she was certain she couldn't touch those.
And in a gacha game, if you want to get the resources for pulling aside from the rewards, it seems there's only one method left.
"Why not just charge some money?" Xia Liang tilted her head.
"No, I know I can pay, but spending money on this kind of thing seems like..."
Lin Xiaolu struggled: "Doesn't it seem like I'm losing sight of what's important, getting lost in idle amusements?"
"True, there are always those news reports about the dangers of getting addicted to games."
Xia Liang nodded again: "So, maybe you shouldn't play?"
Lin Xiaolu stared at the gacha interface on the game screen, hesitating for a long time without making a decision. Her rationality told her she shouldn't spend money on this, but her emotions were urging her to go ahead and press the button.
In her mind, a fierce internal struggle raged, and as she stared at the screen, her eyes grew more vacant, a thin layer of cold sweat forming on her forehead. She pursed her lips, and a whirlpool slowly began to emerge in her dark pupils.
So, three minutes later.
Lin Xiaolu selected the pay option in the shop interface.
After careful calculation, she realized that the 68 yuan option would suffice for the 12 pulls she needed, so Lin Xiaolu, for the first time in her life, chose to make an in-game purchase.
She repeatedly checked the option button on her phone screen, read the payment information, and after ensuring that charging money now would indeed meet the "first-time discount" condition, she finally nodded, extended her hand, and placed her finger on the fingerprint sensor.
Then, she suddenly heard a scream from the TV.
Instinctively looking up to see what happened in the cartoon, she found it was just the TV show's protagonist breaking an object. Disappointed, Lin Xiaolu lowered her head again, only to see the message "Payment Complete" pop up on her screen.
Spending money in a game for the first time in her life caused a certain amount of guilt in Lin Xiaolu, but amidst the guilt, there was also an illicit thrill. Embracing these mixed feelings, she returned to the gacha interface to finish her remaining 12 pulls and claim the character she wanted. But as her finger touched the pull button, she suddenly noticed that the number of pulls was somehow not quite right.
If she remembered correctly, the resources she bought with her money should be about 15 pulls, so why did she now have 150 pulls?
Staring at the number displayed on her phone screen, Lin Xiaolu was momentarily stunned.
Xia Liang, noticing Lin Xiaolu's troubled expression, leaned in closer, and when she saw the number on the screen, she too involuntarily covered her mouth: "How much did you charge?"
"It should be 68 yuan... I think?"
Lin Xiaolu said uncertainly, flipping back to the shop interface in the game to check the previous recharge option, only to see the "first-time discount" label still brightly displayed on the 68 yuan option. In contrast, the 648 yuan option no longer had the "first-time discount" label, and the glaringly empty button seemed to hint at something.
Looking at her phone screen, Lin Xiaolu fell into a prolonged silence again.
It seemed she had pressed the wrong button.
"Where did you get that much money?"
Xia Liang couldn't help but ask: "Your dad's pocket money for you?"
Lin Xiaolu gradually came out of her daze, stuttering: "If I remember correctly, I think it's from the Emerald Sparrow from a few days ago."