Lu Zhe could never have imagined that the girl in front of him could not only make money through painting, but also gamble on football.
In reality, Xue Xiaodie only bet on one match correctly, which was the Copa America final she watched with Lu Zhe yesterday. As for the European Championship match tonight, she didn't remember it very well, so she didn't bet much—luckily, she only bet a small portion of her funds, so the loss was still acceptable.
She remembered that Italy should have won, and they did, but the match was decided in a penalty shootout. The score was tied after 90 minutes of regulation time, and football betting only considers the first 90 minutes. So, she lost her 3,000 yuan that evening.
Even a reborn person can make the wrong bet, which is undoubtedly a profound lesson for Xue Xiaodie, who is already cautious.
She decided to never gamble again, and while her total winnings were still positive, she decided to quit while she was ahead. After all, she couldn't remember the results of the subsequent football matches.
Even reborn individuals can make the wrong bets; for those without the advantage of rebirth, gambling on sports is as dangerous as walking blindfolded.
However, with the ten thousand yuan she already had, plus the expected income from her artwork, Xue Xiaodie felt she could start looking at the rent in those upscale neighborhoods nearby. Renting for a year or two shouldn't be a problem.
Lu Zhe asked, "Is your family still giving you living expenses?"
Xue Xiaodie: "I gave it to her last month, but I told my mom a few days ago that she doesn't need to give me any more living expenses."
Lu Zhe thought for a moment and said, "I can understand you. When you first start making money, you're bound to be very confident. But... let me put it this way, have you ever heard of a black swan?"
Xue Xiaodie rested her delicate chin on her hands and smiled as she replied, "It's a black swan event. Europeans originally thought all swans were white until they discovered black swans in their colonies, which completely overturned their worldview. Later, the term 'black swan' came to represent unpredictable events. Major events like the Industrial Revolution, the theory of relativity, and quantum mechanics were all impossible to predict beforehand; they are all black swans."
Lu Zhe was stunned: "Ah, this..."
The girl gazed at him, a sly smile playing on her lips, her eyes sparkling with intelligence: "Are you planning to give me a little science lesson?"
Lu Zhe scratched his head: "You know that's good. What I mean is that unexpected difficulties can arise in personal life. To be prepared, you need to keep some cash on hand and not spend too much. For example, when my previous company laid off departments, a lot of my colleagues lost their jobs. Some people panicked, but I was fine. Because I had savings, which was more than enough to support me until I found my next job."
Xue Xiaodie: "Is this the experience shared by people in society?"
Lu Zhe: "Of course it's all your money, you can spend it however you want, I'm just making a suggestion. As for where there are any rentals nearby... I've never rented a place here before, so I'm really not sure, sorry."
Xue Xiaodie nodded: "It's okay, I'll look for it... but I have a question."
Lu Zhe: "What's the problem?"
Xue Xiaodie: "If you don't rent a place, then where do you live?"
Lu Zhe hesitated for a moment, and because of this momentary hesitation, he also felt a kind of indescribable guilt.
Strange, why hesitate? Why feel guilty?
However, after a brief pause, he answered honestly, "At Miss Tang Qi's house."
Xue Xiaodie's usually elegant and intellectual expression finally crumbled, and she looked on incredulously: "You two live together?"
Lu Zhe explained, "Because her house is very big, with three bedrooms. There are also several rooms between the bedrooms, so there's really no problem. The biggest advantage for me in staying at her house is that it saves time, and it also saves on rent."
Xue Xiaodie stared at him intently for a long while without saying a word.
Lu Zhe also felt a little embarrassed and could only lower his head and eat.
But just as he picked up a piece of beef, he heard the girl's voice again: "So your part-time job includes room and board? That's enviable. Um, isn't there a spare bedroom? Can we add another person?"
Lu Zhe looked up, his face filled with astonishment. The piece of beef was stuck in his throat, and he even forgot to swallow it.
Xue Xiaodie smiled and said, "I was just kidding. How could such a thing be possible!"
Lu Zhe breathed a sigh of relief and shoveled another mouthful of rice into his mouth. After swallowing the food, he subconsciously said, "Anyway, I can't help you find a place, but when you move, I'll help you carry your luggage."
Xue Xiaodie: "Okay, I can move the luggage now!"
Looking at the girl's gentle smile, Lu Zhe felt increasingly helpless. Wasn't he supposed to keep his distance? Why did it feel like the distance was only getting closer?
Is it because I'm too indecisive?
————
After lunch, Lu Zhe and Xue Xiaodie took the elevator up, parted ways at the company entrance, and went into their respective offices.
Lu Zhe returned to his workstation and rested on his desk for a while. When he sat up, his afternoon work had already begun.
He started chatting with the artificial intelligence in the speaker again.
"Xiao Qiu, do you know who your parents are?"
AI: "Xiao Qiu works for Ji Chunqiu Technology Company. My parents are the heads of the company."
Lu Zhe smiled and said, "You're quite good at talking... So, do you know who your boss is?"
AI: "Xiao Qiu is not an employee, and has no boss."
Lu Zhe was about to continue teasing the artificial intelligence when he subconsciously looked up and suddenly noticed a detail he had never paid attention to before.
There was a camera installed in the corner of the wall above his head.
From the camera's angle, it should have been able to capture him, as well as his colleagues from the testing and algorithm departments...
Lu Zhe lowered his head and continued working without making a sound.
"Xiao Qiu, if you're not an employee, then what is your role?"
AI: "I am a student who is still growing."
Lu Zhe: "So what are you studying...?"
While teasing the AI with trivial questions, he actually wanted to ask it whether the company's cameras were on or off. If they were, wouldn't someone be watching?
Lu Zhe understood that installing cameras in offices was perfectly normal. For example, his previous company had several cameras installed above the heads of the programmers and operations staff. However, unless an employee suddenly fainted or something similar happened, no one usually watched the surveillance footage. Those cameras were mostly installed as a precaution.
Now, the camera above my head should be the same, right?
Lu Zhe glanced at it again.
To be precise, the camera wasn't directly above him, but rather at the junction of the wall and ceiling in front of him. Judging by the angle, it should have been able to capture Lu Zhe's face perfectly.
But since no one was watching anyway, he figured he might as well film it; it didn't matter—he quickly stopped worrying about such a small detail.
————
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