Chapter 23: Suspicion
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Yu Sheng gave the television a quick once-over and discovered it had simply crashed.
Typical of cheap smart devices used for too long—the classic scenario: Oh dear, I’ve been working nonstop for two hours! My CPU is overheating! Memory error! Power supply too hot! Or maybe I just felt like crashing…
He couldn’t help but reminisce about the sturdy old TVs from his memories. Back then, home appliances weren’t as finicky as today’s smart gadgets. Sure, they had fewer functions, but he didn’t think all these fancy smart features nowadays were all that useful—each so-called “artificial intelligence” acting more like “artificial stupidity.”
“Just unplug it, wait two minutes, and restart,” Yu Sheng mused as he casually switched off the TV. He turned to Irene and said, “This thing isn’t very reliable. If it’s on too long, it crashes.”
“Then why don’t you get a new one?” Irene’s eyes lit up immediately. “Get one with voice control! Then I could change the channels myself. Even when you’re not home, I could watch TV…”
“You’ve got some nerve making demands!” Yu Sheng looked at her—this girl who acted like she owned the place—and found himself both amused and slightly annoyed. “You’re squatting in my house, and I haven’t even said anything. Now you want a new TV? Are you paying for it or helping out?”
“I…” Irene opened her mouth, and her face actually turned a bit red. She stammered, “I… I don’t have any money, but I’ve been helping you learn about the Otherworld! That counts as being a consultant, doesn’t it?”
“This consultant’s memory isn’t that great, is it? You can’t even be sure if what you say is reliable,” Yu Sheng smirked. “If I hire you as a consultant, I’d need to hire another consultant to advise you.”