Chapter 41: Computers and Plans

I hadn't yet experienced the local ladies of Sichuan, but I had certainly experienced the local spicy hotpot.

Whether it was psychological or not, Li Yan felt that it carried a certain depth of flavor that the Sichuan-style hotpot he’d had in Shandong Province lacked.

Returning home, he showered to wash away the lingering scent of hotpot. His Chanel outfit also carried a faint smell of the meal, but that didn't matter; he peeled it off and tossed it into the laundry basket in the bathroom. When the housekeeping service came by to clean, they would take it to a professional dry cleaner. As for washing it himself? It wasn’t that Li Yan was lazy, he just felt there was no point. If having money could make life easier, why not enjoy it?

After washing up, Li Yan changed into a loose-fitting home shirt and shorts, slipped on his sandals, and headed to the balcony. The central air conditioning in the apartment continued to pump out cold air; Chengdu was just too hot. Especially during the summer break, the idea of going outside was a daunting task.

He had thought about brewing a cup of tea, but Li Yan wasn't particularly fond of tea. Yet, as he sat on the balcony, looking out at the distant mountains and the cityscape, he wondered if a cup of tea might be better suited for the moment. Never mind, he didn't like it.

He pulled out the bottle of Macallan 12-year-old he had just bought, grabbed a glass, added some ice, and poured himself a whisky. Even though it was close to evening, a drink sounded quite nice.

Li Yan actually still had many things left to prepare, but at this moment, he was too lazy to go out again. Without his own car, it was always inconvenient, and with the weather being this hot, he would just see to it after he woke up.

After finishing the whisky, Li Yan felt a bit drowsy. Without hesitation, he walked straight into the master bedroom, lay down, and drifted off to sleep. He didn't bother setting an alarm; he would just wake up naturally.

...

Li Yan sat up in bed, stretched, and checked his phone: 8:00 AM. He had slept for a solid ten hours, sweeping away all the fatigue from the previous days of travel. After doing some light stretching in the bedroom, he went to the bathroom to wash up.

The sound of running water washed away his remaining sleepiness. The man in the mirror looked relaxed, the weariness from his travels gone from his brow. When he emerged, dressed and ready, Li Yan was a picture of clean, crisp style: a simple black-and-white Louis Vuitton t-shirt paired with Chanel casual trousers—not flashy, but high-quality. The clothes he had changed out of last night were sitting in the laundry basket, waiting for the housekeeper to take them away later.

His primary goal today was to assemble a desktop computer and pick up a laptop. He was an advertising major who loved photography, and he had recently planned to participate in some photography exhibitions, which required heavy post-processing work on a large volume of photos. Plus, he needed a high-performance machine for occasional entertainment.

His budget was set at around 30,000, not including the laptop. The system’s cash-back hadn't arrived yet, but his credit card limit was more than enough to cover it. With that thought, he grabbed his phone and wallet, tucked his keys into his pocket, and after double-checking that he had everything, he strode out the door.

He hailed a ride-hailing car and told the driver, "The Digital Plaza." It was the city's famous hub for computer hardware, where one could find everything from high-end DIY rigs to brand-name laptops.

In the car, he flipped through the notes he had made on his phone: CPU needed to be an i9 or a high-end AMD, graphics card at least an RTX 4080, 32GB of RAM, 1T or 2T NVMe drive... These were just "30,000-budget high-end configurations" he’d found online; he still needed professional advice from a shop technician.

When he arrived at the Digital Plaza, it was bustling with noise and covered in advertising signs. Li Yan navigated through the shops, surrounded by shouting vendors and flickering gaming lightboxes. He spotted a large, professional-looking flagship store labeled "High-End Designer/Photo Editing/E-Sports Specialist" and decided to go in.

The store was filled with various computer cases, graphics cards, and motherboards, each tagged with prices and specifications. A young consultant wearing an ID badge approached him and asked about his needs and budget.

"Around 30,000," Li Yan replied. "Mainly for photo editing and occasional entertainment. It needs to be stable and fast. No gaudy RGB lighting, please."

The clerk smiled and immediately began listing a configuration on his computer:
- CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (approx. 4,000-5,000)
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA RTX 4080 (approx. 8,000-9,000)
- RAM: 32GB DDR5 (2x 16GB)
- Motherboard: Z790 or X670 series high-end (approx. 2,000-3,000)
- SSD: 1TB NVMe Gen4 (approx. 700-1,000)
- Power Supply: 850W Platinum-rated + 240mm water cooling or tower cooler (approx. 1,500-2,000)
- Case: Minimalist style (approx. 500-800)
- Plus a monitor with professional color calibration or 4K IPS panel (approx. 3,000-5,000)

The total came to just over 25,000 to 30,000. Li Yan was satisfied with this range. After reviewing the specific brands and models and having no objections, he asked the clerk to add a professional 4K resolution monitor for an extra 4,000-5,000, bringing the total to a cap of 33,000.

The clerk was confident. "This performance is more than enough for photo editing and video rendering, and it qualifies as high-end for gaming."

Li Yan nodded. "Then let's go with this set. Don't add any flashy lights to the tower; just keep the case design simple."

The clerk excitedly gathered the parts and had a technician assemble them on-site, promising the testing would be finished in about an hour. Li Yan wasn't in a hurry. "Have it delivered to my place. I'll pay for the shipping; I don't feel like carrying it back."

The clerk smiled and said that was no problem—free delivery within the city.

After waiting over an hour, the technician finished assembling the rig and ran simple tests like Cinebench and 3DMark to ensure the CPU and graphics card were working normally and that temperatures were within a reasonable range. Li Yan took a casual look at the scores; they were sufficient for his needs. He had them pack it up and wrote down his address.

"Just leave it at the front desk," Li Yan said.

"No problem, you can count on us," the clerk assured him.

Next was the laptop, which was simpler. Li Yan walked straight to the Apple store nearby and bought a 16-inch MacBook Pro for 23,000. The whole process took less than fifteen minutes.

His spending today totaled 56,000. While it wasn't exactly pocket change, Li Yan didn't take it to heart. After all, the system’s cash-back would be arriving in a few days. While he still couldn't be called a "super-rich" tycoon, for a college freshman to have several million in disposable funds, it was quite a carefree existence.

After all, even for the average rich kid, how much is a month's living allowance in college? A few tens of thousands? A hundred thousand? That was rare. In most cases, a college student's monthly allowance of 2,000 to 5,000 was the norm.

He carried the laptop back himself, while the assembled desktop was already on its way via the shop's delivery service. His main work for today was getting the computer and network set up, and Li Yan had nothing else to do. After all, only once the system cash-back arrived could he truly let loose and enjoy the enthusiasm of Chengdu.

Ahem, the enthusiasm of the local ladies of Chengdu!

Back home, Li Yan set down the laptop. He hadn't eaten breakfast, and seeing it was around 11:00 AM, he decided to just order some takeout.