A Carefree Life of Sign-Ins: My Little Life on Easy Mode

The morning sun filtered through the patterned curtains, casting flecks of light and shadow across Su Yao’s face. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she sat up in bed and grabbed the phone beside her pillow. The screen was packed with unread messages, and she frowned. In the work group, her supervisor had tagged everyone and demanded a project update within ten minutes. Her college best friend had messaged her to complain about a blind date, then ended by urging her to hurry up and find a partner. Even the owner of the breakfast shop downstairs had sent her a recommendation for the latest menu item.

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy.” Su Yao muttered and tossed her phone aside. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her hair falling in a messy tangle across her shoulders. An ordinary urban office worker, she lived like a clock wound tight: work, overtime, sleep, day after day. It was monotonous and exhausting.

She shuffled into the bathroom in her slippers. As she squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush in front of the mirror, a pale blue light suddenly flashed across its surface. Su Yao jumped back, nearly slipping on the tile, and the toothbrush in her hand clattered into the sink. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was still half-asleep and hallucinating. But the light flashed again, this time accompanied by a mechanical electronic voice: “Ding! The Leisurely Life Sign-In System has been activated. Host detected in bedroom. Would you like to sign in for the first time?”

“What the heck?” Su Yao’s eyes widened as she warily scanned the bathroom, trying to find the source of the voice. But aside from her own quickened breathing, the room was silent, with only the occasional honk of a car outside.

“Your first sign-in will earn you a mystery beauty bundle. Would you like to confirm?”