Financial Independence through Cracked Apps-Chapter 133 - 125: Winning Glory for the Nation

Langting Yangzi Hotel.

Aria walked into the lobby with a light spring in her step, her long ponytail swinging behind her, a faint smile on her lips.

This was her first time in Modu, but instead of choosing one of the world-famous luxury hotels, she had opted for this boutique hotel with its unique decor.

The location was excellent.

It was next to Jinling Pedestrian Street, right in the Modu Central Business District.

From her window, she could look out over famous Modu landmarks like People’s Square, the Grand Theater, and the Bund at any time, without even having to leave her room.

Plus, the abundance of great food in the area quickly captured her heart—or rather, her stomach.

Although she wasn’t quite used to Huaxia’s cuisine at first, after three days of tasting it, she thought Modu was a fantastic place!

She even felt it was better than her own capital city!

A great place to live long-term.

On top of that, she had met a charming and humorous Huaxian gentleman like Lin Shen while out for a run.

Aria’s smile widened as she replayed the evening’s events in her mind.

A wonderful encounter in a foreign land is often the most unforgettable.

Humming a folk song unique to her home country, Aria took the elevator to the top floor and swiped her key card to enter the double room, number 1304.

Someone was sitting on the edge of the bed.

She had large, pale-gold waves cascading over her shoulders and was wearing a light, pale brown nightdress.

It was Laila, Aria’s best friend, who had come to Modu to travel with her.

"Laila? Why are you back already?"

Aria was surprised to see that Laila had already showered.

"Didn’t you go on a date with that guy we met today?"

"I did."

Seeing that Aria was back, Laila leaned back on her hands on the bed and couldn’t help but start complaining to her.

...

"Is that so?"

Aria suddenly recalled certain details about Lin Shen.

But Laila’s scathing, generalized critique made her want to stand up for Lin Shen.

"It was probably just an isolated case, right? Maybe you just had bad luck."

"Then you go try it."

Laila fell back onto the bed, turning onto her side and curling up her legs as she looked at Aria with a teasing smile.

"You came all the way to Huaxia. Aren’t you going to get a taste of their men?"

"Maybe tomorrow."

Aria took off her tank top and shorts, planning to take a quick shower.

Just then, Laila rushed over, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, her curiosity piqued.

"You’ve already found a target?"

"You could say that."

Aria explained with a smile.

"While I was running today, I met a really handsome Huaxian guy. He’s also super athletic—he can run a 5K in about 15 minutes!"

"That just means he has good stamina. It doesn’t mean he’s good in *that* way."

Laila pouted dismissively, then said with conviction,

"You’ll see if I’m right tomorrow. You’ll probably be back in half an hour, just like I was."

"He’s my first Huaxian friend."

Hearing Laila constantly belittling Lin Shen, whether intentionally or not, Aria’s expression turned serious.

"He helped me a lot. I don’t like you talking about him like that."

"Sounds like you really like him."

Laila didn’t get angry. Instead, her inner gossip-monger flared to life.

"Aria, tell me how you two met!"

"I’ll tell you after my shower."

Already naked, Aria stepped into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and began rinsing the layer of sweat from her body.

Her frequent outdoor exercise had given her skin a healthy, tanned complexion, and the contours of her muscles were particularly well-defined.

This was also what was making Aria worry about her date tomorrow.

She had noticed that the beautiful women of Modu were all fair-skinned, pretty, petite, and delicate.

A woman like her, with a larger frame and a muscular physique, was probably not Lin Shen’s type.

But his mature attitude and gentlemanly behavior today had landed squarely in her strike zone.

She found herself completely smitten.

’I’ll see what happens when we meet tomorrow,’ she thought. ’Even if Lin Shen isn’t... capable, I can’t hurt his pride. Otherwise, I’ll lose a really good Huaxian friend.’

Aria rubbed her face and silently made her decision.

*

*

August 24, 2025. Sunday.

20°C–30°C, overcast, southeast wind level 3, humidity 36%.

[Construction Bank: Your account ending in 7946 received a deposit of RMB 23,000 on 08/24 at 00:01. Current balance: 2,643,000.]

7:30 AM.

The entire city seemed to be veiled by a thick, gray gauze. Leaden clouds pressed down on the horizon, making it hard to breathe.

No wind, heavy humidity.

This was typical weather for Modu.

But thankfully, the sun was blocked, so the temperature was relatively low and suitable for going out.

Lin Shen got up early to wash up, wanting to be in top form for his date with Aria today. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After all, he wasn’t just representing himself; he was representing the dignity of all Huaxian men.

He couldn’t drop the ball now!

So, Lin Shen meticulously washed up, shaved, and styled his hair into a clean, fresh look.

A Morgan forward-fringe.

It was the only one his stylist, Jason, had taught him. Other styles required a flat iron, which was too much trouble.

Lin Shen couldn’t be bothered with anything so flashy.

Phew—!

Once his appearance was sorted, Lin Shen went to his closet and picked out a casual LV summer outfit, then put on a silver chain and his green and gold Daytona.

And just like that, a fashionable trendsetter was born!

"Not bad!"

Standing in front of the mirror, Lin Shen was quite satisfied with his image.

’European and American girls probably prefer this kind of trendy style, right?’

Lin Shen left the bathroom, grabbed his keys, and went downstairs.

However, he didn’t rush to drive off and pick up Aria. First, he went to pick up a package.

The super-sized condoms he had ordered online.

The package contained not only the regular kind but also a variety of fun, novelty types.

In total, there were a full twenty large boxes!

"Feels like this should last me a year or two."

Lin Shen muttered to himself as he tossed the package into his car’s trunk. He then opened it up, took out two boxes, and stuffed them into his pocket for today’s use.

’Can’t have her going back to Germany with a souvenir, can I?’

’That would be a rather scary specialty product...’

Lin Shen got into the driver’s seat, turned on the AC and the music, then leaned back with his eyes closed, lightly tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel with his right hand.

It was a little habit of his after getting in the car.

After a short rest, Lin Shen sent Aria a message.

[Lin Shen: I’m on my way to pick you up. Are you ready?]

[Aria: OK]

Receiving Lin Shen’s message, Aria quickly changed her clothes in front of the mirror.

A wine-red, long-sleeved crop top paired with gray high-waisted jeans.

This casual style both revealed her sexy, toned waistline and elongated the lines of her legs, a simple yet effective way to highlight the advantages of her wonderful, shapely figure.

This was something Aria was quite confident about.

After getting dressed, she took out a compact to touch up her makeup, then said goodbye to Laila, who was still asleep in bed.

"I’m heading out."

"Mmm... be safe. Don’t forget your flight tomorrow morning."

"I know."

Aria took the elevator downstairs and immediately spotted Lin Shen waiting on a sofa in the lobby.

Her eyes instantly lit up.

Having deliberately dressed up today, Lin Shen was even more attractive than he had been yesterday.

Last night, the lighting in the stadium had been dim, and he was wearing workout clothes, so his handsomeness might not have been as obvious.

But today,

his sharp jawline and brow bone, his well-defined and slender hands, and his tall, sturdy physique...

...all revealed a cool, stern handsomeness different from his athletic style.

This was all exactly to Aria’s taste, making her heart flutter as she waved excitedly.

"Linshen, over here!"

"Aria."

Hearing her, Lin Shen stood up, smiled, and gave a small wave with his right hand.

Aria jogged over, wrapped her arms directly around his waist, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him an intimate cheek kiss.

"You look so handsome today!"

"Thanks. You look beautiful today, too."

Aria’s enthusiasm was almost too much even for a seasoned player like Lin Shen. He quickly changed the subject.

"Is there anywhere you’d like to go?"

"I want to experience Huaxia’s deep history and culture."

Aria smiled and linked her arm through Lin Shen’s.

"You must know a lot about it, right?"

"I know a little, but not that much. You really think I know everything?"

Lin Shen said half-jokingly, but Aria nodded seriously, which made his mind stir.

Hiss—!

’Are foreign girls this easy to fool?’

’This affinity level is rising way too fast!’

"Let’s go. I’ll take you to Jing’an Temple for a look around first."

"Okay."

Since she had decided to let Lin Shen show her around Modu, Aria was happy to unconditionally follow the advice of a local.

After getting into the passenger seat, her gaze shifted slightly, and she noticed the Rolex green and gold Daytona on Lin Shen’s left wrist.

This surprised Aria a little.

’So Lin Shen isn’t just good-looking and athletic, but his family is rich too?’

This pleasant surprise suddenly made Aria’s heart race with excitement.

She had originally just planned on a brief, romantic encounter with Lin Shen in a foreign land to put a perfect end to her trip to Huaxia.

She didn’t necessarily expect to stay in touch after returning home; after all, the distance was too great.

But if Lin Shen was wealthy, it meant international flights wouldn’t be a financial burden for him.

In that case, it felt like they could meet again in the future!

Aria’s heart filled with a sliver of hope.

"That watch of yours is really nice! A lot of my students wear that model."

"Oh, this?"

VROOOM—!

Lin Shen elegantly and skillfully turned the steering wheel with one hand, chuckling as he drove away from the hotel entrance.

"It’s very expensive here in our country. It should be much cheaper where you’re from, right? Since there are no tariffs."

"Not cheap at all. It costs tens of thousands of euros."

Aria said admiringly.

"Linshen, I didn’t realize you were so rich."

"It’s alright. Enough to get by in Modu, I guess."

This wasn’t Lin Shen being modest; it was the truth.

The two million-plus in his bank account probably didn’t even qualify as middle class in Modu.

However, Aria really liked Lin Shen’s humble attitude.

She swayed slightly to the upbeat European and American music playing in the car, mouthing the words along with the song. It felt as if every single one of Lin Shen’s tastes was a perfect match for hers.

"You like Sia, too?"

"Of course. She’s an international superstar, after all."

When it came to different girls, Lin Shen had "Schrödinger’s preferences."

As long as he could find some common ground, he could make her feel like she had found a kindred spirit, causing her affection for him to skyrocket.

And right now, that was exactly what was happening with Aria.

She stole glances at Lin Shen’s focused profile as he drove, her eyes gradually becoming hazy and filled with deep affection.

’Maybe tonight will be a very good night!’