NOVEL NEXT Chapter 273: A Morning Of Restlessness
The next morning came slowly.
The soft Dubai sunlight slipped through the tall curtains, spreading across the room in a bright sheet. It was past ten already, but Liam made no effort to move. He lay on his back, staring quietly at the ceiling.
His mind felt heavy. He was feeling tired but rather, his mind felt full. He had slept well. His body felt fine. But something inside him felt stuck.
He exhaled softly and placed an arm across his forehead.
He has a meeting with the Qatari representative tomorrow. After that, he planned to fly out of Dubai the following day.
That wasn't the problem.The problem was what came after.
He did not want to return to the United States. He knew he needed to though. The upcoming meeting with the JP Morgan CEO was important.
But the idea of going back to the same place, the same apartment, the same routine… made him feel trapped.
Even though he could travel anywhere he wanted, he realized he had been living like a prisoner—by choice. He stayed indoors, worked nonstop, built things, planned things, built more things… but never truly lived.
He felt suffocated.
His mind drifted through everything he had done since receiving the system almost two months ago. From creating Lucy, building Lucid and the things that came after. And also, travelling across two other worlds.
Meeting royal families and governments. Handling wealth most people could not imagine.
But what had he truly done for himself?
Liam blinked slowly.
"Nothing…"
He sat up halfway, then let himself fall back down again.
He stared at the ceiling and murmured, "I need a vacation."
It was strange to say it out loud. He wasn't tired. He wasn't burnt out. But his world had grown so fast, so large, that he hadn't stopped to breathe.
He wanted to feel normal for a moment. Not as the mind behind Nova Technologies. Not as the mysterious owner of impossible tech. Not as the man building a starship on the moon. Not as the multiverse walker.
But just as himself.
He sat up slowly this time, rubbing the back of his neck as his mind pieced together the plan he had already formed last night.
East Asia. South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau.
Just the names alone gave him a strange excitement.
He imagined walking through Seoul at night, neon lights everywhere. Eating street food. Watching people laugh and dance outside clubs.
He imagined Tokyo's massive crowds, vending machines on every corner, and stores filled with things that would never exist in the West.
He imagined Singapore's clean streets, the night skyline, the Marina Bay glowing under bright colors.
He imagined Hong Kong's busy markets and high-rise buildings packed so close they looked like a maze.
Macau… the gambling city. The second biggest in the world.
A small smile formed on his lips as he thought about it.
People go there to gamble and pray for luck.
He would go there and bend luck itself.
It wasn't arrogance. It was just fact.
If he wanted money, he didn't need casinos. But he wanted fun and he wants chaos at the same time.
He also wants to splurge—to throw money away on games just to feel the thrill. And maybe make ten times profit on it while doing it.
But taking a vacation didn't mean ignoring Velaris. He would still go there every day to handle what needed to be done.
A vacation didn't mean laziness. For him, it meant balance.
He had carried too much on his shoulders in a short time. He needed to breathe before the weight turned into something heavy.
As for the length of the vacation? Two weeks minimum.
Within that time, the starship would be completed and he can go on his deep space travel if he wants to.
Liam exhaled again and let himself fall flat on the bed for a moment. He felt the mattress sink under him gently.
Even after planning everything, he still didn't feel like moving. He didn't even feel like gaming with his friends today.
He lifted his hand slightly and stared at it, almost as if waiting for motivation to form.
"What do rich people do for fun?" he muttered.
He had no real answer. Yes, he was rich—beyond anything the world had ever seen. But he hadn't lived like it at all.
He didn't buy supercars just to show them off. He didn't host parties. He didn't go out. He didn't date. He didn't have a nightlife. He didn't travel for pleasure.
He used wealth like a tool. Nothing more.
He thought about his friends. About how easily they laughed. How every day, they played games, joked, relaxed, and enjoyed life without worry.
He envied that. Not because he wanted a carefree life. But because they knew how to enjoy the present.
He sighed again, deeper this time. Then another thought entered his mind.
He was single.
He had been so focused on everything else that he hadn't even looked in that direction. He hadn't tried. He hadn't been interested. Not because he didn't want love, but because he never felt anything.
Even with the girls around him—beautiful, confident, smart, supportive—he felt nothing. He was always in a calm neutral state. No butterflies in his stomach or heart racing or thumping. No spark whatsoever between him and any of them. And no attraction.
He didn't know why. Was something wrong with him?
He sat up again and stared at the wall. He didn't have an answer. And even thinking about it made him feel strangely empty.
He shook his head lightly.
"No point thinking about that," he murmured, as he pushed the thought aside.
He breathed slowly and let his mind shift to something else and he thought of Grand Xia.
He hadn't visited in a while. He wondered what the Fang family had done since he left. What the Xuan family had prepared in wait for him. What kind of noise they had stirred in his absence.
It had been long enough for them to assume he was gone. Or maybe they thought he had fled or probably dead.
The idea made him laugh lightly. He wanted to see their reactions.
"Maybe it's time to check in."
Maybe this is what I enjoy. Chaos... Is something wrong with me? No.
Liam smiled as he pushed himself out of bed at last and walked slowly toward the bathroom.