Maya: You’re still looking for an apartment?
Daniel: Yeah. Found one in Wan Chai. Nice view, good light, reasonable rent.
Maya: Which floor?
Daniel: Eighth.
Maya: Then take it.
Daniel: That was surprisingly fast.
Maya: Eight is lucky. In Cantonese, “eight” sounds like faat, like prosperity. People literally pay more for addresses with 8 in them.
Daniel: So the apartment became financially intelligent because of its floor number?
Maya: Laugh all you want. Look at businesses in Hong Kong. Companies fight for phone numbers, car plates, and addresses containing 8. Some people will pay ridiculous amounts for them.
Daniel: I know. I just don’t understand why.
Maya: Because nobody wants to invite bad luck into their business.
Daniel: But you just said eight brings prosperity. Where’s the evidence that it actually does?
Maya: Evidence? Look around. Successful people love 8.
Daniel: That’s not evidence. That’s selection bias.
Maya: Oh, here we go. Professor Daniel has arrived.
Daniel: I’m serious. Imagine a thousand businesses. Suppose 100 owners strongly believe in lucky numbers. They’re more likely to choose 8. If some of those businesses become successful, people remember them: “See? They chose 8 and became rich!”
Maya: And the businesses that fail?
Daniel: Exactly. Nobody makes a documentary about the bankrupt company with an eight in its address.
Maya: You make everything boring.
Daniel: Science has that unfortunate habit.
Maya: Fine. What about 9? Even you can’t deny that 9 has a nice meaning. It sounds like “long-lasting” or “everlasting,” so people use it for weddings and important occasions.
Daniel: The symbolism is interesting. I’m not arguing against symbolism.
Maya: Then what’s your problem?
Daniel: The jump from “this number symbolises longevity” to “this number causes longevity.”
Maya: Nobody said it causes longevity.
Daniel: Some people effectively treat it that way. They’ll spend thousands more for a house number containing 8 or 9, as if the number itself changes the probability of success.
Maya: Maybe they’re buying peace of mind.
Daniel: That’s different. If someone says, “I know it’s irrational, but seeing 8 makes me happy,” fine. That’s a psychological preference.
Maya: So you would happily pay extra for an apartment with 8?
Daniel: No.
Maya: Why not?
Daniel: Because I’d rather spend the extra money on something that actually affects my life—better insulation, lower humidity, a shorter commute.
Maya: You’d choose insulation over prosperity.
Daniel: Absolutely. Especially in Hong Kong.
Maya: You know, my uncle once rejected an apartment because the number was 444.
Daniel: Understandable, given the cultural meaning of 4.
Maya: He eventually bought a flat with 888 in the address.
Daniel: Did he become rich?
Maya: He did pretty well.
Daniel: There it is.
Maya: What?
Daniel: The anecdote.
Maya: What’s wrong with an anecdote?
Daniel: Nothing, as a story. Everything, as proof.
Maya: Why?
Daniel: Because if your uncle had bought 888 and lost everything, you probably wouldn’t tell me the story as evidence against 8. One successful example can’t establish causation.
Maya: You’re saying numbers never matter?
Daniel: Numbers matter enormously. But because humans assign meaning to them, not because digits have supernatural financial properties.
Maya: So if I buy a wedding date with lots of 9s, you’re saying it won’t make the marriage last?
Daniel: Correct.
Maya: And if the marriage lasts fifty years?
Daniel: I’ll congratulate the couple, not the number.
Maya: That’s very romantic.
Daniel: I’m a scientist. We have our limits.
Maya: Okay, Mr. Evidence. Suppose you had two identical apartments. Same rent, same view, same condition. One is on the 7th floor, one on the 8th. Which one would you choose?
Daniel: Eight.
Maya: Aha!
Daniel: Because I’d rather live one floor higher.
Maya: Coward.
Daniel: Fine. Eight can stay. But I’m not giving it credit for my life decisions.
Maya: I’ll take the eighth floor, you take the seventh. Ten years from now, we’ll compare our bank accounts.
Daniel: Deal.
Maya: And if I’m richer?
Daniel: I’ll say congratulations.
Maya: And if you’re richer?
Daniel: I’ll say congratulations.
Maya: That’s it?
Daniel: Yes.
Maya: No “I told you so”?
Daniel: Maybe one tiny “the number was innocent.”
Maya: Fine. But I’m still taking 8.
Daniel: And I’m still taking the apartment with the better ventilation.
Maya: You really are impossible.
Daniel: Yet somehow, statistically, you keep inviting me for coffee.
Maya: That’s because coffee has evidence. It works.
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