this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
When Ran Lingfeng and Qu Xi shot the short drama Yin Fate, they never expected it to become a hit. So, the sudden explosion of popularity online took them by surprise.
Tonight was their first livestream facing fans, and they had no prior experience. In front of the camera, they were quite reserved, worried that if they weren’t lively enough, it would lead to an awkward silence, yet they were also afraid of talking too much and saying something that might upset the fans. They were nervous and didn’t seem very natural in front of the camera. Sometimes, when they saw fans discussing topics that veered wildly off topic in the comments, they couldn’t help but blush, unsure of how to respond.
These two were truly the epitome of newcomers—young and inexperienced—which excited the fans.
But now it was different. Qu Xi, holding a promotional sign that had been prepared a while ago, switched from her anxious appearance earlier and spoke passionately, “To all the friends facing the challenge of renting a house, are you afraid of encountering unscrupulous real estate agents? Afraid of meeting malicious landlords? Then please put your trust in Xu Yao Rental—neatly resolving all of your concerns!”
Ran Lingfeng, known for his witty tongue, was not willing to fall behind Qu Xi. Upon recalling the joyful seven days spent in the platinum suite at Cloud Peak Hotel, Ran Lingfeng’s enthusiasm instantly surged. He stood up, placing one foot on the chair he had just sat on and resting the promotional sign on his thigh, shouting, “My dear fans, when renting a place, please feel reassured in placing your trust in Xu Yao! I promise you from the bottom of my heart, Xu Yao is definitely the best landlord you will ever meet, bar none! She helps struggling tenants without batting an eye.”
Zuo Ning, even more unabashed, pushed through the back to get to the front, saying in a loud voice, “Xu Yao isn’t only my landlord, but also my life’s benefactor! I thank her for investing in me during my most difficult time in need, which is why you all can no watch Yin Fate on Shark Short Video. For renting, please choose Xu Yao!”
Yan Xiang was even more exaggerated. This talented Chinese literature student not only had excellent writing skills but also had eloquence to match. Holding the promotional sign in one hand and his framed internship report from Xu Group in the other, he passionately quoted classics, crafting an almost perfect image of Xu Yao as a landlord throughout history!
Zuo Ning and the others looked at screenwriter Yan with admiration, clapping for him in unison.
Although he still hadn’t managed to showcase even half of Xu Yao’s good points, the talent of the screenwriter was indeed impressive, far surpassing their own.
The speechless fans in the livestream: “……”
What happened to their earlier awkwardness and fear of saying the wrong thing?
Even the top e-commerce livestream salesperson wouldn’t be able to promote like they did!
Moreover… why did Yan Xiang’s internship report have Xu Group’s seal on it?
After thinking it over, netizens could only conclude—Xu Yao indeed had some skills, even managing to secure Yan Xiang an internship report from Xu Group! So envious!
At that moment, Xu Yao was in the luxurious Haicheng Bay No. 1 mansion. She had just taken a shower and changed into her silk pajamas. She sat on the balcony, watching the livestream on the TV while sipping red wine, with a view of the bustling city in her line of sight.
Xu Yao tilted her head and sighed. Didn’t it seem like they thought too highly of her as a landlady?
Zuo Ning still owed her a month’s rent. If she didn’t help him, and he ended up jumping off a bridge, wouldn’t that mean her rent for that month would go down the drain?
That was a month’s rent! As a landlady, that was her only source of income! So she could only take it seriously, had to force Zuo Ning to pay the overdue rent, right?
Little 6 felt something was off, but the logic seemed fine.
After pondering for a while and not knowing what to say, Little 6 finally said: [Host, it’s been too hard on you, running around for your tenants every day.]
Little 6: [The system has automatically detected that the host is still living a more difficult life in retirement this month than last month. Next month, it will automatically apply for a higher pension for you from the Quick Transmigration Bureau.]
Xu Yao took a sip of red wine, which she heard was more expensive than gold despite not knowing its age, appreciating the neon lights of Haicheng, and nodded deeply:
Conveying her thanks to the Bureau.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
*
After the entire crew of Yin Fate, in a joint collective effort, promoted Xu Yao’s rental services, netizens gradually realized that Xu Yao was the short drama’s biggest and only investor.
She was the one who invested in Zuo Ning, the one who booked the platinum suite at Cloud Peak Hotel for the crew, and the one who arranged for their collaboration with Shark Short Videos. Yet, she was also just a simple landlord who wanted to recover the overdue rent she was owed from Zuo Ning.
[I’ve grown tired of saying the term ‘divine landlord’, please let all landlords require a paper like Xu Yao from now on.]
[If you have difficulties, find the landlord. So even if Xu Yao is a bit of a control freak, I still find having to take an exam to rent a house acceptable…]
[Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter. The foolish ones are still hesitating whether to take Xu Yao’s rental exam while the smart ones have already started making phone calls.]
[F*ck, just found out today that toilet cleaner can’t be mixed with bleach! I was planning to go home and clean the toilet today, and I had both bleach and toilet cleaner ready… I’m sweating bullets.]
[Who has the actual questions? Looking for the question key for Xu Yao’s rental exam.]
[Seeking actual questions +1.]
Some netizens who had stormed off that day suddenly regretted it. A landlord who invested 800,000 in anger just to get back a rental payment was truly a divine landlord. Renting a property of hers would be great.
They had left too quickly that day, not even looking at the questions, and could only follow this group of netizens online to ask for the actual questions.
The influencer Little Brother Huang immediately jumped in to hop on this trend. He posted a few pictures of the actual questions on his Weibo, instantly gaining tens of thousands of followers.
Even after leaving the entertainment industry, Xu Yao was still a walking traffic magnet!
Some netizens who genuinely intended to rent a property took the questions seriously, writing down their answers on paper and posting them online for discussion.
[… Ever since graduating, I haven’t taken an exam this seriously in years. It’s really not easy to rent a place these days.]
[Isn’t that right? I didn’t even take the college entrance exam this seriously. Is there a genius who can provide a version with the answer key? I’m begging for help.]
[I have the answer key version. Message me if you need it.]
[To the heartless person upstairs with no conscience: does Xu Yao know you’re selling the question and answer key?]
Isn’t the only requirement just that you have to take an exam to rent a property? Just do it! Who amongst them hasn’t been honed by the sea of questions from nine years of compulsory education?
This was even more of the case for recent graduates—this was no big deal!
Many people, full of confidence, called Xu Yao’s rental team.
On the other end, a very sweet female voice answered: “I’m truly sorry, dear, but our current batch of rental collaborations has ended. You can stay tuned for any further updates!”
…So, it’s just over?
What’s going on? They suddenly felt as if they had just lost millions.
There was a flurry of discussions online. Some believed Xu Yao was employing a hunger marketing tactic, while others thought she was just too in demand now, with too many tenants vying for her rental properties and she simply didn’t have enough houses to rent out.
Opinions varied, but there was no consensus reached.
However, the explosive success of Yin Fate was already a foregone conclusion. In just a few days, the view count for a single episode had reached seventy million and was expected to surpass one hundred million in the next couple of days at the plot’s climax!
Major platforms were buzzing with discussions, with content creators passionately analyzing the upcoming plot twists in dedicated videos.
“Family, I stayed up all night last night and watched every episode of Yin Fate twenty times at 0.5x speed, so I can safely say I’ve figured out all the foreshadowing plot points.”
As for Seeking Immortality? Liu Yingxia’s remaining fans were still struggling to hold on, but the plot was slow to unfold, and with the simultaneous filming and airing, it was dragging on for too long. It wasn’t long before the viewers, who had extremely rebellious personalities, couldn’t resist the enthusiastic recommendations that flowed like tap water from newcomers and completely transformed into fans.
The morale of the Seeking Immortality film crew was quite low. They were particularly sensitive to audience feedback since they were filming while the drama was airing. The more enthusiastic the audience was, the more serious and energetic the actors became. But with the situation as it is now, the collective mindset at the set wasn’t good.
Who would have thought that despite it not being the summer vacation period, a dark horse would inexplicably emerge?!
And it was a short drama with an investment of less than a million?
Xu Yao was originally the second female lead in Seeking Immortality. After she went crazy and with withdrew from the entertainment industry, she not only terminated her contract with the agency but also stopped her participation in the filming of this web drama.
So, it was Zhao Rumei, an artist from Spark Entertainment, who took Xu Yao’s place after having a few meals with President Zhou, successfully snagging the role of the second female lead in Seeking Immortality.
Zhao Rumei looked at the stills of Qu Xi that were flooding the internet; particularly the one where Qu Xi, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, sat on a coffin under the full moon, which fans dubbed the ‘Immortal Shot’. She felt an indescribable sensation welling up in her heart.
Hadn’t they both been Xu Yao’s roommates before? So why…
*
Xu Yao had a ‘better to have fewer than to have many’ mentality when it came to her tenants.
Xu Yao was holding a large stack of ‘exam papers’ and appraising them, while Xie Zhengtian was passionately sifting through community advertisements with several members of the HOA.
That’s right, they were at Tai’an Community today as well.
Xu Yao’s fiancé and tool for inheritance, Ji Zhengqing, had recommended several highly cost-effective property management companies to Xu Yao. After much discussion, they chose Dailishi International Realty.
This property management company was a foreign brand that had long wanted to enter the Chinese market but had been unsuccessful. As an internet famous landlady, Xu Yao was in a position where promotion was easy, so after some back and forth, she reached a five-year agreement with them.
This property collaboration was nothing like the muddled one with Tiansheng Property; everything was clearly stipulated, and all homeowners had the right to receive detailed income and expenditure reports.
With summer approaching, the swimming pool that had been idle for two to three years would be cleaned and opened to the community after it was determined to be safe.
Xu Yao wanted all homeowners to know that the property management had been hired to serve the community, not to spend money to be managed. The homeowners were the true masters of the community!
“Young Master Xie, why do you always want to run men’s health ads in the community?” The other members of the HOA were all wealthy, leisurely, and legally conscious homeowners. The reason they called him ‘Young Master Xie’ was probably because they knew who Xie Zhengtian was.
Whether it was men’s health ads or circumcision ads, who the hell wanted to see those sorts of advertisements that were an assault to the eyes in the community all day? It’s not like they had a need for them either.
A few association members couldn’t help but look Xie Zhengtian up and down—really can’t tell you’re like this, Young Master Xie.
Xie Zhengtian’s face turned red in an instant. “I’m doing this all for the collective benefit of the homeowners, okay?!”
Xie Zhengtian cast a pleading glance at Xu Yao. “Isn’t that right, Yao Yao?”
Xu Yao was busy admiring the ‘exam papers’ and didn’t have time to pay attention to him.
Xu Yao knew that many people wanted to jump on her hype. She estimated that half of them weren’t actually looking to rent a property but were just curious about ‘how many properties Xu Yao actually has’ and ‘what makes Xu Yao’s properties better than others’.
Through this questionnaire, she could roughly understand the tenant’s style of conduct and determine whether renting the property to the tenant was worth it. Otherwise, encountering someone like Sheng Zhou—who was late on rent, would be a minor issue; if she ended up with some odd individual, the entire property might need to be renovated again.
Without the exam questions, she really wouldn’t know that tenants could be so bizarre. There were truly all kinds of people!
[What would you do if you encountered an elderly couple square dancing until midnight?]
One humorous person wrote: “If I can’t beat them, I’ll join them. I’ll bring a speaker and dance disco in front of their house every morning at dawn.”
As for the question about mixing bleach and toilet cleaner, half got it wrong.
Mixing bleach and toilet cleaner could lead to a disaster for an entire village; would you dare rent to such a tenant lacking common sense? If something happened to the tenant in the property, not only would the landlord jointly liable, but they might even face legal action as well.
Others were just trying to jump on her hype without any real intention to rent, hastily filling out the paper with messy handwriting that was completely illegible.
Xu Yao’s eyes hurt just from reading it, but when she flipped to the next paper, she couldn’t help but be amazed.
Xu Yao suddenly understood why those examiners marking tests liked neat handwriting; it was truly a sight for sore eyes.
The handwriting on the A4 paper was clear and neat, with even the short answer questions being filled with at least four or five lines, clearly showing a that their attitude toward taking the test was correct.
Xu Yao glanced at the basic information.
— —
Name: Han Zhao
Age: 18
Occupation: Unemployed
Desired Rental Price Range: 0-200.
The cheapest properties under Xu Yao’s name were the two buildings in the urban village, but even the cheapest room in those buildings would cost seven to eight hundred yuan. With a maximum desired rent of two hundred, he probably wouldn’t be able to find anything in the entire Haicheng, and could only live under a bridge.
Xu Yao recalled that there was also a minor character named Han Zhao in the original novel, who would join the male lead’s company in a few years. She wondered if this was the same person.
Xu Yao took note of this person and set the paper aside with extra care.
“Yao Yao, you’re too busy. Your rental team needs to bring in new talent,” Xie Zhengtian said with some sympathy for Xu Yao, the busy landlord.
Look, here’s another person saying she works too hard. If next month’s pension from Little 6 isn’t doubled, then she won’t work anymore!
Xu Yao also planned to do so, but the recruitment information had already been released. The issue was whether or not they could find a gem—that was uncertain.
Xu Yao thought that if she couldn’t find any outstanding candidates, she might as well go to Xu Jing’s company and poach a few from there. After all, anyone who could work under the richest man should have strong capabilities.
And Xu Jing, that brother who dotes on his little sister to a monstrous degree, would probably agree.
With a witness, they signed a contract with Dailishi International Realty in Tai’an Community and took a group photo.
To promote it, Xu Yao posted it on Weibo after getting permission.
[Xu Yao v: New property, new atmosphere @Dailishi International Realty, [image][image]]
After leaving the entertainment industry, Xu Yao initially lost some followers, but then gained another large amount, to the point where she has now surpassed two million followers.
Every time she posts, many fans comment.
[Dailishi International Realty? Their official account only has a few thousand followers, is it really a good property management? Don’t just escape from the tiger’s den just to enter a wolf’s lair1.]
[Dailishi International Realty isn’t just some small property management company, it’s super well-known overseas! It’s consistently been rated in the top three for it’s property service attitude overseas. I experienced it while studying abroad, and the customer service compared to domestic properties is truly exceptional.]
There were also other comments mixed in: [Sob sob sob, thank you Xu Yao for saving my worthless life2. If it weren’t for your exam questions, I would have almost cleaned myself into the afterlife today.]
[Ahhh, Xu Yao is really decisive. She said she would replace the property management, and she really did. Her connections are too broad, she can even collaborate with an international property management like this. Sob sob sob, why doesn’t Sister Yao buy a house in my community? I want to be her neighbor!]
Today is another day of envying Tai’an Community!
Some netizens saw the announcement posted by the Tai’an Community HOA, stating that starting today, all internal expenses of the community will be open for review, with every owner having the right to check.
The community’s advertising revenue and outdoor parking income will be uniformly distributed at the end of the year, all clearly written in the contract.
Moreover, with Dailishi International Realty collaborating with Tai’an Community and in order to enter the domestic market, their property management team will undoubtedly provide unprecedented meticulous property services to Tai’an Community, making a huge profit.
Now, netizens who can only rent are eager to rent Xu Yao’s properties, while those who don’t need to rent want to be Xu Yao’s neighbors.
Having such a landlady sister as a neighbor means they can only benefit!
After being firmly rejected by the other members of the HOA regarding the excess men’s health ads, Xie Zhengtian, feeling quite frustrated, asked Xu Yao, “Yao Yao, are you free tonight? My dad and I would like to invite you to dinner.”
Xu Yao replied, “I already have plans.”
Xie Zhengtian was taken aback and hurriedly explained, “I don’t have any other ulterior motive, I just want to thank you.”
Neither Xie Zhengtian nor his father expected that the small short drama, Yin Fate, would bring such a wide download volume!
Back then, his dad had run various ads to attract new users, even organizing activities for new users to watch videos and earn cash, yet wasn’t the app still half dead and barely alive?
Many netizens downloaded Shark Short Videos just to wait for more episodes.
There were also quite a few middle-aged netizens who didn’t usually chase dramas but stumbled upon it while scrolling through short videos, and from then on, they couldn’t stop.
Seeing the engagement, Father Xie thought it was too powerful; even S+ blockbuster dramas aired during the summer vacation period couldn’t compare. The two leads, Qu Xi and Ran Lingfeng, saw a surge in their fans and received many scripts after it.
Father Xie decisively made the decision to give Yin Fate greater exposure.
Moreover, Father Xie keenly realized that this new path was also another direction he could invest in, turning his attention directly to short dramas.
Short dramas require less investment but yield high returns, perfectly meeting the needs of short video users.
Father Xie immediately established a short drama team, planning to quickly follow up and shoot more short dramas since a short drama could be completed in just ten days to half a month!
With the daily active users of Shark Short Videos increasing, Father Xie was very pleased. Who could’ve imagined that he initially just wanted to help his son expand his social network? So the father and son duo really just wanted to invite Xu Yao to dinner.
Xu Yao didn’t misunderstand, explaining, “I really already have plans.”
Her fiancé—the inheritance tool—Ji Zhengqing, flew from the Jing city to Haicheng, just to invite her to dinner.
On top of that, Dailishi International Realty was also introduced to her by him, so it was clearly not feasible for her to skip their appointment.
Hearing this, Xie Zhengtian had to give up and planned to ask for the next day.
“Let’s go. To Pinxian Pavilion for dinner.” Xu Yao handed the large stack of papers to Lu Ye, slipped on her slippers, and left Tai’an Community, getting into the rental collection van.
This time she was going to meet her fiancé, so Xu Yao planned to change out of her rental outfit and into an elegant French-style off-shoulder sheer coat paired with straight leg pants the colour of milk.
The car was guided by the valet, stopping in the outdoor parking lot of Pinxian Pavilion. Xu Yao was then received by the hostess as she went to the fourth floor.
The last time she came to Pinxian Pavilion was to meet Xu Jing for a family recognition.
The waiters standing on either side opened the door for her as she approached, and Xu Yao walked in wearing high heels.
A man sat at the window seat, dressed casually in simple leisurewear, not in formal attire. His side profile was warm and distinct, exuding an elegant temperament.
Behind him stood a very serious-looking assistant in formal attire.
Hearing a sound, Ji Zhengqing turned to look, standing up to greet Xu Yao, “Hello, Miss Xu, I am Ji Zhengqing.”
The man was very handsome, his features sharper and more prominent than others. His dark eyes, reflecting her delicate face, held a faint smile, looking every bit like a very gentle man.
Xu Yao originally had no impression of this nominal fiancé, but upon seeing him, she gradually remembered.
Initially, she had only agreed to meet with her manager, Sister Fan at Pinxian Pavilion to have dinner with President Zhou just so she could acknowledge her brother, the richest individual, Xu Jing, in advance. But in an instant, she changed her mind and went to the fourth floor.
This top-tier private room naturally has bodyguards, and since Xu Jing has just been appointed as the richest individual, the security measures were also very stringent. It clearly wasn’t easy to get in and meet him.
It just so happened that Ji Zhengqing came out from the inner room, giving her the opportunity to speak with Xu Jing inside.
Xu Yao took her seat, and Ji Zhengqing signaled his assistant to bring over the gift. He pushed it in front of her and said, “I’m sorry, I’ve been on business trips during this time. This is just a small gift.”
Xu Yao couldn’t help but stare at the assistant. To be able to get to the position to work alongside such a powerful CEO—surely he must be quite capable, right?
Ji Zhengqing paused and asked, “I wonder what Miss Xu’s likes and preferences are?”
Xu Yao opened the box in front of him, revealing a lustrous pearl necklace inside. The gift wasn’t particularly surprising, but it looked very luxurious and was definitely expensive.
Xu Yao thought for a moment and replied earnestly, “I love my family3.”
In this world, there are countless hobbies, but her only love is her villa!
Ji Zhengqing had heard that Xu Yao had been in an orphanage before recognizing Xu Jing, so she must be particularly eager for familial affection. Since the Xu family, apart from the collateral families, only had Xu Jing and Xu Yao as the main family, it made sense for Xu Yao to say she loves her family. Ji Zhengqing’s gaze softened even more.
Xu Yao initially thought they would engage in awkward small talk, but he was very adept at keeping the conversation flowing, speaking without a hitch and always responding appropriately.
No wonder Old Master Xu, even on his deathbed, found such a fiancé for his granddaughter.
“Miss Yao Yao, why do you keep looking at my assistant?” Ji Zhengqing turned to look at Secretary He Fan.
He Fan was also puzzled. Was there something wrong with him?
He just hadn’t changed out of the formal attire he wore at the company. After all, he wasn’t the main character tonight, unlike Ji Zhengqing, who had changed several casual outfits and watches before arriving.
Xu Yao’s eyes sparkled. “Assistant He, you must be quite capable at your job, right?”
Ji Zhengqing glanced down at his casual wear that emphasised his youth, realizing Xu Yao thought he… was just a freeloader at the company?
Ji Zhengqing shot a glance at He Fan and smiled lightly. “Not too bad.”
He Fan: “…”
Ji Zhengqing placed his hand on the dining table and guessed from Xu Yao’s gaze. “Yao Yao, are you thinking of poaching my assistant?”
Xu Yao realized Ji Zhengqing was indeed clever; it would be better to poach his assistant than her own brother’s.
In the original novel, Ji Zhengqing was also quite mysterious. It was said that his family had moved to Europe before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and it wasn’t until his generation that he finally planned to return to the country develop domestically.
Ji Zhengqing smiled and asked casually, “Shall I have He Fan help you collect rent?”
Xu Yao certainly wouldn’t state her thoughts outright. She smiled and said, “Can I really? Isn’t it just that I don’t have enough labour? I want someone capable to help me steer the ship. Just consider it borrowing someone for a side job.”
Ji Zhengqing noticed that his fiancée might not be interested in the pearl necklace he had chosen, but rather appreciated He Fan’s business acumen.
There is never a lack of capable people around Ji Zhengqing. The positions beside him were filled with those who had fought across mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with He Fan being the top representative among the elite. Aside from being the special assistant beside the richest individual, Xu Jing, He Fan wouldn’t be tempted anywhere else.
Just borrow then.
Ji Zhengqing agreed, and He Fan, following his boss’s orders, knew he would eventually return. His ambitions wouldn’t allow him to collect rent for the rest of his life.
Xu Yao immediately held Ji Zhengqing in higher regard; this fiancé was quite easy to talk to.
After dinner, Ji Zhengqing offered to drive Xu Yao home, and she did not refuse.
She got into Ji Zhengqing’s car, while Lu Ye and the others followed in another vehicle. He Fan, who had already entered work mode, also sat in Lu Ye’s car, beginning to read through the various documents from Xu Yao’s rental team.
He Fan flipped through the materials and asked Lu Ye, who was intently watching the car ahead, “Brother Lu, what time will I need to arrive at the company tomorrow?”
Lu Ye didn’t turn his head. “No set time.”
He Fan was startled. No working hours? When he was at the Ji Group, he had to be at the company by eight o’clock every day. After all, the company was so competitive, and everyone was an academic overachiever. If you didn’t work hard, you would eventually be surpassed.
He could only be even more diligent, losing hair by the handful, and even the hair that couldn’t be regrown with traditional chinese medicine had turned into money.
An employee beside him said, “Actually, our working hours follow Miss Yao Yao, but she usually sleeps until noon. If we’re talking about work, she usually arrives by three o’clock in the afternoon.”
The only exception had been when she went to collect rent from Sheng Zhou and had to get up early. Other than that, Xu Yao had been sleeping in every day lately.
He Fan’s pupils shook. Does having a landlady boss who collects rent allow even the employees to be this relaxed??
He cautiously asked, “Is there a need to clock in?”
“We haven’t even seen what a clock-in machine looks like.”
He Fan: “…”
Is… it really like this?
He Fan could hardly focus on the materials in his arms. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is there overtime? I heard many people are booking viewings. It should be quite busy, right?”
He Fan didn’t really pay attention to online entertainment news, as it didn’t help him with promotions or raises, but his boss had been paying attention.
He Fan could only follow along, so he knew that Xu Yao, this landlady, had recently gone viral, with many people booking viewings to ride the hype.
The employee thought for a moment and said, “We actually don’t really do overtime since Brother Lu often gets called in for overtime.”
He knew it! Capitalists can’t possibly avoid the overtime routine!
“Miss Yao Yao sometimes spontaneously wants to go eat something delicious and calls us to go with her. It’s so annoying, I want to lose weight, but I’ve gained several pounds instead. The barbecue from that place last night was just too delicious; I ate several skewers, it was such a sin QAQ4.”
The female employee said this while pinching her chubby face in distress.
He Fan swiveled his head, stretching his neck to stare at the talking employee: “…?”
No, wait… you all call this overtime?
He Fan couldn’t help but secretly touch the wig on his head, falling deep in thought.
Xu Yao sat in Ji Zhengqing’s comfortable luxury car, listening to him say that he had a house in Haicheng, and whenever he came to Haicheng on business, he would stay there.
The driver waited for the green light to turn on, counting down the seconds, gradually easing his foot off the brake, preparing to set off in the luxury car.
A figure in black hurriedly crossed the pedestrian crossing, startling the driver. “Why is this person running a red light?”
Xu Yao also looked over at that black figure that swiftly crossed the pedestrian crossing, running towards the nearby KFC.
Little 6 popped up: [Host, that’s Han Zhao.]
Xu Yao wasn’t sure if the Han Zhao Little 6 mentioned was the one from the original novel, or the one who had diligently filled out the entire paper.
Xu Yao turned to Ji Zhengqing and asked, “Can you take me to that KFC over there?”
Ji Zhengqing was momentarily stunned but nodded with a smile.
Xu Yao quickly got out of the car and walked towards the KFC.
Ji Zhengqing felt this was a very unsuccessful meeting; she didn’t like the gift, his outfit was stereotyped as a corporate freeloader, and even the meal he ordered was inferior to KFC.
At this hour, there weren’t many customers inside KFC.
Han Zhao spent money to buy the last discounted burger, refusing a drink add on, and hid in a corner to sit.
At least KFC was better than the bridge underpass; at least they were open 24 hours and couldn’t kick out customers.
Han Zhao planned to sleep here for the night.
Xu Yao stood outside the glass window and saw the frail young boy finish his burger. He looked dirty, hunched over, and dozing off on the table, appearing very weak.
Xu Yao asked, “Is that survey filled out by this person?”
Lu Ye, who had followed her in, stared at the person inside and recalled, “It’s this young man.”
Xu Yao looked down at the neatly written ‘exam paper’ and couldn’t help but smile.
She was worried her rent collection team was still to understaffed.
Xu Yao walked in and saw the frail young boy still dozing off after finishing his burger.
She gestured for Lu Ye to hand over the information, then walked over to Han Zhao and pushed a beautifully written ‘exam paper’ in front of him.
A pleasant voice burst in Han Zhao’s ear, “Excuse me, did you write this?”
Han Zhao opened his eyes, looking confused at the smiling young girl in front of him and the tall bodyguard behind her.
His pupils gradually focused, recognizing that it was Xu Yao in front of him, and the paper was the one he had answered two days ago.
“Yes, I wrote it.”
Xu Yao took out a business card from her pocket and pushed it in front of Han Zhao. “Are you interested in renting my property?”
The young boy with scars on his face stared blankly at the business card, unable to tell what it was made of. It read—
‘Xu Yao Rental,’ ‘Specialised Rental Without Loss,’ along with Xu Yao’s personal contact number!
He reached out to pinch the card and suddenly realized… it was platinum.
Platinum is more expensive than gold. The cost of just this card couldn’t be low.
In fact, he had already received Xu Yao’s kindness. He had received over a thousand in community dividends, otherwise he wouldn’t even have money to buy a burger tonight.
Han Zhao’s face was filled with embarrassment as he quietly said, “I don’t have enough money to rent a property.”
He later heard that Xu Yao’s urban village had changed dramatically, with the lowest rent starting at seven or eight hundred.
Xu Yao asked, “Didn’t you fill in the desired rental price as 0-200?”
Han Zhao nodded, somewhat confused, and then heard Xu Yao say, “Isn’t 0 also within your range?”
Zero… zero rental fee?
Han Zhao was quite bewildered. He had written zero to two hundred but never considered that any landlord would offer a zero rent option.
Xu Yao, like tempting a wandering lamb, said, “You can help me with some work in exchange for rent.”
Li Xiaoli was also fell in that same situation. Ever since she became her employee, Xu Yao felt that just giving her a salary of fifteen thousand was a bit unfair.
After all, she worked hard to help her collect rent in the urban village and had recently been supervising the elevator installation.
Li Xiaoli had been supervising the elevator installation recently, and since she didn’t understand those professional things, she could only sit on a stool, bored, enjoying the breeze and playing games.
Xu Yao knew that sitting like that would be very uncomfortable, and there was a risk of developing a herniated disc. It’s been really on Xiaoli recently.
So starting next month, Xu Yao decided to waive her rent, treating it as the boss covering her housing.
Since Li Xiaoli didn’t have to clock in at the company, Xu Yao couldn’t provide her meals, only a little meal allowance.
Han Zhao could do the same!
This guy was a computer genius in the original novel. After joining the male lead’s company, he helped strengthen the company network’s firewall, preventing the male lead from suffering heavy losses after a failed strategic decision.
Xu Yao felt her employees were really, really working too hard. Ever since their company had gone viral, she felt particularly sorry for Lu Ye and the others, who had to answer calls every day and record appointments for house viewings.
It was too troublesome!
So Xu Yao had an idea: why not try to set up a website? Put the rental appointments on there.
Her employees needed to rest well to help her collect rent, right?
Seeing that the boy was still dazed, she smiled and said, “You can think about it some more. That’s my personal number. Contact me if you need anything.”
Xu Yao suddenly remembered something and quickly added, “Oh right, don’t contact me in the morning or before three in the afternoon.”
Xu Yao left with Lu Ye, while Han Zhao watched Xu Yao’s slender figure shrink further away. He immediately stood up, his tone a bit urgent, “I’m willing!”
Mom, he… seems to have really encountered a female bodhisattva.
*
Xu Yao had her employees arrange housing for Han Zhao. Han Zhao actually wanted to go to the cheapest urban village under Xu Yao’s name, but the urban village building was already fully rented.
“How about Tai’an Community? The small unit across from Zhou Qi hasn’t been rented out yet.”
Han Zhao could live under a bridge, let alone Tai’an Community, which was already fully furnished.
Han Zhao’s eyes turned slightly red. “Actually, my family used to rent a house in your Tai’an Community.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t have received community dividends.
How could he afford to rent a house in Tai’an Community? The smallest unit there started at a five-digit monthly rent! He couldn’t even afford a toilet here.
But actually, having a small toilet room to live in would be pretty good.
Xu Yao wasn’t in a hurry to ask him, she just let Lu Ye take him over first.
Then Xu Yao took Ji Zhengqing’s car back to Haicheng Bay No. 1, and the two bid each other farewell.
Ji Zhengqing sat in the back of the luxury car, watching as the private butler opened the entrance door for Xu Yao.
He remained in the car without driving. The interior was pitch black, with only the occasional flicker of button lights from the driver’s seat.
Suddenly, Ji Zhengqing asked, “Assistant He, does Xu Yao’s ‘I love my home’ have another meaning?”
The car was silent, with no response.
It was the driver in front who spoke up, “President Ji, didn’t you lend Assistant He to Miss Xu?” He had driven away in the rental collection vehicle that belonged to Miss Xu Yao.
Ji Zhengqing then remembered that his assistant had been borrowed by someone else. He hadn’t quite adjusted to it yet.
“President Ji, do we need to urgently expedite for another assistant to come over?”
Ji Zhengqing thought for a moment but shook his head. After He Fan helped Xu Yao with some matters, he would surely request to return. After all, the position of the president’s special assistant had been something He Fan had worked tirelessly to earn. There was no need to find another assistant to fill in; it would only create awkwardness between both parties, and there were already enough secretaries.
feel like the length of the chapters is definitely getting longer… [sweating bullets] wdym 7k words,,,QAQ ORZing rn
- Don’t escape from one dangerous situation just to jump into another ↩︎
- 【狗命】 literally translated to ‘dog life’. It’s a self deprecating word, also can be translated to ‘lowly/worthless life’. ↩︎
- 【家】can be used interchangeably to refer to one’s own home as well as family. ↩︎
- Popular crying expression used on chinese social media ↩︎