Category: Retiring From the Circle to Collect Rent Everyday

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Assistant Li, who had remained silent in the passenger seat, suddenly whipped his head around to stare at Xu Yao with bright eyes.

Assistant He was right! Working for anyone else meant it was still work, but working for the future boss lady basically made you half an employee of Ji Zhengqing!

Excuse me, but he was willing.

After a moment of silence, Ji Zhengqing said, “Yaoyao, to be honest, our Ji Group isn’t that great either.”

He wasn’t crazy enough to give away the Ji Group Tower as an engagement gift.

Xu Yao didn’t quite understand his meaning, thinking it was just the typical humility of a domineering CEO, so she continued to generously praise, “How could it not be great? Netizens all say that Ji Group is the only company that can rival my brother’s, not to mention the tower’s extremely unique architectural design. The high-tech atmosphere it gives off matches perfectly with your company’s corporate culture, and the president’s office should have a great panoramic view of the entire capital. It’s truly excellent.”

Ji Zhengqing finally realized that Xu Yao was talking about the tower’s appearance. This skyscraper had been under construction since his youth, and he had coordinated with the architectural designer when designing it, and as a result, its design reflected his bold and flamboyant ideas from when he was young.

Ji Zhengqing looked at Xu Yao and suddenly smiled, “Then we have the same taste in architecture.”

Ji Zhengqing had once thought that Xu Yao was like him—she wouldn’t rashly agree to an engagement, and if she did, it would be on the basis of genuine affection.

But he wasn’t an idiot. Ever since the last time, when Xu Yao kept all the fashion designers he’d invited for custom engagement outfits, only to poach them for game costume development, he belatedly realized a fact—

Xu Yao seemed to really just see him as an ordinary fiancé. Despite agreeing to the engagement, she wasn’t in a hurry to marry him, and was only thinking about taking advantage of him.

But now things are different. They had the same taste in aesthetics, which is already a good sign.

Ji Zhengqing asked gently, “Are you staying at the He family’s¹ ancestral home now? I’ll take you back first.”

Xu Yao didn’t quite understand Ji Zhengqing’s intentions, so she nodded and let him take them back to the He family’s ancestral home.

Was Ji Zhengqing subtly showing her all his properties? His main source of income probably shouldn’t come from real estate, right? Company profits and stocks should make up the bulk of it.

Xu Yao really couldn’t figure out what Ji Zhengqing was up to until they got out of the car, and He Fan and Lu Ye accompanied her home.

He Fan, who understood Ji Zhengqing’s style of doing things, whispered, “Miss Yaoyao, it’s very likely that Ji Zhengqing was planning to give you a building as an engagement gift.” And even this had probably been because he was provoked by Ming Chan giving her a building.

Xu Yao was taken aback, and thought, Well why didn’t you say so earlier?

If you had said it sooner, I wouldn’t have been so foolish as to praise his Ji Group Tower! After all, Ji Zhengqing couldn’t possibly be crazy enough to give her his main source of profit, the company building.

But she wouldn’t mind—his other buildings were quite nice too!

Xu Yao’s face was filled with regret. She realised that the divine landlady had actually just lost a building!

Xu Yao felt a pain that made it hard to breathe. She suddenly stopped, then turned around, walking briskly back toward Ji Zhengqing’s black RV in the distance.

The car had just been about to start, but the driver immediately hit the brakes when he saw Xu Yao returning.

Xu Yao stood at the car door, looking up at Ji Zhengqing inside. Although he was slightly puzzled at her sudden return, he still had a gentle expression on his face as he asked, “Why are you back?”

Xu Yao hesitated, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s nothing, I just forgot to say goodbye.”

Ji Zhengqing’s eyes brightened, and his smile deepened, “Mm, goodbye.”

He added, “Go back early and rest. I’ll head home to deal with company documents first.”

Xu Yao: “…” Is that it? Don’t you have anything else to say to me?

Xu Yao forced a smile and said, “Okay,” then watched the RV leave her sight.

Pain—it’s just one word, and she would only say it once.

From the rearview mirror, Assistant Li could still see Xu Yao standing there as her figure grew distant. He couldn’t help but say, “President Ji, Miss Yaoyao seems a bit reluctant to see you go.”

Ji Zhengqing was rapidly reviewing the company documents on his lap. He usually had a habit of working overtime on weekends, and if it weren’t for Xu Yao coming to the capital today, he would probably have either flown straight to Haicheng or continued to work in the study of his own home.

Ji Zhengqing raised his eyes to look at his assistant. He could tell that Assistant Li was secretly saddened about not becoming Xu Yao’s employee. He didn’t take it to heart but seriously reminded him, “Assistant Li, less of that love-struck thinking; work is more important.”

Previously, he had misunderstood the situation, but it was fine; they could take their time in the future. The Ji Group Tower could not be given to Xu Yao, but he could still send her something else during the engagement banquet.

He hadn’t even done anything today, so what would Xu Yao be so reluctant about that she didn’t want to see him leave?

Assistant Li looked up at him in disbelief: “…”

Wait, who on earth are you calling love-struck?! And you’re lecturing me?

*

“They’ve already left, yet you’re still watching? Is he that good-looking?”

Who knew when Xu Jing walked over from behind Xu Yao. His tone was slightly sour as he looked at her standing there like a stone statue. Xu Jing hadn’t expected that his friend could have such a charm, making his sister so infatuated.

Xu Yao came back to her senses and greeted Xu Jing, “Brother.”

Xu Jing nodded, pulling Xu Yao to go home. The Xu family’s ancestral home integrated the aesthetic concepts of Northern architecture and Western garden art, combining ancient simplicity with Western elegance, with the two styles complementing one another rather than clashing with each other.

Xu Yao had also chosen to inherit one of these courtyards.

“Brother, do you have any connections to help me buy a few private jets?” Xu Yao asked.

For the wealthy, private jets weren’t particularly expensive; the real cost lay in their annual maintenance fee. However, Xu Yao wasn’t short on money, and thought having a few more jets to switch around would be nice.

Xu Jing agreed readily, “Sure, I’ll keep an eye out for you in the next few days.”

Xu Jing then inquired about their engagement banquet, and Xu Yao only mentioned that it was probably going to be a private engagement banquet and that it would be held on an island.

The Xu family’s ancestral home consisted of several small buildings, and Old Master Xu had always kept one building exclusively for the granddaughter he had yet to find, which was cleaned daily.

Xu Yao moved into the place immediately with Lu Ye and He Fan.

“Miss Yaoyao, the real estate market here in the capital is slightly different from that in Haicheng. We’ve already started recruiting here.” He Fan thought for a moment and said, “Moreover, we have a slight issue on our end now. Although Han Zhao and his team have developed a website and mobile app and have indeed made things easier for many people, there are still some who are unfamiliar with using the internet.”

Xu Yao understood what He Fan was saying. It was most likely the older generation who still had to rent at their age and couldn’t use the internet, who were the ones truly facing difficulties.

After considering the problem for a while, Xu Yao said, “We can’t just rely on online sign-ups for property inspections. We should also conduct offline registrations simultaneously.”

He Fan took note of this, while Lu Ye held the tablet for rental housing, which displayed the backend used by their team’s employees.

The tenants renting the properties didn’t have Xu Yao’s private WeChat, but they had all registered their accounts on the official website using their ID cards. If there were any issues that needed to be resolved by the landlady, they could send internal messages through the official site.

Han Zhao’s programming team had thought this through quite thoroughly, and aside from direct phone contact, the internal messaging system allowed tenants to choose options like “very urgent,” “urgent,” or “general.”

If “very urgent” was selected, Xu Yao’s rental team would respond within fifteen minutes, “urgent” would get a reply within an hour, and “general” would be replied to within 24 hours.

Lu Ye looked at a private message from one of the tenants and said, “Miss Yaoyao, a new tenant named Zhao Haisheng has sent an internal message, mentioning that he has some difficulties and hopes to discuss them with you in person.”

Seeing Xu Yao’s surprise, Lu Ye added, “It seems he’s the director of a variety show.”

Xu Yao came to a realisation immediately. He must have seen how Zuo Ning had gone viral because of her and wanted to follow suit, right?

Thinking back to the original novel, Xu Yao realized this person hadn’t even left his name or description in the novel.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Yao smiled and said, “Meeting is fine.”

Even without relying on the original novel, she still believed in her own judgment.

*

Liu Yingxia was frantically trying to contact Xu Yao, whether by phone or email, but it was as if a stone had sunk into the sea. The other party didn’t reply at all and she didn’t know if Xu Yao had even seen it.

As expected of the original female lead, she could still take things in stride. Unable to reach Xu Yao directly, Liu Yingxia gritted her teeth and hired someone to write a letter of apology for her, posting it on Weibo with very sincere wording.

[Yingxia is really brave—daring to publicly apologize to Xu Yao. It’s okay, Yingxia. Recognizing your mistakes and correcting them is what matters most, Xu Yao will forgive you.]

[Honestly, if you put yourself in her shoes, it’s understandable. Back then Xiaxia was probably completely freaked out by Sheng Zhou’s extreme fans and didn’t know what to do. It’s not too late to apologize now.]

[Have her fans been brainwashed too much? Isn’t she just apologizing now because Yaoyao has gone globally viral while she’s about to fade out? And posting the apology directly on Weibo—are you trying to force Xu Yao to respond?]

[Are Xu Yao’s fans possessed or something? If she doesn’t apologize, you push Liu Yingxia onto the trending list, but if she does, you still attack her. How do you know Xu Yao won’t accept the apology? Looking forward to Liu Yingxia’s new variety show!]

Liu Yingxia looked at the mixed comments online about her apology letter, feeling anxious inside.

Unless Xu Yao publicly accepted her apology, it was unlikely that she would regain any fans. However, she didn’t have much interaction with Xu Yao, and Liu Yingxia regretted not having made friends with her when Seeking Immortality had just been confirmed.

“Let’s not worry about that for now and focus on the variety show coming up first,” Liu Yingxia encouraged herself, looking at her assistant and asking, “How’s my grand-uncle? Has the hotel been booked for him?”

Liu Yingxia only had one apartment in the capital, and since she didn’t want to live with her grand-uncle, she planned to book a hotel for him before the variety show started.

The assistant quickly replied, “He thinks staying in a hotel for two months is too expensive, so… he rented a place himself.”

That variety show was expected to take two months to film, so how could the average elderly person accept paying such expensive hotel prices for so long?

Liu Yingxia was slightly irritated at her grand-uncle’s willfulness; it was truly troublesome. With a dark expression on her face, she instructed her assistant to call her grand-uncle’s clunky mobile phone.

Liu Yingxia didn’t like this grand-uncle very much. He was a lifelong bachelor, and since the elderly man had fought in the war in his early years, he had been living on government subsidies all these years.

Now that her resources had plummeted, the only opportunity that came her way was a variety show directed by Zhao Haisheng called Hand in Hand in Our Later Years.

The requirement was for her to bring a grandparent who was still single onto the show, but her grandparents had long since passed away! Furthermore, none of the elderly relatives around her were still single.

Although Liu Yingxia felt that this variety show would be unlikely to make a big splash, she still wouldn’t give up any opportunity for exposure in the entertainment industry. She knew all too well that without exposure, there would be absolutely no chance for her to make a comeback.

So her gaze fell on her distant relative, Grand-uncle Cui Guoqiang. Apparently when this grand-uncle had heard he was going to appear on television, and that the whole country would have a chance to see him, only then had he agreed despite his earlier consideration.

“Sister Xia, the call has gone through.” The assistant handed her the phone.

Liu Yingxia suppressed her displeasure and gently asked the elderly man on the other end, “Grand-uncle, why are you renting a place by yourself? I can book a hotel for you.”

Cui Guoqiang carried his belongings into his place in a small hutong. In a voice tinged with a thick rural accent, he said, “It’s too expensive. Grand-uncle can just rent a place himself. But is it usually such a hassle to rent in your big city?”

Liu Yingxia didn’t quite understand, “A hassle to rent? Renting in the capital isn’t a hassle at all.” You just look at the property through an agency, confirm it, and sign the rental contract, and that’s it.

Feeling hot after entering the house, Cui Guoqiang unbuttoned his military green coat and carefully removed the badge from his chest, storing it in an aluminum container before saying, “Grand-uncle thinks it’s quite troublesome. I still have to fill out some kind of survey form just to rent. I even misspelled several words.”

Cui Guoqiang continued to ramble on, “Thank goodness the country’s policy is good now. My parents’ generation were all illiterate, but I’ve been educated.”

Liu Yingxia: “…” She didn’t want to hear this.

However, the more Liu Yingxia thought about it, the more something felt off. What sort of tenant in the capital would still need to fill in a survey?

Suddenly a name flashed through Liu Yingxia’s mind, startling her into asking, “Grand-uncle, who’s your landlord?”

Cui Guoqiang replied, “I haven’t met the landlady yet, but I heard her name is Xu Yao. This landlady noticed that I’m a retired soldier and even gave me a discount on the rent. It’s much cheaper than the hotel you booked for me, Yingxia.”

Liu Yingxia couldn’t believe it. Seriously? How had her grand-uncle managed to rent Xu Yao’s place so easily?! Netizens were practically fighting over Xu Yao’s properties now, with even Director Zhao selling his house just for a place!

No, Liu Yingxia thought instead—

Xu Yao actually had properties in the capital too?

As for Liu Yingxia’s apology, Xu Yao still gave no response, but she still quickly started trending again.

#XuYaoInCapitalCity#

[Holy crap! Who was it that said Xu Yao didn’t have any property in the capital? Well, she’s finally here!]

[Heads up for everyone looking to rent from Xu Yao in the capital—her business is expanding here! It’s confirmed she owns property in XX Hutong!]

[Ahhh, places in that hutong start at like 400,000 per square meter, right? Sister Yao is incredible. With her arrival, real estate agents in the capital are probably all crying now. After all, she’s insanely competitive.]

[Has Xu Yao finally noticed us, the starving masses in the capital? I’ve always had my eye on the places she rents out in Haicheng, but I couldn’t move because of work in the capital. Now I finally can.]

[There must be so many young people coming to the capital chasing their dreams, right? I really want to know—just who’s going to be the next lucky person to get help from the great Landlady Xu?]

There are countless young people working in the capital, and the sky-high housing prices also seem like an invisible mountain pressing down on them. Just how many young people are crammed into basements, and how many endure terrifying commutes of two to three hours a day?

Even if they don’t become the lucky ones helped by Xu Yao, just being able to rent Xu Yao’s property would still be considered a stroke of luck.

Liu Yingxia looked at the trending topics, her expression filled with envy. Even after stepping back from the industry, Xu Yao still managed to garner so much attention. Clearly, her Weibo isn’t even that active now; she just occasionally shares bits of her life, yet she still has millions of followers.

“Yingxia, can that variety show really be seen by everyone in the country?” Grand-uncle Cui Guoqiang asked, still somewhat uncertain.

Liu Yingxia felt a bit guilty and replied reluctantly, “Yeah, it should be.”

Unless that lousy variety show encountered a stroke of luck, given its flawed formatting, how could it possibly become popular enough for everyone in the country to see it? In any case, Liu Yingxia certainly didn’t believe it could.

However, Cui Guoqiang took it seriously. He took out a blurry old photo from the aluminum container and wiped it, muttering, “Old brother, just wait for me a little longer. I will definitely find you.”

*

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:

During this time, Zhao Haisheng felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He had truly lost his mind and sold his house in the capital, forcibly moving his entire family to Haicheng. It had to be said that his luck was still quite good. After struggling to understand the rental questions from Xu Yao, he successfully became her tenant.

However, his connections and career were still in the capital, so he remained there.

Xu Yao agreed to meet him, making Zhao Haisheng so excited that he couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t help but fantasize about being the next Zuo Ning, going from being unknown to becoming a nationwide sensation, now thriving in his career.

Zhao Haisheng arrived at the agreed location an hour early, taking out a tissue with utmost seriousness just to wipe the already clean European-style round table again and again.

Xu Yao soon walked in with Lu Ye and He Fan. When Zhao Haisheng saw Xu Yao, he was so excited he could almost fly, “Miss Xu Yao… oh no, Miss Landlady, Miss Landlady.”

Xu Yao didn’t burst Zhao Haisheng’s bubble, smiling, “I heard Director Zhao rented my house in Haicheng. Are you having any difficulties in your life?”

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Zhao Haisheng’s bronze face. Everyone was clamoring to rent Xu Yao’s house and seek her investment, but when he actually went to find Xu Yao with that mindset, he still felt a bit shy.

Xu Yao was genuinely a kind-hearted landlady and truly wanted to help her tenants. But renting was secondary to him, and his real intention was to seek Xu Yao’s investment.

When Zhao Haisheng thought about it, his face grew redder, and he couldn’t squeeze out a single word from the phrases he had prepared in his mind.

It was Xu Yao who spoke first, “I heard Director Zhao is planning to shoot a variety show called ‘Hand in Hand in Our Later Years,’ a dating show for the elderly? Are you facing some sort of difficulty in funding?” 

Zhao Haisheng looked at Xu Yao’s clear eyes and felt a bit ashamed, nodding as he carefully pushed the project materials in front of Xu Yao.

Xu Yao quickly skimmed through the materials, suddenly understanding why Zhao Haisheng didn’t even have a scene in the original novel.

This variety show really didn’t seem promising at all. Zhao Haisheng wanted to take a different approach and create a dating show for the elderly, but he knew the target audience would definitely be limited, so—

He also inserted celebrities into the mix, having them bring their grandparents onto the show to talk about love, hoping to attract some popularity through their fans. The project proposal gave Xu Yao a sense of confusion about the show’s priorities; it was just a mishmash of ideas that didn’t quite fit together.

When trying to reap all the benefits, the outcome of such actions usually results in ending up with nothing at all.

This variety show was likely to flop without making any waves, after all, it hadn’t even been mentioned in the original text.

Xu Yao smiled and said, “Director Zhao’s show sounds great, I wish you success. I’ll check it out when it airs. If you’re facing any financial difficulties, how about I reduce your rent by half a month?”

Who in the entertainment industry isn’t sharp? As soon as Xu Yao said this, Zhao Haisheng immediately understood her meaning: she was offering verbal support, but… that was all.

Zhao Haisheng felt a lump in his throat. He should’ve understood. He wasn’t like Zuo Ning. Zuo Ning was a young person short on cash, and with Xu Yao’s help, he soared to new heights. Ming Chan was an exceptionally capable female entrepreneur. Both were typical examples of people who just lacked an opportunity. In contrast, he had already been in the entertainment industry for many years, and even reached middle age, yet he still hadn’t gained much fame.

He had always known he was an ambitious, yet ordinary person, clearly only possessing average abilities but unwilling to settle for mediocrity. Netizens said Xu Yao had extraordinary insight; perhaps he really shouldn’t be fighting against fate.

Holding back tears, Zhao Haisheng smiled and nodded, “Thank you, Miss Landlady. You don’t need to reduce my rent. You’re not renting out your property as charity, and I can still afford the rent.”

Xu Yao looked at Zhao Haisheng again, then turned to He Fan for clarification.

He Fan understood and said, “Director Zhao has a house in the capital, but he sold it so he could rent your place, Miss Yaoyao.”

Xu Yao paused slightly upon hearing this. Had he really gone all in on a gamble like this?

Selling all his property just for a chance to meet her? Xu Yao couldn’t help but regard Zhao Haisheng with newfound respect.

Xu Yao had always understood that ordinary people were the majority in this world. Talents like Zuo Ning, Han Zhao, and Ming Chan were ultimately in the minority, and the vast majority lived ordinary lives.

But can’t ordinary people have dreams too? Are ordinary people’s dreams not worth mentioning?

Xu Yao suddenly smiled. Well, even if her whole investment went down the drain, she could still bear it.

Xu Yao continued flipping through the project proposal, moving on to the list of guests drafted by Zhao Haisheng.

There were internet celebrities bringing their grandmothers, second-tier singers bringing their grandfathers, and then—

Xu Yao suddenly stopped, staring intently at a page that read: Liu Yingxia was bringing her grand-uncle, Cui Guoqiang, onto the show.

She didn’t need an introduction to Liu Yingxia, after all, she was the original female lead, and Xu Yao had no intention of acknowledging her and simply acted as if she were invisible.

But… Cui Guoqiang!

In the original novel, this old man was merely a side character, barely mentioned in passing by Liu Yingxia, yet he ended up being the most memorable and touching figure to Xu Yao out of the entire novel!

This old gentleman’s first appearance is at the funeral of Liu Yingxia’s grand-uncle. Cui Guoqiang was already past seventy, and having gone to war in his early years, he carried old injuries; he couldn’t withstand that kind of shock and passed away.

Liu Yingxia also met the original male lead at Cui Guoqiang’s funeral, and from then on, the two became entangled.

Zhao Haisheng saw Xu Yao staring intently at a particular page and quickly took a peek. Seeing “Liu Yingxia” written there made him want to cry even more.

It was just one word: tragic! He would only say it once!

Liu Yingxia and Sheng Zhou’s fans had all turned against Xu Yao online, driving her to madness and forcing her to withdraw from the industry. Although most of those doing this were Sheng Zhou’s fans, Liu Yingxia had remained silent and did not help her clarify the facts.

What sort of investment could he possibly attract? It would be more of a miracle if he didn’t offend Xu Yao!

Zhao Haisheng quickly said, “Miss Xu Yao, the contract with Liu Yingxia has already been signed.” So there was no way to change it now.

Xu Yao smiled, “I know, Liu Yingxia is quite good.”

If one didn’t consider the negative press, Liu Yingxia had the most fans among all the guests. Zhao Haisheng had truly gone to great lengths to gain a bit of attention.

Xu Yao closed the project proposal with both hands, the sound of her palms clapping through the pages echoed. She smiled, “So, I’ll invest a bit of money to help my tenant.”

“Huh?!” Zhao Haisheng was incredulous!

Clearly… she had just politely declined! How could she suddenly want to invest?

Zhao Haisheng recalled that Xu Yao had been looking at the guests Liu Yingxia and Cui Guoqiang. That grand-uncle, who wasn’t well-known, couldn’t possibly be the main reason, so it must be… Liu Yingxia!

Zhao Haisheng also remembered Liu Yingxia had posted a handwritten apology letter on Weibo, filled with sincerity.

Could this be Xu Yao’s way of accepting Liu Yingxia’s apology?

Zhao Haisheng was overjoyed; no matter what, he was the one that was going to benefit from it!

Zhao Haisheng repeatedly said, “Great, great, thank you, Miss Landlady! Thank you, Miss Landlady!”

Xu Yao and Zhao Haisheng agreed on a time before leaving.

Just as Xu Yao stepped out of the bar, she heard uncontrollable cheers coming from inside and couldn’t help but find it amusing. This director probably didn’t realize he was also one of the reasons, right?

As soon as they left, a delighted Zhao Haisheng immediately called Liu Yingxia, his words filled with gratitude, “Yingxia, it’s all thanks to you! Xu Yao actually agreed to invest in our variety show!”

He had taken a gamble by seeking out Xu Yao, and thankfully it had paid off!

Liu Yingxia was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. How could it possibly be because of her? Wasn’t Xu Yao only helping her tenants?

“It’s really not because I’m her tenant. Xu Yao had politely declined me before, but when she saw you on the guest list, she immediately agreed.”

Zhao Haisheng insisted it wasn’t because of him, and Liu Yingxia thought about the guest list, which included not only her but also her grand-uncle, Cui Guoqiang.

Liu Yingxia said with uncertainty, “Um… Director, my grand-uncle seems to be Xu Yao’s tenant too.”

Since it couldn’t be because of Zhao Haisheng, it must be because of her grand-uncle, right?

Her grand-uncle was over seventy, and was an old man with no education except for having been to war. Would Xu Yao invest in this lackluster variety show just because of him? Did she have that much money to throw around?

Director Zhao was shocked, “Wait, you’re having your grand-uncle rent in the capital?”

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1. May or may not be a typo by the author. Should be referring to the Xu family but I’m leaving it in just in case it isn’t a mistake ↩︎

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Ming Chan giving Xu Yao an entire apartment building set the internet buzzing nonstop. Aside from praising Xu Yao’s incredible instincts as a landlady, a bizarre new ship called “Yao–Chan Has Mines¹” somehow popped up online.

Ming Chan married young, and even though she is divorced now, she was actually only twenty-five. This group of netizens felt that beautiful women being with beautiful women were simply a perfect match.

Yan Xiang, her junior, even came to ask her if she needed help writing fan fiction.

Xu Yao was simply shocked beyond measure by these netizens’ antics.

Xu Yao walked out of the building at Hai City Bay No. 1 and headed towards the lobby of the building diagonally across from it. A few moving trucks from a moving company were parked at the entrance, with everyone wearing the same company uniform.

Ming Chan stood downstairs, watching the moving company employees carefully help her move her furniture,her face filled with disappointment and reluctance.

Ming Chan was moving back to the Mu family’s villa. Of course, this time she was no longer a daughter-in-law, but returning to her own home as the rightful daughter.

Xu Yao walked up to her and smiled as she spoke, “Most people are happy to have their own homes.”

Upon hearing this, Ming Chan turned her head and, seeing Xu Yao, her eyes reddened a bit. She couldn’t help but get choked up and said, “I actually really like it here.”

Xu Yao was very pleased to hear this and turned to He Fan behind her, saying, “Did you hear the feedback from the tenants? Making sure every tenant is happy in my place is my goal as a landlady!”

Little Six chimed in sadly: [Host, you’ve worked hard.]

Xu Yao thought about the more than fifty million yuan that had just been transferred to her and felt she could still continue to work hard a bit longer.

Xu Yao’s rental principles were very clear: aside from commercial properties, personal residences were only rented to those who truly needed them.

Ming Chan clearly no longer met the criteria, and Chairman Mu and his wife missed her very much, so she would move back starting this month.

“Don’t be too sad. You can still rent my office space in Hai City Global Financial Center,” Xu Yao continued as she started calculating, “Given that you’re an old tenant of mine, I can give you a 20% discount.”

The game Shining Star had become a huge hit, and all of its facilities also needed to be upgraded to follow suit. In addition to raising employee salaries, the working environment also needed to be improved.

The original game studio location was not only in a remote area but also lacked proper facilities, so Ming Chan was actually already considering changing her workplace.

Although Ming Chan had heard Xu Yao mention also having an office in Hai City Global Financial Center before, she hadn’t paid much attention at the time. But now, having known Xu Yao for a while, she suddenly realized something.

Xu Yao’s properties seemed to always be measured in “buildings.”

Ming Chan’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you saying I can choose to rent an entire building in Hai City Global Financial Center?”

Xu Yao looked at Lu Ye, who immediately replied, “That might not be possible.”

Ming Chan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that an entire building in Hai City Global Financial Center was indeed too extravagant.

Lu Ye continued, “Many companies in the office building have long-term leases, and we can’t evict anyone during the contract period. However, there are some available for rent on the 7th, 21st, and 23rd floors.”

Ming Chan: “……”

So, the entire building of Hai City Global Financial Center really did belong to Xu Yao… 

Ming Chan felt as if her worldview were shattering. After a long time, she took a deep breath and said to Xu Yao, “I’m honored to be able to continue being your tenant.”

She planned to move the game studio to the Global Financial Center. Since it wasn’t at all wrong for her to call Xu Yao her benefactor, she felt completely at ease renting from her, especially with an additional 20% discount!

It’s worth noting that it was incredibly difficult to rent one of Xu Yao’s properties now.

Xu Yao was very pleased to hear this. This was perhaps the greatest compliment for a landlord—she had returning tenants!

Ming Chan’s personal belongings were loaded onto the moving company’s truck, and the Mu family’s private car soon arrived to pick her up. Ming Chan even leaned out of the window, her eyes red as she waved goodbye to Xu Yao.

Xu Yao: …

Was it really necessary for her to have such a heart-wrenching expression? They were clearly still going to be living in the same city, and it wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes to drive to each other!

Behind her, He Fan swiftly pulled out the rental management tablet to input the new information, muttering, “Apartment at Hai City Bay No.1 has been vacated and can be listed for rent after cleaning.”

Of course, although Ming Chan had already cleaned it thoroughly before leaving, the professional rental team still needed to do another round of cleaning.

*

Liu Yingxia was curled up in a soft bean bag chair, hugging a giant dog plushie, staring blankly out the floor-to-ceiling window.

Xu Yao had withdrawn from the industry, yet she still became an internet sensation, while in contrast, her popularity had ironically plummeted within the industry.

Seeking Immortality had clashed with the Yin Fate, the short drama Xu Yao had invested in, leading it to barely make a splash amongst the general public. Now, Xu Yao had even become famous for helping her tenants with lawsuits and investing in a crappy little game, while she herself had suffered.

Sheng Zhou had completely disappeared from the public eye months ago, while Liu Yingxia wasn’t faring much better either.

Xu Yao’s rise to fame led netizens to dig up old grievances, questioning why Liu Yingxia, alongside Sheng Zhou, had pressured Xu Yao to withdraw from the entertainment industry.

Last night, a trending topic with the hashtag #PleaseApologiseLiuYingxia had surfaced, causing her team to, of course, rush to suppress it as soon as they noticed.

Now, the situation had escalated to the point where her offers had sharply dwindled, with the future looking bleak.

“Yingxia, why don’t you just apologize to Xu Yao?” her manager finally spoke after pacing back and forth in the room for a long time.

Liu Yingxia’s expression instantly changed, “Apologize to Xu Yao? Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Besides, who apologizes only after such a long time has passed? Isn’t that just kicking a dead horse?

“What can we do if you don’t apologize? Do you know what your offers have turned into now? Do you even know about that small-time variety show you confirmed to make an appearance for?” The manager suddenly said in a low voice.

“Rumour has it that the director of the variety show sold all his properties in the capital.”

Liu Yingxia frowned, “I heard about that too. Didn’t they say Director Zhao sold his properties to make the show? Don’t tell me…”

Liu Yingxia was so shocked that she dropped the dog plushie she was holding. She looked at her manager in disbelief, “Are you telling me that Director Zhao sold all his properties just so he could rent from Xu Yao?” That seemed way too exaggerated!

Liu Yingxia knew Director Zhao, who was known to have a plump figure that looked quite prosperous. However, she never expected him to be so decisive, to even think of selling everything just so he could become Xu Yao’s tenant?

First, there was Zuo Ning, and then Ming Chan, with Ming Chan especially drawing attention for having pulled in an investment of 150 million yuan—it was all truly enviable.

Although everyone was clamoring to rent from Xu Yao and seek help from this divine landlady, very few could actually take the gamble and go all in, selling their entire life savings to seek out Xu Yao for investment.

Moreover, selling properties in the capital is easy; buying them back was the real problem!

Liu Yingxia was badly shaken and couldn’t help wavering over whether she should apologize to Xu Yao. Meanwhile, her assistant glanced at the time and quietly reminded her, “Sister Yingxia, your grand-uncle has agreed to come to the capital—should we go ahead and book his flight for him?”

At the mention of her grand-uncle, a flicker of impatience crossed Liu Yingxia’s face. If it weren’t for the show, she’d never have invited this barely-related grand-uncle of hers in the first place.

Liu Yingxia was just about to have her assistant book the flight when the manager beside her suddenly exclaimed, clutching her phone, “My goodness—Xu Yao’s pulling some new outrageous stunt with her rentals again!”

Liu Yingxia immediately leaned over to take a look and asked in shock, “Is she renting or selling houses?”

How could renting be even more terrifying than buying a house?

Where did Xu Yao get her confidence from?

Xu Yao’s rental team officially announced today that their mobile app is ready!

Nowadays, the younger generation tend to use their phones more, with the frequency of using computer websites actually lower than that of mobile apps. So while learning how to drive, Han Zhao led the entire programming team in developing their app.

Once launched, the download numbers immediately skyrocketed. It didn’t seem to matter whether or not they needed to rent—everyone wanted to join in on the excitement.

The app’s interface was designed to match the official website, and aside from the essential online exam registration, it was also enriched with mini-programs from the various companies partnering with Xu Yao Rentals.

This included the moving service that has been praised to the heavens by Xu Yao’s tenants, and it’s now virally known online that Xu Yao Rentals also includes a moving company that is both friendly and affordable.

This moving company, which had originally only been competing for market share with competitors in the industry, had now actually become industry leaders thanks to Xu Yao’s terrifying marketing power. Now, even if they weren’t Xu Yao’s tenants, other renters would still consider choosing their moving company first when having to move places.

This collaboration with Xu Yao Rentals was publicly declared by the moving company’s CEO as the best decision he had ever made, leading countless other companies in the industry to eagerly seek cooperation with Xu Yao’s rental team, all bidding competitively for a slot.

For example, “Takeout delivery service,” “Telecommunication services,” and so on, had all been newly launched by the team.

Renting Xu Yao’s place? Order takeout without even needing a membership and still get coupons—and high-value ones at that. A full dinner ends up costing only eight or nine yuan out of pocket!

Renting Xu Yao’s place? Get your internet line set up with no hefty installation fee, and enjoy low monthly internet charges!

Who is tempted?!

It’s the renters!

[The younger generation (it’s me) is seriously tempted. I get takeout for at least two of my three daily meals, and in big cities like Hai City or the capital, a single order easily costs dozens of yuan. But Xu Yao’s tenants get coupons like this? I’m honestly so tempted.]

[…You can still pay only eight or nine yuan for takeout these days? My Tuantuan Takeout membership suddenly doesn’t feel worth it anymore QAQ]

[I know right! Just getting the internet installed costs at least 200 yuan, and the monthly fees are super expensive. I checked the latest partnership between Xu Yao’s rental team and telecom companies—monthly prices are insanely good, basically the cost of one takeout meal.]

[Seriously, with a rental team like this, who wouldn’t want to rent from Xu Yao? No wonder I heard some director in the entertainment industry sold all his properties just to rent from her.]

[Sis above, which director sold all his properties? I need the gossip!]

In the housing market, there is actually a hierarchy of discrimination; homeowners in high-priced neighborhoods look down on those living in low-priced areas, while those who buy low-priced houses secretly look down on renters.

But Xu Yao wants everyone to know that renting her house can make you even happier than buying one!

These newly launched services have greatly attracted many tenants and indirectly boosted the influx of talent into Hai City, making everyone satisfied.

However, when they saw Xu Yao’s latest rental policy, they could no longer keep their smiles on their faces.

Previously, renting Xu Yao’s house required participating in an online exam, and after passing, tenants could view houses according to their needs before signing the contract.

But now, they have actually changed to a lottery system for renting! That’s right, renting now requires a lottery! They were now enjoying treatment that used to be reserved for home buyers in advance.

[Even renting now needs a lottery… No wonder people used to say you had to “get on board” early in the housing market—this is getting more and more brutal, QAQ.]

[As someone who already made it in, I’m letting out a huge sigh of relief—good thing I rented Xu Yao’s place early.]

[Wild guess: does Xu Yao not have enough properties on hand? From what I can tell, her business has always been centered in Hai City—does she not own places elsewhere?]

[Her properties in Hai City alone are already insane, okay? The statistics show that it’s already reached dozens of buildings—several thousand units.]

Netizens couldn’t help but speculate over Xu Yao only owning properties in Hai City since that’s where she’s most active. They guessed that the reason she hasn’t developed rental services in other cities is that she doesn’t have as many properties outside, making it difficult to expand.

However, Xu Yao still remains the undisputed divine landlady in their hearts, without a doubt!

So, when exactly will Liu Yingxia apologize to Yaoyao?

Liu Yingxia’s team was still considering this when they saw that Xu Yao’s rental service had now introduced a lottery system for renting. However, seeing the continued online buzz, they decided—

Apologizing is just apologizing; Xu Yao is truly someone you can’t afford to offend.

The manager began to try and get Xu Yao’s contact information, while Liu Yingxia arranged for her assistant to book a flight for that grand-uncle she had only met once or twice with an ashen face.

Meanwhile, the variety show director who had sold all his properties and was betting everything on this one move was now anxiously waiting to rent Xu Yao’s house!

*

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:

“Miss Yaoyao, the business class ticket to the capital has now been booked,” He Fan reported.

Xu Yao’s rental service was gradually getting on track, with a lovely team of employees helping her collect rent, and the company’s website and mobile app now also being updated.

But were her properties limited to Hai City?

No, no, no, her properties in Hai City were just a drop in the ocean!

In China’s high-priced, bustling cities, aside from Hai City, the capital is indispensable. And in the capital, there are still so many pitiful tenants eagerly waiting for Landlady Xu to rescue them from their plight—she really ought to go take a look at her domain there.

Little Six was heartbroken: [Host, can’t you take a break? You’re here to retire and enjoy your old age.]

Every day was spent running around for tenants, and even this trip of hers to the capital was to scope out her properties there.

Seeing that her pension for next month had doubled once again, Xu Yao felt that Little Six had a point.

Xu Yao made a decision, “Then after I finish my business in the capital, I’ll also travel around for a while.”

After reuniting with Xu Jing, she had been brought back to the capital by him in a hurry and hadn’t had the chance to explore the city in detail yet.

It’s just that Xu Yao let out a sigh, “I heard that my brother and Ji Zhengqing both have their own private jets, but I still have to fly business class when I travel.”

Is this the kind of travel gear a big shot landlady worshipped by countless tenants should have? Xu Yao felt somewhat ashamed of herself. She thought she could buy a few private jets for herself, just in case.

Naturally, she also had to inform her brother and fiancé Ji Zhengqing in advance about her trip to the capital.

[Xu Jing: Okay. When you come, let’s first visit Grandpa and our parents’ graves together.]

Xu Jing actually wished Xu Yao would just live in the capital so he could see her, preferably every day. However, Xu Yao had gone to university in Hai City, and all her connections were there, so she hadn’t initially wanted to return to the capital with him.

[Ji Zhengqing: I’ll come and pick you up.]

Thinking about the many details of their engagement party that still needed to be confirmed by both of them, Xu Yao readily agreed.

After switching off his phone, Ji Zhengqing immediately had Assistant Li cancel his flight to Hai City for this weekend.

There were countless direct flights from Hai City to the capital every day. Xu Yao, along with Lu Ye and He Fan, took an afternoon flight and landed smoothly in the capital.

Donning a pair of sunglasses, Xu Yao looked around at the bustling airport and said, “I remember Han Zhao saying he wanted to learn how to fly a plane. I really should arrange that for him.”

If in the future, he wasn’t working on computer programs anymore, he could still come and fly planes for her instead.

Lu Ye suddenly said, “I can too.”

Lu Ye could have never imagined before that knowing how to fly a plane would now become a standard requirement.

“Miss Yaoyao, President Ji has come to pick you up. Let’s head this way,” said He Fan, who was quite familiar with Ji Zhengqing as his former chief assistant, so he led Xu Yao away first.

Not long after Xu Yao left, an old man in a military green coat also disembarked from the plane. Looking at the bustling airport in front of him, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Our country is getting better and better now. The plane truly is much faster than the train!”

Clearly, this was the old man’s first time flying, and everything seemed new and exciting to him.

Although the old man was over seventy, he stood as straight as a pine tree and was full of vigor. He waited to the side as agreed, waiting for Liu Yingxia’s assistant to come pick him up.

Summer was approaching, and the airport in the afternoon was quite hot. Xu Yao spotted a sleek black car parked under a tree in the distance.

Ji Zhengqing stood by the car door, smiling gently as he watched her approach. He opened the door for her as she came over, while Lu Ye and He Fan had to follow in the car behind.

The car’s air conditioning was set at a moderate temperature, quickly relieving her from the sticky heat she felt.

Ji Zhengqing asked about her plans in the capital for the next few days. Xu Yao thought for a moment and said, “I’ll need to first go and sweep the tombs tomorrow morning. After that, I plan to take a look at some properties.”

After all, she really didn’t know anything about her properties in the capital.

Taking a look at some properties?

This idea aligned perfectly with Ji Zhengqing’s thoughts. If Ming Chan could afford to give a building as a gift, he certainly could too. Moreover, if it was going to be for their engagement, then he could certainly give her a more expensive gift too.

Ji Zhengqing asked for her opinion first, “Then, shall we go together tomorrow?”

As the Ji and Xu families were old friends, it was only right for Ji Zhengqing to pay respects at the graves of Old Master Xu and her parents.

Xu Yao looked at Ji Zhengqing’s clear-cut profile and suddenly thought of something. In the original novel, the idea that Xu Jing, the richest tycoon, had been brought down by Liu Yingxia was already absurd enough as it is.

It was truly unbelievable for an entertainment industry starlet to bring down a tycoon, yet the original author had merely glossed over this small plothole.

Well, fine—Xu Yao resigned herself to the fact that one day, her brother would be brought down by Liu Yingxia. But as his close friend, didn’t Ji Zhengqing try to help at all? The novel does mention that when the wealthy Xu family ran into trouble, Xu Jing’s friend had stepped in to help, but unfortunately, it was to no avail.

After all, the final boss in a feel-good novel was bound to be defeated in the end.

Xu Yao suddenly began to doubt Ji Zhengqing’s abilities as a domineering CEO. Was he not capable enough? Or was the author just too powerful?

Ji Zhengqing’s long fingers rested on his leg as he asked nonchalantly, “Why do you keep looking at me?”

Xu Yao smiled and said, “I was just wondering if Brother Zhengqing isn’t afraid of the heat. After all, you were waiting for me outside the car just now.”

Ji Zhengqing suddenly fell silent. He turned to look out the car window at the scenery rapidly passing by, seemingly just as nonchalant as usual except for his slightly flushed ears.

Assistant Li, who had been sitting silently in the front passenger seat, smiled inwardly. Just this? Their President Ji was still saving his big move for last.

Her grandfather and her parents were buried in Anlan Cemetery, a famous burial ground in the capital where usually only wealthy people could be buried. Her grandfather and parents’ graves were the largest in this area.

A grave, in layman’s terms, could be considered another place for a person to reside after death. Nowadays, some people can’t even afford to die.

Burial plots need to be rented by the descendants, yes, you heard right, rented.

You might think that the burial plot you bought for several hundred thousand is yours, but in fact, you only have usage rights for twenty years. Once the term expires, if there’s no money to renew the term, your ashes will be disposed of.

This led to a strange phenomenon where some people deliberately bought regular houses just to keep their ashes inside. After all, houses had a seventy-year property right.

Xu Jing, Xu Yao, and Ji Zhengqing placed flower bouquets in turn at the joint grave of Grandfather Xu and their parents.

“Yaoyao, stay in the capital for a few more days this time,” Xu Jing said to Xu Yao after talking at the grave for a while.

Xu Jing was seriously starting to doubt Xu Yao and Ji Zhengqing’s relationship—were they really going through with the engagement? He’d heard that, just for the engagement, Yaoyao had willingly commissioned over a dozen outfits. Xu Jing was beginning to suspect that her trip to the capital this time was really about spending time with Ji Zhengqing and deepening their relationship!

Xu Yao nodded with a smile, “Yeah, I plan to spend more time with Zhengqing these few days.”

After the three had finished paying their respects, they were just about to leave when they saw an old man saluting a tombstone not far away. As they passed by, they noticed a distinct scar on the side of the old man’s face.

Xu Yao faintly heard the old man say in a thick rural accent, “Just wait until I get on TV, then everyone will know about us.”

Xu Jing found an excuse to leave, and Xu Yao and Ji Zhengqing got into the RV. Yes, they were sitting in an RV, which looked similar to the one Xu Yao used for her rental in Hai City, only that this one was pure black.

Xu Yao sat next to Ji Zhengqing, while Lu Ye and He Fan sat behind them, constantly reporting in. Ji Zhengqing’s assistant, Assistant Li sat at the front without saying a word.

“Let’s go,” Ji Zhengqing instructed.

Scanning the buildings was actually quite simple; they just needed to drive around the neighborhood a few times to get a general idea of which building belonged to them. After all, checking each apartment one by one would be too much work, and could be left to the employees.

Through the window, Xu Yao admired the northern-style architecture, even spotting a few small hutongs² that the RV couldn’t enter, which was quite visually striking.

Xu Yao’s properties in the capital were quite varied. Besides the high-rise buildings, she had also circled a few buildings, despite their dilapidated condition, in good locations near the CBD.

Xu Yao prided herself in being a very competent landlady and felt as if she had a general understanding of her properties. After looking out the window for a while, she gradually felt as if something was off.

Why did the buildings they were looking at now not resemble the ones she had inherited in the capital?

Especially when the RV circled around and came to a stop at the Ji Group Tower; Xu Yao felt that the properties they had viewed this afternoon were definitely not hers! Just why did they look like Ji Zhengqing’s properties in the capital?

Xu Yao had never been to the Ji Group, but from the outside, it was certainly eye-catching, with the large commercial building designed in a high-tech fashion. It must have been carefully designed and constructed, and was no less impressive than Xu Group. It could easily be considered a landmark building.

“Yaoyao, which building do you think is the best?” Ji Zhengqing asked, as if seeking opinions.

Without giving it much thought, Xu Yao replied, “From that batch of buildings we just looked at—which one’s the best? I think your Ji Group Tower is the best.”

Ji Zhengqing: “…”

Ji Group Tower???

---

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1. A ship name exuding wealth. Since it’s widely believed that if you have mines, you’re wealthy ↩︎
2.  A hutong is a traditional type of narrow street or alley commonly found in northern Chinese cities, most notably Beijing. These alleys are formed by lines of siheyuan, which are traditional courtyard residences. While many were demolished during urban renewal in the mid-20th century, several have been preserved as protected cultural heritage sites. ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Assistant Li looked at Ji Zhengqing with a sense of despair. Has his boss finally figured it out? Where were the decisive methods he usually displayed to dominate the business world? Thank goodness his boss wasn’t like this at work, otherwise, the Ji Group would definitely be on the verge of collapse.

His boss really was a pure-hearted novice who had never dated.

Assistant Li stared at Ji Zhengqing with anticipation. After a long while, Ji Zhengqing raised his head and chuckled, “This must mean that she doesn’t see me as an outsider.”

Assistant Li: “?”

The assistant couldn’t help but crane his neck towards Ji Zhengqing, as if he thought he had misheard.

What? 

Not seeing him as an outsider? Is this how you don’t see someone as an outsider? Well, then he can too!

Assistant Li’s voice trembled as he said, “But… but there are no engagement dresses in the posted photos.” They were all for participating in the game’s latest event, boss!

Ji Zhengqing’s expression was calm as he said, “I was the one who told her to keep our engagement a secret, she is simply honoring the agreement between us.”

Assistant Li’s worldview collapsed: “……”

Stubborn! President Ji clearly understood what was happening, yet he was still being stubborn!

At that moment, Assistant Li really wanted to message He Fan and ask how the former assistant to President Ji was doing with Miss Xu Yao. What to do? He suddenly felt like switching jobs.

*

Xu Yao didn’t actually care about the comments on Weibo; she was currently explaining things to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye listened carefully, jotting down Xu Yao’s instructions. He had always completed Xu Yao’s requests without question.

He Fan, however, asked in surprise, “Miss Yaoyao, Ming Chan is Chairman Mu’s former daughter-in-law. The message you just instructed to send, is it something even Chairman Mu doesn’t know about?”

Xu Yao placed the greeting card into Lu Ye’s hands, asking him to pass it to Chairman Mu when he visited the ailing man who was gravely ill due to Mu Xiyuan’s actions.

Xu Yao smiled and said, “There are indeed some things that Uncle Mu might not know.”

After all, she was the divine landlady with a god’s perspective!

In the original novel, Ming Chan died in a house fire, and after the autopsy report came out, it was revealed that she was the daughter of Chairman Mu and his wife—yes, it was that melodramatic.

Xu Yao watched Lu Ye leave. She was actually waiting for Ji Zhengqing’s reply, but after waiting for a long time, what she received instead was the flowers Ji Zhengqing ordered online. Instead of the typical baby’s breath meant to save the taste of a clueless straight man¹, the bouquet looked very high-end and sophisticated.

Holding the bouquet, Xu Yao sat by the pool, her legs immersed in the clear water, and finally took the initiative to send Ji Zhengqing a WeChat message.

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: Don’t you have anything to say to me?]

To be honest, Xu Yao had always held an indifferent attitude towards this marriage—it wouldn’t matter if it happened, but she wouldn’t be sad either if it didn’t.

So even if her fiancé found out she was using the people he arranged for her to work on a game, Xu Yao wasn’t afraid. Rather, she was puzzled as to why he hadn’t taken the initiative to say anything to her!

There was no text reply from him; instead, Ji Zhengqing sent her a voice message. His voice, reminiscent of a cello, had an indescribable quality to it when transmitted through the electronic device. He said, “I’m very happy to have you as my future fiancée.”

Xu Yao listened several times, unable to help but laugh. She hadn’t manipulated President Ji; it was he who wanted to be her big fat sheep all along.

After a long while, Xu Yao replied, “The flowers are beautiful, I like them very much.”

#Xu Yao Shining Star Largest Investor#

#Xu Yao’s World’s Only Limited Edition#

Xu Yao’s Weibo post attracted immense attention, with her dozen or so photos being shared wildly across major social media platforms both domestically and internationally.

The terrifying level of attention that top-tier Chinese actress Fei Jin struggled to gain abroad was effortlessly achieved by the retired ordinary person Xu Yao, leaving nothing but envy in its wake.

Insiders of the international fashion scene repeatedly scrutinized Xu Yao’s photos, unwilling to miss even the slightest detail.

As expected of a masterpiece, it was truly stunning! From the intricate pattern designs to the waistline tailoring, every stitch and detail exuded artistry. Moreover, they discovered that Xu Yao, this Eastern girl, truly had an incredible figure.

Why were fashion models needed? Because models can showcase the beauty of fashion to the fullest, and they found that Xu Yao alone could rival countless models on the runway! She could master any style.

After seeing Xu Yao’s photos, one couldn’t help but want to wear the masterpiece, dreaming of donning such exquisite creations.

Ordinary girls might not dare to dream of such luxury clothing, but some rich second-generation heiresses gazed at Xu Yao’s photos, feeling as if millions of ants were quietly crawling all over their hearts, their desire reaching a peak.

They no longer merely wished to obtain the masterpiece through a small game—they wanted to wear it themselves!

[Official Shining Star Weibo Account: Dear players, the stars have felt your enthusiasm! A new event is about to begin, and we welcome all players to participate and create the most beautiful outfits! [Image]]

The game’s official account saw its Weibo followers surge by nearly a million, becoming the undisputed number one on the daily active users ranking list in the gaming sector.

Countless seasoned gamers, upon seeing that Weibo post, immediately thought the game was rushing things. The International Across the Globe event had just begun, and they were already launching a new event. Players would surely get fatigued and burned out.

But when they saw the new event image, they wanted to slap themselves.

Sorry, they were just too naive!

The latest event for Shining Star is the Fashion Styling Competition, and allows players to freely mix and match outfits to compete. The top X thousand stylists worldwide would win custom outfits from international designers, including Master Absalom.

Xu Yao’s outfit was a globally unique custom piece; even if players managed to obtain it, there would be slight differences in the details, making it truly one of a kind.

Once the event was announced, player enthusiasm skyrocketed. Even as night fell, a massive influx of new players rushed in, all eager to start styling their outfits.

Huh? My dressing room has too few clothes to mix and match? Then what are you waiting for? Pull more! Just go pull for outfits! Once you get them, you can start matching again!

Huh? You need small scissors to pull for outfits? What if I don’t have enough small scissors? Then rush to recharge more blue diamonds! Let’s get seven or eight of those 648-yuan gold packages first!

On Jiuzhou Game Network, Shining Star dominated various ranking charts, firmly holding the top spot and leaving the second place far behind. This terrifying scene would be talked about in the gaming community for many years to come.

[So, does that mean a player like me, who has no money but has luck, also has a chance to win a physical copy of a masterpiece after matching?]

[I heard these haute couture pieces from the masters cost hundreds of thousands of yuan each, right? Even if I sell it after getting it, I’ll still make a huge profit! Participating is a sure win!]

[Hahaha, it’s all about participation! I also want to join; who knows, I might get lucky.]

[I’m already numb, my girlfriend wants me to download the game to compete for a world-class designer outfit for her…]

[I’ve gotta say, damn—that’s impressive. This game is really like a sow wearing a bra², one set after another. As long as they can keep up the follow-through, this game could seriously become a phenomenon!]

[Xu Yao is incredible, her vision is so sharp! Who would invest in a dress-up game before? How much did she invest? Tens of millions?]

[Tens of millions? How naive!]

The rumours circulating online that Ming Chan received tens of millions in investment from Xu Yao are all false. Xu Yao, this terrifying landlady, actually poured in 150 million yuan!

Game developers in the industry were left dumbfounded. Can you believe it? That’s 150 million, not just a dollar fifty, okay?! They were practically kneeling before Xu Yao.

Investors specializing in investment ventures couldn’t help but regard this as a classic case, and it was without a doubt that Xu Yao could easily be included in investment textbooks.

This investment by Xu Yao could earn her billions in a single month! Is this how landlords are just lying back and collecting rent these days?

Xu Yao felt quite innocent; she really just didn’t want her tenants to leave. After all, finding a new tenant with good character is quite a hassle.

Investment?

It was really just a casual thing. After all, she just wanted to provide her tenants with a warm home.

Whether it was Xu Yao’s legal team successfully winning the lawsuit against Runda and Junyi or Ming Chan’s game, both brought Xu Yao an immense amount of traffic.

Mu Xiyuan could hardly believe that Ming Chan had actually made that crappy game popular?

A dress-up mini-game had sparked a frenzy both domestically and internationally, raking in billions of RMB in less than half a month since reopening, and it was still wildly gaining traction. But this game was actually just one that had been secretly given to Ming Chan by his adoptive father, who felt sorry for her.

Mu Xiyuan looked at the chaotic group chat and then at the endless reports online about Xu Yao and Ming Chan; these two had suddenly become the center of attention.

He suddenly felt like a joke… was he even worse than an orphaned girl from a rural town?

Now, wouldn’t his adoptive parents think Ming Chan was better than him?

Mu Xiyuan found it extremely hard to accept this reality. He angrily slammed his fist on the brown wooden desk in front of him, a fire of rage flickering in his eyes, nearly burning away the last remnants of his sanity.

What should he do now?

Suddenly, a series of gasps came from outside. Mu Xiyuan, who was already furious, picked up the ashtray on his desk and hurled it at the door, shouting, “Shut up!”

Too many people had resigned from the company in the past few days. Almost every day someone knocked on his office door, but it was only to quit.

The ceramic ashtray shattered on the floor, producing an extremely jarring sound.

“No skill, but quite a big temper!” A familiar voice filled with anger came from the doorway.

Mu Xiyuan quickly looked over, and to his surprise, saw it was his adoptive parents. His adoptive father was wearing a hospital blue-and-white striped gown under his suit jacket, clearly indicating that they had rushed over from the hospital.

Seeing his adoptive mother supporting his adoptive father, Mu Xiyuan suddenly felt an unspeakable sense of crisis well up from within him. He hurried forward, “Dad, why aren’t you resting well at the hospital? Why did you come here at this time? I’m worried about you.”

Chairman Mu kept coughing and sneered, “You little beast, if I hadn’t come over, you would have squandered my entire fortune!”

Chairman Mu was genuinely disappointed in this adopted son. It seems he simply wasn’t cut out for running a company.

Putting aside his poor character and secret involvement with rental loans, the fact was that Runda was indeed in a crisis, with even the stock price in free fall. But that didn’t mean the company would go bankrupt overnight! Yet this kid couldn’t even come up with a way to save it, only knowing how to smash ashtrays.

This was further contrasted with Ming Chan stirring up the global gaming industry with a simple game. At this point in time, Chairman Mu’s disappointment in Mu Xiyuan reached its peak.

Mu Xiyuan felt extremely uneasy, a very ominous premonition creeping in.

“Starting today, you are dismissed,” Chairman Mu solemnly announced as he looked at Mu Xiyuan with disappointment.

To put it bluntly, the president of a company is also an employee—a high-ranking one—but they can still be dismissed.

The employees outside the office were dumbfounded. Little President Mu was fired? Then what would happen to Runda in the future? Chairman Mu didn’t look like he could manage the company with his current health.

Chairman Mu scanned the stunned employees outside and said to the dazed Mu Xiyuan, “I will hand the company over to Little Chan.”

In that instant, Mu Xiyuan’s mind seemed to buzz with static, and he went blank.

Hand the company over to Ming Chan?

Mu Xiyuan clutched his head, almost screaming, “Dad, are you crazy? I’ve already divorced Ming Chan! She’s no longer a member of the Mu family! She’s just an outsider, and yet you want to hand over such a large enterprise to her?”

“A large enterprise? Right now, the entire Runda Group is a mess!” Chairman Mu said angrily, glaring at Mu Xiyuan.

Mu Xiyuan’s brain was racing, and he blurted out, “Dad, are you really going to fire me over this small mistake? Is it just because I’m an adopted son, so you think I can be discarded at will?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Xiyuan immediately regretted it.

Chairman Mu’s face turned completely ashen as he reprimanded furiously, “A small mistake? You and Junyi’s people have caused people to lose their lives! Are human lives so worthless in your eyes?”

Chairman Mu changed his tone and retorted, “Besides, you’re just like Little Chan, and you’re not my biological son. So what’s the difference if I hand it over to you or Little Chan?”

Mu Xiyuan’s face turned pale, and he didn’t know how to respond.

The employees were going completely crazy, discussing it as if they had heard some major international gossip. Mu Xiyuan actually exposed a bombshell about himself!

“So President Mu isn’t Chairman Mu’s biological son? He’s adopted?”

“My goodness, isn’t this going to be huge news in high society?! Mu Xiyuan is actually the only adopted son! No one in the circle knew this news!”

Some employees who were considering resigning became bolder: “Mu Xiyuan’s abilities are still lacking, so it’s still better to hand the company over to the former president’s wife. She made even a small indie game popular overnight! Now that’s a real businesswoman. Men shouldn’t be so self-important; they have to admit that they are often inferior to women.”

“I’ve overheard some juicy gossip today. I feel like I suddenly don’t need to resign anymore?”

“…”

Mu Xiyuan was scared, he was truly scared now. He quickly said, “Mom, Dad, I really know I was wrong now. I will definitely apologize to the public.

“And also, since you both like Ming Chan, I’ll go find her and remarry her right now!”

Hearing this, his usually gentle adoptive mother frowned and immediately stopped him, “Don’t go harming a good girl.”

When Mu Xiyuan heard that even his usually gentle adoptive mother was no longer helping him, his heart sank to the depths of despair.

“We’ve already thought it over. Your mother and I will adopt Ming Chan as our daughter.” Chairman Mu continued, his tone calm, clearly having made a thorough decision with no room for negotiation.

Mu Xiyuan now understood that he was completely finished.

He began to regret, regretting why he had let himself be blinded and got involved in the rental loan business with Junyi.

All he knew was—

The ex-wife he had once kicked out would now walk back into the Mu family as its head.

After announcing this major news, Chairman Mu, supported by his wife, returned to the hospital.

He hadn’t abandoned Mu Xiyuan. After all, he had already raised him for so many years. Even without blood ties, there were still years of feelings between them.

But rationality led Chairman Mu to make a decision: rather than let the company be squandered by him, it was better to hand it over to the capable Ming Chan. He would give his adopted son some money to ensure he wouldn’t go hungry, but that was all.

Ming Chan was called to duty in a crisis; she was currently only thinking about her game, especially since it had exploded in popularity due to the latest event. However, if she didn’t want it to be a mere flash in the pan, she still needed to follow up.

It was Chairman Mu and his wife who personally invited her, their words extremely sincere.

The couple was very satisfied with Ming Chan’s character, as despite going through such a difficult time, she still hadn’t exposed that Mu Xiyuan was an adopted son just to gain benefits.

Ming Chan actually didn’t want a divorce at the time, not because she was attached to Mu Xiyuan, but because she cared about her kind and understanding in-laws.

“Sir, Madam, the identification results are out—it’s true! Miss Xu Yao is truly amazing!” The butler rushed in from outside the ward, only to be stopped by a nurse in the hallway who was very displeased at him speaking so loudly.

But the butler couldn’t control himself!

“Is it really true?” Chairman Mu’s wife asked, her voice trembling in disbelief.

“It’s true, it’s really true!”

Ming Chan looked confused, not knowing what her former in-laws were talking about.

Chairman Mu flipped the examination report back and forth, tears misting his eyes, “Little Chan, Miss Xu Yao sent someone to visit us and left a greeting card saying that you and my wife look very similar, so we did a paternity test.”

The chairman’s wife even held Ming Chan’s hand directly, “No wonder I find you so familiar, my little darling.”

Ming Chan, a rational girl, was momentarily stunned. Xu Yao? Was it Xu Yao, her landlady, who was helping her once again?

After taking a long time digesting her own background, Ming Chan gradually came to her senses, and she also accurately grasped Runda’s current situation.

Junyi Long-term Rental Apartments was so badly affected by the scandal to the point of being forcibly delisted, but Runda was not yet bankrupt.

After much consideration, Ming Chan said, “Mom, Dad, the best way now is for us to cut our losses to survive.”

Having been the daughter-in-law of the couple, it had become a habit for Ming Chan to call them Mom and Dad, so it wasn’t difficult to say it again. In fact, the term felt even more intimate today.

The couple, however, listened to that address with red eyes, staring intently at Ming Chan.

“Since this whole matter started with Mu Xiyuan, we’ll cut Mu Xiyuan out completely.”

Ming Chan thought for a moment and said, “Right, and the property that Junyi Long-term Rental Apartments rented from Runda that caused the incident—it’s that building, right? I think…”

Ming Chan’s voice became firm as she decisively stated, “We should give that apartment building to Xu Yao.”

*

Xu Yao received an apartment building, but the person giving it to her was not her fiancé, but rather her tenant.

“Isn’t this too much?” Xu Yao said with a troubled expression, “This gift is really too big, I can’t accept it.”

Chairman Mu, who was still in high spirits due to the happy occasion, was in excellent health. He not only was able to move around but also didn’t need to remain in the hospital.

Chairman Mu said, “If you say that, Yaoyao, then you’re truly being too polite. I understand the pressure that young people must be feeling with the issue of rent and loans. If we add a few more lives to the mix, the future fallout would be scarier than the current negative public opinion about the company. I know your intentions are good.”

“Besides… transferring this apartment building to you at this time is actually us taking advantage of the situation, after all, your reputation is good right now.”

Xu Yao was now recognized as a divine landlady, and the apartment building that had seen two lives lost, if transferred into her hands, would undoubtedly help influence the negative public opinion.

The chairman’s wife, dressed in a qipao³, chided her, “What are you saying, Little Yao? Besides, if it weren’t for you investing in Little Chan back then, her life would have been far more difficult than it is now. If you hadn’t reminded us, we wouldn’t have even known our own daughter was right under our noses this whole time.”

Just finding their own daughter was worth more than ten buildings, let alone one.

An apartment building was still a huge gift, representing not only their desperate attempt at reversing public opinion, but also their gratitude towards Xu Yao.

Xu Yao smiled, “Then… thank you, Chairman Mu and Madam Mu.”

With the formalities taken care of, the chairman’s wife held Xu Yao’s hand, feeling extremely close, and asked with a smile, “I heard you’re getting engaged soon. Do make sure to invite us when the time comes”

Xu Yao readily agreed, and the chairman’s wife asked where it would be held.

Xu Yao hesitated, “It hasn’t been decided yet. I’ll inform Uncle and Aunt when the time comes.”

The engagement location had indeed not been decided, as Xu Yao didn’t want to hold it in the capital or in Haicheng.

Both places were big cities, with paparazzi everywhere so it would be hard to keep the engagement a secret, especially given her current massive online following.

Xu Yao had initially planned to acquire several villas on an island, planning to discuss with Ji Zhengqing about the possibility of holding a small engagement party there.

*

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:

Runda Group officially announced today that President Mu Xiyuan has been permanently dismissed, with Ming Chan taking over the position instead. Runda will also provide a series of compensations to the victims.

[Mu Xiyuan was fired? I heard the chairman of Runda was extremely fond of this son, so did they really kick him out? At least this shows some sincerity.]

[Isn’t Ming Chan the tenant that Xu Yao invested in? Holy crap, going from being divorced to her game becoming a global hit, and now taking charge of Runda—isn’t Xu Yao’s foresight a bit too sharp?]

[Hahaha, Mu Xiyuan kicked Ming Chan out of the house back then, yet who would have thought he would be kicked out one day too? Hasn’t his ex-wife made a glamorous return? Serves that dog man right!]

Mu Xiyuan had stirred up so much trouble, and in the end, he gained nothing! Just thinking about it is amusing.

What a useless piece of work.

[This is nothing compared to the truly shocking news! @Runda’s victimised tenants have the real bombshell!]

Many of these scammed tenants still lived in Runda Apartments. After all, Xu Yao’s elite legal team had completely exempted them from loans with their victory in the lawsuit, and Runda had provided various compensations to salvage their image. Their attitude could even be considered excellent; it was as if they were practically begging them for mercy.

Although they were still cursing Runda behind their backs, they didn’t move out directly, and accepted the compensation without hesitation, simply continuing to live in the same apartment building.

Just this morning, the latest notice was issued downstairs in the apartment building: the building had changed ownership and had become Xu Yao’s.

Tenants who could not accept this could move out within ten days, and Xu Yao’s rental team would arrange for a moving company to assist for free, while those willing to rent Xu Yao’s properties could stay and would have Xu Yao’s rental team come over to sign new rental contracts.

The Runda Apartments tenant group chat, which had been filled with curses, was now in shock, flooding the chat with messages.

Xu Yao couldn’t help but sigh; what could she do if her tenants insisted on giving her a building? She didn’t want it either.

[??? So I… I became Xu Yao’s tenant? Wow! Is this a blessing in disguise? Ahhhh, Mom, I rented Xu Yao’s house, you don’t have to worry about me being scammed in the big city anymore!]

[I took Xu Yao’s online rental exam three times, always failing to pass by one or two points, and now, you’re telling me I directly became Xu Yao’s tenant? Did I make it? Is this how I made it? I need to celebrate right now!]

[To be honest, I was just packing my things into boxes at home, but seeing this news, I silently took everything out again. In this day and age, which tenant doesn’t want to rent Xu Yao’s house?]

[Wahhhh, I’m truly grateful to Xu Yao! Because of her, I won’t have to bear strange loans at a young age, and now I can even confidently look for a job. I suddenly feel that life is still very beautiful—everyone should live well! My long-standing unhappiness has suddenly eased a lot. I’m so happy!]

[Yes, we should all live well. Thank you to the boy and girl who left us, and I hope you both are doing well in heaven. And thank you for ensuring that us later arrivals will no longer suffer any grievances.]

Today’s breaking news! Runda has transferred their apartment building to Xu Yao, and now Xu Yao is the landlady of this building!

The tenants of Runda, who had previously been grumbling, upon hearing that the landlord had become Xu Yao, were all excited as if it were the New Year .

It was like they had been in the dim light of dawn, and upon finally crossing the endless darkness, they could finally catch a glimpse of the long-awaited sun. The first rays of sunlight truly felt warm on their skin.

Netizens were somewhat dumbfounded. So, it turns out there’s actually another way to rent Xu Yao’s apartment? Why was it so difficult to rent from Xu Yao?

Countless hopeful investors had long been unable to contain themselves. Ming Chan was the best example for them. A small, crappy game had somehow become a global phenomenon! They wanted to be Xu Yao’s tenants, even if they didn’t actually need to rent a place at all!

[Sister Yao, look at me! My variety show is just missing you as an investment tycoon!]

[Does Xu Yao only help her tenants? I want to become her tenant.]

[Wahhhhhhh, Sister Yao, look at me! My little restaurant has great food, but it’s about to close down. I hope the ultimate landlady can lend a helping hand.]

Netizens looked at these comments on Weibo and couldn’t help but frown.

They had a terrible premonition that these people, who already had houses and homes, would soon come to compete with them!

Originally, the rental exam for Xu Yao’s apartments was already very difficult, and now with this situation, renting from Xu Yao was almost like trying to get into Tsinghua or Peking University!

Just as some tenants were feeling anxious, someone posted a reply to a private message on Xu Yao’s rental official website.

[Xu Yao Rental Private Message: Your information has been reviewed. We regret to inform you that you do not meet the rental requirements of Xu Yao Rental. Note: Please do not waste resources if you already own property. Thank you.]

If you own a house, get lost! Don’t come and waste resources renting!

Xu Yao was very clear about it—her apartments were to be rented to those who truly needed them. As a busy landlady, she only occasionally helped out her unfortunate tenants. After all, she just wanted to give everyone a happy home.

Many people were left dumbfounded—Xu Yao’s rental requirements had actually become stricter.

No renting to property owners! She really only rented to those in need…

Didn’t that mean those hoping to gain Xu Yao’s investment help as tenants would never have a chance? Some people who still lacked investment nearly blacked out from despair. After all, most of them who needed investment for their businesses all owned some sort of property, more or less.

Heavens, why are you so cruel to me!

“I… I’ve made up my mind,” a middle-aged man looked around his home in the capital city. He took a deep breath as if he had considered this for a long time, and solemnly told his family, “I’m going to sell our property and rent Xu Yao’s apartment!”

As long as they sold the house, they would need to rent, thus meeting Xu Yao’s basic rental criteria.

Family: “!!!”

Are you crazy?!

Selling the house, and having the whole family go to rent from Xu Yao? Have you lost your mind? Who will slap him back to his senses?

The tenants of Runda, oh no, now they were also Xu Yao’s tenants, immediately felt as if they had struck a jackpot when watching the frenzy online.

My goodness, wanting to become Xu Yao’s tenant is almost as hard as getting into Tsinghua and Peking University!

After a long time, one tenant seriously said in the group: [Thank you, Runda, for giving this apartment building to Xu Yao, allowing me to become Xu Yao’s tenant.]

[I actually really hated Runda before, wishing I could follow Mu Xiyuan and send him on his way, but now I suddenly feel a bit relieved. That trash Mu Xiyuan deserves to die, but it seems like Runda isn’t completely rotten to the core.]

[Sigh, I’ve also changed my view on Runda quite a bit. This move is indeed a clever tactic, and I truly admire it.]

[Ming Chan is truly a role model for female entrepreneurs! She can make a game a global hit and then turn around to save the company’s reputation, truly impressive.]

[Yeah, this is a whole building we’re talking about! Yet Ming Chan just gave it away! Who else is so generous with gifts these days? Why is this kind of shippable all of a sudden? (jk⁴)]

[Sis, shipping everything will only ruin you. Xu Yao is obviously my wife, okay? Don’t go trying to steal her, thanks!]

They admired Ming Chan’s clever tactics, as this was a win-win situation. Runda cut off its own tail to survive and restore its company image, while Xu Yao effortlessly received a whole building as a gift—this was simply a win-win for both parties!

Ji Zhengqing was also paying attention to the online news, noticing Runda’s clever move to cut its losses to survive, and he watched as the online reputation of Runda gradually rose from its previous low.

Ming Chan was indeed a remarkable female entrepreneur, and Xu Yao’s vision was something everyone talked about.

It wasn’t until Ji Zhengqing saw a comment saying, [Wow, Ming Chan actually gave Xu Yao a building! I dare say her future husband might not even be this generous!]

Ji Zhengqing suddenly remembered that he hadn’t given Xu Yao the land of Zhengde Academy but had sold it to her at half price instead. If this got out… 

Ji Zhengqing could never have imagined that, in this lifetime, he’d be saddled with the reputation of being stingy.

Ji Zhengqing turned his head and stared at the engagement ring he had just ordered on the desk—the one with the massive diamond—for a long time.

Assistant Li hurriedly added from the side, “President Ji, this engagement ring really isn’t bad at all… um, are you thinking of giving her a building too?”

Wearing a dead-inside expression, Assistant Li wondered to himself, Who gives gifts like this? Get a grip, you love-struck fool!

Ji Zhengqing thought for a moment and said, “Two buildings?”

---

i kid u not when i say assistant li is the funniest part of this story LMAOOO poor guy is constantly questioning life im crine

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
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any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. “直男” → slang for a (often romantically clueless) straight man with stereotypically poor taste (think tacky) ↩︎
2. “老母猪戴胸罩一套又一套” is a crude, humorous Chinese slang expression. Literally “a sow wearing a bra, one set after another,” Because sows have many udders, if you put a bra on an older sow, you need to put on multiple bras, hence the saying “one set after another”. The phrase “一套又一套” (“one set after another”) conveys something being produced or released continuously and in large quantity. In context, it praises the game for rolling out content nonstop, though with a jokingly vulgar tone. ↩︎
3. Wearing a qipao often conveys a sense of celebration, formality, and cultural refinement, and may also symbolize good fortune. So the chairman’s wife wearing a qipao now conveys her joy at finally reuniting with her biological daughter. ↩︎
4. Bushi = playful internet slang for “not really” (a joking self-denial after saying something suggestive). Think jk or /j ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Liu Feifei was just an ordinary high school girl with a little bit of pocket money. She hadn’t paid much attention to the housing loan, which was the hottest trending topic on Weibo these past two days—after all, she didn’t need to rent a place yet.

Shining Star had inexplicably suspended its servers, with its reopening time still tentative. Liu Feifei had planned to abandon the game since it didn’t really have the allure to keep her waiting for its return.

However, a few days ago, she noticed that well-known concept artists like Sang Sang, Si Qiao, and Monkey Candy were all creating concept art for Shining Star, with the key point being the terrifyingly high commission fees, which stirred up quite a commotion in the gaming community. As a veteran player, Liu Feifei knew just what kind of game that broke little game was, and she was curious to see just what sort of tricks this little game could come up with.

So while ordinary netizens were discussing the pitfalls of housing loans and Xu Yao, the truly divine landlord, she was secretly waiting for the game to reopen.

The official account of Shining Star announcing its reopening didn’t cause much of a stir, garnering only about ten thousand reposts. Of course, compared to the previous posts that only had dozens of reposts, for them, this was still considered significant exposure, though it still didn’t create much of a splash.

The reopening was set for Sunday morning at eight o’clock, and Liu Feifei logged into the game right on time.

The young girl, still wearing a lace nightgown, was snuggled in bed, her eyes half-closed and still a bit drowsy from sleep. As a struggling high school student with classes six days a week, the only time she had to herself was the weekend. Usually, she would be sleeping in at this time before getting up to do her homework.

If the game still turned out to be trash, then it wouldn’t be worth wasting her precious weekend time on it, and she would immediately uninstall it to continue sleeping in.

With this thought, Liu Feifei clicked into the game but was prompted to download an additional update. She took a closer look and was somewhat surprised: “2.5 gigabytes??”

To think that this little game had only been a few hundred megabytes at the start! What on earth had the game studio done to make the file so large all of a sudden?

Fortunately, the internet speed at home was quite good, and it finished downloading just as she was dozing off.

Liu Feifei, who was nestled in bed, yawned as she looked at the screen. A girl appeared on the splash screen against a cosmic starry background, and Liu Feifei’s eyes lit up, “Teacher Si Qiao’s art is simply too amazing, so beautiful!”

She couldn’t help but think that Shining Star truly had a discerning eye; the art style of the artists they hired matched her aesthetic perfectly.

From the main character’s extraordinarily beautiful looks to the dazzling starry background behind her, Liu Feifei couldn’t help but feel a little excited. She immediately logged into her account.

As the game progress bar at the bottom filled up, the screen transitioned, and Liu Feifei couldn’t help but exclaim, “Holy sh*t?” She shot up from her small bed, her previously sleepy eyes now wide open.

“This… is this the same game?” Liu Feifei muttered in disbelief, “How did it become 3D?”

The game interface featured a 3D character, dressed in a simple white shirt and a light blue pleated skirt.

Liu Feifei found the outfit rather familiar. After thinking for a while, she remembered that this was the same exact outfit she had designed just over a month ago before the game stopped service.

Liu Feifei tried to rotate the character with her finger, and sure enough, she could view it from all angles. This made her suddenly realise, “So that’s what the back of this outfit looks like!”

She poked the little figure, and the girl on the screen took two steps back, shyly covering half her face and saying, “Oh my, what are you doing? It tickles!”

Liu Feifei was stunned. Huh? They’ve even voice acting as well?

Her curiosity got the better of her as she tried to explore the other changes in the game. The top row displayed her stamina, general currency, and blue diamonds.

Liu Feifei clicked on the notification in her mailbox and found a letter from the developers apologizing to the few remaining veteran players.

Liu Feifei looked confused, “88 little scissors? What’s that?”

When she clicked into the gacha pool interface, she instantly understood, exclaiming, “88 pulls for veteran players?!”

Moreover, with the reopening, various events followed one after another, making it easy to gather over a hundred pulls in just a few days.

Liu Feifei had played many games before, and she knew that many games required at least a thousand yuan to get a hundred pulls! Was this game really that generous?

This was a decision made after discussions among Ming Chan and the team, as there weren’t enough veteran players to begin with, so it wouldn’t disrupt the overall balance.

Excited, Liu Feifei was eager to try her luck at pulling. Just as she clicked to pull a set, a prompt box popped up—

[Friendly reminder: A new global collaboration event will start on XX/XX/202X. Players are advised to proceed pulling at your own discretion.]

Liu Feifei looked at the date, which seemed to be five days later. She felt a bit speechless about the “new global collaboration event” mentioned above. It seemed that these days, even the smallest of games could anyhow slap the word “global” on their events.

However, Liu Feifei still decided to save up for five days to see what this so-called “new global collaboration event” was all about.

“Let’s check out my little house.” Liu Feifei turned away from the card-pulling page and entered the little house page.

The moment she clicked in, Liu Feifei couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, isn’t this just the little house of my dreams?!”

There was a super large princess bed, a beautiful desk, and most importantly, a gigantic wardrobe!

Liu Feifei didn’t know how the game managed to create this, but by clicking on the screen, she truly felt like she was back in her own home.

In the exaggeratedly large wardrobe were her clothes, a complete set of dresses, outfits, shoes, bags, various accessories, and even wigs for different hairstyles!

“Ahhh!! This is simply a fashionista’s dream house!” Liu Feifei was completely awake now, sitting cross-legged on the bed, squirming in excitement.

The wardrobe felt so real, as if she truly owned it.

Liu Feifei checked her dresses and became even more excited, “Oh, oh, these are the dresses and clothes I got in the game before! Hmm, I thought this dress was ugly before, but now it actually looks so good after the update, so cool and stylish.”

Liu Feifei is one of the game’s veteran players. The outfits she previously obtained not only remained in her wardrobe but were also fully upgraded.

Each outfit underwent detailed optimization. As Liu Feifei controlled her character, she could even catch sight of the cute lace trim of the maxi skirt as well as the legs and ankles peeking out from beneath the sheer fabric.

Her mind was filled with the words “so beautiful.” This little dress perfectly matched her aesthetic!

Liu Feifei snuggled in bed, designing outfits. At one moment, she thought that this top paired perfectly with those long pants, and at another, she felt the accessories she had initially paired with it didn’t quite match.

She clearly already had a vast collection of clothes since she was a veteran player, yet she still found it hard to resist the urge to pull for SSRs.

If it weren’t for her persistent bodily urgers, Liu Feifei wouldn’t even want to get out of bed with her phone in hand. While holding her phone in the bathroom, she didn’t forget to share a screenshot with her classmate.

[Liu Feifei: [image] How does my outfit look?]

[Friend A: A dress-up game? Do even dress-up games need to be this refined these days?]

Her friend knew that Liu Feifei enjoyed these dress-up mini-games, but in terms of outfit changes, this world was limited to mini-games, and it was indeed their first time seeing one this exquisite.

Liu Feifei shared another four or five outfit designs in one breath. Unable to resist, her friend searched for the game’s name, wanting to try it out too.

“Wow, they even added a storyline? You can get outfits by progressing through the story?” After using the bathroom, Liu Feifei hurried back to play.

It wasn’t until her phone alerted her that the battery was low at 3% that Liu Feifei glanced at the time and felt a sudden jolt in her heart, “Oh no, I have school tomorrow! I haven’t done my homework yet!”

Liu Feifei quickly plugged her phone in to charge and rushed to her desk to do her homework. Just as she had written a few words, she couldn’t help but grab her charging phone and sent a message in the gaming community:

[Shining Star is amazing after the update! I’ve played at least dozens of dress-up games, and this one is truly exquisite, definitely not something a mini-game like 9934 can compare to!]

In this world, games from China must pass an audit by a platform called Jiuzhou Game Network to qualify for listing. In addition to auditing games, this platform also allows users to check current download numbers, sales rankings, and even upcoming new releases.

Anyone who plays games in the country knows this site, and many players specifically go there to find good mini-games to try out.

The game reviewer “I Am Carefree” was, as usual, browsing Jiuzhou Game Network for games to review. 

After scanning through the new games, he showed a disappointed expression; there hadn’t been any interesting games lately, so he turned his attention to the sales rankings.

The sales ranking on Jiuzhou Game Network has a total of one hundred slots. As the reviewer scrolled through the page, he saw familiar titles, with games like Honor of Kings consistently holding the top spots.

“Ugh, I’ve already reviewed all of these.”

Just as the reviewer was worried about today’s video content, his gaze suddenly caught on the 99th spot on the sales chart—Shining Star.

Despite being at the bottom of the sales chart, with so many games in China, just being able to get into the top hundred meant the quality couldn’t be too bad.

“A dress-up game? I think this is the first of its kind to squeeze into the game sales rankings, right?” Upon seeing this, the reviewer realised that this meant he now had content for today’s video!

The original artwork for the game, priced at 300,000 for a single piece, had already attracted many gamers, who initially came for the artist but ended up staying for the game.

“This damn game, do you actually have to break a single outfit into dozens of shards when pulling? You really have no shame!” A female player cursed while recharging 648 yuan, yet her hand speed never wavered. There was no other reason than that she just really wanted to collect the entire “Celestial Maiden” set!

Once she collected it, the female player admired her 3D character repeatedly, beaming with joy, “Wahhh, my daughter is so beautiful, it’s really worth it, hahaha!”

“Bean Bun, you’re also playing Shining Star? I was also pulled in by the artwork.” A gaming friend saw the post in their WeChat Moments and immediately messaged her, “How much have you pulled?”

“About two hundred pulls, big and small. I don’t even have the mind to care about the event in five days.”

Just the regular outfits were already dazzling enough. She didn’t have a huge wardrobe in real life, but now she had the idea of completely filling up the wardrobe in the game instead!

With just this small wave of players attracted by the artwork, the game had somehow managed to squeeze into the sales rankings.

Jiuzhou Game Network automatically recommends games that make it into the sales rankings, and although the recommendation is just a small corner of text, the platform’s traffic is substantial.

“It’s rising, it’s rising! Boss, our revenue is skyrocketing!” The deputy director of the finance department rushed over to inform Ming Chan.

Ming Chan still had her stare focused on the platform data, nodding continuously.

Since the reopening, Ming Chan had been anxious; that was a 150 million investment after all! If it flopped, how could she ever face Xu Yao?

The originally few dozen game ratings began to grow to a hundred, and then to a few hundred!

Excluding some who criticized the game developers for being shameless for money, the rest were all positive reviews.

—[Deserves a good rating! I’ve loved dressing up since I was a child and even designed various outfits for Barbie dolls when I was little. This game is simply fulfilling my childhood dreams!]

—[It’s my first time playing a 3D dressing game, and every outfit and dress in it is beautifully made. You can still play without spending money.]

—[The original artwork is amazing! I came purely because my Sister Yao is here, and I want to play the same game as her.]

*

I Am Carefree’s lengthy game review, running for over ten minutes, further fueled the high popularity of Shining Star!

“Hey chat, today I discovered a very conscientious game! I won’t even mention how beautiful the clothes are since the female players will know better than I do. I actually found another fun aspect of this game: its face customization system is better than other games. I spent an entire afternoon just customizing faces.”

This content creator has over a million fans, and he’s the type to get increasingly excited the more he speaks, “I molded it based on my own face, hahaha if I were a cross-dressing master, I would definitely look like this, it really resembles me a lot!”

The video also showcased the face he spent the whole afternoon crafting, where a girl’s body appears with a rather heroic face, with the screen immediately filled with question marks in the barrage.

[You’ve ruined the game! Is this really the way to customise a character’s appearance?!]

[…Holy sh*t, I’ve seen I Am Carefree in person before and he really looks like this. The face customisation system in this game is quite good, the rest are just about changing styles and such.]

[I also discovered the face creation system, the key is that it not only allows you to create faces but also lets you input height and weight! I spent three hours creating myself there, aiming for realism.]

More and more players flocked to the game Shining Star, and in just three days, it surged into the top three for most downloads!

Major gaming companies didn’t expect that a dress-up game would see significant revenue on its first day of reopening, and that they’d even experience a terrifyingly explosive growth in the following days.

Money was pouring in almost in the blink of an eye, and within just a few days, the revenue easily surpassed a hundred million.

They even belatedly realized that clothing has an irresistible allure for women, and even in games, female players are truly crazy about spending money.

This made them feel quite a bit of pressure, and they even held a special meeting for Shining Star.

One employee analyzed, “Boss, I don’t think we need to worry too much about Shining Star. Some games do indeed become popular for a while, but it’s just a flash in the pan.”

Another employee chimed in, “That’s true, this little game spent over a million on promotional artwork before, so some popularity is normal.”

The boss felt something was off. How could this be called just “some popularity”? In just a few days, it had easily broken a 100 million in revenue, even making it to the trending searches two or three times. Apparently that top landlord Xu Yao was also playing this game, so this level of popularity would probably continue, right?

However, after being comforted by the employees for a while, the boss’s heart calmed down a bit.

But it didn’t take long before the boss’s expression changed drastically as he stared at the game notifications popping up on his tablet. “It’s over, Shining Star has launched a new event.”

Launching a new event is quite normal; what’s so strange about that? The others were somewhat puzzled.

When they carefully looked at the content of the new event, everyone in the conference room exchanged glances, and almost everyone could see the same expression on each other’s faces— 

How could this be possible?

[Official Shining Star Weibo: The newly released limited-time game event, “International Across the Globe” officially launched at 10:08 this morning. Thanks to the participating co-designers @MasterAbsalom @JesseBlair @DesignerQiuYajun @SakuraDesignerMiyamotoHatsuta @……]

This mention tagged ten internationally renowned designers.

A single Weibo post exploded across the internet!

Many people had already known that these big-name designers would be releasing their latest designs in China, with even reporters rushing to investigate the venue of the fashion show, but there was no news at all.

The level of confidentiality was astonishing.

With the exposure of the rental loan incident involving Runda and Junyi, many people had put this matter behind them, but now it was forcefully brought back to their minds.

Absurd!

This was almost everyone’s first reaction after seeing this official Weibo announcement!

The fact that internationally renowned designers collectively came to China to premiere their designs was shocking enough, but to release it in a game? This completely overturned everyone’s understanding. How on earth could this be possible?

Minutes later, led by Master Absalom, these designers collectively made an official announcement on domestic and international social media.

#Shining Star# instantly topped Weibo’s trending searches, closely followed by the explosive tag!

[I’m completely stunned, internationally renowned designers are collectively joining forces for a dress-up game? How did they even manage to get all these big names involved?]

[OMG, even the national and global gaming scenes are going to be swept up by this little dress-up game, what kind of top-tier collaboration is this?!]

[So in other words, I might also get to pull clothes designed by these internationally renowned designers? I could never afford them in real life, but it seems… quite possible for me to do so in the game.]

[That’s Master Absalom! He’s been in seclusion for five years, and this is the only work he’s done in all these years. I’d go bankrupt just to own it. I’m downloading the game now.]

[Mhmm… I’m just stunned, the foreign fashion scene isn’t doing much better, they’re all shocked to the core.]

If this news was a bombshell in the country, then its impact in the international fashion scene was comparable to that of a magnitude eight earthquake.

It was simply hard to imagine that they were releasing their latest designs in a game.

There was truly no need for a fashion show; these internationally renowned big shots treated a game from China as their platform for launch!

It takes time for games to go international, but this game took only a few hours to break out of the country, trending on Twitter without any signs of stopping.

“Fuck, how come this game doesn’t have a global version?! They only released a domestic server in China!” A blonde, blue-eyed second-generation rich girl from the West kept cursing.

For those in the fashion circle, not getting the latest seasonal items is a matter of losing face, especially since Master Absalom is incredibly attractive.

The most annoying part is that this event is time-limited! If you don’t participate now, it really will be gone in the future. These artistic masters are all so proud, so when they say it’s a limited edition, it’s limited, and if it’s gone, it’s gone—missing it means missing it.

Without an international server, they could only use a domestic proxy accelerator to play the game, which would still result in high latency, lag, and various issues, but now there was no choice; she still had to grit her teeth and proceed.

After finally downloading the game, she initially thought she could change the game language to English, but it turned out that the game hadn’t been developed to that extent yet, and now there were only Simplified and Traditional Chinese options.

In a frantic back-and-forth between angrily smashing her phone and stubbornly continuing to play, the fashion-conscious rich girl finally, with a pained expression, gritted her teeth and compromised, “…I need a Chinese translator to help me!”

Even the most popular game in China has never made them suffer like this!

While waiting for the event to start, she started to explore this game a bit. Although she couldn’t understand Chinese, clothing combinations are universally applicable.

It actually seemed to be quite interesting.

[Hahaha, do they also finally have their day? Foreign sisters, why not take this opportunity to learn some Chinese?]

[Who is enjoying this, I won’t say! Internationally renowned designer’s clothes are released in China, and they can only play while gritting their teeth. I was also clueless about English back then, crying while playing foreign games, and I didn’t even know when I was being scolded, hahaha.]

[I studied abroad, and a rich second-generation girl in my class asked me to translate for her while playing this game, hahaha, making some extra cash, and it’s not a small amount!]

[I just want to know who the big boss behind all this is? How could they invite so many big shots, and the key is that they all agreed to release it in the game! You’re seriously my god!]

As soon as the event started, a shocking scene unfolded that left those in the gaming industry stunned. Later, game producers collectively referred to this day as “Ming Chan’s Massacre of the Rankings”!

The sales rankings were based purely on revenue, and as soon as the event began, Shining Star seemed to sprint ahead of other games like it was a hundred-meter dash, reaching the top of the monthly sales chart within just one hour!

Is this the purchasing power of the fashion industry?

Countless funds from both domestic and international sources poured in frantically. The finance department of Shining Star’s game studio dared to say they had never seen so much money in their lives, to the point where in the end, it all just seemed to be numbers to them.

Is exceeding a hundred million in revenue that great?

They dared to say exceeding even a billion would be a breeze! As soon as the event started, their monthly revenue exceeded five billion! And it was only going to keep skyrocketing.

Just becoming an overnight sensation, it was nothing special!

Countless people were showing off the outfits they had pulled.

[Ahhh, I pulled over two hundred times, and finally collected the entire set of Master Absalom’s dresses. OMG, I finally understand why he is the benchmark in the global fashion industry; the details are truly perfect, and the long black dress just gives off such a noble air.]

[Qiu Yajun’s cheongsam is only 6 yuan! Her designs usually can’t be bought for less than tens of thousands of yuan, so this is simply a bargain! I just bought it and it’s super beautiful!]

[Which big fool hasn’t drawn the complete set yet? It’s me! No more talking, I’m off to recharge my pulls now.]

[Buying accounts, is there anyone selling their account?]

[+1, I also want to buy an account. I heard that veteran players have a ton of SSR outfits, all obtained for free back then! I want to buy it.]

Liu Feifei had been busy with high school coursework these past few days and hadn’t logged into the game for several days. When she saw the trending topics on Weibo, she remembered she could pull for outfits today.

Just as she took out her phone, she found her gaming platform popping up with many notifications.

——[Dear, are you selling your old Shining Star account? I’ll offer 30,000 RMB.]

——[Are you selling your account? I’ll buy it for 50,000 yuan; if you’re interested, please reply quickly, I really want it.]

——[Hey girl, are you selling your account?]

*

Liu Feifei was dumbfounded. Her veteran player account for a mere game could sell for as high as 50,000 yuan? Although her family had a bit of money, 50,000 yuan was still not a small amount for a high school student!

Free money?

Liu Feifei looked at her blue diamonds that could pull over a hundred times in the game and realized that if she collected the masters’ complete set, the price could probably rise even more!

*

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:

Xu Yao also agreed with Ming Chan and their aesthetic when it comes to fashion. Ming Chan had clearly seized the opportunity, and she had many ideas about this game that she could implement once she had money.

Recently, Xu Yao had also been playing the online version of Shining Star, and the gaming experience was quite good.

Internationally renowned designers surrounded her, while an assistant pushed in a rack filled with new clothes.

“Miss Yaoyao, you can try them on. If there are any modifications needed, feel free to mention them,” the designer said with incredibly gentle attitudes.

They made nearly twenty outfits in total, of which only two or three were engagement dresses, while the rest… were all offline physical versions of the Shining Star game!

Xu Yao was quite enthusiastic about wearing new clothes. After changing in the fitting room, she came out, and an assistant immediately eagerly dropped into a half-squat to help her arrange her skirt, while another assistant gently tidied her hair and makeup, with another group holding a jewelry box for Xu Yao to choose from.

She wasn’t just a princess but a queen!

Xu Yao sighed inwardly and thought to herself, it’s so good being rich; being a wealthy rent-collecting landlady is even better, hahaha.

“Take a few good photos of each outfit,” Xu Yao instructed.

Her foolish fiancé had brought in so many talents just to make her engagement dresses, so Xu Yao naturally wanted to share them with Ji Zhengqing as well.

There was no need for Xu Yao to remind them; the assistants, who were very skilled in photography, would definitely take beautiful photos for her.

Xu Yao didn’t even go outside to take pictures; after trying on the outfits, she took photos around the mansion, sitting at an angle in a gray-purple maxi dress by the swimming pool, her legs submerged in the clear water, as well as another shot in an elegant dark green cheongsam.

The assistants watched the sunlight dapple Xu Yao’s nose, casting a warm glow, and secretly marveled at her beauty. Her departure from the entertainment industry was truly a significant loss for the domestic entertainment industry’s beauty standards.

After the photoshoot, Xu Yao shared the pictures to Ji Zhengqing’s WeChat.

Ji Zhengqing flipped through the ten or so photos several times, silently saving them to his phone gallery.

Although he felt that some of the outfits didn’t look like engagement dresses, he didn’t ask and simply replied, [Very beautiful.]

Ji Zhengqing switched out of WeChat and ordered a bouquet of flowers online to send over.

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: If there are no problems, I’ll post it now.]

Ji Zhengqing was momentarily stunned. She… What was she going to post? Going public with their relationship?

Before long, Xu Yao’s Weibo was updated with over ten pictures, which didn’t even need much retouching before being posted online. There were no accompanying words, just images.

In that instant, the truth was revealed!

Xu Yao was wearing the offline physical set from the latest Shining Star event, “International Across the Globe”!

It should be known that right now, there isn’t a single person who can wear the physical outfit of theirs offline, not even those beauties of the West who constantly brush shoulders in the fashion industry abroad.

Netizens aren’t fools, and as soon as this Weibo post was uploaded, they completely understood.

The one who is suing Runda and Junyi on behalf of the tenants is Xu Yao.

The one involved in the soon-to-be-bankrupt small game, Shining Star, is Xu Yao.

The one who invited a group of internationally renowned designers to design the outfits for Shining Star is also Xu Yao.

It’s her, it’s her, it’s always been her!

It’s all been Xu Yao!

Likes, comments, and shares erupted collectively!

[OMG, the behind-the-scenes big shot who caused a global earthquake in the fashion world is Xu Yao? I’m seriously going to kneel down to this landlady, she’s truly the real deal, just what kind of background does she have? Where does all her power come from?]

[Other rich ladies showing off: inviting internationally renowned designers to customize high-end dresses for themselves. Xu Yao showing off: inviting internationally renowned designers to participate in the game she invested in.]

[Xu Yao, the woman who made girls worldwide go crazy for fashion all by herself! A divine landlady!]

[Yaoyao is so beautiful, really, these physical versions of the outfits are stunning, Xu Yao is the first person in the world to wear them. Her looks crush all the female stars in the domestic entertainment industry! Just look at that shoulder curve, I’m dead, I’m dead!]

[Xu Yao, I’m also your tenant, sob sob sob, what do you think of me? I can’t afford rent anymore, please invest in me, I beg you. Breaking three billion in a single day, what kind of investment god’s eye is this, god!]

Xu Yao said nothing, yet it seemed like she said everything.

A set of photos had forcibly increased her follower count by over a million; The Great Landlady Xu was indeed a top influencer!

The comment section was filled with fans crazily shouting that Xu Yao is their wife, making Ji Zhengqing frown slightly.

Do these people not have their own wives?

Leaning back in a high-end black leather swivel chair, Ji Zhengqing scrolled down to look at Xu Yao’s Weibo page, with the latest post being Xu Yao revealing the outfits.

It hadn’t even been that long, yet the likes had already surpassed a million, with even the comments being in the hundreds of thousands.

Ji Zhengqing quietly said to his assistant, “Assistant Li, it seems Xu Yao really wants to go public with me.”

The ten internationally renowned designers he invited all stayed to customize dresses.

Now, they were all revealed online, with tens of millions of netizens witnessing her new clothes, yet she hadn’t said a word, as if she was silently aggrieved.

Assistant Li didn’t respond but brought over a tablet and gently pushed it in front of Ji Zhengqing.

Ji Zhengqing glanced at it, and his gaze suddenly froze.

Wait, wait a minute—

Why are the dresses Xu Yao customized appearing in the game’s latest event in 3D artwork???

---

JZQ: who am i, where am i, what am i ????

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this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Xu Yao actually planned to keep a low profile until the court date, so as to not put too much pressure on Bo’en Law Firm and let Pan Xianmin and the others prepare their litigation materials in peace.

But now that another person had jumped from Runda Apartments, the weight of a human life far outweighed everything else, and she also believed in the capabilities of Pan Xianmin and his team.

With He Fan’s manipulation, the topic easily climbed to the top three of the hot search, dropping like a bombshell. Netizens could hardly believe such things still happened in this day and age; it was simply infuriating.

[Holy crap, Xu Yao’s legal team is suing Runda and Junyi Long-term Apartments, with the trial date coming up? Is this a lawsuit on behalf of her tenants?]

]So the reason young people have been jumping off buildings at Runda Apartments these past two days isn’t just because they’re ‘too fragile’—it’s because Runda and Junyi teamed up to pull some predatory scam?]

[Wahhhhh, it’s finally exposed! I was one of the victims who got scammed. Runda kicked us out claiming we hadn’t paid rent, yet we still have to repay the bank loan. I really just want to die.]

[Holy sh*t, just what kind of goddess is Xu Yao? Just a landlady, yet she’s really helping her tenants with their lawsuit?!]

Previously, the whole internet was buzzing about how Xu Yao’s legal team could provide legal assistance to tenants, but everyone had only thought it was just for minor disputes. But now, the situation is entirely different.

Runda and Junyi Long-term Apartments were both publicly listed companies!!

Minor squabbles and truly taking on capitalists were two different concepts, okay? Xu Yao and those tenants had no other connection apart from their landlord-tenant relationship! Moreover, lawsuits also came at a heavy expense.

Moreover, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that this trending topic had come out of nowhere, suddenly shooting up to the top three, a clear indication of someone pushing things forward behind the scenes.

Xu Yao truly wasn’t afraid of trouble; anyone who dared to mess with her tenants was offending her personally! This woman had gone completely rogue ever since she withdrew from the entertainment industry.

Xu Yao’s dozens of tenant groups were flooded with comments going crazy, but she remained silent as if she were pretending to be invisible.

[Sister Yao, I love you! I will always cheer for you!]

[I want to be Xu Yao’s tenant for life; it feels so secure! Sister, I can be your little wolf dog or your little milk dog, just look at me!]

[Landlady sister, don’t be too rigid about gender! I’m open-minded! I want to renew my lease for another five years!]

Xu Yao sighed as she was bombarded with tags from this excited group of tenants. These people were just too young and passionate.

Xu Yao didn’t speak up in the tenant groupchat, but that didn’t stop the enthusiastic tenants from directly consulting the head of the rental team in a moment of impulse, immediately requesting to renew their lease for five years.

“That’s not possible,” the head of the rental team said apologetically, “Miss Yao Yao believes you all have the potential to own your own homes in the future one day.”

The group of young people was momentarily stunned, their eyes starting to redden all of a sudden. They weren’t sure if they would be able to survive in this highly competitive society, but Xu Yao believed they could.

Xu Yao is the best in the world! Who were those heartless people who had attacked and slandered her name online? A bunch of corrupt individuals¹!

Those still living in Runda Apartments, and were inexplicably burdened with loans, felt as if they had suddenly received a shot of adrenaline when they saw the trending topic online. They had almost suffocated from the pressure when suddenly someone reached out to pull them out.

A young man sitting by the window seemed to suddenly come to his senses, immediately withdrawing from the windowsill.

Sometimes, it wasn’t that they wanted to jump, but rather that something had suddenly set flame to their last hope in life, leading them to act impulsively.

[This matter doesn’t seem to be simple. I can understand Xu Yao suing Junyi Long-term Apartments, but why is she also suing Runda at the same time?]

[+1, there’s definitely more to the story for this matter.]

Junyi leased the apartments under Runda to operate as long-term rentals, then used rental loans to rent to ordinary tenants. Logically, if something went wrong, the problem should have laid with Junyi Long-term Apartment.

Just like the last incident at Zhengde Academy, the landlord could just sell off the property in the end. As long as they were unaware of the situation, they wouldn’t be affected.

Unless—Runda not only knew about the matter but also cooperated with the culprit!

Mu Xiyuan’s face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He never expected that this matter would be exposed so abruptly, now escalating to the level of nationwide discussion on the internet.

With Xu Yao’s actions, it would be difficult for Runda to clear their name in this situation!

“President Mu, several of our partners are inquiring about the lawsuit situation,” an assistant rushed in from outside.

“President Mu, a client has changed their mind and postponed tonight’s business dinner.”

“President Mu, there are tenants who are downstairs in our apartments holding banners, demanding that we and Junyi pay with our lives.”

“President Mu…”

Mu Xiyuan felt a headache coming on, his expression growing even darker. With Xu Yao causing such a stir, it was bound to affect the company’s stock price. The situation was also especially delicate since it hadn’t even been that long since his adoptive father had handed the company over to him.

The assistant immediately said, “President Mu, the public actually only cares about the outcome. As long as we win the lawsuit, public opinion will turn around immediately!”

Mu Xiyuan nodded repeatedly, as if grasping onto a lifeline, “Yes, that’s right! All that matters is that we win this lawsuit. Have the legal department do everything they can to win this case! If we lose, they can all just pack up and leave!”

Mu Xiyuan’s anxious heart gradually calmed down. Surely, his legal department wouldn’t be so incompetent as to lose to the rookie lawyers he had just fired, right?

“President Mu, the chairman is calling you,” the assistant hurriedly said, holding a vibrating phone.

Mu Xiyuan’s heart, which had just settled, instantly became uneasy again. He cautiously called out, “Dad.”

On the other end, his father immediately launched into a tirade, “What on earth are you doing? How did you get involved in this rental loan issue? I only found out about it when I overheard the nurses discussing it in the hospital.”

Mu Xiyuan stammered, wanting to explain something to his father.

Chairman Mu interrupted him directly, “Stop with the nonsense. Just tell me, did you get involved or not?”

Mu Xiyuan fell silent. It seemed Chairman Mu came to some sort of realisation as he scolded, “Xiyuan, I know you want to show us outstanding results, but you can’t just act recklessly like this! You’re not even as good as Xiao² Chan!”

What the outside world didn’t know was that Mu Xiyuan was actually their adopted son. He had always been resentful at the fact that he wasn’t their biological child, fearing that this would be the ultimate reason why Runda Corporation wouldn’t be handed over to him in the end. So, in order to achieve outstanding results, he had stubbornly insisted on boarding the pirate ship of Junyi Long-term Rental Apartments that was bound to sink.

Mu Xiyuan had always known that his adoptive parents had high hopes for his ex-wife, and he couldn’t help but say, “Mingchan only managed to secure some measly investment. That lousy game has no chance of succeeding.”

Mu Xiyuan didn’t want to continue being longwinded to his adoptive father. As long as he won the trial and corrected the public opinion, they would understand that his abilities were definitely not inferior to Mingchan’s!

The online community was paying close attention to the upcoming trial. Upon learning that Xu Yao’s legal team came from an unknown Bo’en Law Firm, and that the people taking this case were all rookie lawyers, many couldn’t help but feel anxious.

[When I saw Xu Yao being so arrogant in withdrawing from the entertainment industry, I assumed her legal team must be extremely formidable, but it turns out they’re all a bunch of rookie lawyers? Can they really compete with a listed company’s legal department? I’m so worried.]

[Worried +1, I originally thought Xu Yao was so arrogant because she had a team like Xu’s Pizza Hut behind her. Whether this lawsuit can be won is really uncertain.]

[Regardless of whether they can win, Xu Yao is already a goddess in my heart. Is this trial being live-streamed? If it is, I’ll definitely watch it on time!]

[According to reliable sources, Attorney Pan, one of the lawyers under Xu Yao, was fired from the Runda legal department. My heart is completely chilled by this fact.]

[Hey, buddy upstairs, please don’t scare me like that!]

Even though Xu Yao hired rookie lawyers, she was clearly willing to wade through this murky water. The online praise was overwhelming, and anyone who dared to speak ill of Xu Yao would be bombarded to the point of deactivating their Weibo account.

Inside Heavenly Star Game Studio, the company was still in full swing when Huang Qiang took the time to find Ming Chan.

“Boss Ming, I’ll need to take leave tomorrow to attend a court hearing. I’ll make sure to finish my work tonight.”

Ming Chan patted his shoulder, “Just go ahead and go. Your salary will be paid as usual. Our game is almost completely done, so things aren’t as busy as before.”

They were merely modifying an existing game, not making a completely new one from scratch. After a month of all-nighters and hard work, they were finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Ming Chan directly packaged up the game build and sent it to the first major investor, Xu Yao, for a beta trial.

Xu Yao happily received the game application, which was a whopping  2GB in size. She didn’t plan to attend tomorrow’s trial and had just decided to check the livestream of it instead.

As her phone was downloading the game, she received a comforting WeChat message from her wealthy brother, the country’s richest man.

[Xu Jing: Yao Yao, do you need my legal team to help with the lawsuit?]

Xu Jing was indeed a bit worried, having heard that her team were all rookie lawyers and was unsure of their reliability.

Xu Yao smiled and sent a voice message back, “No need, I trust my judgment in people.”

By seven in the morning, a group of reporters had gathered at the entrance of the courthouse. At eight o’clock, they saw a nanny van approaching from a distance. Pan Xianmin, Yao Zongze, and others, dressed in formal attire and carrying briefcases, accompanied Huang Qiang and several plaintiffs as they got out of the vehicle.

The reporters, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately rushed over, thrusting microphones in front of them:

“Attorney Pan, there are rumours online that you were fired from Runda’s legal department. What are your thoughts on today’s lawsuit against your former employer?”

This question was indeed quite pointed. Pan Xianmin frowned, and soon, another reporter pressed on, “Bo’en Law Firm has never had any notable successful cases in Haicheng. Why did Miss Xu Yao hire your firm as her private legal team? Is it because your fees are lower?”

“Attorney Yao, are you confident about the outcome of today’s trial?”

“…”

The netizens in the live stream were immediately provoked to cursing and swearing. This was clearly them trying to mess with the attorney’s mindset before the hearing!

Pan Xianmin took the microphone, his voice calm and steady, “The outcome of a case is never determined by rookie lawyers or elite lawyers, but by the fairness of the law.”

With that one sentence, the reporters on-site were all rendered speechless.

Who would dare to say another word? Wouldn’t doing so mean questioning the fairness of Chinese law?

“Please, gentlemen, come in,” Yao Zongze smiled slightly, signaling the extremely nervous Huang Qiang and the others to enter the courthouse, leaving the reporters with only a view of their broad and upright backs.

[Wow, Attorney Pan is so cool! That statement immediately gave me a sense of security. So what if they’re rookie lawyers? The law of the country is paramount! No matter how amazing a lawyer is, can they even defy the law now?]

[I was worried about their skill level before, but after hearing that, I suddenly feel at ease. I look forward to them winning the lawsuit!]

[I will always believe in Xu Yao’s judgment; her choice of people is exceptional.]

For Huang Qiang and the other young adults, this was their first time in court, and their nervousness was comparable to when they took their college entrance examination. They were putting all their trust in Xu Yao’s legal team.

In accordance with the court proceedings, the identities of the plaintiff and defendant were verified, and Huang Qiang and his group, as the plaintiffs, made their statements.

Pan Xianmin looked at his former colleague across the room and calmly submitted his evidence, “This is the rental agreement signed by Mr. Huang and others with Junyi Long-term Apartments, along with chat records with the intermediary, which failed to inform Mr. Huang and the other tenants that the project included a loan.”

The defense attorney immediately raised an objection, and a back-and-forth debate ensued.

“Plaintiff’s lawyer, the evidence you presented cannot point to Runda Group.”

Yao Zongze and Pan Xianmin immediately exchanged a glance and proceeded to submit their latest piece of evidence, “This is the physical and testimonial evidence showing that Runda was indeed aware of the loan business in cooperation with Junyi Long-term Apartments.”

His former colleague’s face suddenly darkened as he looked at the witnesses who were walking in from outside.

The f*ck? Submitting evidence in court? Pan Xianmin, you bastard! You clearly weren’t this diligent, even when you were at Runda!!

Pan Xianmin smiled contemptuously. How much did their legal department earn? Their law firm has an annual salary of fifty million! These people would never be able to earn that in a lifetime. He was determined to win today, even if it cost him his life!

For the past month, Bo’en Law Firm had been running around collecting various pieces of evidence for this lawsuit, all to prepare for today.

Attorney Pan and Attorney Yao proceeded with their presentation and evidence submission in an orderly manner, their calm tone rendering the opposing lawyer speechless.

Legal bigwigs from major political and legal departments were also watching this trial closely, only growing  increasingly amazed as they watched on. This trial could almost become a classic case study, making them directly tag their colleagues in group chats.

Teachers who were originally lecturing in class simply turned off their teaching PPTs and clicked on the livestream button of the trial to learn from these alumni on the spot!

In the official livestream of the trial, whenever Pan Xianmin and his team made a statement, the teachers below would explain it, nodding continuously, “Which political and legal university did these two graduate from?”

Once the opposing side made even a slight mistake in their arguments, these two would immediately seize the opportunity to relentlessly attack their weak points.

The students in the audience stared at the livestream in shock. The more Pan Xianmin and Yao Zongze spoke, the more confident and aggressive in their arguments they became. The courtroom had almost turned into their battlefield, and it was even a one-sided slaughter—anyone who stood in their way would simply be crushed!

In other court hearings, it was usually a back-and-forth exchange, but here, it was only their one-sided attacking without any defense from the other side!!

“My goodness, these two seniors are way too strong! The Runda legal department’s lawyers are all speechless!”

Originally tense, Huang Qiang and his group became increasingly relaxed, watching this elite legal team hired by Sister Yao dominate the courtroom on their behalf.

Wow, is this what it feels like to be carried to victory?

[Hahaha, shouldn’t the entire Runda legal department collectively be sacked? They were so thoroughly criticised they’ve basically been silenced. Are they just earning their salaries for nothing?]

[We all have mouths, so why are lawyers so articulate while I can’t even say a word at critical moments?]

[I can fathom Bo’en Law Firm winning against Junyi Long-term Apartments, but to drag Rundas down with them? Consider me genuinely impressed.]

[I don’t want to be a doctor anymore; I want to study law. It’s just too cool!]

Xu Yao woke up particularly early today. She was nestled on a beanbag chair on the balcony, playing games while watching the livestream of the trial.

A glance at the screen revealed that if the defense attorney was sitting any closer, Yao Zongze’s spittle would’ve already been all over their face.

“This game is pretty good, it’s really 3D now.” After downloading the game last night, Xu Yao clicked in to see the new 3D figure of the female protagonist, with her even being able to rotate the character for a 360° view.

While listening to the trial’s proceedings, she admired the game’s graphics, “Wow, my daughter³ has become so much more beautiful.”

The trial lasted from morning until nearly noon. Under the despairing expressions of Runda’s legal team, who looked as if they had just lost their fathers, the judge announced the plaintiff’s victory in court. Junyi Long-term Apartments would bear all losses, and the tenants would not be held responsible, while Runda would also be required to compensate all tenants.

Paying up means paying even if it means going bankrupt! If they can’t afford it, they will face enforcement—with no one able to escape it!

“This… does this mean we won? We don’t have to pay back the loan anymore?” Huang Qiang looked at the court’s judgment document, uncertainly asking Yao Zongze beside him, “And we’ll even receive a substantial compensation?”

Yao Zongze nodded with a smile, “Yes, not only do you not have to pay back the loan, but it also won’t affect your credit score.”

The two let out a heavy sigh of relief, their palms still sweaty under the table.

Despite the two having been so dominant in the courtroom, it was only now they were just realizing how tense they had been.

Pan Xianmin looked at his former colleague’s grief-stricken expression, which was as if they had just lost a loved one, and couldn’t help but curve his lips.

Although lawyers were expected to be serious and rigorous, he just wanted to burst out into laughter. This group of bastards who had kicked him out and treated him like a scapegoat never expected to see this day coming, did they?

They never thought they would lose to him, did they?!

Pan Xianmin stretched happily, his shirt riding up to reveal a section of his abdomen, prompting his assistant to rush over to cover him up again.

Pan Xianmin felt a tickle in his nose and rubbed it without any regard for his image, “What are you doing?”

The assistant hurriedly said, “Attorney Pan, pay attention to your image! You and Attorney Yao are famous right now!”

The two exchanged confused glances: “Huh?”

Trending?

What’s trending?

#Bo’enLawFirmWins#

#RentalLoan#

#ClassicCourtCase#

#XuYao’sEliteLawyerTeam#

The trending topics dominating the top spots on Weibo were all related to Xu Yao!

Bo’en Law Firm had taken on two major listed companies and won, instantly becoming famous from this one battle!

[I apologize for doubting Bo’en Law Firm yesterday, I was literally just on my knees watching the trial live!]

[I don’t have to bear this inexplicable loan anymore! Thank you, Bo’en Law Firm, thank you, Xu Yao. Wahhhh, thank goodness I didn’t jump off a building! I’ve waited for so long, and now I’m debt-free—what a liberating feeling!]

[My high school classmate from the political and legal college told me that this trial’s livestream is being used as a case study in various political and legal academies. I’m genuinely impressed by Xu Yao’s vision; this woman is crazy but you can’t deny she has a keen eye.]

Yao Zongze and Pan Xianmin were both bewildered. They were just going through the motions of a normal lawsuit, just hoping to receive the fifty million annual salary from Xu Yao next year. They never expected that in just one morning, they would… suddenly become an internet sensation?

The assistant, who was holding a constantly ringing phone and was busy answering call after call, was overwhelmed.

“Attorney Pan, Attorney Lu, there have been so many calls, all asking whether you’re taking on any other cases. They want to hire you as their lawyers.”

“Oh my god, another appointment calls! Stop calling, damn it.”

Pan Xianmin was still fine, but Yao Zongze was completely stunned. His Bo’en Law Firm had been established for three to four years, and the number of cases they had received combined didn’t even match the calls coming in today… 

From being rookie lawyers to becoming well-known elite lawyers, they achieved this in just one morning, and this opportunity to rise to fame was given to them by Xu Yao!

Pan Xianmin was still struggling to cope with the enthusiastic reporters and appointment calls. He swallowed hard and finally managed to say, “I only work for Miss Xu Yao. I’m her personal lawyer.”

Not only was their future salary of fifty million secured, but they also instantly became the hottest lawyers in the industry. A lawyer who doesn’t want to be a top lawyer isn’t a good lawyer!

Xu Yao, you are forever my goddess!

If it weren’t for the need to maintain their image, Pan Xianmin would have cried along with Yao Zongze. Good heavens, they never expected to make such a breakthrough.

Once the court ruling was announced, the stock prices of Junyi Long-term Apartments and Runda, both publicly listed companies, plummeted collectively, as if they were on a roller coaster, directly hitting the daily limit down and evaporating over a billion in market value, setting a record for the largest single-day drop.

Xu Yao estimated that if this continued, delisting would definitely be a sure thing.

Capitalists don’t care about the lives of others; they only mourn their own disappearing assets!

Xu Yao praised Bo’en Law Firm on WeChat and sent her game feedback to Ming Chan, saying she thought it was quite good.

At the very least, she felt that her investment of 150 million had not been in vain.

The official account of Shining Star announced that it would soon reopen, but due to the lawsuit regarding rental loans, aside from some fans in the gaming circle who were following along, most netizens were still immersed in the thrill of taking down the listed companies.

It was truly a joy. Those trash capitalists who exploited young people just entering society have finally taken a hit and fallen, haven’t they?

Xu Yao was truly a goddess!

[Xu Yao Rental Official Account: The boss said we can prioritize renting to the affected Runda Apartment tenants~ Everyone has suffered.]

As soon as this Weibo post was published, some Runda tenants could no longer hold back and burst into tears in their rental rooms.

Since leaving the ivory tower of youth and entering society, there were no longer any teachers to tolerate them, nor classmates to encourage each other. The cold competition in the workplace suffocated people, and at this moment, only Xu Yao said to them, “Everyone has suffered.”

Even though Xu Yao was just an online stranger, they felt an immense sense of closeness to her.

#IRaiseTheFlag⁴ForXuYao# shot straight to the top of the trending topics, with Xu Yao’s Weibo followers skyrocketing, surpassing ten million in just a few days, now rivaling that of even top-tier female stars!

So what if she already retired from the entertainment industry? Xu Yao could still be a top star!

That night, the brightest LED screen on Haicheng’s Pearl Tower lit up with the message, “Xu Yao is the best landlady in the world.” A certain unknown rich fan of Xu Yao had directly rented the LED screen to express their love for her!

This was clearly a grand display specifically prepared for Xu Yao, as countless citizens and tourists watching the night view also saw it clearly!

[Ahhh, my Sister Yao has such a rich female fan now? So cool, I want to tell Xu Yao like this too!]

[Apparently Xu Yao’s residence is at Haicheng Bay No. 1, so this LED confession of love for Xu Yao can definitely be seen by her.]

[Wahhhhh, I’m just a poor person and can’t chase Xu Yao like this, it’s driving me crazy with anxiety!]

[Sister Yao is just too low-key! Her elite legal team helped tenants win the lawsuit, and the stock prices of the two listed companies are plummeting towards forced delisting, yet her personal Weibo hasn’t let out even a single peep?]

[This is called ‘accomplish the task, then leave quietly, hiding both your presence and your name⁵,’]

[Pfft—According to a tenant who added Xu Yao on WeChat before, she seems to be recently obsessed with a game and has no time to respond…]

A game? What game?

We also want to play the game that our Sister Yao plays!

Although they couldn’t replicate the rich fan’s act of expressing love for Xu Yao on an LED screen, they could still play the same game as her.

Is it “Honor of Kings”? That’s the hottest game right now! From office workers to elementary school students, everyone is playing it.

[…Judging from her shared WeChat Moments post, it seems to be a dress-up game.]

Netizens were instantly confused. What dress-up game? Is this sort of game that fun?

*

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:

Mu Xiyuan never expected to lose. The entire Runda legal department had lost to a once downtrodden dog. He really hadn’t realised that Pan Xianmin had such talent.

The guy practically stepped on Runda and Junyi Long-term Apartments to achieve his title of top lawyer!

Runda was definitely better off than Junyi Long-term Apartments in terms of avoiding delisting, but the stock price drop was still hard for him to bear. Various cooperative partners had announced they were halting cooperation with them, and the company’s image plummeted. Even celebrities in the entertainment industry were seizing the opportunity to kick them while they were down—

Liu Yingxia, along with a group of male and female celebrities announced the end of their endorsement with them.

Once the wall falls, everyone pushes—this is exactly what it looks like!

His adoptive father was already hospitalized, and his adoptive mother had been busy taking care of him this whole time. Now, upon hearing this news, his adoptive father was so enraged that he fainted and had to be rushed for emergency treatment overnight.

It was said that when he fainted, his adoptive father was still muttering “Xiao Chan.”

From the looks of it, his adoptive father would rather the person in charge of Runda Group be his ex-daughter-in-law, not him, his adopted son, whom he had raised for over twenty years!

Mu Xiyuan looked at the employees outside continuously handing their resignation letters in, his face darkening as he roared for his assistant to come in.

“How has Ming Chan been doing lately?”

Sure, he ran into some minor issues whilst taking charge of Runda, buteven a starving camel is bigger than a horse⁶! That crappy game Ming Chan made—how could it possibly be doing much better than him?

Could that game even be expected to make any money?

The assistant’s expression was extremely strange, seemingly reluctant to touch upon Mu Xiyuan’s sore spot again at this moment.

Mu Xiyuan gritted his teeth, “Speak, what’s there to hide?!”

The assistant had no choice but to lower his head and say softly, “Madam Ming Chan’s game ‘Shining Star’ has been updated.”

The assistant paused and spat out a few words: “It’s gone viral.”

Mu Xiyuan was momentarily stunned, incredulously raising his voice in disbelief, “What did you say? That crappy game ‘Shining Star‘ can actually become a hit?”

---

changed mingchan -> ming chan (didn’t know ming was her surname before until ‘boss ming’ TAT)

support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. 脏心烂肺 (lit.) dirty heart, rotten lungs. Used to refer to people who are morally filthy, disgusting people. ↩︎
2. 小 (lit.) little. Used in front of a name as a term of endearment for someone younger. ↩︎
3.  女鹅 (lit.) female goose. Used as a cutesy typo version of 女儿 (lit.) daughter (same pronunciation) in fandom and gaming spaces to refer affectionately to a female character you love ↩︎
4. 举大旗 publicly supporting or championing someone, often in a dramatic or humorous way. ↩︎
5. 事了拂衣去，深藏身与名: When the deed is done, he brushes his sleeves and leaves, deep in hiding his person and fame,” Meaning after completing a task (often a heroic or decisive one), the hero departs quietly, concealing their identity and achievements from the world, embodying the ideal of a humble, selfless hero. From Li Bai’s “Knight Errant” (侠客行) ↩︎
6. 瘦死的骆驼比马大 (even a starving camel is bigger than a horse) is a Chinese idiom meaning that even if a powerful entity has weakened, it’s still stronger than most others. ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

The collective announcement by internationally renowned designers that they would release new designs in China also caused a huge earthquake abroad.

China? Why would it be China? That place practically had no fashion roots at all!

Could it be that they now have to fly to China specifically for a show? Wouldn’t that be even worse than killing them?!

However, not going would be even more unbearable. It had been five years since Master Absalom announced his retirement from the fashion world due to old age. During these five years, new talents continued to emerge, but still, none of them could eclipse the master’s brilliance. How could one dare to continue staying in this circle if they couldn’t see the master’s latest design after five years with their own eyes first?

A group of foreign rich second-generation heirs were extremely conflicted and caught in a dilemma, but nothing they could do would change this fact.

Domestic reporters were on the verge of a collective high. This incident alone was enough for them to write countless articles. Almost as soon as dawn broke the next day, various major media outlets immediately dispatched reporters to investigate and film.

Follow up on the matter!

These reporters also had connections in the industry, contacting various relevant insiders and friends to try to obtain some inside information.

The other party could only helplessly state, “We only know that several masters were indeed invited by a wealthy person from our country, while the rest of the masters said they wanted to keep it confidential.”

The reporters were a bit stunned. Is this really all the information you have?

“If they’re holding a show in our country, they would need to arrange for a venue, right? It’s really strange, it seems like these masters haven’t even booked a venue either.”

A group of reporters who specifically report on the international fashion industry were also confused. They often attend events like Paris Fashion Week, but they had never seen a situation where not even a hint of the design was leaked!

“Brother Li, I feel like there’s something amiss here,” a rookie reporter followed closely behind a middle-aged reporter, eagerly offering him a cigarette as they chatted. “It’s one thing not to have information about the show venue, but we’ve contacted several of the masters’ go-to supermodels, and they don’t seem to have any information either. None of them have been booked in advance.”

Supermodels have their own schedules too, so it’s normal for the employer to notify them in advance.

The middle-aged reporter took the cigarette and took a puff, squinting his eyes as he said, “This whole situation is a bit strange.”

If it’s fake, well, the masters collectively announced it themselves, so how could that be? If it’s true, well, then this situation is completely different from the usual style of previous fashion weeks.

“Brother Li, we don’t have any information in our hands now, so how are we supposed to write our articles? The editor-in-chief is messaging me again to speed things along.” The rookie reporter squatted by the flower bed, his face full of frustration as he humbly asked for advice from the middle-aged reporter beside him.

As reporters, although they wanted to grab attention with their headlines, they couldn’t just make things up regardless of the facts, could they? So how could they write an article without any definite information?

This was really making things difficult for ordinary officeworkers.

The middle-aged reporter took a heavy drag of his cigarette, glanced at the young man, and smiled, “How can you say we didn’t get any useful information? Didn’t they say that they were invited by a wealthy person from our country? Just write about that.”

After all, reporters from all the major media outlets couldn’t find out any news, but now domestic netizens were very concerned about this topic, it was impossible for them not to report on it, so—

All major media outlets collectively reported, using various exaggerated and flowery prose to emphasize that this had all been organised by a low-key domestic tycoon, describing this tycoon as full of mystery, whetting the appetite of netizens.

Always believe in the power of words. These reporters all have excellent writing skills, and now, they’ve forcefully created an image of a luxurious yet extremely low-key successful persona for this domestic tycoon.

[So the reporters don’t have any inside information, they only know that this was organised by some big shot? They don’t know anything else? What use are you guys!]

[Let’s guess who it is, is it Xu Jing, the country’s richest man? He’s the first one I thought of!]

[The first one to rule out is Xu Yao, this woman is accustomed to utilising marketing tactics, so being lowkey definitely isn’t her style]

[Ahhhh the less information you have, the more I look forward to what’s going on! I dare say, this fashion week held in our country for the first time should be more innovative than those abroad!]

[…Is it possible that it’s not a fashion show at all?]

[Sister upstairs, how could it not be a fashion show when so many internationally renowned designers are releasing designs at the same time? I can’t think of any other reason for them to!]

Netizens were cursing the reporters for being useless and having not found out any information, while eagerly anticipating more updates.

Netizens also found that these fashion reporters who often mingle in globally renowned fashion weeks were actually not as informed as Xu Yao, who seemed to know much more inside information than them.

While online media was reporting on  it like crazy, even traditional print media was generously reporting on this event that made the nation proud on the front page of the next day’s newspaper.

Ji Zhengqing was sitting by the window of his private jet, taking the latest newspaper handed over to him by the flight attendant and reading the front-page news.

Sitting opposite him was his newly promoted assistant — Assistant Li.

The private jet took off on schedule from Beijing to Haicheng, flying smoothly above the clouds.

Assistant Li had also seen today’s front-page news, with the whole internet frantically reporting about the masters releasing their latest designs in China, with some mischievous netizens deliberately screenshotting comments from foreign netizens on Twitter.

Those comments dripping with jealousy made the domestic netizens extremely happy. He had also actually felt quite happy scrolling through them, but then he realized something.

Assistant Li looked at the man across from him, hesitated for a moment, and said, “President Ji, there’s a matter I’m not sure if I should bring up or not.”

Ji Zhengqing glanced at the newspaper, his voice calm, “If it’s not appropriate to say, then don’t say it.”

Assistant Li whispered, “…But I can’t hold it in any longer.”

Ji Zhengqing looked at the newspaper again. Besides the extensive coverage of the fashion legends, Xu Yao’s name also appeared in the paper in relation to her rental team’s nationwide recruitment of moving companies.

He took out his phone, snapped a picture of the article, and stored it in his gallery, not even bothering to lift his head as he told Assistant Li, “Then go ahead and say it.”

Assistant Li carefully chose his words, “President Ji, have you noticed that the few internationally renowned fashion designers reported in the newspaper seem… seem to be the masters you arranged to tailor the engagement dress for Miss Xu?”

All ten masters, including the retired Master Absalom, had been accounted for!

Isn’t that a bit strange?

What exactly does Miss Xu Yao want exactly by keeping these ten masters behind?

Assistant Li always felt like this operation process didn’t seem like it was meant for customising an engagement dress. After all, who customizes a dress to such a globally recognized level?

Ji Zhengqing’s fathomless dark eyes were fixed on the headline of the newspaper, his brows slightly raised, and the already attractive space between his brows seemed to gather even closer.

Seeing Ji Zhengqing’s expression, Assistant Li felt relieved. It seemed the boss understood the meaning behind his words.

Ji Zhengqing put down the newspaper and rubbed his temples lightly.

He had mentioned to Xu Yao that their engagement should be kept private, with only a few close friends and family invited to witness. Xu Yao had readily agreed at the time, and he had thought this had been a mutual idea without giving it much further thought.

But it seemed he had misunderstood. Xu Yao had already agreed with him to keep the engagement private, so she could only subtly flaunt their engagement through the dresses designed by the designers.

Since one of them lived in Haicheng while the other was in Jing City, they didn’t have many opportunities to meet often, with most of their communication being through WeChat. He also occasionally kept an eye on news about Xu Yao online.

In public, Xu Yao always presented herself with an image of someone who could dare to offend anyone, yet in private, she would still feel aggrieved. The sister of Xu Jing, the richest individual, shouldn’t have to compromise herself like this.

Ji Zhengqing deeply reflected on himself, “Seems like I didn’t seriously consider her true feelings.”

Assistant Li, who was sitting across the table, was stunned: “?”

No, wait, isn’t the boss’s thought process veering off course way too much?

*

Today, Xu Yao received news from her fiancé that he had arranged to fly to Haicheng to see her. Xu Yao was quite satisfied with this big fat sheep of a fiancé of hers. Without him, she would have had to waste much more time scouting for talent.

If he invited her out for dinner, then of course she would go.

He Fan and Lu Ye accompanied Xu Yao to the restaurant they had agreed on. As soon as the car parked, Xu Yao spotted a familiar figure stepping out of a black luxury car not far away.

It was her fiancé.

Xu Yao also got out of the car and quickly walked towards Ji Zhengqing. Seeing that there was only the driver in the driver’s seat, she curiously asked, “Did you come here by yourself?”

Ji Zhengqing was dressed differently from their last meeting. Instead of casual wear, he wore a hand-tailored black suit, with a dark red tie accentuating his prominent Adam’s apple, the tie clip subtly shimmering in the dim evening light, making his figure appear even more upright.

He was indeed quite handsome, and his elite temperament made Xu Yao’s eyes light up.

Ji Zhengqing glanced at He Fan behind Xu Yao, a faint smile on his lips, “Yes, the assistant felt a bit unwell, so I sent him back to rest.”

Although Assistant Li’s voice wasn’t as pleasant to hear as He Fan’s, he had gradually gotten the hang of his tasks and couldn’t afford to be led away by Xu Yao as well, so he had come alone.

Xu Yao felt a bit disappointed upon hearing this as she had wanted to see who could replace He Fan as his assistant.

The two entered the restaurant together for dinner, choosing a different place to dine at tonight.

“You only brought the two of them along with you?” Ji Zhengqing asked, looking at Lu Ye and He Fan, “Where’s the kid?”

Xu Yao, who was chewing on her steak, realized what he was asking, “You mean Han Zhao? He went to learn how to drive.”

She had arranged for Han Zhao to learn how to drive during his spare time, specifically choosing a good VIP driving school with professional one-on-one coaching, where the instructors wouldn’t be sarcastic about poor driving skills and there wouldn’t be any strange extra fees.

There were also a few young men and women in the team who, upon seeing Han Zhao being sent to such a good driving school, shyly came over to inquire about the price.

Without hesitation, Xu Yao arranged for them as well; it was better for a few of them to learn together for mutual support.

After all, their team generally didn’t work in the mornings and finished early in the afternoons, making it quite suitable for learning to drive.

Xu Yao actually supported learning more skills, but unfortunately, she had learned a lot during those 999 quick transmigration tasks already. Otherwise, since she was now currently retired, she would have also liked to arrange some learning courses for herself.

Learning without the pressure of exams and not relying on it for a living was actually quite enjoyable.

“Learning to drive in summer is quite tough.”

Xu Yao agreed, thinking summer was too hot, and some driving schools didn’t allow the use of air conditioning, making the wind coming in through the windows stiflingly  hot.

Xu Yao thought for a moment and said, “With this weather, it’s more suitable for swimming lessons.”

A little longer and they would also be able to go to the islands to play. She had several villas on the islands, where she would be able to go snorkelling in the sea.

“You want to learn to swim? I can…” Ji Zhengqing suddenly paused, not sure if he should continue.

After Xu Yao returned to the Xu family, Xu Jing had secretly investigated her past, and as his friend, Ji Zhengqing knew quite a bit.

Xu Yao had once nearly drowned, so she was actually quite resistant to swimming. He shouldn’t have brought it up.

Xu Yao’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Can you arrange for someone to teach me? That would be great, I’m willing, I’m willing!”

Although she hadn’t been able to swim before, after going through so many quick transmigration experiences, even if she couldn’t, she would’ve already been able to pick it up now. If Ji Zhengqing could help her find some talent, she would gladly accept!

This world actually pays a lot of attention to sports. Xu Yao knew that there was a variety show in the entertainment industry called Celebrity Sports Games that was about to be filmed.

Ji Zhengqing looked at Xu Yao’s sparkling eyes. He knew how fearful someone who had nearly drowned could be of water, yet Xu Yao was so eager to learn.

He looked at Xu Yao with gentle eyes and said, “In the future, you can tell me your genuine thoughts and how you really feel directly.”

Xu Yao: “?”

But she had been expressing her genuine thoughts all along!

Before leaving, Ji Zhengqing still had the time to chat with his former subordinate, asking He Fan, “How have you been doing lately at Xu Yao’s workplace?”

He Fan was stunned for a moment. He had many things he wanted to say, but in the end, he summed his whole experience up in one sentence, “President Ji, I’ve even been able to grow my sparse hair out while working for Miss Xu Yao.”

Ji Zhengqing: “…Alright then.”

Ji Zhengqing remained speechless for a while before choosing to leave. It seemed that He Fan had no lingering attachment to Ji Group anymore.

Ji Zhengqing felt somewhat defeated, but fortunately, this sense of defeat came from Xu Yao.

*

Runda Apartments, downstairs.

A girl wearing a long red dress, tightly clenched her fists, her cheeks flushed with anger as she angrily said to the driver of the moving truck, “You’re directly raising the price on the spot? We clearly agreed on the phone earlier that it would be 450 yuan for one trip, and that was including the fee for moving the furniture into the house. Why are you suddenly asking for 500 yuan?”

The girl was so angry that her nose started to sour, and tears began frantically swirling in her eyes, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Although the difference of 50 yuan wasn’t that big, it was still enough to make her completely break down. With 50 yuan, she could eat for several days if she budgeted properly and cooked for herself.

She really couldn’t take it anymore. She had just graduated this year and was thrust into the fierce job market before she could prepare. She hadn’t graduated from a very prestigious university and hadn’t found a job despite attending so many recruitment fairs.

Runda had rented the apartments to Junyi Long-term Rental Apartments, and this long-term rental company had told her the deposit could be one month’s rent along with an upfront payment of one month’s rent, with rental payments deducted monthly thereafter. The location of the property had been quite convenient as well.

The young girl was tempted, after all, for a recent graduate, the requirement of three months’ deposit as well as one month’s rent upfront that many landlords stipulated was quite stressful. It was hard for her, a fresh graduate, to come up with that much money all at once.

Only after she signed the contract did she discover it was a rental loan, inexplicably saddling her with debt. Runda was now trying to evict her this month, claiming they hadn’t received her rent.

She couldn’t live in the apartment, had to repay the loan she owed, and hadn’t found a job. She didn’t even dare to tell her family and ended up crying in her room every day.

The girl sniffled and said, “If you’re raising the price, then I don’t want you to move my things.”

The driver, who was sitting in the driver’s seat with a cigarette in his mouth and his left arm resting on the car window, said, “Little girl, you can’t let me come all this way for nothing though, right? Doesn’t the gas cost money? If you don’t want me to help you move, that’s fine, but you need to pay me 80 yuan for the wasted trip.”

The girl in the red dress was dumbfounded, as if she had never seen such an unreasonable moving company before.

Wasted… trip fee?

“Don’t you even know you have to pay for a wasted trip? Which school did you graduate from, little girl? Trying to cheat us hardworking people out of our money? Do you have any conscience?” The driver flicked his cigarette butt away and continued his relentless questioning.

More and more onlookers gathered around. The girl, being anxious, had no choice but to pay the wasted trip fee and return to the apartment with a dazed look.

She stared at the eviction notice pasted on her door, her breathing becoming rapid. She didn’t know where she found the courage to open the door and run to the window, staring fixedly at the ground below.

The moving truck driver uncle enjoyed moving for young people because they were well-mannered and didn’t like to argue, while also being relatively naive.

The uncle was putting on his gloves, preparing to drive away, when suddenly something flashed before his eyes. There was a terrifying loud noise, and bright red blood splattered everywhere a few meters in front of his truck.

In that instant, the uncle screamed in terror, almost wetting himself.

Immediately, many people gathered around, everyone looking panicked as they hurriedly took out their phones from their bags.

“Another one jumped? Quick, call the police and an ambulance! See if there’s any chance of saving them.”

“Is there something wrong with the feng shui of Runda Apartments? It’s only been a few days since the last young man jumped, and now a young woman has jumped too.”

“Didn’t I just see this girl arguing with the moving man?” A concerned citizen prevented the moving truck driver from leaving, with the scene soon descending into chaos.

The news of another person jumping from Runda Apartments again topped the trending topics. Even with the image blurred, one could still make out that it was a girl in a red dress. Netizens were horrified by the sight.

[I just don’t understand, why are so many people jumping from Runda Apartments these days? And it seems that they’re all even from the same building!]

[Jumping off a building in a long red dress… Oh my god, this is truly terrifying. Could it be that the apartment building is haunted?]

Apart from some superstitious netizens discussing the bad feng shui of the apartment building, other netizens were analyzing the situation.

[Let’s not encourage feudal superstition, okay? I heard it’s because this girl was moving, and when the moving company arrived, they raised the price on the spot. The young girl, in impulsive rage, couldn’t bear it and jumped.]

[Moving company… Oh my, my psychological trauma is resurfacing! When I moved, we had agreed on a price, but then they insisted that the price was only for delivery to the ground floor. To deliver to the unit would be a different price. I ended up paying an extra 200 yuan, it was heartbreaking.]

[+1, renting these days is really tough, and the cost of moving is so high, it’s unbearable.]

[Heh, the Runda Apartments jumping incident isn’t as simple as just the moving company raising prices.]

Countless netizens sympathized with the young girl who jumped to her death and resonated with the experience of moving companies exorbitantly raising prices on the spot.

These days, it seems like everyone is trying to take advantage of the other, and there’s no one left with a conscience.

Some observant netizens noticed that a new small tag had appeared on the left side of Xu Yao Rental’s website, with [Moving Services] at the top.

Clicking on it revealed the logos of several moving companies, clearly indicating that they were collaborating.

This model is actually quite common. Many websites, as they develop, branch out into other industries and often collaborate with other businesses.

Xu Yao may be a conscientious landlady, but she also needed to make money, so netizens who noticed this small change didn’t pay much attention to it.

*

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:

Yuan Yiqing was supposed to have moved into Xu Yao’s apartment long ago, but because Bo’en Law Firm provided her with legal assistance, the landlady, seeing that she had really hired a lawyer, and moreover, it was Xu Yao’s entire legal team, became much more compliant. The landlady, who had been so aggressive before, was now much more docile and no longer mentioned anything about her daughter-in-law needing to recover from childbirth.

The landlady was also afraid of being summoned to court, so after mediating with Bo’en Law Firm, Yuan Yiqing agreed to stay for the rest of the month before moving to Xu Yao’s place. The landlady had no choice but to refund the deposit honestly to her and, during this period, could no longer harass Yuan Yiqing anymore.

At first, Yuan Yiqing was worried that if she didn’t move to Xu Yao’s place soon, the team would rent it out to someone else, but to her surprise, Xu Yao actually preferred to leave it vacant rather than rent it to anyone else, with the month it remained empty not counting against Yuan Yiqing’s rent.

Today, she had booked online for a moving company to move to her new home.

Yuan Yiqing also saw the news about the girl who jumped from the building at Rundar Apartments, feeling quite sympathetic towards her. Therefore, she specifically inquired with the moving company over the phone and confirmed with them that the price was 480 yuan.

When the moving company staff arrived, they neatly loaded all of Yuan Yiqing’s bags and boxes onto the truck, arranging them in an organised manner.

Yuan Yiqing handed over the keys to the grumpy landlady and finally left the place with a joyful expression.

Finally, her days of hardship were over. She would truly be Xu Yao’s tenant from now on!

“Young lady, you can sit in the front passenger seat with me,” the friendly driver from the moving company said.

Yuan Yiqing first checked to make sure her belongings were all placed firmly to avoid them getting damaged when the truck started moving.

Seeing this, the driver immediately reassured her, “Don’t worry, young lady. Although our moving company has just been newly established, our service attitude is top-notch, and your things will definitely not get damaged.”

Yuan Yiqing was a bit surprised, thinking that perhaps the recent incident had made the industry more conscientious.

Sure enough, the moving driver who had pressured the girl in the red dress to jump off the building had been summoned for questioning by the police immediately, and apparently that uncle had been on his knees in tears.

Yuan Yiqing got into the truck, and the driver drove towards the residential complex of Silver Sea Elegant Court where she had rented.

When they reached the entrance, the driver asked which building it was, and Yuan Yiqing replied it was Building 4. The driver’s expression suddenly changed.

The moving truck soon stopped at the entrance of Building 4, but the driver didn’t get out right away. Instead, he took out his phone and sent a message in the work group chat, as if he was consulting them about something.

Yuan Yiqing felt something was off and immediately asked, “Uncle, your moving company should be able to bring my things into the unit, right? We agreed on that over the phone before.”

Although she lived in an apartment with an elevator, there was still some distance between the elevator and her door. As a girl, it would be exhausting for her to move everything in by herself.

“You’re renting Xu Yao’s property, right?” The driver looked at the nervous Yuan Yiqing, and when she nodded, he continued, “The furniture will definitely be moved into your home, but there’ll be some change in price.”

Yuan Yiqing’s eyes widened in disbelief. After the incident at Runda Apartments, was there really still a moving company trying to raise prices?

“Uncle, what do you mean by that? I asked about this four or five times over the phone, and you said there would definitely be no price increase midway. What are you trying to do? Don’t you know Xu Yao provides legal assistance to her tenants?”

Yuan Yiqing was not the same as the girl who jumped. After years of struggling in society, she was bolder than anyone else and immediately started to raise her voice.

The moving uncle was taken aback and chuckled innocently, “You’ve misunderstood! Why didn’t you say earlier that you were Xu Yao’s tenant? Our Haitian Moving Services has a cooperative relationship with Xu Yao Rental, so the price will be much more favorable for you.”

“You just need to pay us 288 yuan later.”

Yuan Yiqing was momentarily stunned. Huh? It wasn’t a price increase but a discount?? Wasn’t it supposed to be 480 yuan? That was a 40% discount!

The moving company staff got out of the truck and walked to the back door, and the uncle kindly reminded her, “Young lady, if you need moving services next time, it’s best to book directly on Xu Yao Rental’s website. It makes things less hectic for us.”

The uncle, still a bit shaken, added, “Otherwise, if I charged the original price for Xu Yao’s tenants, I could get reported and lose my bonus when I get back to the company. Fortunately, I have a good memory, remembering that Building 4 in Silver Sea Elegant Court seems to be Xu Yao’s property.”

Yuan Yiqing stood by the moving truck, utterly stunned, as if the wind itself had short-circuited her brain: “…”

Is that how it is?!

Xu Yao’s rental team had quietly collaborated with a moving company?

Aside from the excellent moving service, the key point was that the price was actually cheaper! This was definitely a benefit for their tenants!

Seeing that she saved nearly 200 yuan, Yuan Yiqing was very pleased. She thought for a moment and asked, “If I move next time, it should probably be to another place, and I won’t be Xu Yao’s tenant anymore. Will you still provide the same service at that time?”

The uncle, dressed in the moving service’s uniform, huffed and puffed while moving the furniture and replied breathlessly, “Isn’t that a given? Xu Yao Rental has a partnership agreement with us. Whether you’re moving in or out, as long as you were once a tenant of Xu Yao, you’ll get a discount on the moving services.”

Yuan Yiqing suddenly felt like the day she would move out would never come, and she vaguely sensed that the moving company’s customer service seemed to have gotten even better than before!

Once all the furniture was moved into her new home, the moving company indeed only charged her 288 yuan, with no extra fees at all. Yuan Yiqing looked at the piles of boxes in her home. She almost didn’t have any space to even stand.

With so many things moved for just 288 yuan, she felt a bit impolite and quickly handed each of the staff a bottle of mineral water before sending them off.

In the end, Yuan Yiqing couldn’t help but send a message in the tenant group chat.

[1204-Yuan Yiqing: If anyone needs moving services, you can go directly to Xu Yao Rentals website. The partnered moving service is super good, and the main thing is that it’s 40% off!]

The tenant group chat in this building immediately became lively.

[Is this true? When I moved in, I found a moving company myself and spent over 600 yuan. @1204-Yuan Yiqing, how much did you spend?]

Yuan Yiqing quickly replied: [Originally agreed on 480 yuan, but when they heard I was Xu Yao’s tenant, they gave me a 40% discount, bringing it down to 288.]

The group erupted in envy and excitement, quickly checking the website, and sure enough, the moving service had quietly been added!

[Ah, is that true? I’m also moving in a couple of days, thanks for the reminder, neighbor. I’ll also book the moving service on the official website when the time comes.]

As Xu Yao’s tenants, they had an almost unconditional trust in Xu Yao’s team.

In the group chat, the conversation quickly shifted from moving services to the girl who jumped from the Runda Apartments building a couple of days ago, all of them feeling a sense of sympathy.

Truly, there was no harm without comparison, Xu Yao was truly a good landlady.

Being young and impetuous, one should never end their life over something like moving. It truly wasn’t worth it.

Xu Yao also saw the news; the girl in the red dress was a tenant in the same apartment as the boy who jumped before.

Scrolling through her phone, she noticed many people in the tenant WeChat groups, which she had muted, were tagging her to thank her for providing moving services.

This was clearly something she, as a landlady, should do.

Xu Yao didn’t respond to those tenants. Instead, she browsed through various social media platforms, where many were discussing the case of the girl in the red dress jumping off the building. Some even jumped in to lament that today’s youth had such poor stress tolerance. They recalled how they used to struggle to get enough food but never saw anyone jumping off buildings over such trivial matters as moving.

Some so-called “rational commentators” even popped up, lamenting with self-righteous grief that young people these days just couldn’t handle pressure. They then went on to say things like back in their day, they didn’t even have enough to eat, yet you didn’t see them jumping off buildings, and that killing yourself over something as trivial as moving apartments was unnecessary.

“Has the news about Runda and Junyi Long-term Apartments’ rental loan scheme not been leaked yet?” 

He Fan nodded, “It hasn’t, they’ve been suppressing the trending topics.”

How could it escalate without a few more people dying?

Xu Yao tossed her phone aside and said calmly, “Tell Pan Xianmin and the others to announce that my legal team will be filing a lawsuit against Runda for launching their ‘rental loan’ scheme that caused multiple people’s death, and that the case is about to go to trial.”

An hour later, #XuYao’sLegalTeamSuesRunda# suddenly shot to the top of Weibo’s trending topics!

They wanted to cover up the truth, but unfortunately, she just refused to let them!

---

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---

Don’t be fooled by Pan Xianmin and Yao Zongze’s seemingly harmless and gentle demeanor now. In the original novel, the Bo’en Law Firm that was run by them had practically represented the two villainous kings of the legal world, ruthless to the extreme in their approach.

At least Xu Group’s Pizza Hut still cared about its corporate image, at most sending people to squat in prison for a few years. But the cases Bo’en Law Firm took on? Every case was deadly, with the legal team not only sending people to prison, but also sending them their last hot meal.

Nowadays, the legal world is teeming with talents, but Xu Yao knew that her team’s problem wasn’t a lack of ability, but lack of opportunity. They needed a high-profile case that would attract national attention. Once they made a name for themselves, everyone would know the terror of the legal world’s Black and White Duo of Doom¹.

In the original novel, this legal team was described as such: When Attorney Yao smiles, life and death hang in the balance. When Attorney Pan speaks, it’s means a one-way trip to the guillotine.

Who told Runda and Junyi Long-term Rental Apartments to bully her tenants and run into her line of fire? Since they had put her in such a difficult position, then they shouldn’t blame her for using them as stepping stones!

Capitalists always have many ways to glean information, and Xu Yao’s legal team has recently gained quite a bit of their attention. By now, many of them probably already know that the legal team behind Xu Yao just consists of some unknown rookies. After all, Xu Yao had previously boasted on Weibo, publicly taunting Zhengde Academy with “Come and sue me,” but Zhengde Academy never actually dared to sue.

No one knew how capable this legal team was, with many actually just enjoying the spectacle, waiting for Xu Yao to crash and burn due to the low-level of her legal team.

Pan Xianmin and Yao Zongze were nervous. After being dismissed from Runda, they had initially planned to help ordinary people with their legal disputes, but now, they were actually about to clash head to head with their former employer instead.

The Runda legal department was definitely not to be underestimated. Pan Xianmin and Yao Zongze were afraid their law firm wouldn’t be able to live up to Xu Yao’s annual salary of fifty million as well as the other countless benefits and privileges that were attached to their job.

However, their current purpose was to follow Xu Yao’s lead. Wherever Xu Yao pointed toward, they would go and get it done.

The two could only cheer themselves on internally, determined to show these capitalists who didn’t value human life a thing or two. Why did they just have to provoke Xu Yao’s tenants, especially these tenants that were fresh graduates, when there were so many other people for them to provoke? 

Both of them noticed that Xu Yao seemed to favor these students who had just entered society. She was willing to provide assistance and extend a helping hand.

“Miss Yao Yao, then we will prepare the litigation materials meticulously.”

From filing the case to the official court hearing, it would take at least a month, so they needed to prepare thoroughly during this time frame.

Xu Yao smiled with satisfaction and nodded to the two of them before leaving the law firm.

Everyone remained busy. Although Ming Chan hadn’t moved out of Haicheng Bay No. 1, she practically lived in her studio, rarely being seen outside of it at all.

Xu Yao was bored amd planting flowers and grass at home while feeding her goldfish.

He Fan watched Xu Yao sitting on a high stool, tossing fish feed into the pond. The fish rushed over, mouths open, eager to eat the feed. He Fan knew that each ornamental fish here was worth hundreds of thousands.

Xu Yao felt that she couldn’t just laze around like this, otherwise, how else would she take advantage of the Quick Transmigration Bureau next month?

Xu Yao asked, “How’s Han Zhao doing?”

He Fan replied, “He’ll go to scout out the college entrance exam venue tomorrow.”

Xu Yao nodded. Although it’s true that the academic qualifications of people that are truly outstanding isn’t emphasised as much, it still can’t be denied that having a degree is indeed a helpful stepping stone. So having a good university degree is indeed quite important.

“Have you booked a hotel near the exam venue?” Xu Yao recalled that Han Zhao was quite frugal and added, “He won’t stay at a hotel near the exam venue, so you all need to pay more attention when you pick him up and drop him off.”

On the day of the college entrance examination, the streets would be crawling with traffic police, and although they could seek their help if really necessary, it was still better for her to arrange her own staff than trouble others unless it was absolutely unavoidable.

Han Zhao was indeed a true prodigy. At just eighteen, he was already very skilled with computers and was a master programmer. Since he still had to attend university, he could only remain as the deputy team leader of the rental team’s programming department.

“How’s the program development going?” Xu Yao was quite concerned about this.

“The website is still being developed in an orderly manner. Many netizens hope for us to develop a mobile version, and we’ll start working on it as soon as Han Zhao finishes his exams.”

Xu Yao didn’t understand these things. She just threw money at them to get the work done.

In recent days, whether it was Xu Yao or other major internet influencers, none could compete with the most talked-about college entrance examination. Online discussions about the exam essays were rampant everywhere.

Han Zhao’s college entrance examination had been going smoothly these past two days. He didn’t expect to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, but just set his goal as aiming to enter Haicheng University, which was a 985 university. After all, he wasn’t planning on moving up north anyway.

After finishing the English exam, Han Zhao happily walked out of the exam venue and quickly headed towards the black sedan about a hundred meters away.

The rental team had great benefits, with Lu Ye arranging for someone to pick him up from the Tai’an Community these past two days. Han Zhao got into the car just like yesterday, and as soon as he opened the door, he was taken aback to see Xu Yao also sitting in the back seat.

“Sister Yao Yao?” he exclaimed softly, quickly climbing into the car and closing the door.

Xu Yao congratulated him on finishing the exams, saying that after he became an adult, he would have fewer restrictions. “Now that you’ve officially graduated from high school, take a good rest. Do you have any places you want to travel to or things you want to do?”

Han Zhao immediately shook his head, “The team is busy with the website construction and software development. I need to get back to work right away.”

This kid was a bit stubborn, was he worried about not being able to work? Please. There would be plenty of work waiting for him in the future, enough to grind him down to exhaustion.

Seeing that Xu Yao didn’t agree, and noticing Lu Ye driving skillfully in the driver’s seat, Han Zhao’s fair face flushed with embarrassment, and he could only whisper, “I want to learn to drive in my spare time, so I can drive for Sister Yao Yao in the future.”

Xu Yao teased, “What if I want to fly? Lu Ye can’t pilot a plane yet.”

Han Zhao was momentarily stunned and stammered, “Then should I learn how to pilot a plane? Is that easy to learn? Will it cost a lot of money?”

He Fan, who had been sitting in the front passenger seat, was filled with regret, wishing he could become ten years younger just so he could also take the college entrance examination! What kind of divine boss was this? Just because her employee had finally finished the exam, not only did she give him time off to rest, but she also arranged for him to travel and booked driving lessons for him.

However, Lu Ye, who was driving, didn’t think much of it. This Brother Lu seemed to have no desires, not indifferent to houses, cars, or even his own salary, and didn’t seem to have any hobbies or interests. His eyes only seemed to hold Xu Yao, as if wanting to follow behind her every day as her personal bodyguard.

Xu Yao was amused by this little brother Han Zhao. After rubbing her face that had started feeling sore from laughing, she got back to business, “I plan to select some companies to collaborate with, so you guys in the programming team will have to work on designing the mini program for the plugins.”

A professional landlady who collects a tenant’s rent money should indeed make things convenient for the tenants.

The cost of moving for tenants is actually quite high. Aside from the time it costs, hiring a moving company also costs money, with some moving companies daring to charge exorbitant fees.

Many people end up paying four to five hundred yuan for a single move, which was no small expense for most working people.

Now, with so many moving companies now in the market, it’s become difficult to distinguish one from another, which makes it even harder for tenants who have just paid their rent and are now tight on funds.

He Fan, who was seated in the passenger seat nodded, “Miss Yao Yao, I also think that’s a good idea. We can collaborate with moving companies to lower their moving prices as much as possible. I’m sure those moving companies will also be very willing to do so.”

Firstly, there are too many moving companies on the market, leading to fierce competition. Secondly, having a collaboration with the landlady Xu Yao, who has a huge following, is equivalent to free advertising for their company!

For example, if moving costs four hundred yuan, they could reduce it to three hundred, or even around the two hundred yuan range.

Of course, this is purely a convenience provided by the big landlady Xu Yao, for her tenants. If tenants don’t want to use the partnered moving company, that’s also fine, after all, it’s their choice.

Han Zhao immediately entered work mode and agreed, “Okay, Sister Yao Yao, the programming team will follow up and quickly produce the small plugin.”

Xu Yao nodded, “You can leave the matter of contacting various moving companies and their bidding to He Fan.”

Xu Yao couldn’t help but sigh in her heart. Is there any other landlord in the world like her, who is wholeheartedly dedicated to her tenants? She’s truly amazing! She just wants to crush all those real estate companies!

*

Liu Feifei is an ordinary high school girl who doesn’t have a lot of disposable income and is unable to shop since she’s always busy with her studies, so she’s developed a habit for relying on shopping online to buy her clothes.

After finishing her homework, she took out her phone as usual and opened the game called Shining Star.

To be honest, she did feel a bit embarrassed to say it out loud. Unlike her classmates who enjoyed various competitive battleground games, she just took a particular liking to these easy mini-games that didn’t require you to expend much brainpower.

She loved clothes and fashion, often finding joy in these dress-up games. Recently, she had been playing Shining Star, practically alternating between critiquing it and enjoying it at the same time while playing.

When she clicked in and found she couldn’t access the server, Liu Feifei stared at the glaring line of text on the page, stunned, “Server temporarily down??”

Games normally do get updated, usually during a certain time in the early morning, generally taking only a few hours.

But the game displayed — [Server reopening time to be determined.]

Liu Feifei: “??”

Opening time to be determined? Does your little game really need this long for an update? Aren’t you afraid the old players will all leave en masse?

Liu Feifei’s first reaction was that this crappy game was probably about to be shut down. She felt a bit sad at the thought since she had forgotten to screenshot many of her outfits.

This had been the consensus reached after the team at Heavenly Star Game Studio had a discussion, with Ming Chan deciding to temporarily suspend the server.

For the next update, they intended to give players a huge surprise!

Originally a team of just over ten people, it suddenly expanded to a medium-sized team of more than two hundred. The original studio space was no longer sufficient, so Ming Chan could only boldly rent out the entire floor below them as well from the landlord.

Although she couldn’t dare to imagine renting an office building at Haicheng Global Financial Center like Xu Yao mentioned, now with such a large investment in hand, she could still afford to rent an office in a remote area.

Once the money reached their hands, the employees who had been slacking off at their desks became even more diligent.

Ming Chan looked at the latest design drafts from the artist and then silently glanced at her previous works. It was hard to believe that these had been drawn by the same person. It was like the skill difference between a university student and an elementary school kid.

This young artist confidently said, “That’s because you raised my salary, boss. I was so excited that I suddenly got inspired, that’s why the draft turned out so well.”

What a joke! After years of struggling in society, did she not know what kind of salary matched what kind of work quality?

A group of bosses paying employees four to five thousand yuan in salary, yet you expected your employees to produce work that’s equivalent to a salary of twenty thousand? Do you really treat people like livestock?

At that moment, Ming Chan once again felt the thrill of having money.

She praised the young artist and then asked, “How are the teachers responsible for the concept art doing?”

The employee immediately replied, “Several of the teachers are just about to finish.”

Ming Chan pondered for a moment before making a final decision, “We can’t remain so passive. While improving the game, we must also keep up with its promotion and marketing.”

In this day and age, even the best wine fears a deep alley, with poor promotion still being able to drag down an amazing product.

The head of the marketing department immediately said, “Boss Ming, we plan to begin promotion in the major concept art groups.”

With this strategy, several pictures were able to appear on various gaming platforms, and even Weibo and Red Note, instantly catching people’s attention.

[King of Games² v: Teacher Sang Sang and Teacher Si Qiao’s latest masterpiece: it’s absolutely gorgeous! [image][image]]

A beautiful girl with long black hair stood amidst the cosmic stars, wearing a matching starry deep blue long dress, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. The artwork was so exquisite that you could see each of the protagonist’s eyelashes clearly. The deep river of stars and the unfathomable galaxy in the background was atmospheric and visually striking, dreamlike and ethereal.

Stunning!

Although those outside of the industry might not know, game fans were all aware that Teacher Sang Sang and Teacher Si Qiao were exceptional concept artists who seemed to have an endless source of inspiration, with each piece capable of dazzling viewers.

[Ahhh, my Teacher Sang Sang is so skilled at art. It’s super beautiful and so full of emotion. What game is this commissioned for?]

[I’m sneakily picking up my Teacher Qiao Qiao and stealing her away. She really knows how to use light and shadow contrasts, feels like I can never catch up T^T She even put such particular detail into the protagonist’s dress. It’s so cute, she’s like a princess.]

[I’m just a pure bystanding netizen, but these illustrations are really beautiful, and the clothes are stunning, is this for a new game?]

[These images all have watermarks! I’m going to find out what game is so formidable that they could bring Sang Sang and Si Qiao as well as others together.]

The fans of these concept artists were filled with excitement and quickly tracked down the official Weibo of a game, only to find it only had 571 followers, meaning it indeed was a new game!

When they clicked in, they were stunned to see over a thousand posts already published. Wait a minute… is this a game that has already been released?

The point was, it looked like some crappy little mini-game.

The latest Weibo post was their official announcement.

[Official Shining Star Weibo: Dear players, the game is temporarily offline, with the reopening time still to be determined. In the meantime, we welcome everyone to enjoy these beautiful illustrations by @SangSangWhoCantDraw and @SiQiaoSQ. [image][image]]

There were only a few comments under the official Weibo, all from fans and friends who had been tagged

[What the heck did your game do to get such amazing concept artists? I’m seriously suspicious now.]

[I’m literally crying, is my Teacher Qiao is taking gigs for money now? Even for some tiny, crappy game?]

[Sis upstairs, this game doesn’t even look like it has the budget to afford that… 囧³]

[Hmm… judging by the artstyle in their previous Weibo posts, they’re pretty broke.]

Some eagle-eyed netizens discovered the secret. This crappy game seems to come from the game studio that Xu Yao mentioned in her private tenant group when posting job recruitment info!

[Oh my god, did you guys just get investment from Landlady Xu Yao herself?]

[If Xu Yao really gets involved, with her “money is nothing” attitude, she could probably make even a dead pig fly.]

[@Official, respond already!!]

The official Weibo account didn’t respond directly, only replying with a shy emoji.

These concept artworks, after various fermentations, went viral online, almost instantly appearing on all social media platforms.

Some newbies with the expertise in art shared these images in major concept art groups:

[Teachers in the group, what do you think of the latest works from these masters?]

Everyone in the group were very attentive to the news in their industry. They had seen these images a couple of days ago and all expressed how beautiful they were, showing a high level of professionalism.

Masters are indeed masters, you can tell their quality at a glance.

A little rookie surfaced, enviously saying: [I really envy those big names, with one painting able to sustain them without working for months. When will I also be able to sell a drawing for tens of thousands?]

[Envy +1, I also want to draw full-time, don’t want to work for a boss anymore.]

[Envy + ID number.]

… 

Someone in the group replied: [I heard that the commissions for Si Qiao and the others aren’t just in the tens of thousands, but commissioned at a higher price.]

The novice artists in the group were practically drooling, speculating about the price in response: [It can’t possibly be six figures, right?]

[!! It really is six figures! Teacher Sang Sang confirmed in her live stream that one concept artworkwas commissioned for three hundred thousand!! My god, what kind of game spends this lavishly?]

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a stone had been thrown into a small pond, causing ripples and creating a huge uproar.

Damn, they had already thought it was impressive if the big boss could spend tens of thousands on art, and there were a few larger game companies whose commissions reached up to six figures.

But three hundred thousand for a single artwork? What kind of game is that extravagant?

[I’m kneeling to the big boss, oh no, I’m kneeling to this ‘Shining Star’! What  big thigh did they cling so tightly on, to the point where they’re being so generous with their commission?]

[Three hundred thousand… three hundred thousand… I’m numb, three hundred thousand is not thirty bucks, my god!]

[I’m suddenly super hyped about this game. If they’re willing to spend this much on commissions, they must be really confident in it, right?]

Originally, netizens were just watching for fun, thinking the art was really gorgeous. But once they found out each piece in the group was commissioned for three hundred thousand, ordinary netizens couldn’t sit still anymore, their eyes had practically reddened with envy.

[Three hundred thousand? I’m screaming with my head in my hands, three hundred thousand for an artwork? I can only earn three hundred thousand in five f*cking years!!]

[Mom asked me why I was kneeling while scrolling through Weibo. Does your company still need more artwork?]

[‘Shining Star’ is amazing! It seems like they going to pull off a successful comeback! Reliable insider info: Boss Ming Chan got a huge investment.]

[Ahhh, why is the server currently offline? I’ve already gone to download it, okay? I just want to know what kind of fun this game can offer.]

Netizens went to download it, but the result was frustrating, with the server still down.

News had already spread within the gaming industry that Ming Chan, the boss of Shining Star, had secured a massive investment. If initially, they had predicted that Xu Yao had invested at least several million in Ming Chan, then…

Now seeing this news online, a game producer speculated in shock, “These few pieces of concept art must have cost over a million, right? So it can’t just be a few million, could it be…”

A group of friends in the industry exchanged glances in shock and guessed in unison, “Tens of millions?!”

They heard that two hundred people had been hired, that they were going to switch to 3D animation, and that they had invited industry leaders to oversee it. This couldn’t possibly be something that could be solved with less than eight figures, right?

One game producer was so astonished that his mouth fell open, “Xu Yao… just how much money does she collect from renting out properties?”

Short drama investments, changing property management for Tai’an Community to a new international realty company, and that only seemed to be the beginning. It seems she has also secured the land for Zhengde Academy to build an entertainment city. Yet even in such a situation, she still had the money to spare to casually throw tens of millions at a small game?

Heavens, this landlady’s worth is simply unimaginable.

Most of these game producers were already homeowners themselves, so they had only watched Xu Yao Rental’s marketing schemes with the mentality of spectating. But now they couldn’t help but think—

Otherwise, why don’t they rent a property from Xu Yao as well?

*

Mu Xiyuan also learned about his ex-wife’s recent situation. He had initially been pleased to see Ming Chan unable to afford rent, but who would have thought this woman had suddenly secured an investment?

Moreover, people in the industry were saying that Xu Yao had been the one to invest tens of millions into it.

Mu Xiyuan frowned, unsure of what Xu Yao saw in Ming Chan. Clearly, his ex-wife had little ability aside from her looks.

Not only had she managed to get Xu Yao to invest, but even her in-laws had been extremely satisfied with her during their marriage, even scolding him after their divorce.

Because of this incident, despite the fact that Mu Xiyuan had never once met Xu Yao, he still ended up  subconsciously developing a grudge against her.

Sitting at his desk, Mu Xiyuan twisted the exaggerated ring on his left index finger and said coldly to his assistant, “We must win the lawsuit against Xu Yao’s tenant!”

It wasn’t just about not giving up, it was about saving face. If he lost, he would be utterly humiliated, his reputation ruined.

The assistant agreed and reminded him, “President Mu, your schedule this afternoon is to accompany Miss Li for shopping at the mall.”

After the divorce, Mu Xiyuan had dated several women, with his latest fling being an influencer surnamed Li. The influencer constantly wanted him to accompany her shopping, with the sole intention being to buy, buy, buy.

Although Mu Xiyuan looked down on her as a gold digger, being flattered and complimented by a beautiful woman gave him a sense of satisfaction that he had never received from Ming Chan.

After all, it was just spending a little money; he wasn’t short on cash.

In the afternoon, Mu Xiyuan took the influencer to various malls for a shopping spree. As long as she liked something, he bought it for her without hesitation.

Behind them, bodyguards carried the large and small shopping bags, and because this scene was so eye-catching, it drew the attention of passersby, greatly satisfying their vanity.

“Xiyuan, these aren’t pretty, I don’t really like them,” the little influencer clung to Mu Xiyuan’s arm, pouting coquettishly in a sweet voice.

“Then let’s go to Europe tomorrow. I’ll take you to see the fashion show in Paris,” Mu Xiyuan coaxed, pinching the influencer’s chin. “Isn’t that international designer Master Jesse Blair going to that show?”

Mu Xiyuan painted a rosy picture for the little influencer, but whether he would take her depended on whether he had gotten tired of playing with her by then.

However, the influencer pouted, “But I heard Master Jesse is coming to China.”

Mu Xiyuan was taken aback as he had never heard of this. Wasn’t it rumoured that there was a show in Europe that he had to participate in? Why was he here in China?

There’s a time difference between domestic and foreign news. Just as night was falling, someone posted a message abroad on Twitter—

[Master Absalom is making a comeback, with his new work about to debut in China.]

As soon as the news broke, Twitter was buzzing, with screens filled with exaggerated English words like “Oh my god,” as if no one could believe the authenticity of the news.

That night, it was reposted across all major social media platforms in China.

[Whoa, Master Absalom? This guy is a global fashion legend! He retired five years ago and stopped designing, and now you’re telling me he’s coming back out of retirement?]

[Absalom has been a top-tier fashion powerhouse from last century to this one, only making custom clothes for royalty before. He’s actually making a comeback? Is this rumour true?!]

[Ah, this has to be fake news, right? Putting aside whether the legend even wants to design again, the key question is: debuting in China? Honestly, our Chinese fashion scene isn’t even big enough to hire someone of his caliber…]

[Hahaha I can’t stop laughing, people actually believe this? Can’t get any faker than this. I have no idea who even started this rumor.]

Inviting a legend who’s been in retirement for five years is one thing, but actually releasing his comeback debut in China?

It was just… quite bewildering.

Netizens were in a frenzy online, just hoping for new information to come to light or have the rumours entirely debunked.

Some even sent private messages to Xu Yao asking about it, and Xu Yao, who was about to go to sleep, replied with a simple, [Yes.]

The fan who received Xu Yao’s private message reply was completely confused. What did “Yes” mean? Does it mean the news is true? Or was it just Xu Yao’s automated reply to private messages?

The fan quickly asked around and found that the automated replies other people received from Xu Yao were: [Want to rent a property, dear? Xu Yao specializes in professional and honest house rentals, integrity first!]

So, was that “Yes” a specific reply to her?

Before this little fan could share the news with others, Absalom’s team had already officially announced that he was indeed coming out of retirement, and this design would debut in China first.

This news shocked the entire fashion world!

It must be said that when it comes to the fashion industry, domestic fans could only look to foreign countries. This couldn’t be helped, since many luxury goods would first be launched abroad before coming to China for launch.

This was the first time Master Absalom would debuting exclusively in China! Countless people in the international fashion industry find it hard to understand!

[The news is real ahhh! I just want to know which big shot in our country managed to hire this fashion legend. Can’t wait to see what he’s created after five years of seclusion! I want to buy it!]

[Grabbing onto the rich lady above lol, I’m just here to watch the excitement. There’s no way I can afford this kind of luxury. [bitter smile]]

[Feeling so honored ahhh, I’m seriously proud, the master is debuting the work in China! Spinning around with happiness.]

Although these kinds of fashion legends are far removed from ordinary netizens, it still makes people feel incredibly elated. At least today’s China can make such big names take notice. Wasn’t this progress? Isn’t progress worth being proud of?

The only thing was, they were just shy of begging online for someone to reveal which domestic deity had invited this legend out?

The fan who was had received Xu Yao’s reply was shocked — could it be Xu Yao?

Late at night in China, another bombshell was dropped, making it hard for the group of night owl netizens to fall asleep.

First, Master Absalom officially announced his comeback in China, then several internationally renowned designers simultaneously announced they would be releasing new designs in China as well!

This news was enough to cause an earthquake in the fashion industry. How come this group of big shots are all going to China to release their collections?

Could it be that, with Master Absalom leading the way, they’re going to hold a fashion show for their newest collection in China? It seems like the level of China’s fashion industry is about to rise in stature!

One Master Absalom was already exciting enough, and they could still contain themselves, but a group of masters collectively making moves? Netizens really can’t take it anymore!

[!!! What explosive news! I’m so excited I twisted myself into a pretzel in bed, now I can’t sleep at all.]

[Is our Chinese fashion scene about to rise? So cool! I really want to know who’s behind this, the scale of this move is simply insane.]

[Internationally renowned designers all debuting in China! Who got this lucky, I won’t say! As a fashion student, I’m so happy I want to run laps around the school playground, help!]

Some bold netizens online guessed: [I think it’s Xu Yao, there are screenshots of her replying to fans “yes.”]

[I’m a fan of Sister Yao, but seriously, stop jumping to conclusions. How could a landlady like Xu Yao possibly have anything to do with the international fashion scene?]

Although after thinking about it, it really doesn’t seem impossible for it to be Xu Yao. After all, Xu Yao likes to help her tenants, but which tenant would possibly need so many fashion design big shots to collectively debut their works in China? There simply aren’t any at all!

At most, Xu Yao might know some inside information, which is already quite something.

In short, it was true that this night would continue to make some people so happy they can’t sleep.

Originally, many people weren’t interested in fashion collection releases and international shows, at most glancing at it when it came up in the news. But now it’s different. This is happening in our country, so how can we not follow and pay attention to it?

As soon as the news came out, domestic media rushed to report it, all afraid of falling behind the other. These extremely sensitive journalists sensed that this news would definitely go viral.

Sure enough, the hashtag #InternationallyRenownedDesignersCollectivelyDebut NewDesignsInChina# was followed by a big explosive tag. It was still only 3:30 AM, yet the news had already exploded to such an exaggerated level!

*

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:

Xu Yao was the last person to hear about this news when she woke up close to noon the next day.

Qu Xi, who was on set, couldn’t help but send her many WeChat messages about this news.

[Qu Xi: Huh? Yaoyao, you just woke up? Then you must be the last person to know this news, right? Ahh, hurry up and check Weibo! All the internationally renowned designers are going to release their designs in our country! I’m going to save money to buy Master Absalom’s designs formed in his seclusion! I need to work hard on my acting!]

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: Huh? I’ll go take a look then.]

After scanning Weibo, Xu Yao was confused. Are netizens this unconfident? What’s so surprising about being able to invite a big shot like Absalom? After all, it seemed like she had more than one fashion legend working for her.

Oh, and she couldn’t forget to thank her tool-like fiancé, as without him, it wouldn’t have been easy to find such impressive fashion designers.

Recently, Ji Zhengqing has been very keen on discussing trivial engagement matters with her, like venue selection and drinks, despite the fact that these things could all be handed over to an assistant.

Since it was just an engagement, Xu Yao and Ji Zhengqing both almost simultaneously agreed that there was no need to make it public, and that just inviting a few close friends to witness the ceremony would be enough.

But Xu Yao still found it very cumbersome, to the point where she didn’t even want to hold an engagement banquet anymore. After all, her engagement to Ji Zhengqing was already finalised even without the ceremony, and their relationship as an engaged couple couldn’t be changed anymore.

Xu Yao even hinted at this idea to Ji Zhengqing. She really just wanted to be a landlady who plays around and collects rent!

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: Fiancé, I think the engagement banquet is too troublesome, I don’t even want to have one~]

In fact, Ji Zhengqing also disliked trouble, especially the kind that might have to be experienced twice, with the second time being even more complicated and exhausting. Just thinking about it felt troublesome.

He stared at Xu Yao’s message for a long time, raising his hand to rub his forehead with some difficulty, sighing silently.

Xu Yao didn’t want to have an engagement banquet, yet she kept all the fashion designers to design dresses, indicating that she was indeed eager to get engaged to him. Did this message mean… could it be that she wanted to marry him directly?

Skipping the complicated engagement party and going straight to marriage? But he didn’t seem to have properly prepared for marriage at the moment.

He found it quite difficult to respond equally to the young girl’s enthusiasm.

Ji Zhengqing looked at his assistant that had already gone completely numb and instructed in a deep voice, “Arrange for the flight route and clear out my remaining schedule. I’m going to Haicheng tomorrow to see Xu Yao.”

He should continue to push himself to the limit so as to match Xu Yao’s enthusiasm.

He… kind of wanted to see Xu Yao.

---

xu yao: excuse me, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me?

ugh he may just be a tool fiance rn but rest assured hehehehe this is 1v1 HE !!

ALSO all series, including this one, will be on a one month long break until DECEMBER bc i’ll be overseas on holiday !!! updates will resume beginning of december except for rhrpaw since i have a phat backlog of chapters :3

support mio on kofi! any typos or broken links, pls lmk! ◡̈

1.  “黑白双煞” (literally “the black-and-white twin fiends”) is a colorful nickname referring to a formidable duo, typically ruthless but highly skilled — borrowed from wuxia and martial arts fiction where such nicknames denote legendary partners known for their deadly coordination. ↩︎
2.  游戏王 literally means “King of Games,” which is also the official Chinese name for the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. ↩︎
3. The Chinese character “囧” (jiǒng) is an emoticon-like expression commonly used online. It conveys, embarrassment, a facepalm or “oh no” moment. It visually resembles a face with wide eyes and a frowning mouth, so in English it’s often rendered as “😳”, “Ugh…”, “facepalm” ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Little 6 felt a wave of relief. At least the host wasn’t just taking advantage of their Quick Transmigration Bureau, that fiancé was clearly worse off.

Little 6 also thought Xu Yao had it too tough on her. It was one thing to invest in tenants who couldn’t pay rent, but now she had to help them find employees too?

Xu Yao sighed, who told her to be the best landlady in the world?

The circle of internationally renowned fashion industry leaders looked at Xu Yao as if they had misheard: “?”

The mixed-race Chinese designer from Italy even wondered if his Chinese wasn’t good enough and if he should study more diligently when he went back.

What did Miss Xu Yao just say? To let them design the clothes for this game?

That broken, trashy little game? Did it even deserve it?!

One designer gently reminded her, “Miss Xu Yao, President Ji invited us here to design your engagement dress.” It wasn’t for anything else, okay?!

“That’s right, Miss Xu, I still have other appointments to attend to the day after tomorrow.”

Once someone started what seemed like a chain reaction, many designers proceeded to chime in, “Yes, I have a show in Paris next month that I’ll need to attend.”

See, Miss Xu Yao, everyone is very busy.

Xu Yao smiled slightly and said softly, “Your usual commission rates for your designs will be doubled.”

“…”

The once noisy luxury villa hall fell into an instant silence. The words used in Xu Yao’s sentence had clearly been simple, yet that simplicity carried an undeniable attraction to them.

Their prices had already reached their peak, with profits only fluctuating slightly around that range, and yet Xu Yao’s statement didn’t just promise a fluctuation, but was directly multiplied by two! That was double!! This was a steep rise!

Just one simple sentence doubled their income — was this the charm of a wealthy lady?

A group of people stood frozen in place as if they had been struck by a paralysis spell. Xu Yao leaned back on the soft sofa, her slender fingers holding a shiny silver fork that leisurely speared fruit, sending piece after piece to her mouth.

It tasted quite sweet. She liked it a lot. It seemed that being shipped via international air freight had indeed preserved its freshness.

Lu Ye and He Fan stood behind Xu Yao like two door gods while holding documents, their expressions indifferent as if they had long grown accustomed to it.

Silence.

The living room of the most luxurious penthouse in Haicheng Bay No. 1 was eerily quiet, with only the crisp sound of the silver fork clinking against the vintage dessert plate ringing out. It wasn’t until the sound of the heavy doorbell rang out that everyone seemed to be startled awake..

At Xu Yao’s signal, the butler went to open the door for Ming Chan, while the others in the room, as if just waking from a dream, looked at Xu Yao with increasingly fervent eyes.

One designer with a square face and a righteous demeanor was the first to speak, “Miss Xu Yao, I actually thought that game had many excellent aspects.”

Ming Chan, who had just come in with the butler, felt increasingly uneasy upon hearing this.

Could it be that Miss Xu Yao was comparing her little game to other excellent games?

Dressed in a fashionable and avant-garde style, another designer chimed in, “Yes, Miss Xu Yao, although that game is still a bit rough around the edges, you can still clearly see the developer’s dedication behind it. Fashion is an aesthetic that resonates with people all over the world, so creating a game with this theme is quite innovative.”

Upon hearing that it was a fashion game, Ming Chan suddenly had a guess in mind. They couldn’t possibly be referring to her Shining Star, could they?

Another person chimed in confidently, “Yes, that ‘Sparkling Star’ dress-up game does indeed have great potential.”

Standing behind, He Fan gave the speaker a look. This designer was clearly saying whatever it took to make money. And if you’re going to butter someone up, at least do it right! It’s not Sparkling Star, it’s Shining Star!

The older designers stood tall and straight, as if they were embodying the spirit of artisans. They didn’t say much in agreement but nodded silently, nodding, and nodding again.

Ming Chan: “…???”

Wait, were they really talking about her game? She was so flattered she could blush.

Ming Chan was, after all, at least a former wife of a wealthy aristocratic family. Although Mu Xiyuan had been reluctant to spend money on her during their marriage, she had still more or less heard of these people to some extent in the circles of their upper class. They all seemed to be internationally renowned designers, one of whom was a top-tier big shot who had retired and had already announced he would no longer be making anymore clothes.

What qualifications did her little game have to be deserving of all this praise from these internationally renowned fashion designers?

Was it really not just sarcasm?

That was simply impossible, after all, Miss Xu Yao was just offering too much.

Internationally renowned designers still needed to make money, and the key point was that these people were all incredibly sharp. Seeing that ten of their peers had been called to design a dress for Xu Yao, and that this was just for an engagement that hadn’t even been announced yet, how could they possibly fathom how much of a spectacle their wedding would be?

Although the Ji Group may not be as famous domestically in China as the Xu Group that was led by the richest individual President Xu, who didn’t know of President Ji in Europe? Even internationally renowned designers couldn’t resist the allure of the richest capitalists.

Sometimes, money is just a trivial matter, while the network of relationships is what truly matters.

Although it’s true that they want to make money, it’s also true that they want to please Xu Yao and President Ji — both desires can coexist.

Xu Yao put down the silver fork in her hand and leisurely took a deep brown cashmere handkerchief from the walnut tray held by the butler to wipe her hands, smiling as she said, “Is that what everyone thinks? Truly, great minds think alike. Then I’ll trouble you all.”

For a dress-up game, of course, there should be hundreds of outfits to mix and match. Why the overkill and use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? The clothes designed by these top international designers must be SSR!

And they must be limited-time SSRs, not the permanent ones, you understand?

The designs for the other game outfits can be handled by some of the better domestic designers. After all, money should be used where its needed to its full potential, right?

Ming Chan, who had been standing there like a stone pillar, tentatively spoke up, “Miss Landlord…”

Xu Yao looked at Ming Chan. Unlike the youthful and cute Qu Xi, Ming Chan had shoulder-length hair, wore exaggerated dangling earrings, and was dressed in a sharp suit jacket paired with jeans, giving off a the vibe of a successful career woman.

Xu Yao smiled and introduced Ming Chan, “They are here to customize dresses for me.”

Ming Chan knew they were renowned fashion designers and felt a bit awkward recalling Xu Yao’s earlier conversation with them, already guessing that Xu Yao had shown her little game to these designers.

She felt a bit like she was brandishing her sword in front of Guan Gong¹, utterly ridiculous.

Xu Yao continued, “From now on, you’ll be half colleagues.”

Ming Chan was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding Xu Yao’s meaning. Xu Yao, on the other hand, found it strange and asked, “Didn’t I just say I would invest in you?”

Xu Yao turned slightly to ask Lu Ye and He Fan behind her, “Has the final amount for last month’s rent been tallied?”

Lu Ye replied, “The staff is doing the final calculations, please wait a moment.”

Xu Yao had reached a point where she had so much rent that she didn’t even know the exact amount… 

Seeing that Xu Yao wasn’t joking, Ming Chan didn’t dwell too much on the half-colleague comment, her mind racing with the realization that what was said online was true… 

Xu Yao truly was the best landlady in history. If there really were any difficulties, she would help.

In the #Xu Yao Rental# supertopic², yes, Xu Yao’s Rental even had a dedicated supertopic, with hundreds of thousands of fans, their fandom name being Sister Yao’s Tenants.

Some of Xu Yao’s tenants posted on Weibo saying that whenever there was a problem, they would contact Xu Yao’s team, and they would help resolve it.

These tenants were all selected through exams by Xu Yao, with sixty percent being relatively high-quality young people who wouldn’t take advantage of her for no reason, only tentatively seeking help from Xu Yao’s team when truly in need, and their problems were indeed resolved by the team.

So, was she really going to invest in her just because Xu Yao was afraid she wouldn’t renew the lease and found it troublesome to look for new tenants?

Ming Chan’s heart raced, unable to help but guess the final amount. It had to be at least several million, right?

“Miss Yao Yao, your rent income from last month has been finalised.” An employee walked out from the room, and Xu Yao instructed her to round it off and report the whole number.

“Approximately 153.2 million.”

Xu Yao nodded. This was still only a small portion of her rental income. After all, Han Zhao and the others in the IT department had just developed the website and hadn’t organized all her available properties for listing yet. The number of idle properties was enough to give her a headache, and the two most valuable office buildings in Haicheng hadn’t even reached the rental collection period yet.

Xu Yao looked at Ming Chan and asked, “Is this enough?”

Ming Chan didn’t dare to speak, her legs trembling slightly. 150 million?! For a broken game, pulling in 150 million in investment was something she wouldn’t even dare to dream about.

The fact that Xu Yao collects over 100 million in rent in a month… My goodness… Ming Chan’s mind suddenly started to race. She really wanted to confront her ex-husband and ask him if he could gather so much liquid assets in a month!

In their circle, all the “overbearing CEOs” looked down on Xu Yao, who was only a landlady who merely sat back and collected rent. But now, how could they possibly look down on her? Were they looking down on her from where they were kneeling? That bunch of idiots!

Seeing her tremble, the butler kindly brought over a comfortable long bench for Ming Chan to sit on. Unable to hold back, Ming Chan said, “W-well, why don’t you keep some for yourself?”

Xu Yao tilted her head and said, “I don’t just have this little money.”

Xu Yao was puzzled as to why she was giving her the impression of being short on cash.

The short drama Yin Fate had already earned her quite a bit, and even now, after it had finished airing, it was still being discussed all over the internet, with the derivative earnings being even more astonishing. Merchandise, game production, and entertainment store licensing were all being followed up on simultaneously. As long as Qu Xi and Ran Lingfeng didn’t break the law or violate any moral codes, this short drama would continue to bring in revenue for her.

Moreover, she still had shares and dividends in the Xu Group, as well as the monthly pension from the Quick Transmigration Bureau that would be doubled next month

Did she lack money? Xu Yao now felt that money was just a number.

Xu Yao smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t starve to death.”

Ming Chan and the designers fell silent.

Xu Yao added lightly, “As for these people, let them create a few design drafts for your game. The clothes in your game aren’t appealing at all.” Xu Yao was already being quite polite in wording and didn’t say they were absolutely hideous.

Ming Chan nearly wanted to kneel before Xu Yao. These were internationally renowned fashion designers, and now they were condescending themselves to create designs for her crappy game. Ming Chan’s mind was filled with thoughts of what she had done to deserve this.

Ming Chan even thought… if only she had known earlier, she would have gone bankrupt sooner so she couldn’t afford to rent from Xu Yao!

This truly was the best landlady in the world, no doubt about it.

“I understand what you mean, Miss Yao Yao. I will definitely make this game the best it can be,” said Ming Chan earnestly. She took a deep breath, allowing herself time to digest the fact that she had just been hit with such a massive investment.

Xu Yao finally nodded in satisfaction, “Can your game be changed to 3D? Everyone is playing 3D games now as it feels more realistic that way.”

“Find a few more skilled concept artists and someone who can write scripts to design the plot and get it going! I have high hopes for you.”

“And isn’t that card-drawing setup in your game too simple? Why draw a whole set? Break down the whole set into individual pieces to draw! That way, there’s more fun in collecting.”

Xu Yao was frantically outputting her ideas, “And also…”

Ming Chan’s eyes were slightly red, and she nodded continuously, as if she had encountered her life’s benefactor.

Ming Chan had actually made a lot of plans and ideas, but was hindered by a lack of funds. In this day and age, having money makes things easier. With money, she could fully unleash her creativity with knowledge that she could afford to bring it to life.

“By the way, where is your studio? Do you want me to help you find a new place? The Haicheng Global Financial Center is nice.” This was another office building under her name.

Ming Chan suppressed her impulse to agree and shook her head, saying, “Miss Yao Yao, my studio’s lease hasn’t expired yet.” Adhering to the principle of not wasting money excessively, Ming Chan wanted to continue working on her game there until the lease was up.

Of course, Xu Yao also hadn’t forgotten what she was doing today. She was here to customize her engagement dress, so Xu Yao simply let all the designers design it for her.

After all, the beautiful clothes they designed could also be worn by her offline~

*

Ji Zhengqing got off work quite early today and planned to go home and work out.

The assistant had organized all the documents for him to take back, as President Ji would likely review them in his study. He reported promptly to Ji Zhengqing, “President Ji, Miss Xu Yao has kept all the designers behind, saying she wants them to help her design clothes.”

Ji Zhengqing’s gaze was surprised for a moment, then he couldn’t help but burst out laughing, “Let her be.”

For the engagement banquet, having two or three sets of dresses would be enough, yet Xu Yao had kept all the designers behind to design dresses for her, meaning that there would be at least ten sets of engagement dresses. Obviously, Xu Yao was too lazy to even go shopping at the mall, preferring to have brands send the latest seasonal styles to her home for selection.

It seemed she really attached a great importance to her engagement with him.

Ji Zhengqing glanced at his assistant, who was momentarily stunned, then replied, “Yes, President Ji, I think Miss Xu really loves you.”

Time to go home and work out.

*

The amount for this investment was truly significant, so Xu Yao needed to arrange for someone to follow up on Ming Chan’s game development, and whenever expenses arose, she would need to report to this person.

This employee had clearly adapted to Xu Yao Rental’s working hours and said somewhat bitterly, “Boss Ming, it’s almost five in the afternoon, are we still going to have a meeting? Isn’t it too late?”

Ming Chan looked at the time. Wasn’t it only half past four in the afternoon? This was still prime office hours.

The office workers of today didn’t even dare to dream of a nine-to-five job anymore as most small companies operated from nine to six with only one day off.

“You take a break. I’ll go to the meeting.”

Ming Chan told the moving company to stop moving, and had her personal housekeeper to deliver her belongings to her home. She wasn’t moving! She intended to remain Xu Yao’s tenant for life!

This rental relationship was her strongest connection to Xu Yao!

Ming Chan immediately went to her game studio, which was relatively remote but had cheap rent. The studio only had about eleven or twelve people, making it a small team.

As soon as Ming Chan entered the studio, she pulled over her 360° camera in front of the meeting whiteboard and clapped her hands, “Everyone, meeting time. I have important news to announce.”

Everyone’s minds were filled with the thought—“Ah, the studio is disbanding.”

After all, who would want to spend money on that crappy game? Which player with a brain would want to spend money on it?

Ming Chan directly announced, “Miss Xu Yao has invested over a hundred million in us, so we need to improve this game.”

“Okay… wait, what???”

Everyone was collectively stunned. Was… Xu Yao that player with a brain problem? No, that’s not right… she was the new investor?

The key point was that the investment was over a hundred million? What??

Had this boss lost her mind?

“I apologize for the inconvenience you’ve endured during this time. Your salaries will all be doubled,” Ming Chan looked at the dumbfounded HR staff, “Immediately start recruitment, urgently. Don’t be afraid to offer high salaries, as long as the candidates are excellent.”

Did they really secure an investment? Office workers only cared about their salaries, and upon hearing that salaries would be doubled, they instantly perked up, all of them ready to fight hard for Boss Ming.

Were these people without talent? Of course they weren’t, but after spending so much time in society, they understood what level of salary corresponded to what level of work.

After all, they had been working on this game for so long and it was inevitable that they held some attachment toward it. Hearing about the new investment instantly energized them, to the point where they even wanted to work overtime.

Ming Chan didn’t forget about the talented people Xu Yao had brought in and specifically instructed, “By the way, Xiao Wang, please add the contact information of these few designers later, and coordinate with them on the design drafts.”

Xiao Wang nodded and hurried back to his workstation to receive the messages from Ming Chan. The more he looked, the more impressive it seemed, until he blurted out, “Holy sh*t, boss, how did you this contact information? Isn’t this the private contact information of internationally renowned fashion designer Jesse Blair?”

The studio’s staff were dumbfounded, their jaws nearly dropping.

Ming Chan corrected him, “It’s through Miss Xu Yao’s connection.” Not hers.

The people in the studio couldn’t contain their excitement. So Xu Yao was her to back them up! They had never heard the boss mention any connection with Xu Yao before.

In a great mood, Ming Chan even bought a more expensive takeout for everyone. They worked energetically while quietly discussing, ultimately reaching a consensus:

“Seems like the boss is Xu Yao’s tenant.” Although what the boss rented wasn’t a regular apartment, but actually a luxury apartment.

A girl drawing on a digital tablet bit into a fried chicken drumstick and said enviously, “I’d also love to be Xu Yao’s tenant, but I didn’t pass the rental exam last time I signed up QAQ, I was so sad.”

The closure of their crappy little game was almost a foregone conclusion, but then Xu Yao suddenly appeared, throwing money at it without hesitation. Who could possibly resist this?

Even a dead pig could be saved and turned into a living one!

HR was urgently recruiting people, but whether they were truly excellent was still uncertain.

Xu Yao contacted Xie Zhengtian, a rich second-generation heir who played games all day and knew many people in this field. Without hesitation, Xie Zhengtian introduced to her several big shots who were excellent in game production.

A studio, aside from these big shots who had a good grasp on the overall direction, also needed many assistants, and of course, these assistants had to have actual skills to back them up too.

Xu Yao was actually quite optimistic about university students. First, outstanding university students that had just graduated were diligent and ambitious. Second, Xu Yao knew all too well the pressure fresh graduates faced in finding jobs, and that those without work experience were like headless flies at job fairs.

It just so happened that she was willing to be this talent scout.

Xu Yao had quite a few tenant group chats, all organised by building, so Xu Yao edited a message and set it out to dozens of group chats.

[Landlady Xu Yao: @Everyone, urgent recruitment [image][image] Anyone who’s interested can apply.]

As soon as Xu Yao sent it out, dozens of WeChat groups instantly became lively.

As a landlady, Xu Yao never showed up, as if she was always playing dead inside, like an invisible person.

The tenants who passed the rental exam were all of high quality, so the group was generally harmonious, unlike other community groups that were noisy and chaotic.

[!!! Who did I find?! It’s my favorite landlady, Sis Yao! Snuggle snuggle!]

[Recruitment? And it specifically states that “recent graduates are preferred”? Ahhh, she totally gets me! I’ve been going crazy looking for a job lately, the employment pressure is just too much, it’s so hard, I don’t even know why I want to be a person instead of a dog. Sorry for bringing everyone down with my negative vibes.]

[I clicked in to check and… oh my gosh, the salary is so high! Way above the normal pay for the same position. Consider me successfully tempted.]

[So happy… being Yao-jie’s tenant is really joyful. I’m going to submit my resume~]

Xu Yao had an extremely high level of credibility among many people, and the incident at Zhengde Academy had further boosted goodwill toward her. Many job seekers were willing to apply after looking at the recruitment information she posted without worrying that it was a scam company.

Huang Qiang, a recent university graduate, was filled with confusion in Haicheng, a big city where opportunities and crises coexist.

The soaring housing prices and rent, along with employment pressure, made it hard for him to breathe. He had previously shared a rental apartment with several graduates at Runda Apartment, only to later realize he had somehow inexplicably taken out a loan.

The rental loan became the last straw that broke the camel’s back. His roommate could no longer bear the pressure and jumped from the high building to his death.

Two or three days before his death, this roommate had jokingly said to him, “Ah Qiang, do you think there would be an even bigger commotion if I jumped from here? Then this black-hearted apartment wouldn’t dare to scam people anymore?”

Huang Qiang hadn’t taken it to heart at the time until his roommate really jumped, and they were summoned to the police station for investigation.

The incident did not escalate as the roommate had hoped, rather, the whole internet only knew that a young person had jumped from Runda Apartment, but didn’t know the main cause.

Huang Qiang did not have the courage to jump like his roommate. He moved into a house rented from Xu Yao, still burdened by that inexplicable loan, and sought help from Xu Yao’s private legal team along with a few other unfortunate young tenants, but so far, there had been no response.

Looking at the recruitment information, Huang Qiang felt it matched his major, so he submitted a resume.

Regardless of whether it works out or not, he thought it was worth a try.

Sixty percent of Xu Yao’s tenants were young people, so this matter couldn’t be kept under wraps and was quickly leaked by this enthusiastic group of tenants onto the internet.

They couldn’t stand it anymore, they had to give the best landlady in the world a boost in publicity!

Won’t change my name until I find a job: [Waaahhh I have to tell everyone — I’ve been looking for a job in Haicheng for three months, and I finally got one! I have a job now, big thanks to my Sister Yao! #XuYaoRentals #BestLandladyEver #JobHunting #Hiring]

Because the post included Xu Yao’s tag, a bunch of curious onlookers popped in, confused about why someone would thank Xu Yao for getting a job.

This little girl replied enthusiastically: [It’s because the job listing was posted by Xu Yao in our tenant-only group haha! I applied and got it! The salary is 3,000 yuan higher than other graduates in the same field, I’m so satisfied, tonight I’m going out to celebrate with my bestie.]

[?? No way, being a tenant of Xu Yao even provides job opportunities? I won’t say who’s currently stewing in jealousy!]

[Actually, it’s still because you’re outstanding, I saw on your Weibo that you’re from a prestigious university, but it’s also thanks to Xu Yao for giving the opportunity!]

[Is this new info? Xu Yao is advertising a job through a little dress-up game? Reminds me of last time she promoted ‘Yin Fate’.]

[So jealous of those who got jobs… I haven’t had a job for almost half a year, haven’t bought clothes in ages. But at least I can live vicariously through dress-up games, that’s fun too.]

In the past, they envied Xu Yao for being able to lie back and collect rent. Now they were super envious of Xu Yao’s tenants.

They were just renting a house, yet this divine landlady even provided job recruitment information. The most important point was—

Although this game studio was small, they offered high salaries! In this day and age, what else matters if not salary? Sentiment?

There was truly no harm without comparison. Today was another day of envying Xu Yao’s tenants.

[Just want to ask the official Xu Yao Rental account when their next exam is? I can’t wait.]

[The news is true, my brother rented from Xu Yao, submitted a resume to that game studio, and has already passed. He can start work tomorrow, yet I still have to go to various job fairs tomorrow QAQ]

[I bet Xu Yao definitely invested heavily in this game. Just by looking at the scale of that little game, it should be at least a few million.]

“It should be more than just a few million,” a friend in the gaming industry saw these discussions and confidently analyzed, “It should be several million.”

Games burn money much faster than short dramas, and just by observing the urgency in hiring of the game’s boss, with salaries collectively doubling, it seemed they weren’t at all short on cash. Xu Yao probably invested several million, right?

There are many popular games nowadays, most of which are competitive battlegrounds. Dress-up games are something that had only been seen in 9934, with only little girls under twelve liking to play such game, However, this demographic didn’t have much money to spend.

So a group of gamers after analysis concluded that if Xu Yao had really invested, it probably was just a few million.

The group of friends sighed while snacking on sunflower seeds and drinking beer, “This landlady really is too rich. A few million spent just like that, and for this kind of game. Is she really not afraid of it going all down the drain?”

The employees of Heavenly Star Game Studio couldn’t care less about that. Although they didn’t know if the game would be a hit, they just knew that if the boss raised their salary, they had to work hard.

Huang Qiang was one of them. He had passed the studio’s interview and was told to start work immediately tomorrow.

Huang Qiang couldn’t help but jump for joy in his rental apartment, and his first thought was to buy some clothes to go to work. He was momentarily surprised, suddenly feeling that this dress-up game might have some potential.

There was a knock at the door, and Huang Qiang went to open it. Standing at the door were a few people he recognized, and his eyes brightened as he greeted, “Attorney Pan, Attorney Yao, good to see you both.”

Pan Xianmin and his team came in with briefcases, getting straight to the point: “Last time, Mr. Huang, you sought help from our legal team. After going back to study the case, we also consulted with Miss Xu Yao.”

Huang Qiang suddenly remembered his roommate who jumped from Runda Apartment. He and another roommate had rushed down in a frenzy to see, and what they encountered was a scene filled with blood, a sight he would never be able to forget.

Huang Qiang knew in his heart that this was a serious matter, and that if it escalated, it would definitely not end well.

Huang Qiang didn’t dare to think that Xu Yao would help, but Pan Xianmin said, “Miss Xu Yao has agreed to let us represent you in your lawsuit. We are here today to help you in filing a lawsuit with the court.”

Huang Qiang was taken aback. Xu Yao actually agreed?

*

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:

Mu Xiyuan had been much happier since his divorce. Being single meant he could pursue anyone he wanted. Moreover, Ming Chan, that woman, had been married to him for three years without having children and was quite assertive, showing great interest in entrepreneurship.

A woman should just stay at home and be a good wife, but she actually wanted to start a business. The key was that her in-laws were quite satisfied with her and supportive of her in this matter.

However, Mu Xiyuan really wanted a child to maintain family ties. After all, outsiders only knew he was the son of the Runda CEO but didn’t know that he was actually an adopted son. So, a divorce was fine as it would bring him much more freedom.

Thinking about how his ex-wife had probably received the court’s ruling on marital property by now and was on the verge of bankruptcy, while he had achieved an unprecedented 99% occupancy rate, Mu Xiyuan couldn’t help but curl the corners of his lips slightly.

He inspected various departments within the company, and his employees, upon seeing him, immediately greeted him respectfully. Mu Xiyuan nodded in acknowledgment.

When he arrived at the legal department, everyone was busy.

Mu Xiyuan wasn’t particularly satisfied with the people in the legal department. The last person who had sued them for raising the rent excessively had actually won the case, which was truly frustrating.

Some people had been dismissed recently as a warning to the others, so the legal department staff were likely to be more compliant now.

“President Mu,” someone stood up immediately upon seeing Mu Xiyuan, “we received a court summons. The other party is suing us and Junyi Long-term Rental Apartments pushing a rental loan that allegedly caused Li Wei to fall to his death.”

Mu Xiyuan’s expression turned cold. He narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice, “Do you know the details of the plaintiff? Who is the lawyer representing them?”

“It’s a tenant under Xu Yao’s name,” the legal department manager replied with a smile, “but their lawyer is Pan Xianmin from Boen Law Firm.”

Mu Xiyuan felt a moment of anxiety upon hearing Xu Yao’s name, but then he noticed the legal manager’s smile and asked what he found so funny.

The manager replied, “President Mu may not know, but this Pan Xianmin used to work in our company. He was dismissed not too long ago, but I didn’t expect him to be working for Xu Yao’s legal team now.”

Mu Xiyuan was somewhat surprised. He also knew of Xu Yao, the landlady who had accomplished nothing but only knew how to collect rent. He had originally speculated that she had a powerful legal team behind her, comparable to that of Xu Group’s Pizza Hut, but it turned out she just hired some unknown rookies?

But it’s actually their discarded trash?

The rumors online were indeed not true.

Mu Xiyuan said lightly, “Well, then let’s proceed with the case.”

Although their Runda legal department couldn’t be said to be as strong as the Xu Group’s Pizza Hut, they could still land a hit on this kind of prodigal dog with any random punch of theirs.

Meanwhile, Xu Yao was patting Pan Xianmin and Yao Zongze on the shoulders, reassuring them, “Prepare well, and let’s send them all off to step on the sewing machine³.”

Don’t be afraid, after all, the new nickname “Xu’s Pizza Hut, Bo’en’s Invincible Hand” is on the way. Bo’en Law Firm is about to make a name for itself in one decisive case!

---

i just adore how delusional and love-brained JZQ is TAT

support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1.  关公 (Guan Gong), also known as 关羽 (Guan Yu), is a legendary general from the Three Kingdoms era, famous in Chinese culture for his unmatched martial prowess, loyalty, and righteousness. It’s used humorously or self-deprecatingly to describe someone showing off or trying to demonstrate skill in front of an expert — like “trying to teach Shakespeare how to write” or “bringing sand to the beach.” ↩︎
2.  A supertopic (超话 chāohuà in Chinese) is a feature on Chinese social media platforms—most famously on Weibo—that acts like a dedicated fan community or discussion hub centered around a specific topic, celebrity, show, or interest. ↩︎
3.  a popular internet term that implies “going to jail” or “serving jail time,” because in some prisons, sewing is a common labor reform project, and prisoners need to repeatedly step on pedals to sew clothes. ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Little Six, who had just doubled Xu Yao’s pension, chimed in weakly: [Not strange at all…]

Little Six really wanted to beg Xu Yao to stop managing those tenants, otherwise, it would end up triggering the bug for doubling her pension every month. Little Six secretly glanced at next month’s payment. If it triggered again, it would have to give Xu Yao forty million in retirement funds… 

The benefits from the quick transmigration bureau would eventually be cleaned out by Xu Yao.

Xu Yao also didn’t think it was strange at all. After all, it was quite normal for a little rich woman to enjoy looking at a few handsome little puppy types.

It wasn’t until the next day, close to noon, when Xu Yao was still snuggled in bed and reluctant to get up. She suddenly heard the WeChat notification sound from her phone on the bedside table. Yawning, she stretched out her fair arm to grab the phone, the screen’s glare making her squint her eyes.

A tenant had sent her a rather ambiguous photo via WeChat. In the picture, a handsome yet somewhat baby-faced boy in a white shirt lazily leaned his tall figure against a bean bag chair, the slightly lifted hem of his shirt revealing firm abs, with a few droplets of water trickling down them.

The instantly woken up Xu Yao who no longer felt sleepy: “??”

F*ck, sending her something this stimulating so early in the morning?

[Golden Age Court 02-15 Tenant: Ah, sorry, Sister Landlady, I sent it by mistake. I actually wanted to ask about the rent.]

This tenant was also feeling anxious inside. He had seen online that Xu Yao seemed to like little puppy types and couldn’t help but “slip” and send her a photo.

He heard that Xu Yao only got up around noon, so he timed it perfectly to send it at exactly twelve o’clock.

These were the first batch of tenants. Xu Yao had wanted to experience the joy of a landlady waking up every day to collect money, so they all had Xu Yao’s WeChat.

But being a landlady was unexpectedly hard work. Just clicking the [accept payment] button on WeChat transfers everyday made her fingers ache, so Xu Yao had handed this tiring task over to her employees.

Xu Yao looked at the photo and immediately caught on to the R-rated implication from the younger tenant.

This isn’t too appropriate, right? After all, she’s very professional.

[Xu Yao: If you sent it by mistake, why not unsend it?]

[Golden Age Court 02-15 Tenant: …]

The tenant waited for half a minute before hesitantly sending a voice message, saying that the message couldn’t be unsent after two minutes had already passed.

Xu Yao clicked her tongue with no intention of continuing the conversation with this tenant. She was a professional landlady, and the only relationship between them should be one of a landlady and her tenant.

A tenant with poor moral character would greatly affect the standard rental relationship between them. It seemed like a tenant with good character is truly hard to come by.

Xu Yao sent a message to He Fan, saying that the rental contract for this Golden Age Court tenant shouldn’t be renewed after it expired. She didn’t want to wake up one day and find that she had received explicit photos on her phone.

Xu Yao also went to look for Ji Zhengqing.

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: Do you work out?]

The other side didn’t reply to her question but instead asked Xu Yao a question in return.

[Ji Zhengqing: You you like little puppy types? Why not little wolf types?]

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: As a rich woman, can’t I like a person? Must I only like dogs?!]

Xu Yao seemed very angry and threw several reaction stickers over.

[Ji Zhengqing: …I do work out.]

Xu Yao had never expected that despite Ji Zhengqing being a busy CEO, he would still find the time to pay attention to online gossip and actually knew that netizens were teasing her about her love for little puppy types!

Xu Yao suddenly felt a sense of guilt, as if her fiancé had seen through her.

[Ji Zhengqing: I will arrange for a fashion designer to come over in the next few days to take your measurements for your engagement dress. Do you have time?]

Although the engagement could be kept low-key, what others had, Xu Yao should also have. The designer Ji Zhengqing booked was a designer who was renowned both domestically and internationally, and had originally only served foreign royal families.

As a landlady, Xu Yao had nothing else to do all day aside from collecting rent and arranging rentals. If it weren’t for her current popularity, she would really want to experience the feeling of driving her luxury car out to deliver takeout.

When Xu Yao replied that she had time, Ji Zhengqing immediately arranged for the designer to fly directly to Haicheng.

The housekeeper downstairs notified her that lunch was ready, so Xu Yao went to freshen up first. When she picked up her phone again, she found another tenant had sent her a message.

[Haicheng Bay No. 1 02-11 Ming Chan: Sister Landlady, I’m planning to move to Jing City for my career development, so I won’t be renting after the contract expires next month. So about the security deposit…]

Xu Yao felt very sad, as it wasn’t easy to find a tenant with good character these days. Many people were filtered out during the rental exam, and yet the one she was about to lose now was actually a wealthy tenant from Haicheng Bay No. 1!

Xu Yao had seen the name Ming Chan in the original novel. Without mentioning anything else, her character was definitely beyond reproach.

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: There’s no need for a refund on the security deposit, I have a place in Jing City as well, so you can stay there. The place is in Nine Chapters Northern Garden and the rent will the same as the one you’re renting now.]

[Haicheng Bay No. 1 02-11 Ming Chan: …]

Nine Chapters Northern Garden in Jing City is definitely a luxury residence that isn’t at all inferior to Haicheng Bay No. 1, with the rent being even more expensive than Haicheng Bay No. 1. If it had been anyone else, they would have agreed immediately.

[Haicheng Bay No. 1 02-11 Ming Chan: Um, Landlady, I often go on business trips abroad and I’ll be working abroad after moving.]

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: Oh? I also have properties abroad. Which country in Europe? Or America?]

[Haicheng Bay No. 1 02-11 Ming Chan: South Africa.]

Xu Yao suddenly felt a pang of heartache. After all, her properties hadn’t spread all over the globe and gone truly international yet, but it didn’t matter.

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: I truly don’t have any in South Africa, but I can buy a few so it’ll be more convenient to watch the World Cup in the future. Why don’t you wait for me to buy them first before moving?]

Xu Yao sighed inwardly, marveling at how much effort she put into retaining her tenants.

She was a landlady who worked hard for her tenants.

Ming Chan almost couldn’t hold back her emotions upon seeing this. Just how wealthy was Xu Yao? She actually owned a top-tier luxury apartment like Nine Chapters Northern Garden in Jing City and didn’t hesitate to rent it out, now even able to casually buy properties all over the world just for tenant retention.

In this day and age, when a person’s net worth is over a hundred million, it usually includes real estate, company stocks, and so on, with very few actually being able to produce over a hundred million in liquid assets.

One must understand that a single luxury apartment is often valued in the hundreds of millions, and Xu Yao had actually bought all her properties outright. Ming Chan couldn’t even dare to imagine the wealth of this Landlady Xu.

After a long while, Ming Chan had no choice but to call Xu Yao, feeling utterly helpless as she said, “I’m sorry, Miss Landlord. Actually, I’m not moving out of town for career development. I’m actually going bankrupt and can’t afford to rent your apartment in Haicheng Bay No. 1 anymore.”

What she had just said earlier was merely an excuse for her to save face, but alas, she still had to face reality—

She was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Haicheng Bay No. 1 was the most expensive luxury community in Haicheng, and the rent for the apartment she lived in was four hundred thousand yuan a month, which she could now no longer afford to pay.

Ming Chan had been married to Mu Xiyuan, the son of the Runda’s CEO, for three years before getting divorced. During their marriage, she filed a lawsuit against her ex-husband for transferring their marital assets, and in the end, they had to divide the marital property.

Ming Chan still remembered the text her ex-husband sent her a few days ago: [What’s the use of suing me to get them to split my assets? Aren’t you still going to be bankrupt anyway? With that money, you might as well be like that useless landlady Xu Yao and buy a few apartments just to sit back and wait to collect rent.]

In the eyes of wealthy second-generation heirs who were career driven like Mu Xiyuan, Xu Yao, who was just a rent-collecting landlady, was the most unambitious person to them.

Clearly sitting on hundreds of millions in assets, yet she only knew how to collect a bit of rent each month to get by, completely lacking any business acumen at all.

Recently, despite Xu Yao frequently trending online, people like them regarded her as a joke, sitting on a pile of gold mountains yet clueless in how to make the money work for her instead—truly laughable.

In reality, Ming Chan hadn’t received much alimony. Even that unknown mobile game had been a gift given out of pity from her father-in-law, who had felt sorry for her.

Unfortunately, she had now lost even a place to stay because of that game.

Ming Chan smiled bitterly. Starting a business wasn’t something anyone could do. Being a landlady was clearly much more stable.

Xu Yao knew of Ming Chan. In the original novel, she had been a game developer on the verge of bankruptcy, an orphan who had been admitted to a 985 university in Haicheng despite being from a small rural village. Many had envied her for marrying Mu Xiyuan, the son of the Runda’s CEO, but now, there were just as many who were secretly mocking her for getting divorced and facing bankruptcy.

Fortunately, after gritting her teeth and struggling to develop this game for three to four years, Ming Chan finally successfully attracted investment and created the game that became a hit at the time. The game had been so successful that she even had the original female lead, Liu Yingxia, endorse it, making it a hot topic for a while. Just as Ming Chan was about to succeed, her apartment suddenly caught fire, and she was burned to death inside. When firefighters found her, her body had already been charred black and showed no signs of life.

Xu Yao felt a pang of regret and sighed before asking Ming Chan about the name of her game.

Ming Chan was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Xu Yao to know she was a game developer, but considering Xu Yao’s involvement in creating a rental exam, it seemed reasonable.

The name of her little game was “Shining Star.” Xu Yao glanced at it on the app store and saw that it only had about a hundred downloads, with fewer than ten reviews, which were all negative.

Xu Yao clicked to download it and took her phone downstairs to eat.

The game file wasn’t very large, so it downloaded in just a few seconds. Xu Yao enjoyed her exquisite lunch while tapping on the screen.

Upon seeing that it was a dress-up game, Xu Yao immediately felt a wave of nostalgia for early internet gaming culture, reminiscent of her childhood days on 4399¹.

A 2D model clad only in underwear stood in the center of the screen, with various clothes, skirts, shorts, and short sleeves on the right. Xu Yao swiped her finger to scroll through her wardrobe options, her delicate brows furrowing tighter, unable to suppress the urge to shout in her heart—

Why are there so many ugly clothes? They’re so ugly, really so ugly.

“Miss Yao Yao, the latest batch of rentals has already rented out 102 apartments,” Lu Ye reported from the side.

Xu Yao was still frowning, selecting a few clothes that she thought were somewhat acceptable, occasionally responding with a few absentminded hums of acknowledgement.

She dressed her character in a crisp set of shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, pairing it with flip-flops. What a pity, too bad the flip-flops were only plastic, it wasn’t even studded with diamonds!

Can this game even make any money? No wonder Ming Chan was going bankrupt.

“Miss Yao Yao, recently several tenants have had consultations with us about legal issues they’re facing. We’ve already responded to them, but this matter still needs to be brought to your attention.”

Pan Xianmin spoke up, catching a glimpse of Xu Yao playing the game. Despite seemingly not enjoying competitive games, Pan Xianmin and the others thought Xu Yao would at least play casual games like Happy Elimination² or Fight the Landlord³, yet here she was playing a dress-up game!

He Fan was even considering the afternoon’s schedule. Perhaps Xu Yao could go shopping at the mall? She must have become obsessed with this kind of dress-up game since she hasn’t been able to buy many clothes recently!

Xu Yao continued to frown while playing, all the while not forgetting to respond to Pan Xianmin, “Mmhm, go ahead and tell me what the matter is.”

Pan Xianmin hesitated before saying, “Miss Yao Yao, some of your tenants who are recent university graduates have sought help from our law firm, saying… they used to rent from Runda Apartments but ended up with massive debts from loans.”

Although the news about the incidents of young people jumping from Runda Apartments had gone viral amongst netizens recently, the real cause still hadn’t been uncovered yet!

However, Xu Yao knew that Mu Xiyuan, who was the son of Runda’s CEO, had partnered with long-term rental apartments to launch rental loans in order to achieve an impressive 99% occupancy rate.

Most of those who needed to take out loans for renting were fresh graduates with little income. They were suddenly inexplicably burdened with loans just to rent an apartment, with some even finding themselves homeless and living on the streets despite having loans, which could also negatively affect their credit scores.

Nowadays, credit scores impacted every aspect of life, and with issues with one’s credit, even taking a high-speed train would be difficult.

Xu Yao’s hand paused slightly while playing the game. This matter had actually been mentioned in the original novel, but this matter wouldn’t fully be exposed for another couple of years. It would take more university graduates jumping off buildings before the issue became fully exposed to the light.

“This isn’t a trivial matter. Do you think we still need to provide legal assistance to the tenants?” Pan Xianmin asked hesitantly.

Runda rented the apartment to a long-term real estate agency, which then exploited naive young people who aren’t familiar with the deep waters of society with predatory rental loans. Whether it was suing Runda or that long-term real estate agency, getting involved in a lawsuit against large enterprises on behalf of unfamiliar tenants wasn’t cost-effective at all.

Although as lawyers, they naturally wanted to do something about it, right now, they were Xu Yao’s personal legal team, and every case they took on would depended on Xu Yao’s opinion.

Capitalists are all about self-preservation after all… but Pan Xianmin couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope when he thought of Xu Yao involvement in dealing with Zhengde Academy.

Xu Yao lowered her head and continued playing the game in her hands while saying casually, “Help my tenants sue them. Sue them all until they’re all packed up and sent to jail.”

Preventing a few more university graduates from jumping to their deaths was them doing a good deed. After all, whose life isn’t precious? Who doesn’t feel heartache for their parents?

After all, she’s a landlady who works for her tenants.

*

The tenant at Golden Age Court was asked to leave after the rental contract expired, and Xu Yao’s rental team soon refunded the four thousand yuan deposit to the young man.

This young puppy-like tenant moved out of Xu Yao’s rented house while crying and sobbing, to the point where the news was even reported online to netizens by some nosy gossip accounts.

[This brother is so miserable, having managed to rent one of Xu Yao’s properties really isn’t easy. I’m afraid he probably won’t be able to rent another in the future, right?]

[What on earth did he do to incur Xu Yao’s wrath and get refused renewal for his lease? I’m so damn curious. Although his face is blurred out, he must be very handsome.]

[Wasn’t someone spreading online a few days ago that Xu Yao likes young puppy types? And then today, she ended up kicking out the puppy tenant.]

[There are also unspoken rules in renting. My former roommate had to sleep with a man in his forties to save on rent… so disgusting. Xu Yao is doing a good deed, cleaning up the rental industry.]

Xu Yao’s actions were somewhat akin to killing a chicken to scare the monkeys⁴, with some good-looking young men immediately giving up on their ulterior motives upon seeing the news online out of fear.

Don’t miss the chance to cling onto a rich lady’s thick thighs only to end up not even being able to rent their apartment.

It was… just a bit of a pity… why would such a wealthy woman like Xu Yao want to keep herself so chaste?!

Inside Ji Corporation.

As soon as he saw the news reported online, Ji Zhengqing curled his lips, “Assistant Li, is she giving me an explanation?”

Assistant Li, who had privately consulted He Fan on the art of conversation, responded immediately, “That should be the case.”

Ji Zhengqing swiped away from the gossip account and twirled the black pen between his fingers.

This marriage was arranged by Xu Yao’s grandfather on his deathbed. If things had gone according to Xu Jing’s original suggestion, the engagement could be quietly called off if both parties were disinterested after two years. But now, it seemed like the relationship was developing in a good direction, with Xu Yao even valuing this marriage more than he did.

Xu Yao’s special attention toward this matter made him feel a bit pleased, yet he was also inwardly fretting over whether his subtle responses were measuring up to her expectations.

“Have the arranged fashion designers arrived yet? Call over a few more,” Ji Zhengqing instructed his assistant, pressing his slender fingers on the shiny black pen.

Assistant Li replied, “…Understood, President Ji.”

No, just what was the boss imagining in his head again?

*

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:

Ming Chan was packing her items for the move. She planned to move her essentials into the game studio and could only comfort herself by brainwashing herself into thinking she could save on rent since she could work and rest there.

Ming Chan called for a moving company, and when she went downstairs to deliver her things, she saw a nanny van parked in front of the building of Haicheng Bay No. 1. It didn’t seem to be Xu Yao’s rental collection RV.

A few people got out of the car, and at a glance, they seemed to be full of artistic flair. Ming Chan didn’t have time to take a closer look before she saw them enter the elevator under the guidance of the property manager.

Ming Chan sighed, “Let’s pack up and move.”

Her  disgusting ex-husband’s words had hit the nail on the head. Even if she asked the court for a split in assets, she would still be on the verge of bankruptcy either way.

The housekeeper at the door smiled and said, “Miss Xu Yao, the designers arranged by President Ji have arrived.”

Xu Yao was sitting cross-legged on the oversized sofa in the first floor’s lobby, with several plates of freshly washed and sliced fruits in front of her, along with plate of dainty snacks. Her mobile phone, which was running a game, was resting on her calf.

Several fashion designers proceeded to greet Xu Yao, who then curiously asked about their respective fields.

In order to bolster President Ji’s reputation in front of his fiancee, they had no choice but to directly state their titles and accolades.

A mixed-race man wearing a black top hat said in not-so-fluent Chinese, “Hello, Miss Yao Yao, I was born in Italy and specialize in incorporating contrasting elements into clothing. I have won seventeen major awards, both domestically and internationally.”

A girl with a princess cut hairstyle next to him said, “Hello, Miss Yao Yao, I am one of the former designers for Chanel and also the founder of the brand Zero. I also specialize in vibrant design styles. I have also received the highest honor in the fashion industry, the International Design Award Gold Prize.”

An elegant middle-aged woman in a qipao smiled and said, “Hello, Miss Yao Yao, I’m a bit different from them. I specialise in custom qipaos and incorporating the traditional elements of our country into my clothing. I also love niche designs and look forward to designing your engagement dress.”

“…”

There were many people gathered in rows, each with a title, all sounding extremely impressive.

At least judging from their dressing styles, it was clear that they were all truly trendsetters in the fashion industry and held formidable sway and reputation in the international fashion market.

One of them had even officially announced his retirement and was no longer making clothes.

Xu Yao was a bit surprised, “Didn’t Ji Zhengqing only arrange for three people to come? How come there are suddenly ten of them here?”

None of them were fakes as they were all big names in the fashion industry.

Xu Yao took out her phone to check and saw that Ji Zhengqing had sent her a WeChat message.

[Ji Zhengqing: Yao Yao, pick out your favorite styles from amongst them to make your engagement dress, or you can even keep them all.]

Xu Yao: Is that so?

Since her fiancé had already said so, then she wouldn’t be polite.

The designers spoke gently, even with a hint of flattery, asking, “Miss Yao Yao, do you have any favorite styles or types?”

Xu Yao had no particular thoughts about how she wanted her engagement dress to look like. After all, she had only been thinking about her inheritance at the beginning.

Xu Yao had no choice but to ask, “Are there any design drafts that I can browse?”

The designers had come prepared and immediately had their assistants bring out the design drafts that could be shown to outsiders, which was akin to a resume when applying for a job.

Ji Zhengqing really hadn’t treated her perfunctorily at all. All the designers he invited were indeed impressive. Every design sketch made Xu Yao feel a spark of inspiration.

Internationally renowned designers were truly a different breed. Even though they were just pieces of clothing, they managed to perfectly capture the viewer’s attention and perfectly showcased the female form.

The key was the variety of styles.

Xu Yao looked at the design sketches before her and then the clothes in her mobile game, which was simply unbearable to look at.

Xu Yao shared some of her ideas, and the group of designers began to help her take her measurements.

After all, President Ji had mentioned that as long as Miss Xu Yao liked it, she could keep everything. Even if she didn’t wear it for the engagement banquet, it could still stay in her closet.

After all, President Ji had spent a lot of money hiring them, so their service attitude was absolutely up to par.

So what if they were international renowned designers? Didn’t internationally renowned designers still have to make a living?

Xu Yao was curious, “How long does it usually take to get everything done?”

“If the handmade customisation goes smoothly, it might take just a little over a month,” a designer beside her smiled. “If we need to source the fabric from abroad, then it might take a bit longer.”

Their customer service was impeccable. After all, this was just for the custom engagement dress, whereas the main event would be the wedding dress.

Once the engagement dress was finalised, negotiating the design for the custom wedding dress would be much easier than before.

Xu Yao blinked, “No, I mean, how long does it take for you to draw those design drafts?”

“That depends on the designer’s inspiration. Sometimes inspiration strikes instantly and it can be done in one or two hours, while other times, it might take a month or even half a year before anything can be completed.”

That was quite frustrating.

Xu Yao allowed their assistant to take her measurements and casually handed her phone to them, “What do you think of these designs?”

The designers initially thought Xu Yao had pulled up some masterpiece of fashion and eagerly gathered around to take a look, only for a question mark to pop up collectively over their heads when they saw the phone screen!

“???”

What… is this?

It looked like a dress-up game?

The key was that it wasn’t even 3D.

It was really hard to imagine that Xu Yao, the young lady who was cherished above all else by President Ji, actually liked a game like this?

Looking at the collection of outdated and ugly clothes, as leaders in the fashion industry, these designers could have squashed dozens of flies with their frowns!

“Oh my god, what kind of ugly clothes are these? I bet this game has no players at all,” a designer with long hair criticized bluntly.

The Italian designer covered his head dramatically, looking pained as he said, “Who taught them to design clothes like this?”

“The clothing style looks like it’s from twenty years ago,” a middle-aged female designer added. “But is this outfit the one that Miss Yao Yao put together? It’s the most eye-catching among them all.”

Xu Yao: “…”

She really tried her best with this rental-collection look..

This game was just too terrible. It had a nonexistent plot and was just a simple outfit-matching game. However, one you finished matching outfits, that was it. Moreover, it had even lagged, with the screen crashing to black once while she was playing just now.

Boring, it was really super boring.

However, the fact that Ming Chan managed to attract her first investor and went viral online three years later surely had its reasons.

Did Ming Chan not know these clothes weren’t pretty? Of course she knew, but she didn’t have the money to continue making them! In this day and age, no matter how many ideas and excellent concepts you have, they’re all useless without money.

Xu Yao could also see the potential market this game had. Most girls are born naturally with a love for beauty, and it was perfectly normal for them to play around with outfits when bored.

When she had just become a landlady, hadn’t she also spent all day shopping at the mall?

As Xu Yao was thinking, the group of designers who had been critiquing the clothes handed the phone back to her, “Miss Yao Yao, someone is calling you.”

When Xu Yao saw that the caller was Ming Chan, she smiled slightly.

“Miss Landlady, I’m moving to the studio apartment today. Could I ask when you will refund my security deposit?” Ming Chan asked.

Although the security deposit was originally her money, so there wasn’t any need for her to feel embarrassed, Ming Chan still felt a bit uncomfortable at the fact that she had fallen so low to the point of caring so deeply about this security deposit.

The four hundred thousand yuan security deposit would be more than enough to keep the studio running for a while.

She had grown up as an orphan in a small rural village, and when she was a child, she hadn’t been able to wear pretty clothes. All her clothes had been hand-me-downs that had been donated to her by kind-hearted people. Even back then, she had dreamed that when she grew up and had money, she would also be able to wear beautiful clothes like everyone else.

Later, she infused this idea into her game, where she still had many ideas for the game that remained unfulfilled. She had even arrogantly thought that if she had money, Shining Star would definitely be a big hit.

So, she had to get that deposit, and with a landlady like Xu Yao, she probably wouldn’t care about such a small amount of money.

On the other end, Xu Yao said, “How about we drop the idea of refunding the security deposit?”

Ming Chan’s eyes widened in disbelief: “What? No refund for the security deposit?”

Was Xu Yao really that short on money?

With her current popularity, as long as she mentioned advertising, there would definitely be a swarm of advertisers rushing to her to promote their products.

Ming Chan suddenly recalled Sheng Zhou, and assuming Xu Yao had concerns in this regard, she stammered, “Miss Landlady, please don’t do this. You can send someone to check the appliances in the property, I absolutely haven’t damaged anything, and…”

Xu Yao interrupted, “Finding a new tenant is too troublesome. I don’t want to go through the hassle or lose a tenant like you, so I’ll just give you one month’s rent.”

Ming Chan’s voice was cut off abruptly: “?”

What?

Just because she found it too troublesome to find a new tenant? Although it was true that renting out the property required her rental team to conduct various examinations and psychological inquiries… was she going to get a month’s rent, just because of this halfhearted reason??

Ming Chan suddenly remembered that Xu Yao had given two months worth of the urban village’s rent to Zuo Ning. Now Zuo Ning was thriving with his career on the right track, and she had heard that he was now preparing for his second project.

Her heart was moved.

Ming Chan was even more excited than she was on her wedding day, “Miss Xu Yao, may I ask how much the one month’s worth of rent is…?”

One month’s rent, could it be four hundred thousand yuan?

That definitely wouldn’t be enough.

Xu Yao thought for a moment, “They haven’t sorted it out yet, so I’m not sure yet.”

Ming Chan asked eagerly, “Can I come over right now to see you?”

Xu Yao agreed, and Ming Chan immediately instructed the moving company to temporarily halt their operation, sprinting towards the presidential complex of Haicheng Bay No. 1 with the speed of a hundred-meter sprinter. The property manager at the entrance received Xu Yao’s notification and personally escorted Ming Chan into the elevator.

Yes, that’s just how it was in wealthy communities. Even neighbors living in the same complex couldn’t just go to each other’s doorsteps casually.

“Miss Yao Yao, should we continue measuring your clothes or wait until you finish your business?” the fashion designers asked gently after overhearing their conversation.

Xu Yao waved her phone in the air and asked instead, “Do you all think the costume design for this game is terrible?”

A group of people nodded in unison. It was truly unbearable to look at. They couldn’t even bring themselves to say a white lie against their conscience.

Xu Yao smiled and said, “Well, since you’re all here already, don’t leave just yet. Why don’t you design the clothes for this game yourselves?”

Thanks to President Ji for sending over some talent to her √

He really is her great fiancé, hahaha.

---

JZQ is truly just XY’s tool fiance HAHAHAHAH

support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1.  “4399” refers to a hugely popular Chinese online flash game website from the 2000s–2010s, where kids played casual games (like dress-up, farming, or puzzle games) for free. ↩︎
2.  “Happy Elimination” (开心消消乐) is a match-3 style game on the App Store (similar to candy crush). The game’s objective is to match and eliminate game pieces.   ↩︎
3.  Popular card game in china (doudizhu) ↩︎
4.  To make an example of someone ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Yao Zongze was Pan Xianmin’s close friend, and their bond was strong, their friendship beginning when they had been roommates in college.

Unlike Pan Xianmin, who joined Runda’s legal department right after graduation, Yao Zongze, who had a bit of money, opened a law firm named Bo’en Law Firm. Unfortunately, even after barely struggling by for a few years of struggling, the firm had gained little fame, the firm so poor he was almost unable to pay the rent for the firm.

On his way home from work, he passed by a fortune-telling stall under an overpass, where the fortune teller suggested he change the name of his law firm. Yao Zongze even considered changing the name to “Certain Victory Law Firm,” but suddenly, Xu Yao just happened to appear.

Xu Yao was willing to sign them on as her exclusive legal team, but she specifically stated that she wanted a Bo’en Law Firm that had Attorney Pan.

Wasn’t that just too easy?!!

On the other end of the line, Xu Yao laughed, “Anytime you want.”

Yao Zongze was overjoyed and immediately arranged a meeting time with Xu Yao, telling her to take her time as they could wait, and only after Xu Yao hung up did he switch off his phone.

Pan Xianmin looked at the beaming Yao Zongze with a complicated expression and teased his friend unreservedly, “Your eager attitude just now was like a eunuch meeting the Empress; you were just short of grovelling to your phone.”

Yao Zongze was not at all offended by this metaphor. Instead, he happily replied, “Is that so? Then when I see Xu Yao later, I’ll make sure to bow and scrape to her. I want to be her chief eunuch, hahaha!”

Pan Xianmin: “…”

Had he gone crazy after failing to take on those few cases? What happened to the steadfast will of a lawyer? What about the seriousness and professionalism of a lawyer?

Pan Xianmin asked Yao Zongze what had influenced him to sell him out so quickly, and Yao Zongze simply replied that Xu Yao had asked for him specifically to be brought into Bo’en Law Firm.

“Do you know how much Xu Yao mentioned the annual salary for her exclusive legal department was?” Yao Zongze asked mysteriously, raising one palm high in the air.

Five?

Pan Xianmin subconsciously replied, “Five hundred thousand? …No, wait, could it be five million??”

Five hundred thousand was indeed a considerable amount, but if it was for hiring an entire legal team, five hundred thousand wouldn’t be enough when divided up. Pan Xianmin could only think of five million, and in that instant, his breathing started to speed up.

Don’t think that being a lawyer is all glamorous; there are many lawyers who don’t earn very much.

Five million for the whole team would mean that each person could take home an annual salary of at least two to three hundred thousand a year. That was already way better than working in Runda’s legal department.

Yao Zongze looked at Pan Xianmin with disdain, “Can you have be a little more imaginative? Five million? Are you looking down on our great landlady, Xu Yao? My Sister Yao is a top-tier landlady who owns over a hundred properties, okay!”

According to online statistics gathered by netizens, Xu Yao had now publicly announced that she owned more than a hundred properties.

Yao Zongze shouted, “Fifty million! The entire legal team’s annual salary is fifty million¹!!!”

Pan Xianmin’s eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. Was this… some new type of scam?

Divided up, an annual salary of several million was right in front of him.

Pan Xianmin’s face grew tense as he held a cardboard box containing his personal belongings and walked away in the opposite direction, his pace quickening, leaving Yao Zongze with a brisk silhouette of his back.

Yao Zongze looked at Pan Xianmin in disbelief. Even fifty million couldn’t move Pan Xianmin’s heart? That was fifty million! Had the harsh realities of society made him despise money as dirt? Truly a role model in the legal world.

Just as admiration was about to burst forth in Yao Zongze’s eyes, Pan Xianmin suddenly stopped and turned back to urge him, “Hurry up, it’s faster to take that small back street to the law firm!”

Sure enough, there was still no one that could refuse Xu Yao.

The two planned to call a taxi to return quickly to Bo’en Law Firm, but they suddenly spotted a crowd ahead, with many people looking up at something.

Runda actually wasn’t a particularly large company in China, but had taken advantage of the real estate boom to acquire a large amount of land and built several commercial buildings. Besides businesses, many young people also liked to rent apartments from here.

Pan Xianmin and Yao Zongze followed the crowd in looking up and saw a desperate young man sitting at a window on the tenth floor, cursing about something.

Pan Xianmin’s heart sank, and he immediately flung the cardboard box away to free his hands so he could pull out his phone to call the police. Just as he took his phone out of his pocket, screams erupted around them, and a loud thud came from the ground a few seconds later.

A young life had come to an end, just like that.

Pan Xianmin looked at his scattered personal belongings on the ground, listened to the approaching sound of police sirens, and glanced back at the bloodied body, feeling his mood plummet to the pit of despair.

The two took a taxi back to Bo’en Law Firm. Before Xu Yao arrived, they scrolled through Weibo, and sure enough, some netizens were already discussing the incident of someone jumping from the Runda apartment.

“Attorney Yao, Attorney Pan, Miss Xu Yao has arrived,” the assistant came over to remind them.

Upon seeing a black luxury car worth tens of millions parked outside through the glass window, they quickly composed themselves and got up to greet Xu Yao.

Xu Yao had high hopes for Bo’en Law Firm, since this law firm had been quite impressive in the original novel. The saying was that while Xu’s Pizza Hut could send people to jail, Boen Law Firm would send people directly to the guillotine!

After searching for so long, she had finally found them.

As soon as Xu Yao entered, she got straight to the point, “I mentioned on the phone that my exclusive legal team’s annual salary is fifty million. Do you have any objections?”

Bo’en Law Firm had an impressive track record. Just a single lawsuit could lead to a settlement of two million in compensation from the other party, so fifty million in annual salary was her snagging a bargain.

If Yao Zongze was Xu Yao’s Head Eunuch, then Pan Xianmin would be her Grand Steward of the Imperial Household²! 

The two replied in unison, “No objections, no objections at all.”

Did they even dare to have any objections? Were they greedy to the point of being blinded by it? Even Pan Xianmin felt a bit guilty. Did they even deserve this sort of salary? Their elite legal team was just the two of them after all.

Xu Yao was very satisfied and signed an employment contract with Bo’en Law Firm, officially gaining a private elite legal team.

He Fan took out a contract from his briefcase and said, “This is the initial rental contract for our Xu Yao Rental team. Miss Yao Yao would like the two of you to revise it.”

The previous rental contract had been drafted by Xu Yao and Xu Jing’s legal team, and although it was already quite fair compared to the rest of the market, it still leaned heavily in favor of the landlord.

Yao Zongze and Pan Xianmin quickly read through the contract and immediately understood Xu Yao’s purpose for hiring them. This rental contract was very favorable for the tenant! Was this contract to be changed so it would be more beneficial for the landlord?

Xu Yao pointed at several clauses in the contract and advised them, “I think several of these clauses are not tenant-friendly enough. Please help me in making them more accommodating.”

Pan Xianmin and Yao Zongze: “…”

Make them more accommodating?

Aren’t they already accommodating enough?!

Pan Xianmin had seen the rental terms and conditions from Runda before and couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless.

No wonder so many netizens were desperately trying to rent from Xu Yao! Just this rental contract alone could attract a large crowd of people!

After all, the landlady Xu Yao treated every tenant equally.

Xu Yao continued, “Also, if my tenants encounter any legal issues in the future, you’ll need to work a bit harder.”

An excellent landlady should be able to provide legal assistance to her tenants, right?

Pan Xianmin and Yao Zongze were almost laughing their heads off. What do you mean by “work harder”? With the legal team being paid an annual salary of fifty million, they wouldn’t even complain at being asked to recite the Civil Code on the spot from memory!

*

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:

[Xu Yao Rental: Congratulations! You have successfully made a reservation. Please arrive at Haicheng Silver Sea Elegant Court at 1:00 PM on XX month, 20XX for the house viewing.]

After Yuan Yiqing received this text message, she immediately checked the official website to confirm it wasn’t a scam, and then she immediately felt overjoyed. She… had she passed Xu Yao’s rental exam? Could she officially start looking at apartments now?

Yuan Yiqing had been greatly distressed. Her previous landlady had now changed her mind and refused to return her deposit, even finding reasons to say she had breached her contract, even coming to her door last night to cause a scene.

Upon receiving the news, Yuan Yiqing arrived punctually at the entrance of Silver Sea Elegant Court. 

The staff from Xu Yao’s rental team were already waiting at the entrance. She was the first to arrive, and within ten minutes, three or four other people who had made appointments for viewings also showed up.

They followed the staff into the community and took the elevator up to view the apartment. All the while, Yuan Yiqing paid attention to the community’s environment and maintenance.

“Excuse me, can I livestream this?” a young girl who had made an appointment to view the house asked shyly.

After the staff agreed, the girl took out her phone and started the livestream.

“Silver Sea Elegant Court is only three hundred meters from Metro Line 5, and there are two large supermarkets nearby. You all can go in and take a look first,” the staff introduced calmly.

This apartment was estimated to be about one hundred square meters, very clean, and while the furniture didn’t look high-end, it didn’t seem cheap either.

In Haicheng, most working-class people primarily share rentals since it’s hard to afford the high rent otherwise. Yuan Yiqing immediately set her sights on the largest master bedroom.

[Not bad, it looks very clean, and the lighting is excellent.]

[Xu Yao’s rental properties are pretty much the same as those of other landlords.]

[You get what you pay for after all. If you want a high-end rental, you’ll have to pay more rent. Xu Yao is a landlady, not a charity worker.]

[Ahhh, I work night shifts and can’t view properties in person. Does the official website not have any rental viewing videos?]

The staff added, “Using the answers in your rental exams, we have meticulously categorized the tenants who made appointments for viewings. Several of you work day shifts and do not have pets.”

Yuan Yiqing suddenly remembered that the rental exam did indeed ask about whether the candidate was working day or night shifts, whether they had pets, and even whether they had a habit of staying up late, and so on.

So, it turns out… Xu Yao’s rental team had categorized them all?

Grouping similar types together, so they wouldn’t have to worry about incompatible living habits with their roommates?

Yuan Yiqing recalled her previous rental experience, where her neighbor across the hall would study English loudly every night. It was one thing to study, but they would also make sure to read aloud, making it impossible for Yuan Yiqing to sleep at night. Xu Yao’s rental approach was indeed very appealing to most people.

Yuan Yiqing immediately said, “I want to rent the master bedroom. I can pay the deposit right now.”

Good landlords are hard to find, and Yuan Yiqing didn’t want to miss out on a landlord like Xu Yao.

“Of course, miss,” the staff said, taking out the rental contract that had been prepared in advance for the tenants to fill it out. “If everything is correct, you can go ahead and sign here.”

Yuan Yiqing had been paying close attention to Xu Yao’s rental properties lately and had even rewatched the videos where Xu Yao appeared. She had reviewed the contract Xu Yao had given to Li Xiaoli and others in the urban village, so she was surprised, “Has the rental contract been revised?”

“Yes, Miss Yao Yao’s legal team has revised the rental contract.”

Netizens were still astonished by the words “legal team.” While others hire a lawyer, Xu Yao had immediately assembled a whole legal team dedicated to serve her.

Since Xu Yao wasn’t afraid of being sued by Mars Entertainment, Sheng Zhou, Liu Yingxia, or Zhengde Academy, it was clear that this legal team must be an elite group of lawyers.

[Is this the happiness of a rich woman? A whole legal team serving just her. No wonder she wasn’t afraid of being sued, she has nothing to fear.]

[How much is Xu Yao worth now? I only know that big companies like Xu Group have entire legal teams that serve the whole company. For her to have a team just for herself, how extravagant.]

[Am I the only one concerned about whether Xu Yao’s new rental contract is exploitative? Have you guys heard about the suicide incident at Runda Apartment? I heard it was because the tenants had no other choice, it’s so tragic.]

[I also know about the suicide incident; Runda raised the rent too inhumanely, without any regard for people. The more I think about it, the more I want to hurry up and sign with Xu Yao. What a sh*tty world, sigh.]

[I’ve heard about the Runda suicide incident. It wasn’t just about raising the rent. The incident wasn’t that simple.]

Thinking of the young tenant who had been driven to suicide a few days ago, Yuan Yiqing suddenly felt more accepting of Xu Yao’s changes to the rental contract.

Yuan Yiqing murmured uncertainly, “It seems… a bit more conscientious?”

Anyway, she couldn’t find any hidden traps even after going through it so thoroughly, and for some reason, she felt very reassured in putting her trust in Xu Yao, so she went ahead and signed the rental contract.

Just as she finished signing her name, Yuan Yiqing hadn’t even had the chance to carefully examine her new home before her phone in her handbag vibrated.

Yuan Yiqing glanced at it and realised it was her neighbor from across the hallway. This neighbor was the receptionist at her company, and they had exchanged contact information so they could look out for each other.

The neighbor peered through the peephole at the situation across the hallway and said anxiously, “Yiqing, you should come home quickly! Your landlady hired a locksmith to break into your apartment and has thrown all your things into the hallway!”

The entire hallway was filled with Yuan Yiqing’s personal belongings, with her intimate clothing haphazardly thrown on top of the pile.

Yuan Yiqing was almost dumbfounded by what she heard, her voice rising incredulously, “The landlady brought people to break into my house and threw my things out? Is the landlady crazy? I’m coming back right now!”

The netizens in the livestream felt that Yuan Yiqing was truly unfortunate. In comparison to that landlady, Xu Yao was practically a celestial being.

“Ms. Yuan,” an employee suddenly called out to her as she was about to leave in a hurry. Seeing her confusion, they continued, “Do you need legal assistance? We at Xu Yao Rental can provide tenants with legal assistance.”

Yuan Yiqing, who had been eager to leave, turned around as if she had heard some earth-shattering news, “Provide… me with legal assistance??”

The employee smiled and nodded, “Yes, Miss Yao Yao’s goal is to ensure that all tenants living in her properties will remain happy and joyful.”

Yuan Yiqing stared blankly at the employee, unable to believe that any of this was real.

In fact, Yuan Yiqing could also consult a lawyer to sue the landlady herself, but the professional legal team that Xu Yao had would definitely be stronger than any she could hire on her own.

What sort of landlord would even offer their tenants legal assistance?

But according to Xu Yao, when paid with an annual salary of fifty million, the people she hired couldn’t just earn that money while doing nothing, right? They had to work for it!

The viewers in the livestream could no longer sit still, practically screaming like groundhogs.

[?? Providing legal assistance to tenants? My Sister Yao is forever amazing!]

[Oh my god, I’ve rented for over a decade, and this is the first time I’ve encountered such a kind landlady!]

[I’m literally bowing to Xu Yao, I thought her legal team only served her, but it turns out they can help tenants too? Sorry, Sister Yao, I was way too narrow-minded.]

[Ahhhh Xu Yao is seriously so clever. Having a private legal team help tenants also sends a clear message: don’t mess around in her apartments, or she’ll sue you down to your underwear!]

Not everyone has legal awareness, nor do they have the relevant connections. Many ordinary people subconsciously reject the idea of going to court for lawsuits. Xu Yao believes that when people need to rely on the law to solve problems, they are already in an extremely critical situation, and if she has the ability, she can naturally step in to help.

When it comes to retirement, happiness is the most important factor. And being able to help others also brings Xu Yao joy.

With Runda Apartment having driven young people to jump off buildings, and Xu Yao now providing legal assistance, who else could be more popular than Xu Yao, if not her?

Netizens online enthusiastically discussed how many tenants Xu Yao’s move could attract, while Xu Yao herself was unconcerned, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the handsome men and beautiful women in front of her.

Wow, the entertainment industry is truly a gathering place for handsome men and beautiful women! Even the lesser-known artists at the bottom of the industry have striking looks that stand out among ordinary people.

Zuo Ning opened a bottle of mineral water for Xu Yao and handed it to her, saying, “Miss Yao Yao, if you see anyone you like, just let me know.”

In such a short time, Zuo Ning had transformed from a small-time director who had been on the verge of jumping off a bridge in despair over not securing investments to a rising young director in the entertainment industry, with many actors—including top-tier actors—wanting to participate in his next project.

Zuo Ning now had some connections.

When Xu Yao mentioned wanting to invite some handsome men and beautiful women to shoot a few short videos, Zuo Ning immediately had everything arranged for her.

Xu Yao still really enjoyed looking at good-looking people; after all, it was pleasing to the eye and made her happy.

Her rental website was still quite lacking, with only very simple information available, and devoid of even any pictures or videos of the available apartments.

Moreover, most people were extremely busy with work, with many working night shifts, so it was impossible for all of them to view apartments in person, making shooting rental viewing videos crucial.

Xu Yao planned to invite several attractive actors to shoot rental viewing videos for her. After all, people love beautiful things, and having an attractive presenter would definitely make renting the place out easier.

Xu Yao took a sip of the mineral water Zuo Ning handed her, and propped up her head to admire the artists in front of her.

“Each person only has one minute to perform, please do not waste the time of those behind you,” Zuo Ning picked up the megaphone to remind them.

There were still dozens of people waiting behind, all young men over 1.8 meters tall and beautiful women with fit bodies.

This was simply a paradise for beauty lovers!

Each one of them looked well-behaved, as if they were just waiting for Xu Yao to choose them, their beautiful eyes gazing nervously at her, all hoping to seize this opportunity.

She was so happy. So happy that she had taken a step back from the entertainment industry to rent out her properties.

Xu Yao smiled so much her cheeks felt sore, selecting over a dozen people.

Most of them were relatively unknown artists in the entertainment industry, but they all had extremely attractive faces. There were obedient puppy-like boys, handsome guys with serious faces, sweet girls who could charm anyone with just a word, fresh-looking fairies, and even short-haired women women with powerful auras.

Xu Yao picked out everything you could possibly want!

“I’ll arrange for all of you to shoot videos, each being about three minutes long,” Xu Yao said with a smile.

Xu Yao’s traffic that had been brought about by her recent popularity was immense, with her newly launched rental website apparently hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors daily. They were all small artists who were usually busy running around as extras in productions, with being cast as a supporting character already considered a lucky break for them.

So even if they weren’t in the limelight, they were eager to help Xu Yao shoot rental videos, to the point where they were even fighting to do so!

Zuo Ning had high requirements for the celebrities acting. Not only did he demand acting skills, but also a solid grasp of delivering lines. The selected small artists had no problem with their lines, and memorizing the rental property introduction was a breeze for them.

Moreover, each video was only three minutes long, so many could be shot in a day!

Zhang San never expected that he not only secured an appointment for Xu Yao’s rental exam but that he had also passed it. Unfortunately, it conflicted with his work schedule, and he wasn’t able to go to the site to view the apartment in person.

Zhang San felt very upset. If he hadn’t gotten the chance to make a viewing reservation, then he would’ve just felt a twinge of regret, but now, the situation was that he had the opportunity to do so, but no time to go!

Seeing how many netizens online were unable to seize the opportunity and the amount that were lamenting their failure in passing Xu Yao’s rental exam, he seemed to feel even more miserable.

Zhang San couldn’t help but consider whether he should take the day off to go view some houses in person. But his boss, Zhou Skinflint, probably wouldn’t allow it, would he?

Xu Yao’s rental website sent him a private message, “Hello, dear tenant! Since you are unable to attend the in-person property viewing, please click the following link: …”

Zhang San was momentarily stunned, thinking the link was to reschedule the viewing. He quickly clicked on it, only to find it was a video.

That’s right, the entire page was blank except for a small video in the center that lasted about three minutes.

He instinctively clicked play, and a remarkably beautiful young girl appeared on the screen. “Hello, dear tenant! This is Xu Yao Rentals. Today, I will show you a house located at No. 16, Jian’an Road, Sunshine Waterfront Community in Haicheng…”

The girl had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, full of energy, and her features, specifically her eyebrows and eyes, were exceptionally beautiful, resembling that of a celebrity from the entertainment industry. She confidently walked into the rental property on camera, clearly articulating the details of the house.

“This is a four-bedroom apartment with an indoor area of 123 square meters, suitable for shared rental or for a family to live in. Here is the dining and living room, which is over 50 square meters…”

Zhang San had some understanding of cinematography and filming, and he was sure that this was definitely not something that could be casually filmed with just a phone because the camera… wasn’t shaking at all!

Moreover, this young lady was very pretty.

Zhang San almost forgot he was there to rent a house, staring at the girl during the first viewing, and only paid attention to the rental details during his second viewing.

He didn’t know what kind of camera had been used, but the room was captured exceptionally clearly. Zhang San was very satisfied with this apartment. He had been working in Haicheng and was planning to bring his wife, children, and parents, who were still in the countryside, to live with him. After all, the children were growing up, so studying in Haicheng, where the educational resources were better, would be more ideal. So, he wanted to switch from a single apartment to a larger property like this one.

“Who is this rental agent? Why would she be a rental agent? She should just become a celebrity instead,” Zhang San muttered.

At the end of the video, the rental presenter introduced her name, and Zhang San casually searched for her on Weibo, and actually found her to his surprise.

She really was a small artist in the entertainment industry, with only about 50,000 followers on Weibo, but she had a few fans due to her good looks.

“F*ck, Xu Yao actually hired an artist as a rental presenter?” Zhang San exclaimed in disbelief.

The news spread online immediately, and some people took screenshots and posted them on Weibo.

[OMG, my little Hudou went to help Xu Yao shoot a rental viewing video! He was so serious about it, really cherishing this opportunity!]

[Xu Yao really knows how to play. She hired all these handsome men and beautiful women as rental presenters? OMG I’m totally dizzy from being charmed, I would have signed the electronic rental contract on the spot!]

[Ahhhh, has anyone seen that rental video with Little Jiu? She’s standing on the balcony, and the sunlight hits her hair like it’s literally glowing. I dare say, after so many years in her trashy company, her resources are still not as good as helping Xu Yao shoot a short rental clip.]

[Who is that short-haired girl? So cool! Wait, how many houses does Xu Yao actually have?!]

Who would have thought that Xu Yao would hire small artists from the entertainment industry to shoot rental videos? Many people received more exposure from this than they had in their entire careers.

Many netizens even counted how many people Xu Yao had hired to shoot introduction videos, and they dug up all the details about these artists. This is how exposure happens.

The fans of little Hudou have never been this happy in their lives; they were like, [Dig deeper! Yes, yes, yes, the little puppy guy introducing that house is our brother!!]

These tenants had great taste.

#RentalIntroductionVideo# became a trending topic simply because the presenter’s looks were too good-looking.

[Hahaha, I can already feel Xu Yao’s joy. She gets to see handsome guys and beautiful women while making them work for her!]

[I think my little Hudou is very suitable for shooting. It’s not shameful at all for him to be working for Xu Yao.]

[Emmmm, Xu Yao, do you want to take a look at my guy? He can sing and dance, has great acting skills, and a strong foundation in delivering lines, he can even film for free.]

[Xu Yao, Xu Yao, take a look at mine; let him introduce the rental villa for you, it will definitely be several times better! That’s right, I’m just this confidently delusional.]

In this day and age, who hasn’t supported a small artist? Watching their management companies neglect them, seeing them drown in the tide of the entertainment industry, their fans were anxious and regretful. Such good people should be famous!

Unfortunately, the entertainment industry is just this ruthless, and many people remain nameless their entire lives.

But at this moment, Xu Yao appeared, shining like a ray of light!

These days, those in the entertainment industry will do anything to become famous and rise to the top, let alone just filming a mere rental video. This is a legitimate business and proper employment!

Xu Yao could have easily found two random people to shoot some introduction videos, but unfortunately, her standards were too high, and she insisted on hiring handsome men and beautiful women.

“Sob sob sob, I actually gained followers, several tens of thousands,” a small artist looked at his phone and burst into tears.

In his years at the entertainment company, the fans he had gained were actually fewer than the amount he gained when shooting a three-minute rental video for Xu Yao.

The key was that Xu Yao had even paid them! A single introduction video could earn them several tens of thousands. Normally, these small artists didn’t even make that much in a month.

Netizens discussed the artists Xu Yao hired to shoot introduction videos, and then they proceeded to dig into the equipment used for filming the videos.

Some content creators even made several episodes introducing it.

[Detailed analysis of the filming equipment used for Xu Yao’s rental introduction video—super luxurious!]

[Is the rental industry really this competitive? A detailed analysis of the filming aesthetics used in Xu Yao’s rental introduction video!]

Some content creators even directly stated online that Xu Yao’s rental introduction videos were definitely shot by professional photographers, with top-notch filming skills!

In no time, more and more unknown small artists from the entertainment industry wanted to shoot rental introduction videos for Xu Yao. The discussion thread was absolutely flooded!

[I noticed there are quite a few little puppy guys in there. Does Xu Yao like this type?]

[Ahhhh, Xu Yao and I actually like the same type! On the surface, a well-behaved little puppy in a white shirt, but once the shirt is off, eight-pack abs flaunting in my face! Bring more, bring more, I love it.]

[+1+1, I also noticed that Xu Yao seems to really like the little puppy type, Han Zhao is like that too, hahaha.]

[So… does renting Xu Yao’s apartment get you get a little puppy type? [dog holding rose.jpg]]

Xu Yao thought that since she was happy, the tenants were happy, and those little artists were also very happy—wasn’t this simply a win-win-win situation?

As for the abundance of little puppy types… it might just be a coincidence.

After all, was it strange for a retired wealthy woman to like obedient and well-behaved younger guys?

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late update QAQ — a few changes: changed boen law firm to bo’en law firm. just looks better and probably helps you guys phonetically on how it’s pronounced.

i’ll probably proofread the whole novel once it’s completely translated and change a few terms so it reads more cohesively but yah! i’m looking to translate the residential names more literally now!

support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. Around 7 mil usd ↩︎
2. Yao Zongze = the loyal enforcer doing her bidding (personal aide).
   Pan Xianmin = the capable bureaucrat running her empire (manager). ↩︎