This area was outside the scope of the building’s safety maintenance. To protect the fundamental rights of the Operator, the water seepage that should have occurred on the first floor had been automatically transferred here.
She opened the door to the unit across from the Bo family’s home, allowing Bo Zhiya to see the stark contrast between the two living rooms.
Hearing Bo Zhiya’s shout and worrying that something had happened to him, Zhou Qing quickly dropped her mop and rushed over.
“Good heavens above!” Zhou Qing froze in her tracks, her expression looking as though she had been struck by lightning. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, unable to believe the eerie contrast before her.
Shen Ruoran gave a brief explanation for why the 30th floor was in this state. Seeing that the two of them were still struggling to process it, she simply used her will to transport them near the main entrance on the first floor.
The rain was heavy and relentless, with water levels reaching as high as an adult’s thighs. Yet, the first floor—at the same elevation—was completely unaffected. There wasn’t even the scent of damp rainwater in the air.
It was as if an iron window separated two entirely different worlds.
This also meant that the 30th floor, where Bo Zhiya and Zhou Qing were located, had indeed undergone a “geographical swap” with the first floor, just as Shen Ruoran had claimed.
Seeing was believing. The chunibyo soul of the anime-loving youth was ignited. Bo Zhiya accepted everything with lightning speed. Remembering the continuous natural disasters Shen Ruoran had mentioned, his eyes lit up like stars in the night sky. Without a shred of hesitation, he asked, “I want to rent! How much do I pay you?”
He believed that by joining Shen Ruoran’s building, he essentially had one foot in the “doomsday protagonist group.” He might even awaken superpowers and save the world.
Shen Ruoran was in no hurry to answer. She turned her head to look at Zhou Qing, waiting for her to speak.
Currently, the space in the building was limited, which meant there was a cap on the number of tenants. She couldn’t just give away survivor slots for nothing.
Zhou Qing knew how to cook, clean, do laundry… she could handle all the housework. As long as she agreed, Shen Ruoran didn’t mind bringing along the “vase” that was Bo Zhiya.
Zhou Qing found it hard to believe that the country she had lived in for fifty-two years would face infinite natural disasters, but her personal experience today made it impossible to deceive herself any longer. It was absurd, yet she had to believe it.
She had no children and no attachments. Originally, she had planned to look after poor Bo Zhiya until he finished high school, then apply for early retirement from Mr. Bo and return to her hometown.
If the future truly was an unending doomsday of natural disasters, she would certainly want to stay. But as a lowly worker, where would she get the money to pay an expensive rent?
“Auntie, I’ll pay the rent for both of us.” The kind-hearted Bo Zhiya saw Zhou Qing’s worry and made the decision for her. Money was an easy fix; although his father had kicked him out, the Bo family had never been stingy with him when it came to cash.
He pulled the latest 5G phone from his pocket, opened his payment code, and held it out to Shen Ruoran, letting her input whatever price she wanted.
Shen Ruoran folded her arms and raised an eyebrow in amusement. He really was a brat with no life experience; he didn’t even know how to haggle. Fortunately, he had run into her—a genuine, honest landlord.
“I don’t need money,” Shen Ruoran said with a wave of her hand. “I will convert the labor you provide into ‘Building Wealth’ under your names. The rent will be deducted from there.”
Bo Zhiya nodded excitedly. In truth, he didn’t understand a word of it, but he thought it sounded very impressive.
Zhou Qing was also a bit dazed, nodding along with only a vague understanding. Even if she didn’t fully grasp it, it seemed like doing this wouldn’t cost her anything, so it was a good deal.
In reality, this was Shen Ruoran exploiting a management bug in the building’s system.
The normal operation of the building required more than just the Operator’s efforts; the Operator could hire employees to work. Work required the payment of wages, and those employees would then have “money” to pay rent, thus becoming tenants of the building.
Using her economic mind, Shen Ruoran had constructed a perfect financial cycle within the building at almost zero cost.
“Unit 3001 is designated as the restaurant for this building. You two clean that place up first. Tell me what you need, and I will provide it.”
Shen Ruoran set their working hours and wages: “Your working hours are from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM, and 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Zhou Qing will earn 3 Wealth Points daily, and Bo Zhiya will earn 1.5 Wealth Points daily. Is that acceptable?”
The values of 3 and 1.5 weren’t arbitrary. When she confirmed the job types and working hours through her management panel, the system automatically generated their daily wages.
Bo Zhiya ruffled his green hair and gave a silly grin, looking like a completely different person from the gloomy, worried youth he had been moments ago.
And so, the building gained two more employees—and two more tenants.
When they returned to the living room on the 30th floor, the previously wet floor was now spotless. Even the rags Zhou Qing had left there were folded neatly in a pile.
Bo Zhiya ran a lap in excitement. He squatted down at the spot where the leakage had been most severe and touched it. It was dry.
“Auntie, I told you places like Sunquan Good Town really exist!”
The youth with green hair had a flushed face and a radiant smile.
Zhou Qing, who hadn’t moved, felt a sting in her nose. After all these years, the bright and vibrant boy who had been crushed by a cold father and a malicious stepmother was finally visible again.
Zhou Qing had heard him talk about this “Sunquan Good Town” before. In her memory, it was a fictional place from an anime Bo Zhiya liked, where the townsfolk lived in harmony, did what they loved, and fought together against mutated beasts to protect their land.
After calming his emotions, Bo Zhiya couldn’t wait to open his exclusive Employee (Tenant) Panel. He wanted to check the attributes again.
Name: Bo Zhiya
Identity 1: General Laborer
Wage: 1.5 Wealth Points/Day (Intern)
Job Nature: Random; tasks are issued to the panel by the Owner or Administrator.
Identity 2: Tenant of 3001/3101 (Shared with Zhou Qing)
Rent Owed: 50 Rental Points per month (Due after 1 month of residency)
Balance: 0 Wealth Points
1 Rental Point = 1 Wealth Point.
After checking his own, Bo Zhiya quickly pulled over Zhou Qing, who was still processing the news of the apocalypse. He stared at her with burning eyes, his voice trembling with excitement:
“Auntie, can I see what’s on your panel? This is just like high-tech stuff from a sci-fi movie. I want to study it!”
Zhou Qing had always doted on Bo Zhiya. She sat up straight and opened her panel information to him.
Name: Zhou Qing
Identity 1: Specialty Employee (Culinary)
Wage: 3 Wealth Points/Day (Intern)
Job Nature: Restaurant Staff
Identity 2: Tenant of 3001/3101 (Shared with Bo Zhiya)
Rent Owed: 50 Rental Points per month (Due after 1 month of residency)
Balance: 0 Wealth Points