She bought everything available on the market in bulk. By a simple calculation, she had enough to last for five hundred years without ever running out.
The renovation of the entire building was nearing its end, and the furniture inside was mostly in place. Shen Ruoran spent half a day making a second trip to the home furnishing market.
Sticking to her wholesale approach, she did a quick circuit and purchased 500 bunk beds, 500 single beds, 300 double beds, and 100 triple-sized beds. She stowed all of them into the first area of her spatial storage.
She had a faint theory that would require a long time to prove.
Shen Ruoran checked out of the presidential suite at the Haoshang International and moved into her two floors on the right side of the 28th and 29th levels. Based on the number of keys she held, three units in this building had been sold before her arrival.
Now that she had stockpiled everything necessary, the idle Shen Ruoran decided to get to know her neighbors. It would make it easier to exercise her rights as the building’s operator in the future.
She went to the 10th floor alone and rang the doorbells on both sides, but heard no movement for a long time. Before visiting, she had hacked into the real estate system to check the occupancy status; the owners on the 10th floor had purchased their units two weeks and four days ago, respectively.
With no sound coming from inside, it seemed no one had moved into the 10th floor yet.
The third household lived in Room 3001 on the 30th floor. They were among the earliest residents of Xinju Yuan.
Exquisite anime characters were plastered on the door, and the shoe rack was filled with neatly arranged footwear. Two high-end luxury umbrellas hung on the wall, indicating a high standard for quality of life.
Shen Ruoran lifted her gaze and briskly pressed the doorbell.
The sound of footsteps approached, and the door opened.
Zhou Qing was in the middle of preparing dinner for Bo Zhiya. She didn’t even have time to take off her light gray apron, thinking it was another surprise inspection from Madam Bo. She had rushed to the door in a panic.
“Who are you?”
Zhou Qing gripped the doorknob and stepped back a few paces. She had turned the stove down to the lowest setting, but she couldn’t stay away for too long, or something might go wrong.
Shen Ruoran spoke politely, “I am your neighbor from across the hall and the floors below. I just moved in. There was a lot of renovation work a few days ago, so I hope we can get along well in the future.”
As she spoke, she handed over the gift she had prepared.
Inside the golden bag were ten sets of exquisite trinkets from a luxury boutique, including items that would appeal to both adults and children.
As a domestic helper, Zhou Qing couldn’t decide whether to accept them or not. She gave a friendly smile and said, “Why don’t you come in and talk? Our Young Master is still studying. He’ll be out for dinner in ten minutes.”
Shen Ruoran glanced at the time on her phone—18:10—and gave a nod of agreement. She proactively put on disposable shoe covers and took a seat on the guest sofa.
Zhou Qing returned to the kitchen, stirred the specially prepared chicken soup a few times, covered it, and began dicing radishes to prepare a bowl of Kung Pao Chicken.
The decoration on the 30th floor was largely the same as the 28th floor, but on top of the original base, many chivalrous-themed decorations had been added. This family definitely had someone who loved the world of anime and subculture.
After sitting for a while, Shen Ruoran felt she was too far from the kitchen and walked over to chat with Zhou Qing. The two exchanged names.
The aroma of the chicken soup was rich and sweet. Just smelling it made Shen Ruoran crave it; she was glad she had eaten a bowl of noodles before coming, or her stomach would have embarrassed her.
This level of skill gave Shen Ruoran a new idea. Her building would desperately need a cook, and Zhou Qing seemed quite suitable. Thus, she spoke up:
“Zhou Qing, you’re a professional chef, aren’t you? This kind of skill isn’t something an ordinary person has.”
Zhou Qing smiled shyly, her hands never stopping. “For those of us in domestic service, cooking is a hurdle we must pass.”
“When did you move in? I haven’t seen you in the hallway before.”
Zhou Qing had a simple and honest appearance, and with her excellent culinary skills, Shen Ruoran had already decided to recruit her as a future tenant.
The Kung Pao Chicken was ready, and the chicken soup was almost done simmering. Zhou Qing sent a WeChat message and looked up to answer Shen Ruoran’s question.
“We’ve been here for a few months. Our Young Master is taking the Gaokao this year. It’s a critical time, and it’s quiet here for studying.”
Zhou Qing swallowed the words she was about to say. A nanny couldn’t reveal too much about her employer’s affairs, so she laughed it off and changed the subject.
“Speaking of which, this is the first time I’ve seen Miss Shen. Living in an elevator building, meeting like this is a stroke of fate.”
The study door moved.
A youth with a head of messy green hair walked out. He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with long, slender legs. Most of his face was covered by his bangs, making it hard to see his eyes.
“Hello,” Shen Ruoran said, showing her manners as a guest.
Bo Zhiya looked up warily, a flash of confusion crossing his face as he looked from Shen Ruoran to Zhou Qing.
Who was this beautiful stranger?
Zhou Qing patted her sleeves and, as usual, pulled out a chair for Bo Zhiya, explaining to both parties:
“Young Master, this is our neighbor from downstairs, Miss Shen. She has something she wants to discuss with you.”
“Miss Shen, this is my Young Master. You can talk to him about whatever is on your mind.”
Bo Zhiya acted like a little hedgehog covered in sharp quills. His dark green pupils were deep and gloomy, radiating an aura that warned strangers to stay away.
His voice was low. “What is it?”
Shen Ruoran repeated what she had told Zhou Qing and introduced the gift she had carefully prepared for the boy. She didn’t hand it over because she felt Bo Zhiya wouldn’t accept it.
He’s probably a child who lacks love, she thought.
Unexpectedly, Bo Zhiya only let out an “Oh” before sitting down and beginning to eat heartily.
Zhou Qing had raised Bo Zhiya since he was a child, so she understood the boy’s thoughts very well. Seeing the confusion in Shen Ruoran’s eyes, she helpfully explained:
“Miss Shen, you’re here to ask if we can help keep an eye on your apartment, right? That’s no problem. I can take a look when I go downstairs. We appreciate the gift, but our Young Master isn’t used to using other people’s things.”
After ten years of companionship and care, she knew the boy was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. That “Oh” was his way of giving permission. It was just that long-term hardships had wrapped him in a hard layer of iron, making him appear unapproachable.
Shen Ruoran had mentioned she owned several units in the building, so Zhou Qing and Bo Zhiya assumed the reason for her visit was simply to ask them to keep an eye on her properties when they passed by.
Recently, there had been several news reports about strangers forcibly occupying other people’s homes. Some had even lived in them secretly for decades before being discovered. This topic alone had trended on Weibo several times.
Wealthy people owned many properties and often left them vacant, giving malicious people an opportunity. The Bo family also owned several properties, and Bo Zhiya’s father had even sent people specifically to inspect them for this reason.
Shen Ruoran listened, feeling completely bewildered. She couldn’t keep up with Zhou Qing’s train of thought at all. Why was the “help” they were offering so specific?
Quick to catch on, however, she interpreted Zhou Qing’s words as a local custom or unspoken agreement. To avoid blowing her cover, she simply smiled along.