The two of them glanced at me, then quickly averted their eyes. Then, as if they had discussed it beforehand, both headed toward the staircase.
They went upstairs one after the other, and after about half an hour, only October came back down.
Those thirty minutes felt excruciatingly long to me. I wanted to seize the chance to slip away, but Meng Bao was staring at me intently, not even blinking once. I had absolutely no opportunity to escape.
“Where’s Chang Sheng?”
October glanced at me, his tone indifferent. “He left.”
“He left?”
I couldn’t believe it—Chang Sheng had actually abandoned me here and just walked away…
I had come here because of Chang Sheng. He owed me at least a reasonable explanation.
“I’ve thought it over very seriously and carefully. For now, I won’t take your life. However, you’ll have to work for me until I find a way to restore my abilities.” October looked at me with a serious expression.
Pulling out a nearby chair and sitting down, he scratched his head and added, “I’m not very good with words, but there’s one thing I must make clear to you. You’ll be working for me without pay—I won’t give you a salary. Understood?”
“…”
What a heartless devil!
He wants me to work for him but won’t pay me? What kind of sweet deal is that?
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as your agreement.”
“I object.”
“What?” He widened his eyes, staring at me in shock. “What are you objecting to?”
“It’s already the 21st century. If you want me to work for you, you can’t exploit me. You have to pay me a salary, and it must meet the standards set by labor laws. Not a single cent less.”
“No.”
“Then I won’t do it.”
“You’re in no position to negotiate with me right now.”
“Then kill me. If I die, you probably won’t survive either. At least I’ll have someone to drag down with me. It’s worth it.”
After hearing that conversation between Chang Sheng and October, I figured October didn’t have the guts to harm me now.
“Don’t push your luck.”
October pointed at me, gritting his teeth.
“You’re the one pushing your luck. You never even asked if I wanted to work for you, and on top of that, you don’t plan to pay me. I won’t work for you for free.”
I made my stance perfectly clear.
Anyway, today he either had to kill me, let me go, or pay me a salary. Otherwise, I’d never work for him, even if it meant death.
Perhaps because my attitude was too firm, October’s tone softened a bit.
“We can discuss the salary issue. It’s just that I’m a bit tight on funds lately. How about this—I’ll pay you five hundred a month. How does that sound?”
“Five hundred? Are you trying to treat me like a beggar?”
“Five hundred isn’t enough?”
“What do you think?”
My monthly living expenses alone are more than five hundred, and he actually dared to say “five hundred.” It’s truly embarrassing for a Grim Reaper.
“Then how much do you want?”
“First, tell me what my job responsibilities are.”
“Simple. There’s only one rule: you do whatever I tell you to do.”
“…”
If he told me to die, would I have to go and die?
“Could you be a bit more specific?”
“More specific…” October seemed troubled. Clearly, he wasn’t good at expressing himself or using words.
He scratched his head irritably and said with annoyance, “Why are you so bothersome? Just do whatever I tell you to do. That’s your job.”
“I just want to know the specific details of the work.”
“You woman, you’re really driving me crazy.” He was almost frantic.
Getting up, he paced back and forth in the room. After walking past me countless times, he came up to me, grabbed my collar, and lifted me straight out of the chair.
“Can you not be so violent?”
It was only our first meeting, and I was already fed up with him. I could hardly imagine how I would get along with him in the future.
Of course, as long as I could walk out of this damn place alive today, I would absolutely never come back. To hell with the Grim Reaper, to hell with the job, to hell with the salary.
The reason I was here, being threatened by October, was all because Chang Sheng had tricked me.
Being fooled once was enough to teach me a lesson.
I pretended to negotiate with October just to make him believe that I would work for him.
“Name your price. How much salary do you want?” October began to compromise.
I thought for a moment and said with feigned seriousness, “At least two thousand.”
He paused slightly, a sly smile suddenly curling at the corner of his mouth. He immediately let go of my collar and even helped straighten it out, saying, “I thought you’d ask for more. Two thousand is easy.”
Seeing his cunning expression, I realized I had set my salary demand too low.
“Three thousand, no, four thousand…”
I wanted to change my mind, but it was too late.
“Two thousand was your own request, so it’s two thousand.”
“…”
“I won’t ask you to officially start work today, but there’s an important task I need you to handle.” October lifted his chin smugly and said, “First, clean this place thoroughly. You’re not allowed to leave until it’s spotless.”
“…”
“Clean both upstairs and downstairs thoroughly. No slacking off. I’ll have Meng Bao keep an eye on you. In half an hour, I’ll personally inspect your work.”
With that, he strode up the stairs, and soon his figure disappeared around the corner.
I was so angry I nearly coughed up blood.
This October was absolutely despicable.
…
In order to leave alive, I had no choice but to grab the cleaning tools and start cleaning this rather large ancient building from top to bottom. I had to admit, this place was nothing like a place where people lived—dirty, messy, and covered in thick dust everywhere. Cleaning it was no easy task.
After more than an hour of hard work, I finally finished.
I put the cleaning tools back in the utility room and returned to the first-floor hall.
Meng Bao’s size had somehow returned to that of a normal cat. At that moment, it was squatting on the square table, earnestly licking its right front paw.
Seeing me approach, it blinked at me and said quietly, “October will inspect the cleanliness shortly.”
I shrugged, indicating I didn’t care.
Meng Bao continued licking its paw.
However, after waiting for a long time, October still hadn’t appeared.
I grew impatient. “When can I leave?”
“What’s the rush?”
“I’m a student. I have classes to attend, you know.”
“You still have to wait until October finishes inspecting the cleanliness.”
“Then tell him to hurry up and inspect.”
“At this time, he’s probably taking a nap.”
“What the hell? Is he messing with me?”
“Girl, be patient.”
“Be patient my ass.”
My temper flared up in an instant.
I shot Meng Bao a resentful glare and strode straight toward the door.
The pitch-black door remained shut.
I mustered all my strength, trying to pry it open, but no matter how hard I pushed, the door stayed firmly closed.