Liang Ye seemed to be pondering something as she asked, “Then do you find those male and female supporting characters base and pathetic? Always clinging to and pestering the main leads…”
“It’s not that they’re base—it’s just that the screenwriter arranged for them to act that way!
Nowadays, a lot of people love pushing female competition. They love watching women compete and strain over everything just to fight for a man, fighting to the death in the end.
Seeing a top-tier female supporting character willing to die for the male lead highlights just how desirable he is. And seeing her get knocked down in every possible way—contrasted with the female lead who finds helpers wherever she goes—highlights the female lead’s innocence and purity once the supporting character turns evil.
In the end, facing the female supporting character who has lost everything, she lightly tosses out a ‘I still choose to forgive you,’ and gets her happy ending with the male lead!” Xi Yue grew angrier the more she spoke.
“Tsk, this kind of plot is something even a dog would shake its head at. What’s so great about female competition? Women scheming against each other… the screenwriter might as well write a palace intrigue drama instead.
I feel like, if such situations with supporting characters actually existed in real life, they’d either have terrible judgment or be way too obsessive.
There are so many men and women in the world; why hang yourself on just one tree? Isn’t it much better to find several trees to hang on in turns? When it comes to something between two people, unless it’s exceptionally outrageous, what right do outsiders have to judge whether someone is base or not…” After saying this, she saw Liang Ye staring blankly at the table.
*She’s a young woman with a story of her own, too,* Xi Yue thought to herself, turning her head back to watch the drama.
The early autumn weather grew crisp and cool. Around four o’clock, the sun began its descent toward the horizon, and the light-up sign above the hotel automatically turned on.
Fang Guohua and his two grandsons rested for a while. Wanting to make use of their business card before it expired, they decided to step out to scavenge for some supplies. After all, without superpowers, going out into the city wasn’t safe, and they couldn’t just sit around and eat through their reserves until nothing was left. The two grandsons insisted on coming along; unable to dissuade them, the three headed downstairs with high spirits.
“Heading out at this hour? It’ll be dark soon,” Xi Yue and Liang Ye said, looking at the three of them.
“We’ll just look around nearby while the card’s effect is active. We won’t go far and will be back before dark,” Fang Guohua replied with a smile, leading his grandsons out the door.
Xi Yue nudged Liang Ye with her shoulder. “The two little luckballs! Did you see that? I hope they make some major gains out there!”
Liang Ye had also been sizing up the two children with surprise earlier. They truly were remarkably ordinary children, the only extraordinary thing about them being how exceptionally thin they were…
Thinking it was almost time for dinner, Liang Ye bade Xi Yue goodbye and went back.
Watching Liang Ye’s retreating figure, Xi Yue thought about how Liang Ye appeared cold and powerful at first glance, but a chat revealed she was likely someone with a story. A person like that would practically be a main character in a novel. So, she asked the system, “Can I recruit Liang Ye?”
[No. Liang Ye does not meet the qualification standard.]
“Then what is the qualification standard? Is there anyone in the hotel who qualifies?” Xi Yue pressed immediately.
[The qualification standard requires formidable combat strength, a brilliant mind, and the ability to excel both in public duties and household affairs. No qualified candidate has been detected in the hotel.]
Listening to the system’s reply, Xi Yue was rendered thoroughly speechless. “Then what can employee status at the hotel offer them? Is the pay really high? What about the working hours?”
[Room and board included. On call 24 hours a day.]
Xi Yue burst into a angry laugh. “Formidable combat strength AND a brilliant mind—why on earth would someone like that work for you just for room and board! Food costs 10 crystals a day, staying in a suite costs 4 crystals, which comes out to 420 crystals a month—let’s round it up to 500 crystals for you. You tell me, which high-level powerhouse would look down on such a pittance of a salary? On top of that, on call 24 hours a day? Even a ruthless landlord wouldn’t be this cruel! There’s no way I can recruit an employee like this!”
[Host, please wait patiently.]
The last time Xi Yue had been this speechless was… the last time she was speechless. She couldn’t even bring herself to watch TV anymore.
Shen Yu curled up on the bed, shivering constantly, his body drenched in a sticky fine sweat, the corners of his eyes flushed faint red.
He snapped his eyes open, a wave of sinister dark intensity filling his gaze. Closing his eyes, he took several deep, ragged breaths, and when he opened them again, his cold indifference had returned.
He looked toward the sun setting outside the window. A scene like this was one of the few pieces of beauty left in this apocalypse.
Suddenly, a light turned on atop a building not far away.
Shen Yu walked to the French window, gazing at the enormous sign atop the building that read four large characters: “Cosmic Hotel.” A border around the sign was flashing, making it exceptionally eye-catching.
This was impossible. In his past life, right up until the Zombie King appeared in City B, this hotel had never existed. It was fair to say that this hotel had never existed at all. But such an emergence was quite intriguing. Shen Yu let out a soft laugh.
Stowing the bedsheets and pillows he had laid out back into his spatial storage, Shen Yu headed out the door. In the pitch-black, silent corridor, his footsteps sounded remarkably eerie.
Following the staircase down, he exited the building, raised his head to look at the towering hotel ahead, and walked in its direction.
The howls of zombies began echoing from all directions again, snarling as they pounced toward him. Wind blades harvested wave after wave of zombies, bringing quiet back to this entire area.
Shen Yu walked while sighing. Forced to change his sleeping spot multiple times, these annoying and greedy creatures were constantly ruining his good mood.
Stepping within the hotel’s boundary, Shen Yu felt his superpower being faintly suppressed by something. Far from feeling afraid, he felt a surge of excitement. Unhurriedly, he walked around the fountain and saw the magnificent lobby through the hotel glass, from which the faint sound of a television was drifting out.
[A qualified employee has appeared! A qualified employee has appeared! A qualified employee has appeared!]
Xi Yue, who had been silently cursing the system in her heart for dreaming the impossible, was startled by the system. The system had always been quite cold and detached; she had never seen it this excited. Repeating the important news three times, its electronic voice even cracked on the delivery.
Xi Yue walked out of the hotel to look for that rare qualified candidate, spotting a man standing by the fountain. He wore a gray hoodie and black trousers. His skin was fair and clean, and his black hair, unkempt from going long without a trim, slightly veiled his brow and eyes. His visible nose bridge was high and straight, and his lips were a deep crimson. A beam of the setting sun spilled over him like a layer of gold, making him look remarkably gentle and languid.
*But… this guy kind of looks like an emo visual-kei type…*
While Xi Yue was sizing him up, Shen Yu was also sizing her up.
Looking at the girl who walked out of the hotel, she appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old. She had fair skin, a small face, delicate features, lips of a lovely pink, and cheeks with a touch of baby fat. Her most striking feature was her eyes—crystal clear and transparent, looking innocent and obedient when she looked at someone. Her hair was done up in a bun, its loose strands swaying in the soft breeze. She wore a blouse tied with a bow on top and a khaki skirt below, looking just as sweet and gentle as her demeanor.
Shen Yu couldn’t feel any superpower emanating from her, yet she brought him a sense of suppression—this was truly fascinating.
*This person looks so cleanly dressed, and she doesn’t seem shocked by the hotel at all. She really is an expert, cool and unbothered by everything!*
“Looking to check in? Why don’t you come inside for a glass of water first?” Xi Yue initiated the conversation, feeling it was rather awkward to just stand there staring.