Chapter 16: The Landlady’s Self-Awareness and Trust

"No crystal cores?"

Qiao Jia tilted her head in confusion. That couldn't be right, could it? After all, they were the female lead and the second and third male leads—surely they couldn’t be that poor.

Su Xiaoran and her companions looked a bit embarrassed but nodded honestly. They truly had no crystal cores on them; all the ones they’d had were with Fu Jingchuan.

Qin Jiaojiao, upon seeing their awkward expressions, burst out laughing and was just about to make another cutting remark when Qiao Jia spoke.

"It's fine. You can owe me for now—pay me in a week. Ten thousand crystal cores after one week," Qiao Jia said calmly.

"What??"

The other survivors were stunned and indignant. Boss, you never treated us this way!

"She's pregnant. Are any of you?" Qiao Jia swept her gaze around, her face cold, as if she could see straight through the thoughts of these survivors.

And most importantly, Su Xiaoran was a female lead with a trustworthy character. Just now, when Gu Xingye helped her sit down and a child curiously approached, she treated the child kindly and even gave them a piece of candy.

The female leads in these stories might be delicate, pampered wives, or even a burden, but their character was always beyond reproach. Kindness was their foundation, and it had never been a flaw.

This reasoning was impeccable. They truly couldn't compare.

Gu Xingye glanced at Su Xiaoran; all three of them were clearly tempted, but moving in without paying up front just felt awkward.

"It's all right, just stay. If you feel bad about it, just give me ten or twenty extra crystal cores when you pay," Qiao Jia said, waving her hand and leaving them no room to refuse.

"San'er, take them over. The house is right next to yours," Qiao Jia instructed.

At the mention of "San'er," everyone turned in unison to look at Su Qianqian and Fu Jingchuan.

Seeing their looks, Su Qianqian was so angry she almost snorted. She still had some sense of decency, but Fu Jingchuan beside her seemed completely unfazed. Then again, no one was criticizing him, so he probably didn’t see any problem with his behavior.

"Are you talking to me? Don’t assign any special meaning to my name, all right? It’s unlucky," San'er grumbled, rolling her eyes at the survivors.

"Come on, follow me. We’ll be neighbors from now on."

"Miss Shen, thank you for giving us the house. If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay with us," Fu Beichuan said sincerely. "We can sleep in the living room, and we’ll pay rent, of course."

"No need, the boss has other places for rent," Shen Tong replied with a smile, politely declining. She hadn’t really done anything; they owed it all to the boss. Without her, they wouldn't have had the chance to live in such a safe place in this zombie-ridden apocalypse.

Their side was harmonious and joyful, while the spiteful group watching them was fuming, but no one paid them any mind.

"Boss, isn’t this rental a bit too expensive?"

"One hundred and twenty a day? That little cabin is only ten crystal cores. Can’t you make it cheaper?" Some survivors approached Qiao Jia with grinning faces, trying to bargain.

They’d already formed a zombie-hunting team, and their weapons from the blind box weren’t bad—ranged, melee, shields, they had it all—so they had some crystal cores on hand. Now that they were a team, they needed a base.

"Remember, what you’re paying isn’t just rent—it’s for protection, and for water and electricity," Qiao Jia reminded them, holding up three fingers. "You can stay in the little cabins if you want, two crystal cores a day." But there was no running water or electricity there. Just a dry latrine.

Still, that was a lord’s cabin. They should be grateful just to have a roof over their heads.

"Nowhere else can provide stable water and power like this—and nowhere else is as safe," Qiao Jia pointed out. She was right. If it weren’t for the safety and the special blind boxes, these players wouldn’t have stayed.

With a self-built house, Qiao Jia had fully embraced her role as landlady and had become quite talkative.

"Boss, you sound so down-to-earth now," one survivor said, noting that her tone was exactly like a landlord’s.

But the boss made a good point. Rent at the Beichen Base was definitely cheaper—a single crystal core got you a place to live—but no one wanted to go there. Why? Besides the reasons Qiao Jia cited, there was another crucial one.

This place was right next to Jumu City, with a population of tens of millions.

There were more zombies, more monsters, more resources, with minor zombie tides every three days and major ones every five. Zombies and monsters meant crystal cores and supplies. And many of them still had family in Jumu City, their fates unknown.

Even if monsters besieged this place one day, with the boss’s blind boxes, they could outlast the enemy. For all these reasons, Qiao Jia’s territory was the best choice.

"All right, boss, we’ll rent for a week," the survivor team leader said, counting out enough crystal cores and handing them over.

Qiao Jia accepted them. She realized she needed a machine that could automatically convert crystal cores to points, something like an ATM. If she wanted her town to become the number one settlement after the apocalypse, just sitting here selling blind boxes and collecting crystal cores wouldn’t cut it.

"Boss, I’d like a week too," Shen Tong said. She’d already prepaid 759 crystal cores—enough for a week.

"Sure, pick your rooms," Qiao Jia replied, handing her a large ring of keys to the self-built houses. "Elevator card—one per room. If you lose it, you’ll have to pay for it. Or you can opt out," she explained, handing over a green disc.

"Thank you, boss," Shen Tong said, eyes brimming with gratitude at the trust Qiao Jia was showing—she hadn’t felt such trust from anyone but her grandmother before.

"Go ahead," Qiao Jia signaled with her eyes. She wanted to wave but her hand was a bit stiff, so she couldn’t manage a big gesture.

"Okay!" Shen Tong nodded enthusiastically.

"Get me a room too," came a surprising request from Shen Hui, who had come alone to rent from Qiao Jia—her three family members were nowhere in sight. Qiao Jia had no intention of making things difficult for her and let her join the others.

Shen Hui stood beside Shen Tong with a sour expression, the rest of her family nowhere to be seen. Qiao Jia’s gaze swept the area, spotting Shen’s father talking to Fu Jingchuan, while Shen’s mother and Shen Lin looked distinctly disapproving.

What new scheme were those two plotting now?