Chapter 281

Page Ninety-One New Beginning

“Let’s move everything in for now, don’t mix up with Mysterious Girl A’s stuff, these miscellaneous items have somewhat ambiguous functions.”

Except for the bed and wall cabinets that couldn’t be moved, Room 202 was basically emptied out. I and AJ also returned to the Jewel, waiting for the old driver to start.

“Let’s teleport to the back door first, it’s not convenient to come out from other places.”

I said this, but AJ replied, “Can’t we directly teleport to our new rented room?”

“We don’t know where your new house is, you can’t teleport to places you haven’t been to.”

“Oh, you may not have been there, but you must have passed by there.”

This statement piqued my curiosity.

“Where did you rent?”

“Just opposite the commercial area, go west along the riverside road, there are many abandoned factories there, you should know right?”

How could I not know? I had even been dragged inside when Zǐ Jie kidnapped me before.

I answered, “Yes, those factories that were shut down for over a decade due to the expansion of the commercial area.”

“One of the factories underwent a self-rescue transformation, the boss turned the factory into an office building.”

“An office building converted from a factory? Why rent such a place?”

There are plenty of vacant office buildings everywhere, why rent a dilapidated building converted from a factory?

“Because it’s cheap! He turned the original large factory shed into a four-story building, we rented one of the rooms… Oh, has the little animal fallen asleep?”

Yòu Zi fell asleep from my shoulder, landing on the bed and shaking her head to get up, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her paws.

“Huh, I’m sleepy,” she mumbled.

“Is the pet ferret a nocturnal animal?”

“Mmm… I tend to sleep more during the day.”

“Alright, we won’t bother you when we talk?”

“It’s fine, I’ll sleep here.”

Yòu Zi crawled under Old Lady’s pillow, curled up, revealing her sharp white nose, and fell asleep.

“Wow, this little animal is so cute…”

AJ’s heart fluttered as she snuggled into Long Tāo’s embrace, fidgeting. He continued the previous topic, “It’s a total of two hundred square meters, yet only costs four thousand per month. It’s not just an office building, even renting a house wouldn’t be this cheap. Because few people came to inquire, after explaining the situation, we managed to rent it smoothly.”

“Since it’s an office building, can it be used as a residence? With a budget of four thousand, you should be able to find a suitable rental house.”

Moreover, if it’s an old factory conversion, the electricity fee might still be calculated at industrial rates, which is much higher than residential rates. So, I was curious about why she chose to rent the office building.

“What are you thinking?”

When I asked, AJ sat up straight, puffing out her chest and said, “Hmph! Because I want to establish my own organization!”

“… What?”

“I said I want to start a company.”

“Táogē, what nonsense is A Jie saying again?”

Long Tāo explained, “She suddenly decided last night to form an organization, but she won’t really register it with the Industrial and Commercial Bureau. Now, she’s just finding a base in advance for future expansion.”

The more I listened, the more confused I became.

“What kind of organization?”

“To protect promising small streamers, stand up against the bullying of their live-streaming union, so they can get through the toughest times… The ideal is beautiful, but currently, there is only one streamer, Dragon Palace Princess Yǐjī.”

This sounds like a live-streaming union too?

Just on a super small scale.

“Don’t rush, Miss Hongqu will send more streamer information later!”

“Wait, who is this Hongqu?”

I felt like I had heard this name somewhere… but I wasn’t sure.

“Mǐ Hongqu, the female public relations officer of the Glorious Family who came for the transaction yesterday.”

“… What?”

I remembered, the female drunkard seemed to be named this.

How did she end up being roped in by AJ? What happened last night?

Seeing my confusion, AJ proactively explained, “She was expelled from the Glorious Family, so I offered her a chance.”

“But strictly speaking, you’re also the culprit who got her expelled, aren’t you?”

AJ clenched her fist, speaking with righteous indignation, “Even though she was an enemy and never a streamer, she witnessed the hardships of streamers’ growth. She truly wants to protect the interests of streamers! Most importantly, she can provide us with the list of streamers from the Glorious Family. I want to poach valuable streamers to cultivate.”

This girl, not content with destroying the Glorious Family, wants to feast on its remains… Ouch, truly terrifying.

“So, you rented such a large office space to bring all those streamers over?”

“No, only core members will stay here. Streamers only need to live and stream at home. Our principle is to provide substantial help without mandatory commissions… but we will accept donations.”

After all, it’s necessary to make a living.

I asked, “So how many core members do you have?”

“Now only four! But the number will definitely increase in the future!”

This girl, without even buying a desk, is already envisioning the future development蓝图.

I decided to offer some practical advice.

“In terms of organizational operations, you need an expert… Maybe you can ask Sister Qiàn, she’s at least a semi-professional agent.”

“Mmm! I already have a business consultant.”

“Who?”

“Queen.”

That was the name that made my head ache just hearing it.

I vaguely sensed there was someone behind the scenes, and it was that Queen?

“That person isn’t a philanthropist, don’t let her use you.”

“I think she’s very reliable!”

“Even if you know nothing about her?”

“My intuition is always right!”

“… Sigh, coincidentally, you can also connect with her regarding your father’s matter. Honestly, I think you’ll fail.”

Too unrealistic dreams would likely shatter against reality and human nature, or lose their original intent and become another ‘Glorious Family.’ After all, in reality, there’s no boss who can become strong solely by relying on U-mē.

“If Língmèng says so, then I’ll work harder to prove myself to you!”

With the jolt and sway of the teleportation, the winter afternoon sunshine sprinkled down overhead… because the spherical glass dome acts like a convex lens, creating excellent light-focusing effects, causing the temperature inside the Jewel to rise sharply.

“Ahh! It’s too hot!” I couldn’t help but groan.

Black material covered the glass dome, forming a layer that blocked the sunlight.

Long Tāo looked and said, “We need to go a bit further. That factory shed has been renovated, you can tell at a glance.”

— “I see, then I’ll drop you off by the riverbank.” —

After all, it was a long-abandoned industrial area, with no security guards at the gate. Leaving Yòu Zi inside the Jewel, AJ pushed open the door and led us in.

The old factory had been transformed into a four-story office building, with an external elevator added, and part of the roof on the top floor removed to create a sunroom terrace… The refurbished factory looked quite impressive, fitting the current trend of industrial design.

The problem was that the surroundings were too rundown. Wild-growing greenery had taken over every inch of land, lush like the Amazon rainforest, while the weather-beaten concrete roads had cracked, with tough weeds and wildflowers growing through them… No wonder it couldn’t be rented out, just looking at it was enough to deter anyone.

I kicked a piece of rubble aside and asked, “…Why did they only renovate the buildings?”

“The boss ran out of money after finishing the buildings.”

“He didn’t plan ahead? If he had dismantled the elevator, the saved costs would have been enough to transform the surrounding forest and roads, right?”

“He originally had money, but he went to Macau.”

Oh, I understood.

He lost at gambling.

I asked, “So you got a good deal because of this. Will the rent increase after it’s all fixed up?”

“Yeah, we’re getting a head start, but the boss promised to give us discounts in the future. At least it’ll be cheaper than other tenants. If we can’t afford it, we can find a new location.”

The original factory entrance was sealed, and a delicate glass door was installed on the door. Pushing it open revealed the lobby of the office building. Although there was a reception desk set up, there were no staff members.

Of course, there was no heating.

I asked, “Doesn’t the boss worry about theft?”

Long Tāo countered, “What thief would come to such a place?”

… It seems we still have a long way to go before official opening.

Taking the direct elevator to the fourth floor, we opened the door to find a narrow corridor. On both sides of the corridor were offices with glass walls, equipped with Venetian blinds, making it impossible to see inside.

“It looks pretty nice in there?”

“Don’t get carried away, the one we rented is even more luxurious~”

At the end of the corridor, AJ pulled out a brand-new set of keys.

This was indeed a unique office. Half of the ceiling was missing, replaced by black glass forming a sunroom, with a terrace attached outside. Basic office furniture was already provided.

It was just a bit cold.

“Isn’t there any heating?”

AJ replied, “Central heating requires multiple tenants before it can be activated, otherwise the electricity bill would all be on us.”

But this two-hundred-square-meter space had no partitions. After all, it was an office, so there were no beds or kitchen appliances. AJ would need to make adjustments within the contract scope.

“Alright, from now on, I’m the boss of a startup company!”

AJ sat down at the largest desk and smiled, “Just don’t have much money, so we still need Yǐjī Jie to keep working hard~”

“You need to earn money too!”

“There’s not much business for winter models… Part-time jobs don’t pay much either. How about handling things here properly… Does Ling Meng Meng want to join in?”

“No.”

“What a pity~”

Facing AJ’s offer, I rejected it decisively.

AJ’s ambitions could easily be spun into a full-length novel. I didn’t want to get entangled in her troubles, so I decided to nip her fantasies in the bud.

I looked at Long Tāo and asked, “Do you plan to live here after this?”

“Not…”

He wanted to refuse, but looked at his current state.

“… It’s not appropriate to go back and live with Shàngguāng now. For now, I’ll stay here for a couple of days.”

I said, “Actually, you could stay at Old Yan’s place. He lives alone in a big house.”

“Stop! I don’t need that kind of suggestion!”

AJ loudly said, “Leave your stuff here, and you can return to the Research Institute! Aren’t you busy there?”

To preserve their two-person space, she began to urge me to leave.