Chapter 6

Sunday.

Early, around seven.

Zhang Ye was so excited that he hardly slept all night, tossing and turning in bed, fantasizing about his bright future. Then he heard the door creak. Only he and the landlord had keys to his rented apartment, not even his parents. No need to ask, it was the landlord, Aunt Rao, coming uninvited again.

The small studio had no living room; the door opened directly to the bed.

A mature voice floated over, "Kid, are you still sleeping?"

Zhang Ye rubbed his nose and turned over, "I'm awake, what do you need?"

Rao Aimin, with her plump and beautiful buttocks, sat on the edge of the bed and smiled, "You've been accepted by the radio station and will report tomorrow. Isn't it time to pay the rent you owe me?" She then magically pulled out a calculator and tapped a few buttons, "This month's internet fee is also due, so you owe me an additional eighty."

Zhang Ye yawned, "What did you say?"

Rao Aimin repeated, "Didn't hear clearly? I said you owe me a total of 2,662 yuan in rent."

Zhang Ye said, "No, what did you say first?"

Rao Aimin blinked, "First? Kid, are you still sleeping?"

Zhang Ye quickly pulled the blanket over his head, "I'm sleeping!"

"Hey, you little brat!" Rao Aimin, realizing what he did, raised her arm and slapped his leg through the blanket, "Looking for a beating? Get up! Don't pretend to be dead! Get up quickly! If you can't pay the rent, clean the house and do the chores for me! Pay off the debt bit by bit!"

Zhang Ye whined, "Let me sleep a bit more."

"You have half an hour! I'll be waiting at home at eight!" Rao Aimin left with a stern face.

Encountering such a money-loving landlord, Zhang Ye had no choice but to struggle out of bed and brush his teeth and wash his face. After all, he really had no money this month.

By the way, he should check the game ring, which was his biggest reliance for becoming a big shot in the future.

He opened the interface and found that his reputation had increased. After spending 100,000 points on a draw yesterday, he had 99,983 points left, but now it had increased to 99,999. It was clear that this was related to the interview. He had performed so well and even recited Gorky's famous "The Seagull," so a little increase in reputation was justified. Now, he only needed one more point to draw again. Reputation, in general, was a vague concept, but in the game, it was even more ambiguous. Well, he hadn't figured out how reputation increased yet, so he decided to do some chores for Aunt Rao and see if he could get a point.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed in the hallway, "Zhang Ye!"

Zhang Ye saw it was eight o'clock and hurriedly put on his slippers and headed to Aunt Rao's place. The apartment building had a long corridor, and almost all the units on this floor belonged to Rao Aimin. With over twenty units in such a prime location in the city, she was a genuine little rich woman. However, strangely, Zhang Ye and the other tenants had lived there for a long time but had never heard of any relatives or friends of Aunt Rao. She was unmarried and childless and had never been seen going to work. So, in everyone's eyes, this beautiful landlord was quite mysterious, and no one knew how she had so much money.

Rao Aimin also lived on this floor, in the largest LOFT unit, a small duplex with a total area of over 100 square meters.

The door was open, and Zhang Ye went in directly, "Landlady, I'm here."

Rao Aimin mocked, "Were you a pig in your past life? It took you so long to get up!"

Zhang Ye explained, "I was too excited last night and couldn't sleep, so I'm still tired."

"Is it just about getting a job as a radio host? Is it that big a deal?" Rao Aimin taunted, "The radio industry isn't what it was twenty years ago. With TV and the internet, how many people still listen to the radio?"

Zhang Ye sighed, "If my mom had given birth to me fifty years earlier, it would have been a better time."

Rao Aimin laughed, "Your mom is only fifty years old. How could she have given birth to you fifty years earlier? Do you think your mom is a snake demon?"

Zhang Ye: "..."

You really have a sharp tongue!

Rao Aimin ordered, "Stop talking nonsense and get to work!"

Zhang Ye rolled up his sleeves, "Alright, tell me what to clean, and I'll take care of the chores today."

"Clean the windows, sweep the floor, wash the sheets, and my clothes are all yours to handle." Rao Aimin poured herself a cup of tea and sat on the sofa, crossing her legs like a landlord. She wore a not-so-fashionable shirt and long skirt with black flat shoes, looking a bit old-fashioned, but her mature and beautiful charm still radiated. Beautiful people look good in anything.

Unable to resist Rao Aimin's beauty, Zhang Ye couldn't help but glance at her sexy legs and then at her gray shirt, which was stretched by her chest, making him quite envious.

Sigh, time to work. He started sweeping and mopping the floor.

Rao Aimin, who couldn't keep her mouth shut, kept nagging, "What are you cleaning? Don't try to fool me!"

"I'm not fooling you."

"Alright, go wash the clothes!"

In the bathroom, Zhang Ye sighed and pulled a stool to sit down. He put the clothes that could be washed in the washing machine and hand-washed the ones that couldn't, one by one. He was busy all morning. However, when he finished, he was surprised to find that the bottom of the laundry basket contained a few pairs of sheer stockings and two sets of underwear. One set was plain flesh-colored, and the other was a brown triangle with lace, without a bra, just a single piece.

Do I have to wash these too?

After a long internal struggle, Zhang Ye reluctantly put the stockings in the soapy water, gently washed them, and then grabbed Aunt Rao's underwear. The fabric was very soft, and there was a noticeable white stain inside. Scratching his head, Zhang Ye gritted his teeth and washed them. He had no choice; he owed her. However, as he washed, he felt a bit itchy. He had never been in a relationship, let alone in such a situation. He felt his nose getting warm; it was his first time handling a woman's intimate clothing, and they were dirty.

At noon.

Zhang Ye completed his tasks, feeling extremely sore and tired.

"All done?" Rao Aimin glanced at the clothes drying on the balcony, surprisingly without her usual sharp tongue, and said, "Not bad, you did well. Stay for lunch." She put down the ancient book "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" and went to the kitchen to cook. The existence of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" hadn't been altered by the game, so some things had changed, and some hadn't. Zhang Ye would have to gradually understand and adapt to the new world.

Zhang Ye was very happy. After eating instant noodles for so many days, he could finally have a proper hot meal. He sat down on a chair to rest, took a few deep breaths, and then opened the game ring's interface. He found that his reputation had indeed increased by one point, now totaling 100,000!

Was it the landlord who increased it? It seems his idea was right!

The game ring explained that reputation increases are related to the player's fame, exposure, achievements, respect, trust, and reputation. In other words, as long as someone trusts, admires, or recognizes him, his reputation increases by one point, and each person's reputation can be stacked. This was evident from the interview, where there were eight interviewers, and Zhang Ye's reputation increased from 99,983 to 99,999, adding 16 points. This meant that after his impromptu speech, each interviewer gave him 8 points, and after he recited "The Seagull," they each gave him another 8 points, totaling 16 points, which matched perfectly!

Understanding how reputation worked, it was time to draw. Let's see what he could get this time!

Zhang Ye was eager to draw an item that would turn him into a superhero, admired by the world. But that seemed unrealistic. Some people became Spider-Man after being bitten by a spider, some became Iron Man after being implanted with metal, and some became Batman after living with bats. If these had scientific bases, Zhang Ye felt... he was more likely to become a Ramen Man!

He clicked to draw, spending 100,000 reputation points, leaving him with zero!

The drawing interface appeared, and Zhang Ye deliberately blew on his hands and rubbed them before clicking the draw button!

It started!

The pointer spun rapidly in the wheel!

"Special category! Draw a special category!" Zhang Ye muttered, knowing that the special category was the rarest, even though he didn't know what the "increase the purchase permission of a certain item" meant. Rarity made it valuable, so he had to aim for it.

However, his luck was only one or two percent, and the pointer stopped, pointing to the largest category, the consumable.

A small treasure chest dropped!

He opened the chest, and a bright light shone!

Inside lay a bandage-shaped item!

【Bad Luck Sticker】: Takes effect upon application, brings bad luck, lasts for five minutes.

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