Chapter 182: Promise to Come Back to See You
Su Tao sent a message to Qian Lin, leaving her a note to have the employees get familiar with the new work environment first. Any issues could wait until she caught up on sleep.
She ended up sleeping until 2 PM, waking up from hunger.
Lin Fangzhi, being very considerate, brought her lunch.
Su Tao quickly finished eating and noticed Lin Fangzhi’s flushed face. She asked, “Are you very hot?”
Lin Fangzhi shook his head blankly.
Jiang Yu answered for him, “It’s because of the crowd. The cafeteria was packed, and he had to squeeze his way through. Otherwise, the food in the vending machines would have been snatched up.”
Su Tao thought of how Zhuang Wan had urged her to expand the cafeteria, and she felt a pang of bitterness.
It seemed that the eight crystal cores she had just acquired would have to be spent again.
The cafeteria needed to be expanded separately.
Currently, Taoyang had nearly 300 tenants, while the cafeteria could only accommodate about 60 people at a time, making it quite cramped.
The vending machines were also insufficient, but there wasn’t enough space to add more. The only solution was to open up a new area.
However, she couldn’t use up all eight cores.
Since she hadn’t yet found a stable source for crystal cores, she had to keep two in reserve.
After all, even without land expansion, the energy gun consumed a large number of crystal cores.
[Detected: Six Level-1 Crystal Cores. Energy collection in progress… Congratulations, Host! You have obtained management rights over this land. Please check.]
Su Tao checked the map and saw that Taoyang’s total area had reached a full 5,000 square meters.
She felt a small surge of excitement.
She had built this up bit by bit through her own efforts.
However, she didn’t plan to make the cafeteria too extravagant. Tonight, she would spend an hour setting up more tables and chairs and adding a few more vending machines.
For now, the top priority was making sure she could kill Tan Yong without fail and complete the hidden mission. Only after that would she focus on proper renovations.
Su Tao went upstairs to check on Black Sesame.
The little guy was still curled up in a ball, neither eating nor drinking, as if it had lost its entire purpose in life.
Feeling distressed, Su Tao reached into the cage to stroke it.
Black Sesame merely twitched its ears and ignored her.
“What am I supposed to do with you…”
Jiang Yu emerged from the shadows and suggested, “Keep it locked up for two more days. If it still doesn’t work, just let it be.”
Su Tao nodded and quickly turned away from the pitiful kitten, afraid that she would soften and give in the next second.
Dongyang’s public security was deteriorating.
There was no way around it—the unemployment rate was too high, and many had become homeless.
Theft and robbery were rampant.
A small cat like Black Sesame could easily end up as someone’s meal if a starving person got desperate enough.
Sighing inwardly, Su Tao freshened up and composed herself before heading to the office.
Just then, Qian Lin called.
“Boss, are you awake?”
Hearing the barely concealed excitement in her voice, Su Tao knew she must be thrilled about the new Taohua Tower.
“I’m up. How’s the sales hall?”
Qian Lin was overjoyed. “Beyond expectations! I got all the employees settled in this morning. The moment we announced it, half of our tenants lined up.”
“If the sales hall weren’t so spacious, we wouldn’t have been able to fit everyone. Luckily, Zhuang Wan was thoughtful enough to hire extra staff for me, or we wouldn’t be able to handle this workload.”
Su Tao said, “As long as you’re comfortable using it, that’s what matters.”
As she stepped downstairs, she ran into Grandma Cen, a stockpiling expert, pushing her cart and enthusiastically broadcasting the news about Taohua Tower’s transformation to her elderly friends.
“Oh, you’ll see when you go later—the sales hall is so convenient! The old Taohua Tower was tiny, and every time I went grocery shopping, it was packed like sardines. Just waiting in line outside for registration would take half a day, and I’d be sweating buckets.”
“Now we can queue indoors with air conditioning! It’s so spacious, divided into four separate lines, and no one has to squeeze anymore.”
Hearing this, the elderly ladies all pushed their shopping carts and hurried toward Taohua Tower.
Grandma Cen spotted Su Tao and proudly showed off her haul with a satisfied grin.
Su Tao chuckled, “Can you really finish all that food?”
“Of course not, but I have Old Mei, Old Gu, and Xiao Pan. They all chip in for groceries now.”
“Oh? You’ve set up a little meal-sharing group?”
Grandma Cen beamed with pride. “That’s right! I’ve completely won over the stomachs of those two old men.”
Su Tao couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re starting to sound like Master Qin.”
Grandma Cen quickly waved her hands. “Oh, I don’t dare compare! Master Qin is a professional. I’m nowhere near that level. But I could definitely run a small eatery. By the way, I wanted to ask—can we rent shop spaces in Taoyang? I’d love to open one. I’ve got too much free time on my hands.”
Su Tao was momentarily stunned. “…Not yet.”
Grandma Cen looked a little disappointed and urged, “Well, if shop spaces become available, save me one, okay? I’ll treat you and Fangzhi to spicy boiled beef!”
“Deal.”
Her words sparked an idea in Su Tao’s mind.
Surely the system wasn’t limited to residential rentals.
Would upgrading to Level 6 unlock commercial spaces, warehouses, and other rental options?
Su Tao felt a surge of anticipation and excitement.
After handling some important office tasks, she began planning how to assassinate Tan Yong.
But she had no real talent for plotting a murder. Every plan she came up with was full of loopholes.
After much deliberation, she decided to call Lei Xing.
“Have you reached your destination?”
