Chapter 187: The Trap in the Honey Jar
“You can go now. I’ll go in by myself.”
Lian Sha took her luggage and rang the doorbell of Taoyang’s main entrance.
As she waited, she looked at the tall walls and electric fences surrounding the place. There was something familiar about them.
She seemed to recall seeing a photo of Panliu Mountain on Tan Yong’s desk, and it had the same kind of tall walls and electric fencing—sturdy, impenetrable.
Could there be a connection between Taoyang and Panliu Mountain?
Doubt rose in Lian Sha’s mind, but before she could think further, the door opened. A man and a woman stood there to receive her.
The woman gave her a polite nod and said, “Miss Lian, correct? I’m Zhuang Wan. I was the one who called you yesterday to confirm your stay. Please, come in.”
Lian Sha nodded and assumed the chubby man beside Zhuang Wan was just an underling. Without a second thought, she handed her luggage to him and walked in like a pampered young lady, stepping gracefully in her low-heeled pointed shoes.
Zhuang Wan’s expression darkened, about to say something, but Liang Ce, the chubby man, simply smiled and shook his head, signaling that it was fine.
Suppressing her irritation, Zhuang Wan watched Lian Sha’s swaying silhouette and wished she could burn a hole through her back with her glare.
Lian Sha, oblivious to it all, walked inside while observing her surroundings. The more she looked, the more surprised she became.
“You guys built a fountain in this tiny place?”
No wonder it felt a few degrees cooler the moment she stepped in.
Zhuang Wan smirked and asked, “Doesn’t the place you used to live in have one?”
A small area like ours has a fountain, but your ‘big’ place doesn’t?
Lian Sha froze, immediately picking up on the implied insult. Her mood soured.
Zhuang Wan continued, “Good infrastructure isn’t about how big a place is. This fountain is nothing. Here in Taoyang, we have hospitals, a cafeteria, office buildings, and plantations. What people used to have before the apocalypse, they can still find here.”
Lian Sha’s face turned green. She thought Zhuang Wan was exaggerating just to mock her ignorance.
“Is this how Taoyang treats its guests? Lin Fangzhi kept telling me how great this place is, but from what I see, the attitude isn’t all that impressive.”
In her heart, Zhuang Wan cursed Lian Sha thoroughly but maintained a smile.
“Miss Lian, you must have misunderstood. The weather is hot. Let’s go inside first.”
Downstairs, Lian Sha spotted two middle-aged women wearing aprons.
One of them was holding a vacuum cleaner, while the other carried a bottle of chilled drink that was emitting white mist. The two of them laughed as they walked into a small building next to the office.
The sign on the building read: Janitor Rest Area.
Lian Sha was stunned.
Two cleaning ladies not only had access to vacuum cleaners—something from the pre-apocalypse era—but also got to drink chilled beverages?
At the Old Station, even full-time maids working in Tan Yong’s personal villa weren’t guaranteed clean drinking water every day, let alone bottled and refrigerated drinks. And these women seemed to have them regularly.
Not to mention, Taoyang even provided a dedicated rest area for these workers, who should have been among the first to be eliminated in an apocalyptic world.
Peeking through a small sliding window, Lian Sha was shocked to see that the interior of the janitor’s lounge was actually well-furnished. It had proper tables, chairs, cabinets, and even a small room. Through the gap, she could vaguely see a sofa and a water dispenser inside.
At that moment, Lian Sha suddenly understood the bitterness and jealousy Qu Jingwen must have felt when she first saw pictures of Panliu Mountain.
Even janitors here had better living conditions than she did…
Frustrated, Lian Sha stormed into Taoli Tower.
But the moment she stepped through the doors, she was hit by a wave of cool air, and she froze on the spot. She had been so caught up in her anger that she momentarily forgot why she was upset. Instinctively, she glanced around, searching for the source of the air conditioning.
Zhuang Wan, still smiling, said, “Central air conditioning. You’ll need to look up.”
Lian Sha realized she had just embarrassed herself and her face turned even darker.
Zhuang Wan, unfazed, led her to the reception area on the right side of the front desk.
The lake-blue fabric sofas, the artistic glass coffee tables, and even the casually placed tissue boxes all gave off an air of effortless luxury, as if no one cared how much was used.
By the time Lian Sha finished listening to the check-in instructions and signed the lease agreement, she found herself reluctant to get up from the soft sofa.
Setting aside Zhuang Wan’s unfriendly attitude, she had to admit—Taoyang’s environment and facilities were impressive.
No Wonder Shi Zijin Moved Here
No wonder Shi Zijin wanted to move here.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and an elderly man with a head full of white hair was pushed out in a wheelchair. As he passed through the turnstile, he spotted Zhuang Wan and called out:
“Wanwan, how’s the matter with my student going? Have you found someone suitable?”
Zhuang Wan immediately felt a headache coming on and tried to brush past the topic.
“Not yet! But as soon as I find the right person, I’ll let you know. I have a tenant to take care of right now, so I’ll be going!”
But Old Mei wasn’t about to let her off so easily. He sighed and said:
“I’m an old man now. Who knows how much longer I’ll live? This needs to be done quickly. Honestly, the offer is quite decent—10,000 Federal Credits per month, with free food, housing, and various benefits and stipends. Altogether, it’s nearly 30,000. Or have I been out of touch for too long? Has the world outside gotten so much better that this job isn’t competitive anymore?”
Lian Sha’s eyes widened at the mention of such benefits.
Free food, free housing, and they even pay you? What kind of job was this?
Was Taoyang running a charity?
Why did this setup feel exactly like Panliu Mountain?
Back at the Old Station, she had helped that bastard Tan Yong so much, and yet he only gave her a little over 20,000 a month as spending money.
Anything extra, she had to earn by singing and manipulating people.
Now, comparing the two… she felt utterly stifled.
Zhuang Wan hated hearing Old Mei talk like this, so she quickly surrendered.
“No, no, it’s just that we haven’t found the right person yet! I promise I’ll work hard to find someone smart and reliable for you as soon as possible!”
That was exactly what Old Mei wanted to hear. He nodded and said:
“Thank you for your effort. Just make sure to tell the candidates clearly—this job comes with housing, a private office, and hands-on training from me personally. No experience needed, as long as they’re hardworking and dependable.”
Even Lian Sha couldn’t help but wonder if she qualified for the job.
After completing the check-in process, Lian Sha received the access code to her one-bedroom apartment. She entered the code correctly, and with a soft click, the door unlocked.
Muttering about how it even had a passcode lock—so fancy—she carried her luggage inside.
The moment she saw the sleek and brand-new interior, she couldn’t hold back anymore. Gritting her teeth, she muttered angrily to herself:
“What kind of garbage life was I living before this? This is where I should be staying!”
It was unbelievable.
Dongyang was just a middling, developing base, yet somehow, it was hiding a paradise like this.
She had been in the South for over six months and had never heard of such a great place.
If she had known earlier, she would’ve rushed here overnight, seduced the boss, and taken full control—this whole place would have been hers by now!
Wait a minute—who was the boss here?
She suddenly realized that she knew absolutely nothing about Taoyang.
That was not a good sign.
Jumping up from the sofa, she grabbed the contact information left by Lin Fangzhi and Meng Xiaobo.
She needed to summon those two lackeys to her room for questioning.
However, when she tried calling them, neither of their communicators connected.
A sense of unease crept into her heart.
She decided to go downstairs and ask around.
But to her shock—the high-tech, convenient passcode door refused to open no matter what she did!
