Chapter 61: Boss Su, First Collaboration—Wishing You Success
The chaos this time resulted in the loss of just one air conditioner, a living room coffee table, and two chairs.
Altogether, the damage amounted to only 15,000 federal credits.
Not too bad, but she wasn’t about to let this slide—whoever caused this would pay every last bit of it!
“Got it. Pei Dong said they went to the Eastern District, right into Gu Mingchi’s territory.”
Shi Zijin handed over his communicator.
Su Tao glanced at it, her tone sharp: “They sure know how to hide. Do they really think I can’t reach into the Eastern District?”
Shi Zijin shot her a look: “Boss Su, you must be quite powerful. No one else can extend their reach into both the Eastern and Western Districts.”
Su Tao’s eyes narrowed: “Are you mocking me?”
Shi Zijin, all seriousness: “Absolutely not.”
Su Tao snorted, then dialed Gu Mingchi’s number.
As soon as the call connected, she got straight to the point:
“Boss Gu, I need a favor. If it works out, I’ll send you an extra 10 tons of water this month.”
On the other end, Gu Mingchi even put out his cigarette, his tone becoming solemn: “What kind of favor is worth 10 tons of water?”
Su Tao sent over the information and photos of the instigating sisters:
“These two caused some trouble on my end. If you find them, package them up and send them straight to the water truck. We’ll make it a straightforward trade—people for water.”
Gu Mingchi took a look—didn’t recognize the small fries—and tossed the info to his deputy: “Go investigate.”
Then he told Su Tao: “No problem. Three days. In three days, the vehicle, Zhong Gaoyi, and these two will all be at Taoyang. Boss Su, our first collaboration—wishing you success.”
Su Tao: “Success, success.”
After hanging up, Su Tao sighed: “Having connections really makes things easier.”
Noticing Shi Zijin’s quiet stare, she quickly added, her face full of sincerity:
“Without you and Sister Pei, I wouldn’t have known where they ran off to. Clearly, you two are far more important—Gu Mingchi is just running errands, catching people.”
Shi Zijin finally looked away.
Originally, Su Tao didn’t intend to ask the tenants for compensation, but unexpectedly, that very afternoon, Yang Ju came to her as a representative. She apologized profusely:
“This is a collection from all the Building One tenants. It’s about 30,000 federal credits. We’re so sorry, Boss Su. I asked my Xiaobo—he must’ve been out of his mind. He really didn’t mean it.”
Su Tao refused the compensation:
“This isn’t your fault. There were ill-intentioned ability users manipulating the situation. You are all victims. Please tell everyone—it was our failure to properly screen tenants. It’s us who should apologize. We’ll be issuing a formal apology letter.”
And true to her word, Su Tao, along with Zhuang Wan, drafted a sincere apology and posted it in the notice boards of both apartment buildings.
The tenants were completely taken aback. On one hand, they were shocked and furious that such ability users existed; on the other, they were amazed by the honesty of this landlord.
Su Tao could have easily hidden the truth, let the tenants bear the losses, and left them to feel guilty and regretful.
But she didn’t. Instead, she offered a heartfelt apology.
The tenants’ anger at being manipulated dissipated, replaced by a warm sense of gratitude.
Fan Chuanhui quietly raised his camera, capturing the apology letter and the reactions of the tenants.
That night, he took out the photos, grabbed pen and paper.
Perhaps he could document something more. When he looked back at these photos and words in the future, he wanted to remember this feeling.
What should he write? Maybe: “My Half-Life in Taoyang.”
The next day, the system settled April’s rent, and a hefty 180,000 federal credits flowed into Su Tao’s account.
She now had a surplus of about 190,000 credits.
First, she replaced the damaged air conditioner, bought new tables and chairs, spending 15,000.
She also paid the water and electricity bill—only 3,300 credits. The price was so low it nearly brought her to tears.
With some extra money in hand, Su Tao decided to give the clinic a proper upgrade.
Not only did she install air conditioning, but she also sectioned off a small courtyard with benches and a sun umbrella, mainly for patients waiting in line. The doctors could also step outside for a break when they got tired.
She went further and equipped the first and second floors of the office building, all six floors of Building One, and both floors of the cafeteria with air conditioning.
This endeavor quickly burned through over 130,000 federal credits, but her goal of “air conditioning for everyone” was finally achieved!
She still had a solid 40,000 credits in savings—pretty good!
As a final touch, Su Tao indulged herself by expanding her living space with a new single room, specifically for her three furry companions.
She placed a pet food dispenser and a pet canned food vending machine against the wall.
The food and water bowls were set to the side, and a shelving unit was installed on the opposite wall for miscellaneous items.
In the center, she laid out a large round cushion.
As soon as it was set down, Black Sesame ran over joyfully, rolling around on it.
White Sesame cautiously sniffed the cushion, kneading it gently with tiny paws, clearly pleased.
Xuedao strolled over slowly, grabbed the playful Black Sesame in a bear hug, and settled in the middle, soon snoring away.
Su Tao also loved this cozy pet room. It was conveniently connected to both the bedroom and the living room.
Her current place spanned a luxurious 140 square meters—a large kitchen, spacious living room, master bedroom with an attached study, a big balcony, two merged ultra-wide bathrooms, and now a dedicated pet room.
Pure luxury.
But she loved it. It was her own little haven, and everything about it felt just right.
The only drawback was being on the third floor, which was a bit inconvenient. If Taoyang could expand a bit more, she’d love to build herself a standalone villa…
Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough space. She needed to reserve the remaining area for Building Three; otherwise, she wouldn’t meet the upgrade criteria for the number of rooms.
She also wanted to expand the clinic, build a gym, create a library, start a school, and, inspired by Dongyang, even establish a farm and a plantation…
She was so greedy!
Unconsciously, Su Tao walked to the study and picked up the blueprints given to her by Old Mei.
Everything she dreamed of was there—it was just a matter of when it could become reality.
Hopefully, it would all come true before the second apocalypse…
*
Two days later
Gu Mingchi kept his promise and delivered the three people along with the vehicle.
Shi Zijin reminded her: “Take Xuedao with you when you go down.”
Su Tao happily took Xuedao, called Zhuang Wan, and went downstairs. From a distance, she saw a large truck parked at the entrance. Over a dozen workers and a scholarly man in a white T-shirt with round glasses had already gotten off.
As they approached, Su Tao beamed and extended her hand:
“Dr. Zhong, I presume? I’m Su Tao, and this is our Taoyang manager, Ms. Zhuang.”
“Hello, I’m Zhong Gaoyi.”
The three exchanged polite handshakes.
The temperature must have been high on the way over—Zhong Gaoyi’s forehead was drenched, and his white T-shirt was soaked through.
Zhuang Wan, ever the thoughtful assistant, immediately handed him an iced drink:
“Dr. Zhong, have a sip. I’ll take you to the clinic shortly.”
After drinking it down, Zhong Gaoyi felt instantly refreshed, pleasantly surprised that it was actually ice-cold. This Taoyang… sure knew how to enjoy life.
These days, let alone ice—having water to drink was already a luxury.
He said: “Those two are tied up in the truck. They’ve fainted from heatstroke. How do you want to handle it? If we don’t get them out soon, they might not make it.”
Su Tao called over Meng Xiaobo and a few strong men, who went into the truck and carried the troublesome sisters out.
“Boss Su, where to?”
“Take them to my office. Tie them securely to the chairs. Zining, go with them to make sure they don’t cause more trouble. We’ll first get Dr. Zhong settled at the clinic and then come over. Make sure no one lets Lexi near the office building—we can’t afford any more chaos.”
Guan Zining made an “OK” gesture and followed along like a supervisor.
Su Tao then turned to Zhong Gaoyi, speaking politely:
“This way, Dr. Zhong. From now on, we’ll rely on you for consultations at Taoyang. The clinic might be a bit small, but if you need anything, just let me know.”
Zhong Gaoyi thought they would just find him a small room to see patients—he had no particular demands. A place to sit was enough, as long as it wasn’t too hot.
Back in the Eastern District, he had set up his practice in a shared apartment, with just a small table by the window in the living room. Patients and roommates came and went constantly—it was noisy and dirty.
And in May, the spot by the window felt like a sauna.
