I have an Apocalypse City

Chapter 24: Landlord

Translator: 549690339 |

“After hesitant deliberation. Song Jian finally sighed, reluctantly putting away his phone. For a person who suffers from decision-malting difficulties, he would often procrastinate until the very last moment when a decision was absolutely unavoidable.

Today was Sunday, and he did not have to go to work. After getting out of bed and freshening up, he planned to leave, clutching a gold bracelet. The only left in his wallet were a few tens of yuan, while his bank card account only had triple digits. His first task after stepping out was to find a pawn shop where he could sell the bracelet to procure some cash.

Just as he locked his rental room’s door, Song Jian heard the “click-clack’¹ noise of high heels tapping on the staircase. Turning around, he saw his landlady, Ge Xiaojia.

She was a woman in her early thirties and extraordinarily pretty. Sometimes, the word pretty didn’t quite suffice. She was, in fact, breathtaldngly delicate.

Perhaps she had Just taken a bath, for a faint but pleasant fragrance emanated from her. Her hair was still damp, and her complexion was as white as jade, without any visible pores. Her figure was particularly exemplary, and her skin throughout her body exuded a palpable elasticity. Under the sunlight, it gleamed like ivory, captivating all who looked.

Despite being such a beautiful and affluent woman, she was still single. When Song Jian had first moved in, he found himself infatuated with her. But after spending more time with her and witnessing her harsh and acid-tongued side, he had no interest in her anymore. There was even some hidden fear.

Seeing that Song Jian was about to lock the door, Ge Xiaojia cooed sarcastically, “Oh, Jian, it’s Sunday, and you’re leaving early in the morning.

You wouldn’t be avoiding me, would you?”

Song Jian responded awkwardly, “Landlady, why are you here? Do you need something?”

“Oh, playing dumb, aren’t you? What else could 1 need? I’m here to collect the rent.” She produced a calculator from somewhere and started clicking away proficiently.”

this month’s rent, plus utility charges. I’ve already calculated, comes to 2376 yuan. I’ll round it down to 2300 for you. Look, Jian, 1 think I’ve been quite reasonable given that you’re a fresh graduate. Others would ask for three months’ rent as a deposit, but I let you pay by rhe month without a deposit. Just how accommodating am I? Please don’t put me in a tough spot.” She somewhat assertively poked Song Jian in the face with the calculator as she spoke.

Song Jian replied wryly, “Landlady, isn’t the rent due tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Ge Xiaojia paused, her eyes shifted, and she quickly retorted, “Don’t you have to work tomorrow? I thought it may inconvenience you. What’s the difference if it’s a day early or late? You wouldn’t happen to be out of money, would you?”

As she said that, her suspicious gaze shifted to the gold bracelet in Song Jian’s right hand, her eyes lighting up with interest.

She exclaimed, “Hey, this bracelet has a nice design. Where did you get it? Let me take a look!” Ge Xiaojia extended her hand imperatively.

“Landlady, this is my…” Before Song Jian could finish speaking, Ge Xiaojia’s expression changed, as if she had thought of something. She spoke to Song Jian earnestly, “Look, Jian, not having money is one thing, but please don’t resort to stealing. Tell me, is this bracelet stolen?”

Song Jian was startled, but on his face, he had an aggrieved look and said, “Landlady, who besides you here could afford such an expensive gold bracelet? Look at the craftsmanship of this bracelet; its weight…”

After that. Song Jian quietly handed the gold bracelet over to Ge Xiaojia.

“This is a family heirloom. My mother said she planned to keep it for my wife. However, I’m really strapped for cash right now and was thinking to pawn it to raise some money. Does that not conveniently cover your rent?” Song Jian spoke.

“Pawn it?” Ge Xiaojia furrowed her brows slightly, closely examining the bracelet in hand and gauging its weight. Her fingers traced over the surface of the bracelet.

With her discerning eye, she recognized the bracelet to be brand new without a hint of wear and tear; the unusual design also indicated that it had not yet been released in the market. Ge Xiaojia instantly loved it.

“Alright, don’t bother pawning it elsewhere; just pawn it to me. This bracelet should weigh around sixty grams; 1’11 give you twenty thousand yuan for it. I might as well wear it when I’m free. When you’ve saved up enough money, you can redeem it from me. How does that sound?” Ge Xiaojia suggested.

“Twenty thousand?” Song Jian was inwardly shocked but asked aloud.

“Yes, twenty thousand! Why, is it too little?” Ge Xiaojia stared pointedly at Song Jian.

“No, no, Landlady, then I’ll leave it here with you.” Song Jian hastily agreed.

In fact, Song Jian had planned to take the gold bracelet to the pawn shop and pawn it off. However, it was clear that pawnshops tend to undervalue things significantly. If he had chosen to pawn this bracelet there, even if they gave him eight thousand yuan, Song Jian could consider the pawn shop manager to be generous.

Ge Xiaojia drafted up a pawn agreement, handed Song Jian twenty thousand yuan in cash, and gleefully wore the gold bracelet on her wrist.

“Come redeem it when you have money! Oh, and pay this month’s rent.” Ge Xiaojia called out, her beautiful face glowing with a dazzling smile. She counted out more than twenty notes from rhe cash pile and left the thick bundle of remaining money with Song Jian before turning to leave.

As Song Jian looked at the thick stack of fresh banknotes, he felt a sense of surrealism. He had just played a video game the entire night, and it had earned him twenty thousand yuan! He thought about the five or six similar gold bracelets in his game inventory and the jewelry store within rhe game. The items there did not have any use in the games, but most had the attribute of being able to take them outside rhe game.

“I’m rich!” An expression of excitement formed on Song Jian’s face.

Just then, Song Jian’s phone started ringing.

“Hello, Jian, are you awake? Come to the east entrance of Dongting Supermarket. I’m taking you to a nice place today!” Zhao Yu’s excited voice came through the phone.

Dongting Supermarket, located in the heart of Coastal City’s busiest commercial district, was in the most bustling area of the city. The prestigious Starlight Primary School that Li Ke’er had mentioned was also located near this commercial circle. However, since Starlight was a chain school for the affluent, Song Jian was unsure if Li Ke’er lived in the same city as him.

With his wallet bulging, he now walked with a newfound confidence in his stride. After hailing a taxi, he quickly arrived at the east entrance of Dongting Supermarket.

Zhao Yu was waiting at the supermarket’s entrance, continually lifting up his wrist to check the time on his Jaeger-LeCoultre watch. While it appeared he was checking the time, he only did so when a pretty girl passed by him.

Song Jian smiled a little. Zhao Yu came from a wealthy family and was merely working for amusement. His attitude was very casual, and he often looked disdainfully ar his work colleagues. Yet, for some unknown reason, he and Song Jian became friends.

“Zhao Yu, over here!” Song Jian raised his hand slightly and called out loudly.