Chapter 33: Chu Lisheng

After refusing, he came to Luoding City and settled into a small courtyard located between the Hope Base and the New Life Base.

He had lived a wild, free-spirited life, but for some inexplicable reason, he had ended up taking in a child, forcing him into a grueling cycle of killing zombies just to exchange for supplies. Having tasted the hardships of raising a child, he now craved stability; he found the scratch-off lottery tickets for zombie kills quite decent, but then a massive windfall fell from the sky.

A convenience store was handed to him—how could he refuse? How could the word "no" even cross his lips?

Shen Bing nodded hurriedly, "I can do it."

Lu Li: "?"

She tapped her foot and added, "I haven't even told you the conditions yet."

Shen Bing said earnestly, "Whatever the conditions are, it's fine."

As long as Boss Lu provided the goods for the convenience store and paid him on time, there was nothing he wouldn't agree to! Shen Bing was ten thousand percent in favor; if it weren't for his persona and the presence of others, he would have raised both his hands and feet in agreement on the spot.

Lu Li stopped tapping her foot and produced a contract. "Then let's sign the contract. Don't think that just because this is the apocalypse, contracts don't matter. The contract I use here is a life-and-death pact."

He took it and read through it line by line. The meaning was clear: Lu Li would provide the merchandise for the convenience store, Shen Bing would be responsible for operations, and the profits would be split 20/80.

That’s right—she had changed it to a 20/80 split on the spot. Lu Li felt that 30/70 was too generous to Shen Bing, considering she was providing both the goods and the store itself. If he only had to handle the register and stock the shelves, and he still got 30 percent? Lu Li was absolutely not having it!

The contract also detailed Shen Bing's shifts and his monthly days off; failure to comply would result in deductions from his share. It also mentioned that Shen Bing could continue his scratch-off activities; any prizes won could be sold in the convenience store, with a 50/50 split on those specific profits.

Shen Bing finished reading, flipped to the end, and signed his name.

An instant later, a red line appeared on the inside of his left wrist—this was the life-and-death contract signed with the system. Unless Lu Li initiated the termination of the contract, Shen Bing would have to work at the convenience store for the rest of his life.

Shen Bing knew this, but he didn't care. Working for Boss Lu was far better than working for the Central Base. The latter would cost him his life.

Having resolved this major issue, Lu Li smiled even more brightly, her dimples becoming more prominent. She asked with a grin, "When do you plan to redeem it?"

"Later," Shen Bing replied. "I'll come find you." With that, he rose and left.

The rewards won by the people who followed were rather mediocre—at least, in comparison to those from Shen Bing's convenience store. She couldn't fathom how a single Tier-1 crystal core had scratched him a second-prize win! How was this any different from someone in the 21st century spending twenty bucks on a scratch-off and winning a million? They were all children of fortune.

Time flew by in the bustle, and seeing that it was getting late, Lu Li decided to pack up. Unexpectedly, the man from the previous night returned—calm eyes, an expressionless face, and a very low-maintenance buzz cut.

Lu Li glanced at him lazily, then her eyes involuntarily glued themselves to him. He truly had a perfect face, better than any of the male stars from the 21st century. With long limbs and excellent proportions, even the simplest clothes looked extraordinary on him.

By now, the long table at the E4 stall was empty, and the surrounding vendors were packing up to head home. Keeping the convenience store in mind, Lu Li urged him, "Hurry up, I'm getting ready to close."

He hadn't come just to buy scratch-offs this time; he was here to redeem his prizes. He took out the tickets he had bought last time from his inventory and placed them on the table. He then began, with agonizing slowness, to sort them into "winners" and "losers." Watching him made Lu Li anxious.

She strode over, stood beside him with her arms crossed, and used her presence to hurry him along. But he remained completely unaffected. After slowly finishing the sorting, he stuffed the pile of winning tickets into the mouth of the Lucky Cat.

The Lucky Cat spoke in its unhurried tone: "Congratulations to Mr. Chu Lisheng for winning..."

The rewards were quite ordinary, but the winning rate was surprisingly high. Lu Li took a rough look: he had bought thirteen tickets that day, and eight were winners, including even a "Buffet Voucher." He had truly struck gold.

Chu Lisheng swept his hand, and the rewards on the table vanished into his inventory. With another sweep, he collected the remaining scratch-offs for the day. Lu Li felt a momentary daze; when she looked closely, only the crystal cores remained on the table, and she counted them—they matched perfectly.

This man was a bit mysterious; he came and went like a phantom, appearing only for the scratch-offs. Pure, he was just too pure! But she saw such people every day, and Lu Li was used to it; it was only because he was handsome that she had taken a few extra glances.

Lu Li tucked the long table, the Lucky Cat, and other items into her shop backpack, picked up Little Lu, and headed back. She had been led through the path by Feng Fuzhi at noon, and since her memory was decent, she successfully spotted the RV fifteen minutes later.

Shen Bing was standing not far from the RV, hands in his pockets, gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. He looked quite melancholic. As Lu Li approached, she punched him in the arm and barked, "What are you doing? Playing the melancholic prince?"

Shen Bing snapped back to reality, feeling inexplicably awkward. What melancholic prince? He had just been looking at the wild geese flying overhead.

Lu Li opened the door to the RV, set Little Lu inside, and couldn't help but smile as she saw the girl happily hopping over to eat her cat food.

"Alright, give me the voucher." Lu Li held out her hand, her expression impatient.

Shen Bing obediently pulled the voucher from his pocket. His palms were sweaty, slightly dampening a corner of the card. Lu Li noticed it instantly; her gaze darkened, but she said nothing. She took the Lucky Cat from her backpack and placed it inside.

Then, two pairs of eyes turned simultaneously to the Lucky Cat, filled with nothing but anticipation.

"Pfft..." The Lucky Cat’s mouth opened wider and wider—almost as big as Lu Li's upper body, as if it could swallow her whole. The sight was a bit alarming, so Lu Li stopped holding it and set it on the ground.

The Lucky Cat’s mouth continued to widen into an irregular circle. After a series of crackling sounds, a "bang" exploded like a firework. Shen Bing watched as colorful ribbons materialized out of thin air, vibrant and dazzling. The ribbons drifted in the air, spinning as they slowly descended, with Boss Lu at the very center.

Lu Li looked up as well, a faint smile on her lips, her dimples clearly reflected on her face. Shen Bing’s gaze followed the ribbons downward, landing on Lu Li’s face, on a smile even more brilliant than the ribbons themselves.

He was stunned for a moment, until a flash of white light appeared, revealing a long, rectangular glass house with a modern aesthetic.

Shen Bing finally came to his senses, carefully examining the suddenly appeared convenience store. All five sides were made of glass. One could clearly see inside from the outside, though it was currently empty—everything was waiting to be built. It didn't even have a storefront sign; it was just a simple glass house, looking a bit crude.

Lu Li stepped forward to one of the glass walls. As if triggered by an infrared sensor, the glass cracked open, sliding to both sides. The door opened without a sound—smooth and sensitive. This was the main entrance. Shen Bing looked left and right, full of curiosity.