Chapter 1 This awful shop, let's open for business!

"Seven-day trial period? And no salary yet?"

Zhong Wan looked at the woman opposite her, raised an eyebrow, and continued to ask, somewhat speechless, "You didn't say before that you would offer a free trial period."

The woman opposite her smiled and continued, "You can see that nowadays, every company in Yunshan City has a trial period."

"We don't weed people out during the trial period. As long as there are no problems, you can stay."

"And our benefits are great too. We work four days a week and have three days off. After a year, the company will also provide five social insurances and one housing fund. Other companies can't compare."

Watching her talkative manner, Zhong Wan felt a surge of anger rising to her head. She had lost count of how many jobs this was that required a free trial period.

"I'm sorry, it seems this job isn't right for me either. I wish you find a suitable employee soon."

After finishing her sentence, Zhong Wan got up without hesitation, grabbed her bag, ignored the HR's frozen smile, and slammed the door shut as she left.

It would have been so much better to have explained things clearly earlier; she had to make a wasted trip ε=(′ο｀*))).

Four days on, three days off? Good benefits? Five years of work followed by housing fund after one year?

Haha, that's bullshit. It looks like you only had three days off, but you were working non-stop. Your base salary was also reduced by several hundred, and getting insurance upon joining is just a pipe dream.

Zhong Wan was absolutely furious.

She stormed out of the office building, the July heatwave hitting her instantly, but it couldn't dispel the frost in her heart.

Zhong Wan stood on the bustling street, but felt a chill run through her body.

That's ridiculous, she's only 29 years old.

Being older, unmarried, childless, lacking relevant experience, and having been single for six months... these labels are like heavy shackles, firmly pinning her to the bottom of the employment ladder, leaving her with no hope whatsoever.

The designers thought she lacked relevant experience, the art teachers thought she had a long period of unemployment and was too old to be stable, and the sales staff thought she was quiet and introverted...

Zhong Wan really didn't want to keep looking for work, but when she looked at her bank account balance, thinking about the insurance she hadn't paid this year, and her parents who were still working even though they were of retirement age, she...

Looking at the messages I just received on my phone, urging me to pay the car loan, and the car insurance I haven't paid this year...

Moreover, her mother hasn't received a salary since the Lunar New Year, and the family back home relies on her father's meager salary.

What can you do with three thousand yuan? And you still can't send it out on time.

Moreover, the new semester will start in two months, and she probably hasn't even raised the 30,000 yuan tuition fee for her younger brother yet.

Adding everything up, and then thinking about the small number in her bank account...

Zhong Wanguang felt overwhelmed and breathless just thinking about all this.

Then I found a shady spot and reopened the recruitment app.

Unexpectedly, her phone rang. It was the real estate agent who had helped her rent the apartment.

She raised her hand to answer: "Hello, Brother Wang, what's wrong?"

"Hey, Zhong Wan, I'm so sorry, I just got a call from the landlord, he sold the house..."

"I want you to move out by the end of the month. I'll refund this month's rent. Where would you like to move to? I'll help you find a place."

Brother Wang's words were full of apology, but Zhong Wan's heart skipped a beat when she heard the first sentence.

She felt an even greater tightness in her chest and a chill run through her mind.

Zhong Wan said somewhat flusteredly, "Brother Wang, there's less than a week left this month. It's not easy to find a suitable house."

"Especially at this price point, can we find similar options in our city?"

It costs 700 yuan a month for all utilities (water, electricity, internet), and includes a private bathroom.

With this price and configuration, if she hadn't rented the apartment early and acted quickly, she really wouldn't have gotten a chance.

The real estate agent sighed helplessly, "It's tough."

"The job market is sluggish this year, and the rental market isn't doing well either. With this budget, you can only find a partitioned room in a shared apartment at best. Why don't you increase your budget a bit?"

Zhong Wan frowned, thinking about her meager savings: "No way, brother, I can't afford to add more."

"You know, it's been half a year since I had my nearsightedness surgery before the Lunar New Year, and I still haven't found a job. Plus, I haven't paid my car loan this month or my car insurance for the year..."

Brother Wang choked on his words and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, while holding the phone and flipping through information on the computer, he comforted her, "Wait a minute, let me see if there are any other cheap houses available."

Suddenly, his hand holding the mouse paused. He looked at the photo on the computer screen, then at the information below, and his eyes lit up instantly: "Zhong Wan, would you consider a small shop?"

Zhong Wan almost laughed in anger upon hearing this, and said self-deprecatingly, "Big brother, are you kidding me? I can barely afford to rent a house, let alone a shop?!"

Unexpectedly, Brother Wang quickly replied, "I'm not kidding you, I saw it, it's a small two-story building, people live upstairs and shops downstairs, the rent is eight thousand a year all-inclusive."

"So cheap?!"

"Uh-huh,"

Brother Wang swallowed hard, then hesitated before stammering, "Well, I heard it's a bit...haunted?"

"But these are all things the old man himself said. They believe in these things, but we young people must believe in science."

"And if you're interested, how about I help you negotiate the price?"

Haunted? Zhong Wan wasn't superstitious and scoffed, "What's so scary about ghosts? Let's go take a look!"

"Okay, then send me your location."

"good."

Zhong Wan should have felt relieved, but when she stood in front of the grocery store, looking at the rickety signboard, the pitted and mottled wooden door, the desolate environment, and... the faintly visible grave mounds in the distance.

She looked at the real estate agent speechlessly and said, "Brother Wang, are you kidding me?"

Brother Wang chuckled upon hearing this, and reluctantly opened the door: "You have to believe in science. Look, it's only a bit dilapidated on the outside."

Seeing Zhong Wan's hesitant expression, he gritted his teeth and said, "Look, we've been working together for several years now. If you're going to rent it, I'll pay for you to replace the door..."

"Besides, since we're already here, let's come in and take a look."

Zhong Wan sighed helplessly, stepped inside, and stood at the door, looking at the old decorations and messy shelves. Zhong Wan couldn't help but frown slightly: "This must be the style of the 70s or 80s, right?"

Upon hearing this, Brother Wang shrugged: "More than that, the only downside of this house is that it's old, oh right, and it doesn't even have a bathroom."

As he spoke, he pointed to the courtyard on the left and said, "But it's also close to the bathroom. Just go out from this courtyard, and it's right across the street."

"Is there a place to wash up?"

"Don't worry, there's hot water both upstairs and downstairs; the landlord installed a new water heater last year."

Zhong Wan followed him up and down the stairs, but was still not entirely satisfied.

She reached out and touched the counter, but unexpectedly felt a sharp pain, as if it had instantly pierced her heart.

"hiss."

Zhong Wan quickly withdrew her hand, looking at the bloodstains and dust on her fingers, feeling utterly speechless.

[Ding! Matching host blood detected. The General Store Ghost Painting System is activating...]

【5.4.3.2.1……】

[System successfully started.]

[Does it need to be bound to host Zhong Wan?]

【yes】

[Binding successful.]

[New player quest: Please reopen the general store as soon as possible to activate the Ghost Painting System.]

[Task Reward: 5000 RMB starting capital]

[System Description: The host can earn cash rewards by drawing pictures for ghosts and fulfilling their requests.]

The cold, mechanical voice kept echoing in her mind, but Zhong Wan's eyes lit up when she heard it.

She never expected to have such luck—a system?! Does that mean she can reach the pinnacle of life?!

Zhong Wan instantly became excited.

[Please remain rational, host, and remember not to seek gain without effort.]

[The system does not enforce binding. If the host does not confirm opening the store before leaving home, the system will automatically unbind and erase the host's memory.]

The cold words offered some comfort, and Zhong Wan pursed her lips, asking in a low voice, "How can I activate the system and receive the funds?"

Become a grocery store owner, hang up a sign, and open for business.

Zhong Wan was overjoyed. She looked up at the real estate agent and said readily, "Brother Wang, could you ask around again and see how much I can negotiate down? If it's a good deal, I'll rent it!"

"Okay! I'll go right away!"

Watching the real estate agent turn and leave with a happy expression...

She looked up at the old, dilapidated general store again and couldn't help but say, "This store is so run-down, what can 5,000 yuan do?"

"More!"

[...]

The system seemed surprised by its host's greed, and replied without hesitation, "No bargaining."

[The host can also silently ask the system questions in their mind.]

Zhong Wan understood. With her sharp ears, she caught the system's pause just now and insisted, "Add a little more and I'll take over, otherwise you can wait for the next one!"

"This dilapidated and run-down place, I'll see when you can find your next host!"

system……

【Ten thousand! No more!】

[And there's a ghost not far from the entrance, so you'll have business as soon as you open your shop!!!]

[Each order starts at least at 5,000 RMB!]

Zhong Wan pouted and said disdainfully, "Stingy! This is a painting of ghosts! Who knows if those ghosts are scary?"

"If I take over this, won't I be in constant contact with ghosts? What if I get hurt or frightened?"

At this point, her eyes lit up: "So, is there any compensation for mental distress or work-related injury?"

The system was speechless.

【No! 】

With me here, you are neither harmed nor in danger.

Ghosts exist because of their obsessions, and they disappear when those obsessions are resolved.

[Evil spirits are intolerable to Heaven's will; the moment they harbor evil thoughts, they will be forced to vanish into nothingness!]

Hearing its somewhat exasperated mechanical voice, Zhong Wan gave a haughty snort: "Who knows?"

"But I need materials to paint, right? Will you provide them?"

[...]

I'll give it to you!!!

[Shut up, you idiot!!!]

Hearing the clearly agitated electrical hum, a fleeting smile crossed Zhong Wan's eyes.

Hearing footsteps at the door, Zhong Wan turned her head to look.

Looking at the smiling real estate agent, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Zhong Wan, I've done my best. It's six thousand a year, starting from five years. If you also want to buy these goods, I'll give you an extra thirty thousand. The business license transfer fee is three thousand, so how about a total of sixty-three thousand?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan's eyes darted around. She casually walked to the shelf, picked up one, and tossed it aside with obvious disgust, saying, "This junk costs 30,000?"

"I'll take it for five thousand if you lower the price."

The real estate agent was instantly on the verge of tears: "Girl, you've overcharged me!"

"four thousand?"

"Stop, stop, stop, let me ask again."

"OK".

Zhong Wan watched his hurried figure, then calmly walked to the counter and leaned against it.

A few minutes later, the real estate agent returned, panting. He gestured with his hand and said, "Miss, the total is 45,000, no less."

Zhong Wan carefully observed his expression and realized that there was no chance to bargain.

He readily agreed and even went through the trouble of asking the agency for a free full cleaning service.

But after paying, I looked at the remaining balance on my phone: 5648.32.

Zhong Wan still felt the pinch.

She made the decision on the spot, gritting her teeth and making a quick and decisive choice:

"Let's open this damn shop!"