The sunlight outside was dazzling. Shi Lan squinted for a moment, then resignedly got on her bicycle and started pedaling furiously again. (LeWen Novels)

It was already time for her to start work at the convenience store. To make a living, she didn't have time to wallow in self-pity.

After taking over from her impatient night shift colleague, Shi Lan put on her work apron and turned on the computer next to her.

The original owner's current place is a monthly rental, and she has to pay in two days. She has less than fifty yuan in total. Thinking of the landlord's big, burly body and loud voice that can be heard for several blocks, Shi Lan shuddered and opened the webpage even faster.

The rush hour for going to work and school had passed, and there were fewer people coming in to buy things. Shi Lan took advantage of this time to browse the web, write down job postings, and occasionally post her job application information on the page when she saw something suitable. She was busy like this, and before she knew it, the morning had passed.

During lunchtime, customers kept coming in to buy instant noodles and sandwiches. Shi Lan kept shuttling between the cashier and the microwave. After finally finishing this part, she quickly dialed a few phone numbers she had noted down in the morning.

To her disappointment, those jobs either paid a disproportionately high salary for the labor involved, or they were fraudulent schemes.

Three days passed in this way, and Shi Lan's job search was repeatedly thwarted.

After handing over her night shift to her colleagues, Shi Lan returned home feeling weak and listless. Before she even entered the door, she saw a woman who was three times her size standing by the door. As soon as she saw her, the woman reached out her hand without saying a word.

Shi Lan paused for a moment before snapping out of her daze, then smiled and asked, "Sister Zhang, could we postpone the rent payment?"

The woman Shi Lan called Sister Zhang was named Zhang Xiaomin. She didn't have a job and lived off rent. In her eyes, rent was her livelihood, and nothing was more important than rent.

Before Shi Lan could finish speaking, Zhang Xiaomin immediately raised her voice and said, "What did you say?"

Shi Lan couldn't help but shudder. The old stairwell had a particularly good echo effect, and Zhang Xiaomin's voice kept swirling in the stairwell, stimulating her eardrums to throb.

"Something happened to my shift tonight, and I'm a little short on money right now."

Zhang Xiaomin raised her eyebrows and looked fierce. "No way. You know my rules. You have to pay rent when the lease is up. If you don't pay, get out of here and don't stop me from making money."

Shi Lan frowned as well. She wouldn't move here. She didn't have Ning Yuze's contact information. This address was the only connection she had with him at the moment. If she left, she would probably never see him again in the vast sea of ​​people.

"Sister Zhang, how about you give me a few more days? I'll talk to the convenience store owner tomorrow and see if I can get an advance on this month's salary."

Hearing that things had taken a turn for the better, Zhang Xiaomin snorted. She knew Shi Lan's situation very well; she was heavily in debt and had no savings. However, this girl was quiet and didn't cause trouble. Such tenants were rare in rental properties with high turnover and a diverse population. In order not to lose this decent tenant, Zhang Xiaomin relented and said, "Alright, I'll give you two days. If you still don't have the money, I'll have to ask you to leave."

Shi Lan nodded quickly and turned to the side, saying, "I understand."

Zhang Xiaomin glanced at the girl, whose beauty was still undeniable despite the burdens of life, snorted, and walked towards another room.

A moment later, a loud banging on the door sounded behind me.

Shi Lan opened the door as if she hadn't heard anything, went back inside, put down her handbag, and sat down on the sofa, looking somewhat tired.

She had never experienced such financial hardship before, and the days of having to humble herself for just a few hundred dollars were becoming unbearable for her.

After eating a few mouthfuls of soy sauce noodles with only a few specks of oil, Shi Lan lay on the bed like a corpse, pondering how to bring up the matter of an advance with that money-obsessed boss tomorrow.

The original owner had worked at this convenience store for quite some time, always on time. While others would occasionally ask for leave, she never did. Sometimes, she would even cover shifts at the store owner's request. Logically, she should have been paid overtime for all of this, but the boss pretended not to understand. Colleagues who took leave had their pay reduced, but those who covered shifts didn't get a raise. By reducing pay both ways, he ended up getting a free laborer.

Thinking of how the original owner had endured such humiliation, Shi Lan felt angry, but what could she do? The original owner had no decent diplomas or skills, no family or money to rely on. If a weak and delicate girl didn't want to sell her looks, she could only rely on manual labor to survive.

Lost in her own thoughts, Shi Lan drifted off to sleep. When she woke up, it was already broad daylight. She wiped her face, put her long hair up, and went to the convenience store.

After asking her colleagues who were taking over the shift, Shi Lan felt a little more at ease after the boss hadn't come last night.

The convenience store has a high turnover rate, and the owner is worried that the employees will run away with the money, so he comes over almost every day and takes away large sums of cash.

The boss came yesterday before she took over her shift, and it's been more than a day now. I estimate he'll be here soon.

After buying herself a sandwich, Shi Lan quickly got into work mode.

At 2 PM, the boss walked in while talking on the phone.

Shi Lan neatly arranged the large sum of money, ignoring his hand that he casually extended while he was on the phone, and stood quietly to the side.

The boss glanced at her in surprise, quickly ended the call, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shi Lan handed over the money, went over the amount and accounts with him, and had him sign it.

When he handed her the pen, she looked around and, seeing that there were no other customers, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Boss, I have a family emergency. Could you please give me an advance of half a month's salary?"

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