At this moment, in the hotel lobby.
Ma Yue, Huang Lina, and Zhou Ya — the ghosts of the three — stood in a line.
The bootlicking front desk staff brought a chair over for Qing Li. Qing Li plopped herself down, crossed one leg over the other, and looked down arrogantly at the three shivering newbie ghosts.
Judging by the rewards she’d gotten for completing past missions, after returning this time, this hotel would become her property.
So recruiting staff in advance was absolutely necessary.
And these three in front of her were practically free labor delivered to her doorstep.
Qing Li said nothing. She lifted a finger and hooked it slightly. The bootlicking front desk clerk immediately understood. With her rotting face pulled tight, she shouted, “Stand up straight, all of you! The boss lady is about to speak!”
One plays the bad cop first, then the good cop can manipulate the ghosts.
Qing Li was quite satisfied with the front desk’s ability to read the room. She smiled slightly at the three ghosts in front of her and said, “Don’t worry. Since we were teammates before, speaking from our utterly insignificant bond, I could have just gifted you all a ‘scattered soul and shattered spirit’ package…”
At this point, Qing Li deliberately paused.
Between her fingers, she held a yellow talisman, emitting faint traces of thunderous power, causing the ghostly forms of Ma Yue and the others to tremble like sieves.
When they were alive, they had no idea how powerful this talisman was.
After becoming ghosts, they finally realized this little priestess was a true master.
If they had believed in her back then, would they have avoided getting boxed up?
“Master Qing Li, we already died such miserable deaths—please, we beg you, spare us!”
Ma Yue was the first to shamelessly fall to his knees.
He didn’t want to have just died as a human, only to be unable to survive as a ghost.
“Relax. Not only will I not kill you, I’ll even take you in and give you a place to stay.”
Qing Li stood up at that moment. She bent over to look down at Ma Yue and patted his rainbow-colored head with her fair little hand, smiling as she said, “Good luck, Little Ma. From now on, you’re the hotel’s security guard.”
Ma Yue: “Thank you, Boss Lady! I will devote myself to the company with all my heart and soul, until death and beyond!”
After speaking, Ma Yue stood up and gave a deep bow—so deep that his unsteady head fell off, and his brains spilled all over the floor.
Qing Li: “……”
This ghost thing’s head really isn’t sturdy. Looks like she’d have to get Doctor Chu to stitch it back on.
Qing Li then walked up to the ghost of Huang Lina. Just like the last one, her head wasn’t too secure either—she trembled all over.
“You’ll be working as a room service attendant in the hotel from now on,” Qing Li said.
Huang Lina’s pale face immediately turned bashful. She asked coyly, “Boss Lady, what kind of ‘room service’ are we talking about?”
The corner of Qing Li’s mouth twitched. “…The proper kind.”
“Oh, okay then!”
Huang Lina nodded with slight disappointment. And then—her head also fell off with a splat, brain matter bursting out, her gaze locking with Ma Yue’s on the floor.
Qing Li: “……”
Looks like this one needs stitching too.
Finally, Qing Li walked over to Zhou Ya.
Zhou Ya tried to keep a calm expression, but the fear in her eyes betrayed her.
She’d had past grudges with Qing Li while alive, and now she was worried Qing Li would settle the score.
“Zhou Ya, even though you deliberately tried to harm me before… I’m not the petty type,” Qing Li said.
Zhou Ya quietly let out a small breath of relief.
“The dead are gone, let the past be the past. As for you… from now on, you’ll be the hotel’s restroom cleaner. I really believe in your potential.” Qing Li patted Zhou Ya’s shoulder.
Zhou Ya: “……”
Not petty? This was just blatant revenge.
“Yes, Boss Lady. I’ll definitely work hard and do my best.” Zhou Ya’s smile was stiff and ugly.
【Haha, is our little village girl planning to open a hotel of her own now?】
【She said everything… except anything about salary. Truly a model entrepreneur.】
【There’s no way she’ll pay wages. Ask for pay and she’ll send you off to soul-scattering for free.】
【Commenter above, you really understand our little village girl.】
After assigning the posts, Qing Li raised her hand and glanced at the time on her digital watch. By her estimate, Chu Ci should be arriving any moment now.
Just as she was thinking about him, Qing Li saw a familiar figure appear outside the hotel entrance.
Chu Ci was wearing a black shirt, with the top two buttons casually undone as always, revealing his delicate, angular collarbones. His already deathly pale skin looked as white as paper against the dark fabric. A lazy, indifferent smile hung on his face, and the stitches at the corners of his mouth gave off an eerie, sickly vibe.
Qing Li raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but it felt like Chu Ci had deliberately dressed up today—especially that smile at the corner of his lips; it had a touch of seduction to it.
“System, do you think he’s trying to seduce me so I’ll take advantage of him, and then he can spring a honey trap on me and scam me out of my hospital owner status?” Qing Li analyzed in a whisper.
The system replied coldly, “Your face is really something.”
In the Horror World, if Chu Ci truly wanted something, there was nothing he couldn’t get.
But what the system couldn’t understand was—why did Chu Ci seem to be so interested in Qing Li?
“Doctor Chu, you’re finally here.”
Qing Li walked up to greet him and, at the same time, slipped a room card she had prepared in advance into Chu Ci’s hand. “This is the room I booked for you. Go on in and rest for now.”
Her expression, her actions—it all looked like some shady under-the-table ‘py1“py” is short for “潜” (qián) from 潜规则, and is used jokingly or suggestively online, often implying inappropriate or shady behind-the-scenes dealings, especially of a sexual or manipulative nature.‘ deal was going on.
【Has the little village girl finally decided to pull rank and sleep with Doctor Chu?】
【She’s even got the room ready. If nothing happens tonight, it’s going to be hard to wrap this up!】
【Doctor Chu looks like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered—about to be completely devoured by the little village girl.】
【Look at her now—she’s even started using her position to take advantage of employees!】
【If Doctor Chu tries to leave now, will she knock him out and drag him to the bed?】
The livestream exploded with excitement.
Chu Ci’s hand was icy cold. He took the room card and glanced at it briefly, then smiled faintly. “Aren’t you coming with me?”
There was a deeper meaning to his words.
Qing Li snuck a glance at the elevator, a bit guilty, and said, “You go on ahead. I’ll come by later.”
“All right.”
Chu Ci didn’t say anything more and turned to walk toward the elevator.
Qing Li instinctively called out, “Doctor Chu, take the stairs. The elevator’s still broken!”
“Oh? Is that so—”
Chu Ci turned around, those pitch-black eyes seeming to see through everything, yet remaining eerily calm in their depths.
“This elevator just had someone die in it yesterday. It’s bad luck,” Qing Li said.
The recently unlucky Ma Yue, who had died just yesterday, hugged his head and huddled pitifully in a corner.
Yeah… it was him who made a mess of the elevator.
Once Chu Ci’s figure disappeared around the stairwell corner, Qing Li quickly pressed the elevator button.
To avoid arousing suspicion, she had deliberately booked the room on the sixth floor.
The elevator was naturally faster than climbing the stairs. Qing Li reached the sixth floor first and slipped into the room she had reserved.
The system was dumbfounded—it seemed to realize what this Player No. 90 was scheming.
The livestream viewers also picked up on it one after another.
【Holy shit, Little Village Girl, I beg you—be human!】
【I never imagined the alternate dimension could be used like this (crying gif).】