The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

"Is it all done?"

Seeing Xu Nian get into the car, Xu Hu yawned and shook up the reclining seat.

Xu Nian gave a soft "hmm," her brows furrowing with undisguised disappointment.

Xu Hu didn't say much, whistling as he drove towards the city center.

"It's getting dark, you just came out, and you have nowhere to go. Come stay at my house."

Xu Nian shook her head.

"No need, Brother Tiger, you've gone to too much trouble for me today. Just take me to the shantytown, I'll rent a place there."

"Slums?"

Xu Hu chuckled softly.

"That place was demolished five years ago."

"It's been demolished?"

Xu Nian's lips twitched.

"Mmm."

Xu Hu nodded.

"The company that bought that land was Xu Xi's."

"It was all demolished a long time ago. In the last two years, villas have been built instead, each costing tens of millions."

Xu Nian sighed and couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

Yes, in a rapidly developing city, there's no room for such dark corners.

But without the protection of darkness, where could this rat, who couldn't stand the light, go?

"Brother Tiger, where's the cheapest place to rent in Yuncheng right now?"

"Cheap?"

Xu Hu laughed heartily.

"The cheapest ones are in the village."

"Over the years, a huge number of people from other places have come to Yuncheng to work."

"There are too many people, and there are simply not enough houses to live in. House prices have more than tripled compared to ten years ago."

"Is that really so exaggerated..."

Xu Nian's lips twitched.

"This is all thanks to that girl Xu Xi."

Xu Hu raised his hand and pointed out the window.

Xu Nian followed the direction of his finger and stared intently.

In the darkness, only a huge industrial park could be seen, brightly lit.

Rows and rows of factory buildings stretched as far as the eye could see.

Countless large trucks lined up and parked next to the factory, and a large number of workers were busy loading and unloading goods on the trucks.

The most eye-catching feature is the four large characters on the tallest building in the factory area.

Sinian Group.

"There are five such factory areas in Yuncheng, each with tens of thousands of people."

"And several office buildings in the city are crammed with that girl's employees."

"These people came to Yuncheng from other places, so they need to find a place to stay."

"So you see, where can you find cheap rentals anymore? Even a small, old apartment in the city costs two or three thousand a month."

Xu Nian lowered her head, her eyes flickering slightly.

Time has passed, and the changes in Yuncheng have taken him by surprise.

Can he still survive in this Cloud City now?

"So, you can stay here with me."

Xu Hu patted him on the shoulder and laughed.

"I happen to have an empty apartment. The previous tenant just moved out, and I haven't had time to tidy it up yet. You can go and tidy it up and move in."

"Brother Tiger, how much will you charge per month if you rent it out? I'll pay you."

"Then don't worry about it."

There was a hint of displeasure in Xu Hu's tone.

"You can stay in my house as much as you want, but if you ask for money, I'll take you down."

Xu Nian smiled helplessly.

Now that things have come to this, he has no reason to refuse.

I'll find a way to repay Xu Hu when I make money in the future.

......

After dropping Xu Nian off at a residential area, Xu Hu hurriedly left.

Now that he's reached middle age, he has a family, a career, and things he needs to protect.

Spending the whole day with Xu Nian is already incredibly kind of him.

Xu Nian took out the key Xu Hu had given him and opened a door.

This is a somewhat old two-bedroom apartment with peeling paint on the walls, revealing the gray cement underneath.

But it looks fairly bright and spacious.

He lives alone, which is more than enough for him.

Xu Nian put down her luggage and began cleaning.

Fortunately, the previous tenant was relatively clean. All I needed to do was wipe off some dust, sweep the floor a little, and mop it to get it mostly tidy.

He went into the bathroom, found a rag, and washed it in the sink.

When wringing out the rag, he pressed the middle of the rag under the faucet handle.

Next, use your right hand to slowly curl and twist it.

This is very strenuous and not as fast or as effective as wringing a cloth dry with both hands.

But he had no choice but to do so.

The bullet that pierced his left arm years ago was removed too late, leaving him with a chronic condition.

Even today, he still can't muster much strength in his left hand.

Even raising one's arms above one's head has become a luxury.

For many years, he has been accustomed to working with only one arm.

Humans are truly an incredibly resilient species.

As long as you're still breathing, you can always find a way to survive.

Xu Nian spent some time cleaning the house.

After doing all this, he stood outside on the balcony.

Under the pitch-black night sky, breathe in the air of freedom.

The city lights still shine brightly day and night, and the traffic in the distance continues unabated.

The world is still beautiful, but what he needed to protect is gone.

He smiled faintly, letting the gentle evening breeze carry away the past.

All things begin and end in fate; flowers bloom and fade, returning to dust.

......

The next day, Xu Nian got up early, changed into the civilian clothes she had received upon her release from prison, and left home.

Now, he desperately needs a job to support himself.

Because of the injury to his left arm, he can no longer engage in heavy physical labor.

Fortunately, he learned a lot of job skills while in prison.

With Yuncheng developing so rapidly, there must be a suitable job for him.

At dawn, birds chirped and sang.

A restaurant that had posted a sign looking for a kitchen staff member caught his attention.

The restaurant was doing fairly well, almost full of diners, and there were also many delivery drivers waiting to pick up their orders.

"Hello, welcome! Are you dining alone?"

The waiter greeted Xu Nian with a smile and welcomed her into the store.

"Hello, I'd like to ask if you're still hiring a chef?"

"Yes, are you looking to apply for the job?"

"Yes, that's right."

The waiter glanced at Xu Nian briefly and smiled.

"Please wait a moment."

...

A while later, a man in a suit and tie hurried downstairs.

"Hello, I'm the manager of this restaurant, my surname is Wang."

He extended his hand and shook hands with Xu Nian.

"Hello, Manager Wang."

"Let's go inside and talk."

"it is good."

...

In the office, Manager Wang and Xu Nian sat down facing each other.

"Please let me see your resume."

"CV?"

Xu Nian was a little confused.

"Yes, we are a chain restaurant, and the resumes of new employees need to be kept by the head office."

Manager Wang seemed to have guessed that Xu Nian did not bring her resume, so he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Xu Nian.

"If you're not prepared, just fill out this."

Xu Nian took it and saw that it was a blank resume.

"it is good."