Chapter 41: The Ugly Faces of Greed

“Boss Chu, could you please book a deluxe triple room for us?”

Ling Feng no longer wanted to watch Jiang Zhenzhen’s act. After being out for so many days without a shower, all he wanted now was to wash up as soon as possible.

Chu Jiangyue quickly arranged a room for them on the 7th floor of Building 2. The luxury suite floor still had very few occupants.

Watching Ling Feng and his two companions leave, Jiang Zhenzhen’s expression darkened.

She had thought she could stay by Ling Feng’s side, but in the end, she was slapped in the face.

However, Jiang Zhenzhen was thick-skinned. Once Ling Feng left, she turned her attention to Chu Jiangyue.

“Yueyue, you said before that as long as I got my identity card, you’d give me coins, but you…”

“Are you misunderstanding something? I never said I’d give you coins.”

What she had actually said was: We’ll talk after you get your identity card.

A conditional statement, not a definite promise.

“You clearly said it!”

“What, trying to scam coins from me to freeload at the hotel?

Zhenzhen, I don’t think you’d want to get expelled from the hotel directly, right? So far, nobody expelled has ever come back.”

Chu Jiangyue hadn’t received any death notices herself, but the threat was effective.

Jiang Zhenzhen knew exactly what hotel expulsion meant.

At that moment, she realized that Chu Jiangyue had truly changed.

The old Chu Jiangyue had always obeyed her, but the current Chu Jiangyue radiated coldness. Even when facing other guests, she seemed detached.

“Don’t fall behind on your room fees~”

Chu Jiangyue kindly reminded her.

Knowing she couldn’t get coins from Chu Jiangyue, Jiang Zhenzhen gave her one last hateful look and left Building 2.

With no one to rely on, Jiang Zhenzhen had no choice but to go out alone to find exchangeable supplies.

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The next two days, Chu Jiangyue continued holding the big-eater competitions during the day to boost restaurant revenue.

After Shen Chengjun took the remaining road-building material packs from Chu Jiangyue, he organized a flurry of road construction.

The road extended from the front of Jianglin Hotel, four lanes wide in both directions, comparable to pre-apocalypse highways.

Using the system-provided material packs, the road not only blocked zombies but also allowed safer, closer travel between Jianglin Hotel and B-City’s safe base.

Many people came to watch when they saw Shen Chengjun organizing road construction. Upon learning the road blocked zombies, everyone gasped in amazement.

This was no laughing matter.

Naturally, many conducted experiments on the newly built sections—and confirmed Shen Chengjun was right.

After this, more people came to approach Chu Jiangyue.

If they could build a safe road from B-City’s base to Jianglin Hotel, why not other safe bases as well?

Then traveling to find lost relatives would become safer and more convenient.

Seeing the greedy expressions of those who wanted her to freely contribute road material packs to all bases nationwide, Chu Jiangyue’s expression darkened.

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“The road-building material packs are sold to me by B-City Safe Base for 1.2 coins per meter. So… which base do you want to build roads for?

As long as you can afford the coins, I can give you the route planning maps for free.”

It’s easy to appear magnanimous when no one’s profit is at stake. Touch their interests, and they’d retreat immediately.

“Boss Chu, you said it’s 2 coins per meter. We’re ordinary people, we don’t have that kind of money.”

“Boss Chu, I think they’re not entirely unreasonable. With zombies everywhere and the heat, everyone should work together.

If one lacks the ability, so be it. But Boss Chu has the power to save people—why wouldn’t you want to help?”

The speaker, Zheng Wen’an, was speaking formally, but Chu Jiangyue found it irritating.

“Work together? Fine. You provide the coins, I provide the materials. A few meters of road in the country is nothing; I can build roads globally.

How about it? Mr. Zheng was the first to suggest this, so why don’t you make the first donation?”

Zheng Wen’an fell silent. He only wanted to show off his virtue, not actually spend money.

Besides, he didn’t even have enough to buy the packs at 2 coins per meter.

“Mr. Zheng doesn’t want to? Then who’s willing to donate? 2 coins per meter—hardly expensive.”

“Ha… Boss Chu, you really put them in a tough spot, wanting them to spend money, materials, and effort. A bunch of cheapskates wanting to reap the benefits!”

Shen Zhigui and his group of five returned to the hotel, overhearing the conversation.

“Is Mr. Jiang’s injury healed?”

Seeing Jiang He, Chu Jiangyue asked. They had gone out while she was still in the cabin, so she only saw him when they returned that night.

“Thanks for your concern, Boss Chu. I’m fine now.”

After lying in bed for a few days, Jiang He looked full of energy today.

Hearing this, Zheng Wen’an and the others hoping to exploit Chu Jiangyue’s generosity blushed red.

They had been thinking this way, but being confronted with it openly was humiliating.

“She just wanders around the hotel every day, even wearing high heels today.

She’s living a life none of us could enjoy. We work ourselves to death finding supplies and killing zombies, yet we ask her to contribute a little, and you think that’s unreasonable?”

Chu Jiangyue had been living leisurely without killing zombies, and during this time, jealousy had grown among some people.

Previously they hadn’t had the opportunity, but now they had an excuse, and a group eagerly wanted to drag Chu Jiangyue down.

“Pfft! Ungrateful wolves! If it weren’t for Boss Chu, you wouldn’t even know where you’d be!

If you can’t stand seeing Boss Chu live well, don’t stay at Jianglin Hotel!

You eat from the bowl, yet curse when you put it down! No, you eat and curse at the same time—ridiculous!”

Lin Xuyuan had never seen such shameless people. If it weren’t for Boss Chu’s kindness, he would have expelled them and blacklisted them the moment they spoke.

“You! We’re thinking of everyone! Once the roads are built, you benefit too! You’re the real ungrateful wolves!”

Liu Yiyi couldn’t bear Zheng Wen’an being insulted and blurted it out without thinking.

“We don’t need Boss Chu to build roads for us. If we want to find our relatives, we can do it ourselves.”

Of course, Shen Zhigui and his group also intended to search for their families—just not immediately.