Chapter 78: Zheng Wen’an Gets Rejected

“Boss Chu, we already bought some and plan to take some back to the base.”

As long as the cooling drinks weren’t unsealed, their effect wouldn’t fade.

Only after opening and drinking would they actually take effect.

“In a couple of days, the mangoes from the hotel will be ripe. If Captain Song is interested, you can come and have a look.”

Chu Jiangyue pointed at the mango tree growing next to the random fruit tree.

The mango tree was already very tall, with branches full of fruit. They were still green for now, but given how fast things grew in Jianglin Hotel, they would be ripe in about two days.

Song Chengjun followed her gesture and saw the heavily laden tree.

“Of course I’ll come. I wonder, Boss Chu, are you planning to sell them all?”

Outside, aside from some mutated plants, there wasn’t a trace of greenery left.

And most mutated plants were aggressive—it wasn’t easy to pick fruit from them.

Fruits inside the base had become luxury items.

If they could be bought here, it would be wonderful.

“Of course, I’ll sell them all.”

Chu Jiangyue herself didn’t lack fruit, so she never thought of keeping them for her own use.

“Then Boss Chu, I’ll definitely come back the day after tomorrow.”

For the mangoes, he would make sure to come—partly to purchase supplies for the base, but also to get some for himself.

“I’ll look forward to your arrival, Captain Song.”

As long as Song Chengjun came, he would surely bring more people from the base along. At that time, the sales of cooling drinks would surge again.

For some reason, Song Chengjun felt there was something odd about the way Chu Jiangyue looked at him.

But since there was no malice, he didn’t think much of it.

After exchanging a few more words, he led his people away from Jianglin Hotel.

Watching his departing figure, Chu Jiangyue had high hopes for the people he would bring next time.

Because cooling drinks were expensive while constant-temperature suits were cheaper, Chu Jiangyue opened her panel and could clearly see that the sales of cooling drinks were steadily rising.

However, there weren’t many residents in the hotel, and only Shengshi Huadu nearby was still habitable, so the increase wasn’t that dramatic.

Once she finished her talk with Song Chengjun, Granny Hua finally spoke up:
“What would you like to eat tonight? I’ll prepare the ingredients in advance so it’ll be quicker to cook later.”

Granny Hua was very serious about cooking for Chu Jiangyue.

Before the apocalypse, no employer would hand over a month’s salary in advance before she even started working.

If she didn’t actually do her job, Granny Hua would start doubting whether Chu Jiangyue really wanted her here just to cook.

“Anything you make is fine, I’m not picky.”

Chu Jiangyue naturally wouldn’t interfere with her work—after all, the whole “job” was only a cover.

“Then how about two dishes and a soup?”

Earlier, Granny Hua had carefully noted her appetite. With smaller portions, two dishes and a soup would be just right for one person.

“Sounds good. Feel free to use anything in the kitchen.”

“Alright then, I’ll go check the ingredients now.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Currently, the only people who could enter Chu Jiangyue’s wooden cabin were herself and Granny Hua.

With her approval, Granny Hua went inside to plan out the dinner.

Meanwhile, Chu Jiangyue walked over to the mango tree and random fruit tree sapling, channeling some of her wood energy into each.

Afterward, she faintly felt the trees “responding happily” to her energy input, though it wasn’t strong enough for her to be certain.

Still, it was worth celebrating—the mangoes looked slightly closer to ripening than before.

As for the sapling of the random fruit tree, it only had some flower buds so far.

It would still take some time before it bore fruit.

After finishing, Chu Jiangyue turned to leave—only to spot Jin Chuyu, with Zheng Wen’an walking beside her.

“!!! Is the power of the plot really invincible? Even with the storyline broken, how are the male and female leads still together?!”

The little fox perched on her shoulder puffed up in shock. Normally, it wouldn’t interrupt unless something major happened.

“Calm down, calm down. I’ll find out what’s going on,” Chu Jiangyue reassured it in her mind, then walked toward Jin Chuyu.

“Sister Jin!”

To get closer to the heroine, Chu Jiangyue even changed her form of address to “sister.”

Normally, she addressed female guests as “Miss” or “Lady.”

But the female lead deserved some special treatment.

“Boss Chu.”

Jin Chuyu didn’t change how she addressed her and even found it a little strange to be called “sister.”

“‘Boss Chu’ sounds so distant. I felt an instant connection with Sister Jin. You can just call me Jiangyue, or Yueyue.”

Chu Jiangyue smiled brightly.

When Zheng Wen’an saw her approach, he subtly stepped aside.

After all, he also had certain thoughts about Chu Jiangyue.

“Classmate Jiangyue…”

“Please call me Boss Chu, thank you.”

Her attitude toward the male and female leads was starkly different.

The speed at which she changed her expression was like flipping a page.

Zheng Wen’an could only give a couple of awkward laughs, then stood quietly at the side.

“Jiangyue, did you need something from me?”

The contrast in Chu Jiangyue’s behavior toward him made Jin Chuyu feel odd, though she couldn’t say exactly why.

“It’s just… in a couple of days the mangoes here will be ripe. Do you like mangoes?”

This was already the third time Chu Jiangyue brought up mangoes.

“If you really have them, of course I’d buy some.”

In times like these, fruit was a luxury.

“Then remember to check the hotel’s new product announcements in the next couple of days~”

Chu Jiangyue’s smile was dazzling.

Jin Chuyu nodded. “Alright, I’ll keep an eye out.”

“But Sister Jin, do you know this… Mr. Zheng?”

Once she’d warmed up the conversation enough, Chu Jiangyue got to the point.

Jin Chuyu shook her head. “He came asking to join my ability-user team. But right now, we already have enough members, so we’re not considering new ones.”

Her younger brother Jin Churan had been allowed to join only because of their relationship, and because her teammates trusted her. After joining, Jin Churan had proven himself and gradually earned their trust.

But Zheng Wen’an had no such ties. She wasn’t going to take him in.

So that’s what he was after.

If the storyline hadn’t collapsed, Zheng Wen’an would probably have succeeded.

But now, who knew whether the “male and female leads” were even still the leads?

“Miss Jin, I really do want to join. And I’m a Level 2 fire-type ability user!”

Level 2 fire-type sounded impressive—but compared to Jin Chuyu’s team, it wasn’t anything special.