Inheriting the days of collecting rent from a hundred buildings

Chapter 04: The Professional Rent Collection Team

Upon Xu Yao's sincere request for personal security, Luye readily promised to make arrangements for her. Meanwhile, Xujing informed Xu Yao that Ji Zhengqing had left the country for a business trip and they would have to wait for his return to arrange the engagement banquet. He also assured her not to worry about online matters and advised her to rest well for the time being.

Deciding to move into Ocean Bay No.1 herself, Xu Yao was escorted back by a driver arranged by Xujing. While on the way, Xu Yao's phone vibrated once again, this time with a message from another roommate, Quxi.

Seeing Quxi's name, Xu Yao's eyes filled with pity.

In the story, Quxi was an ordinary worker struggling to make ends meet. After being exploited by a shady talent agency and wasting ten years of her youth, she finally obtained a precious audition opportunity at the age of thirty. However, her pursuit of dreams in Beijing ended tragically when she died in the basement she rented.

"Yao Yao, what's going on? I just came back from the audition and saw your retirement announcement on Weibo! Don't be impulsive!" Quxi, fearing that Xu Yao might be on the verge of a breakdown, spoke cautiously. "How about we take a two-day trip nearby to relax?"

Instead of replying, Xu Yao recounted the incident of Zhao Rumei moving out earlier that morning and asked Quxi to pack her things, as she would come to pick her up later.

"Okay, got it," Quxi replied, before advising Xu Yao not to dwell on Zhao Rumei's departure.

With Zhao Rumei moving out, splitting the rent for the three-bedroom apartment between Xu Yao and Quxi would be a bit challenging for them. Quxi guessed that Xu Yao had probably found a new place to live.

Sharing a smaller two-bedroom apartment wouldn't be a bad idea for the two of them.

Xu Yao instructed the driver to go to the shared rental community to pick up Quxi. Quxi, with her innocent and youthful face framed by a fringe, stood at the entrance of the community, pushing a suitcase. She squinted until she could clearly see the emblem on the approaching black luxury car, frozen in place with fear.

Before Xu Yao could signal to the driver, the astute and worldly-wise chauffeur had already opened the car door and kindly helped Quxi load her suitcase into the trunk.

Overwhelmed by the unexpected gesture, Quxi got into the car and sat on the other side of Xu Yao. She noticed a handsome and tall man sitting in the passenger seat and assumed he was a fellow carpooler.

Carefully, Quxi discreetly touched the genuine leather seat below her, her hand trembling.

Fearful of embarrassing herself due to excessive excitement, she sent a text message to Xu Yao.

[Quxi: Ahhhh, my Yao Yao, how lucky are we? We ended up carpooling in a top-class luxury car! I've seen this car online before, and it starts with eight figures!]

[Quxi: How did my little butt end up in an eight-figure luxury car?! It's not worthy!]

[Quxi: No wonder the uncle can afford such a car, he's really nice, even helped me with my luggage!]

[Quxi: Wow, it's so cool, the breeze outside the car smells so sweet!]

Quxi sent Xu Yao a series of excited messages, typing so fast that Xu Yao couldn't keep up. When words failed to convey her current excitement, Quxi began bombarding Xu Yao with a flurry of emojis.

She was about to faint from happiness!

Xu Yao thought she should buy a car herself in a few days to facilitate rent collection.

After calming down for a while, Quxi rubbed her sore cheeks and asked Xu Yao, "Yao Yao, where are we renting this time? It doesn't have to be big, a small place has its advantages too."

"We're almost there," Xu Yao said with a smile, looking at Quxi's youthful face that made her look more like a high school girl of fifteen or sixteen rather than a twenty-one-year-old woman.

Quxi gazed out of the car window in bewilderment at the grand entrance of the community ahead—Ocean Bay No.1.

One of the top luxury residences in Ocean City, with towering camphor trees lining the roadsides and large European-style black iron railings, the car drove in.

Feeling a bit nervous, Quxi glanced at the back of the man sitting in the passenger seat and felt relieved.

This should be the destination of the carpool group, right? They were really lucky today.

With that thought in mind, Quxi's nervousness disappeared, and she excitedly sent Xu Yao another text message.

[Quxi: Hahaha Yao Yao, we've hit the jackpot! We actually get to look inside Ocean Bay No.1! Who knows when we'll be able to live in such a mansion ourselves?]

Xu Yao chuckled, "Right now."

Quxi was taken aback. "Huh?"

The car stopped in front of a building lobby. The driver got out to help Xu Yao and Quxi open the doors, while the property manager kindly opened the door to the lobby for them.

Luye was the first to press the elevator button and let the two of them in. He then asked Xu Yao, "Miss Yao Yao, which floor will Miss Qu choose?"

Observing the crocodile leather handrails in the elevator discreetly, Quxi was puzzled. Which floor? Could she actually choose?

After a moment of thought, Xu Yao said, "Eighth floor, because '8' represents prosperity."

Until Quxi followed Xu Yao into apartment 801, everyone was baffled. The sight that greeted them was a large living room exceeding one hundred square meters, adorned with various high-end furniture, and the bright decor was very suitable for girls.

It took Quxi half an hour to slowly digest the top-notch landlady script that Xu Yao handed her, which said, "If you're not popular, you'll retire and collect rent."

"I won't let you stay for free either. Just pay me the rent," Xu Yao reminded Quxi of her role as the landlady. "The monthly rent is three thousand."

Quxi: "!!"

Goddess of Mercy! Living Buddha!

The property prices in Ocean City were extremely high. Even for one of the small single rooms they previously shared in a three-bedroom apartment, the monthly rent was three thousand.

For a luxury flat like Ocean Bay No.1, not only three thousand, even adding a zero to that would still be far from enough!

Xu Yao glanced at the time and headed towards the exit: "It's getting late. You should rest well, and I'll go back and take a bath."

Quxi was dumbfounded. She had thought this was Xu Yao's home, and she was content to pay three thousand for a small guest room. But now... Xu Yao was leaving? Was she giving this entire big apartment to her alone?

Quxi was stunned for a long time. It wasn't until night fell gradually that she finally came to her senses. She decisively took out her phone and started recording a video: "What's it like to be taken under the wing of a landlady friend? I know now!"

That night, a five-minute sharing video on the experience of being taken in by a landlady friend went viral on a social media platform. It garnered tens of thousands of likes immediately.

In the video, Quxi ecstatically showcased the first luxury residential area in Ocean City, the huge master bedroom, the luxurious bathtub in the bathroom, and the six-meter-high glass door that opened onto a large balcony where you could enjoy a view of the river. Quxi thought it would be perfect for a barbecue party with a few friends at night!

[Wow, I've got material for tonight's dreams. Does this blogger have any more god-like friends like this? I want one too.]

[To rent a large flat in Ocean Bay No.1 for three thousand... Even in my dreams, I dare not dream like this. This isn't rent collection, it's clearly just to make the blogger feel comfortable without feeling awkward!]

[Emergency help needed online! I just beat up my best friend, but she still won't admit that she's the landlady. What should I do?]

[Emmmm, isn't this blogger a minor celebrity? It seems like the landlady mentioned is Xu Yao, right?]

[Hahaha, does anyone really believe Xu Yao's nonsense about retiring and collecting rent?]

Li Xiaoli, a regular girl who had just come to work in Ocean City, was huddled in her small house in the urban village, eating instant noodles and admiring the video. She didn't dare to dream like this; she just hoped to earn enough money to rent a better house because the environment in the urban village was really poor.

After watching the video of the landlady friend on the social media platform, Li Xiaoli clicked into Shengzhou's Weibo. She was a fan of Shengzhou and wanted to see if there was any response.

Shengzhou and Li Yinxia responded together on Weibo.

[Shengzhou: Single.]

[Li Yinxia: Single.]

Countless fans were moved to tears. They knew their brother (sister) was single; Xu Yao's supposed clever act of retirement was clearly just a rumor!

Xu Yao lived in the building opposite to Quxi's, which was the best location in the entire Ocean Bay No.1. Living in a penthouse duplex like this was comfortable, and she even had an extravagant rooftop swimming pool.

Xu Yao enjoyed a bath and leisurely applied skincare oil all over her body. Luye was still on the phone, asking if she wanted to arrange for a massage therapist service. A professional masseur could relieve all her fatigue, especially since she had been under intense mental stress due to online harassment.

That night, Ji Zhengqing, Xu Yao's fiancé, added her on WeChat, but he didn't say anything after Xu Yao accepted the request.

Xu Yao spent the next few days in a state of decadence, sleeping until she woke up naturally. The top chef arranged by Luye had already prepared exquisite meals for her. She spent her days at home playing games, happily becoming a whale spender for a few days.

Luye appeared in front of her. "Miss Yao Yao, your issues with the former talent agency have been resolved. You can use your social media accounts freely now."

Great!

Successfully terminated the contract with the rubbish company. Now she could be considered a genuine amateur.

Many sharp-eyed netizens had also noticed this. Not only had Xu Yao's suicidal retirement Weibo post not been deleted by her company, but even her personal profile, which previously stated "artist of Mars Entertainment Company," had disappeared.

[Xu Yao's company announced the termination of her contract! Oh my god, did Xu Yao actually have the capital to terminate it? Could it be that she's actually using the script of "if you're not popular, just go home and inherit billions"?]

[Internal news: Mars Entertainment doesn't dare to ask Xu Yao for compensation at all, and Xu Yao has regained control of all her social media accounts! Suddenly, I'm starting to believe what she said. Could it be that Shengzhou and Li Yinxia aren't really in a relationship?]

【Shengzhou and Li Yinxia have already clarified, okay? Why would you believe a former D-list celebrity over the parties involved? It's really funny.】

【Fans are really naive, aren't they? Your brother and sister were smeared by Xu Yao. Why don't they dare to sue Xu Yao for defamation? Go sue her! If they dare to sue Xu Yao, then I'll believe they're fine!】

Shengzhou and Li Yinxia were really at their wits' end recently. Their relationship suddenly exposed by that foolish woman Xu Yao had put public opinion against them, and several projects that were about to be finalized were suddenly put on hold.

However, fortunately, Shengzhou's most valued variety show, "My Home Life," showed no intention of replacing him. This show was entirely filmed inside the homes of the guests, and many viewers loved seeing the luxurious lives of celebrities. The show had been very popular all along.

"Brother Sheng, there's a message from the house you rented, saying that the landlord has changed and asking you to add their WeChat for rent payment," the assistant reminded Shengzhou.

"Don't add them!" Shengzhou said in a bad tone. "Can't you see I'm annoyed?"

This luxury mansion was the one Shengzhou planned to use for the program. Because he had forgotten to pay rent for a month in the house he previously rented, and the landlord seemed to have forgotten about it too, Shengzhou hadn't brought it up, and it had dragged on for nearly half a year. Since the landlord didn't mention it, neither did he. It seemed that the landlord was very easygoing, so filming the variety show in this mansion would showcase his luxurious life to his fans without worrying about any damage to the property. After all, it was rented, so Shengzhou wouldn't feel bad.

Xu Yao was shopping in a high-end mall in Ocean City, with Luye and the mall manager trailing behind her, and bodyguards carrying large and small bags behind them. Every time they passed a luxury store, they could see the eager eyes of the salesgirls, as if they were seeing the God of Wealth descending.

Luye silently watched Xu Yao walking ahead in her newly bought eight-centimeter high heels, holding her phone and walking up to her, whispering, "Miss Yao Yao, the gentleman called to ask if you have enough money to spend. If not, he'll transfer it to you."

Xu Yao had indeed spent quite a bit recently, no wonder her brother had come to ask her. After all, this brother had found his sister whom he had been waiting for for twenty years, so he would never refuse her.

But Xu Yao shook her head. "No need."

She had come here to retire and enjoy life. She couldn't always rely on her big brother's financial support. Besides, she wasn't without her own sources of income. Those over a hundred properties of hers weren't just for show.

Xu Yao immediately turned around and asked Luye, "Where can I collect rent now?"

Luye took out his tablet and checked, then replied, "The tenants in the urban village are due to pay rent these days, and we'll have to wait two more days for the other rental properties in the school district."

"Then let's start with the urban village first."

Luye watched Xu Yao walk out in high heels and considered for a moment before beckoning to the mall manager, "Arrange for a house car for us."

The two urban village buildings that Xu Yao owned were in a very good location, but because the infrastructure couldn't compete with the residential areas, the rent was much cheaper, making it the preferred choice for freshly graduated college students in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Xu Yao knew that these two urban village buildings would be demolished in the future, and their value would skyrocket, so she had bought them.

The roads in the urban village were narrow, and there was no underground parking lot. When the luxury car drove in, it instantly attracted the attention of the people around, and some young girls excitedly took out their phones to take photos, urging their friends to ask for WeChat IDs.

Only when a slender, fair leg stepped out of the luxury car, did the people around realize that rich people also had daughters. This was a rich girl!

Xu Yao, wearing the latest long skirt from Ji, and sunglasses, looked up at the two urban village buildings in front of her, each six stories high with no elevators.

Rent collection was different now. You could directly transfer money via WeChat, but apart from the fixed rent, Xu Yao suddenly remembered that she needed to go upstairs to check the electricity, water, and gas meters to determine the utilities charges!

Suddenly, Luye behind her spoke up, "Miss Yao Yao, do you want to change your outfit first?"

As Xu Yao turned her head in surprise, a luxurious black luxury RV approached from a distance and stopped right in front of them.

Luye stepped forward and opened the door with a swoosh.

Inside the RV hung crisp short-sleeved T-shirts and shorts from various luxury brands, a bunch of keys hung on the left shelf, and a row of high-end slippers were placed at the bottom, with the most eye-catching pair embedded with broken diamonds!

The official outfit for collecting rent as a professional landlady!

Xu Yao couldn't help but give Luye a thumbs-up, praising his superhuman ability to take action.

A true leader of the professional rent collection team.