Can a System Have Bad Intentions? - Chapter 142

“Welcome home, Manager!”

Lu Tang stood at the inn’s entrance, her eyes curved into a smile as she clapped her hands loudly.

Zhou Shu and the others had been watching from early in the morning. Seeing Lu Tang clap, although they still didn’t quite know who she was, they joined in with enthusiastic applause.

A few of them clapped their hands, creating a thunderous sound.

“Welcome to our Qiao Family Inn’s Manager!” Zhou Shu shouted at the top of his lungs.

“The Manager is here, let’s all pay our respects,” Guo Dawei said, laughing and making a joke.

Xu Shen stepped forward quickly, and after separating the young shop assistant from Zhou Jing, he gave Zhou Jing a solid hug. “Welcome home, old brother!”

Liang Cheng pulled out two strings of red firecrackers that had been prepared early in the morning, setting them off at the entrance with a loud bang. “The Manager is home, we must make a scene! Please come inside, Manager!”

Amidst the sound of the firecrackers, Liang Cheng shouted to Zhou Jing, his brows and eyes full of kindness and warmth.

The smell of gunpowder from the firecrackers lingered in Zhou Jing’s nose, making him feel as if the firecrackers had exploded right inside his nose, causing it to sting.

He looked at Lu Tang, wanting to say many things, but when he opened his mouth, he didn’t know where to start.

Lu Tang turned to the young shop assistant and said, “Take the Manager to bathe and change clothes.”

Then she turned to Zhou Jing and said, “Our inn is still in the preparation stage, very busy. Later, you can listen to him explain everything in detail. You will stay here tonight, while we are still staying at the Laifu Inn. I probably won’t come tomorrow. Listen to him about everything in the inn while you weren’t here.”

Lu Tang pointed to Liang Cheng and continued, “Now that you’re here, everything will be under your command. As for your wages, you won’t have a monthly salary, but you will receive a share of the inn’s monthly profits.”

Zhou Jing’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Lu Tang.

Lu Tang smiled and said, “The shopkeepers at our Qiao Family Inn receive dividends. The more the inn earns, the more you earn. If you work hard, you might be able to buy the biggest house in the best area of Yuhang next year. However, if the inn loses money, you might even have to pawn your pants.”

The young shop assistant interjected, “I have a base salary, so I can support you.”

Lu Tang: Ha?

We were having a touching moment, and you just changed the tone completely!

Zhou Jing opened his mouth, his throat choked, unable to utter a word. He lifted his robe as if to kneel before Lu Tang again.

Being released from prison, he was already extremely grateful. Now, this young master was giving him such a treatment. They were practically strangers!

How could he deserve this?

Before Lu Tang could reach out, Xu Shen held Zhou Jing up, preventing him from kneeling. “Manager, if you act so formally, you’re treating yourself as an outsider. In our inn, there are no outsiders, only family. If you really feel grateful, put all your energy into managing the inn.”

“It’s getting late, and we’ve been running around all day. Our legs are about to break. We should get some rest. You all can arrange things here.”

Hearing this, Zhou Jing immediately trembled and said, “Please go rest, Master.”

He truly had a lot to say, but couldn’t utter a single word.

Lu Tang knew that the longer she stayed, the longer Zhou Jing wouldn’t be able to relax. After giving a few simple instructions, she left with her friends.

Not far from the inn, Zhou Shu couldn’t help but nudge Lu Tang’s shoulder. “Brother Tang, you rejected the shopkeepers introduced by Du Zhongming for this person? Is he reliable?”

Lu Tang smiled and said, “Whether he’s reliable or not, he is definitely a top-notch inn manager.”

Xu Shen understood Lu Tang’s intention.

“The inn is just starting, and this person has just been released from prison with nothing to his name and no place to stay. He and the inn need each other right now. Once the inn is running smoothly, we can evaluate if he’s suitable.”

Lu Tang smiled without saying anything.

She had learned about Zhou Jing’s abilities from the system. In this situation, she needed someone with absolute capability.

As for his character…

Although it couldn’t be guaranteed, Zhou Jing wouldn’t be worse than the average person.

Character is something that’s hard to change from one’s bones.

After a tiring day, the group returned to Laifu Inn to rest.

After washing up, Lu Tang summoned the system.

“Dear host, what do you need?”

“Is my reading pen charged?”

This reading pen was the only reward Lu Tang had used that hadn’t been taken back for destruction. However, it needed to be recharged after each use.

“It’s charged, dear host. Our reading pen can not only search for people good at writing stories, but also categorize searches. For example, some are good at palace intrigue, some at youthful campus stories, some at BL pure love, some at supernatural tales, and some at inspirational life stories, and some at nonsensical humor.”

While the system babbled, Lu Tang pulled out a rolled-up map from under the quilt, spread it on the ground, and sat down with a cushion.

When traveling and needing to stay at inns, it’s usually men who do so.

What kind of shows do men like?

Lu Tang sat cross-legged on the ground, resting her chin in her hands, pondering. With her limited experience, she could only think of one scenario: tearing apart enemies.

Her high-end Qiao Family Inn couldn’t perform such ridiculous dramas day after day.

After thinking for a while, Lu Tang recorded her desired search terms with the reading pen: supernatural tales, inspirational life stories, nonsensical humor.

After entering the keywords, she began searching the map for the appropriate academy.

However, among the numerous academies in Yuhang, the reading pen only gave information on Du Xuan. No other responses were found.

Apart from Du Xuan, was there no one else who liked writing?

With her back hurting from sitting, and no response from the reading pen, Lu Tang grumbled, threw the pen aside, and lay down.

“My poor back!”

“Beep, detecting relevant individual: Name, Zhuang Yu; Age, 57; Gender, Male; Specializes in supernatural tales. This person has a solitary personality, enjoys gourmet food, and lives alone.”

Lu Tang had just laid down when the system’s voice startled her, nearly causing her back to give out. She quickly got up and looked at the map.

The red light on the map was in the rich district of Yuhang.

“A solitary person living in the rich district?” Lu Tang blurted out.

“Can’t a solitary person be rich?” the system retorted.

Lu Tang stared, “Living alone means having no one around. The houses in that area are at least two-entry courtyards. Does he live alone?”

The system paused, “That’s why he specializes in supernatural tales.”

Lu Tang: !