“Take care now, remember we’re welcoming you back here at any time!” Chen Ai stood at the door, holding a newly-signed slave contract and waved towards the outdoors. The slaver huffed his way out of sight.
At that instant, the bustling Blaze Hotel abruptly quieted, leaving only Chen Ai and the unconscious young wolf girl.
“Well, then…” Chen Ai put her hands on her hips, staring at the distance with a grim tone, “Things are exactly as you heard… Stop playing possum, I know you’re awake.”
The young girl was startled, knowing that she could not fool Chen Ai and opened her dubious eyes.
Her injuries were indeed serious, but with Chen Ai’s abilities, his healing power was far superior than the regular priest, and in mere moments, she was able to recover most of her health. As soon as the young girl woke up, she cunningly feigned sleep.
When Chen Ai called her out, she sagged her ears and held her knees tightly, her eyes filled with fear and unease.
She heard the whole negotiation between Chen Ai and the slaver. She also knew that from today, this person became her new owner. Once the slave contract was signed, she lost any chance of escape and was at the mercy of her new master.
“What’s your name?” Chen Ai asked.
"Pe...cco ...Pecco·Lancelot" the young girl answered timidly.
Chen Ai nodded: "Pecco, Nice to meet you. I am Chen Ai, the owner of the Blaze Grand Hotel. You can also call me the hotel manager. From today onwards, you are an employee of Blaze Grand Hotel. Welcome to...our family."
Confused by the meaning of a 'family,' Pecco finally saw Chen Ai’s face after he turned around.
In Pecco's imagination, Chen Ai had a sinister, fierce, cunning, and lustful face… She had prepared herself for the worst but was still shocked.
What a... bitter face!
Chen Ai's eyes were full of tears that dripped down his contorted face onto the floor. This sorrowful expression was a stark contrast to the calm one he wore when negotiating a few moments ago.
“Pecco, it is perhaps rude to say this on your first day but regrettably, I have to announce,” Chen Ai walked closer to Pecco, pat her shoulder and sobbed, “Starting tomorrow, Blaze Hotel officially begins bankruptcy countdown."
“My five gold coins!!” After announcing, Chen Ai knelt on the ground, slamming the floor with his hands and wept bitterly, “My last available funds are gone!! They're gone!!”
How much effort to build a name, all for naught due to love? Money spent, fortune lost.
Chen Ai wept a puddle of tears, full of regrets. The hotel he painstakingly managed over the past year was now facing a severe cash flow problem.
Hypermiling, at this rate, he was unsure if he could compete with Michelle. He might have closed the hotel before she returned.
Just now, he bargained till five gold coins, Chen Ai already knew he was pushing the slaver's limit.
Although a businessman puts profit first, there is a limit to their patience. The cost of obtaining a slave, bribing officials, hiring mercenaries for protection on the journey, all these costs easily exceed two gold coins.
If the slaver is truly frustrated with Chen Ai, it would cause big trouble.
His push to five gold coins was due to his shortage of cash! Now, he can't even afford a copper coin...
Wait a minute!!
Chen Ai reached into his bag and suddenly held onto two pieces of metal. He took them out and noticed one was the fragmented copper coin from Pecco and the other was a silver coin that Noira paid this afternoon.
That’s right, there’s still hope! I I I I can still sell meat!! Although he made up his mind this afternoon, desperate times call for desperate measures, right?!Furthermore, when he was being a knight-errant, he was doing so as a hero from the past. Therefore, the money should be spent under the name of “Embracing the Hero”, instead of “Hotel Owner Chen Ai”! That’s right, this completely explains it—“Embracing the Hero” owes “Hotel Owner Chen Ai” five gold coins. This is fairness! Following this, he just needs to find a chance to explain the situation to Noira and borrow the five gold coins from her. At the worst, he can allow Noira to mess with him a few more times. At the brink of survival, a man needs to endure humiliation and burden. After understanding all of this, Chen Ai, filled with excitement, passionately kissed the silver coin he was holding. This money...it smelled so good! When Pecco saw Chen Ai shifting from tears to laughter, and finally even beginning to kiss a silver coin, it felt that its new master was out of his mind. Terrified, it hid its tail under its body and shrank into the sofa. Chen Ai looked up through his tear-filled eyes and found that Pecco was looking at him with fear in its eyes. Chen Ai quickly wiped away his tears and gave an awkward cough, then he said seriously, “Sorry... I lost my composure. Even though this is sudden, I am announcing that our financial crisis is temporarily resolved. So, let's discuss your issues.” “As you’ve seen, I bought you with five gold coins.” Chen Ai shook the contract in his hand, “Starting from today, you will be an employee of Briz Hotel and you will work under me.” Chen Ai raised two fingers, “Your salary will be two silver coins per month, and it includes food and accommodation. Don’t think it’s too little. Our hotel has just started, so conditions will be a bit stringent.” Chen Ai paused and chuckled lightly, “Once I become the president of a hotel chain and you become the lobby manager, then promotion and salary increase will not be an issue. Keep working hard!” Pecco looked blankly at Chen Ai. To be fair, Chen Ai's conditions were not harsh at all, in fact, they were quite generous.
On the Continent of Chenxing, slaves have a very low social status. Most slaves do the heaviest and dirtiest work and often can’t even get enough to eat. If their masters are not happy, beatings and punishment are commonplace. Life and death are up to the master, hence their lives are extremely tragic. For Pecco now, to have a decent job and personal property is what many slaves could only dream of in their entire lives. “Gu-” An abrupt growl echoed from a grumbling stomach. Pecco blushed and bowed its head low. Chen Ai laughed. Now that their financial crisis was resolved, his mood was wonderful, “Our hotel provides food and accommodation. We can’t afford for our employees to starve. You wait, I will make something to eat right now. You can look forward to it! ” Chen Ai then rolled up his sleeves and opened the kitchen door. Green beans, carrots, eggs, and steaming rice. Chen Ai heated the pan and fried the eggs, and then put each ingredient in one by one. What Chen Ai was making was a renowned Yangzhou fried rice from his previous life. Since there was no sausage, Chen Ai cut some smoked meat to use as a substitute. The mouthwatering aroma gradually wafted out from the kitchen. Pecco stood at the kitchen door, staring wide-eyed at Chen Ai, drooling as the smell of fried rice made it mouth watered. It hadn't eaten hot food for many days. Chen Ai fried all the ingredients and finally added seasonings. One pot of piping hot fried rice was ready. Chen Ai nodded in satisfaction, turned off the heat and moved the pot away from it, putting a full plate of fried rice and brought it to the living room. As he turned around, Chen Ai caught a glimpse of Pecco peeking into the kitchen from the doorway. Pecco noticed that Chen Ai was looking at it and immediately hid behind the door again. Seeing this, Chen Ai couldn't help but laugh. He was reminded of the Labrador he used to keep at home that would watch him sneakily when he was preparing dinner for it. This is what it should be like! This is life in a different world! Other people who had transported to this world had started raising their adopted daughters nearly ten years ago, while he was just starting with his first one. Nevertheless, he was not worried: good things come to those who wait. Chen Ai walked up to Pecco holding the plate, reached out and gently touched Pecco's head—those fluffy wolf ears were just irresistible to him. Then Chen Ai uttered a line that carried a strong flg sense."Come, feel free to eat to your heart's content. In my restaurant, if there's nothing else, there's always plenty of food!"
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Wishing everyone a Happy Labor Day~!
