NOVEL NEXT Chapter Twenty-Eight: Unexpected Joy
Questions.
How can one get promoted and earn more money quickly?
Answer One: Work diligently, do your job well, cultivate good relationships with colleagues, and wait patiently for the opportunity to promote and raise your salary to come find you.
Answer Two: Take the initiative to take on work, actively seek major project opportunities to prove your abilities, and proactively look for promotion and salary increase chances.
Answer Three.
Cultivate a good relationship with the leadership. Use the back door.
I’m sure seasoned workers know which answer is the correct one.
Actually, when Young Master Sang was saved by Hua Jianglian in the Demon Cultivators, he had long fantasized about this kind of scenario.
The renowned Demon Cultivators Sect Leader, feared by thousands, becomes infatuated with him at first sight.
Not only does she save his life, but also brings him back to the Demon Cultivators, lavishing him with affection.
In the Demon Cultivators, where the Sect Leader’s call is law, he could bask in her grace and run wild, strutting about like a boss.
Just like that, he would reach the pinnacle of life.
Honestly, though it sounds a bit cliché, this matches Sang Zhe’s impression of protagonists in those time-traveling novels.
But alas, reality is a hard pill to swallow.
Hua Jianglian really just saved him on a whim.
In fact, she didn’t even remember it afterward.
Many times, when they bumped into each other in the Demon Cultivators, she would take a long time to remember who he was.
And after arriving in the Demon Cultivators, she completely forgot about him, daily obsessing over inappropriate manga and staying holed up as a recluse.
She paid no attention to her own affairs at all.
Leaving Sang Zhe alone to trudge through the ranks from a lowly employee, step by step.
If not for Sang Zhe being diligent enough, he’d probably have already sunk into oblivion among countless Demon Cultivators employees.
So Sang Zhe later gave up on fantasies, faced the reality, and set a life goal of being self-sufficient through hard work.
But if there was an opportunity to build a good relationship with the Sect Leader, Sang Zhe would definitely seize it.
Even if it meant discarding all the parts about love at first sight from his fantasies.
As long as he could gain Hua Jianglian’s trust and favor, that would be enough to let him strut around the entire Demon Cultivators.
Now was a perfect opportunity.
Sang Zhe had long heard that their Sect Leader was a hardcore recluse and a lazy person.
Just take a look at the environment she lived in to know. This person could genuinely go months without stepping outside.
After all, every day there would be a cafeteria that specially cooked for her; she just needed to report what she wanted to eat.
Plus, she preferred living alone and didn’t like anyone waiting on her.
Tang Yubbing had long suggested arranging a few maids to help her clean, do laundry, and cook.
But Hua Jianglian rejected all of that.
She loved being alone in her little room and didn’t want to see anyone if there wasn’t anything important.
So previously, cleaning her place had to be done by people arranged by Tang Yubbing, sneaking in while Hua Jianglian was out.
Sang Zhe actually somewhat understood this recluse mentality.
In his previous life, he was also a bit of a solitary homebody.
Especially after moving out post-work, it coincided with the lockdown due to the pandemic. Those one or two months, he genuinely didn’t want to step outside at all.
If he didn’t cook, he ordered takeout, and the trash piled up so high he was too lazy to take it out even once.
He grew lazier and less willing to go out.
It’s a strange mental trap.
As long as you don’t socialize with others, you don’t feel like managing your living environment.
And the less you manage yourself and your surroundings, the less you want to socialize with others.
A vicious cycle. Before long.
You become a homebody, a homebody without friends.
But because he could understand Hua Jianglian, Sang Zhe was aware of a key point.
Just because recluses are lazy doesn’t mean they like a messy environment.
If someone could help them clean their place, do their laundry, and cook, they would be quite happy.
Like the last time he left, Sang Zhe casually cleaned up the garbage in Hua Jianglian’s room.
She didn’t seem unhappy about it at all.
This was a golden opportunity to butter her up!
Just think about it—the Sect Leader of the Demon Cultivators, who likes to be alone and is very reclusive, and the person she sees most often is none other than you, the one who cleans her place.
Over time, wouldn’t her favor naturally grow?
So, holding this thought, Sang Zhe decisively approached Hua Jianglian:
“I humbly request Sect Leader allow me to clean your room!”
Hua Jianglian paused for a moment, then looked at him with a mix of suspicion and intrigue.
“Uh, are you sure… this is a reward?”
“For me, being able to repay the Sect Leader is the greatest reward!”
Sang Zhe spoke passionately, overflowing with enthusiasm.
Hua Jianglian hesitated for a bit.
But in the end, the young lady scratched her head and said, “Alright.”
“I really don’t understand you guys. So strange.”
“Actually thinking that even cleaning for others is a reward…”
Well, pot calling the kettle black.
You think letting me lick your toes is a reward isn’t much better.
Sang Zhe grumbled internally but put on a happy face and said, “Thank you, Sect Leader!”
“However, I need to make it clear.”
Hua Jianglian suddenly crossed her arms, her beautiful eyes mockingly glancing at him: “You can only come to clean once a day at most.”
“Can’t come too early or too late.”
“Hmm… how about right before getting off work?”
“When you come, you have to knock. Don’t enter my room without permission.”
“While cleaning, don’t rummage through my manga and cabinets; just clean out the garbage.”
“And…”
Hua Jianglian babbled on about a lot, and Sang Zhe listened earnestly and seriously.
He believed that as long as he persisted in cleaning for a year and a half,
Hua Jianglian would definitely get used to having him clean for her.
At that time, he would be the closest confidant of the mighty Sect Leader of the Demon Cultivators.
Then wouldn’t it be like a dog with power, doing whatever he wanted?
…Hey, Little Tang, could I get a glass of water?
…Hey, Little Yan, my shoulder’s sore; could you give it a rub?
Just imagining such scenes made Sang Zhe’s lips curl into a lovesick grin.
“…That’s all.”
After Hua Jianglian finished speaking, she furrowed her brow and poked Sang Zhe’s cheek: “Hey, are you even listening?”
“I’m listening, I’m listening; I’ve noted it all down.”
Sang Zhe looked eagerly: “Can I start cleaning now?”
“Hmm… yes.”
Hua Jianglian retreated back into her chair, picking up her manga as she said: “Keep it down; don’t disturb me reading, okay?”
“Sure thing.”
With that, Sang Zhe rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
Hua Jianglian continued to immerse herself in her manga.
Before long, she was completely invested.
But just after a few chapters, Sang Zhe’s voice quietly arose again:
“Sect Leader, I’ve cleaned up. I’ll be taking off now.”
“Hmm…? So soon?”
Hua Jianglian looked up in surprise, only to see the room spotless, all garbage bagged up, and even the manga organized neatly.
“Hmm… not bad.”
She nodded and once again sank back into her chair: “Next time, no need to notify me, just clean and leave.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow, Sect Leader.”
Although he didn’t see any expression on Hua Jianglian’s face,
Sang Zhe still left her room feeling quite satisfied.
He believed that as long as he kept it up, he would surely gain the trust of the leadership.
And when he hummed a tune heading home from work,
Though his internal system didn’t speak up,
A line of small text had already been recorded silently by the system.
[Hua Jianglian攻略进度.]
[2%]
One little thing.
Because there are several key issues needing to be negotiated and rectified.
Just taking a day off to see if negotiation can succeed.
If it doesn’t, two chapters will still update normally tomorrow. However, if negotiation fails, rectifying it will be a huge headache.
So annoying.
Super annoying, bro.