Chapter 124 Economic Crisis 5

Chapter 124 Economic Crisis 5

As the saying goes, being broke for too long can make people act crazy. Su Han found this to be undeniably true.

Ever since the layoffs, pay cuts, and extended working hours, Boss Zhang seemed to have hit some kind of weird button, was constantly brainstorming new schemes.

One moment, he wanted the bread made smaller and sold at a lower price; the next, he proposed developing new products to get customers excited; then, he suggested running sales to boost sales and build the shop’s reputation.

But with only so many customers coming in, all this messing around did nothing to increase foot traffic—instead, it just ran the staff ragged.

When attempts to increase revenue failed, Boss Zhang turned to cutting costs.

He cracked down hard on everything—from ingredient expenses to bread packaging, right down to the last gram used in baking.

Su Han, "..."

Did he seriously think the employees were robots? That they could flawlessly follow preset measurements without messing up?

She swiftly took off her work uniform and said flatly, "I quit."

Boss Zhang shot back instantly, "Fine."

His immediate response made Su Han suspect he had been trying to push out employees to resign.

The other two employees couldn’t help but try to persuade her, "Don’t jump the gun. If you leave here, where else will you find work?"

"Times are tough for everyone. Just suck it up. What choice do we have?"

Su Han shook her head firmly. "If the job isn’t satisfying, there’s no point staying." Who knew what else he’d come up with next?

Fortunately, she was debt-free and had no worries about surviving after leaving.

With a wave, Su Han walked out without looking back.

And this was just day 10 of the game.

Xiao Xiao murmured to herself, "After Su Han leaves, are we going to have to handle all the work in the shop by ourselves?"

The two exchanged glances and shuddered simultaneously.

**

At the same time, Jin Shi was about to lose his shit. Never had he imagined that his big moves would blow up in his face, nearly driving him out of the game.

After days of grueling labor, he had only managed to scrounge up enough money to cover just one day’s debt. Meanwhile, the stockpile of supplies he had accumulated at great cost was gone in just a few days.

Wouldn’t it have been better to just wait quietly for the game to end? Why had he screwed himself over? Jin Shi was kicking himself.

But by now, it was too late for remorse.

**

After quitting her job, Su Han planned to head to the park. But as soon as she stepped out of the bakery, a fancy ride pulled up in front of her.

The window rolled down, revealing Zhong Rui sitting in the back seat, smiling as he motioned, "Get in."

Su Han, "???"

What was this about?

She walked up slowly, deadpan. "Your car?"

"Rented," he said casually.

"Why did you rent it if there's nothing wrong? Is your money burning a hole in your pocket?" Su Han couldn't believe it.

Zhong Rui smiled faintly, "Made some cash, so I’m treating myself. Get in."

Su Han was still confused. But since her companion was reliable, she temporarily set aside her doubts and got into the luxury car.

A glass partition separated the front and back seats. The driver kept a steady pace as they talked in the back.

Su Han asked first, "Where’d you get the money?"

Zhong Rui replied lightly with two words, "Gambling."

Su Han, "..."

It vaguely came back to her—during that gambling villa challenge, her companion’s skills had been exceptionally impressive.

Zhong Rui continued, "Took a while to scrape together the starting funds, and making money through gambling took even longer. Only today did I finally have some extra cash."

"How much?" Su Han asked bluntly.

"Two hundred grand," Zhong Rui answered without hesitation.

Two hundred grand... Su Han was stunned silent. They only needed to survive ten more days in the instance—two hundred grand was way more than they’d need.

"By the way, the Portable Storage is already full," Zhong Rui grinned smugly, the picture of success.

Su Han chuckled. Classic him—the first thing after striking it rich was stuffing the Portable Storage.

"When did you start gambling?" she asked next.

"Day 7."

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"You don’t gamble, so there was no need to worry you. Better to share good news after it’s a sure thing, right?"

Su Han thought, well, it was good. But the shock was so sudden it left her reeling.

She had planned to grind her way up the hard way, building her life through frugality and hard work, only for her companion to suddenly reveal that they were basically playing with cheat codes—infinite cash…

If she didn’t know Zhong Rui never boasted, she might’ve started suspecting she was being scammed.

"First up, clothes for you," Zhong Rui calmly arranged, completely unruffled. "Then we’ll watch a movie, have dinner, and finally stay at a star-rated hotel—no more crashing in the park."

Su Han blinked, thinking, wait, is this a date?

The mall was nearly empty. Just a few staffers and almost no shoppers.

Zhong Rui marched Su Han straight to the clothing section.

After some trying on, Su Han hesitated between a floral minidress and a black maxi dress.

"Only broke people have to pick. If you like both, just buy them," Zhong Rui said, pulling out cash. "Get both."

Su Han couldn’t help but laugh.

Not wanting to deal with crowds, they went for a VIP screening. But once inside, they saw—aside from them, there was no one else.

"Did you rent out the whole theater?" Su Han asked suspiciously.

"I thought about it, but then decided it wasn't necessary," Zhong Rui answered honestly. After all, this was just a game, and the programmers were watching from outside—it wasn’t easy to act freely.

"Then why—" Su Han stopped mid-sentence as she realized the answer herself. The residents were too deep in debt; even if they wanted to watch a movie, they’d only go to the regular theater, not the premium screening room. Since only the two of them had bought VIP tickets, it effectively became a private screening.

"It’s so nice being rich and never having to worry about money," Su Han muttered.

Zhong Rui smiled. "An economic crisis is basically doomsday for the poor."

The dinner was fancy and delicious. But a quick glance around revealed the restaurant was nearly empty, as if business was struggling.

The single room in the star-rated hotel was clean, tidy, elegant, and peaceful.

Sitting on the soft bed, Su Han couldn’t help but feel like a long-suffering wife finally getting to enjoy her husband’s success. Or perhaps like a newlywed couple on a honeymoon trip.

Running her hand over the new clothes she’d bought, she found it all a bit surreal. It was as if everything were a dream, and once she woke up, she’d be back to the daily grind, struggling just to survive.

"No wonder every girl dreams of being Cinderella," Su Han shook her head, pushing aside her wandering thoughts as she settled in to sleep.

**

In the office, Li Yue was radiating tension. The staff avoided him, refusing to make eye contact. A survival challenge had somehow turned into a honeymoon—whoever approached him now would be asking for trouble.

Li Yue remained silent, his lips pressed into a thin line. The casino had indeed been part of the game, added on purpose to make things exciting.

Imagine players, desperate and out of options, cashing out their credit card balances to gamble in the casino—now that’s excitement! Win, and they’d turn their fortunes around instantly; lose, and they’d be doomed forever. Heaven or hell—all decided in an instant.

Such a brilliant concept, such a flawless design! And yet, they’d encountered an exceptional player with exceptional gambling skills, who shattered all expectations and used the casino like a personal ATM…

Li Yue took a deep breath, trying to reassure himself, "This isn’t a design flaw—just an exceptional player."

The staff nodded eagerly in agreement.

"I think the casino design is fantastic and worth keeping."

"Zhong Rui was the champion of the first survival competition—we can’t use him as the standard for everyone else."

"Out of 20 test players, only he saw the casino as an ATM. It’s an isolated case."

"I feel like no matter what scenario you put Zhong Rui in, he’d fill his Portable Storage to capacity… You just can’t stop him."

"And even Zhong Rui had to work hard to save up his initial funds! Didn’t he sleep in the park for days before? Only after enduring that could he accumulate enough to gamble."

**

Li Yue thought it over and found their reasoning sound. His mood finally settled, though it still bugged him that his carefully designed survival challenge had been turned into a vacation spot.

On the 11th day of the game, Su Han slept in blissfully, not waking up until after eight. Remembering the hotel’s limited-time breakfast buffet, she quickly got up.

When she entered the dining area, Zhong Rui was already there, eating alone. Spotting him, Su Han grabbed some food and sat across from him.

"Did you quit?" Zhong Rui asked.

Yesterday, after gambling enough money, he’d planned to find Su Han and tell her she didn’t need to work anymore. But just as he pulled up to the bakery, she walked out first. He’d been too focused on calling her over to ask why—only now did he remember.

"Yeah," Su Han replied casually. "Business kept getting worse every day. The boss was panicking, throwing out one bad idea after another. Staying there wasn’t worth it anymore."

Zhong Rui took a sip of tea and said calmly, "When an economic crisis hits, it’s not just one or two people who go crazy from stress."

"As long as we make it through safely, that’s all that matters," Su Han said indifferently.

At exactly 9:00 AM, the system’s mechanical voice announced, "Residents’ desire to consume and purchasing power have significantly declined. Many businesses are operating at a loss. Pay cuts and mass layoffs are now everywhere."

Pay cuts and mass layoffs? Su Han sighed. "We pinched pennies and saved up, worked so hard to build up funds, just so we could hole up in a hotel room for the last ten days and avoid the crisis."

"Pay cuts, job loss, insurmountable debts—basic survival becomes uncertain. Without a job, there's no source of income. What's a family supposed to eat and drink without savings?"

"When people are starving, some'll inevitably get desperate and turn to robbery and crime."

Zhong Rui chimed in, "That’s why I invited you to stay at the hotel with me."

The hotel entrance had security, making it much safer than other places.

Su Han remained silent, quietly taking a bite of her steamed bun while deep in thought. If she'd relied solely on her own frugal efforts, she could still have cleared the game. But now, with her companion’s game-breaking advantage and a large amount of cash on hand, the difficulty of the scenario had undoubtedly dropped to its lowest. The two of them could not only stay in a star-rated hotel but also indulge in shopping sprees, making it feel like a vacation.

Money isn’t everything, but in an economic crisis scenario, having no money is a death sentence. The real challenge was racking up cash early. The more money one had, the more comfortable the later stages would be.

When you think about it, having a capable companion was indeed very convenient.

Seeing her companion stay silent, Zhong Rui inexplicably grew nervous. Casually, he asked, "Are you bothered because we’re spending my money?"

Su Han shook her head and replied nonchalantly, "I would have before, but not now."

She had never liked taking advantage of strangers. But with someone close, she didn't feel the need to nickel-and-dime.

Hearing this, Zhong Rui let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He thought to himself, *Exactly—at least give me a chance to take care of you!*

Author’s Note:

Zhong Rui (stone-faced): Have you fallen for me?

**

Su Han (earnest): Was a solid 9 looks-wise, but with the money buff, instantly upgraded to a 12. Zhong Rui: Every day I worry my girl's too good for me.