Chapter 29: Eight Hundred Schemes

In the flowerbed not far away, there was a dead cat.

Judging by its fur and the dirt on its body, it was probably a stray.

Under the scorching sun, the heat was so intense that even with a hat and hair, Jiang Yan could feel her scalp burning.

She didn’t dare linger and hurried toward Building A.

After noon, her phone’s smart home alarm system hadn’t gone off again.

Jiang Yan figured He Chunmei probably wouldn’t dare bother her again for a while, so she didn’t think much of it and headed straight for the elevator with her things.

When the elevator doors opened on the 32nd floor, Jiang Yan had barely stepped out when she was greeted by a scene she would never forget.

More than a dozen people—men, women, young, old, even a pregnant woman—were crammed into the narrow hallway outside her door, blocking the way completely.

It was as if they’d received a unified command: the moment they saw her appear around the corner from the elevator, every gaze snapped toward her in unison.

In those eyes, she saw anticipation, flattery, hostility, disdain, resentment, even wariness and suspicion.

Jiang Yan paused, her gaze freezing for a moment. But when she saw He Chunmei and Zhang Qiqi standing at the front of the crowd, she understood instantly.

Those two really were birds of a feather—equally despicable!

Jiang Yan couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

No—strictly speaking, she sucked in a lungful of stifling, fifty-degree heat.

She wasn’t shocked by the sheer number of people; she was just trying to suppress the urge to go over and give Zhang Qiqi a good beating.

“Little sister, you’re finally back~ I heard you’ve got two big air conditioners at home. Everyone was wondering if we could stay at your place for a couple of days?” He Chunmei greeted her with a beaming smile, taking the lead.

Earlier, she’d badmouthed Jiang Yan plenty behind her back, and after being shocked by electricity, she was still shaken and hated Jiang Yan to the core.

But now that Jiang Yan had just returned, she couldn’t start off by picking a fight—after all, the other neighbors were watching.

If Jiang Yan agreed to let everyone in to enjoy her air conditioning, and He Chunmei stupidly offended her, wouldn’t she just be handing the benefit to others?

If Jiang Yan refused, then He Chunmei could say she’d tried to be polite first, giving herself a reason to rally the others.

Jiang Yan ignored her, stopping in her tracks and sweeping a cold gaze over the crowd. Her tone was icy as she demanded:

“I’m going home. Are you all really planning to block my way forever?!”

She was wearing sunglasses, so no one could see her expression, but her voice was cold and carried a powerful sense of oppression.

The crowd was stunned, and all eyes turned to the ringleaders, He Chunmei and Zhang Qiqi.

The moment Zhang Qiqi heard Jiang Yan’s voice, she shuddered inside. Why did this voice sound so familiar?!

And that figure, that nose and chin—she looked just like that little bitch, Jiang Yan!

Before Jiang Yan’s mother was killed, Zhang Qiqi had secretly seen Jiang Yan a few times up close, under Song Deming’s arrangements.

But Jiang Yan and her mother had always been kept in the dark, so even if they’d brushed past each other, they’d have had no idea who Zhang Qiqi was.

Besides, Jiang Yan had been something of a public figure—a minor internet celebrity.

Zhang Qiqi had followed her with a sockpuppet account, acting as a diehard anti-fan, just to dig up everything she could about Jiang Yan and her mother.

But she quickly convinced herself: A billionaire heiress on the run—there’s no way she’d be living in an old apartment complex like this!

With that thought, Zhang Qiqi put on a friendly smile and said, “Little sister, how about this—we set a price. Anyone who stays at your place pays you a set amount per person. All the hotels with air conditioning have raised their prices, so we’ll match that. How about five hundred yuan per person per day?”

As soon as she finished, the crowd was dumbfounded. Five hundred? Is she robbing us?!

Has Zhang Qiqi lost her mind? This wasn’t what we agreed on!

Even He Chunmei couldn’t help but glance at her: This girl—she must have eight hundred tricks up her sleeve.

What the others didn’t know was that Zhang Qiqi was deliberately trying to stir up resentment among the crowd.

Besides, she didn’t actually want to squeeze into a room with all those old folks. By raising the price, fewer people would go in, and she and her son could stay comfortably.

“Xiaofei, go talk to the pretty lady,” Zhang Qiqi said, patting her son Song Xiaofei on the shoulder.

Song Xiaofei looked at Jiang Yan and was about to step forward, but she had already turned and headed back to the elevator, quickly pressing the button.

In their building, if no one was using the elevator, it would stay on the top floor.

Jiang Yan stepped inside, pressed the close-door button and the button for the first floor.

The crowd stared after her in shock. “She’s just leaving?!”

He Chunmei sneered, “Don’t worry, she’ll have to come back sooner or later!”

With that, she pulled Zhang Qiqi over to the window and stared down at the garden below.

“When you see the elevator coming up, let us know!”

“Okay!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yan quickly reached the first floor.

But she didn’t leave the building. Instead, she slipped into the stairwell.

In those few dozen seconds, she’d already come up with a plan.

Calling the police was out of the question—every station was overloaded right now.

Forcing her way home wasn’t realistic either.

She had plenty of weapons in her storage space, but this wasn’t the apocalypse yet—she couldn’t just whip out a machine gun and go “biu biu biu.”

Besides, while her space had improved her physically, there were just too many people on the other side.

She couldn’t guarantee she’d win against so many.

She did, however, have a brand-new jet suit she’d just acquired today.

She’d seen it on Bear Grylls’ survival show. Fully fueled, it could fly for eight to ten minutes and reach up to 1,800 meters.

She could easily find a place to rest, then sneak back home through the window at night when no one was watching.

After all, she could open the window with her smart home system.

But running away would be the worst option.

If you’re too nice, people will take advantage. If you’re too easygoing, people will walk all over you.

If she let them think she was scared and backing down, this kind of thing would never end—it would only get worse.

She had to teach them a lesson they’d never forget!

Of course, Zhang Qiqi, who’d served herself up on a silver platter, would be the first to get what was coming to her.

Jiang Yan looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then summoned a powerful German-brand lithium battery chainsaw from her storage space.

The chainsaw’s blade was a meter and a half long and extremely powerful.

It was also heavy—almost eight kilos.

She pressed the switch lightly, and the gleaming blade began to spin at high speed, the deafening roar echoing through the stairwell.

Jiang Yan was very satisfied with the intimidating effect.

The corners of her lips curled up, and she hefted the “Beast” in one hand as she headed upstairs.

Seeing the elevator start to rise from the first floor toward the thirty-second, Song Xiaofei shouted excitedly, “Mom, I think that lady’s coming back up!”

End of the first round! Thank you to everyone who’s been reading and voting!

I’ve seen all your comments, and some of your suggestions for supplies are really eye-opening. I’ll try to work them in later, haha~"