Chapter 40: That Brat, Shen Bing

Liu Hongtao paused, took a few deep breaths, and then gritted his teeth, saying, "Keep the change."

Lu Li had just arrived when she ran into Liu Hongtao, who was walking away with an ashen face. She even reached out to greet him, "Leaving so soon, Base Commander? Won't you stay a little longer?"

Receiving no response, Lu Li felt it was strange—how could this man be so two-faced? Back on the night the zombie horde arrived, he had been a fine base commander: responsible, reliable, and capable. But the more she interacted with him, the more she felt he was petty. Lu Li silently judged him, thinking, "The fish rots from the head down!"

"Hmph." She let out a soft, disdainful snort. Liu Hongtao heard it perfectly clearly and nearly stumbled on the flat ground.

Ignoring him, she walked into the convenience store and raised an eyebrow at Shen Bing. "What happened?"

Shen Bing tossed a yellow crystal core in his hand, looking quite spirited and youthful. "We made a profit."

Lu Li smiled and walked to his side, whispering, "That’s good. Don’t let that old geezer take advantage of you."

"Pfft..." Shen Bing was amused by her comment and nodded in agreement. He then turned to the customers and said, "Carry on."

The two walked out side-by-side. Lu Li was quite tall, around 1.7 meters, slightly taller than Shen Bing’s shoulders. Walking beside this "Hero Shen," her presence was not in the least bit diminished; in fact, she seemed to hold the upper hand.

Several customers greeted her. "Boss Lu, have you eaten yet? What delicious things are you having today?"

Lu Li smiled back. Mentioning food reminded her that she hadn't eaten yet. She immediately pulled Shen Bing along to get something to eat. They arrived at the service window of her RV. Lu Li rested her elbows on the counter and said generously, "What do you want to eat? Big sister is treating."

For some reason, hearing her call herself "big sister" made Shen Bing feel a bit annoyed. He asked directly, "Boss Lu, how old are you this year?"

Lu Li blurted out, "Twenty-three. What about you? Are you still a minor?"

From their first meeting, Lu Li had felt that Shen Bing wasn't very old, and the more she interacted with him, the more he seemed like a naive little kid. Shen Bing went silent, which answered her question perfectly.

Lu Li laughed out loud. "I knew it, just a little kid. Tell me, what do you want to eat?"

"...Barbecue," Shen Bing muttered softly. It was what he had smelled outside her window that day but hadn't gotten to eat.

"Alright." Considering Shen Bing was still growing, Lu Li ordered a barbecue set for three. When it appeared, the spread was twice as large as her individual meal from last time, piled high with fresh, pre-washed, and sliced ingredients.

The RV was nearly cramped, with the table touching both sides of the vehicle. It wasn't Shen Bing's first time inside the RV, and he sat obediently on a chair, looking around quietly. There was a white cat in the corner that looked quite arrogant, along with many pet supplies. *Does Boss Lu like cats?* The bed still had the same light orange plaid sheets, looking very fresh.

When Lu Li came out of the bathroom, she saw Shen Bing staring at the bed at the back of the vehicle. "Are you tired?"

Shen Bing shook his head, averted his gaze, and used the tongs to divide the grilled meat for her and himself. She sat across from him, looking at the overflowing bowl of meat, and smiled with satisfaction.

"This is cumin powder, barbecue sauce... you can use them to dip the meat. It tastes better that way~" she teased. Recalling something funny, Lu Li clapped her hands and laughed, her ponytail swaying with the movement, looking quite lively.

Shen Bing watched her and silently pursed his lips. Don't ask him why he wasn't laughing; he was the subject of the joke. After laughing to herself for a while, Lu Li calmed down and noticed the corner of Shen Bing's mouth turned up. "If you want to laugh, just laugh. Why hold it in?"

Shen Bing paused, then finally broke into a smile. For some reason, he felt a warmth in his heart. Perhaps one could truly be themselves here?

"Eat up!" Lu Li handed him a bottle of cola and said casually, taking a piece of meat for herself without wrapping it in lettuce. After swallowing, she took a sip of her drink and sighed, "Refreshing!"

Shen Bing followed her lead, eating meat and drinking soda in big gulps. It was indeed refreshing. His appetite was truly large, and he finished most of the food; watching him eat made her own appetite better. Lu Li was the type to have eyes bigger than her stomach—she wanted to try everything but couldn't eat it all.

By the end, there were still some vegetables and meat left. Shen Bing didn't want to waste them, so he grilled the rest and packed it up. As Lu Li picked her teeth, she watched him pack. "Do you keep a dog at home?"

Shen Bing replied calmly, "I'm taking care of a few kids."

"You're just a kid yourself, yet you're already raising kids. Not bad, Hero Shen," Lu Li praised him sincerely. Surviving in the apocalypse was difficult; many people sold children for supplies, ate them, or abandoned them. As a seventh-rank ability user, he could have lived very well, accepting support from the base and taking on occasional missions. Perhaps due to his sense of freedom and kindness, he couldn't bear to see the children wandering, so he brought them home to raise them.

Lu Li said nonchalantly, "Bring them over tomorrow to help out in the convenience store. I'll pay them a salary."

Shen Bing's eyes lit up. He said quickly and quietly, "Thank you." The tips of the teenager's ears were bright red.

Lu Li wasn't just being kind; she had a feeling her business would keep expanding, and this was a perfect opportunity to cultivate her own small faction.

After they finished eating, Shen Bing instinctively wanted to clear the dishes. Lu Li didn't stop him, just silently pressed the "confirm receipt" button. A beam of white light flashed, and the table along with the electric grill vanished, leaving a wide-eyed Shen Bing behind.

He stammered, "Boss Lu, the system won't help you wash the dishes." *But I would.*

Lu Li flicked his forehead. "What are you thinking? This stuff goes back where it came from; what does that have to do with me?"

With that, she stepped out of the RV. Shen Bing followed closely behind, afraid of being locked inside.

At noon, the customers would automatically disappear; everyone loved their afternoon naps too much to skip them. Lu Li also planned to take a nap when she saw the familiar customers walking out of the base in groups. She waved to greet them, "Where are you going in this heat?"

They shouted back, "To kill zombies!"

Good for them, they were certainly diligent. She heard them add, "Once we get the crystal cores, we're all coming to spend them at Boss Lu's."

Lu Li beamed. "Stay safe out there!" *Make sure you come back to spend your earnings.*

The customers felt a warmth in their hearts, once again thinking that Boss Lu was a capitalist with a human touch. Thinking this made them even more motivated; they couldn't wait to go out, kill hundreds of zombies, and spend it all here.

Satisfied, Lu Li pulled down the shutter. Since there were no customers at noon, Shen Bing also set the convenience store to "closed" mode. She calculated that she would simply upgrade to level four at Hope Base before heading to other bases with a fresh new look. With that thought, Lu Li drifted off to sleep, falling asleep quickly without any insomnia.

When she woke up, she heard a knock at the door. Checking the time, it was nearly four o'clock. She rolled out of bed. Outside was Shen Bing, knocking expressionlessly. *This Boss Lu is probably a pig reincarnated; she sleeps way too much during the day.*