33：Block-and-Delete Combo

Back in the city, Shen Hao felt a bit annoyed looking at the messy living room.

So, he made a call and booked a cleaning service.

200 yuan, excluding the range hood cleaning.

Shen Hao found the price acceptable—after all, he hadn't been cooking, so the range hood was practically unused.

While the cleaner worked, Shen Hao drove his dusty BMW 5 Series to a liquor and tobacco shop.

"Boss, how much for a bottle of that red-labeled baijiu?"

"40 yuan."

"How about a whole case?"

"A case has six bottles. If you buy a case, it's two yuan cheaper per bottle."

"Alright, give me a case."

"Sure, one moment."

"That'll be 228 yuan."

"Add two cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes (medium-length) and two cartons of Yuhuashi. Total it up."

"Two Zhonghua cartons are 1,200 yuan, Yuhuashi is 1,000 yuan, plus the baijiu, that's 2,428 yuan. I'll throw in a free lighter."

The shopkeeper packed the liquor and cigarettes in black plastic bags.

"Thanks," Shen Hao said as he left.

Watching Shen Hao drive off, the shopkeeper found it odd:

"Probably buying the cigarettes as gifts… but the baijiu? Forty-yuan baijiu? Isn't that a bit low-class? This stuff is usually served at rural banquets. Driving a BMW 5 Series and drinking that?"

He couldn't wrap his head around it.

After parking in the basement, Shen Hao stored all the liquor and cigarettes in his space.

Although he wasn't a heavy smoker, now that he had money, he figured he might as well enjoy it.

Back when he was broke, he wouldn't even dare to try the expensive stuff—now he could indulge.

Besides, cigarettes were like social currency for men.

Back home, Shen Hao looked at his spotless living room with satisfaction.

After paying the cleaner, he collapsed onto the couch and drifted into a sweet nap.

He was still a bit tired from his "exercise" with Song Yongci earlier.

When he woke up, the sky was darkening.

He ordered grilled lamb skewers, spicy crayfish tails, a cold dish, and a few bottles of Wusu beer.

Small-town delivery was impressively fast—everything arrived within thirty minutes.

"Ah, life's simple pleasures."

Chilling in the AC, sipping cold beer, and munching on skewers—pure bliss.

As he scrolled through Douyin (TikTok), his WeChat pinged.

It was from an old junior high classmate—someone he hadn't spoken to in ten years.

"Hey, you there?"

Without thinking much, Shen Hao replied, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Where are you these days?"

"In Shanghai. Why?"

"Oh, nothing… Our company's doing poorly. This month's salary got delayed. Can you lend me 500 yuan? I'll pay you back next month."

"Knew it!" Shen Hao thought.

"Ten years without contact, and now he's asking for money? Classic."

He smirked and typed:

"500 seems too little. How about 10,000?"

"Seriously? That's amazing!"

Shen Hao replied:

"Send me your ID card. I'll handle it. I'm in this business, so I'll get you the lowest interest rate. Normally, loans are 90% out, 130% back. For you, just 90% out, 120% back."

"What do you mean? A loan?"

"Of course. I work for a microloan company now. You're in a pinch, right? Just send me your ID, and I'll get the money to you in ten minutes. As old classmates, you'll help my sales numbers, and I'll help you out."

"Forget it. I just needed 500 yuan, not a loan. Thanks anyway."

Shen Hao chuckled,

"Pfft. Thought I owed you or something? Get lost."

He promptly blocked and deleted the guy.

"Ah, nothing feels as refreshing as cutting off useless people. Even better than cold beer."

Shen Hao wasn't much of a drinker.

Two bottles of Wusu left him tipsy.

Lying in bed, he mumbled sleepily, "Ah… nothing beats a comfy mattress."

The next day, he woke up around 10 AM.

Pulling open the curtains, he stretched lazily,

"Ah! Waking up naturally without work is the best!"

In the living room, he frowned at the empty beer bottles and greasy takeout boxes.

Instinctively, he wanted to call the cleaner again—but then thought:

"Maybe I should just hire a full-time housekeeper."

After checking local prices, he found that housekeepers in small towns cost around 3,000 yuan per month.

So he posted an ad on Douyin:

**"Hiring a Housekeeper:

Female, under 40

Must be clean and good at cooking home-style meals

Salary: 3,500 yuan/month, paid monthly

Responsibilities: Light cleaning (with a robot vacuum) and cooking two meals a day

DM if interested."**

To speed things up, he spent 500 yuan boosting the post.

Douyin's paid promotions really brought in traffic.

Shen Hao also bought a 6,000-yuan robot vacuum online.

After another takeout lunch, he napped again, enjoying the cool AC.

When he woke up, he planned to scroll Douyin before returning to Yangguan Town.

To his surprise, he had over 100 messages—all from people applying for the housekeeping job.

Most were women in their early 30s.

Two even sent selfies and photos of their cooking (three dishes and a soup).

One was Lu Jie, 34, fair-skinned, slim, and pretty. Though, Shen Hao didn't trust Douyin's beauty filters.

The other was Sun Zhenzhen, 28, a hotel housekeeping manager. She was tall and attractive—Shen Hao thought,

"With looks like that, she could easily be a mistress somewhere. Why be a housekeeper?"

Of course, in small towns, even front desk leads are called "managers."

There were also older women, close to 40, but Shen Hao preferred younger candidates.

Oddly enough, a man applied too, claiming he was a former chef and loved cleaning.

Shen Hao didn't even think twice—blocked immediately.

"What the hell… not hiring dudes."