Tang Xiaoman spoke with a smile.

This time, she didn’t hide behind some imaginary “friend.” She spoke plainly—this was her own story, her own thoughts.

Zhou Yichen had already switched off the helicopter lights, yet he could still clearly see her smile—and the fleeting complexity in her eyes.

He pressed his lips together before finally speaking.

“You must have worked that hard because you loved your boss. I worked hard for my pay. In the end, it’s just one willing to give, one willing to take.”

“Your effort didn’t earn you his love, so you walked away. But my effort earns me good pay and benefits. I’ve got nothing to complain about. If you really feel bad about it… you can always give me a bonus.”

Tang Xiaoman blinked, then laughed. “Looks like I overthought it. First time being a capitalist—I still have a conscience. Didn’t want to exploit my employees too much.”

“To be a qualified boss,” Zhou Yichen replied calmly, “you need a harder heart. I don’t mind doing more work—as long as you stop scaring me every now and then.”

“That’s not scaring you,” Tang Xiaoman burst out laughing. “That’s teasing.”

The gloom vanished from her expression.

Every time she saw his rigid, serious demeanor, she couldn’t resist the urge to mess with him a little.

“Fine. I’ll stop teasing you from now on.”

She would have her revenge—but she would no longer waste even a shred of emotion on those people. They weren’t worth it.

Having been given a second life, she wouldn’t just survive.

She would live well.

And happily.

As they got off the helicopter, she murmured to herself, almost unconsciously, “I never really loved him.”

“Hm?” Zhou Yichen paused and looked at her.

“I thought if I treated him well enough, he’d love me back. Back then, all I wanted was to be loved.” Tang Xiaoman clenched her fist slightly, lifting her chin. “Now? I don’t care for that worthless thing anymore. It’s all empty.”

She tapped her fist lightly.

“This—this is what matters.”

—

Tang Xiaoman stored the helicopter. Zhou Yichen had already pried open the rooftop door.

With powerful flashlights in hand, they descended the stairs.

The top floor was an international furniture exhibition, filled with luxury brands from around the world.

As the beam of light swept across the displays, everything gleamed with modern urban opulence.

Zhou Yichen took out a high-powered mining lamp from his bag, switched it on, and set it atop a cabinet, preparing to get to work.

But Tang Xiaoman pulled out two military tents and handed one to him.

“It’s late. Staying up all night isn’t good for your health.” She smiled. “Set up the tents. We’ll go into the space to wash up, get some rest, and start tomorrow.”

Yes—she was, in fact, a boss with a conscience.

No matter how useful he was, she couldn’t just work him to death.

If he broke down…

She’d actually feel bad.

—

When she woke the next day, it was already past ten in the morning.

Tang Xiaoman got up and saw that Zhou Yichen’s tent had already been folded and placed neatly on a mattress.

The night before, they had each picked out a high-end mattress they liked and set up their tents on top.

Tang Xiaoman was always a light sleeper—yet she hadn’t even noticed when he had gotten up and left.

Taking out her walkie-talkie, she called, “Time to wash up and have breakfast.”

A short while later, Zhou Yichen returned.

His hair at the temples was slightly damp. The fitted camouflage T-shirt clung to his body, outlining his firm, fluid muscles. The thin fabric was faintly darkened with sweat.

Clearly, he had gone for morning training.

“What time did you get up?” Tang Xiaoman asked, surprised by his discipline and energy.

“An hour ago,” he replied, as concise as ever.

She said nothing more and pulled him into the space.

She gave him the first-floor bathroom and went upstairs herself.

After washing up, she came back down to find Zhou Yichen had already set the large tea table from yesterday and laid out a hearty breakfast.

Pumpkin millet porridge, old duck porridge, meat-stuffed flatbreads, seafood pan-fried dumplings, garlic ribs, stir-fried celery, and oyster sauce tofu.

A balanced spread of meat and vegetables—visually inviting and appetizing.

Zhou Yichen looked up at her. “If you want anything else, just take it.”

Tang Xiaoman pressed her lips together.

This guy was getting more and more comfortable, as if he truly belonged here.

“This is perfect. You know my taste well,” she said, sitting down and choosing the pumpkin millet porridge.

Zhou Yichen took the duck porridge she hadn’t picked, and they began eating.

After breakfast, they left the space and started a new round of looting.

Beginning from the top floor, they swept through rows of European luxury furniture—sofas, dining tables, TV stands, side cabinets, bookshelves, beds, nightstands, mattresses…

Tang Xiaoman moved like a storm, leaving nothing behind.

Zhou Yichen paused, slightly taken aback. “Your space can hold all this?”

“My space is more than big enough now. If I like it, I take it. No matter how much, it’ll fit,” she said confidently.

She had already pre-ordered a thousand jin of jade from Yu Jingyuan, and the pending deal with Huo Kai would bring in another 340 jin of gold. Once all of it was fed into the space, it would likely expand by another thousand cubic meters.

Her stockpiling speed could barely keep up with the space’s growth anymore.

There was no need to calculate and ration space like before.

Soon, the entire floor of furniture was gone.

They moved down to the next level—the solid wood furniture exhibition.

Rare rosewood, expensive sandalwood, beautiful huanghuali, sturdy oak, elm, ash…

The designs leaned toward traditional styles, intricately carved, as if stepping back into another era.

Tang Xiaoman didn’t hesitate.

Everything she touched vanished into her space.

Furniture this durable? Not a single piece could be left behind.

Even if she ran out of space, she could always use it as firewood during the extreme cold nights.

After clearing two floors, they continued downward.

This level displayed antique furniture, each piece labeled with its production era and former owner.

Tang Xiaoman wasn’t interested in the history.

She only cared about the items.

Everything went into the space.

Once they finished, Zhou Yichen couldn’t help questioning again, “Still not full?”

By his calculations, her space should have been packed long ago.

Tang Xiaoman checked with her mind.

First came surprise.

Then delight.

“The space expanded again!”

—

It turned out the space didn’t just consume gold, silver, jade, and jewelry.

It also consumed high-quality wood.

Almost all the antique furniture had been absorbed. The rosewood, sandalwood, and huanghuali pieces were gone as well.

Only the oak, elm, and ash furniture remained untouched—along with one so-called rosewood set.

The two entered the space again. Zhou Yichen examined the remaining set and concluded, “This is fake—oak disguised as rosewood.”

Cheap materials could fool customers.

But not the space.

The space only consumed rare, high-quality wood—or antique wood infused with the passage of time.

Ordinary solid wood? It had no interest.

Tang Xiaoman glanced at the space’s new dimensions, her heart pounding.

The static storage had expanded by a full 820 cubic meters, now totaling 2,700 cubic meters. The villa had grown by 108 square meters, gaining an extra floor—now four stories, totaling 473 square meters. The garden had expanded by 32 square meters, reaching 135, and its height had increased along with the villa.

The pond had grown larger.

The red soil had upgraded to rich black soil.

The crops showed visible changes overnight—wheat ears had grown fuller, corn cobs plumper, and sweet potato vines thicker and stronger.

She lowered her head—

—and realized the jade bracelet on her wrist had vanished.