Forced to Inherit a City

1,

Zhao Zhao was a luckless office drone. She'd paid off her student loans and had two thousand yuan left in her bank account. Just as life was starting to look up, her girlfriend, Ji Wen, broke up with her.

The day they split, Ji Wen cried hard and said, "Zhao Zhao, I'm sorry. I can't see a future for us together."

Zhao Zhao understood, but that didn't stop her from feeling miserable. Did she have to bring it up today? Zhao Zhao had a deadline the next day and rent due the day after that.

She didn't have time to cry. She still had to work late into the night revising a proposal.

But she felt so stifled that, on her way to the break room for water, she collapsed.

When she opened her eyes, she thought she'd gone to heaven. Then she heard a woman's icy voice: "Welcome back, City Lord. This city has been waiting for you for three thousand years."

2,

The woman was named Shen Duyi. She was the city's chief administrator, and the legendary person destined to assist its new City Lord.

Shen Duyi looked at her as if she were a fraud. "I don't believe in prophecies. Don't you dare drag this city down with you."

Zhao Zhao looked at the chaotic city that was nearly in ruins. "...Excuse me, you want this blessing? You can be City Lord for all I care..."

In short, they couldn't stand each other, but that damn prophecy had bound them together.

Shen Duyi thought the new City Lord would either be a god reborn or a tyrant come to power.

Instead, Zhao Zhao spent her days drawing sewer blueprints, haggling with NPC merchants, and using PowerPoint to write weekly reports for the System.

Shen Duyi: "...What are you doing?"

Zhao Zhao: "Building infrastructure. In my last life, I drafted CAD plans."

3,

Shen Duyi didn't believe she could get anything done.

Not until Zhao Zhao put a performance review system in place and solved the corruption that had plagued the city's administration for a century.

Not until Zhao Zhao worked through three sleepless nights, taking on every technical problem by herself.

Not until Zhao Zhao kept revising the proposal with a raging fever, muttering, "It's fine. I'm used to it."

Shen Duyi suddenly remembered that, according to the legend, the new City Lord would arrive after weathering countless storms.

She'd thought it was just a glorifying figure of speech.

She hadn't expected it to be true.

4,

Later, when the city connected to the real world, Ji Wen said, "Zhao Zhao, I had my reasons back then. I did it to pay for my dad's medical treatment."

Zhao Zhao glanced at her, calm as if looking at a stranger. "I know. I understand."

Ji Wen: "Then can we get back together?"

Zhao Zhao was of course going to say no, but before she could speak, a woman with a cold expression stepped out behind her and quietly draped a cloak over her shoulders.

Zhao Zhao smiled. Instead of answering Ji Wen, she looked at the woman and said, "Let's go, Chief Administrator. We still have to write today's report."

Theme: Love yourself well