Those Days I Worked Like a Beast for Money

A no-nonsense white snake vs. a vampire with a fussy mom-friend streak (chapter comments enabled)

"I may be broke, but my partner owes half a billion."

A youkai-world age-gap romance, tales of a broke man taking care of a broke woman

A small goal: fixed updates every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from now on~

1.

Six hundred years ago, Zhu Xinyi was a rich woman. She owned an entire mountain and had a considerate boyfriend.

But just when they were most in love, her ex ran off with all their money. Unable to take the blow, Zhu Xinyi fell asleep and never woke up.

When she finally woke, six hundred years had passed.

Her home was gone, her money was gone, and she had been sent to the Youkai Administration.

Now homeless, she has to start all over again and work toward buying a house.

She and the vampire by her side, who owes half a billion, work hard together.

The vampire is stupid, but breathtakingly beautiful.

They have sold tiramisu, figurines, snacks, clothes... They outwit the city inspectors and haggle with customers.

Zhu Xinyi made a name for herself and finally managed to save enough money. Then someone swindled her, and she lost every last cent.

And look at her other companions: a profit-driven mermaid, a warlock plagued by bad luck and constantly facing bloody calamities, and a rebellious merboy who is either skipping school or on his way to skip school...

Zhu Xinyi's eyes go dark. She can't see any future in which she owns a house.

All she can think is: the sky is falling.

2.

Alone and isolated, with only his shadow for company.

Xiu thought this was how his whole life would be. Creatures of darkness could never have the light.

Until one sunny afternoon, he saw Zhu Xinyi in the service hall of the Youkai Administration.

She had fallen asleep in her chair.

Bright sunlight poured over her through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders and down to her delicate collarbones, brushing her tender cheeks. She wore a white dress with a subtle pattern that outlined her waist. She was astonishingly beautiful.

So this was what she looked like.

As if in a trance, he stepped forward and blocked the sunlight he had once hated.

The girl felt the shadow fall over her and slowly opened her eyes, meeting Xiu's gaze.

Her voice was clear and warm as she asked who he was.

Xiu heard himself answer, "I'm Xiu, your guide."

3.

After going bankrupt again, Zhu Xinyi decided to return to the job market. She bent over the table, racking her brains as she filled out a new resume, while Xiu sat beside her to supervise.

Mission One: A one-body, two-personality stork youkai (Oriental Stork arc complete)

Zhu Xinyi wrote: This is a very stupid youkai. He can't beat Xiu, but he can beat me. Yet he kept picking fights with Xiu, so in the end his company fired him.

Xiu crossed it all out and wrote: Successfully handled a fearsome, five-star great youkai.

Mission Two: A mute werewolf (coming later)

Zhu Xinyi wrote: This is a disabled youkai. His wife is good to him and never leaves his side, but he's awful and always loses his temper. I tried to mediate between them, so in the end they got divorced.

Xiu crossed it all out and wrote: Successfully helped a couple's relationship flourish.

Mission Three: Mermaid's Tears (coming later)

Zhu Xinyi wrote: This is a really weird youkai. She's a mermaid who was born without tears, but she cried and didn't die. A company hired me to catch her, and I was furious. How could they bully an honest person? So I blew up the company that hired me (draws a smiley face).

Xiu crossed it all out and wrote: Successfully helped the human police crush the youkai world's criminal underworld.

Can the white snake find a job? Help her get employed!

This story is also known as: "Six Hundred Years Later: Starting from Zero and Working Toward Zero," "The Love Story of Two Broke People," "How I, a Poor Person, Saved Another Poor Person," "I'm Rich Now. Just Kidding," "I'm Broke Again. This Time It's True"...

P.S.:

1. A sweet romance, one-on-one from beginning to end. The ex-boyfriend has his reasons.

2. The memories of six hundred years ago will take up a fair amount of the story.

3. A mountain of author-invented details.

4. The author loves revising (it won't affect the plot).

Coming soon: Forgive Me, I Was Young and Didn't Understand Love

A pitiful male lead vs. a once-arrogant, domineering female lead who later goes bankrupt

I really am a vicious supporting woman, but he doesn't believe me.

I keep trying to convince myself that he only wants to get involved with me physically and pay off my debts because he likes me.

But as far as I remember, I really did bully him and never did anything good for him.

Urgent question: Is it normal for the pitiful boy I bullied in high school to suddenly say he wants to have an impure relationship with me?

Theme: Growth comes with growing pains.