Free Web NovelChapter 122: Chapter 122: Changing the Prison Director
The next day, the chips Shi Lan had bought for them arrived.
She handed all the chips to Mu Tangfeng.
A day later, following instructions from He Hanshi and the others, she contacted the Black Star Employment Management Center, her voice weary and her expression anxious.
"Hello, I want to resign. I can’t do this anymore."
The Black Star Employment Management Center had arguably been having its most peaceful period in over half a year. There was no Prison Director complaining to them daily, no Prison Director calling them in tears demanding consolation, and certainly no Prison Director threatening to quit at every turn.
So, when a female was appointed as the Prison Director this time, the higher-ups weren’t overly critical. They simply instructed the center to respond promptly to any issues the female might have.
But to their surprise, after all this time, they hadn’t heard from Shi Lan at all, except for the one time she requested leave.
They never expected her next contact would be to announce her resignation.
The person in charge at the Black Star Employment Management Center immediately grew frantic. His first concern was for her safety. "Miss Shi Lan, are you all right?"
"Have you been threatened? Are you hurt?"
Shi Lan bit her lip, her eyes glistening as she shook her head. "No, but... I just feel so lonely staying here all day. I don’t have any other female friends."
Shi Lan didn’t lodge a complaint, but her expression alone was enough to make the staff member imagine hundreds of scenarios where she had been bullied.
He said hastily, "Okay, we’ve received Miss Shi Lan’s resignation request. We’ll arrange for a replacement to arrive tomorrow."
Seemingly worried about her mental state, he added, "Miss Shi Lan, you’re the longest-serving Prison Director we’ve had on Black Star. You’ve done better than all the male Prison Directors before you."
"If there’s anything else bothering you, Miss Shi Lan, you can tell us. We can also arrange a complimentary counseling session for you afterward."
Shi Lan was surprised to hear that. She hadn’t expected them to offer such services.
However, as she looked at the staff member on the screen—a male who handled the situation with practiced ease—she figured that plenty of previous Prison Directors must have faced similar problems.
She shook her head. "It’s fine. I just find the work too monotonous."
Although that was her excuse, the staff member was still convinced she had been wronged. He quickly said, "Alright, then. Could we trouble you to stay for another day or two, Miss Shi Lan? We’ll start looking for a new replacement immediately."
"It might not be that fast, but don’t worry. If we can’t find anyone, we’ll send a temp to take over for you first."
"Okay."
Shi Lan nodded and ended the call.
On the other end, the staff member and his colleague next to him were practically in tears. "It’s over! The good days are over! Even the longest-lasting female couldn’t take it anymore."
Hearing this, the colleague started wailing too.
After a long moment of shared misery, the colleague said, "Since this female lasted for so long, why don’t we try to arrange for another new female?"
The staff member’s eyes lit up. "That makes sense."
However, females in the interstellar community like Shi Lan, with F-rank spiritual power and a Fertility Value of zero, were incredibly rare. Even if such individuals existed, they wouldn’t necessarily be aware of this kind of job opening.
As for the others... in this world, any female with even a little spiritual power would never be short of money or work.
So, the two of them searched for over ten hours straight, even skipping meals, like they were looking for a needle in a haystack, but they came up with nothing. freёweɓnovel.com
It wasn’t until after midnight, when they were too exhausted to continue, that they finally selected a male who had suddenly applied for the job.
If they really couldn’t find anyone, they would probably have to go as temps themselves.
The two staff members had long since been conditioned by previous Prison Directors to avoid Black Star like the plague; there was no way they would subject themselves to that torment personally.
After receiving the message from the staff member, Shi Lan immediately reported back to He Hanshi and the others. He replied, [Okay. We’ll have to trouble Lanlan again tomorrow.]
Shi Lan replied with an "OK."
The new Prison Director arrived the next day. Unlike Shi Lan, who had arrived at night, he showed up around eleven in the morning.
Shi Lan went to greet him. The new Prison Director was a male. When he saw her, he froze for a moment, looked around, and asked with a confused expression, "Are you... the Prison Director’s wife?"
Shi Lan shook her head. "No, I am the Prison Director here."
"What? They actually sent a female here to be the Prison Director?"
The male looked utterly incredulous. He stared for a long moment before saying, "My name is Fang Yuan. I’m the new Prison Director taking over for you."
Hearing his words, Shi Lan’s expression flickered. She was suddenly reminded of when she had first arrived. She hadn’t realized how quickly time had passed; she’d been working here for almost ten months without even noticing.
That also meant she had been in this world for that long...
A complex mix of emotions washed over Shi Lan. She zoned out for a moment before nodding. "I’m Shi Lan."
"Let’s go. I’ll show you around and give you a brief on the work ahead."
"Okay, thank you, Miss Shi Lan."
Fang Yuan’s attitude toward Shi Lan was quite friendly. As she walked ahead, he followed closely behind, occasionally glancing at their surroundings. "This place is pretty desolate. A lot of areas haven’t been developed. Weren’t you scared, being the Prison Director here all by yourself, Miss Shi Lan?"
Shi Lan shook her head. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the tall man behind her. She didn’t know what kind of Beastman he was, but he had a pair of gray eyes. Even though his attitude was pleasant enough, she inexplicably found it hard to feel much warmth toward him.
She didn’t say much to him, but Fang Yuan didn’t seem to mind her cold reception and continued to ramble on. "I heard from the management center that the last Prison Director lasted a long time. You’re really impressive, Miss Shi Lan, to be able to endure..."
Walking in front, a flash of surprise crossed Shi Lan’s face.
’Endure?’
’What does he mean by that? Why would a new Prison Director use a word like that?’
She kept walking, a thoughtful look on her face. She had hoped Fang Yuan would say more, but he fell silent after that.
He didn’t utter another word until they reached the main gate of the prison. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Shi Lan was a little disappointed but returned to the task at hand.
She first gave him a tour to familiarize him with the prison grounds. As they passed the garden, she said, "Every morning, you need to deliver a bouquet of flowers to Lord Yan in Cell 5. He likes to use them for his baths."
Fang Yuan frowned slightly. "A male needs to bathe with flowers?"
Shi Lan ignored his comment. When they reached the kitchen, she added, "You need to prepare two portions of meat for Cell 4. Lord Jiang inside has a large appetite. The normal amount is fine for the others."
Fang Yuan eyed the large meal container incredulously. "I heard that Jiang Xia is just a little Pallas’s cat. He can eat that much?"
Shi Lan’s tone was flat. "In this line of work, it’s best to think of yourself as a subordinate and a server. As long as you do what’s required, you don’t need to worry about much else."
She had originally said all this thinking it would make things easier for her replacement, but she hadn’t expected Fang Yuan to be so fussy.
Fang Yuan shrugged helplessly. "Alright, I’ll remember that."
Shi Lan felt his attitude was dismissive and perfunctory, and it displeased her. However, for the sake of what was to come, she didn’t let it show on her face. She simply didn’t say anything more. Thinking it was almost lunchtime, she prepared the meals and led him directly to the prison cell block.
Fang Yuan was shocked again. "Why are you, a female, cooking? Aren’t there plenty of robots for that? You have to make food for those prisoners?"
