Residence

"You definitely won't be able to find him."

"Stay here temporarily for the next few days. He changed his number and said he wouldn't contact anyone. He'll come back here on his own!"

"Don't worry either. I usually don't live here, so you'll basically have the place to yourself!"

Jiang Huaiyue had originally wanted to refuse.

After all, living under the same roof as someone she did not know well would ultimately be inconvenient.

But when she heard that Lin Fan would come straight back here once he returned, she hesitated.

In the end, she did not put on airs.

The other party had helped Lin Fan, so he counted as Lin Fan's friend. He was handsome, too, and seemed to have a strong sense of boundaries.

Most importantly, he did not live here either.

There was truly nothing to refuse. She could just thank him properly once Lin Fan returned.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you," Jiang Huaiyue said with a nod.

Seeing that it was settled, Shen Wuxiao was delighted in his heart.

Today, they would first get familiar with each other and let Jiang Huaiyue lower her guard against him.

Tomorrow, he would begin making preparations.

He first needed to ask Uncle Wu and Uncle Wu's wife for help, have them cover their faces and play the bad guys.

It was time for his Domain Stasis ability to come in handy as well.

"Miss Jiang, you're too polite. You're Comrade Lin Fan's comrade, which makes you my friend."

"Brother Lin Fan and I hit it off at first sight. We could even be considered friends who had survived life-and-death together. Of course, by 'life-and-death,' I mean I just went through the motions with him!"

Shen Wuxiao smiled.

Naturally, Jiang Huaiyue would not let down her guard.

Still, this "Young Master Sikong" truly did not seem like someone harboring ill intent.

His gaze was very clear, without the slightest trace of filth.

And whenever he spoke with her, he looked directly into her eyes instead of letting his gaze wander.

You could know a person's face but not their heart, yet for now, this Young Master Sikong seemed fine.

After that, the two chatted while drinking tea.

What surprised Jiang Huaiyue was that the Young Master Sikong before her was quite extraordinary.

He spoke well. If someone did not know better, they would surely think he carried at least some of a dandy's air.

Yet he did not. He was a very talented man.

From their conversation alone, she could tell that he was widely experienced and well versed in many fields.

He also had his own unique insights into every matter.

The conversation was fairly pleasant.

The two went from complete strangers to the ordinary sort of friends.

Time trickled away little by little, and it was nearly dark.

"Miss Jiang has just arrived, and she is Comrade Lin Fan's comrade."

"I should naturally do the honors of a host. It's a pity Brother Lin Fan isn't here, so I'll have to wrong you with a simple meal. I'll have someone deliver some food!"

"We won't drink alcohol. Girls still need to protect themselves; alcohol can ruin things!"

"When Brother Lin Fan comes back, the three of us can properly drink and make merry together."

Jiang Huaiyue truly could not find a reason to refuse.

The other party had already put it that way.

Moreover, her impression of Shen Wuxiao had improved somewhat.

If he had asked to drink alcohol, she might have refused.

But now it was only a simple meal, and she really could not let his goodwill go to waste.

Jiang Huaiyue did not care whether he was putting on an act or not. Her purpose was simply to wait for Lin Fan to return.

As for her ability to protect herself, she had that.

"I'll trouble you," Jiang Huaiyue said politely as well.

"It's no trouble. I'm only having someone deliver food. Mainly because my cooking really isn't any good."

Shen Wuxiao chuckled.

Another half hour passed, and the food arrived. It was very lavish.

Shen Wuxiao got up to fetch some drinks.

Jiang Huaiyue sat at the dining table.

At this moment, Shen Wuxiao's phone, which he had left on the table, rang.

Jiang Huaiyue had intended to call out and tell Shen Wuxiao that he had a call.

But she glanced at it and saw that the screen displayed a scam call, so she ignored it.

After the call automatically disconnected, it rang again moments later.

It still displayed a scam call.

Several times in a row.

She was somewhat speechless. Were scammers these days really this persistent?

Didn't they know phones now had labeling and identification features?

In fact, over at the demolition neighborhood, Lin Fan was calling Shen Wuxiao's phone.

But after calling several times without anyone answering, he gave up.

He never would have imagined that Shen Wuxiao had labeled him as a scam call!

When Shen Wuxiao returned, he was holding two bottles of coconut water.

"We won't drink alcohol, so let's use coconut water instead!"

Back at the table, Shen Wuxiao saw his phone.

Jiang Huaiyue said, "Your phone rang several times, but they were all scam calls, so I didn't call you!"

Shen Wuxiao secretly laughed. Damn it, that was Lin Fan—he had simply labeled him as a scam call.

"Scammers work hard these days. Never mind that. Let's eat. Make yourselves at home, no need for formalities."

"Miss Jiang, there's no need to be reserved either. The first meeting is unfamiliar, the second familiar. We'll all be friends from now on!"

Jiang Huaiyue merely nodded faintly, showing no other expression.

That was simply her personality.

Under ordinary circumstances, she would absolutely never have eaten with someone she had only just met.

But this was a special situation. The man before her was Lin Fan's friend and had provided Lin Fan with much help.

He also conducted himself properly, which was why she made an exception.

The meal was indeed rather natural. Shen Wuxiao only looked at her while speaking; at all other times, he could shift his gaze away.

He was quite the gentleman.

Moreover, most of the questions he asked were about military service, and he lamented that he had never enlisted, saying he regretted it deeply.

After the meal, Shen Wuxiao showed not the slightest intention of shamelessly lingering.

He simply tidied up a little and said, "Miss Jiang, don't worry about these things. I'll have someone come take them away tomorrow."

"The guest rooms downstairs are clean, and there are new quilts and bedding. I'll have to trouble you to make the bed yourself."

"I'll be leaving first. My business card is on the coffee table. Contact me anytime if anything comes up!"

This time, Jiang Huaiyue revealed a faint smile. "Thank you for the trouble."

He truly had good manners. He let her make the bed herself and did not act presumptuously. After all, it was something she would use for close personal rest; he understood boundaries well.

"It's no trouble. Didn't I say it? We're all friends!" Shen Wuxiao said, then left the villa directly.

When he reached the door, he did not forget to turn back. "Right, don't go out tonight. This is the bay area, and there aren't many people around. It's somewhat unsafe for a girl like you to go out alone."

"I've already locked all the other doors and windows, so don't worry. There won't be any problems."

"Mm." Jiang Huaiyue nodded again. "Be careful on the road!"

She showed some concern as well.

After all, he had taken such good care of her. It was only right that she thank him.

"Alright." Shen Wuxiao smiled, without the slightest appearance of reluctance, and left directly.

Only after watching the car depart into the distance did Jiang Huaiyue withdraw her gaze.

She still went to tidy the table before heading to a guest room downstairs.

After arranging things, she entered the bathroom as well.

Meanwhile, Shen Wuxiao had truly left.

He had not merely said it.

Shen Wuxiao knew full well how wary she was. Once any flaw appeared, she would leave.

Therefore, if he wanted her to take off her armor, the prerequisite was to make her lower her guard.

Pretending to be a gentleman was utterly effortless for him.

He wanted Jiang Huaiyue to form a basic impression of him, then magnify that impression without limit.

From the current situation, the reason she stayed was because he said Lin Fan would come directly to the villa after returning.

After all, with her personality, how could she casually interact with other men?

Otherwise, how could she count as the female lead in Lin Fan's storyline?

But those were all minor problems. In any case, the roujiamo was already warming up.