Rent Collection, Then a Medical Miracle

Jiang Yubai looked at the old residential building before him, so worn-down it was practically dilapidated, his expression helpless.

His mother was lying around at home and had sent him to collect rent, calling it "a bit of exercise."

Wasn't it just taking the money and leaving? What could possibly go wrong?

He shook his head and stepped into the dim stairwell.

He had barely climbed a few flights when an impatient woman's voice carried down the stairs.

"...It's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult for you, but I have to collect your rent today."

Jiang Yubai looked up. It seemed to be the floor he was headed for.

He continued upward, and a slightly embarrassed female voice immediately followed. "Auntie Li... Haven't you always been able to give me a few more days? Just... just two days, okay?"

Her voice was as crisp as birdsong, carrying a hint of pleading. It sounded wonderful.

No way, had he really run into trouble?

At last reaching the landing where the voices came from, Jiang Yubai saw the back of a somewhat plump woman with long wavy hair. She had to be Landlord Li, the person he was looking for.

The girl speaking to her was completely blocked by the older woman, not visible at all.

The older woman's tone only grew more impatient.

"I could turn a blind eye before, but the main landlord is sending someone down to inspect things these next couple of days. If you can't pay today, I won't be able to explain myself either."

That clear, lovely voice fell silent.

Clicking his tongue at the inconvenience, Jiang Yubai stopped softening his footsteps and spoke in his usual lazy tone.

"Hello, excuse me—"

His words suddenly caught in his throat.

Only after the landlord no longer blocked his view did he see that the girl opposite him wore a simple cotton dress, her long hair falling softly over her shoulders.

Her delicate brows and eyes looked painted, her nose was fine and straight, and her lips were small and full. Anyone could tell she was a beauty.

But at that moment, those lovely almond-shaped eyes were filled with undisguised shock as she stared at him in disbelief.

Lin Tingwan.

He was far too familiar with that face. For over two years of high school, they had been in the same class.

Running into a classmate while collecting rent wasn't enough to surprise him this much, but—

Wasn't Lin Tingwan mute!?

On the first day of school, their homeroom teacher had specifically emphasized that matter to the entire class and warned them not to play any pranks or anything of the sort.

But just now?

Before Jiang Yubai could think it through, Auntie Li turned toward him and looked him over from head to toe, immediately frowning.

"You... You look unfamiliar. You're not from our complex, are you?"

"...No."

Jiang Yubai denied it instinctively, but his gaze remained blankly fixed on the girl before him.

What was this? She couldn't afford the rent, and when she was pushed to the limit, she could suddenly speak?

A medical miracle...

Auntie Li's gaze moved back and forth between him and Lin Tingwan twice. It lingered in particular on the girl's bright-red ears and darting eyes. Seeming to suddenly confirm something, she sharply furrowed her brow.

"I'm telling you," she said, tipping her chin toward Lin Tingwan in an unyielding tone, "don't try any clever tricks."

"Either have your boyfriend pay the rent today, or pack your things and leave. There's no room for negotiation!"

Lin Tingwan froze.

Jiang Yubai: "...?"

What did she mean, boyfriend?

From that tone, she had clearly taken him for someone Lin Tingwan had specially called over to back her up.

Jiang Yubai narrowed his eyes, his tone no longer as polite as before. "You're Li Xia, Landlord Li, right?"

Upon hearing that, Auntie Li scrutinized him several more times and frowned. "Yes. What about it?"

Jiang Yubai got straight to the point. "The company has recently been checking the rental status of the shops and floors. The collections here haven't been very satisfactory, so I came by to take a look while I was in the area."

Auntie Li first went blank, then her face abruptly changed. The impatience she had shown moments ago instantly vanished, replaced with a forced smile.

"Oh, so you're from the company. No wonder you look so distinguished... Look at my eyesight. Just now, I really... I was collecting the rent, wasn't I?"

Meanwhile, as Lin Tingwan watched the somewhat exaggerated exchange between the two, a trace of wariness suddenly flashed through her eyes. She quietly stepped half a pace back.

Jiang Yubai had no intention of showing off in front of anyone, so he continued, "So what's the situation now?"

"I..." Auntie Li glanced at Lin Tingwan. "Ah, it's not good to stand outside. Come on, come on, let's go inside and sit while we talk."

As she spoke, she directly reached out and pushed open the half-closed door, then walked inside.

Lin Tingwan's expression changed. She instinctively wanted to stop her, but seemed to think of something and forcibly pressed her lips together.

A question mark also appeared in Jiang Yubai's mind—if he understood correctly, Lin Tingwan was the one living in this apartment, right?

It was rented, sure, but it was one thing for this auntie to walk in herself. Why was she letting him, a grown man, enter too...

"What are you standing around outside for?" came an urging voice from inside. "Hurry up and come in to make him a cup of tea!"

Upon hearing that, Lin Tingwan bit her lower lip. Her gaze rested on Jiang Yubai for several seconds before she finally turned and entered the apartment.

Why are you looking at me?

Jiang Yubai found it baffling, but since the owner had already gone inside, he did not hesitate further and followed her in.

The apartment had an old-fashioned layout with one bedroom, one living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It was compact and small, but extremely clean.

After all, it was someone else's room. Jiang Yubai only gave it a brief glance before looking no further.

Auntie Li had already sat down on the old sofa in the living room and warmly beckoned to him. "Come, come, please sit."

Lin Tingwan, meanwhile, did not actually go make tea. She simply sat silently on the little stool by the window, even farther away than he was.

Looking rather exasperated, Auntie Li looked around, found the thermos, and took the initiative to make Jiang Yubai a cup of tea.

"Um... May I ask your surname?"

"Jiang," Jiang Yubai answered briefly.

"Ah, Mr. Jiang," Auntie Li immediately continued, "the rent for our complex this month has basically all been collected. This is the only household that still hasn't paid."

She paused and glanced at Lin Tingwan, who had her head lowered. Her tone softened somewhat. "Her situation... really is a little special. Do you think you could be a little accommodating?"

Jiang Yubai did not respond. He merely gave her a strange look.

Hadn't she been loudly demanding rent just now? Why was she pleading for leniency instead?

Noticing his gaze, Auntie Li immediately shot several pointed looks at the girl on the chair. But Lin Tingwan remained silently motionless, like a statue.

One of you plays the good cop while the other plays the bad cop, huh.

Sure enough, these two...

Lin Tingwan silently clenched her fists.

"Heh, hehe." Seeing no reaction from her, Auntie Li could only laugh awkwardly. "This child... is rather shy around strangers..."

Jiang Yubai looked at the smiling Landlord Li, then at the silent Lin Tingwan, and suddenly felt that something about the atmosphere was off.

No, why did this scene look more and more like some bully forcing rent from a helpless girl?

Jiang Yubai abruptly shook his head, quickly driving that bizarre thought from his mind.

To save the increasingly delicate atmosphere, he explained in a gentler tone, "Landlord Li, actually, I know her. We're classmates."

He had meant to make the two of them relax, but Auntie Li was visibly stunned upon hearing this. Her gaze shifted between the two of them, and an "I see" look flashed through her eyes.

"I understand, I understand."

She quickly stood up, looking as though she fully understood. "Then you young people talk. I won't disturb you."

When she reached the door, the hand she used to close it paused. In the end, she did not shut it completely, leaving a small crack.

Jiang Yubai: "?"

No, what exactly did she understand? Why did she suddenly run off?

The landlord had run off, so how was he supposed to collect rent?

He turned his head in confusion, only to find that Lin Tingwan, seated to the side, had gone slightly pale and was staring intently at him.

Why did this one look like a mouse that had seen a cat too?

"Classmate Lin," after thinking for a moment, he decided to satisfy his curiosity first, "at school... were you deliberately pretending not to speak?"

Lin Tingwan pressed her lips together at his words, still saying nothing.

"I heard you speaking just now, so there's no need to keep pretending now, right?" Jiang Yubai shrugged.

"..."

The last shred of hope that she could muddle through had been completely shattered. Lin Tingwan took a deep breath and finally raised her eyes to look at him.

"Jiang Yubai... What exactly do you want?"

Her tone was thick with wariness, yet it could not conceal the clear, beautiful quality of her voice.

"So you really can speak..." Jiang Yubai's eyes widened slightly.

In all three years of high school, he had never heard Lin Tingwan say a word. If not for her clear question earlier, he would have almost suspected he had imagined it.

Lin Tingwan ignored that remark. She only frowned in disgust and repeated, "What exactly do you want?"

What did he want?

Jiang Yubai blinked and answered honestly, "I'm here to collect rent."

Upon hearing that, Lin Tingwan seemed to confirm something, and her face turned even paler.

"Collect rent..." Her voice trembled slightly. "I knew it. You were all in on it together. So... what are you planning to do next?"

"What do you mean, in on it? What am I planning to do?"

Jiang Yubai froze, utterly baffled.

Before he could figure it out, Lin Tingwan suddenly clenched her fists and said each word distinctly.

"Jiang. Yubai. Are you still going to play dumb? I know you've always been a flirt... but I never thought you would actually do something like this."

"You knew the school had just collected tuition fees. You arranged this inspection beforehand, didn't you?"

Looking at the girl before him, whose face was flushed red with anger, Jiang Yubai had a huge question mark rise in his mind.

"I... arranged what?"

And what did she mean, he had always been a flirt?

Lin Tingwan's ears were bright red as she spoke in a trembling voice. "What do you think? Are you really going to force me to say it?"

Jiang Yubai looked at the girl before him with a completely bewildered expression, while Lin Tingwan glared back with eyes full of rage, refusing to give an inch.

In the silence, the door suddenly made a soft click.

The two instinctively turned to look—

A small head peeked through the crack of the inner room's door, gazing toward them with some confusion.

The instant he saw that face, Jiang Yubai's pupils widened slightly.

Long hair fell loose around her shoulders, and her delicate brows and eyes looked painted. Her features were exactly the same as the girl before him.

The only difference was that those equally beautiful eyes held not anger, but a dazed innocence.

And the moment Lin Tingwan saw her, her face changed drastically.

"Wanwan, don't come out!"