You're Not Trying to Skip Out on My Rent, Are You?

Lin Jianxia seemed never to have encountered anything like this before. Instinctively, she cast Jiang Yubai a pleading look.

Jiang Yubai simply replied with four words. "It's up to you."

He neither urged nor interfered, merely waiting calmly for her to make her decision.

For some reason, Lin Jianxia suddenly felt at ease.

She nodded, lowered her eyes, and spoke softly to the landlady. "Thank you... for being willing to give me this job before."

After saying that, she let out a long breath, feeling the frustration and grievance in her heart finally dissipate completely.

Jiang Yubai looked at her in slight surprise, then turned to the landlady.

"Since she's already said so... there's no need to keep the rent as high as seven thousand. Let's set it at six thousand."

"Six thousand is still really..."

The landlady opened her mouth, still wanting to struggle, but when her gaze swept over the silent Lin Jianxia beside her and she caught sight of Jiang Yubai's utterly uncompromising expression, she finally deflated.

Her shoulders slumped as she gave a bitter smile and shook her head.

"...Fine. Six thousand it is."

On the way home, Lin Jianxia walked with her little head lowered, while Jiang Yubai strolled beside her, humming cheerfully.

"I'm sorry."

Lin Jianxia suddenly said.

Jiang Yubai snapped back to attention and looked at the girl beside him in confusion.

"What are you apologizing for?"

Under Jiang Yubai's puzzled gaze, Lin Jianxia shifted her eyes away slightly. "Just... for a lot of things..."

Aunt Zhao, whom she had thought was fairly kind, had suddenly turned on her on payday, finding excuses to dock the money she had worked so hard for.

And Jiang Yubai, whom she had instinctively taken for a playboy, had not only agreed time and again to postpone her rent, but had also come specifically today to recover every last cent of her withheld wages for her.

It made her feel that Jiang Yubai was actually...

"Though I didn't really catch what you were mumbling about, I've decided to accept your apology."

Jiang Yubai shrugged and said something utterly ridiculous with a straight face. "It'd be even better if you repaid me with your hand in marriage."

Lin Jianxia froze for two seconds. Her face instantly flushed red, and she clenched her fists in exasperation before punching his shoulder.

"Jiang Yubai!!"

What the heck! Wasn't he still a complete and utter playboy? Jerk!!

After glaring at him for a while, Lin Jianxia truly had no way to deal with someone so shameless. She pursed her lips and asked again.

"Um... why did you help us?"

"Why did I help you?" Jiang Yubai glanced at her, thought for a moment, then suddenly drew out his words.

"Because your sister and I are desk mates, and we're super~ good~ friends. It's only right that I help out her older sister while I'm at it, isn't it?"

Super good friends, my foot! This 'sister' you're talking about has never even acknowledged you at school, okay?

And 'helping her older sister while you're at it'... did you really think I didn't know what you were up to?

Lin Jianxia grumbled inwardly, but the tips of her ears quietly reddened a little more.

Seeing her puffed-up yet awkward expression, Jiang Yubai naturally knew what she was wrestling with inside.

But... he did not particularly care about Lin Jianxia's attitude toward him.

At heart, Jiang Yubai was neither some righteous do-gooder who stood up against injustice nor someone hoping to earn gratitude in return. Nor did he expect his outrageously beautiful desk mate to see him differently because of this.

As for why he had helped the sisters... he probably just found it interesting.

Besides, she was a friend and desk mate he had been feeding for quite some time. If he could lend a hand, why not?

Just as he was thinking that, Lin Jianxia's little mind seemed to start turning again. She turned her face away and muttered softly.

"...Thank you."

Jiang Yubai looked at her as if she were an alien.

"No, can you say something that actually makes sense? First you're apologizing, then you're thanking me. You're making me scared to respond."

What! The! Heck!

Lin Jianxia shouted angrily in her heart. Gritting her teeth, she quickened her pace, wanting only to leave that annoying guy behind her as far as possible.

The corners of Jiang Yubai's lips curved up slightly as he followed leisurely behind her.

But after only a few steps, Lin Jianxia suddenly slowed down again.

When the two were walking side by side once more, she finally spoke hesitantly.

"Um, I heard everything outside. Raising the rent like that... won't cause any problems, will it?"

"What problems could there be?" Jiang Yubai gave her a strange look. "Don't tell me you're still worried about her?"

Lin Jianxia choked in irritation. "Of course not! I'm worried about you... your landlord, okay!"

How could this guy not tell a kind word from an insult?

"It's fine." Jiang Yubai shrugged. "Believe it or not, even if I raised it to seven thousand a month, she'd still renew the lease."

He glanced back. "That place really is pretty nice. If she doesn't rent it... plenty of other people will."

"I see..." Lin Jianxia nodded, half understanding.

But then, as if suddenly recalling something, she burst into laughter.

"Say, Jiang Yubai, you really threw every single thing she said to put me down right back at her, word for word?"

Jiang Yubai was not polite in the slightest. "If she could make up that pile of nonsense herself, she shouldn't blame anyone for using it on her exactly as it was. She brought it entirely on herself."

Lin Jianxia giggled at that. After laughing enough, she pursed her lips, her voice growing softer.

"Actually... I'm quite grateful to Aunt Zhao. I was really desperate during summer vacation and couldn't find a job anywhere. She was the one who took me in."

Jiang Yubai refused to play along with her sentimental mood. Rolling his eyes, he said, "If you're making her sound so noble, why did you still take that five hundred in the end?"

"That was my hard-earned pay! I'd be a fool not to take it!"

Lin Jianxia glared at him, then seemed to think of something. She pulled three hundred-yuan bills from her bag and held them out to him.

"Here. This is for you."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Yubai did not take them, merely raising an eyebrow.

"For the food," Lin Jianxia muttered. "Lunch alone was already more than lavish enough. Those dishes... would be enough for my sister and me to eat for ages."

Jiang Yubai did not refuse. He reached out and took the three hundred yuan without hesitation.

Seeing him accept it, the corners of Lin Jianxia's lips lifted slightly. With her hands clasped behind her back, even her steps became lighter.

"I'm telling you, that five hundred in hard-earned pay was definitely mine to take."

"Every day after school, I had to rush to the bookstore. That little warehouse was stuffy and hot, and there wasn't even an electric fan. And I had to sort the books one by one..."

Perhaps it had been too long since she had chatted so easily with someone. Once the girl got started, she could not stop, chattering on about her daily life.

Jiang Yubai did not interrupt, merely walking beside her and giving the occasional absent-minded response.

At last, Lin Jianxia finished saying everything she had to say, and silence settled between them.

Beneath the dense plane trees, only the soft rustle of shoe soles stepping on fallen leaves could be heard.

As she walked, Lin Jianxia could not help stealing glances at him from the corner of her eye, while her heartbeat inexplicably grew faster and faster.

Everything had clearly been settled... so why was this guy still following me?

I'm going home. Was he planning to come along too? Don't tell me... he wanted to mooch another meal?

Though... I guess that wouldn't be impossible...

"Um... um..." Lin Jianxia finally gathered the courage to speak, though her gaze drifted toward the shadows of the roadside trees. "Jiang Yubai, I'm going home, so... why are you still following me?"

"Huh?"

Jiang Yubai looked at her as if she were an idiot.

"I'm waiting for your rent. You've been yammering on for so long—don't tell me you were trying to talk me to sleep so you could take the chance to skip out on the rent?"

Lin Jianxia stood frozen as if struck by lightning.

Slowly, the girl's cheeks reddened at a visible speed, until it finally turned into a shout filled with embarrassment and fury.

"JIANG! YU! BAI!!!"