The Great Landlord Jiang Was About to Arrive at His Loyal New Home

"Uh... Lin..."

Just as Jiang Yubai stood frozen on the spot, unsure how to begin, Lin Tingwan in front of him finally moved.

The girl straightened up, pulled out the textbook for the first class that afternoon from the mountain of stacked books, and began reading.

Jiang Yubai: "..."

No, she was completely treating him like air.

Still, it was understandable. Lin Jianxia had mentioned that her younger sister was naturally resistant to going to school and could spend an entire day alone in her room at home.

And this was a girl who liked quiet. The moment she arrived, he had bothered her, then her classmates had spread rumors about her and him, and finally, her deskmate had flipped her desk and nearly started a fight amid a clatter...

And now, she had merely woken from a nap to find the troublemaker sitting beside her staring at her without blinking.

Like some kind of pervert...

Jiang Yubai asked himself honestly: if he were Lin Tingwan, any favorable impression he had would probably have been completely worn away by now.

Besides, thinking back on it, the attention she had paid him at home had seemed less like affection and more like curiosity toward a guest.

...Wasn't that even more hopeless?

Jiang Yubai sighed inwardly. He did not try to salvage his image again, merely taking out a textbook from his desk and flipping through it at random.

Over the next few days, Jiang Yubai never saw Dong Chengze in class again.

The last time he saw him was during a break one afternoon.

Dong Chengze walked into the classroom alone, packed his schoolbag without saying a word, and left the school that very afternoon.

At first, there had been scattered murmurs throughout the class. Then, during class meeting, the homeroom teacher stepped onto the podium with a solemn expression and announced the final decision:

"Regarding Dong Chengze's situation, following deliberation by the school administration and in consideration of his and his parents' wishes, the transfer procedures have now been completed."

"The school has always upheld the principle that before teaching knowledge, we must teach character. We also hope that all of you will take this as a warning and focus your energy on your studies and personal growth."

"The campus is a place for everyone to study and grow. Every one of us should learn to respect others and be responsible for ourselves."

"I do not want to see something like this happen a second time."

When her words fell, the classroom went silent.

Jiang Yubai looked at Lin Tingwan beside him, who still had her eyes lowered over her book. Outside the window, the leaves of the parasol trees rustled, as though that chaotic episode had gradually drifted away with the summer breeze.

Oh, right. After the first day, he had thought Lin Jianxia would attend class in her sister's place from then on.

After all... the impression he had made on her that first day had really not been great.

But when he handed over the notebook with the little cookies on the second day, the girl did not even lift her eyelids.

Jiang Yubai's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized something was wrong.

Sure enough, just as he had expected, the one sitting there was still Lin Tingwan.

Not just on the second day—throughout the entire following week, it was always this younger sister, who remained forever silent, appearing in the classroom.

She always sat quietly with her eyes lowered as she read. Occasionally, she would gaze out the window, but she never interacted with anyone.

Her delicate face seemed shrouded in a faint mist, like a beautiful doll lacking any vitality.

Honestly, Jiang Yubai felt that if it were him, he would probably hate going to school too.

For that entire week, Lin Tingwan had not exchanged even the slightest bit of communication with anyone—other than turning pages, she only turned more pages.

If he had to spend a day like that, he would probably have gone crazy long ago.

In the blink of an eye, it was Friday.

After the dismissal bell rang, Jiang Yubai had just pushed his bicycle out of the school gates when the phone in his pocket vibrated—it was his landlord, Li Xia, calling.

"Hello, Young Master Jiang?"

The voice on the other end carried a cautiously polite tone.

Jiang Yubai's eyelid twitched when he heard it.

"You should just call me Little Jiang. The way you address me makes me afraid I'll wake up in the set of some Republican-era drama one day."

Although she did not understand the latter half of his joke at all, Li Xia still chuckled and changed the way she addressed him.

"Ah, Little Jiang. That apartment you asked me to fix up before—I've got it all done now."

Jiang Yubai stopped his bicycle in surprise. "Didn't you say it wouldn't be finished until the weekend?"

"That was the estimate, but I went in to test the formaldehyde this morning, and it fully met the standards. Since I had time today, I figured I might as well get all the furniture arranged too."

"Everything's just been finished, so I hurried to call you... Do you want to come take a look?"

What was there to hesitate about?

"Sure. Auntie Li, wait for me a moment. I'll be right there."

After hanging up, Jiang Yubai immediately turned his bicycle around and rode toward Splendid New Village.

It had to be said, the convenience really was convenient. In just a few minutes, he had already turned into the residential complex.

He casually parked his bicycle beside the apartment building and hurried upstairs.

In the fifth-floor corridor, Landlord Li was already waiting at the door. The moment she saw him, she smiled and waved.

"Come on, Little Jiang, come take a look!"

Jiang Yubai glanced at the familiar security door across the hall, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he followed the landlord through the open door.

The moment he entered, Jiang Yubai's eyes lit up.

The formerly dingy yellow walls had been painted light gray, and a bright ceiling lamp had been installed in the center of the living room.

An off-white fabric sofa stood against one wall. Opposite it were a low cabinet in natural wood tones and a wall-mounted television.

The entire space had clean colors and crisp lines, carrying a simple, bright feel.

"Since this place is spacious, the rent has always been on the high side, so it used to sit empty with no one renting it." Landlord Li smiled warmly. "But for you, Little Jiang, it's just right."

She held out a set of keys.

"Here, there are four keys in total. I didn't keep a single one for myself. If that's not enough, just come to me and I'll have more made."

Jiang Yubai came back to himself, took them, and thanked her politely.

"Thank you for the trouble, Auntie Li."

"Oh, it's no trouble." Li Xia smiled and waved her hand. "Look around on your own first. If you're missing anything or unhappy with something, just come find me anytime. I'll head off now and let you get settled."

With that, she turned and closed the door behind her. Footsteps sounded in the corridor, gradually fading away.

Jiang Yubai put away the keys and wandered around the apartment some more, growing increasingly satisfied.

This place could be considered a luxury home in this old residential complex. It had three bedrooms and one living room, with an extremely spacious layout, so the rent was naturally not cheap.

It had gone unrented all this time, but now he was the one benefiting from it.

Even more rare was that Landlord Li had truly put thought into it.

Not only had the walls and flooring all been renovated, but the refrigerator, television, and other furnishings were brand-new. Even the Wi-Fi had been set up, with the password stuck to the router. He really only needed to move in with his bags.

It was decided. He would pack when he got back and move in tomorrow.

Jiang Yubai nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to push open the door and leave, his steps suddenly halted.

Wait, didn't Lin Jianxia still not know he had moved here?

Jiang Yubai rubbed his chin, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Let's go pay them a visit~