Chi Ye simply could not understand how Shen Zhiyi had won his grandfather's favor and why the old man kept defending her. Had he secretly accepted something from her again?
"You haven't been taking favors from her and speaking up for her all this time, have you? Grandpa, take a good look. I'm your own grandson!"
"I'd like to, but has she given me the chance?" his grandfather said. "If I didn't put some thought into this for you, would you ever get a wife with that mouth of yours?
"How about this? Spend some time with Miss Shen and see how it goes. I won't interfere with whether it works out. Once your grandmother comes back, I won't have time to bother with you anyway."
Chi Ye did not want to agree to this request. Besides, he had paid her off and sent her away yesterday. If he went looking for her today, wouldn't that make him look cheap?
His grandfather knew from his silence that he was refusing. With no other choice, he brought out his trump card.
"You know what your mother's like. If you don't find someone to hold her off today, she could cut her trip short tomorrow and come back to arrange blind dates for you.
"I heard she even asked those close friends of hers for information on plenty of society ladies before she left. Don't say Grandpa didn't help you. I picked the best one for you."
The old man raised his eyebrows smugly, delighted to see the irritation on Chi Ye's face.
He just loved seeing those lively expressions on Chi Ye. With his wife away, teasing his grandson really was his only way to relieve the boredom.
Just thinking about his mother's temperament was enough to give Chi Ye a headache. Madam Ye had no other hobbies. When he was little, she had loved putting him in little dresses; now that he was grown, she loved watching his troubles for amusement.
He did not want to agree to his grandfather's suggestion, but it was the best option. Madam Ye would definitely approve of anyone his grandfather favored, and he would have his grandfather covering for him too.
Only after a while did he grit his teeth and nod. He had to call his grandmother tonight and ask her to come back. He really could not stand this old man with far too much time on his hands.
"Ah, that's more like it. I'll send you Miss Shen's contact details in a moment. Aren't you curious why I think so highly of her? You'll understand once you get to know her."
He made it sound so mysterious. Chi Ye could not be bothered with him and picked up his phone before leaving the Old Residence. He could agree, but he was not going to see her today.
Shen Zhiyi returned to her rented apartment. With the money in hand, she splurged on stocking up on the supplies she needed, then did not step outside her door for an entire week.
When his grandfather finally lost his temper, Chi Ye decided to visit Shen Zhiyi after work. Given how readily she had taken the three hundred thousand, she still needed money. At worst, he could sign a contract with her.
Once Madam Ye came back, he could find a reason for Shen Zhiyi to break up with him, then shut himself off from love on the grounds of heartbreak.
He had it all planned out, but when his car stopped at a very, very old residential complex, he silently checked the address.
He repeatedly asked whether the address his grandfather had given him was correct. It was not that he looked down on the place, but he had initially assumed his grandfather would care about family background.
At the very least, she should have been an old acquaintance of his grandfather's or something. Yet this place could rank among S City's famously old residential complexes.
He could not drive in, so he had to park at an intersection nearby, get out, and walk inside.
The alley was so narrow that even two people walking side by side would have had some difficulty. But the residents were already used to the surroundings. They could even ride electric scooters and bicycles through the alleys with ease.
Frowning, Chi Ye finally emerged from the alley. After turning the corner, the path at last widened a little, but only a little.
He looked at the plaster flaking off the walls, which were covered in all sorts of little advertisements, some downright explicit. The dim sound-activated light came on. He admitted that, for a moment, he had wanted to give up.
Then he reconsidered. If Shen Zhiyi lived here, she definitely needed money, and he had money. There was a good chance their conversation would succeed. With that thought, he headed upstairs.
Shen Zhiyi's apartment number was 302. There was no elevator, but this height was manageable.
There were two apartments on each floor. He knocked on the door of 302.
While he waited, he began thinking about how to start the conversation. Should he offer his hand in greeting first, or get straight to the point?
I want to die. A cool, sleepy voice sounded. He had heard it again!
Startled, he straightened and looked around. There was clearly no one there. Why had he started hearing a voice again?
He knocked again and even called out,
"Is Miss Shen home?"
He had come after work, and he had deliberately worked a little overtime to leave some time in between.
I really want to die.
This time, he was certain he had heard Shen Zhiyi's thoughts again. But why? He had heard nothing all these days. Could he hear them when they were close to each other?
"Miss Shen, would you please open the door?"
He was now absolutely certain that Shen Zhiyi was home. He had been calling for so long. How could she pretend not to hear him?
Shen Zhiyi had just woken up. When she sat up, she found it was already completely dark outside. Very little sunlight reached the place where she lived, so once night fell, she could not see her hand in front of her face without turning on a light.
Someone was knocking outside. She did not want to bother with it and sat quietly on the bed in a daze.
The sound persisted tirelessly, but she remained calmly seated without moving an inch. The noise outside stopped, and the neighbor opened her door.
She could not hear what they were saying, but knowing her neighbor's temper, she was probably scolding him for disturbing the peace. No matter how quiet someone was, her neighbor could find a reason to blame them.
Shen Zhiyi was long used to it.
Chi Ye heard a noise. The door behind him had opened. A middle-aged woman began scolding him fiercely.
"What are you yelling for at this hour? Can't you keep your voice down?"
Chi Ye turned and apologized. "Sorry, I'm here to see someone. I'm sorry for disturbing you."
When the middle-aged woman saw his face, she swallowed the curses she had been about to let loose. She looked at the handsome, presentable Chi Ye. He was good-looking and tall, with a distinguished air about him. He would be highly sought after on the matchmaking market. She thought of her own unmarried daughter.
Her urge to play matchmaker stirred again. If he became her son-in-law, wouldn't all her friends be green with envy?
She glanced at 302 behind him and said with some displeasure,
"You're here to see little Shen? Oh, she's probably not home. You can go ten days or half a month without seeing a trace of her. She's probably out fooling around with someone.
"How about this, handsome? Why don't we exchange contact details? You can tell me whatever you need, and if I see little Shen, I'll pass it on. What do you think?"
He looked at her with some displeasure and replied,
"No, thank you, ma'am. I'll just call her myself."
He resented the baseless accusations she was making against Shen Zhiyi. Shen Zhiyi was clearly at home. Ignoring the woman's angry expression, he took out his phone, found her contact details, and called.
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