He Really Was So Annoying!

No one answered the phone. The middle-aged woman spoke with a hint of smugness.

"See? I know Shen. She's always so aloof. We've been neighbors for so many years, and she never takes the initiative to greet me when she sees me.

"During the holidays, everyone visits their neighbors to exchange greetings, but Shen's door never opens. There was even a stretch when her door didn't open for an entire month. Every so often, though, a few men would stop outside her door like you, then leave after a little while.

"She only pretends to be above everyone. I'm not making things up about her. Everyone around here knows it, all right?"

"Ma'am, please stop. As a woman yourself, you should know how much damage rumors can do to a girl.

"You're just making sweeping judgments. If you don't know the actual situation, you shouldn't spread things like that." While waiting for the call to connect, he cut her off.

The middle-aged woman fell silent, her face flushing red at his rebuke. The corners of her mouth turned down, making her look even fiercer.

To think she had just been wishing he could be her son-in-law. Now he was telling her outright to shut up. How was she supposed to save face?

She dropped the act and spoke nastily.

"Oh? Who are you to her, defending her reputation? I'm telling you, in a few days you'll know whether I was right. And here I was, kindly offering to pass on a message for you. I must have been blind."

The door to apartment 302 opened just then. Dressed in loungewear, Shen Zhiyi leaned against the doorframe, listening to her neighbor slander her. She simply watched the woman, waiting to see how long she could keep talking.

The middle-aged woman's brow twitched violently when she saw Shen Zhiyi. Sure enough, the moment she stopped, Shen Zhiyi spoke coldly.

"Ma'am, since you're home, remember to pay your rent and utilities. Also, please stop putting my apartment number on all those junk forms you fill out. If it happens again, I'm calling the police."

The neighbor flushed scarlet. She was only a few days late with this month's rent. Did the landlord really have to tell everyone? What rotten luck.

"I know! I don't need you reminding me! Well, Shen, since you're here, isn't he looking for you? You two talk."

With that, she marched inside and slammed the door, acting righteous despite being in the wrong. Only the two of them remained in the hallway. The neighbor had left so quickly because she was afraid Shen Zhiyi would tell the landlord she was home. She needed to hurry inside and lock the door. Every extra day she could delay paying rent was a day gained.

Chi Ye looked at his phone as an automated message played in English. No one had answered, but the person he was looking for was already standing before him.

"Miss Shen, it's quite difficult to see you."

She turned to shut the door, only for Chi Ye to stop it. She looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

"Miss Shen, I have something to discuss with you."

She frowned at the hand he had planted against her door and replied unhappily.

"I'm busy. Please leave."

Chi Ye said, "Miss Shen, I've come all this way. Isn't that a little unkind?"

His gaze was sharp. His face already looked unapproachable, and now it carried an added edge. Shen Zhiyi released the doorknob and walked ahead on her own.

Chi Ye understood that she was relenting, though he couldn't hear any thoughts from her now.

So annoying. The voice rang out abruptly. He caught Shen Zhiyi, who was walking ahead, and asked,

"What did you say?"

Shen Zhiyi raised her hand and forcefully smacked away the hand holding her. With a crisp slap, the back of his hand turned red, all five finger marks clearly visible under the light.

Chi Ye looked at the red marks on the back of his hand. That was quite a hit. What had she grown up eating? Shen Zhiyi was indeed strong, but Chi Ye's naturally pale, cool-toned skin made the marks especially obvious.

He really is so annoying.

This time, he was certain. He hadn't heard her thoughts earlier because she hadn't been thinking about anything. Now, Shen Zhiyi hadn't spoken, but her inner voice had briefly stirred.

The man she found annoying began surveying the apartment. It had two bedrooms and a living room. Everything looked a little old.

There was a gramophone and a sewing machine on a table in the corner, and the light was rather dim. The balcony was empty, with the windows of the opposite building across the narrow alley.

There was very little in the apartment. Apart from essential furniture, there was nothing else. Oh, except for the gramophone and sewing machine, whose presence he couldn't explain.

Most of the furniture was covered in dust sheets, making it look as though she had moved in only a few days ago.

After looking around, he sat on the sofa. It was a wooden sofa, while the table in front of it looked a little different from the rest of the room.

It was very new, with lifelike lotus flowers carved into it.

Shen Zhiyi had been in the kitchen for a while. A little later, she emerged carrying a cup. Just one.

Chi Ye watched her approach, a faint smile curling his lips. Although she found him annoying, she had still taken the initiative to pour him some water. She was quite nice.

"You didn't have to go to the trouble." He reached for the cup. The next second, Shen Zhiyi sat on a stool beside him, raised the cup, and took a sip herself.

Seeing his outstretched hand, she said with a hint of distaste,

"Sorry, there aren't any more cups. Keep it brief."

Everything she said was concise, giving the impression that she only spoke to people when she had no choice.

Chi Ye tucked away his embarrassment, explained his purpose in one go, then watched Shen Zhiyi's reaction.

Why does cannon fodder still have a storyline, and with the villain, no less?

Villain? Was she talking about him? Hearing Shen Zhiyi's thoughts, he felt he didn't quite understand what she meant.

And what did "cannon fodder" mean? Chi Ye, who never read CEO romance fiction, found these two terms difficult to understand. He knew "villain." Whenever Madam Ye watched television, she would pull him over and tell him how some villain was so wicked, getting in the way of her beloved male and female leads.

He was a villain? What villain? Why would Shen Zhiyi say that?

"Are you considering it? You can name your price. It won't take long. Just wait until my mother comes back, then find some excuse to dump me."

Shen Zhiyi thought, A romance scam? How annoying.

Hearing her thoughts, Chi Ye felt the urge to laugh, but, afraid of startling her, he quietly waited for her answer.

Shen Zhiyi refused. This wasn't a good job. She didn't want to make money, much less money from the villain. Her part in the book was clearly already over. There was no need to get involved in the struggle between the villain and the protagonists again.

Chi Ye said, "You're refusing? Can I ask why?"

"Do I need a reason to refuse? Those words are the best explanation," she replied.

Chi Ye couldn't understand why she would refuse. This would be easy, and the payment he offered would be enough for her to move out of here. Besides, she had asked for three hundred thousand right off the bat before. She had clearly seemed to need money.

"Miss Shen, I will pay you. This would just be a business arrangement. Think about it. All we'd need to do is put on an act in front of my mother. Afterward, you'd receive a substantial sum. You could move out of here, or do whatever else you wanted with the money.

"Would you still be unwilling?"