100: A life-or-death question - 1

Jiang Ye returned to his rented apartment and paced around the small space.

He had originally thought moving would be a huge hassle, but upon closer inspection, aside from the computer which could be considered an asset, the other miscellaneous items added up to hardly anything worth packing and taking with him.

A feeling of "Damn, I'm actually this poor" welled up inside him, but was immediately replaced by a smug sense of "But that's about to change."

However, he still needed to clean the place properly for the Landlord.

Earlier on the phone, when the Landlord heard he wanted to terminate the lease early, not only did he not make things difficult, but he even offered to refund half the deposit.

Although it wasn't much money, encountering such a conscientious Landlord, he couldn't leave the place a mess. He had to tidy up properly.

He habitually took out his phone, found Yaoyao's WeChat, and dialed a voice call, planning to use the conversation as background music while he cleaned and listened to her whine.

The call connected, but instead of the expected cheerful "Brother~," what came from the other end was a slightly hesitant, low-volume:

"Ahem... Big Brother."

Jiang Ye paused his table-wiping motion.

Big Brother?

Not "Brother," not "Ge," but "Big Brother"?

This address... why does it sound weird? Feels a bit distant?

He couldn't be bothered to think too much about it, just assuming the Girl had a slip of the tongue or was scheming some new trick. He continued his work and casually asked:

"Got the apartment settled?"

On the other end of the line, Su Ning gritted her teeth, expressing extreme disdain for this guy who was asking the obvious, but answered obediently:

"Yeah, settled."

Jiang Ye made an "Oh" sound, stuffing a pile of scrap paper into a trash bag: "Living alone?"

Su Ning snorted inwardly, keep pretending, just keep pretending!

"Sharing, found a roommate."

Then, the call fell into a brief silence.

Jiang Ye waited a few seconds, but didn't get the expected "Brother, guess who my roommate is?" or "The new apartment is so pretty, I really want to live with brother" type of behave in a spoiled manner or topic extension. Moreover, he clearly felt this woman's mood was low now, her responses cold, even a bit... perfunctory?

He frowned.

What's going on?

Has being too nice to her these past few days given her the illusion she can turn the tables and control him?

Starting to play hard-to-get, putting on airs and acting tsundere with him?

This trend won't do. If she gets spoiled, that would be terrible.

Jiang Ye clicked his tongue, couldn't be bothered with nonsense, directly picked up the phone, and casually hung up.

Dealing with someone occasionally acting up like this, you have to leave them hanging, make them realize clearly who's the Boss.

————

On the other end, Su Ning, who had her mouth open, her mind a mess, unsure what to say to maintain the "Yaoyao" persona without making herself too uncomfortable, heard the busy tone from the phone and was slightly stunned.

Dropped call?

She instinctively checked the signal, quickly typed a message in the chat box: 【Brother? Did you drop?】

Clicked send.

Then... a glaring red exclamation mark popped up on the screen!

【Message failed to send. Please add the other party as a friend first.】

Su Ning: "!!!"

Holy shit shit shit shit shit!!!

What's going on?!

Why did he suddenly delete me?!

This hit like a thunderbolt, blasting away all her hesitation, awkwardness, and cringe, leaving only immense panic.

Did some little vixen from the Girl Group succeed? Did she steal his heart, so he finds this "old flame" annoying?

Or... does he already know I've seen through his identity, thinks this game has lost its mystery, isn't fun anymore, so he just cut off contact?

Either possibility made Su Ning instantly panic-stricken and at a loss!

Losing this "Brother Ye" meant her stable source of income would be cut off!

The million sound waves on Christmas Eve would fly away!

She might not even be able to afford the Jindi Shangfeng apartment she just settled on!

She quickly clicked "Add Friend" in the chat box, her heart pounding as she waited.

After a few agonizingly slow seconds, a "ding" sound—the friend request was accepted.

Then, Brother Ye sent a solitary 【?】 over.

Su Ning quickly redialed the voice call. As soon as it connected, she immediately started admitting her mistake:

"Brother! Why did you delete me? Did Yaoyao do something wrong? Tell me, I'll change! Please don't abandon me!"

Jiang Ye's tone on the other end was casual, even a bit nonchalant:

"I saw you didn't have much to say, chatting was boring, so I deleted you. I'll find a couple who can actually talk. As for you... the road is long, maybe we'll meet again if fate allows."

"..."

Such a pretentious and infuriating statement made Su Ning grit her teeth in anger, feeling like her period was about to start from rage.

Jiang!

You bastard! Son of a bitch!

This young lady will make you lick my feet sooner or later! Just you wait!

Of course, to achieve this "great dream" of "being licked," she still had to persist in her current role as the "simp."

Su Ning took a deep breath, quickly adjusted her mindset, making her voice sweet and sticky again:

"Brother~! I was just cleaning, my hands were all dusty, so I replied a bit slowly... Don't be angry~ Your baby knows she was wrong~ I'll never dare do it again~"

Jiang Ye snorted on the other end of the line, feeling quite satisfied.

Little brat, think I can't handle you?

If I don't put you in your place, you really won't know who's the Sugar Daddy.

He made an "Mhm" sound, accepting this explanation, then asked: "Which complex did you rent in?"

Su Ning rolled her eyes at the air, feeling there was no need to make up another place now, and it would be more troublesome if she got caught.

"Jindi Shangfeng, a two-bedroom on a high floor, sharing with a beautiful older sister."

She paused, deliberately adding in a "casual gossip" tone: "Oh right, it was quite a coincidence when I went to rent today—I saw that Delivery Courier who delivered stuff to you last time."

"Oh? That courier..."

Jiang Ye's voice sounded completely unfazed: "What was he doing there?"

"He was there to rent too!"

Su Ning said in an exaggerated tone: "My god, brother, you have no idea, he rented a large flat himself for 14,000 a month! Before, I just thought he was quite handsome, reliable, and had a good vibe, but I never expected he was this rich too! You really can't judge a book by its cover!"

Jiang Ye's lips unconsciously curled up, mentally giving this Girl Yaoyao huge bonus points!

Look!

That's what you call insight! That's what you call taste!

Without knowing the Delivery Courier's true identity, she could still so "objectively" discover and praise Jiang Ye's inherent excellent qualities. In today's society, women like Yaoyao with such vision, who know how to appreciate inner beauty, are truly rare!

Really good, really good~

Suppressing his laughter, he teased: "Handsome, good vibe, and rich? What, from your tone, do you like him?"

"?"

Su Ning instantly felt her teeth itch with anger. How did her spur-of-the-moment "roundabout flattery" turn into such a life-or-death question?

Her brain raced, and she said with a giggle: "Brother~! My world has long been without the word 'like'! All my liking and love have long been given entirely to you, brother! Although that courier is indeed excellent, ever since I have you, brother, I've long been indifferent to other men."