4: Chapter 4 The Fish Takes the Bait

After Zhang Qi smiled and said those words to Sun Yiyao, the atmosphere in the living room instantly became subtle.

Sun Yiyao jerked her head up, a flash of undisguised astonishment flickering in her glistening peach-blossom eyes.

Her heart accelerated uncontrollably as she calculated rapidly in her mind.

In the past half month, she hadn't sold a single bottle of red wine, and her base salary was only enough to afford instant noodles.

Rent in Shenzhen was ridiculously high; even for a dark and damp single room in an urban village, a one-month deposit plus one month's rent would cost several thousand.

This spacious, bright second bedroom that required no rent was, for her right now, practically an oasis in the desert.

When Sun Qianwen heard this, she bristled instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

She had originally thought Zhang Qi was just acting crazy, but she hadn't expected this dog of a man to actually try to poach her cousin right in front of her.

"Zhang Qi, what are you daydreaming about?" Sun Qianwen pointed at Zhang Qi's nose, her voice sharp and grating.

"Do you really think this dump of a house is so precious? Do you really think anyone cares to live in this crappy place?"

"We're not staying, and that's that!"

She turned her head and grabbed Sun Yiyao's arm with surprising strength.

"Yaoyao, let's go!"

Sun Qianwen acted arrogant on the surface, but inside, she was panicking.

She knew her cousin's current financial situation all too well.

If Sun Yiyao really couldn't resist the temptation and nodded in agreement, where would she, as the older cousin, put her face?

She had originally wanted to throw a tantrum and stay in the house, but now she only wanted to quickly take Sun Yiyao and flee this place where she had lost all face.

She absolutely could not let this dog of a man laugh at her.

Sun Yiyao stumbled from the pull, her high heels making a harsh screeching sound against the floor.

A flash of intense hesitation crossed her mind.

But looking at her cousin's face, slightly twisted with shame and anger, she knew that if she stayed now, they wouldn't even be able to be relatives in the future.

She forced a reluctant smile and looked at Zhang Qi.

"Thank you, Brother Zhang Qi, but I'd better go with my sister."

Seeing this, Sun Qianwen immediately raised her chin high, like a rooster that had won a battle.

She gave Zhang Qi a look of extreme disdain.

"A toad lusting after a swan's flesh."

She gave a cold snort, turned around, and walked into the master bedroom, nimbly stuffing her designer bags, several sets of expensive cosmetics, and jewelry into her suitcase all at once.

As for those worthless clothes and shoes, she didn't even glance at them.

Ten minutes later, Sun Qianwen dragged her suitcase, pulled Sun Yiyao along, and slammed the door shut as they left.

Zhang Qi stood where he was, not making a sound to stop them, his expression not even changing.

He simply walked over to the sofa and sat down, a playful curve tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He had seen that trace of struggle in Sun Yiyao's eyes clearly just now.

In the world of adults, there isn't that much deep sisterly love.

In the face of the survival pressure of real money, this thing called face is worthless.

He took out his phone and glanced at the profile picture labeled Sun Yiyao in his WeChat list.

The bait had been cast; now it was just a matter of whether the fish would bite or not.

Outside Jingyuan Residential Complex, the lights were just coming on, and the traffic was bustling.

The late autumn breeze carried a hint of chill, causing Sun Yiyao to subconsciously wrap her professional jacket tighter around herself.

Sun Qianwen dragged the suitcase in one hand and held her phone in the other.

There was no trace of the embarrassment of being kicked out on her face; instead, she radiated an inexplicable excitement.

"Let's go, I'll take you to stay at a hotel," Sun Qianwen said without lifting her head, while scrolling through her phone screen.

Sun Yiyao was stunned for a moment.

"Sister, hotels in Shenzhen aren't cheap, we..."

"What are you afraid of? Someone is paying," Sun Qianwen lifted her chin triumphantly.

She opened a WeChat chat box and handed it directly to Sun Yiyao.

On the screen, a man labeled Wang Kai had just transferred one thousand yuan.

It was accompanied by a message.

"Wenwen, the temperature has dropped tonight, remember to wear more clothes and go eat something good."

Sun Qianwen skillfully clicked to accept the payment, then replied with a 'Thank you, Brother Kai' sticker.

"See that?" Sun Qianwen tucked her phone back into her pocket.

"These days, as long as a woman is pretty, why worry about not having men willing to pay?"

"That pauper Zhang Qi really thinks I can't survive without him? What a joke."

Looking at her cousin's matter-of-fact expression, Sun Yiyao suddenly felt a wave of discomfort.

Although she also liked money and wanted a good life, she knew one truth deeply.

The gifts bestowed by fate have long been secretly marked with a price.

Treating men like dogs and stepping on others' dignity would sooner or later lead to trouble.

Zhang Qi only firmly kicked them out today; that was already considered having a good temper.

If one encountered the kind of man with an extreme personality, who discovered he had been played as an ATM for so long, there was no telling what crazy things he might do.

Looking at her cousin beside her who was still feeling smug, Sun Yiyao suddenly felt a sense of danger.

"Sister, I won't go to the hotel with you," Sun Yiyao stopped in her tracks.

Sun Qianwen turned her head and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I just remembered I have a close friend who lives nearby. I'll go crash at her place for the night and look for an apartment slowly tomorrow," Sun Yiyao made up a lie on the spot.

Sun Qianwen had been snubbed by Zhang Qi today and already felt she had lost face in front of her cousin.

Now that she saw Sun Yiyao didn't want to be with her, she couldn't be bothered to persuade her further.

"Fine then, take care of yourself, I'm going to call a taxi and leave."

Sun Qianwen waved to hail a taxi, shoved her suitcase into the trunk, hopped into the car, and sped away.

Watching the taxi's taillights disappear into the flow of traffic, Sun Yiyao let out a long sigh.

Standing alone on the bustling streets of Shenzhen, watching the hurried crowds around her, a strong sense of confusion welled up in her heart.

This month's salary only covered the base pay, and after paying off various monthly installment apps, her card balance was now less than three thousand yuan.

This money was enough to rent the cheapest apartment.

But what would she eat and drink after that?

A cold wind blew by, and Sun Yiyao shivered.

In her mind, the words Zhang Qi had said in the living room just now suddenly echoed.

"If you don't want to leave, you can stay."

Sun Yiyao bit her red lips, her gaze gradually becoming firm.

When her cousin and Zhang Qi were dating before, she had come to stay there a few times.

In all fairness, although Zhang Qi was a bit of a simp, his character was absolutely impeccable, and he was usually very respectful even with his gaze.

The reason he was so unusual tonight was probably because he was driven mad by her cousin's shameless remarks.

He probably just wanted to intentionally say those words to disgust her cousin.

Taking a step back, in this society governed by law, how would a man who has a job, can make money, and lives a decent life risk going to jail to do something bad to her?

Besides, Zhang Qi couldn't sleep in two rooms by himself.

If she really moved in, not only could she solve her immediate urgent problem, but she could also save several thousand yuan in rent.

In this realistic society, compared to sleeping on the streets, what was face worth?

Thinking of this, Sun Yiyao no longer hesitated; she took her phone out of her bag and opened WeChat.

She found Zhang Qi's profile picture and opened the chat box.

Her slender fingers tapped rapidly on the screen, inputting a line of text, and she clicked send.