79: Chapter 79 Roommate Jiang Shuying

In August in Quan City, the air felt like it was filled with lead. Heatwaves, laden with humid moisture, stewed the entire city like a giant steamer.

A black Rolls-Royce Phantom, like an elegant deep-sea behemoth, slid silently across the plaza of the Greenland Group International Finance Center (IFC). The car windows were tinted with top-tier explosion-proof film, completely isolating the heat and noise of the outside world, while the car's climate control system emitted a cool breeze carrying the faint scent of leather and agarwood.

In the driver's seat, Fatty wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead and looked up at the glass giant piercing the clouds, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Old Lin, is this the tallest building in Lu Province? Goodness, 428 meters! It's like a needle holding down the sea; it's much more impressive than the TV tower back home! If we parked the car on top of it, would we be able to touch the clouds?"

In the back seat, Lin Yu wore a sharply tailored black casual suit. He wore no tie, and the collar was slightly open, revealing his well-defined collarbones. He toyed with a string of premium agarwood prayer beads with his fingertips, his gaze fixed on a thin document on his knees. His tone was as lazy as someone dozing in a courtyard in the afternoon: "Fatty, your aesthetic sense is still so down-to-earth. What's so good about a cage of steel and concrete?"

"Hehe, I'm just expressing my awe." Fatty chuckled. Suddenly, his gaze was hooked by a figure beside the fountain. He slammed on the brakes, and the Phantom's terrifying V12 engine let out a low roar before falling silent. "Hey? Look, Old Lin! There's a beauty! A top-tier one! This temperament is amazing! It's like she walked right out of a painting!"

Lin Yu followed his gaze.

The mist from the fountain refracted a tiny rainbow in the sunlight, and a woman wearing a dark green, modified cheongsam was standing in the rainbow's shadow. Her long hair was loosely pinned up with a white jade hairpin, with a few stray locks hanging by her fair neck. Her figure was tall and slender, and the slit of the cheongsam revealed half of her fair calf. Her temperament was as cold and elegant as an orchid blooming in a deep valley, completely out of place with the modern steel forest around her. She tilted her head slightly, as if waiting for someone, her profile as beautiful as exquisite porcelain.

Ding! Detected a beauty meeting the criteria:

Name: Jiang Shuying

Age: 26

Occupation: Legal Director

Beauty: 95

Height: 168cm

Weight: 49kg

Purity: 100

Health: Normal

Intimacy: 19

"A bit interesting." The prayer beads at Lin Yu's fingertips turned a bit slower. His originally indifferent gaze was now like it had been caught by a magnet, locked firmly onto that figure.

"Brother Yu, how about... we go hit on her?" Fatty rubbed his hands, looking eager. "I learned a couple of sweet nothings from Huihui recently, just right for practice!"

"Have some ambition." Lin Yu sneered, pulled out his phone, and his slender fingers slid across the screen quickly, dialing a number. "Leng Yue, I'm by the fountain downstairs at the Quan City IFC. In ten minutes, I want all the information on the woman wearing the dark green cheongsam."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable tone.

After hanging up, he tossed his phone aside and leaned back into his seat, his gaze still following the figure, but his tone shifted to the Fatty beside him: "By the way, you're on a long business trip with me just after getting engaged. Is everything okay with Huihui? Don't let me become a sinner who breaks up a pair of lovebirds."

Hearing this, the silly smile on Fatty's face stiffened, then he scratched his head, his tone carrying a trace of sweet annoyance: "Huihui... she was giving me a hard time yesterday, saying if I don't go back, she'll donate all the private money I hid under the bed to stray cats. But she knows I'm out with you, so she didn't say anything more, just made me video call her every day to report in."

A faint smile curled the corners of Lin Yu's lips: "She certainly understands you."

Just then, the woman in the cheongsam seemed to have waited for someone. After a slight nod, she turned and walked into the IFC. The dark green figure left a stunning reflection on the glass curtain wall before disappearing.

"Hey! She went in!" Fatty was so anxious he slapped the steering wheel. "Old Lin, what do we do? How about... we go in too? Just say... just say we're here to find someone?"

Lin Yu didn't speak, just watched the revolving door, the prayer beads at his fingertips turning again, making a slight "click" sound. His eyes were deep, as if he were calculating something.

Ten minutes later, Leng Yue called back, her voice as capable as a blade quenched in ice: "Boss, found it. The woman is named Jiang Shuying, 26 years old, Legal Director at the IFC. Her father passed away from illness half a year ago, her mother remarried years ago, and she is now alone, renting an apartment at Yunxi Mansion. The landlord is her distant cousin who immigrated to Canada last month and entrusted an agency to handle the property."

"Yunxi Mansion?" Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "One of the most high-end residential areas in Quan City."

"Yes." Leng Yue paused. "Jiang Shuying's lease expires in three months, but the landlord is in a hurry to sell and is looking for a buyer through an agency. Jiang Shuying wants to renew the lease, but the landlord requires her to either buy it in full or move out."

Lin Yu's fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest, his lips curling into a playful arc: "Someone sending a pillow just when I want to sleep. Fatty, turn around, let's go to Yunxi Mansion."

"You got it!" Fatty stepped on the gas, and the Phantom slid out like an arrow released from a bow. The roar of the V12 engine echoed across the empty plaza, carrying an unstoppable momentum.

...

Leng Yue hung up the phone, which had taken less than three minutes, and pushed a freshly printed real estate contract in front of Lin Yu. She was wearing a simple black tracksuit, white sneakers, and her hair was tied in a casual ponytail. She looked capable and fresh, like a fitness enthusiast. There was no expression on her face, and her tone was as flat as if she were reporting that the weather was nice today: "Boss, the top floor of Yunxi Mansion. This 210-square-meter penthouse has an expansive view, and the scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is quite good. It's done. The property price is six million, paid in full. Now, you are the owner of this apartment."

Fatty was slumped on the imported Italian leather sofa, playing with a string of prayer beads he'd swiped from Lin Yu's car. When he heard this, he nearly slid off the sofa: "Six million? Old Lin, you just bought it? You didn't even bargain? If you gave this money to me, I could make Huihui so touched that..."

"Shut up." Lin Yu flipped through the contract casually and signed his name without even looking at it, a playful smile on his lips. "Problems that can be solved with money are usually not problems. Now, it's time to solve the 'human' problem. Fatty, have Leng Yue find you a place to stay nearby later."

He picked up his phone. On the screen was the number Leng Yue had just sent—Jiang Shuying.

At this moment, Jiang Shuying was sitting behind her office desk, her brows furrowed at her laptop. The news that the landlord suddenly wanted to sell the house was like a giant boulder pressing on her heart. Yunxi Mansion was one of the top luxury residential areas in Quan City, with strict security and a quiet environment. For her living alone, this was almost the perfect sanctuary. But the rent here was also notoriously expensive. The penthouse she was currently in had a market rent of 200,000 a year. The only reason she could afford to live here was that the landlord was a distant relative who gave her a "family price." Now that the relative had immigrated, this protective umbrella was gone. She knew very well that if she wanted to find another house of the same quality in this area, she would not only have to face high rent but also deal with complex intermediaries and house-viewing processes.

Her phone suddenly vibrated, and an unfamiliar local number jumped on the screen.

"Hello, yes?" Jiang Shuying's voice carried a trace of exhaustion, but she still maintained good manners.

"Is this Miss Jiang Shuying?" A cold female voice came from the other end of the line, speaking very quickly, with a sense of professional detachment. "I am Leng Yue, the agent for the new landlord. I'm notifying you that we have purchased the house in full, and the property transfer procedures are currently being processed."

Jiang Shuying's heart sank, and her fingers subconsciously gripped her coffee cup: "Then... may I ask how the new lease will be calculated? The previous landlord said..."

"The previous lease is void." Leng Yue on the other end of the phone glanced at Lin Yu, who was leisurely drinking tea across from her, and said coldly according to the "script" they had already agreed upon: "The new landlord is willing to give you a chance to renew the lease, but the conditions have changed. The annual rent is 200,000, pay three months' rent as a deposit, and the payment must be made within today."

"200,000?!" Jiang Shuying's voice rose a few notches instantly, drawing glances from nearby customers. She quickly covered the receiver, lowered her voice, her tone full of disbelief and anxiety: "Miss, this is impossible! My current rent is only 80,000, and I simply don't have that much liquid capital on hand right now. Can you give me a few days, or... or keep the original rent, and I'll sign a long-term lease?"

"Miss Jiang, the previous rent was a family price from the original landlord. Now that the property ownership has changed, everything is based on the market price." Leng Yue's voice had no fluctuations, as if she were reading a verdict. "The market rent for the same unit type in Yunxi Mansion is 200,000. This is already the new landlord giving you face as an old customer. If you can't come up with this money..."

The other end of the phone paused for a second, as if thinking about something, and then offered a proposal that made Jiang Shuying feel like she had fallen into an ice cellar:

"How about this, to reduce your pressure, I'll find another tenant to move in. The two of you can split this 200,000 annual rent, 100,000 each. The house is a large penthouse with a lot of space. We can use a screen or a cabinet to separate it, each living on one side, without interfering with each other. If you agree, I'll go post the rental listing now."

Jiang Shuying was stunned. Split the rent? This meant she would have to share the apartment with a stranger? And still have to bear a huge sum of 100,000? But in a place like Quan City where every inch of land is worth gold, the security and environment of Yunxi Mansion were indeed top-notch. For a woman living alone, having a same-sex roommate seemed safer than a complete stranger...

"I..." Jiang Shuying was about to speak.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The call was hung up directly.

Jiang Shuying held the phone, listening to the busy signal, and froze in place. What was this? An ultimatum?

On the other end of the line, Lin Yu watched the hung-up phone, smiling like a fox that had successfully stolen a chicken.

"Old Lin, you're really good at this 'pulling the firewood from under the cauldron' move!" Fatty was stunned listening from the side, giving a thumbs up. "First cut off her retreat, then give a sweet date, and finally stuff yourself in as a roommate? This 100,000 in rent is probably worth more than the 6 million in property cost!"

Lin Yu threw his phone on the table, straightened his cuffs, and a look of determination flashed in his eyes: "This is called resource optimization and allocation. Fatty, pack your things, I'm moving."

"Wait, Old Lin," Fatty suddenly realized, leaning in with a wicked smile. "So when you told her 'you two split it,' does that mean you're living in the living room and letting Leng Yue live in the bedroom? Or..."

"Leng Yue is the agent, of course she's not living here." Lin Yu glanced at him, saying as a matter of course, "I'm the new landlord, it's only natural for me to move in. As for that 'roommate' who splits the rent..."

He paused, a wicked arc curling his lips: "Isn't that me?"

Fatty's mouth hung open: "Ah? Then you just told her 'find another tenant'?"

"I'm the new landlord, I can live wherever I want, and I can live however I want." Lin Yu stood up, strode to the floor-to-ceiling window, and overlooked the night view of Quan City beneath his feet. "As long as that silly girl thinks I'm a pitiful tenant splitting the rent with her, I've achieved my goal. This is called... immersive wife-chasing."

Fatty scratched his head, still a bit worried: "But Old Lin, what if she recognizes you? After all, back at the IFC downstairs..."

"Don't worry." Lin Yu smiled confidently. "She went into the revolving door at the time and didn't even see me get out of the car. And..." He pointed to his own face, "My face isn't exactly conspicuous in a crowd, right?"

Fatty: "..." If your face isn't conspicuous, then there are no handsome men in this world.

Half an hour later, the doorbell of Jiang Shuying's apartment rang.

She opened the door to see a man standing outside in a casual suit, with a lazy temperament that couldn't hide his nobility.

Jiang Shuying's gaze rested on the man for a second, her mind quickly searching for memories of him—none. She was certain she had never seen this man before.

"Hello, Miss Jiang." Lin Yu held a simple suitcase in his hand, a flawless smile on his face, his tone carrying a hint of just the right amount of helplessness. "I'm the tenant Miss Leng Yue just recruited, and your future... roommate. My name is Lin Yu."

Jiang Shuying breathed a sigh of relief. So it was just a coincidence. She reached out, smiled politely, and her tone carried a hint of embarrassment: "Hello, I'm Jiang Shuying. I didn't expect... Miss Leng Yue to act so quickly."

Lin Yu's lips curled slightly, a trace of imperceptible cunning flashing in his eyes: "Oh no, it took me a long time to find such a satisfactory house... and such a reasonable roommate like you."

Lin Yu stood in the center of the spacious living room, looking around the nearly 300-square-meter space.

"Since we'll be living together from now on, if you don't mind, I'll pick a room first?" Lin Yu's tone was relaxed, as if he were strolling through his own backyard.

Jiang Shuying nodded. As the "original inhabitant" of the house, although she was a bit nervous, she still fulfilled the duties of a host: "Of course, except for the master bedroom, you can pick any other room."