Jiayuan Community had been built early, and all the units were old layouts.
To increase the living area of the units, the hallways had been built especially cramped. Combined with mediocre construction quality, decades later, the floors were already pitted and broken beyond recognition.
The walls were also a dull gray. Dozens of electrical and network cables stretched out from the unlocked meter box, like octopus tentacles extending haphazardly in all directions.
Despite the community's age, because it wasn't far from Anzhou No. 2 Middle School, every year many new students from out of town came to rent apartments.
For the landlords, this was a stable cash flow.
"Which bastard stole my shoes again?"
Lu Jiuling had descended three steps when he heard the landlady cursing loudly downstairs. He was tempted to turn back home and come out later, but on second thought, if he did that, what if Su Xiangrong misunderstood and thought he had stolen her shoes, acting guilty?
So Lu Jiuling continued downstairs!
"You can't even afford to visit a salon on Old Street, so you have to steal this old lady's high heels like a gutter rat. Your life is over! You're a stinking loser!"
Su Xiangrong's lungs were about to burst from anger. This was already the third time this month.
And what had been stolen was the pair of peep-toe high heels she had just bought a week ago!
She hadn't even worn them a few times yet!
"Pervert!"
"Scumbag!"
Su Xiangrong heard footsteps and glanced up the stairwell. Seeing it was Lu Jiuling, she immediately asked, "Have you seen anyone suspicious snooping around here these past few days?"
"No!"
Lu Jiuling was surprised.
What was going on?
Was his character really that good?
The landlady actually didn't suspect him?
"Don't just study at night. If you hear any movement in the hallway, come out and take a look. If you can catch the thief, I'll waive your rent!"
Su Xiangrong was making empty promises.
As for suspecting Lu Jiuling?
No way!
This boy didn't even dare to meet her eyes. He would blush after saying a few words to a woman—ridiculously shy. If she stood naked in front of him, he probably wouldn't dare steal a glance!
"No need for a waiver. When rent is due, I'll naturally give it to you—not a cent less!"
If he really had no money, he would find a black market and sell this Patek Philippe. Anyway, he had picked it up for free. Even if he could only sell it for a few tens of thousands, he wouldn't feel bad.
"Yo, 690, you've grown a temper?"
Su Xiangrong crossed her arms, speaking to him sarcastically. Her chest was enormous, like two large water balloons stuffed inside. She couldn't cross her arms directly over her chest because it simply wouldn't hold, so she had to support them from beneath her ample bust.
Su Xiangrong hadn't gone out to play mahjong today and was wearing a small floral V-neck chiffon dress. With this posture, mountains swayed and ocean waves surged.
Lu Jiuling suddenly had the feeling that he was watching the Great Sage about to burst out from beneath Five Elements Mountain.
He didn't want to deal with this woman. He prepared to go around Su Xiangrong, who was standing in the hallway, and continue downstairs.
"Stop!"
Su Xiangrong stepped forward with her right foot, blocking Lu Jiuling. "What's in your trash bag?"
A smooth, beautiful leg emerged from the slit in her skirt. Her fair skin was like the perpetual snow on Mount Xiannairi in Daocheng Yading.
The landlady wasn't deliberately acting coquettish, but in her every gesture, there was a natural, alluring charm.
Just a raised eyebrow, supporting her chest, and parting her legs—such simple actions made one's heart flutter and skip a few beats.
The black trash bag was wet, looked quite heavy, and emitted a foul fishy odor.
"Did you kill a fish?"
Su Xiangrong frowned. Worried about dirtying her dress, she stepped aside.
"Eating fish nourishes the brain. Is that not allowed?"
Lu Jiuling retorted.
He had to quickly buy two red dragon fish and put them back in the fish tank on top of the refrigerator. Otherwise, when Su Xiangrong entered her room, she would see that her two fortune-bringing feng shui fish were gone.
"You know how to cook fish?"
Su Xiangrong looked at him suspiciously but didn't press further.
There is a saying about food: four-legged creatures are not as good as two-legged ones; two-legged ones are not as good as one-legged ones; and the best are those with no legs at all.
Eating fish had many benefits, especially during the tense preparation period of senior year. It was something that should be supplemented more.
Su Xiangrong especially loved eating fish, and she also cooked excellent fish.
"Who doesn't know how to steam fish?"
A faint scent of gardenia drifted over from Su Xiangrong, making Lu Jiuling somewhat restless.
He had heard that this landlady had only been married for a little over a year. The youthful air of a young girl hadn't completely faded, and in her dress, there was an added sense of a young married woman. Combined with that pretty face, the temperament of a young wife hit him squarely. No wonder there was a pervert constantly stealing her shoes.
It might not even be one person committing the crimes.
"Tch, you think steaming fish is simple?"
Su Xiangrong looked at him with disdain. "Forget it, I can't explain it to you. When you get into a university in Jinghai, I'll treat you to my specialty squirrel fish!"
"How about that?"
"Sister treats you well, right?"
"So for the sake of sister's fish, you have to get into a Jinghai university!"
Su Xiangrong knew Lu Jiuling's grades were good. If he could test into a big city and develop well, there might be a time when she needed to ask him for help. Forming a good connection wasn't bad either.
If he didn't get in?
Go cool off somewhere else!
"Then you might as well give me a month off my rent!"
Lu Jiuling was teasing Su Xiangrong. He knew this landlady loved money too much to ever agree to such a thing.
"Scram, I'm short on money lately too!"
Su Xiangrong rolled her eyes at Lu Jiuling and turned back to her room. "Wait, help me take out the trash!"
Soon, Su Xiangrong carried a trash bag out and handed it to Lu Jiuling. Then she approached the shoe rack and quickly checked it. With a face full of disgust, she picked up a pair of white pointed sandals from the third shelf and held them out to Lu Jiuling.
"Take it?"
Su Xiangrong urged.
"..."
Lu Jiuling was speechless. Couldn't she see both his hands were full?
And why was she giving him shoes?
To throw them away?
"Go throw them away!"
Su Xiangrong didn't care and stuffed the shoes directly into Lu Jiuling's arms.
"Can't these still be worn?"
What a wasteful woman!
Lu Jiuling couldn't see anything wrong with these sandals.
"A pervert used them. How am I supposed to wear them?"
Su Xiangrong shot him an annoyed glance. As expected, a clueless young virgin.
Sigh!
What a waste of that face!
If he were a playboy, with 690 for height and these looks, he would already be slaying left and right at school. What school beauty or class beauty—he would capture them all.
So for a man, being tall and handsome was useless. He needed confidence, composure, and strength to generate the charm that attracted the opposite sex.
"Stop the nonsense. Hurry up and throw out the trash, and pay more attention to sounds outside tonight!"
After speaking, Su Xiangrong slammed the security door shut with a bang and returned to the living room to binge dramas.
Her husband worked out of town and only came back once a year. Though they spent more time apart than together, he earned a lot. Combined with the monthly rent Su Xiangrong collected, even without working, she lived quite comfortably.
She counted as a little rich woman.
Lu Jiuling exited the residential building, threw the garbage at the collection point, got on his bicycle, and went to Old Street to find that long-legged girl.