Chapter 11: A Change in Character

Yao Jia cautiously confirmed with Ling Xiaoxin once more about the extent of the computer’s crash.

Ling Xiaoxin sniffled and said, “My colleagues recommended a few top-notch repair shops, but the technicians there all said they couldn’t fix this problem. What do I do, Jia Jia? Is there no hope for me or my computer?”

Yao Jia sighed, comforting Ling Xiaoxin and telling her not to worry. Her friend had always been timid and shy, so much so that even after obtaining her lawyer’s license, she still didn’t dare to appear in court. Whenever they encountered troublesome situations growing up, it was always Yao Jia who played the hero and helped Ling Xiaoxin out of them.

Holding her phone, Yao Jia scrutinized Meng Xingzhe with a gaze sharp as infrared, questioning him skeptically, “Do you really have a solution?”

She felt that if it were about living extravagantly, he’d definitely be in his element. But when it came to something as technical as computer repair, she had zero confidence in him.

In response to her doubt, Meng Xingzhe chuckled, “You can choose not to believe me, then slowly search online for repair shops. See if anyone’s still open at this hour. Oh, by the way,” he nodded towards Yao Jia’s phone, “didn’t they say that several top technicians couldn’t fix it? It must be a pretty tricky issue. Even if you find an open shop, the chances of solving it are slim. But if you leave it to me, it’s not a sure thing, but it’s close enough.”

“…” What was the point of altering that saying?

Despite her internal complaints, Yao Jia knew Meng Xingzhe had a point. It was already dark, and finding an open repair shop was difficult. Even if she did, they might not be able to fix it.

At this point, she had no choice but to try whatever might work.

Yet, she felt a bit unwilling to just give in to Meng Xingzhe like that.

So she struggled a bit and said, “Just fixing a computer and I have to give up my room? That’s too much.”

Meng Xingzhe raised a corner of his mouth, “Tell me, what else do you want to negotiate?”

Yao Jia replied, “What about that five million IOU of yours?”

Meng Xingzhe was momentarily taken aback, then said, “I threw it away.” After speaking, he turned and went inside. When he came back out, he handed her a brand new IOU, “Here, I wrote you a new one.”

Yao Jia took the IOU from between his fingers, folded it casually, and tucked it into her pocket.

Tian Huasheng, who was lounging on a yoga mat nearby, watched their exchange in shock.

What was going on here? A five million IOU, one dared to write it, and the other dared to accept it. With that amount, they’d be hard-pressed to pay it off even if they worked as customer service reps their whole lives.

Yao Jia just wanted a bargaining chip to feel a bit more balanced, not really expecting Meng Xingzhe to ever pay her five million. After securing the IOU, she and Meng Xingzhe reached an agreement: if Ling Xiaoxin’s computer could be fixed, she would swap her room with a private bathroom for his.

Meng Xingzhe asked Yao Jia to send him Ling Xiaoxin’s location, then made a phone call. As soon as the call connected, a man’s voice erupted.

“Don’t call me unless it’s necessary. Every time you call, it’s trouble!”

The voice and tone were familiar, like the man Meng Xingzhe had used to swipe a card.

Holding the phone, Meng Xingzhe spoke with an elegant and calm demeanor. He instructed the person on the other end, “Help me fix a girl’s computer. It’s crashed, and her files are lost. Help her recover them.”

The person on the other end began to sound exasperated, “Wait, what are you asking me to do? Fix a computer? Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? What do you take me for? And why aren’t you doing it?”

Meng Xingzhe replied matter-of-factly, “I have to tidy up the dorm.”

The person on the other end retorted, “Get lost! If you even lift a finger, I’ll admit I was wrong about you!”

Meng Xingzhe said, “If you don’t go, I’ll quit.”

The person on the other end softened, “Wait, let me get dressed.”

Yao Jia guessed that he must be afraid of an unemployed Meng Xingzhe leeching off him.

“You piece of trash!” came the indignant voice over the phone. “Meng Xingzhe, has the dormitory door clamped your brain? You’re the least altruistic person I know, why are you suddenly meddling in other people’s business?”

“You know me well. If you dig into the essence of this matter, it’s not for others, but for myself.” Meng Xingzhe glanced at Yao Jia, who was stunned by their conversation. He continued smoothly, “If you fix that computer, I can move into a room with a private bathroom.”

Yao Jia really wanted to award Meng Xingzhe a prize for shamelessness. He wasn’t embarrassed at all, openly flaunting his pursuit of comfort.

The person on the other end cursed, “How did I end up knowing such a scoundrel like you? Meng Xingzhe, you’re a real piece of work!”

Meng Xingzhe elegantly removed the phone from his ear and pressed the hang-up button, then smugly told Yao Jia, “When he talks like that, it means he’s agreed. You can relax now.”

“…??” Was that tirade a sign of agreement? And how could she just relax?

“Don’t worry, with me pulling the strings, your friend’s computer will be saved.” Meng Xingzhe appeared confident, as if anyone who didn’t trust him was just being foolish.

Yao Jia held her phone, half-believing, waiting for news.

About an hour later, Ling Xiaoxin finally called.

Her voice was still tinged with tears as she softly said to Yao Jia, “Jia Jia, where did you find this person for me? Although the technician is quite handsome and seems responsible, he… he can’t seem to fix my computer!” Her voice ended with a note of anxious sobbing.

Yao Jia comforted her, telling her not to worry and that she would look into it right away and call her back.

After hanging up, Yao Jia hurried to knock on Meng Xingzhe’s door. Just as he opened it, his phone rang.

He answered, and a man’s voice boomed through the phone, filling the space like a 3D surround sound.

“This laptop is acting weird. I’m having trouble fixing it!”

Yao Jia’s heart sank.

Meng Xingzhe glanced at her, and in that moment, he seemed to transform. Suddenly, he exuded an air of calm and command.

He gestured for Yao Jia to be patient and asked the person on the phone, “Did you take it apart? Do you think it’s a hardware issue or software? … Ask her if she’s visited any strange websites recently. … Hmm, that could definitely be a virus. Tell her if she’s looking for a boyfriend, she should use a reputable dating site.” At this point, he signaled to Yao Jia that he needed to close the door to continue the call.

Yao Jia stepped back and left the room.

After closing the door, Meng Xingzhe said to Bei Luonan on the other end, “Did you write the antivirus software?”

Bei Luonan replied, “I did, but it’s not working well. I need you to handle it.”

“Hold on a moment,” Meng Xingzhe said as he opened his laptop.

※※※

A little while later, Yao Jia received another call from Ling Xiaoxin. Her voice still carried a hint of tears, but this time they were tears of joy. “Jia Jia, the technician you found is amazing! I don’t know what program he used, but he fixed my laptop and recovered my documents! How can someone be so skilled at fixing computers?” Her voice dropped to a whisper, “And he’s really handsome too!”

“…” Yao Jia thought Ling Xiaoxin must be fine now if she had the leisure to admire his looks.

Meanwhile, Meng Xingzhe opened his door, also on a call. The person on the other end, who had clearly undergone some sort of epiphany in a short time, no longer cursed at Meng Xingzhe but instead reminded him, “Make sure to express deliver my card tomorrow, or I’ll call the bank to cancel it.”

After hanging up, Meng Xingzhe insisted that Yao Jia start moving rooms immediately.

Though reluctant, Yao Jia thought, fine, a bet’s a bet. She began pulling clothes out of her wardrobe.

Meng Xingzhe leaned against her doorframe, enjoying the sight of her preparing to switch rooms. Like a smug model, he said, “Hey, how about this: after you move your stuff to my room, could you also move my things over here?”

“…?” It took Yao Jia several seconds to realize that this cheeky guy was trying to get her to do his work.

Is he crazy?

“I won’t let you do it for nothing,” Meng Xingzhe said just as Yao Jia was about to explode.

“Oh? What can you offer me?” Yao Jia didn’t immediately refuse. She wanted to see how far his delusions went.

Meng Xingzhe seriously considered it. “I don’t have any cash on hand right now. How about I sign another five million for you? That way, you’ll have ten million in total. Do you know what ten million means? Out of China’s 1.4 billion people, only 1.97 million have a net worth over ten million. So, you see, you’re about to become one in 1.97 million.”

“…” Does her family really need this ten million?

No, not ten million, but a promissory note for ten million.

Yao Jia really wanted to open Meng Xingzhe’s head to see how his brain worked, how he could dream so vividly.

She kicked Meng Xingzhe out, telling him to pack up and clear the room if he wanted to switch, otherwise, forget it.

After a while, when Yao Jia had finished packing, she listened carefully. There were indeed sounds of packing from Meng Xingzhe’s side. She breathed a sigh of relief, finally, the cheeky guy was willing to lift a finger.

But when she started moving her things into Meng Xingzhe’s room, she saw that it was actually Tian Huasheng helping to organize.

A wave of pity surged in Yao Jia’s heart: “Silly kid, did he trick you into doing his work?”

“What are you talking about?” Meng Xingzhe was clearly displeased.

Tian Huasheng happily shook his head, using a cute voice to tell Yao Jia, “No, no, I heard Brother Meng was going to call a cleaning service, so I insisted on volunteering. I even offered a discount, charging ten yuan less per hour!”

“…………” Yao Jia was dumbfounded.

Has everyone in this house gone crazy over money??

At this moment, Tong Yumo also emerged from her room. Seeing Yao Jia moving things, she inexplicably got excited too.

She walked into Meng Xingzhe’s room, eyes shining, and asked, “Yao Jia, are you really switching rooms?”

Yao Jia snorted a “hmph” through her nose, indicating yes.

Tong Yumo’s cheeks turned slightly red, her whole face glowing with happiness. Her eyes were filled with invisible hearts as she turned to Meng Xingzhe and said, “Thank you! You convinced Yao Jia to switch rooms so I could have the master bedroom with the private bathroom! I’ll have my cousin move my things over right away!”

The other three people were left bewildered by her words.

Meng Xingzhe stopped Tong Yumo, “Wait, what did you just say? You’re moving in?”

Tong Yumo nodded adorably, “Yes, didn’t you negotiate with Yao Jia to switch rooms for me?”

Meng Xingzhe frowned slightly, puzzled, “Can you explain how you concluded that I was negotiating for you?”

Tong Yumo, a bit shy yet happy, looked at him and said, “After I saw Yao Jia’s room, I told you it had a private bathroom and how much I wanted to live there. Then you immediately asked Yao Jia what conditions she would agree to for a room swap. Wasn’t that for me?”

“…” Yao Jia thought her reasoning was quite logical.

Meng Xingzhe, however, burst into a bright, handsome smile. “Tong Yumo,” he said, still smiling, “you misunderstood.”

“That room is for me,” Meng Xingzhe stated clearly.

Tong Yumo’s eyes widened, disbelief and sadness gradually spreading across her face. “How could you do this? Isn’t this deceit?”

Meng Xingzhe remained calm and patient, “You misunderstood on your own.”

“Fine, even if I misunderstood, aren’t men supposed to be considerate of women? Shouldn’t you let me have it?” Tong Yumo looked up at Meng Xingzhe, questioning his very soul.

Meng Xingzhe pointed at Yao Jia, “Isn’t she a woman too? Since I didn’t give it to her, why should I give it to you?”

Tong Yumo’s face flushed red with a mix of embarrassment and anger as she raised her voice in a final protest. “If you didn’t intend to let me have the master bedroom, why did you mislead me in the first place? You made me feel like you were doing it for me, and now you say you weren’t. How could you be like this?”

The little princess finished her lament and ran back to her room.

Yao Jia was left speechless by the scene. She thought communal living was quite entertaining, offering a free show.

More interestingly, in this house, Meng Xingzhe was more particular about style than she was, Tong Yumo was more like a spoiled heiress, and Tian Huasheng seized every opportunity to earn extra money.

In contrast, she, the child of Chairman Yao, adapted to communal life like a fish in water, lively and energetic.

Life was truly fascinating.

※※※

Tian Huasheng firmly refused anyone’s help, insisting on single-handedly moving the wardrobes, beds, and mattresses between the two rooms with his sturdy frame and a voice that belied his strength.

Meng Xingzhe paid Tian Huasheng double and patted his shoulder, “Thanks, brother. When I have money soon, I’ll treat you to Australian lobsters at a five-star hotel.”

Yao Jia listened as he handed out another large empty promise.

After patting Tian Huasheng’s shoulder, Meng Xingzhe turned to see Yao Jia’s puffed-up, unimpressed face. He cheerfully said to her, “Alright, you’re invited too!”

Yao Jia replied with a forced smile, “No need.”

Save it, she thought, who knows who would end up paying.

Meng Xingzhe didn’t mind, looking quite pleased. Wearing his flashy pajamas, he waved goodnight to Tian Huasheng and then to Yao Jia before strutting back to his room and closing the door.

His flamboyant manner was particularly provoking.

※※※※※※

Meng Xingzhe dimmed the bedside lamp to its lowest setting. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

He never imagined he’d end up in a place where the entire room was smaller than his bathroom, and the bathroom was smaller than his bathtub.

His phone rang; it was a video call from Bei Luonan.

Meng Xingzhe turned on the overhead light and answered the call.

Bei Luonan said, “I’m home. Just checking in on how your shared living situation is going. If there’s anything troublesome, let me know so I can have a laugh.”

Meng Xingzhe seized the chance to vent his frustrations to Bei Luonan.

“Smooth my foot!”

He held up the phone, spinning around the room.

“Look at this place, is it fit for living? Besides the wardrobe, bed, and my beloved massage chair, there’s no room for an Italian chandelier, let alone a treadmill!”

“Look at this bed, the biggest it can hold is a queen size. It’s not enough for me to roll over! How can a bed that’s not king-size soothe my passionate soul?”

“And look at this bathroom, is it small or what? Every time I use it, I feel like I’m suffocating from the cramped space!”

After his rant, he sat in the massage chair, turned it on, and with a weary, world-weary expression said, “I guess this is what they call hardship.”

Watching him enjoy the massage chair with a blissful expression, Bei Luonan couldn’t take it anymore.

This is what he calls hardship??

Meng Xingzhe was berated, “You really have no shame! You used my card to buy all sorts of extravagant things for yourself, and you still have the nerve to say you’re suffering? I was going to express some sympathy, but now I just want to beat you up.”

After venting at Meng Xingzhe, just before hanging up, he noticed the lamp lit by Meng Xingzhe’s bedside in the video call and asked, “Do you still need to keep a light on while you sleep?”

Meng Xingzhe shrugged dramatically and let out a melodramatic “uh-huh” to indicate “yes.”

Bei Luonan shook his head and sighed, “When you return from your undercover mission, I’ll take you to see a psychologist.”

Meng Xingzhe, comfortably nestled in a massage chair, replied with a lazy hum, “A psychologist won’t help; they can’t fix me.” As he spoke, his expression suddenly changed, and a mischievous grin spread across his handsome face, “But if you’re willing to let me keep using your card, maybe it will.”

Bei Luonan retorted, “Get lost!”

※※※

Having just moved to a new room, Yao Jia couldn’t fall asleep. She picked up her phone and logged into KartRider.

As soon as she logged in, a message popped up.

Yao Jia clicked to see it was from someone named “Xinghen.”

She pondered for a while, then slapped her bed as she finally remembered. This was the bronze-level player using the system’s seven-day trial car, who kept blocking and crashing into her during races, causing her, a champion driver, to keep losing. Later, when she wanted to add him as a friend, he said he would only accept if she agreed to acknowledge him as her mentor.

Reluctantly, she had to accept this thief as her teacher.

At the time, she had a strong motive to add him as a friend, but now she couldn’t remember why.

Shaking her head, she opened the chat. Xinghen’s message contained no Chinese characters, just a single “?”.

Yao Jia, puzzled by his intent, thought for a moment and simply replied with two “??” before closing the chat window.

After a few speed races, sleepiness overcame her, and she fell asleep quickly, having a surprisingly good night’s rest without any issues adjusting to the new bed.

Though the sleep was good, the process of getting ready for work the next morning was frustrating.

Tong Yumo had occupied the bathroom early, and despite Tian Huasheng’s desperate knocking and leg-crossing, and Yao Jia’s urging for her to hurry so everyone could take turns, she remained unfazed, calmly washing up and applying makeup behind the closed door.

Tian Huasheng was nearly at his limit when he remembered there was a bathroom in Meng Xingzhe’s room. Shouting for help, he dashed to Meng Xingzhe’s door, apologizing profusely as he barged in to use the toilet.

“…??” Meng Xingzhe, having just finished washing up but not yet dressed, stood in his pajamas at the door, bewildered as he watched Tian Huasheng dash past and disappear.

As soon as Tian Huasheng emerged, before Meng Xingzhe could even close the door, another flash darted past him. Yao Jia, also apologizing and thanking him, followed Tian Huasheng’s path to the bathroom.

Meng Xingzhe stood at the door, repeatedly stunned, his head full of question marks from the two lightning-fast intrusions.

After Yao Jia came out, she and Tian Huasheng stood side by side, explaining to Meng Xingzhe: “Sorry, Tong Yumo was hogging the bathroom, and we were about to burst, so we…”

Meng Xingzhe’s eyebrows furrowed, “Wait, so Tong Yumo’s room has a private bathroom, and mine is the public toilet?”