Chapter 9: Name Your Terms

When Meng Xingzhe heard Lin Qian say that continued tardiness would lead to his dismissal, he quickly weighed his options and finally felt a twinge of crisis. As someone who had always been the boss, he now had to learn to experience the kind of anxiety employees feel, much like a young man learning to navigate his first romance.

He got up, left the room, and called Bei Luonan from the stairwell.

“Transfer some of that money back to me from a few days ago,” he said bluntly. “I don’t have any cash on hand, and my home is too far from Kunyu Electric. I need to rent a large place nearby.”

Bei Luonan immediately shut him down: “Get real, brother. That money is already invested in the subsidiary for new product development! Plus, our open-source forum is a money pit. I’m telling you, even that amount won’t last more than two months. After that, we’ll both be selling our houses.”

Meng Xingzhe rubbed his forehead, looking pained. “Are chips really that costly?”

“Only slightly less than your spending habits.”

Meng Xingzhe told Bei Luonan to get lost.

Bei Luonan advised him to curb his extravagant lifestyle and stop insisting on high living standards no matter the situation.

“Honestly, I can’t spare a dime for you to rent a big place. If you can’t stand it, ask your parents.”

Meng Xingzhe retorted, “Get lost! Do you think I’m still nursing?” After a pause, he added, “Besides, you know how my parents manage their money. Do you think I can squeeze a penny out of them? Stop trying to rile me up!”

Meng Xingzhe’s parents were once solidly wealthy businesspeople. After a certain incident, they became more laid-back, handing over the business operations, selling their large villa, and moving into a high-end retirement community, claiming they wanted to live an ordinary life because it was safe and happy.

They divided their assets into three parts: one part went to Meng Xingzhe to start his own business, which he used to co-found Xingbei Technology with Bei Luonan.

Another part was turned into a Family Trust, from which his parents drew monthly income. They agreed that after their passing, the trust’s ownership would transfer to Meng Xingzhe, allowing him to manage it as he pleased. However, while they were alive, they wouldn’t give him any more money, believing that too much money could be a curse, and they didn’t want to burden him.

The third part was given away to charity, fulfilling an old promise. Meng Xingzhe wasn’t entirely on board with this, considering the dubious nature of some charitable organizations, but his parents insisted: “It’s our money, we decide how to use it. You can spend what you earn however you like, and we won’t interfere.”

Meng Xingzhe sighed, “Fine, just send me a little back. I’ll make do with a smaller place.”

Bei Luonan immediately shot back, “Make do, my foot! There’s no money for you, not a penny.” After a pause, he shouted, “Seriously, Young Master Meng, will staying in the Employee Dormitory for three months kill you? It might be good to get used to communal living. Who knows, we might end up sleeping on newspaper in the office someday!” He took a breath and declared, “Anyway, I have no money. If you really need cash, go sell your virgin kidney!”

Meng Xingzhe snapped, “Shut up! If I sell a kidney, I’ll sell it, but don’t add any more adjectives!” He stopped to think about his current situation, and a surge of anger rose, making him both embarrassed and furious. “Can you tell me how I ended up like this? I was a proper boss, controlling funds and making waves—”

Bei Luonan interrupted, “You have no funds left.”

“You lost the bet.”

“If you can’t handle it, come back. So what if you’ll never know why our product lost to Kunyu Electric? So what if you’re called a loser? So what if you’re eliminated because your logo is ugly? So what—”

Meng Xingzhe couldn’t take it anymore: “Shut up, are you a nagging wife? Do you have to list everything?”

“If you can’t handle it, just come back,” Bei Luonan taunted.

Meng Xingzhe pulled the phone away from his ear and yelled at it, “Bei Luonan, go to hell! There’s no way I’ll be a loser! I’ve never backed out of a bet in my life!”

※※※

Meng Xingzhe hung up, took a few deep breaths, and convinced himself that trying new things and facing new situations wasn’t necessarily bad. Besides, didn’t the ponytail say the Employee Dormitory was quite nice?

After psyching himself up, Meng Xingzhe returned to his desk. He turned to the girl with the ponytail and asked, “Is the Employee Dormitory really that nice?”

Who would have thought that the girl would throw his own words back at him?

After hearing Yao Jia repeat his past declaration that he’d rather jump off a building than live in the Employee Dormitory, Meng Xingzhe really wanted to throw her out the window.

That day, Meng Xingzhe submitted his application to Lin Qian to move into the Employee Dormitory. Less than an hour after he handed in the form, Tong Yumo sneaked over, clutching a piece of paper, and softly asked, “Meng Xingzhe, how do you fill out this part of the form?”

Her voice was soft and inviting, like a little white rabbit beckoning the big bad wolf to unleash its drool and wild nature.

Unfortunately, Meng Xingzhe wasn’t a big bad wolf; he was more like a peacock always eager to show off his plumage. Cherishing beauty? Not his style. Competing to see who could spread their wings more attractively? That was more his speed.

Meng Xingzhe looked at the section Tong Yumo was pointing to. It was the part asking for the reason for applying to live in the Employee Dormitory.

“Just write down why you want to live in the Employee Dormitory,” he said flatly. “It’s so simple. What could you possibly not know how to write?”

Yao Jia nearly burst out laughing from the side.

As expected, a clueless straight guy. Did she really want an answer from you? She wanted to tell you that after hearing you’re moving into the Employee Dormitory, she decided to move in too.

Tong Yumo’s face turned redder and redder, her frustration and embarrassment reflecting back on her due to his obliviousness.

Seeing Tong Yumo squatting by Meng Xingzhe’s desk, Lin Qian walked over and patted her shoulder, signaling, “It’s not break time yet. Go back to your seat and don’t wander around.”

Tong Yumo’s face turned even redder, as if she were a top student suddenly reprimanded by a teacher, overwhelmed with shame. Before leaving, she shot a resentful glance at Yao Jia.

“???” Yao Jia was puzzled.

What did she do to deserve this?

Okay, if it’s because she’s sitting next to Meng Xingzhe, does she really think it’s a joy to be next to him??

※※※

On Sunday, taking advantage of the day off, both Meng Xingzhe and Tong Yumo moved in.

Meng Xingzhe stood in the living room with a Rimowa suitcase. Without looking at his expression, just his tall and long-legged figure resembled a handsome street-style model.

However, the disgruntled look on his face ruined the street-style aesthetic. His brows were furrowed as if sleeping in this room would start shortening his life by the hour.

Yao Jia found it amusing. Even as the daughter of the Chairman, she wasn’t this pampered. He really was a precious little treasure.

Tong Yumo was even more interesting. Standing next to Meng Xingzhe, she looked helpless and confused, as if she’d been tricked into joining a pyramid scheme. “I’ve never seen a house with such a high population density. At home, I have two rooms to myself.”

Yao Jia wanted to say, “At home, I have an entire floor to myself, and even my breathing echoes.”

Yao Jia and Tian Huasheng, each with an apple, leaned against their respective room doors, watching the prince and princess’s tale of misfortune unfold in the living room.

After surveying the entire living room, Meng Xingzhe took a deep breath, released the suitcase handle, and checked each room.

The remaining two empty rooms were a slightly smaller master bedroom than Yao Jia’s without an en-suite bathroom and an east-facing guest room. Tian Huasheng lived in a larger, west-facing secondary bedroom.

Meng Xingzhe inspected each room, his frown deepening with each one, so much so that Yao Jia worried he might start bleeding from his forehead.

“This is the master bedroom? Such a small space, such tiny windows, and they dare call it a master bedroom?” he complained about the master bedroom without a private bathroom. Tong Yumo followed him, nodding vigorously at his complaints.

“Can people live here?” he questioned incredulously when he saw the east-facing guest room. “This isn’t even as big as my… friend’s bathroom.”

Tong Yumo quickly chimed in, “My bathroom, including the wet and dry areas, is almost bigger than this.”

“Why is the room so small? With this orientation, can you even survive the western sun?” Meng Xingzhe commented, looking at Tian Huasheng’s room.

Tong Yumo looked at Tian Huasheng, who was contentedly munching on an apple at the door, and said, “Yeah, look, in just a few days, you’ve already gotten darker.”

Tian Huasheng made a playful face at her. “I was already dark, thank you.”

Unable to listen to the picky prince and princess any longer, Yao Jia decided to retreat to her room and close the door. Meng Xingzhe wanted to see what her room looked like, but she blocked him at the door.

“Do you have any manners? Charging into a girl’s room like that.”

Meng Xingzhe glanced at her with disdain, as if to say he couldn’t see anything feminine about her. But he stopped and didn’t push forward.

At that moment, Tong Yumo seized the opportunity and slipped into Yao Jia’s room.

Yao Jia: “…”

Tong Yumo gave her a sweet smile. “I’m a girl, so you must allow me to take a look.”

She took a quick tour of the room, and upon seeing the private bathroom, let out a “wow.”

After finally finishing her inspection and leaving the room, Tong Yumo stood next to Meng Xingzhe and whispered to him, “Compared to the others, Yao Jia’s room is the best.”

She then turned around to face Yao Jia, her cheeks slightly flushed, looking hesitant yet determined as she spoke, “Yao Jia, to be honest, it’s a bit embarrassing. I’ve never lived in a dormitory, not even during college since I was a day student. So I’m not really used to public restrooms. Also, I have a bit of a calcium deficiency and need plenty of sunlight every day. Could we perhaps discuss this? Would you be willing to swap your sunlit bedroom with mine? Please, please, I know you’re the best! I can give you the biggest red envelope as a thank you!” By the end, she was rubbing her hands together like the helpless Cinderella characters in Korean dramas, looking innocent and pleading.

Her pitiful demeanor made Yao Jia laugh.

The biggest red envelope would only be two hundred yuan, right? Yet she made it sound like a huge deal.

Tong Yumo bit her lower lip and asked Yao Jia, “What… are you laughing at?”

Yao Jia replied, “I’m laughing at how bold you are.”

Tong Yumo pouted, looking as if she had been bullied.

Yao Jia had always been wary of people like Tong Yumo. If everyone were as straightforward as Yao Bingkun, who was consistently irritable, she could handle them with her years of experience. But Tong Yumo was different—she would make a request, and if you didn’t fulfill it, she’d pout as if you had bullied her. It left Yao Jia feeling helpless.

Because she hadn’t even started bullying her yet…

Tong Yumo’s eyes were watery as she turned to Meng Xingzhe, her voice as sweet and soft as melting cotton candy, “This room has a private bathroom. I really want to live here.”

Meng Xingzhe narrowed his eyes slightly at her words, then turned to Yao Jia, “Name your terms. What would it take for you to agree to swap rooms?”

Yao Jia was taken aback.

Was he planning to play the knight in shining armor?

Tong Yumo stood beside Meng Xingzhe, looking up at his profile, her eyes practically sparkling. She was openly delighted, not just secretly pleased.

Yao Jia leaned against the wall by the door, smiling lazily, “What, are you going to throw a check in my face?”

Meng Xingzhe frowned slightly, “Something like that.”

Yao Jia raised an eyebrow, “Then start with five million. Put five million in my hands, and I’ll swap rooms with you.”

Without a word, Meng Xingzhe started rummaging through his suitcase. Yao Jia watched as he pulled out a leather notebook and a pen. With swift strokes, he began writing, his wrist moving with such flair that it was clear his handwriting must be quite elaborate. After finishing, Meng Xingzhe tore the paper from the notebook and handed it to Yao Jia.

The entire process was smooth and confident, every movement executed with style.

Yao Jia took the paper and was stunned.

It was a five-million-yuan IOU.

He actually signed a five-million-yuan blank check for her? Did he think one of them was a fool?