By the time their "wake-up call service" was over, it was already past eleven.
The two of them tidied up a bit. Lin Jiang went to check out, then they found a place for ’breakfast’ before he took Li Zhiyi home.
"Brother Jiang, I’m heading off now."
Li Zhiyi said softly as she was about to get out of the car.
"Okay. Don’t wander around for too long. Get back and rest early."
"I know. I want a kiss."
Li Zhiyi said, pouting her lips.
"Mwah~"
After a quick kiss, Li Zhiyi grabbed her things and got out. Lin Jiang waved to her and drove away.
Li Zhiyi stood there, watching until Lin Jiang disappeared from sight.
She thought back on what happened last night, feeling both ashamed and excited.
’That feeling is just so intoxicating.’
「...」
「On the way back.」
Lin Jiang glanced at his attribute panel.
[Name: Lin Jiang]
[Skills: Culinary Skill (Basic), Fighting Technique (Basic)]
[Attributes: Physique 16, Comprehension 15, Charm 21]
[Martial Force: 15]
[Items: Choice Card]
[Treasure Chest: 70/100]
’Once the shop expansion is done, I can get another prize draw.’
He drove back to the shop. The little place was bustling, with a steady stream of people coming and going.
Lin Jiang came out the back door and sat on the steps, preparing to continue his search for a suitable property.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—
Just as he was looking at properties, a message from Li Zhiyi came through.
Li Zhiyi: "Honey, look at my new yoga pants. Do you think they look good?"
After they’d gone all the way, even the way she addressed him had changed.
Li Zhiyi: Image.JPG
Li Zhiyi sent a photo of herself modeling her purchase. The yoga pants were a sort of beige color.
But the real highlight wasn’t the yoga pants, but the stockings underneath!
Lin Jiang: "You little temptress, always trying to lead me astray."
Li Zhiyi: "Hehe, come and bite me then."
Lin Jiang: "Looks like I didn’t bite you hard enough the other night. I’ll have to find some time to teach you a proper lesson."
Li Zhiyi: "You brute. Who told you to be so rough? Be gentle next time."
Lin Jiang: "We’ll see how you behave."
Li Zhiyi: "Hmph, I won’t."
Lin Jiang held his phone, ready to tease her a bit more.
’We didn’t try doing the splits the other day. I need to put that on the agenda.’
Just then, he suddenly felt a shadow fall over him.
He turned his head and saw Chen Jingxian standing behind him.
"Slacking off in broad daylight instead of working, are we? That’s a hundred-yuan fine."
"Whose beautiful lady is this? So dazzling I can’t even open my eyes."
"Oh, get out of here. You’re just a smooth talker."
Chen Jingxian was dressed very casually in a dark cyan skirt that didn’t even reach her knees, paired with white sandals. On top, she wore an off-white, V-neck, short-sleeved shirt.
While this outfit lacked a certain mature charm, it made her look much younger.
"What are you doing slacking off out here? Are you too tired from all the work?"
"Nah, I’m planning to expand the shop, so I’m looking for a suitable place."
"Gearing up to make a big move?"
"You could say that."
Lin Jiang glanced at the date on his watch. "You have the day off?"
"Nope, I made an excuse to sneak out of work." Chen Jingxian said, tucking her hair back.
"There’s a company nearby that’s hiring an accountant to do their books. I came to check it out."
"An accountant for bookkeeping?"
Chen Jingxian nodded. "Some companies are very small. They’ll usually hire a cashier, but cashiers don’t know how to do the books, so they need to hire someone temporarily from outside. Get what I mean?"
Lin Jiang only half-understood, nodding along vaguely.
"So you didn’t quit your old job? You’re going to freelance for other companies?"
"You could put it that way."
"Would your original company be okay with that?"
"It’s quite normal. The teacher in the class I’m taking now freelances for nine different companies. He’s incredibly impressive," Chen Jingxian said.
"Besides, I’d only have to go once or twice a month, and it’d only take an hour or two each time. It won’t interfere with anything."
"Aren’t you making yourself too busy? On top of your main job, you have classes, and now you’re taking on freelance work. You won’t have any time to rest, will you?"
"I have no choice. After paying the mortgage and daily expenses each month, there’s not much left. I want to work harder while I’m young so I can relax later on."
"The mortgage..."
Lin Jiang muttered. ’This is my chance,’ he thought. ’I can launder... no, cash out. That way, I’ll have plenty of money for the expansion.’
"How much was the loan for the house?"
"A little over 2.6 million. Why?"
Lin Jiang thought for a moment. "If you calculate it that way, with interest, it’ll be almost 5 million in total."
"There’s nothing to be done about it. To be honest, I’m starting to regret it. If I hadn’t bought it in a fit of pique, I wouldn’t be in this situation. Now I think it would’ve been better to just rent."
"You can’t look at it that way. A house is an investment. It has room to appreciate, and you can sell it when the price is right."
"That’s what I was thinking, too. But I do quite like this house. Once I pass my intermediate accounting exam, I can find one or two more freelance gigs. My income will be higher, and I’ll have no problem covering the mortgage."
"Call the bank. Tell them you want to pay off your loan early. I’ll take you over there right now and we’ll pay off the whole thing."
"Huh?!"
Chen Jingxian stared at Lin Jiang in astonishment. "You’re going to help me pay off my mortgage?"
"It’s just a little over 2.6 million. No need to be so shocked. Hurry up and call them to ask if you need an appointment."
"I can’t let you do that! You already lent me twenty thousand yuan. I can’t have you help me pay off my mortgage too," Chen Jingxian refused decisively.
"Why not? Just think of it as a loan from me," Lin Jiang said.
"Think about it. Two-fifths of your monthly mortgage payment is just interest. Afterward, you can just pay me back the principal. You’ll save a huge amount of money, and you won’t really owe me a favor."
That’s what he said, but Lin Jiang had no intention of making Chen Jingxian pay him back.
If she wanted to pay, she could. If not, whatever. It was no big deal to him.
Chen Jingxian was tempted. It would indeed save her a lot of money, but she would owe Lin Jiang a huge favor.
"I still don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s obviously taking advantage of you," Chen Jingxian said in a small voice.
"Then why don’t you let me take advantage of you to even things out?" Lin Jiang said with a grin. "Those are some nice legs."
Chen Jingxian gave a playful pout and pinched Lin Jiang’s waist. "You’re never serious. You even flirt with me."
"Alright, stop dithering. Hurry up and call the bank to ask if we need an appointment," Lin Jiang urged.
"If you don’t call, I will."
"I’ll call and ask."
Chen Jingxian dialed the bank’s number and quickly got the details on the procedure and what was required.
"No appointment needed, we can go now. But I need to bring my ID card, the home purchase contract, and the original loan agreement."
"All that stuff is at your place, right? I’ll take you to get it now. Let’s go."
Without giving Chen Jingxian another chance to speak, Lin Jiang grabbed her hand and led her out of the shop.
Seeing them, Yang Tao sidled up to Li Yuanyuan.
"That woman is Brother Jiang’s older sister-in-law, right?"
"Yep."
"Looking at their relationship, something feels a little off," Yang Tao commented, sizing them up.
"You noticed it too, huh? I think it’s weird, too. They’re divorced, so what kind of ex-sister-in-law still comes over to help out? And she dresses up prettier every time. There’s definitely something fishy going on between them."
She might not be the most educated, but that never stopped Li Yuanyuan from enjoying the gossip. Whenever anything, big or small, happened, she was always the first to know.
She was especially invested in the drama between Lin Jiang and Chen Jingxian, just waiting to see how it would all turn out.
"I also feel like something’s up with them. The relationship is a bit of a mess," Yang Tao said.
"We’re both from the countryside. We’re not as worldly, and we don’t know how city people play. They probably don’t think it’s strange at all."
"But it’s usually the younger sister-in-law, not the older one."
"Maybe city people are just more progressive. They get tired of the younger sister-in-law and decide to develop in the other direction."
"That’s actually possible. The younger sister-in-law will get old eventually. By going straight for the older one, you skip several years of detours."
"You’ve hit the nail on the head."
"The check."
Just as the two were gossiping, a customer called out.
"Coming!"
The woman who had spoken was wearing a uniform. She had shoulder-length, jet-black hair with the ends curled into waves. On her feet were black high heels that exposed the arches of her feet, giving her an aura that was both beautiful and sharp.
"How much?"
Li Yuanyuan glanced at the items on the table and said crisply, "68 in total."
"I’ll get it," the man across from the woman said with a smile, pulling out his phone to scan the code.
"Alright. My treat tomorrow."
"It’s nothing. Don’t be so polite."
After paying, the two of them left the shop.
"Manager He, we’ve pretty much tried all the noodle dishes here. I think they’re all great; you can’t go wrong no matter what you choose. It makes sense that so many people come here," the man said.
"Not bad. The owner really knows what he’s doing." The long-haired woman glanced back and said.
"If the shop were bigger, this place would be even more explosive."
"So what are your thoughts? I think we can talk to the owner."
"There’s still the scallion oil noodles we haven’t tried. Let’s come back tomorrow for them. If there are no issues, I’ll talk to him then."
"Mm."

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