Chapter 22: Are You Messing With Me?

Jiang Yan watched the couple’s expressions and movements, thinking they were about to give up. To her surprise, He Chunmei gritted her teeth and declared with conviction:

“Little sister, it’s fine! I’ll just have the elderly and the kids wear double masks! If they get infected, we won’t blame you!”

“That’s right, that’s right, miss,” Zhou Guangfu quickly chimed in with a fawning smile, “The thing is, no one else in the neighborhood has air conditioning. The budget hotels nearby do, but both my parents have underlying health issues. Plus, we just saw in the owners’ group chat that Building D has been found to have those deadly, blood-sucking mosquitoes. If we stay close to home, it’ll be easier to take care of their daily needs.”

The couple were like a comedy duo—one playing the straight man, the other the comic.

Jiang Yan had nothing better to do at the moment, so she simply stood behind the door, quietly watching their performance.

As soon as Zhou Guangfu finished, He Chunmei picked up the thread, even launching into a little speech:

“Oh, and little sister, if it’s not enough, we can pay you extra. How about 100 yuan per night for lodging and air conditioning? We’ll bring our own tent, and it’s only for a couple of days—once the AC is installed, we’ll move back. For washing up and using the bathroom, they’ll go home, and we’ll even cook your meals for you, so you don’t have to cook alone.

Besides, you know how it is—we’re neighbors. We see each other all the time, so we should help each other out. After all, everyone has tough times now and then, don’t you think?”

He Chunmei’s performance and lines were so clumsy that Jiang Yan finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“Mm, you’re right, big sis. Neighbors really should help each other out!”

She paused, then her eyes glinted mischievously as she changed the subject:

“Big sis, my credit card and mortgage are about to be overdue. How about you help me pay them off first?”

He Chunmei’s face was wreathed in smiles at the first half of Jiang Yan’s sentence, about to seize the opportunity to ask her to open the door. But the second half hit her like a bucket of cold water. She choked, her face flushing red, then pale.

She quickly recovered, raising her voice: “Young lady, that’s not the same thing at all, you—”

Before she could finish her sentence—before she could even say, “Are you messing with me?”—Jiang Yan had already slammed the door shut with a loud bang and gone back inside.

“This—!”

He Chunmei was a manager at her workplace and the main breadwinner at home, so she was used to having the final say. She’d never suffered this kind of rejection before.

Anger surged up in her. She lifted her foot to kick the door, but halfway there, she remembered Jiang Yan’s icy gaze and ended up stomping hard on the floor instead.

Zhou Guangfu gently patted her shoulder, trying to calm her down. “Alright, honey, I told you this approach wouldn’t work. Who’d want to live with strangers, after all?”

“It’s a special situation! We’re only borrowing for a day or two. Besides, I know the layout of these apartments—her master bedroom has its own bathroom. I’d be in the living room with a tent, it wouldn’t affect her at all!

And we offered her 100 yuan a night for just one room! Where else is rent that high? The interns at my company share a four-bedroom apartment in this complex for only 1,500 yuan a month—that’s just ten yuan per room per day!”

“Alright, alright, honey. If she doesn’t want to let us stay, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s just go home.” Zhou Guangfu just wanted to keep the peace and tugged at He Chunmei’s sleeve.

“Hmph! What’s she got to be so high and mighty about? She’s obviously just some shameless mistress being kept by a man! I saw that man with her when she came to look at the place! Otherwise, how could a young woman afford such a big apartment? And every time I see her go out, she’s all covered up—clearly she’s got something to hide!”

“Alright, honey, keep your voice down. Someone might hear you.” Zhou Guangfu’s drunkenness had faded by now, and seeing He Chunmei getting more and more outrageous, he quickly tried to coax her home.

“So what if they hear? I’m not scared! Honestly, why did I end up with such a cowardly, useless man who doesn’t even make money!” With nowhere else to vent her anger, He Chunmei started berating Zhou Guangfu.

She even gave his arm a vicious pinch.

She pinched so hard that Zhou Guangfu grimaced in pain, but he couldn’t say anything—he could only grit his teeth and say, “Let’s just go home. My parents’ pensions get paid tomorrow. I’ll talk to them and have them hand it all over to you, okay? Don’t get too worked up, it’s bad for your health.”

“That’s more like it!” He Chunmei snorted, shoved the cake box into his hands, and stormed into the house in a huff.

Jiang Yan didn’t hear any of this bizarre conversation. After closing the door, she went straight into her space.

In the [Planting Area] of her space, the rich black soil was mostly empty except for a few lonely rose bushes.

The pile of saplings she’d bought earlier was stacked to one side, still waiting to be planted.

But the saplings were in good condition—they’d just stopped growing for now.

In the white [Living Area], aside from a chaise lounge and a desk set, there was nothing else.

Tomorrow, Jiang Yan planned to move in her custom-designed luxury mobile “Apple Pod.”

The pod was styled after a healing-themed boutique hotel, complete with an outdoor pool.

It had three floors, totaling over a thousand square meters—just about half the area of the white [Living Area].

Normally, an Apple Pod cost about 3,000 yuan per square meter to build, but she’d used only the best materials and furnishings: German bathroom fixtures, Italian furniture, Turkish carpets. All told, it came to about 6,000 yuan per square meter.

The pod had a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, multi-function media room, gym, outdoor pool—everything you could want.

She’d even set aside the largest room for a holographic shooting range, which would be installed in the media room.

Tomorrow, Jiang Yan would need to go to her warehouse and take out some of the solar panels she’d stored in her space, so they could be installed on the roof of the Apple Pod.

That way, when she moved the pod into the [Living Area] of her space, she could start living there part-time.

After spending a while in her space, Jiang Yan returned to her room.

She booked a ride for the next day, set the air conditioner to sleep mode, and climbed into bed.

After a month drifting abroad, she really needed a good night’s sleep.

*

The next morning, Jiang Yan woke up a little after seven.

She glanced at the thermometer and the weather app on her phone—the temperature outside had already soared to a staggering 45°C.

She checked several other countries and cities. Except for a few desert regions that were even hotter, everywhere else was about the same.

It was truly unbelievable.

Curious how the public and the authorities were reacting, she decided to check the news.

As soon as she opened a popular news app, several trending posts with over a million likes and comments popped up."