Chapter 89: I Want to Be a Landlord Too

Lu Ye ran a half-marathon back to the Su family home, pushed open the door—

Oh my, what a lively scene! The whole clan had gathered around Crimson, as if she were a bona fide tribal chieftain from some primitive age, leaving poor Crimson utterly bewildered.

But soon, the matter of where Crimson should go next became a pressing issue.

She couldn't very well stay in the Su home forever, could she? That would completely contradict the reason she had come to Mingzhu City in the first place.

Su Qianqian suggested she take on some simple tasks at the Yi Ren Group.

But Lu Ye thought the company had too many people, and most of the staff were men. Compared to these slick city dwellers, Crimson was as pure as a blank sheet of paper—she’d surely be at a disadvantage.

After some discussion, they decided Crimson would work as Wu Qing’s assistant at the Yi Ren Clubhouse.

The clubhouse was almost entirely staffed by women, with only Wu Qing as the sole man. Now that Lu Ye knew Wu Qing well enough, he felt reassured.

And so, Lu Ye and Su Qianqian delivered Crimson straight to the club, as there truly was no more room at home.

“Wu, the boss is assigning you a new assistant!”

The moment he saw Crimson, Wu Qing was delighted. “What a beautiful big sister! What’s her name?”

“Crimson.”

But when Su Qianqian explained her background, Wu Qing’s face fell. “So she’s just an assistant in name. In reality, I’m supposed to be her mentor and teach her all about modern society, is that it?”

Lu Ye burst out laughing. “You could see it that way. In any case, Crimson is in your care for now. Don’t get any funny ideas—she’s quite the fighter!”

“Alright then!”

Crimson, meanwhile, looked somewhat forlorn. In truth, she would have preferred to stay with Lu Ye, but alas, the falling flower pines for love, while the flowing stream remains indifferent.

When they returned home, Su Qianqian spent over half an hour in the shower.

The only downside of this recent adventure was the appalling hygiene on the island. In all her life, she had never been so utterly disheveled.

When she finally emerged, she found Lu Ye reclining against the bedhead, half-sitting as he scrolled through TikTok.

With her wet hair wrapped in a long towel, Su Qianqian crawled under the covers and peered at Lu Ye’s phone screen—

Well, well!

The video showed a young couple of landlords, dressed in tatters, lugging a huge burlap sack as they went about collecting rent, a jangling mass of keys in their pockets, posturing and showing off at every turn…

Su Qianqian couldn’t help but sneer, “What’s so great about these videos?”

Lu Ye sighed with longing, “Ugh, I actually yearn for such a simple life—checking meters, collecting rent, showing off a bit, putting people in their place every now and then. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Su Qianqian thought it over and asked, “Is it that you’ve lost your taste for the easy life I provide, or have your standards simply risen? Since when have you harbored such lofty ambitions of becoming a landlord?”

Lu Ye scoffed, “You have some nerve to talk! To earn your hand, I put everything I had into the bride price!”

“And in the end, I get a wife I can look at but not touch. As a security guard, I make a measly 1,800 yuan a month, and you even delay paying me. All I have to show for it is a Wuling Hongguang to drive around.”

“Pah!”

Su Qianqian burst out laughing, “If I’m really so stingy, why do you insist on sticking around?”

Lu Ye switched off the phone screen and said with solemnity, “Because what cannot be attained always stirs the heart; those who are favored grow bold without fear.”

“Idiot.”

That night, Su Qianqian did not wear her Thor’s Armor to keep him at bay.

But Lu Ye had grown accustomed to lying quietly by her side.

For once, Su Qianqian took the initiative, pulling his arm around her waist and embracing him.

Lu Ye was surprised, then delighted. “Old woman, what’s this supposed to mean?”

When Su Qianqian said nothing, his hand began to inch upward…

Heading toward the goddess peaks he had so long admired…

Su Qianqian, cheeks flushed, lightly swatted his hand. “Don’t push your luck!”

“Haha, alright.”

The old lady had invited him to sleep in her arms.

Yes, another small step toward his grand ambition.

…

The next day, it was time to return to normal work routines.

When Su Qianqian woke, she found Lu Ye’s arm still gently wrapped around her slender waist.

A smile crept onto her face—this fellow was rather well-behaved after all…

“Lazybones, get up! Time for work!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

At the Yi Ren Group, Su Qianqian headed straight to her office to tackle the mountain of paperwork that had piled up over the past few days.

Lu Ye did his usual rounds, then began teasing the mischievous receptionist at the front desk.

Suddenly, a beautiful woman pushed open the door, said nothing, and headed straight to the elevator, making her way to the third floor.

The third floor was where Su Qianqian’s office was.

Lu Ye had a bad feeling and hurried up the stairs in pursuit…

As he approached Su Qianqian’s office, he heard a clatter and a commotion inside, as if two people were wrestling!

Damn, could that woman be an assassin?

Bang! Lu Ye kicked open the door and burst in, only to be dumbfounded.

The old lady was pinning the beautiful woman from the elevator onto her desk, groping and kissing her wildly.

Startled by his defensive entrance, Su Qianqian exclaimed, “Lazybones, what are you doing?”

Damn, what a misunderstanding.

Lu Ye’s mouth twitched. “Nothing, carry on.”

He was about to leave when Su Qianqian called out, “Since you’re here, let me introduce you.”

She helped the woman off the desk, straightened her clothes, and said with a smile, “This is my dearest friend from university, Bai Wen.”

“Bai, this is my husband, Lu Ye.”

Bai Wen, with natural grace, stepped forward to shake Lu Ye’s hand, smiling, “So you’re the lazybones she’s always talking about?”

Lu Ye grinned, “That’s me.”

Su Qianqian teased, “Bai and I have both been so busy with our careers these years that we rarely see each other. We got a bit carried away just now—why did you have to barge in and interrupt us?”

Lu Ye slipped into his sycophant persona with a cheeky grin, “I only came to serve the two ladies.”

“Haha, Qianqian, your husband really has a way with words.” Of course, Bai Wen knew it was her own abrupt entrance that had set Lu Ye on alert. His words were not mere flattery, but a way to defuse the awkwardness while deftly closing the distance—a sign of emotional intelligence.

Privately, Su Qianqian often vented to her about Lu Ye’s antics on WeChat.

Though this was her first time meeting him in person, from their conversations Bai Wen could tell Su Qianqian’s husband was mild-tempered, but certainly no simpleton.

Su Qianqian asked, “Bai, what brings you all the way from the capital to see me?”

“You didn’t even let me know so I could pick you up at the airport!”

Bai Wen frowned slightly. “I’m here for company business and need your help.”

Su Qianqian was taken aback. “What’s happened with your company?”

“I have a real estate project in the capital that’s only half-finished, and the developer I was working with has run off. Now there’s no one willing to take over; everyone thinks the profit margin on a half-finished project is too low.”

“If I can’t find a buyer this month, it’ll be abandoned, and my company will go under.”

Su Qianqian nodded, “No problem. Our Yi Ren Group’s new development in Jiangbei is nearing completion, so we have enough staff to send to the capital to finish your project.”

Bai Wen shook her head. “The biggest problem isn’t manpower; it’s that the runaway developer took all the homebuyers’ deposits and the construction funds.”

“The police are already pursuing him, but until he’s caught, I simply can’t come up with the money.”

Funding—always a headache. In large deals like this, even brothers settle accounts clearly.

Even though Bai Wen was her closest friend, Su Qianqian couldn’t offer help for nothing. Otherwise, Yi Ren Group would suffer massive losses—the same mistake that doomed Fortune Real Estate.

Suddenly, she remembered the TikTok video Lu Ye watched last night.

Su Qianqian slapped her thigh in inspiration.

“Bai, I can advance you the construction funds. Once the project is finished, you can mortgage the apartments to me.”

Bai Wen did a quick calculation. “To complete the project, I’ll need about 350 million yuan. The location is good—the average price is 80,000 yuan per square meter…”

“That’s fine. I’ll mortgage fifty apartments, each around a hundred square meters, to you!”

Her development had several hundred units; giving up fifty would see her through this crisis, and why not? Besides, it wasn’t exactly a gift—Su Qianqian was essentially buying fifty apartments from her.

“But Qianqian, what are you going to do with so many apartments?” Bai Wen asked.

Su Qianqian glanced at Lu Ye with a smile. “My lazybones has always dreamed of being a landlord. I suppose it’s time to make that dream come true.”