Unsurprisingly, Qin Su’s sales pitch was rejected.
Not long afterward, Xin Ying received a phone call and hurried away.
Seeing that several desserts remained untouched on the table, Qin Su had them packed up to take home for Qianjin.
After all, she could hardly feed cake to a cat in public.
Now that she had just received a substantial sum of money, she simply took a taxi home.
However, as soon as she reached the entrance to her residential complex, she ran into Zhang Ming.
Qin Su had always been fiercely protective of her own people.
Now that Zhang Yunqi had become her disciple, she naturally regarded her as one of her own.
As a result, she found Zhang Ming particularly unpleasant to look at.
Seeing her, Zhang Ming asked in confusion,
“Weren’t you home just now?”
Qin Su replied calmly,
“I went out with a friend.”
A look of realization flashed across Zhang Ming’s face.
“The people downstairs called me to complain earlier. They said there was quite a bit of noise coming from your apartment. I tried calling you, but couldn’t get through, so I came over to check.”
Qin Su took out her phone.
“My phone ran out of battery, so I didn’t receive your call.”
She had left home without charging it. Not long after finishing her call with Director Zhou, the phone had shut down automatically.
Zhang Ming coughed lightly, trying to suppress the anticipation in his voice.
“Why don’t I come upstairs with you and have a look? It wouldn’t be good if a burglar had broken in.”
He didn’t need to think very hard to know it wasn’t a burglar.
It had to be the ghost.
Every previous tenant had called to complain the very next day after moving in.
Yet ever since Qin Su moved in, there had been no news at all.
Zhang Ming had even begun to wonder whether the ghost had suddenly turned over a new leaf, which had left him rather disappointed.
Now it seemed that hauntings might arrive late…
But they would never be absent.
He sincerely hoped the ghost had caused a major disturbance, preferably enough to frighten Qin Su into moving out immediately.
Qin Su glanced at him with a half-smile.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a warm-hearted person, Uncle Zhang.”
For some reason, Zhang Ming felt inexplicably guilty under her gaze.
Narrowing his eyes, he silently followed her upstairs.
Before Qin Su left earlier, the apartment had been rather messy.
The kitchen table, in particular, had still been covered with leftover medicinal herbs.
However, the moment she opened the security door, the entire apartment looked so spotless it practically sparkled.
Not a single speck of dust could be found on the tables or the floor.
Everything that had not been put away had been neatly organized inside the cabinets.
Zhang Ming froze.
Failing to witness the haunting he had been hoping for immediately dampened his mood.
“You young ladies really are hardworking.”
Qin Su stared at her immaculate apartment with exaggerated surprise.
“Huh?”
“That’s strange.”
“I definitely didn’t hire a cleaner.”
“So how did the apartment become this clean?”
“Could Auntie have come over to help?”
Zhang Ming quickly denied it.
“Impossible.”
“Didn’t you change the locks?”
“We don’t have a key anymore.”
“And even if we did, we wouldn’t enter your apartment or touch your belongings without your permission.”
Qin Su frowned slightly.
“Then who cleaned the place?”
By now, Zhang Ming had already guessed that it must have been his deceased niece.
Although he had no idea why she had suddenly stopped frightening people and started cleaning instead, that did not stop him from making things sound more mysterious.
“Why don’t we ask the security guards to check the hallway surveillance cameras?”
“Then we’ll know who came.”
Qin Su shook her head.
“That’s not necessary.”
“I think I already know.”
“Know what?”
Qin Su pretended to adjust a pair of nonexistent glasses.
“It must have been a kind Snail Maiden[1]Snail Maiden (田螺姑娘): A well-known Chinese folktale about a magical maiden who emerges from a river snail to secretly help a poor young man by cooking and cleaning his home. In modern Chinese, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2766783_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2766783_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); helping me.”
“There are no Snail Maidens in this world.”
Zhang Ming could not help wondering whether something was wrong with Qin Su’s head.
She actually believed something like that?
“If it wasn’t a Snail Maiden, then it must have been a ghost.”
“I looked it up online.”
“This apartment is supposedly haunted all the time.”
“That’s exactly why I rented it.”
Zhang Ming’s expression stiffened.
Things suddenly seemed to be slipping beyond his control.
“I only told you this because I think you’re a good person, Uncle Zhang.”
“Actually, ghosts have always liked me ever since I was little.”
“No matter what kind of ghost they are, they all want to be my friends.”
“When I got lost as a child, a lady in red even escorted me safely home.”
“I’ve always wanted to find a haunted house.”
“I just never managed to.”
“Now my wish has finally come true.”
“Oh, by the way, Uncle Zhang.”
“Do any of your other properties happen to be haunted?”
“Would you be willing to sell one to me?”
“If you ever decide to sell one, please think of me first.”
A lady in red…
Wasn’t that the hallmark of a vengeful ghost?
If even a vengeful ghost liked her, then it made perfect sense why his deceased niece had fallen under the influence of her strange affinity with ghosts and had voluntarily cleaned the apartment for her.
Zhang Ming nearly coughed up blood.
He had tried to steal a chicken, only to lose the rice used to bait it instead.
His dead niece was truly useless.
This was the first time he had ever met someone who actually hoped for a haunted house.
At this rate, Qin Su might really stay for the full three years.
Three years!
Who knew how much rental income he would lose by then?
He forced an awkward smile.
“You’re quite brave, young lady.”
“Most people would be terrified of things like that.”
Originally, he had intended to scare Qin Su away.
Now it seemed he would have to think of another plan.
Qin Su smiled brightly.
“Even if it’s a ghost, as long as it’s willing to help me with the housework, it’s a good ghost.”
“What do I have to be afraid of?”
“I even save money on hiring a cleaner.”
Looking at Qin Su’s sincere smile, Zhang Ming felt an even sharper pain in his chest.
Unable to stay any longer, he quickly made up an excuse and left.
Zhang Yunqi glared hatefully at his retreating figure.
These past few days, she had devoted herself entirely to cultivation so she could gain the strength to take revenge, leaving her no time to think about anything else.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ming had actually come knocking on their door himself.
When enemies met, their hatred only burned brighter.
Qin Su comforted her.
“Once your soul becomes more solid, you’ll be able to enter his dreams.”
“When that time comes, you can take revenge however you like.”
“If your hands become stained with too many lives, your heavenly tribulation will become that much harder.”
“There is no need to kill him.”
“There are plenty of ways to make his life worse than death.”
Zhang Yunqi nodded.
She had already waited so many years.
Waiting a little longer was nothing.
She apologized,
“I accidentally knocked over the bucket while mopping.”
“It made enough noise to disturb the people downstairs.”
Qin Su waved her hand dismissively.
“It’s fine.”
She filled several flowerpots with soil and sowed the spiritual herb seeds she had bought.
Once those herbs matured, she could begin preparing medicinal ointments.
…
On Monday morning, Qin Su returned to school for class.
The results of the midterm exams had already been released.
The instructor handed back the exam papers and asked everyone to correct their own mistakes.
When Qin Su looked at her papers, a smile appeared in her eyes.
Those seven days of frantic cramming during the May Day holiday had paid off.
She had performed very well in all four subjects, scoring above eighty in every one.
Her highest score was an impressive ninety-nine.
And that subject was none other than An Overview of French-Speaking Countries, the exam that had left the entire class groaning in despair.
Fewer than five students in the whole class had scored above ninety.
The one point she lost was for handwriting.
Her French letters had been relatively messy.
She could hardly be blamed for that.
Although she possessed perfect recall, she had not written those letters for nearly a thousand years.
Naturally, she had become rusty.
Besides, the exam time had been limited.
To finish the paper on time, she had inevitably sacrificed some neatness in her handwriting.
She clenched her fist.
Before the final exams, she absolutely had to practice her handwriting properly.
“Shiyu, what did you get in An Overview of French-Speaking Countries? I missed passing by one point. I’m going to cough up blood. None of the sections I memorized were even on the exam.”
“It’s okay. The midterm doesn’t count for that much of the final grade. The final exam probably won’t be this brutal. If you study hard, you’ll definitely pass.”
Whenever exam results came out, there were always students lamenting how they wished they had studied harder.
Zhao Shiyu answered calmly,
“I got ninety-three. I lost three points on the last question.”
One of the female classmates suddenly remembered Qin Su’s earlier “bold claim” and teased,
“What about you, Qin Su? How did you do in An Overview of French-Speaking Countries? Did you at least pass?”
After all, after being dumped, Qin Su had claimed she was going to focus on studying instead.
If she had done poorly today, it would have been truly embarrassing.
Zhao Shiyu spoke up on Qin Su’s behalf.
“This exam wasn’t easy. Even if her score dropped compared to before, that’s perfectly normal. One exam doesn’t prove anything.”
Qin Su finally looked up.
In a somewhat dejected tone, she replied,
“Ninety-nine.”
For a moment, Zhao Shiyu thought she had misheard.
“Ninety… nine?”
The entire classroom fell silent.
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Shiyu asked,
“May I see your paper?”
Since Zhao Shiyu had been her good friend before the transmigration, Qin Su generously handed over her exam paper.
It was also a good opportunity to improve her favorability again.
The bright red 99 practically blinded everyone.
No one suspected that she had cheated or copied from someone else.
That ninety-nine was almost certainly the highest score in the class.
What surprised everyone even more was that the single point she had lost was for handwriting.
If they had not all taken the exam together over the past few days, they might even have suspected that someone else had taken the exam in her place.
Zhao Shiyu’s emotions rose and fell like a roller coaster.
The feeling was so complicated that words could hardly describe it.
Returning the paper, she said,
“Your handwriting…”
Qin Su immediately came up with an excuse.
“My fingers cramped during the exam, so my handwriting wasn’t very good.”
She put the paper into her bag and left with an air of complete composure.
Only after her figure disappeared beyond the classroom door did the previously silent lecture hall suddenly erupt into lively discussion.
“So she was telling the truth.”
“I guess that’s what they mean by being unlucky in love but successful in exams.”
“Do you think I should try breaking up with my boyfriend too?”
…
Qin Su packed several portions of food from the cafeteria to take home.
During body tempering, she needed to replenish a great deal of energy, leaving her with an enormous appetite.
Since Qianjin was also incredibly gluttonous, she bought two grilled Pacific sauries to satisfy its cravings.
Before class that morning, Qianjin had already left her and wandered around campus in its cat form.
According to Qianjin, it was scouting the campus for Qin Su.
Qin Su knew perfectly well that it was simply going around acting cute so students would feed it.
Because they were connected by blood, she could sense Qianjin’s location even from thousands of miles away.
Following that connection, she made her way unhurriedly toward the grove.
Nanhua University had planted an entire grove of camphor trees, whose shade brought a welcome coolness during the hot summer weather.
It was one of the most popular places on campus for couples.
However, since it was noon, very few people were there.
Qianjin lay lazily beneath the shade of a tree, idly swishing its tail.
A handsome young man stood nearby, trying to coax it into eating cat food.
However, Qianjin only liked human food.
It had never eaten cat food.
No matter how patiently the young man tried to persuade it, Qianjin simply kept its eyes closed, refusing to give him the slightest bit of attention.
Suddenly, Qianjin sprang to its feet.
It darted agilely toward Qin Su, sniffing eagerly at the takeout containers in her hands.
Qin Su opened the box containing the grilled Pacific saury.
Qianjin immediately began eating with great delight.
“Senior.”
The gentle voice, as clear as a mountain spring, drifted into her ears.
Qin Su looked up and offered a polite smile.
“Junior Ji.”
That was right.
This young man was one of the transmigrator’s admirers.
The campus heartthrob of Nanhua University, Ji Yuanye, and also the very person Xin Ying was pursuing.
Just yesterday, Qin Su had accepted two million yuan from that young heiress.
Ji Yuanye wore a faded T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
His simple outfit only made his fresh, handsome appearance stand out even more.
Ever since entering university, he had worked several part-time jobs.
Many people believed he came from a poor family.
Yet thanks to his handsome face, countless female students still flocked to him.
From the transmigrator’s memories, Qin Su knew that although Ji Yuanye appeared to be an impoverished student at school, he was actually a genuine second-generation rich heir.
Simply put…
He was pretending to be poor.
“It’s not good for cats to eat food that’s too salty.”
Even though the person before him was the senior he liked, Ji Yuanye still honestly reminded her.
Qin Su replied,
“It prefers human food. I’ve already taken it to the veterinarian for a checkup.”
“It won’t cause any problems.”
Ji Yuanye suddenly understood.
“So this cat belongs to you, Senior?”
Qin Su nodded.
“What’s its name?”
“Qianjin.”
Qin Su felt she should extinguish the budding feelings he had for her as quickly as possible.
A wealthy heir like Ji Yuanye, who deliberately pretended to be poor, would surely prefer the kind of heroine who was uninterested in money and loved him regardless of his status.
In that case…
She simply had to present herself as someone worldly who loved money.
A faint smile appeared in Ji Yuanye’s eyes.
“Is it because it’s worth a fortune to you?”
“I didn’t expect you to care so much about animals, Senior.”
Qin Su shook her head.
“No.”
“I simply hope it can bring me wealth, so that I can earn a fortune every single day.”
She liked money.
Very straightforwardly.
Ji Yuanye’s smile deepened.
“Then that’s indeed an excellent name.”
…Wait.
That wasn’t the reaction she had been expecting.
Qianjin’s voice sounded in Qin Su’s mind at exactly the right moment.
“Su Su, Ji Yuanye’s affection level toward you has increased from fifty to sixty.”
Qin Su: “…”
What is wrong with all of you men?
References[+]