Zhang Cheng was irritated by how unconcerned he looked.
“What, you’re still not convinced?”
He pointed at Jiang Jingye’s nose.
“Right now. Immediately. Go stand at the welcome position by the entrance! When cars enter the Residential Complex, you salute according to standard procedure. When residents walk through the pedestrian gate, you bow ninety degrees! The homeowners’ committee just issued this requirement. We need to improve service quality to raise property values!”
Jiang Jingye finally looked up.
His narrow eyes swept across Zhang Cheng’s furious face. One eyebrow lifted slightly, undisguised disbelief written all over his expression.
“For a Residential Complex charging one and a half yuan per square meter in management fees, with apartments selling for twenty thousand per square meter, an ordinary housing development for average buyers requires this level of treatment?”
Back then, he had lived in a hillside villa community.
The annual property management fees alone had cost hundreds of thousands.
The security teams there were staffed by retired military personnel.
Yet he had never seen gate guards bowing and saluting every resident.
Now, in an ordinary Residential Complex, they were putting on this pointless show.
“Either do it or get lost!”
Zhang Cheng’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
Spit practically flew from his mouth.
“Don’t think being handsome means you can do whatever you want! Remember this clearly. You’re just a security guard making three thousand yuan a month! You’re not some rich young master!”
With that, he viciously kicked the table leg and stormed out. The iron door of the security office slammed shut, rattling loudly for a long time afterward.
Liu Zhisheng curled his lip.
After Zhang Cheng walked far enough away, he leaned over and grumbled,
“This Zhang guy is really going too far. Bowing and saluting? Are the residents some kind of nobility? And what’s with saying we’re just security guards earning three thousand yuan a month?”
Jiang Jingye glanced at him calmly.
“But we are security guards.”
Liu Zhisheng froze.
Then he gave him a thumbs up.
“Brother, you really know how to bend when necessary. You were born to make a living as a security guard.”
Jiang Jingye didn’t respond.
He leaned back in his chair and watched the leaves swaying outside the window.
What was a little humiliation like this?
Compared to being cornered by business rivals or pressured by family elders back in the day, Zhang Cheng’s scolding wasn’t even worth mentioning.
When it was finally time to clock out, Jiang Jingye changed into his own clothes and headed out.
The moment he stepped out of the security office, he heard Zhang Cheng arguing with Aunt Zhao from Building Eleven.
He glanced over.
Aunt Zhao was clutching a repair receipt, trembling with anger as she shouted at Zhang Cheng.
“My range hood broke. I had property management repair it twice. Two hundred yuan each time. That’s four hundred yuan total! And now, not even half a month later, it’s broken again! This is how you handled it? You take the money and then stop caring?”
Zhang Cheng looked helpless.
“Auntie, it’s really not that we don’t care! The maintenance department can only deal with minor surface issues. If it needs to be disassembled and inspected, you have to call the manufacturer’s technicians. There’s nothing we can do!”
The two continued arguing back and forth.
Several residents had gathered nearby to watch.
After listening for a moment, Jiang Jingye turned and headed toward the market.
He hadn’t been in the mood to cook today.
But he still had to eat.
He couldn’t exactly starve himself.
After buying some beef, he moved on to the vegetable stalls.
He picked out two tender loofahs with fresh blossoms still attached, a bundle of crisp loofah shoots, and a handful of mildly spicy Hangzhou peppers.
At the seafood stall, he crouched down and carefully selected fresh clams that had already purged their sand.
Finally, he grabbed a handful of dried vermicelli from a dried goods stall.
Carrying a bag full of ingredients, he leisurely returned to the Rental Apartment.
Meanwhile, Su Nuo came back carrying several flat delivery boxes.
The moment she unlocked the door and stepped inside, a rich aroma of food rushed toward her.
The savory scent of beef and the freshness of clams instantly washed away the exhaustion of standing all day.
“Wow!”
Her eyes lit up immediately.
Dropping the packages onto the floor, she changed her shoes and bounced toward the table to serve herself some rice.
The dishes were arranged neatly on the dining table.
Stir fried beef with Hangzhou peppers, glossy and flavorful with plenty of wok aroma.
Light and refreshing stir fried loofah.
Tender and juicy stir fried loofah shoots.
And a steaming clay pot of clam vermicelli soup that smelled unbelievably delicious.
She sat down and immediately took a large bite of beef.
The rich flavor filled her mouth.
Her eyes curved into crescents.
Back when she had been writing novels full time, she had also survived on whatever food she could find.
The warmth brought by three dishes and a soup traveled from the tip of her tongue all the way to her heart.
Looking at Jiang Jingye across the table, she praised him without holding back.
“It’s so good! Jiang Jingye, I could eat your cooking for the rest of my life!”
The hand holding his chopsticks paused.
Lowering his head, he let out a self mocking smile.
If she ever got to eat food cooked by Fu Sili, she’d probably be moved to tears.
He said nothing.
Quietly finishing his meal, he stood up to clear the dishes.
Just as he picked up a plate, Su Nuo reached out and grabbed him.
She gathered all the packages and brought them over.
Tearing open the packaging in a few quick motions, she stuffed brand new tank tops, shorts, and running shoes into his arms.
Her eyes sparkled.
“I bought these for you! Hurry and try them on to see if they fit!”
Jiang Jingye stood frozen.
Looking down at the items in his arms, he took a long moment to react.
Su Nuo practically pushed him into the bathroom to change.
The tank top fit perfectly.
The soft cotton fabric highlighted his broad shoulders and narrow waist, making his clean, athletic physique even more striking.
Leaning against the doorframe, Su Nuo watched the firm lines of his arms.
Her cheeks instantly heated up.
Her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst from her chest.
She secretly screamed inside.
As expected of the Villain Boss I wrote! He looks this handsome even in a tank top that costs only a few dozen yuan!
Then she pushed the new shoes toward him.
“Hurry and try the shoes too.”
Jiang Jingye put them on.
The moment he noticed the logo, his heart skipped a beat.
He recognized the brand.
These shoes cost at least eight or nine hundred yuan.
He suddenly remembered how she would hesitate for ages before buying a milk tea that cost a little over ten yuan.
Yet she had bought him such expensive shoes.
Before he could process it, Su Nuo had already removed the tags from the new clothes.
Taking the new tank tops and shorts into the bathroom, she crouched beside a small basin and carefully hand washed them.
Jiang Jingye leaned against the bathroom doorway.
Watching her busy figure crouched on the floor, illuminated by the evening sunlight falling across her hair, something warm struck his heart.
It felt both tender and painful, filling his chest completely.
That night, after tidying everything up, Su Nuo picked up her canvas bag containing her portable keyboard.
Turning toward him, she asked with sparkling eyes,
“I’m going to the internet café to write. Do you want to come with me and play games online?”
Truthfully, she was still a little afraid of running into dangerous people at night.
If Jiang Jingye came along, she would feel much safer.
Jiang Jingye looked at her and nodded.
Picking up his jacket from the sofa, he left with her.
The internet café was just as smoky as ever.
The smell of cigarettes mixed with instant noodles filled the air.
Less than ten minutes after they sat down, a young man nearby started smoking heavily.
The drifting smoke made Su Nuo cough repeatedly.
She sneezed from time to time and rubbed her reddened nose while continuing to type nonstop.
Jiang Jingye sat beside her without even turning on a computer.
Watching her struggle in that environment, his brows gradually knitted together.
After thinking it over and over, he finally made a decision.
The computer still had to be bought.