"Relax, I won't do anything to you. The little brat from the Cheng Family seems to have latched onto you. Don't go to the Cheng Family recently, and don't contact anyone. I'll find a way to resolve it for you, but this fee... might not be cheap." Yuyin stated her terms upfront, giving Song Lian a chance to haggle.
She conducted business fairly and honestly, without deceiving young or old.
Song Lian nodded in agreement; at this point, any path of refusal was completely blocked. He was also eager to find out why his house was never clean, despite having hired masters several times.
His home was in the suburbs. The residential complex had just been built, and very few families had moved in, making it look exceptionally desolate.
The moment Yuyin stepped inside, she felt a chilly wind hit her face, scaring away all her sleepiness. Her eyes widened like copper bells, eager to catch whatever was causing trouble so she could get paid sooner.
After entering the complex gate, Yuyin stared at his building for five seconds. "This place is no good. Move out when you get a chance."
Song Lian remained silent. He indeed had plans to move; this apartment was a bit small and not entirely clean.
As Yuyin continued walking inward and saw the empty elevator, she nagged him with a reminder, "Someone died in that elevator. Don't ride it recently."
Song Lian looked up at the twenty-story building, sweat beading on his forehead.
He was the very first resident to move in and had never heard of anyone dying here.
Finally reaching Song Lian's apartment, Yuyin dropped her shoulder bag and pulled back the curtains to look outside.
She fell silent for another ten minutes, leaving Song Lian extremely anxious.
"You've got good fortune but terrible judgment. How did you manage to pick the absolute worst place out of all those good developments?" Yuyin turned back to look at him, taking a sip of water to calm her nerves.
"What's wrong with it?" Song Lian's face twitched slightly. He had originally wanted to pour a glass of water, but now he didn't even want to touch the cup.
Yuyin pulled him over and pointed at the distant mountains opposite. "Even with nearsightedness, you can still see the cemetery in the distance."
Song Lian said nothing more. No wonder no one had moved in here; he used not to believe in such things and hadn't paid much attention, but after moving in, he discovered all sorts of bizarre occurrences.
"If it weren't for your money, I wouldn't stay here for a single second. How is living here any different from a mass grave? You've got a tough destiny, too." Yuyin felt yin energy swirling everywhere, which was bound to damage one's lifespan.
She had no idea what kind of destiny pattern Song Lian possessed to remain unharmed while living in such a house, looking so fair and flawless, almost unreal.
In the middle of the night, Yuyin felt something was off with her body, kept awake by the chaotic noises ringing in her ears. She got out of bed in her pajamas and started wandering around Song Lian's apartment.
She didn't turn on the lights. Song Lian, having just stepped out of the bathroom, saw her sneaking around and followed quietly behind.
Yuyin muttered to herself, her eyes darting back and forth. "Open the door and you don't see a foyer—bad. Doesn't help gather wealth."
"Sofa against the window—bound to attract petty people."
"South-facing protruding corner—excessive fire energy, harmful to the eyes, and unclean."
After inspecting the house, she turned around and bumped right into Song Lian, who was draped in a bathrobe. Having just showered, the droplets on his body had not yet dried, and his dark eyes were like bottomless pools, staring straight at her.
Yuyin was startled into a cold sweat, and upon catching sight of Song Lian's chest, her entire face flushed red.
"Are you hot? Go take a shower." Realizing the belt of his bathrobe had come undone, Song Lian leisurely rewrapped it.
"Thanks, deduct the shower fee from the payment." Yuyin's eyes lit up as she stripped off her outer robe and scurried over.
Back at the Taoist temple, she had always bathed in a wooden barrel and had never used a showerhead, so she had no idea what it felt like.
Seeing her run off to the bathroom without even grabbing her clothes, Song Lian silently picked up Yuyin's backpack and placed it outside the door.
He turned back to his room to rest, seriously pondering what Yuyin had said.
Just now, she had practically torn his apartment to shreds. When he first decorated the place himself, he had even been quite smug about it.
Disturbed by Yuyin's words, Song Lian couldn't sleep. Irritated, he sat up from the bedside, picked up his phone, and dialed a number. "Heze, help me check out Master Huian's last-enrolled disciple."
Counting the time, Yuyin had been in the shower for over half an hour. If she didn't come out soon, she'd probably scrub a layer of skin off.
What's this?
Song Lian's phone rang, and he saw a voice message sent by Cheng Fangnan.
"My dad came back and sent people out to look for that dead girl Yuyin. If you see her, make her hide far away. If my dad catches her, I'm done for."
At the thought of something, Song Lian sent him a text message back.
Fangnan, Yuyin is at my place.
Beep, beep—
Cheng Fangnan's reply came back almost instantly.
No way? Is that woman really that open? She breaks off her engagement with me in the morning, and hooks up with you by the afternoon. You'd better watch out—what if she has some kind of disease, or sucks your blood and drains your yang energy to nourish herself? Your little life will be finished.
Seeing Cheng Fangnan's slanderous words about Yuyin, Song Lian suddenly felt somewhat angry, so he slammed the phone down and turned it off.
Not even ten minutes later, his front door was battered with a loud clatter, and immediately afterward, the door was unhinged.
Turning his head toward the bathroom, he saw that Yuyin was still showering. "Ms. Yu, the Cheng Family is here."
Before he could hesitate further, Cheng Songbai had already barged in with his men.
"Uncle, Auntie, why are you here?" As soon as Song Lian asked, he smiled with a hint of self-mockery.
They were the richest family in Pingcheng, so finding someone wasn't difficult, let alone nowadays with surveillance cameras everywhere.
Besides, Cheng Fangnan, that coward, couldn't even take a beating.
Gao Zixia was the first to charge in. Hearing the sound of water running in the bathroom, she turned around angrily and demanded, "Who is taking a shower in there?"
Before Song Lian could speak, she had already rushed to the bathroom door, spotted the worn-out backpack sitting on the chair nearby, and started rummaging through it.
There was no doubt about it—it was Yuyin.
Holding Yuyin's belongings to show her son Cheng Fangnan and confirming they belonged to her, Gao Zixia pulled him down to sit on the sofa.
"Song Lian, you and Fangnan are brothers. Even if you want to get rich and rise in the world, there are so many women in this world—did you really have to poach your good brother's corner?" Cheng Songbai was furious, wearing a dark expression the moment he stepped through the door.
Gao Zixia's gaze flickered instantly, and she hurriedly chimed in, "That's right! Fangnan always listens to us and is so filial. He's been well-behaved for nearly twenty years of engagement, just waiting for Yuyin to reach marriageable age. Today he pried open the safe and burned the betrothal document—did you instigate this?"
The couple was aggressive and overbearing, their spittle practically drowning Song Lian.
Cheng Fangnan kept his head down like a turtle hiding in its shell, too cowardly to let out a single peep.
"That has nothing to do with me." Song Lian's gaze grew increasingly cold, never expecting Gao Zixia and her son to try and make a scapegoat out of him.
Infuriated, Gao Zixia stood up and heavily slapped Song Lian across the face. "You motherless and fatherless wretch! Don't rely on your friendship with Fangnan to harbor delusions about things that don't belong to you."
Song Lian ducked his head to dodge, feeling disheartened by Cheng Songbai's indifferent attitude. "I only met her today. She had nowhere to go, so she came over to crash for the night."
Clenching his fists, Cheng Songbai eagerly pursued, "Song Lian, let me ask you—did anything happen between you and her?"
"No." Song Lian's expression remained unchanged.
Hearing this, Cheng Fangnan lowered his head even further, his last shred of hope shattered. How he wished Song Lian and Yuyin had slept together, so his parents wouldn't force him into another engagement.
"Good if nothing happened! If we find out that girl's virginity was taken by you, see how I deal with you!" After threatening Song Lian, Gao Zixia shot a piercing glare straight at the bathroom door.
Having finished her shower, Yuyin wrapped herself in a fresh towel and emerged with her bare legs exposed.
The living room lights were off, so as soon as she stepped out, she spotted Song Lian bathed in the warm glow of the bathroom light and raised a hand to greet him.
Upon catching sight of those slender, fair, and smooth bare legs, Song Lian felt a rush of heat in his throat and hastily pushed down Cheng Fangnan, who was just starting to look up.
Cheng Songbai, Cui Fang, and Cheng Fangnan all wore different expressions, each harboring their own hidden agenda.
"Do you guys need something?" Yuyin looked slightly displeased, deliberately sitting next to Song Lian to dry her hair. She hadn't expected the Cheng Family to arrive so quickly, and wondered if Song Lian had secretly snitched on her.