Chapter 1: Collecting Rent, Then Encountering a Medical Miracle

Jiang Yubai stared at the aging, somewhat dilapidated residential building before him, a helpless expression on his face.

His mother was lounging at home, sending him out to collect rent under the guise of "getting some exercise."

He figured it was just a matter of grabbing the cash and leaving. What could possibly go wrong?

Shaking his head, he stepped into the dimly lit stairwell.

He hadn't climbed more than a few flights when an impatient woman's voice echoed down the hall.

"...It's not that I'm trying to make things difficult for you, but I have to collect the rent today."

Jiang Yubai glanced up. It sounded like it was coming from the exact floor he was heading to.

He continued his ascent. A slightly distressed female voice quickly followed. "Mrs. Li... haven't you always been able to give a few days' grace period before? Just... just two days, is that okay?"

The voice was as crisp as a songbird's, carrying a hint of pleading. It was incredibly pleasant to the ears.

He wondered if he had actually jinxed himself into running into trouble.

Finally reaching the landing where the voices were coming from, Jiang Yubai caught sight of a slightly plump woman with long, wavy hair standing with her back to him. This had to be Landlord Li, the person he was looking for.

The girl she was speaking to was completely obscured from view by the woman's broad frame.

The older woman's tone grew increasingly impatient.

"I could turn a blind eye in the past, but the main landlord is sending someone down for an inspection these next couple of days. If you can't pay up today, I won't have a good explanation for them."

The clear, melodious voice fell silent.

Clicking his tongue internally at the hassle, Jiang Yubai stopped muffling his footsteps and spoke up in his usual lazy drawl. "Hello, excuse me—"

The words suddenly caught in his throat.

With the landlord no longer blocking his view, he could finally see the girl standing opposite her. She wore a simple cotton dress, her long hair falling loosely over her shoulders.

Her features were as delicate as a painting, with an elegant nose and small, plump lips. Anyone could tell she was a natural beauty.

At this moment, however, her beautiful almond eyes were wide with undisguised shock as she stared at him in sheer disbelief.

Lin Tingwan.

He was all too familiar with this face. They had been in the same high school class for over two years.

Running into a classmate while collecting rent wouldn't normally surprise him this much, but—

Wasn't Lin Tingwan a mute?!

On their very first day of school, their homeroom teacher had specifically emphasized this fact to the entire class, strictly warning them against pulling any pranks on her.

But just now?

Before Jiang Yubai could think any further, Mrs. Li turned sideways and looked him up and down. Her brows immediately furrowed.

"You... you look unfamiliar. You're not from our complex, are you?"

"...No."

Jiang Yubai answered subconsciously, his gaze still fixed blankly on the young woman before him.

He wondered what this was all about. Had being pressed for rent actually miraculously forced her to speak?

It was a medical miracle...

The older woman's gaze darted back and forth between him and Lin Tingwan, lingering for a moment on the girl's flushed ears and evasive eyes. As if suddenly confirming a suspicion, her brow twisted into a fierce scowl.

"Listen here," she said, jerking her chin toward Lin Tingwan with absolute certainty. "Don't try to play smart with me.

"Either you have your boyfriend here pay the rent today, or you pack your things and leave. End of discussion!"

Lin Tingwan stared blankly.

Jiang Yubai was just as stunned.

Boyfriend? What boyfriend?

From her tone, it was obvious she thought he was someone Lin Tingwan had called over for backup.

Jiang Yubai narrowed his eyes, his tone losing its previous politeness. "You're Li Xia, Landlord Li, correct?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Li gave him another careful once-over. Frowning, she replied, "I am. What of it?"

Jiang Yubai cut straight to the chase. "The company has been auditing the leasing status of our commercial and residential properties lately. The rent collection performance here hasn't been ideal, so I dropped by to take a look while I was in the area."

Mrs. Li froze. Her expression underwent a drastic shift as her previous impatience evaporated instantly, replaced by a forced, sycophantic smile.

"Oh my, so you're from the head office! No wonder you look so sharp and distinguished... Look at my terrible eyesight, I really must apologize for just now... As you can see, I was right in the middle of collecting the rent."

Watching their overly dramatic exchange, a glint of vigilance suddenly flashed through Lin Tingwan's eyes, and she subtly took a half-step back.

Jiang Yubai had no intention of putting on airs to show off. He simply asked, "So, what exactly is the situation here?"

"Well..." Mrs. Li glanced at Lin Tingwan. "Oh, there's no need for us to stand out here in the hall. Come, come, come! Let's head inside, sit down, and talk."

Without waiting for a response, she pushed open the slightly ajar door and waltzed right in.

Lin Tingwan's expression shifted. She subconsciously opened her mouth to stop her, but then, as if realizing something, she forced her lips tightly shut.

A question mark popped up in Jiang Yubai's mind. If he wasn't mistaken, this was Lin Tingwan's home, wasn't it?

Even if she was just a tenant, it was one thing for the older woman to barge in, but inviting a teenage guy like him inside without permission was a bit much.

"What are you doing spacing out in the hallway?" the woman's urging voice rang out from inside. "Hurry up and get in here to pour our guest a cup of tea!"

Hearing this, Lin Tingwan bit her lower lip. Her gaze lingered on Jiang Yubai for a few seconds before she turned and entered the apartment.

He wondered what she was looking at him for.

Jiang Yubai was a little baffled, but since the tenant had gone in, he didn't hesitate any longer and followed them inside.

It was an old-fashioned apartment with a single bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. The layout was compact and the floor plan small, but it was kept spotlessly clean.

Since it was someone else's private space, Jiang Yubai only took a quick, polite glance before averting his eyes.

Mrs. Li had already made herself comfortable on the old living room sofa. She waved at him enthusiastically. "Come, come, come! Please, have a seat!"

Off to the side, Lin Tingwan made no move to actually pour any tea. Instead, she silently sat down on a small stool by the window, placing herself even further away from Mrs. Li than he was.

Mrs. Li shot her a look of utter exasperation. Looking around, she located the electric kettle and took the initiative to brew a cup of tea for Jiang Yubai herself.

"So... may I have your surname?"

"It's Jiang," Jiang Yubai replied curtly.

"Ah, Mr. Jiang," Mrs. Li eagerly continued. "We've collected practically all the rent for the complex this month. This is the only unit that hasn't paid yet."

She paused, glancing at Lin Tingwan, who was sitting with her head bowed. Her tone softened considerably. "Her situation is... admittedly a bit special. Do you think we could maybe give her a little leeway?"

Jiang Yubai didn't respond, merely giving her a strange look.

He wondered what had changed. Hadn't she just been screaming at the top of her lungs to demand the rent? Why was she suddenly pleading on the girl's behalf?

Catching his gaze, Mrs. Li quickly shot frantic, meaningful winks at the girl on the stool. But Lin Tingwan remained silent and utterly motionless, as still as a statue.

One was playing the good cop, and the other was playing the bad cop. She knew it. These two... Lin Tingwan silently clenched her fists.

"Ha... haha," Mrs. Li chuckled dryly, looking utterly awkward when the girl failed to react. "This child... she's a bit shy around strangers..."

Jiang Yubai looked from the sycophantically smiling Landlord Li to the dead-silent Lin Tingwan. Suddenly, he felt that the atmosphere was rather off.

The more he looked at it, the more this scene resembled some cliché melodrama where a tyrannical landlord squeezed a poor, defenseless girl for rent.

Jiang Yubai shook his head vigorously, quickly banishing the bizarre thought from his mind.

Hoping to salvage the increasingly awkward atmosphere, he softened his tone and explained, "Landlord Li, she and I actually know each other. We're classmates."

He had only intended to ease the tension, but Mrs. Li was visibly taken aback. Her gaze darted between the two of them, and a look of sudden realization flashed in her eyes.

"I see, I see." She quickly stood up, looking like she had it all figured out. "I'll let you young people chat, then. I won't get in your way."

As she stepped out into the hallway, her hand paused on the doorknob. Instead of clicking it shut, she left the door open just a crack.

Jiang Yubai was bewildered.

He wondered what exactly she "saw," and why she had suddenly bolted.

If the landlord ran off, how was he supposed to collect the rent?

He turned back around, completely lost, only to find that Lin Tingwan, who was sitting off to the side, had grown slightly pale. At some point, she had locked her gaze tightly onto him.

He wondered why she was acting like a mouse staring down a cat.

"Lin," he began, deciding to satisfy his curiosity first. "At school... have you just been refusing to speak on purpose?"

Lin Tingwan pursed her lips, remaining completely silent.

"I just heard you talking," Jiang Yubai said with a shrug. "There's no point in pretending now."

She didn't respond.

Her last shred of hope that she could play dumb was thoroughly shattered. Taking a deep breath, Lin Tingwan finally looked him in the eye.

"Jiang Yubai... what exactly do you want?"

Her tone was laced with heavy vigilance, though it did nothing to mask the clear, beautiful timber of her voice.

"I knew it. You can talk..." Jiang Yubai's eyes widened slightly.

In all their years of high school, he had never once heard Lin Tingwan utter a single word. If it hadn't been for her clear question just now, he would have suspected he'd been having auditory hallucinations earlier.

Lin Tingwan ignored his realization. Frowning in sheer disgust, she repeated, "What exactly do you want?"

He wondered what he wanted.

Jiang Yubai blinked and told the honest truth. "I'm here to collect the rent."

Hearing this, Lin Tingwan's face grew even paler, as if he had just confirmed her worst fears.

"Collect the rent..." Her voice trembled slightly. "I knew it. You're all in cahoots. So... what are you going to do next?"

"In cahoots? Doing what?"

Jiang Yubai was completely lost.

Before he could make sense of anything, Lin Tingwan forcefully clenched her fists and enunciated every word.

"Jiang Yubai, are you still going to play dumb? I know you're used to fooling around... but I never thought you'd actually stoop this low.

"You know perfectly well that tuition was just due at school. You set this 'inspection' up on purpose, didn't you?"

Staring at the furious, red-faced girl before him, a massive question mark formed in Jiang Yubai's mind.

"What did I... set up?"

He wondered what she meant by him being used to "fooling around."

Lin Tingwan's ears burned bright red. Her voice shook as she demanded, "What do you think? Are you seriously going to force me to say it out loud?"

Jiang Yubai stared dumbfoundedly at the young woman, while Lin Tingwan glared back with eyes full of furious indignation, refusing to yield an inch.

In the midst of the heavy silence, a soft CLICK suddenly echoed from one of the interior doors.

Both of them instinctively turned their heads toward the sound.

A small head poked out through the crack of the bedroom door, looking their way in utter confusion.

The moment Jiang Yubai saw the face clearly, his pupils dilated slightly.

The long hair, the delicate, picturesque features... It was a face completely identical to the young woman sitting right in front of him.

The only difference was that those equally beautiful eyes held no anger. Instead, they were filled with an innocent, naive bewilderment.

Seeing her, Lin Tingwan's expression changed drastically.

"Wanwan, don't come out!"