Chapter 5: Beauty Gets Half-Off Rent

Qin Ruo suddenly felt something was off, but he still gave Xia Fei Xuan a thorough once-over—her explosive figure, model-like height, goddess-level face, and that indescribable aura. He nodded emphatically and said, "Yes!"

"That's right." A sly look appeared on Xia Fei Xuan's face as she said slowly, "Landlord, when you posted the ad, you clearly stated that beautiful women get half-off rent. You can't go back on your word now."

Qin Ruo's inner frustration was imaginable upon hearing this. Weren't women supposed to be all boobs and no brains? Why was this little vixen so sharp? In the end, he gritted his teeth and nodded. "Fine, I agree."

Xia Fei Xuan grinned like a cunning little fox, her impression of Qin Ruo improving quite a bit. But then she noticed his gaze drifting back to her chest, and she ground her teeth in secret. Men were all no good.

Still, she couldn't afford to offend him right now. "I haven't asked your name yet," she said.

"I'm Qin Ruo."

"I'm Xia Fei Xuan."

"Nice name."

Qin Ruo lived on the third floor, so Xia Fei Xuan naturally chose the second. Seeing her room, her face lit up with excitement. Finding such a great place for her first rental made her thrilled.

"By the way, where's your stuff? You didn't come empty-handed, did you?" Qin Ruo asked.

Xia Fei Xuan shyly lowered her head. "I didn't bring anything."

Qin Ruo was shocked. "Did you bring money?"

"Hmph, of course I did!" Xia Fei Xuan proudly pulled out her bank card, her beautiful eyes filled with disdain as she looked at him. What a money-grubbing sleaze.

Why did he have such a handsome face but such a rotten heart? Were all good-looking guys like this?

She'd just paid rent and was now broke.

"……"

"Good, then let's go handle the lease paperwork," Qin Ruo said.

***

Xia Fei Xuan followed behind Qin Ruo, and they didn't speak the whole way. By the time they returned, it was evening.

Qin Ruo went to the market alone with a veggie basket to buy ingredients, while Xia Fei Xuan went job hunting.

Qin Ruo's cooking skills were top-notch; he could easily make golden chef status in the culinary world. The table was full of mouthwatering dishes, their aromas irresistible.

Qin Ruo felt the joy that hardworking laborers get from their toil.

He was just about to dig in when Xia Fei Xuan returned, wearing seven-centimeter stiletto heels. Her eyes were red and puffy, like she'd been wronged.

Qin Ruo looked puzzled and said to her, "Xiao Xia, have you eaten? If not, join me."

Truth be told, Xia Fei Xuan was starving. She hadn't eaten breakfast, not even a drop of water, and with no money, her stomach was empty.

But eating the landlord's food on her first day felt awkward, so she shook her head to refuse. Yet the food smelled too good, and her stomach let out an untimely growl.

"Landlord, your cooking is amazing. Were you a chef before?" Xia Fei Xuan took a bite of the red-braised pork dripping with sauce, her face full of surprise.

Qin Ruo nodded, coming up with a lame excuse. "Yeah, I was a chef abroad."

"No wonder. Hey, do chefs abroad make good money?" Xia Fei Xuan was quite gossipy; she really needed cash right now.

Qin Ruo shot her a cold look. "Eat."

Xia Fei Xuan instantly turned meek like a little lamb, eating bite by bite while grumbling inwardly, "What’s with the attitude!"

"By the way, Xiao Xia, what happened earlier? You looked like you'd been wronged," Qin Ruo asked, poking the bear.

Xia Fei Xuan, who had been savoring the delicious food, suddenly had red eyes again. Comparing the landlord's feast to her morning ordeals created a huge contrast, and tears started flowing uncontrollably.

"What's wrong? Don't cry, don't cry." Qin Ruo couldn't stand seeing women cry and panicked.

After much coaxing, he finally calmed the beauty down. Here's what happened.

Full of confidence, Xia Fei Xuan had gone job hunting that morning, only to learn how brutal reality was. Legit companies wanted degrees and experience; shady ones wanted her body in exchange.

As a proper woman, Xia Fei Xuan couldn't tolerate that insult or sell herself for a job.

So, she tore up the contract right in front of the sleazy manager's face. Some burly guys surrounded her, but her rage was off the charts. She kicked off her heels as weapons, smashing at anyone in sight, turning the talent market into chaos and disorder—a total disaster.

After leaving the talent market, her stomach was rumbling fiercely.

But this girl was tough; she didn't return to the villa. After much hardship, she found a dishwashing gig at a small eatery.

The boss was a lecherous old man who groped her; the boss's wife, a gaudily dressed shrew, called her a vixen.

That job lasted less than half a day.

After a day of grievances, Xia Fei Xuan's mood was understandable. She ate and cried, a striking scene.

But Qin Ruo felt no awkwardness. Crying while eating? Back when he and his old squad were in dire straits, they'd been so thirsty they cut open fresh corpses and sucked blood from arteries to hydrate—nearly resorted to cannibalism.

Looking at Xia Fei Xuan's tear-streaked, flushed cheeks, Qin Ruo felt a pang of sympathy. He'd been idle since returning anyway—maybe open a small restaurant.

After sharing his idea with Xia Fei Xuan,

the beauty stopped crying, shoveled a few bites, and said, "Landlord, if you open a restaurant, it'll be a hit!"

Qin Ruo didn't feign modesty and nodded confidently. His skills were renowned abroad.

This was chef prowess certified by international folks!

"Since you don't have a job, why not work at my restaurant?" Qin Ruo said. He couldn't bear seeing this beautiful woman bounce around getting rejected.

"Really?" Xia Fei Xuan's eyes widened in shock; the surprise was too sudden—she thought it was a dream.

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Proofreader & Editor: Fat Goose 🪶