Tonight's dinner, much like the night before, ended with everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves.
This was the kind of life that felt just right—fishing during the day, then sharing delicious food and drinks with a few close friends at night. This was what life was supposed to be!
Working every day? Way too exhausting!
Even though Xiang Ye had only lived like this for a few days, he was already a bit addicted to it. If someone asked him to go back to a regular job now, he'd probably refuse outright.
When dinner was over, around 9 p.m., everyone went their separate ways. Unlike the night before, Ai Bai didn't go home with Xiang Ye this time. He went to see his girlfriend—couldn't wait to tell her that Xiang Ye had bought a Bentley to use as their new lead car. He was so excited he had to share the news right away.
So Xiang Ye took a cab home by himself.
When he got back to his residential complex and walked up to his building, he saw a woman standing at the front door. Next to her were stacks of cardboard boxes.
She was using one box to hold the door open while trying to move the others inside by herself. Even under the dim lighting, it was obvious she was exhausted.
As the old saying goes: "The poor learn cunning, the rich grow kind."
Xiang Ye wasn't rich—yet—but he no longer had to worry about money, so his mood was naturally much better. Seeing the situation, he walked over and asked,
"Need a hand?"
"Huh? You are…"
The woman looked up from her work.
When Xiang Ye saw her face, he was momentarily stunned. She was beautiful—tall for a local woman, about 160 cm (a little over 5'3"), with a clean, makeup-free face that made it hard to tell her age, though she looked to be around 24 or 25.
Her eyebrows were slightly thick, eyes large and clear, and her fair skin had no makeup. Her lips were a little chapped, giving her a raw, unpolished look that set her apart from the overly dolled-up girls her age.
Still, she had striking natural beauty.
Clearly, though, she wasn't the kind of girl who was easy to approach. She looked at Xiang Ye with suspicion and caution.
"Uh, I'm Xiang Ye. I live here. I just saw you were busy and thought I'd offer to help."
Xiang Ye had no hidden agenda—he was simply being kind, even if he was a little taken aback by her looks.
"Oh… I hope I'm not troubling you."
She didn't originally intend to accept help, but after glancing at the mountain of boxes she still had to move, she decided it was better to accept this favor.
Xiang Ye smiled. It wasn't any trouble at all. With his strength, it didn't take more than a few minutes to move everything into the hallway.
As they started lng boxes into the elevator, Xiang Ye was surprised to learn she lived on the same floor as him.
Their building had two elevators per unit and four apartments on each floor. Honestly, it wasn't the most comfortable place to live. Being in the city center made commuting convenient, but the nights were noisy, and in summer, you had to keep the windows closed and the air conditioning on just to sleep well.
That's why most of the units were rented out to working-class tenants like Xiang Ye—although now his unit belonged to him.
The other three units on his floor also seemed to be rentals, and none of them had returned after the New Year. It looked like this girl was the new tenant.
"I live in 2902. If you ever need anything, feel free to knock."
After several trips up and down, they arrived at the 29th floor together. The woman was still visibly wary of Xiang Ye in the elevator, but when she saw him open the door to 2902, her cheeks flushed. She realized she had overthought it—he really was just her neighbor.
"Thank you so much!"
She called out as Xiang Ye was closing his door.
"No problem. You can handle the rest yourself, right?"
He waved and headed inside. After washing off the smell of smoke and alcohol, Xiang Ye fell into a deep sleep.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Xiang Ye got up around 6 a.m. He had promised Zhou Chen he'd go fishing—and let's not forget, he still had a temporary task to complete. That was important. Since the fishing spot was in a neighboring city, he had to start early.
After freshening up and confirming a meeting spot with Zhou Chen, Xiang Ye headed out.
Just as he opened his door, he saw the woman from across the hall stepping out as well.
"Oh! Good morning. You're up early."
The woman greeted him first.
Compared to last night, she looked more refreshed—though the dark circles under her eyes suggested she hadn't slept much, she seemed in good spirits and had dabbed on some powder to brighten her complexion.
"Yeah, heading out to fish. If you're late, you don't get the good spots."
Xiang Ye smiled in return. As they passed each other in the hallway, he glanced inside her apartment—it really did look like she hadn't slept much. The mountain of boxes from last night was already gone. She must've unpacked everything.
"Not working today?"
The woman was curious. It was a Thursday, after all. Didn't he have a job?
"Haha, fishing is my job now."
Xiang Ye laughed. He wasn't lying—these days, fishing was part of his new routine.
"Oh, I'm heading to work too. I've got a job at the breakfast shop downstairs."
She smiled.
"Oh, perfect. I was going to buy some breakfast there for the r"
Xiang Ye was surprised. That breakfast shop was one of his regular spots. If she worked there, the pressure of living in this apartment must be pretty intense.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]