pjbooks Chapter 7: The story has only just begun.
Chapter 7: The story has only just begun.
Chen Mo looked away and sat down on the plastic chair.
Lin Shiyu put the clothes away and stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do with her hands. She was still wearing Chen Mo's jacket, and a small patch of her shoulder was damp with tears.
"Here's your jacket back." She took it off and handed it to her.
When they took the jacket, their fingers touched.
Lin Shiyu's fingers were icy cold, like a piece of uncarved, cold jade. Chen Mo's fingers were warm and dry, like a hand warmer tucked into one's bosom on a winter's day.
She recoiled as if burned, quickly withdrawing her hand.
The room was silent for a few seconds.
"Are you safe living here alone?" Chen Mo looked around. The door lock was rusty, the windows had no security bars, and although the sixth floor wasn't low, the fire escape next door made it easy to climb up.
"I'm used to it." Lin Shiyu said, head down. "The rent is cheap, only six hundred yuan a month."
Six hundred yuan.
The bottle of champagne Chen Mo drank on the plane cost more than that.
He took a deep breath: "Move out tomorrow."
Lin Shiyu looked up and stared at him blankly.
"I have an apartment by the river, it's just sitting empty anyway," Chen Mo said calmly. He didn't actually own that apartment right now, but he would tomorrow. Ten times the return, buying an apartment isn't unreasonable, is it? "You should stay there for now, it's safer."
"No, no," Lin Shiyu shook her head repeatedly. "I already owe you too much, I can't..."
Chen Mo stood up, interrupting her with a cold laugh: "You work for me, I provide accommodation, that's called employee benefits. Legal and compliant, fair and honest."
"This...isn't...okay."
Lin Shiyu was speechless at this statement. She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Chen Mo walked to the door, opened it, and turned around to look at her.
The room was dimly lit, with only a single energy-saving light overhead emitting a stark white glow. Lin Shiyu stood under the light, her makeup ruined, her eyes red and swollen, and her hair disheveled, looking utterly disheveled.
But her eyes were very bright.
That brightness wasn't the brightness reflected from a lamp, but rather something that shone from the depths of the eyes, something that had been rekindled.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon," Chen Mo said. "Get some rest."
He turned and walked out the door.
"Chen Mo."
Lin Shiyu's voice came from behind, very soft, with a slight tremor.
He stopped walking, but didn't turn around.
"……Thanks."
The two words, as light as a feather, lingered in the empty corridor for a long time.
Chen Mo didn't answer, but simply waved his hand casually and strode down the stairs.
The leather shoes clattered on the cement steps, making a steady, rhythmic sound as they walked away, step by step.
Lin Shiyu leaned against the door frame, watching the figure disappear into the darkness, and tears streamed down her face again.
But this time it wasn't about feeling wronged.
She returned to her room, closed the door, and slowly slid down to the floor against the door panel. She hugged her knees and buried her face in her arms.
The warmth of Chen Mo's jacket still lingered on my shoulders, and the faint scent of laundry detergent lingered in my nostrils.
She closed her eyes, and images of her university days floated into her mind.
She was a sophomore that year, and he was a junior. Backstage at the freshman welcome party, she was waiting in her dance costume, her palms sweating with nervousness. He came over, handed her a bottle of water, and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous. Once the stage lights come on, you won't be able to see anything. Just pretend you're rehearsing."
The water was at room temperature; he didn't give her anything cold. You can't drink anything cold before dancing.
She remembered this detail for many years.
Chen Mo walked out of the alley and hailed a taxi on the roadside.
He got into the car, let out a long breath, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes.
A system notification sounded in my mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the hidden quest "Hero Saves the Beauty"! Reward: 200,000 yuan has been credited to your account! Current balance: 876,800 yuan!]
Eighty-seventy-six thousand eight hundred yuan.
Chen Mo opened his eyes, looked at the night view outside the car window, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Where is this?
He took out his phone, opened a real estate app, and searched for apartments along the river.
A fully furnished 120-square-meter apartment with three bedrooms and two living rooms overlooking the river, priced at 2.58 million yuan.
Down payment of 30%, 860,000.
Without even blinking, Chen Mo dialed the number of the real estate consultant on the page.
"Hello, I'd like to see a river-view apartment... Yes, is now a convenient time? Okay, I'll be there in twenty minutes."
After hanging up the phone, he said to the driver, "Driver, take me to Riverside Mansion."
The taxi turned around and headed towards the riverbank.
The city lights outside the window flowed across the glass, outlining the city's silhouette. Several brightly lit boats cruised on the river, their reflections shimmering on the water like a spilled box of gold paint.
Chen Mo leaned back in his seat, and several faces unconsciously floated into his mind.
A stunningly beautiful face, with a cool and aloof expression, leans down in a bathroom ten thousand meters in the air, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
A pitiful figure, hugging her knees in her 15-square-meter rented room, her shoulders twitching slightly.
There's another one, somewhere in between. Foxy eyes, a languid voice, and a red dress like a burning flame.
Shen Jiayi.
She said, "See you again someday."
Chen Mo felt that this connection shouldn't be too far off.
The taxi stopped at the entrance of Riverside Mansion, where a sales consultant was already waiting in the lobby. She was a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in a business suit, with a sweet yet professional smile.
"Hello sir, are you here to view the apartment?"
"Yes." Chen Mo walked in, his gaze sweeping over the magnificent lobby. "Take me to see that apartment that costs 120."
"Yes, sir, this way please."
The real estate consultant walked ahead, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor.
Chen Mo followed behind her, his hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent.
Twenty minutes later, he stood on the balcony of the 120-square-meter apartment, looking down at the river view below.
A gentle river breeze brushed my face, carrying moisture and a chill. In the distance, the city lights shone brightly, like a starry sky reflected on the ground.
"Sir, this apartment has a fantastic view, directly overlooking the river, and it's fully furnished, ready to move in..." the sales consultant enthusiastically introduced.
"I bought it," Chen Mo interrupted her.
"...Huh?" The sales consultant paused, "Don't you...don't you want to reconsider?"
"No need." Chen Mo took out his ID card and bank card. "The down payment is 860,000, and the rest will be financed through a loan. Can the formalities be completed tomorrow?"
"Of course! The sales consultant's eyes lit up, and her voice became sweeter. "Sir, I'll go prepare the contract right away!"
She jogged to get the documents, her high heels clicking on the marble floor.
Chen Mo withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the river.
The system notification sounded in my mind again.
[Ding! Host has spent 860,000 yuan, and the tenfold cashback of 8,600,000 yuan has been credited to your account! Current balance: 9,467,800 yuan!]
Nine million four hundred and seventy-six thousand eight hundred dollars.
Chen Mo took a deep breath of the river breeze, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
He took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Lin Shiyu.
"I'll pick you up at 3 PM tomorrow. Send me the address."
The other party replied in less than 30 seconds after the message was sent.
"it is good."
There was only one word, but she changed the period after that word into a smiley face emoji.
Chen Mo looked at the smiling face, smiled, and put his phone back in his pocket.
The river breeze is still blowing, and the city lights in the distance are dazzling.
His story has only just begun.