My organs are too abstract.

Chapter 81 Want to pay more? It's not that simple.

Wasn't he on a date? What's he doing here?

Xu Yuan looked out the window in surprise and saw Liang Xiaolong holding a bouquet of flowers, sitting alone on a bench in the shade of the roadside.

He had a smile on his face, his gaze fixed on his side, muttering to himself, as if he were waiting for someone.

"Why is he so happy?" Xu Yuan asked, full of doubt. "Didn't he leave early this morning for the appointment? Has he still not seen him?"

The taxi slowly drove forward, and Liang Xiaolong's figure was gradually left behind. Xu Yuan subconsciously turned around and saw him standing up from the bench, clutching a bouquet of flowers.

"Has the person he's been waiting for arrived?"

Xu Yuan couldn't help but crane his neck, curiously trying to see clearly, but as the car turned the corner, his view was completely blocked, and he could no longer see a trace of it.

"Never mind, I'll ask him next time we meet."

"Hey, do you know that young man from earlier?" The driver glanced at Xu Yuan's actions in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, a friend," Xu Yuan replied casually, withdrawing his gaze.

"Judging from his expression, is he waiting for his girlfriend to go on a date?"

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment: "Pretty much."

The driver shook his head, adopting an air of experience, and said confidently, "I think your friend's situation is a bit precarious."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked with interest, "How so?"

"We taxi drivers are on the road all year round, so we've got some sense. I could tell this young man was honest and straightforward, not very talkative, right?"

Xu Yuan thought for a moment. Xiao Long was good at joking around with his roommates, but he couldn't utter a word when he was around girls. He was also prone to overdoing it and embarrassing himself. Xu Yuan immediately nodded: "Pretty much."

"I knew it! These days, being honest isn't enough." The driver glanced at Xu Yuan through the rearview mirror and chuckled as he shared his experience. "These days, everyone's all about emotional value. You can't get by if you can't talk to people. In our line of work, being a little sweet-talking makes a big difference. If you occasionally compliment a guest on the charm of their accommodation or the nice environment, they'll be in a good mood and won't even ask for the change. Sometimes they might even give you a tip."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan couldn't help but praise, "I didn't expect you to know so much, Master."

The driver looked modest, but his tone carried a hint of pride: "Having been in this line of work for a long time, we naturally gain experience."

Xu Yuan closed his eyes again and didn't reply. After an unknown amount of time, the vehicle slowly came to a stop in front of an old building in the old city area, its walls peeling and its style outdated.

"We're here, buddy," the driver called out.

Xu Yuan opened his eyes, took out the eighteen yuan and fifty cents he had prepared in advance from his pocket, and neatly handed it over.

The driver took the money, casually counting it as he glanced at the old building and exclaimed, "Hey, young man, you live here? This building is beautiful! Look at the exterior walls, so clean and tidy, and the windows are bright. It's obvious someone takes good care of it; it must be very comfortable to live in!"

"Beautiful?" Xu Yuan looked at his old, dilapidated, and unremarkable building and a question mark slowly floated up above his head.

Just then, the driver suddenly stopped counting the money and said, "Wait a minute, buddy, the amount you gave me isn't right, is it?"

Xu Yuan had originally intended to ask the driver when he had gone blind, but upon hearing this, he suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "What's wrong? Hasn't it always been this price?"

The driver shook his head and said, "It used to be like that, but it's different these past two days."

"Oh, so this is what they were waiting for me all along." Xu Yuan suddenly remembered what the driver had said earlier about "generous customers," "emotional value," and "a sweet tongue can get you tips," and he immediately understood.

"You want me to pay more? It's not that simple!"

After a moment's hesitation, Xu Yuan immediately showered the driver with compliments: "Master, your car is absolutely amazing! Look at that matte, battle-worn gray finish—even a Lamborghini would be copying it all night! And look at that leather interior—it's so well-worn, it has more of a story to tell than an old luxury handbag; it's practically a work of art. And wow, that patina on the dial is top-of-the-line; even Patek Philippe couldn't replicate that rare, unique feel!"

"I could die happy if I could ride in your top-of-the-line luxury car today."

As Xu Yuan sighed, he pushed open the car door and slammed it shut with a loud bang, leaving the driver staring blankly at him. Without looking back, he strode quickly into the old building. The driver, startled by the noise, looked up blankly at the stack of money in his hand, then at his old taxi, and finally at Xu Yuan's disappearing figure. He opened his mouth, then mumbled the rest of his sentence: "—No, buddy, the fare's gone down now, you gave me two extra dollars—"

Xu Yuan had already entered the old building. Instead of taking the elevator, he stepped onto the old, dimly lit stairs and climbed up.

Of course, it wasn't that he didn't want to take the elevator, but rather that the building was too old and didn't have one at all.

"Sigh, the world is truly going to the dogs, and people's hearts have lost all sense of morality. These people will do anything for money." Xu Yuan walked down the dimly lit stairwell, shaking his head and sighing. "They can praise a run-down building without even an elevator, and even try to overcharge me. Unfortunately for them, I, Xu, am no ordinary person."

"My praise is worth at least five dollars, so the driver can make quite a bit of money."

Xu Yuan was secretly pleased with himself. He slowly walked to the door of room 424 on the fourth floor, took out his key, opened the door and stepped into the foyer. Just as he was about to close the door completely, he heard a man and a woman talking and laughing downstairs.

Xu Yuan subconsciously peeked through the crack in the door and saw a man with his arm around a woman walking upstairs. The man smiled broadly and asked softly, "Honey, is this your home?"

The woman held in his arms had a slender and graceful figure. Her form-fitting dress accentuated her exquisite curves. Her eyes and brows were alluring, and her every move was graceful, exuding the charm and allure of a mature woman.

Her voice was soft and sweet, and her laughter was captivating: "Yes."

The woman gently pulled away from the man's embrace, swayed gracefully to the door of room 423, took out her key, and unlocked the door.

"My home is simple, please don't mind." Her voice was so soft and sweet, her eyes full of affection, captivating and alluring.

"No way!" The man squeezed through the door, his tone surprised. "This layout is fantastic, so bright and airy, the atmosphere is amazing! It has more character than my big apartment!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "large flat".

"Hehe." The woman covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "You artists are so good with words, so charming."

"Just to be honest, your house really has a certain 'smell' about it —"

Xu Yuan, listening from behind the door, was speechless: "This guy is talking nonsense just like that driver in his pursuit of girls, praising a shabby house as a mansion."

He suddenly remembered what the driver had said before, that he had driven several people involved in photography, and they all liked to go to Wutong District. He couldn't help but feel contempt: Is what you do art? Despicable!

Xu Yuan shook his head and closed the door completely, a hint of doubt flashing through his mind: "By the way, is this woman the new neighbor who moved in?"

Why don't I remember it?

There weren't many residents on this floor, but she had seen him a few times, though he had been staying home most of the month and had never seen her, which was rather strange.

However, judging from the woman's appearance and behavior, she doesn't seem to have a proper nine-to-five job, so it's normal that you don't encounter her on a regular basis.

Speaking of the residents on the fourth floor, Xu Yuan also felt a bit strange. For some reason, those residents rarely went out and were particularly averse to visiting each other. He remembered that he had only visited his neighbors a few times when he was a child, and no one had visited each other since.

When I was a child, this floor was full of people and very lively. But I don't know when it started, fewer and fewer people lived there, and it gradually became deserted.

Xu Yuan didn't think much of it and turned to walk into the house.

He looked around for a moment; his mother was still not home. There was a note on the table: "I'm going on a business trip for two days. I'll be back the day after tomorrow night. Son, take good care of yourself at home. Good luck!"

"Back the day after tomorrow?" Xu Yuan calculated the time. He originally planned to return to school the day after tomorrow, which meant he would only have one day to spend with his mother.

But then I thought, there's plenty of time ahead, and I feel much better now.