Mygo, you guys seem to be getting a bit heavy-hearted.

Chapter Two: Wild Baby Octopus

He pushed the door open deftly.

Then Yanming politely greeted the newcomer:

"Hello."

The two people behind the door were clearly startled by the unexpected opening of the door, but the younger woman spoke first:

"Hello, landlord, we contacted the person you need to view the house through an agency. I am Toyokawa Shoko, and this is my father."

Yanming nodded slightly to indicate his understanding, then his gaze shifted to the more mature-looking middle-aged man, giving him a silent once-over.

Then, the corner of his mouth started twitching uncontrollably.

The man in front of me was slovenly, with lifeless eyes, and the lingering smell of alcohol on his body was so foul it seemed to be branded into his very bones!

Yanming cursed inwardly.

Damn it—I paid those damn bastards so much commission, and they used it all to mess with their own mothers' dendrobium! They dared to send me this rotten scum! Damn it!

Putting aside whether this kind of drunkard has enough money to rent his own house, even if he could, Yanming wouldn't feel comfortable renting his house to such a guy.

...Let's find an excuse to get rid of him later.

"Excuse me, may I come in and take a look at the house?" It was the young girl who spoke again. The disheveled man, who was clearly the head of the household, was like a mute, his eyes vacant and seemingly staring into nowhere.

Yanming felt really embarrassed to refuse such a reasonable request without even letting people see the house.

He stepped aside and smiled, "Of course, please come in."

[Interaction detected between the host and a romanceable character. Information being entered, please wait—]

"?"

He had almost forgotten that the unknown entity that had just spoken to him seemed to have called itself a "strategy system".

[Host! Host! A wild, beautiful girl has appeared!]

Yanming turned his head and looked at the little girl who had started wandering around the room as soon as she entered.

Judging from her appearance, she was probably only fifteen or sixteen years old at most. After noticing Yanming's undisguised gaze, her eyes showed only a moment of panic before she quickly calmed down.

Although she had toned down her demeanor somewhat, she still couldn't suppress the pride that emanated from her bones. Her delicate and soft face was taut, and it was obvious that she was nervous. Like those children who like to package themselves as adults, once they really encounter mature and cunning people in society, they subconsciously become terrified and at a loss.

A beautiful girl? That's not entirely wrong.

But in Yanming's view, the other party now seemed more like... a stressed-out little blue octopus?

Overall, she's a very interesting young girl.

Yanming glanced at the spineless man sitting on the ground, completely lacking any fatherly demeanor, and then at the nervous, wary octopus girl beside him. Suddenly, a strange thought occurred to him.

Could it be... that this little octopus is actually the one in charge of this household right now?

[Information loading complete]

【Name: Toyokawa Shoko】

[Current Intimacy Level: Strangers [0]]

[First Phase Task Released:]

[Please, host, try to understand Toyokawa Shoko from various angles.]

[Current completion rate: 0%]

[When a certain level of completion is reached, a random reward will be awarded, and hints to further accelerate the task's progress will be unlocked.]

[Current prompt: When trying to understand a proud person, simply offering help may backfire.]

What kind of ridiculous notification is this?

However, since the word "help" was mentioned, Yanming deduced that this Miss Toyokawa Shoko must be troubled by something.

Let me state upfront that I am not interested in young girls who haven't even grown up yet, and I certainly don't want to try to woo them.

Yanming tried his best to appear kind and said gently, "Miss Fengchuan, is there anything you're not satisfied with about my house?"

The clever disguise worked. The little octopus seemed relieved, as if it had taken him for one of the more approachable types of adults. Some of the pheromones that indicated its wariness faded, and it was no longer as aggressive as before.

Then, she lowered her voice and said, "No, Mr. Landlord, we are very satisfied with your house. Apart from a slight blockage in the drain, there are no other problems. If it's alright, I think we can start signing the contract now."

Even Yanming couldn't find fault with the watertight answer, but there was one point that Toyokawa Shoko hadn't considered.

When you don't have the initiative, you shouldn't be so hasty. If Yanming wanted to, he could have taken advantage of the contract and the other party's urgency to gain some benefit for himself.

It's still too immature.

Fortunately, the person she ran into was Yanming.

"We can talk about the contract later." Yanming gestured for the other person to sit down on the tatami mat with him first, then continued, "When you were introduced here, that person should have told you about my rules, right?"

His house has a significant advantage in rent compared to other similar units, which is why he is confident that his house will be unwanted after he kicks out the drunkard.

Since Toyokawa Shoko was able to find him, she must have some understanding of this matter, which is why she was in such a hurry to finalize the contract to prevent someone else from getting there first.

Therefore, Yanming has a lot of room to maneuver in this situation. As long as he can find out the other party's bottom line, he can gain greater benefits for himself.

He simply didn't need to do that.

"...Yes, the agent did tell us." Toyokawa Shoko pursed her lips and sat down next to her father with some regret.

It seemed that the landlord had completely seen through her thoughts; this man... was terrifying.

Seeing that she didn't make any further moves, Yanming continued, "Then let me emphasize it again. First of all, the rent is due on the 10th of each month. No late or underpayment allowed. Is that alright?"

Toyokawa Shoko nodded

This is the most affordable house she could find on the market that can accommodate her and her father.

No matter what conditions the other party proposes, as long as they are not too unreasonable, Xiangzi will try his best to agree.

As for rent... there's always a way.

“Second,” Yanming said, raising two fingers, “noise must not affect the tenants next door, and no one may occupy public areas without permission.”

Xiangzi nodded again.

This was all information provided by the agent who introduced her to the company, so she didn't react much at this point.

Rather, these rules actually deter unreasonable and shameless tenants and take care of the lives of vulnerable groups like the father and daughter.

"There's one last thing. If everything's okay, we can start signing the contract."

Yanming paused, giving the little girl ample time to react. At the same time, he narrowed his eyes with an extremely oppressive air, like an old fox about to devour someone completely.

Chapter Three: Eighteen Years Old, Serving an Older Man ( )

Xiangzi sat up straight, forcing himself not to evade the issue: "Please speak."

That pretty yet youthful face looked at him with an extremely focused and serious expression, and because of Yanming's malicious aura, it couldn't hide its own shrinking back well—an expression that only a child who hasn't experienced the trials of society could have.

Undoubtedly, abandoning all defenses, revealing one's true emotions, and exposing all the worries and anxieties in one's heart... this is precisely a sign of weakness.

Yanming suddenly realized something he hadn't realized before.

Despite her mature appearance beyond her years, Toyokawa Shoko was still nothing more than a child who needed someone to take care of her.

'...My actions just now probably made her feel uneasy.'

Although Yanming didn't mean to scare the other party, he unconsciously revealed some of the roguishness he had developed over the years of navigating the social world.

Realizing this, the third finger, which hadn't been raised in time, fell as the force in his arm dissipated, and Yanming's expression finally softened with his thoughts.

"Third, 'Yanming' is my name. I live in the building next to yours. If you need any help, feel free to come to me anytime. Don't worry about it being a hassle."

He took out a paper contract from the briefcase on the table and placed it in front of the bewildered Xiangzi along with a ballpoint pen. The shrewd and calculating old fox from just moments ago had transformed into a peaceful and lazy uncle in the blink of an eye.

[Oh wow, host, you look so incredibly cool with that lazy vibe! These days, young girls are all into older, rich, and handsome men! ...Wait, how old are you again, host?]

The answer is eighteen.

It's not forty-eight.

"……Eh?"

Seeing her stunned, Yanming raised an eyebrow.

"What? You should sign a contract, right? Just fill in the information at the bottom. If you're an adult, fill in your own information; if you're not, fill in your dad's."

He changed his mind.

It's true that alcoholics are annoying, but Yanming gets chills just thinking about renting his house to someone like that.

But... who can blame him for being kind-hearted? Taking in this father and daughter today is like preparing a ransom in advance to avoid going to hell.

Xiangzi picked up the ballpoint pen, but instead of writing, he quietly glanced at Yanming again.

The landlord... seems like a completely different person; even his tone of voice has changed a lot.

Then, Yanming noticed that Toyokawa Shoko was secretly glancing at him, but he didn't say anything, only returned a faint smile.

"I've filled it out, thank you." Xiangzi put down his pen, flattened the bottom of the contracts, and handed them to Yanming with his head down.

She knew that this landlord, whom she had just met, not only did not make things difficult for her and her father, but even gave up the benefits that could have been easily obtained.

After ruling out any highly improbable scheming, the only remaining motive is the purest form of goodwill...

In any case, Toyokawa Shoko didn't think she had anything left that could attract the other person.

Yanming took the contract, glanced at it, and put it away casually, waving his hand and saying, "It's nothing, but you still have to pay the rent on time every month. Also... how much did the agency fee cost you? Half a month's rent?"

“…One month.” Xiangzi felt a pang of heartache when he thought about the thick envelope he had handed in.

****!

Yanming was furious

A month's rent? Those *Tokyo swear* bastards have the nerve to charge that much!

After thinking for a while, Yanming said, "Are you still in school? If you have time, why don't you come out with me?"

Upon hearing this, it was Xiang's father, who had been silent, who reacted first. He glanced at the handsome, young, and wealthy Yanming with his cloudy eyes, and then at his youngest daughter who still chose to take care of him even in his current state of destitution... He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

If possible, he didn't want his daughter to accept the young man's invitation... but did he really have a choice?

My daughter has already sacrificed so much. Is she really going to be kicked out by the landlord tonight and have to sleep on the streets with him because of her own actions?

I'm sorry, Xiaoxiang...

Xiang's father reached out from under the table and painfully grasped his daughter's hand.

But the other person merely gave him a disgusted look before subtly withdrawing their hand.

This made the man in his forties even more heartbroken.

"Due to some reasons, I applied for a leave of absence from school for a period of time. As for tomorrow... I may not be able to make it. I'm sorry." Xiangzi politely declined Yanming's indirect invitation.

"It won't take long, about two hours should be enough time, it's not a big deal."

Yanming had an attitude of taking it all for granted.

In his view, this family has fallen on hard times, so if he could get back part of the agency fee, it wouldn't be a big deal to spare some time for them.

"……!" ×2

Xiang's father was shocked, and then his anger rose uncontrollably.

That frivolous bastard!

For two hours, this bastard was only after Xiao Xiang's body... Even in his despair, he was still, at least... at least, a father.

This kind of thing... this kind of thing is absolutely unacceptable!

At the very least, I must protect my daughter's purity...

Yanming got up and walked to the entrance hall, saying calmly, "I'll go with you to get the agency fee back. Those greedy pigs don't deserve that money."

His words carried weight in this area. If those people still wanted to get orders in Chiyu, they probably wouldn't go against him. Yanming was confident of that.

"……Eh?"

"It's too late tonight, I'll come and wake you up early tomorrow. Get some rest." With that, Yanming changed his shoes, left the room, and closed the door behind him.