Chapter 10: Friends with the enemy — Dirty!

Xia Ming Ming was four years younger than Xia Wei and had graduated university one year ago. Xia Wei picked him up at the train station and took him onto the subway to her neighborhood.

"Heavens, sis! You live in such a high-end neighborhood!" Xia Ming Ming dragged his suitcase behind him as his eyes darted around, not forgetting to look everywhere. "This place is very close to the commercial district. How much does it cost per square meter?"

Xia Wei shrugged. "Don"t know. I haven"t asked Twiggy since I felt that it might be too provoking to endure."

"Hahahahaha, look, there"s even fish in the pond!"

Xia Wei: "&h.e.l.lip;"

This foolish younger brother, could he actually find a job? She was really worried.

"Why did you quit your previous job?" She had heard her aunt-in-law say that Xia Ming Ming had begun working at a real estate company after graduation. Even though the pay was not very high, that company was the one of the top 500 companies in the world; it had a lot of room for growth.

Xia Ming Ming said, righteous indignation filling his chest, "I honestly couldn"t stand that group of idiots anymore. For a simple report format, I scolded them hundreds of times, yet there were mistakes every time they turn it in. And then, the one who ultimately received the scolding is me! Not only that, there are some people who are particularly c.o.c.ky. Whenever I tell him there"s a mistake, he said I should help him fix the mistake—big deal! So I don"t need to do my work and should spend my time helping them check if the report is done ?"

"Eh&h.e.l.lip;couldn"t you report this to your superiors?"

"I reported them! In the group, they promised to be good, yet the forms they turn in are still mistake-ridden! I don"t know how they even graduated!"

Xia Wei: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Looks like younger brother has very heavy grievances.

"I could let all this go, but our company also has a graduate student who is in an office position like me. Every day, he does nothing and throws all of his work onto me! I did so much, and yet in the end when the company sent people to the head office to study, they sent him and not me! Is this endurable?"

"&h.e.l.lip;" Xia Wei was silent for a moment before patting his back and saying, "You have suffered grievances. Who told the other guy to be a graduate student?"

"I know his academic qualifications are higher than me, but I cannot swallow this!"

"Mn&h.e.l.lip;I am in no position to say this to you~ After all, I too quit my job back then because the editor-in-chief was unpleasant, but I should still tell you one cruel fact. These things that you spoke of, whichever company you go to, they will all have it. It isn"t something that can be solved by switching jobs."

"&h.e.l.lip;Why is life so difficult. How about I be my own boss like you instead."

"Then you need to acc.u.mulate capital first. I also worked for several years before being able to quit. We"re here; it"s this place." Xia Wei said this as she brushed her key against the guarded entrance, pus.h.i.+ng open the door to building 3. She let Xia Ming Ming to enter first .

"Press the elevator b.u.t.ton." Xia Wei lifted her chin slightly, pointing Xia Ming Ming in the direction of the elevator. She was carrying a heavy bag. Inside were local specialties Xia Ming Ming had brought for her from D City. Possibly because she was walking in a hurried fas.h.i.+on, her heels were unsteady, causing her to stumble for a moment. Although she didn"t fall, many oranges rolled out of the bag in her hands.

"Aaaahhhh don"t run away!" Xia Wei mumbled to herself as she chased after the fruit. Upon seeing this, Xia Ming Ming also wanted to help her. Just as he turned around, he heard the elevator ding as it came up from the underground garage.

"Troubling you to wait a moment!" Xia Wei quickly gathered an orange by her foot, not turning to the elevator to see who was inside. Jiang Zhi Zhou stared at Xia Wei and Xia Ming Ming through the opened doors, brows slightly furrowed. He usually returned home for lunch during noon, and, after resting for awhile, he would leave for Tian Xia Restaurant at 3:00PM. He hadn"t expected to run into Miss Xia from upstairs today when he came back home. He had also never seen the boy pulling luggage behind him.

He raised his hand and pressed the b.u.t.ton to close the doors.

The elevator doors nearly closed only for Xia Wei to reach out and stop it. At first she was a bit angry at the man inside for not waiting, but when she discovered that it was Mr. Jiang from downstairs, she immediately understood. "What do you mean by this? Deliberately closing the doors when you saw us outside?"

Jiang Zhi Zhou ignored her questions and gaze, his expression unchanged as he stood there. Xia Wei clicked her tongue and didn"t pay attention to him anymore. Xia Ming Ming followed her into the elevator, picking up two oranges and placing them back into the bag on the way.

He lifted his head to glance at Jiang Zhi Zhou. This guy had definitely seen them just now. Everyone was neighbors, so why was he unwilling to wait for them for this little bit? It seemed that what Xia Wei jie1 said was right. This type of weirdo could be encountered anywhere!

Jiang Zhi Zhou seamlessly s.h.i.+fted his gaze to him. This person was absolutely not the person he had seen last time in the neighborhood garden. How long had that guy lasted? She switched boyfriends again? Not only that, they very clearly intended to live together.

He had no choice but to say that this Miss Xia"s tastes were very fickle. The boy before his eyes right now still had a young and inexperienced cloak he had yet to shed&h.e.l.lip; Was it popular amongst women to try and find boyfriends younger than them?

"Sis, the elevators at your place are all very advanced!" Silly Siberian roe deer2 Student Xia Ming Ming suddenly gasped in excitement.

Xia Wei: "&h.e.l.lip;"

She really wanted to roast him for acting like a little kid in the city; was there a need to feel so amazed like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View gardens? Yet, the words had yet to leave her mouth when she heard Mr. Jiang, who had been as quiet as a chicken the entire time, say, "So he"s actually your younger brother?"

Xia Wei raised the tip of her brow slightly and planned to tell him that it was none of his G.o.dd.a.m.n business. A lightbulb sparked in her mind all of a sudden, though. She felt the two words "so" and "actually" had a subtle undertone to them.

She recalled that time when she and her ex-boyfriend had been together. They had run into him twice, and now her younger brother was carrying luggage&h.e.l.lip; She finally seemed to understand why this Mr. Jiang had always disliked her.

But! What did this have to do with him?!

Xia Wei was immediately incensed. She guffawed and asked instead, "Otherwise, what are you thinking of Dirty!"

Luckily, the elevator just came to a halt at this moment. She walked out past the others waiting outside, carrying the bag of local specialities. Xia Ming Ming turned his head to glance at Jiang Zhi Zhou and copied Xia Wei, a scolding lilt to his remark. "Dirty!" He then chased after her.

Jiang Zhi Zhou: "&h.e.l.lip;"

An aura of fury surrounded Xia Wei as she walked several paces. She suddenly came to a stop. Xia Ming Ming nearly b.u.mped into her, though he fortunately stopped in time. "Why did you stop?"

"&h.e.l.lip;Because I realized we hadn"t reached our floor yet."

Xia Ming Ming: "&h.e.l.lip;"

This sister-brother pair once again walked back to the elevator and waited for it to come up. After finally arriving at Twiggy"s apartment, Xia Ming Ming naturally couldn"t help but gasp in admiration again. "Wow! Twiggy jie deserves to be named "Ms. Perfect"3 for letting us stay here. This apartment is enormous!"

Xia Wei warned him, "You can call her Twiggy or Twiggy meimei4, but you absolutely cannot add jie."

Xia Ming Ming accepted the admonition without any resistance, correcting himself. "Twiggy meimei."

"Clever child." Xia Wei nodded, leading him to the side. "You can stay in this room. Make sure to keep it clean; don"t leave the room too messy."

"Don"t worry, I have always been a young model for cleanliness as a child!"

"&h.e.l.lip;" Xia Wei rolled her eyes at him and prepared to call for takeout.

Xia Ming Ming dragged his suitcase to the side and curiously asked her, "Who was that man inside the elevator just now? He seems to be hard to get along with."

Xia Wei stamped her feet twice. "Mr. Jiang from downstairs."

Xia Ming Ming widened his eyes in amazement. "He lives downstairs of us?"

"Mn, I truly feel sorry for Twiggy for buying an apartment right above him."

"&h.e.l.lip;" But the person currently living here is you! The person you should feel sorry for is yourself. "Twiggy jie—oh, I meant Twiggy mei has the financial power to buy this apartment; what do you have to feel sorry for her."

Xia Wei: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Very good lad, you don"t have a share of today"s lunch.

Considering that aunt-in-law had given her so many local specialities, she still ordered takeout for Xia Ming Ming as well. In the evening, she also treated him to barbecue. Before dusk, Xia Ming Ming carried his laptop to the living room to print copies of his CV. Xia Wei happened to glance at it and asked him, "Have you received an interview notice?"

"One, it"s tomorrow morning. I applied to several places though to be safe."

"Mn, makes sense." Xia Wei stood there thinking for a moment. She had eaten a bit too much barbeque today. She might as well&h.e.l.lip;dance for a while and make a racket for Mr. Jiang downstairs.

Seeing Xia Wei suddenly begin to awkwardly move, Xia Ming Ming frowned. "Why do you wear slippers to dance?"

Xia Wei replied, "Because this way makes more noise."

Xia Ming Ming: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Although Mr. Jiang downstairs was a bit of a weirdo, she shouldn"t act so petty.

In this neighborhood, why was it necessary to harm each other like this.

Jiang Zhi Zhou once again heard pa—ta— sounds coming from upstairs and wanted to report her to the police. After he picked up his telephone, however, he hesitated for a second, replacing the receiver in the end. Gazing upward at the ceiling for a few seconds, he put on headphones and began listening to music.

The next day, he left fifteen minutes earlier. When he saw that the elevator was coming from the 19th floor, his lips imperceptibly downturned.

It couldn"t be such a coincidence, right?

After the elevator door opened, the one standing inside was not Miss Xia upstairs but her younger brother. Jiang Zhi Zhou paused and then walked inside nevertheless.

Xia Ming Ming caught sight of him, his eyes flas.h.i.+ng slightly. He smiled and greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Zhi Zhou stared blankly at him but also greeted him. "Good morning."

Xia Ming Ming was still beaming. "My name is Xia Ming Ming. I came from D City to find a job and am staying with my older sister for the time being."

"Mn&h.e.l.lip;" This was the first time Jiang Zhi Zhou had met such a mature person whose smile was also very dazzling. "Have you found a job?"

"I"m currently heading to an interview!"

Oh, no wonder he"s wearing formal attire compared to yesterday. "Which company?"

"Starlight General Merchandise"s main branch. I hope I get hired!"

Jiang Zhi Zhou thought for a moment before saying to him, "I just happen to be heading that way. How about I give you a ride?"

Xia Ming Ming was pleased beyond expectations. "Really?"

"Mn&h.e.l.lip;consider it an apology for yesterday."

"Haha, you don"t need to take that to heart. My older sister was also disturbing you last night anyway."

Jiang Zhi Zhou: "&h.e.l.lip;"

So she really did that deliberately?

Xia Ming Ming followed Jiang Zhi Zhou to the underground parking lot and caught sight of the orange cat beside Jiang Zhi Zhou"s car. He asked in surprise, "You feed this orange cat?"

"Mn, it waits here every morning and afternoon for me here. Don"t come too close. It might scratch you so be careful."

"Oh!" A street cat"s wariness was quite severe. Xia Ming Ming promptly retreated back two steps. Jiang Zhi Zhou took out cat food from his car. Xia Ming Ming asked upon seeing him feed the cat, "Do you return in the afternoon just to feed the cat?"

"My workplace isn"t that far from here, so I return at noon to rest. On the days where I don"t leave, I come down here at the usual time to feed it."

"Wow, you"re really nice to it."

Jiang Zhi Zhou commented, "Cats are very simple creatures. They aren"t like humans. Humans will turn around and leave after waiting for a while if you don"t come. Cats, on the other hand, will continue waiting there for you."

Author"s Note:

Expressing thanks to sponsors

Jie = older sister suffix ↩ When startled, the white hair on its tail fluffs up. Its whole bottom becomes completely white as it contemplates on whether it should flee. Aka it"s foolish because it stops to look around instead of reacting ↩ I.e. fair-skinned, rich and beautiful (internet slang) ↩ Meimei = younger sister/younger woman ↩