After Lin Hao left, his landlady, Mei Ling, was having doubts about her very existence.
"How could Lin Hao have bought such an expensive apartment?" she thought.
She was very well aware of the prices of apartments at Greenland International.
Even the least expensive one was priced at a whopping 100 million RMB.
She began to suspect that Lin Hao might have done something bad to earn so much money — after all, even the down payment for those apartments was around 20 million RMB.
Anxiety rose in her heart. She had always considered Lin Hao as her potential future son-in-law.
If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have even bothered to give it a second thought — but it was Lin Hao.
Thinking this, she decided that when her daughter returned after graduating from her foreign university, she would ask her to spend some time with Lin Hao to see if he was doing something illegal.
If he was, she would strongly advise him to stop immediately and come back to live with them.
At that time, she also planned to ask him to finally become her sweet son-in-law.
> (Author's note: Weird, right? Even I don't know why she's thinking this way… awkward expression)
Thinking this, she called her daughter.
---
Beep. Beep. Beep.
A gorgeous young lady picked up the mobile phone from the table and answered it.
Her name was Xu Jingyi, the daughter of Mei Ling.
She was in her early twenties, with long, straight black hair that reached a little below her shoulders.
Her eyes were dark brown, calm and observant, framed by soft, naturally arched eyebrows that matched her gentle expression.
Her skin was fair and clear, her face oval-shaped with delicate features — a small straight nose and naturally pink lips.
Her figure was well-proportioned and healthy, neither overly slim nor heavy, showing that she maintained herself well.
She carried a quiet confidence; her beauty wasn't showy or exaggerated, but simple, graceful, and neat — the kind that stayed in a person's mind after meeting her once.
A woman's voice came from the other side of the phone.
"Hello, dear."
Xu Jingyi smiled. "Hey, Mom! How have you been?"
"Yes, this beautiful young woman was none other than Lin Hao's landlady's daughter."
"I'm doing great! What about you? Have you been eating well?" Mei Ling asked warmly.
"I'm fine, Mom. I'm a grown-up now — I can take care of myself. You don't have to worry so much."
"Yeah, yeah, I know that! But you'll always be a child to me," Mei Ling chuckled softly.
Her daughter smiled shyly. "How's everything going over there, Mom?"
"There's something I need to tell you," Mei Ling said, already knowing what her daughter really meant.
> "She's asking about that boy, Lin Hao, again," Mei Ling thought happily.
It wasn't just because Lin Hao was a good person that she liked him so much.
He had saved her life more than once.
---
When Xu Jingyi first entered university, she once went to a gathering organized by the class president.
It was a big party with many students attending.
But the class president had a different plan — his real goal was to take advantage of her.
As the night went on, he and his friends made her drink more than she could handle.
By the time the party ended, she was so drunk she couldn't even walk.
One of the class president's female friends offered to "take her home" and said she wanted to talk a bit longer.
But that was just part of the trap.
That girl secretly hated Xu Jingyi, jealous of her looks and popularity — even the boy she liked often praised Xu Jingyi's beauty.
And since the class president paid her well, she agreed to help.
It was her way of getting revenge and money at the same time.
When the class president got close to Xu Jingyi and began tearing her clothes, she screamed and struggled, but she was too drunk to resist.
At that very moment, Lin Hao happened to come into the karaoke room and saw what was happening.
He immediately understood the situation.
Without hesitation, he kicked the class president and that scheming girl away.
A fight broke out. Even though Lin Hao had also drunk a little, he still managed to defeat the class president quickly.
Afterward, he helped the terrified Xu Jingyi, giving her his jacket to cover herself.
After asking where she lived, he drove her home on his electric scooter.
When he arrived at Mei Ling's house, she initially thought Lin Hao had done something to her daughter, seeing her disheveled state.
But Lin Hao explained everything.
Mei Ling was hesitant at first, but after hearing Xu Jingyi's clear explanation, she chose to believe him.
At that time, Lin Hao worked as a waiter at the restaurant where the party had been held — that's how he had appeared there in the first place.
However, because he had fought with the class president — whose father had powerful connections — Lin Hao was fired from his job soon after.
The class president didn't face any punishment due to a "lack of evidence," but Mei Ling and Xu Jingyi were deeply grateful to Lin Hao.
After learning that he had been fired and had nowhere to go, Mei Ling offered him a place to stay — their other apartment downstairs, free of charge.
But Lin Hao insisted on paying rent, saying he didn't want to take advantage of anyone's kindness.
And that was how their landlord-tenant relationship began, which later turned into genuine friendship.
Whenever Xu Jingyi returned to China, she would always spend some time with Lin Hao.
But Lin Hao, being loyal to his girlfriend, never paid attention to her romantically.
So, Xu Jingyi's love for him remained one-sided and unconfessed.
Lin Hao, being completely clueless in such matters, never realized her feelings for him.
---
"What is it, Mom?" Xu Jingyi asked seriously.
"I'd better talk to you about this when you get here," Mei Ling said firmly.
"Can't you tell me now?" Xu Jingyi pressed.
"It's a bit serious," Mei Ling replied. "So, I'll tell you when you arrive. Got it?"
"…Okay," Xu Jingyi said softly.
---
Meanwhile, Lin Hao was…