Chapter 11: Sigh! Rent & Capitalism

The car moved forward with difficulty before finally stopping in front of a run-down apartment building.

The building wasn’t tall. Only the lights on the third floor were on, glowing through the thick fog and drizzle like the eyes of some beast.

When the trunk opened, Le Mans stared blankly at the stack of books inside.

It clearly hadn’t occurred to him that this many books needed to be carried upstairs. In his daily life, once something was bought, it was simply expected to appear where it belonged.

Lin Zhiyan rolled up her sleeves, only for Le Mans to immediately grab her wrist.

Lifting his chin proudly, he said, “I’ll do it.”

Lin Zhiyan replied, “I don’t doubt your body. I doubt your abilities.”

Le Mans was tall and lean. Though not especially bulky, it was obvious he exercised regularly and had muscle. But she absolutely did not believe he knew how to do physical labor—especially carrying books.

She did not want her textbooks smashed before classes even began.

“I said I’ll do it.” Le Mans sounded displeased. He pushed his damp red hair back and bent down, hefting up a large stack of books in one go.

But the moment he straightened up, he yelped.

“Why are they so heavy?!”

Clearly, he’d forgotten that not everything was like gym equipment, evenly balanced and easy to grip.

Lin Zhiyan saw him wobble immediately and shot out a hand to press down on his head, stopping him from moving.

Hey, don’t ruin her books. She still wanted to resell them secondhand later!

Le Mans froze.

His arms were still full of books while she held his head in place. His green eyes widened like headlights.

His lips moved slightly as he muttered, “What are you doing? I’m carrying stuff!”

Lin Zhiyan squished his face with one hand and said seriously, “Put them down. I’m worried.”

Le Mans’ brows twitched.

“My body’s perfectly healthy.”

Your body can be treated with your money. Her books can’t.

“No matter how healthy, no.” Lin Zhiyan released him. “Put them down. I’ll go get a luggage bag.”

Le Mans stared at her retreating hand. He suddenly wanted to smile, but his ears also felt hot.

Still, he put the books back into the trunk.

“Fine, fine, fine. I’ll listen to you, okay?” he muttered.

Lin Zhiyan quickly returned upstairs and dug out a large travel bag. Then she went back down, and together they stuffed the books into it, each carrying one side as they climbed the stairs.

The staircase was steep and poorly lit. Graffiti covered the walls on both sides.

Le Mans was taller, so naturally the bag sat higher on his side, forcing Lin Zhiyan to lift her end higher to keep balance.

After two steps, Le Mans noticed this too.

Then, with obvious bad intentions, he deliberately lifted his side even higher, watching her curiously as she struggled to raise hers in response.

He tried it again.

This time she caught him immediately.

Lin Zhiyan frowned deeply, tilting her head up and narrowing her eyes at him in silence.

Le Mans felt slightly guilty… and also kind of amused.

She usually wore a smile, her gaze calm. Even when sarcasm appeared on her face, it was always faint, as though nothing could truly stir her emotions.

But now she looked a little sulky.

It unexpectedly gave her a youthful, childish air.

Le Mans pressed his lips together.

“I didn’t notice,” he said.

Lin Zhiyan looked away. “You did it on purpose.”

“But didn’t I lower it again afterward?” Le Mans finally couldn’t help laughing. His damp red hair clung to his cheeks, making his smile even brighter. Then he deliberately changed the topic. “Still… aren’t you scared? This place is really creepy.”

“I’ve lived here for decades. Why would I be scared?” Lin Zhiyan’s voice drifted lightly through the stairwell, eerie in the echo. “The person who would’ve been scared died long ago…”

Le Mans blinked and immediately turned toward her.

Lin Zhiyan’s face was hidden within the dimness. Her eyes were unnaturally wide, empty of light, like some ghostly apparition.

Le Mans instantly turned pale.

Then Lin Zhiyan’s eyes curved as she burst out laughing.

Le Mans: “…”

Realizing she’d tricked him, he shouted, “Why would you scare me like that?!”

“You’re allowed to tease me, but I can’t tease you back?” Lin Zhiyan smiled while looking ahead. “Besides, are you really that afraid of ghosts? Ghosts don’t exist.”

“I’ve realized you can actually be really annoying sometimes,” Le Mans muttered before stubbornly adding, “How do you know they don’t exist if you’ve never seen one?”

Lin Zhiyan laughed again.

This time the smile carried faint mockery.

Strangely, Le Mans caught that emotion clearly. Just as he was wondering about it, she met his eyes and spoke softly.

“If ghosts really existed, why wouldn’t they go after the people they hated, instead of harmless people like us? What, do people flatter the powerful while alive, and even as ghosts only bully the weaker ones?”

For a moment, something about those words made him uncomfortable.

He didn’t understand why.

He only felt his heart sink slightly.

Before he could think further, however, they’d already reached her door.

Lin Zhiyan dropped the bag, raised both arms high, then slowly slid down the door with her face pressed against it, as if melting into a puddle.

For some reason, Le Mans found it adorable.

Every other thought vanished.

He grabbed the back of her collar with visible disgust.

“Don’t you think that’s dirty?”

Lin Zhiyan squished her face against the door and replied solemnly, “When you were covered in wood chips earlier, I didn’t call you dirty.”

“That’s completely different!” Le Mans exploded, then couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Besides, you were having fun chopping too.”

He remembered how she’d looked that afternoon—hair flying wildly, face drenched in sweat.

“All right, sit down for a bit.” Lin Zhiyan opened the door and shoved him inside. “When you wash up later, leave your clothes outside the bathroom door. I’ll dry them for you.”

“Dry them?” Le Mans widened his eyes. “You don’t have a dryer?”

Sometimes Lin Zhiyan really wanted to crack open Le Mans’ skull and see if there was anything inside.

But illegal mystery-box opening was inadvisable.

So she merely raised an eyebrow.

Meanwhile, Le Mans finally realized he’d said something wrong—because he’d now properly seen where she lived.

The cramped room was stuffed with the few pieces of furniture it contained. The lighting was dim. There was no kitchen or living room. The bed was squeezed against the wall, while an old sofa and table occupied the center.

Le Mans paused before looking toward her.

“You…”

He didn’t continue, but the shock and disgust on his face were nearly impossible to hide.

Lin Zhiyan was very satisfied.

Still, she only lowered her eyes softly.

“I’ll go find some clothes you can wear.”

She was poor in the most obvious possible way. Even someone as dense as him should understand what he was supposed to do now.

If he still didn’t understand, then she had no solutions left.

Le Mans closed the door behind him, brows furrowed and lips slightly parted, looking like a runway model who’d accidentally wandered into a wet market.

He walked carefully and elegantly, holding his hands slightly raised as if afraid poverty itself might contaminate his designer clothes.

Lin Zhiyan found it increasingly hilarious.

As she rummaged through her worn wardrobe, she suddenly heard a voice beside her.

“Your clothes are all ugly.”

Lin Zhiyan jumped.

Turning around, she realized Le Mans had silently appeared beside her.

Arms folded, he leaned down with a critical expression.

“They’re old and tacky.”

Lin Zhiyan paused.

“You’ll be wearing one of these old and tacky outfits later.”

“No thanks.” Le Mans replied immediately. “The car has drying equipment. Just take my clothes there.”

Then he looked at her again.

“If you work properly for me, I don’t mind buying you better clothes as part of your salary.”

Why don’t you just transfer money directly? Do you Celestial Dragons think sending money is low-class or something? Why are you all obsessed with giving physical objects instead?

Lin Zhiyan felt despair.

Fortunately, after speaking, Le Mans himself seemed embarrassed and fled into the bathroom.

But once inside, several shocked exclamations drifted faintly out.

The young master’s astonishment said more than any words could.

Lin Zhiyan took a deep breath and walked to the bathroom door.

“What’s wrong?”

“What is this? Trash?”

Le Mans pointed at half a plastic water bottle attached to the wall.

“That’s my toothbrush holder and cup,” Lin Zhiyan explained quickly, afraid he’d somehow offend her into snapping. She began introducing everything one by one.

“This is a soap dish made from another water bottle. This bottle contains combined shampoo and body wash—I squeezed sample packets into it. You turn the water heater here. The water won’t get too hot because I want to save electricity. This faucet leaks, so the bucket catches water for daily use.”

After finishing her explanation in one breath, she looked up to find Le Mans’ expression progressing from shock… to helplessness… to something deeply complicated in his green eyes.

Good.

That expression felt exactly right.

Now it was time to farm gold coins.

Lin Zhiyan smiled, deliberately softening her gaze until it looked almost moist.

“All right, hurry and shower. It’s getting late.”

Le Mans said nothing.

He only nodded.

Lin Zhiyan turned and left. Carefully, he placed his clothes into the basket outside the bathroom before closing the door and washing up.

The hot water really wasn’t hot.

Only slightly warm.

Since it was summer, the temperature was still refreshing enough.

But what about winter?

A vague confusion surfaced in Le Mans’ mind.

His mood had originally been excellent.

But now it felt as if a heavy stone pressed against his chest.

Cool water poured over his body, yet none of his burning confusion washed away. It felt like being dragged unexpectedly into an exam where he couldn’t understand a single question… while she had already finished her paper and left early.

After showering, he brought the basket inside.

His clothes had already been dried.

And atop them rested a small tube of ointment.

He picked it up and read the label.

Bruise treatment.

She hadn’t mentioned anything.

She’d simply left the ointment there quietly.

Outside the bathroom, the sound of running water came from the sink.

Her shadow moved faintly beyond the door, as if washing something.

“Lin Zhiyan!”

Le Mans suddenly called out through the door.

A few seconds later, she answered.

“What’s wrong? Are your clothes still damp?”

Le Mans paused before saying, “I thought it was a ghost.”

Lin Zhiyan burst out laughing.

“Even ghosts wouldn’t bother with you.”

After laughing, she turned off the faucet and walked away.

Le Mans watched her shadow flash past before disappearing.

The water stopped.

Silence filled the space.

And suddenly, his heart sank heavily.

He finally understood why he’d been feeling so upset.

He seemed to be… hurting for her.

Le Mans’ eyes slowly widened, like someone stunned senseless by torrential rain.

He hurriedly changed clothes and rushed out of the bathroom.

Lin Zhiyan was curled up on the sofa, biting the end of a pen while reading.

Hearing his footsteps, she looked up at him curiously.

“What? Did you really run into a ghost?”

Le Mans said nothing.

He only nodded forcefully.

Then he spoke quickly.

“No. Something came up. I’m leaving.”

Lin Zhiyan replied, “Be careful on the way back.”

Le Mans nodded furiously again, slammed the door shut, and disappeared down the hallway with hurried footsteps before the sound of a car engine started outside.

Lin Zhiyan leaned back and listened carefully to the noises outside. Her brows practically flew upward with amusement.

Brother, enjoy this custom-made ambiguity while it lasts.

Soon enough, your mother’s going to throw money at me.

And when that happens, I’ll absolutely accept it.

Lin Zhiyan grinned so hard it nearly reached the back of her head. Leaning against the sofa, she stared at the peeling ceiling paint as if staring directly at Lady Essera’s face.

There were many things money couldn’t buy—freedom, love, noble character.

Not because those things were precious.

But because people who possessed them would never auction them off. They would only choose the most suitable buyer.

Le Mans and his mother Essera were exactly the right buyers.

Thinking this, Lin Zhiyan climbed into bed, rolled around happily, and drifted into sweet sleep.

Meanwhile, Le Mans drove through the rain for a long time before finally returning home. Since he rarely used umbrellas, he’d gotten soaked again.

The servants quickly coordinated among themselves, bringing out rows of pajamas made from various luxurious fabrics for him to choose from. Bathwater was prepared at the perfect temperature, while beautiful wall lamps and chandeliers bathed the hallways in golden light.

Le Mans looked around as if seeing his home for the first time.

Everything made his head feel dizzy.

After washing again, he opened his terminal and saw several unread messages.

[Li Siheng: How did it go?]
[Li Siheng: Did she accept it?]

[Li Siheng: Even though I already said it this afternoon, I still want to apologize again. I was only afraid you’d look down on me. Even if you already know how useless I seem compared to Zephi, I still didn’t want to appear pathetic in front of you.]

Le Mans lowered his eyes and sighed slowly.

Earlier that afternoon, Li Siheng had apologized to him. To show sincerity, he’d even offered advice on how to clear up the misunderstanding with Lin Zhiyan.

And honestly… the advice had worked extremely well.

After several seconds of silence, Le Mans finally replied.

[Le Mans: She accepted it.]

[Le Mans: I still consider you my friend, but I really am angry. You practically encouraged all my misunderstandings about her. If you truly cared that much about grades, you could’ve just told me. There’s nothing I can’t forgive. Since I chose to convince my parents to accept the cooperation plan, then naturally I can accept the consequences too.]

Not long later, Li Siheng replied.

[Li Siheng: Mm. Sorry.]
[Li Siheng: How are your injuries?]

[Le Mans: The medical machine already healed them. I’m used to it.]

After typing that, Le Mans shut off the terminal.

He didn’t want to continue the conversation at all.

As a royal etiquette instructor, his mother’s standards for manners were nearly brutal. Since childhood, Le Mans—naturally rebellious and unable to tolerate restrictions—had constantly been whipped over etiquette issues.

He truly was almost used to it.

But being beaten this time in front of Lin Zhiyan—and even Li Siheng and Aiwen—still filled him with unbearable humiliation and anger.

Le Mans turned off the lights and rolled over to sleep.

But after a moment, he couldn’t help reaching beneath his pillow to pull out the ointment tube.

He touched it lightly, opened the cap, and smelled it.

Cool and minty.

Just like the so-called two-in-one body wash she used.

Le Mans pulled the blanket over his head and curled up tightly.

Outside, the night deepened while the rain gradually stopped.

Morning light finally chased away the darkness.

Sunlight appeared.

Lin Zhiyan had no classes that morning, so she slept until nine in one go.

She opened the luggage bag and began sorting through the books.

But midway through organizing them, she found a procurement receipt tucked between several volumes.

The receipt listed which bookstore each book came from, along with prices and delivery addresses.

At the bottom of the invoice was a signature:

Li Siheng.

And beneath that… his contact information.

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

No, seriously, Li Siheng, what the hell are you even trying to do?! Are you trying to sabotage me and get me killed, or are you trying to have some passionate affair-with-the-other-woman plotline with me? Can you just say it directly instead of being this bizarre?!

Lin Zhiyan’s disgust toward Li Siheng reached its peak.

Even so, she still added him using the contact info.

Bzzz—

Her terminal vibrated.

At that exact moment, both men sitting in the reception room looked toward him.

Jiang Yi leaned back against the sofa, long legs crossed, dark eyes filled with scrutiny.

Beside him sat Zephi. Beneath his pale gray hair, his beautiful face still carried a smile, though no amusement existed within his icy gray eyes.

Li Siheng paused a few seconds.

“Forgot to mute it. Sorry.”

“Please forgive him.” Zephi sighed lightly. “Siheng’s academic workload is heavy, so naturally he’s always worried about school notifications. You know how strict the Joint Military Government Academy is with its students.”

“I thought your Finance Faculty was already easy enough considering all you need to learn is inheritance, isn’t that right?” Jiang Yi stood, expression cold. “Though it doesn’t matter. I’m not interested in continuing this conversation anyway. I have no interest in cooperating with Solent.”

“Whether or not you support our investment into side-chain development, I still think you should reconsider the Solent and Li families’ support for the royal family.” Zephi also stood, perfectly composed. “We fully support separating the military from cabinet oversight.”

Jiang Yi raised a brow, lips curling mockingly.

“Zephi, do you think you’re clever?”

“Even your finance students split into countless factions. Why do you think the military would cooperate with you? Just because you brought along the education minister’s son?”

His voice remained lazy.

“You want me to help you expand private school authority? What exactly are you thinking? You’d have better luck kneeling and begging me to find politicians willing to reduce inheritance taxes for you.”

Zephi’s expression shifted slightly.

His pale gray eyes narrowed.

“Don’t speak too absolutely.”

“This isn’t school anymore.” Jiang Yi suddenly seemed to remember something. Looking toward Li Siheng, he spoke casually. “Coincidentally, I’m heading to the school administration office now. Want me to give this… academically overworked younger brother a ride?”

Li Siheng said nothing.

Zephi’s expression darkened too.

Jiang Yi seemed very satisfied.

Smiling faintly, he turned and left, his military cloak billowing behind him.

Zephi watched his back before finally closing his eyes and turning toward Li Siheng.

Li Siheng was nearly the same height as him, standing silently.

Zephi slowly pulled on a pair of white gloves with golden trim before suddenly grabbing Li Siheng by the hair.

His gray eyes remained emotionless.

“Scheming in the shadows like a sewer rat, always playing petty tricks. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice your little schemes?”

He yanked his hair hard.

“You’d better keep Le Mans firmly tied to your side and successfully secure an internship with either the royal family or cabinet after the semester ends.”

After saying that, he released him and turned away.

Li Siheng raised his eyes slightly, lips moving.

Zephi glanced back.

“What? Unhappy?”

Something flickered through Li Siheng’s gaze.

But in the end, he lowered his head again.

“Luvisi chose one of your courses,” Zephi said coldly. “Build connections with him. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Then he left for real this time.

Without turning back.

Bzzz—

The terminal vibrated continuously.

[Li Siheng accepted your friend request.]

[Li Siheng: I deliberately left the contact information.]
[Li Siheng: I wanted to tell you through this that I’ll help you and Le Mans.]
[Li Siheng: Consider it compensation for my earlier arrogance.]

[Ringstar Joint Military Government Academy Notice: Your school apartment has been assigned. All fees have been fully paid. Please come to the administration office immediately for registration.]

[Central District Resident System Notice: Ownership of your current residence at XXXXX has changed. The new property owner is: Le Mans Kret Lanner. Due to tenant protection regulations, you may continue residing there under the original lease agreement.]

After organizing the books, Lin Zhiyan stared at the messages with violently shaking pupils.

Wait.

She genuinely couldn’t tell whether she should be more shocked by Li Siheng’s messages… the sudden school apartment… or the fact that Le Mans had casually bought the place she lived in.

Before her brain could recover, two more messages arrived.

[Le Mans: I woke up. I’ve thought it over. I think you’re very suitable for working for me.]

[Le Mans: So no matter what you receive, consider it advance salary. And if you try returning anything to me, I’ll just make you work all kinds of jobs for me anyway!]