At 4 a.m., at Lin City’s high-speed rail station, Xia An’ge walked out of the station with a guitar on her back and a suitcase in tow. The te-night station was mostly empty, except for a few weary travelers and a handful of taxi drivers hoping to pick up passengers.

  She hailed a cab, loaded her luggage, and gave the driver an address.

  The driver, a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a slightly chubby frame, was surprised to see a young girl traveling so te at night. He sighed and said, “Young dy, traveling at this hour isn’t a good idea. Sure, the city is safe now, but te at night, it’s still best to stay home and rest.”

  Wearing a mask, Xia An’ge simply pursed her lips and softly replied, “Mm.”

  The driver chuckled but said nothing more, focusing on driving. He couldn’t help but feel that young people these days were pushing themselves too hard.

  By 5 a.m., after an hour-long ride, they arrived at Xia An’ge’s apartment building. She paid the fare, and the driver drove off.

  Looking up at the old-style apartment, she felt a sense of warmth. She had spent all her savings to buy this pce st year. At the time, she thought it would be a cozy spot to stay whenever she had the time, a pce that felt like home—not luxurious, just comfortable. But in the end, she had never actually stayed here before. Now, under these circumstances, she finally had a reason to come.

  Her apartment was on the sixth floor. Dragging her suitcase, she entered the building. The security guard at the entrance was sound asleep.

  She made it inside without any obstacles, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for her floor. Only then did she remove her mask and exhale deeply. Her bright, lively peach blossom eyes regained their sparkle. She was looking forward to the next three months of peace and solitude.

  On the sixth floor, she walked past a row of apartment doors. The building’s hallway was open-air, simir to a school dormitory yout, where every unit faced the sunrise.

  Stopping at unit 606, she crouched down and rummaged through the side pocket of her guitar case for the key. She had pced it there when she first bought the apartment. The guitar, bought with money she earned from working part-time, was one of her most treasured possessions.

  She inserted the key into the lock and turned it.

  Click.

  A faint sound marked the beginning of her new life.

  Stepping inside, she pulled her suitcase and guitar in, then reached for the light switch. The apartment was surprisingly clean, but she had no time to admire it. There was only one thing on her mind—she needed to use the bathroom.

  Like the driver had said, traveling at this hour was a first for her. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t scared, but she had endured it all this time. Now that she was finally safe, her body was catching up to her needs.

  After closing the door behind her, she immediately made her way to the bathroom.

  What she didn’t know was that, from the moment she entered, a pair of dark eyes in the secondary bedroom had snapped open.

  Gu Zhinan was a light sleeper. The moment he heard the door open and the sound of something being dragged across the floor, he woke up instantly.

  Shit. A burgr?

  He was certain he had locked the doors properly. How the hell did a thief break in so easily?

  That didn’t seem right.

  There were no weapons in his room, so he wrapped his hand in a piece of clothing and crouched by the door, listening carefully. When he heard the bathroom door close, he was sure—the intruder had gone inside.

  He could tell by the distinct sound of the door scraping the floor.

  “What the hell? The thief decided to take a bathroom break?” he muttered.

  He wanted to call the police, but what if the thief came out before he could? He decided to act first. Quietly opening his door, he crouched low and crept toward the bathroom entrance.

  As soon as the thief stepped out, he would strike!

  But then a terrifying thought hit him—what if this person had a weapon?

  Crap. He had been too hasty!

  Click.

  Before he could think any further, the bathroom door opened.

  No time to hesitate. He had to attack first!

  Like a tiger pouncing on a mb.

  Xia An’ge barely had time to react before a tall man tackled her to the ground. He pinned her down, holding her wrists firmly so she couldn’t move.

  Her lively peach blossom eyes widened in shock.

  “Ahhh!”

  Gu Zhinan had not expected the intruder to be an incredibly beautiful young woman. Under the dim light, her delicate face and misty, alluring eyes made him freeze for a moment.

  Xia An’ge took advantage of his brief hesitation. She shoved him away with all her strength, scrambled to her feet, and bolted.

  But in her panic, she banged her shin against the corner of the sofa and fell again. Before she could get up, Gu Zhinan was already in front of her.

  She clenched her teeth against the pain, her tear-filled eyes gring at him.

  “D-Don’t come any closer!”

  Gu Zhinan was momentarily taken aback. Why did her trembling voice sound… so nice?

  Wait. What did she mean, “Don’t come any closer”?

  Excuse me? You’re the intruder here!

  “Who are you?” he asked, taking a cautious step back. Now that he got a better look at her, he realized—she was really pretty. Her skin was smooth like jade, and those misty eyes could stir up trouble.

  “This… this is my house,” Xia An’ge forced out. The pain in her leg and the fear in her heart were overwhelming, but she bit her lip, trying to appear calm. Her shaky voice, however, betrayed her.

  “Your house?” Gu Zhinan was confused.

  Then, as if a switch flipped in his brain, his eyes widened.

  Wait a minute.

  Xia An’ge saw his expression change and instinctively shrank back, thinking he was about to attack again. But instead, he said in surprise:

  “You’re the tenant for the master bedroom?”

  “Tenant?”

  “What, if you’re not the tenant, are you the ndlord?”

  In his words, something clicked in Xia An’ge’s mind. She had completely forgotten—two months ago, she had asked Ruan Ying to rent this pce out for her!

  Originally, she had pnned to keep the apartment to herself. But her savings had run dry, and every month, she donated a sum of money to the orphanage she grew up in. She had decided to rent it out just to ease her financial burden a little.

  She smacked her forehead in frustration, only to wince in pain—she had hit her palm when she fell, too!

  Thinking back, she was sure she had locked the door after coming in. Which meant… the man in front of her was probably the tenant.

  Struggling to stand, she winced as pain fred from her hand, leg, and backside. Sniffling slightly, she spoke softly.

  “I’m the ndlord.”