Chapter 98: Wu You and Wang Anjian
Qin Yi rubbed the bridge of her nose between her eyes with her right hand, looking troubled as if trying to relieve tension.
"This is the first time I've encountered such a situation."
"Even accounting for different ethnicities having different beauty standards, unless he's blind, how could he not find me attractive?"
"There are several possibilities why he refused my gift."
"First, he's gay and completely uninterested in women."
"Second, he's not an ordinary person - his self-control and wariness of strangers are extreme. Could he be a special agent? A spy? Or perhaps one of those detectives often seen in novels?"
Qin Kelian giggled: "There's another possibility!"
When Qin Yi asked what, Qin Kelian suggested that perhaps Mike simply wasn't attracted to her sister's type, but might prefer someone like herself.
Of course, Qin Kelian was just joking around.
Qin Yi shook her head with a faint smile. "Forget it. Ever since meeting Jiang Ran, nothing has gone smoothly for us."
Qin Kelian nodded in agreement: "True. Before him, we sisters never missed our mark. But now..."
Meanwhile, in the live stream room:
Middle-aged Uncle: [Though I didn't bet on Mike, I must admit this American detective ranked 10th nationally is truly impressive, actually resisting the Demoness Sisters' charms!]
Domineering Female CEO: [Actually it makes sense. Even as a woman, I find Qin Yi breathtakingly beautiful! But if Mike had fallen so easily, that would've made his national 10th ranking seem completely unearned!!!]
Ultimate Rich Kid: [Detectives really have it tough, resisting feminine charms and all. If I became a detective, I'd probably get fired immediately.]
Back on the rooftop:
Mike remained at his observation post, using binoculars to monitor the situation near the security guard booth at the main entrance.
Suddenly, he noticed two sedans arriving at the gate.
After stopping, one young man emerged from each vehicle. Both went to their trunks to retrieve suitcases before entering the main gate.
Mike observed that both appeared to be around 20 years old.
One was thin with a perpetually weary, worried expression.
The other seemed much more energetic, with a warm smile constantly playing on his lips.
"Are these two also residents? Their clothing looks ordinary, no designer brands - could they really afford this apartment?"
Having researched Alice Apartment's prices at 50,000 per square meter, and knowing China's income levels, Mike understood only wealthy individuals could afford living here.
Though curious about these seemingly out-of-place young men, Mike remained impassive, simply committing their appearances to memory.
Meanwhile, on the first floor:
Jiang Ran was discussing tonight's welcome party with Manager Xiao Zhang.
The welcome party would follow the usual format - Xiao Zhang would give a short speech, new residents would introduce themselves, followed by cake.
Currently, they were debating the cake situation.
Having received numerous complaints from residents tired of the same cake routine at every welcome party, Xiao Zhang wanted to change things up but wasn't sure what to do instead, hence consulting Jiang Ran.
Though Jiang Ran had only attended two welcome parties, even he could tell longtime residents were thoroughly sick of cake.
After some thought, he suggested barbecue skewers or fried snacks - or perhaps both.
Manager Xiao Zhang immediately loved the idea.
The only question was whether to order pre-made food from a restaurant or buy raw ingredients to grill themselves.
Just then, the two young men Mike had observed entered through the automatic glass doors with their suitcases.
Manager Xiao Zhang, mid-conversation with Jiang Ran, immediately went to greet them with a smile while Jiang Ran stood by observing.
From Xiao Zhang's subsequent introduction, Jiang Ran learned these were the new residents.
Xiao Zhang's spiel was nearly identical to what Jiang Ran had heard during his own first meeting, concluding with the standard reminder about the 7pm welcome party.
Observing the interactions, Jiang Ran noticed Wu You seemed disinterested in Xiao Zhang's chatter, standing silently without engaging, while Wang Anjian chatted and laughed easily.
Finally, Jiang Ran and Xiao Zhang escorted both to the elevator.
Inside the elevator:
Wu You stood motionless, gripping his suitcase handle tightly with a vacant stare.
His mind was filled with images of his emaciated father lying in a hospital bed and the crushing medical bills.
Suddenly, Wang Anjian beside him spoke up: "What a coincidence! On the road, my car was following yours the whole time. I thought we were just going the same way, never imagined we'd have the exact same destination."
Wu You glanced at Wang Anjian and gave a noncommittal grunt.
Undeterred by Wu You's lack of enthusiasm, Wang Anjian continued cheerfully: "What's wrong? You look so gloomy."
Wu You didn't respond, just stared blankly downward.
Wang Anjian laughed: "In life, you've got to keep smiling. Things are hard enough already - being miserable won't change anything."
He patted Wu You's shoulder: "Buddy, I can tell you're going through something. But look at me - I've got terminal cancer. Doctors say I won't last three months. Normally, shouldn't I be moping around crying every day? But no, I choose to stay positive and keep smiling. So you should smile more too."
At these words, Wu You's expression shifted - not to happiness, but to confusion and disbelief.
This Wang Anjian struck him as incredibly strange.
They'd just met today - complete strangers - yet he was spouting all this encouragement?
If they'd been old friends or classmates, maybe. But they weren't.
As for Wang Anjian's claim of having terminal cancer?
Wu You frankly didn't believe it. The man looked perfectly healthy.
Even less believable was someone with months to live remaining so cheerful and optimistic.
He knew firsthand - his father was the one with cancer, not even himself. Yet he'd dropped from 150 pounds to 120, constantly drowning in grief and worry.
Clearly this guy was lying through his teeth.
Still, for the stranger's attempted kindness, Wu You managed a quiet:
"Thanks."