Chapter 10 Nice Texture_1

"Motherfucker, what the hell is this?" Ye Long looked at his phone, seething with anger. If this person were in front of him, he would have beaten the crap out of him.

After just one phone call, Ye Long immediately ruled out the option of sharing a place. Even if it cost a bit more money, he wanted to live comfortably on his own!

After browsing for a while, it was clear that finding an apartment for 100 bucks was impossible!

In the end, Ye Long settled on an older residential complex. Although it wasn't as nice as the previous ones, it was still spacious with two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, furnished with medium-level decorations, and all for five hundred a month—it was a good deal!

But with only a hundred bucks left in his pocket, what was he to do?

"That damned old fart, how is one supposed to live like this!" Fuming, Ye Long took out his phone and dialed the old man's number directly.

"You little bastard, speak if you have something to say, fart if you need to, I'm busy here!" As soon as the call connected, the lazy and unpleasant voice of his master came through.

Upon hearing that, Ye Long was even more irritated, "Fuck, old man, you only give me three hundred bucks, and there's no money on the bank card. What do you expect me to live off, you beast!"

"Don't you have hands and feet to work for a living? Earn your own keep. What, going to the construction site to lay bricks could earn you two or three hundred a day. Was all the survival training for nothing?" The old man scoffed on the phone.

"Fuck, is that even the same thing? Quit your bullshit, send over five hundred so I can find a place to stay!" Ye Long shouted.

"Cough, cough, five hundred is no problem, but there's a condition!" The old man coughed twice before saying.

"What condition?"

"Heh heh, I'll lend you five hundred, but you'll owe me five hundred thousand in return!" The old man chuckled slyly over the phone.

"Fuck, you money-grubbing bastard, you want me to pay back five hundred thousand for a five hundred loan?" Ye Long exploded with rage. The old man was nothing short of a human-devouring demon.

"If you don't want to borrow, then forget it. Honestly, I don't even feel like lending it to you!" The old man retorted with an indifferent tone.

"Dammit, just send the damn money over!" Ye Long blurted out and hung up the phone immediately, not in the mood to listen to his master's sneering laugh any longer.

After hanging up, Ye Long reached out to the landlord. The person who answered was a girl with a voice that was sweet and gentle!

Her introduction said her name was Lin Zihan, and from the name, she must surely be a quiet and beautiful girl—a vast improvement over the previous guy!

The sound of that sweet voice finally soothed some of the grudges in his heart!

Eventually, they agreed to meet at the rental complex in an hour!

Following the address provided by Lin Zihan, Ye Long left the internet cafe and immediately hailed a taxi on the street towards Mingtian Complex!

It took only about five minutes for the taxi to arrive at Mingtian Complex!

After paying and getting out of the taxi, Ye Long entered the complex carrying his backpack.

Considering his clothes, he indeed looked quite the country bumpkin, instantly recognizable as someone looking for a place to rent!

Once inside the complex, Ye Long looked around but didn't spot any beautiful girls—perhaps she hadn't arrived yet.

"Hey, young man!" Just then, a woman peeked out from behind him and patted Ye Long on the shoulder.

The lady was rather plump, with a rough voice and a cigarette hanging from her lips!

Ye Long was taken aback and looked at the chubby lady in front of him with a forced smile, then cautiously asked, "Ma'am, what's up?"

"Nothing much, you're Ye Long, right? The one who just called about renting an apartment?" The lady patted Ye Long's shoulder and asked loudly.

Ye Long trembled, what... what's going on here?

"Holy mother, can this be a mistake? This lady is Lin Zihan? Heaven above, earth below, kill me now!" Ye Long cried out in his heart. The discrepancy was just too ludicrous, wasn't it?

"Kid, why are you spacing out? I'm asking you a question. You're Ye Long, the one who called about renting an apartment, right?" The landlord lady patted Ye Long's shoulder again.

Ye Long put on a stiff smile; this was indeed a far cry from what he imagined. He had been expecting a beautiful landlady, but instead got a big mama. But it didn't really matter, after all, he was looking for a house, not a wife!

"Yes, that's me. Ma'am, are... are you Lin Zihan?" Ye Long asked the landlady very carefully.

"I'm not Lin Zihan, I'm her mother. Zihan had something come up, so she had to leave temporarily!" The landlord lady explained, waving her hand.

"Pfft!"

When Ye Long heard the big lady's words, he felt an urge to vomit blood, "Fuck, damn it, after all this trouble, she turns out to be Lin Zihan's mom!"

It was only then that Ye Long began to feel like he was coming back to reality. If the landlord lady admitted she was Lin Zihan, he truly would have wanted to find somewhere to bash his head in!

"Ah, I see!" At last, Ye Long managed to put on a normal smile.

"Since you're Ye Long, I'll take you to see the apartment. From now on, just call me Lin's mother, and feel at home here, no need to be polite!" Lin's mother said heartily, patting Ye Long's shoulder.

"Alright, Lin's mother!" Ye Long nodded. As long as Lin's mother wasn't Lin Zihan, Ye Long could accept it. Otherwise, he'd really have a hard time accepting this society.

Under Lin's mother's guidance, Ye Long chatted with her as they arrived at the rented place!

"Take a look, how do you feel?" Lin's mother casually tossed out a lady's cigarette, smoking and pointing around as she spoke. Her raspy voice, in conjunction with her gesture, was strikingly similar to the landlady from Stephen Chow's movie 'Kung Fu'.

"Yeah, not bad, I'm satisfied!" Ye Long nodded. The place was fully furnished--just grab your bags and move in.

"Well then, if there's no problem, go ahead and sign the contract. The rent is $610 a month, with one month's rent as a deposit and three months' rent paid in advance!" Landlord Lin's mother said as she pulled out a contract.

Ye Long felt a headache coming on. "Uh… Lin's mother, wasn't the rent $500 a month?"

"Boy, all the furniture in the apartment is brand new. It'll be $500 after a few months, don't worry. Big sister definitely won't cheat you—it's all newly renovated, and you'll live comfortably!" Lin's mother chuckled through her smoke, patting Ye Long's shoulder.

"Uh... okay then!" Ye Long reluctantly nodded. Of course, the extra hundred bucks wasn't too much; it was the deposit and advance that really bothered him.

"Well, if there's no problem, let's sign the contract. It totals $2,400!" Lin's mother said.

"Um, um, heh heh, Lin's mother, I'd like to discuss something with you!" Ye Long said with an awkward smile, addressing Lin's mother.

"What matter? Don't tell me you don't have the money?" Lin's mother's face, previously full of smiles, suddenly darkened as she asked.

"I have just over six hundred. About one month's rent. Could you maybe be flexible, let me pay one month now, and I'll make up the rest later. When I do, I'll give you three thousand as compensation!" Ye Long negotiated earnestly.

Lin's mother stroked her chin, eyed Ye Long, and pondered for a while before saying, "Fine, you seem like an honest and decent lad. It's not easy working out there, and even though money talks in this society, Lin's mother isn't the type to only recognize money and not people. I'll trust you this once and only take a month's rent for now, but you must pay the full amount before next month—remember, it's three thousand!"

When Ye Long heard Lin's mother agree, he was so moved he nearly teared up. With his capabilities, earning money was a piece of cake—not even a month's work, just a few minutes if the opportunity arose!

"Hey, thanks, Lin's mother. Don't worry, I'll make sure to give you the full three thousand!" Ye Long promised.

"No need to thank me, I'm reasonable. Xiao Ye, but remember, you have to keep your word when you say you'll give Lin's mother three thousand!" Lin's mother reminded him again.

"Hey, Lin's mother, don't worry, my word is my bond. And since you trust me, it's only right to give a bit more!" Ye Long replied with a smile, thinking to himself that this old lady really loved money.

"Alright then, let's sign the contract and I'll give you the keys!" Lin's mother happily handed over the contract to Ye Long.

Immediately, Ye Long signed the contract and took the keys from Lin's mother's hand!

Lin's mother gave him a few more instructions and then left.

Looking at his new home, Ye Long took a deep breath, glad to have a place to settle down.

After a quick inspection of the apartment, Ye Long realized one thing: he needed to start making money fast!

He needed money not just for rent, but daily life expenses couldn't be ignored—after all, you can't live without eating or drinking, right?

Of course, for Ye Long, casually robbing a bank for a few hundred thousand, without getting caught, would be no problem.

But Ye Long wasn't about to do something so tasteless; that would drag down his own class. Making money had to be done with dignity.

Once out of the neighborhood, Ye Long, unfamiliar with Ninghai City, really didn't know where to start making money.

Standing on the roadside, Ye Long pondered for a moment. To earn it, he had to find wealthy and spendthrift people. For that, heading to a bar would naturally be the best choice!

Settling on the idea, Ye Long hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take him to the best bar in the vicinity.

A few minutes later, the driver stopped outside a bar called "Imperial." With the number of luxury cars parked in front, the place seemed to be doing good business.

"Yes, this is the place!" Ye Long stepped into the bar.

"Welcome!"

At either side of the entrance to the bar's main hall, two greeters in qipao bowed to Ye Long, their voices soft and alluring—which, of course, wasn't as striking as their figures, tightly wrapped in the form-fitting red qipao.

However, Ye Long had become indifferent to such scenes; it was all part of the entertainment venues.

Whenever he completed tasks for his old master, Ye Long would treat himself at a bar to relax. Greeters like these had become a key feature for bars to attract business.

Like always, Ye Long didn't hold back and slapped a bill in their hand!