At midnight, Haijing One was still brightly lit.
"Bro~ don't tell me... the place you're renting is here?" Seeing Su Chen's car drive toward the gates of Haijing One, Qingya's initial curiosity turned into disbelief.
To this day, Su Qingya still thought her brother's place was rented. It was a normal assumption; apartments in Shanghai easily cost tens of millions.
Who would have thought that her brother, whom she hadn't seen in years, would own an apartment in Shanghai?
Su Chen just smiled calmly, offering no explanation.
As they passed the gate, the security guard in the booth saw Su Chen in the driver's seat and quickly saluted. "Welcome home, Young Master Su!"
"Oh, it's you. You're on the night shift today?"
Su Chen recognized the guard as the same one he had met on his first visit to Haijing One.
"Yeah, I just switched from the day shift to the night shift."
Hearing this, Su Chen nodded. He glanced at the center console, then tossed the guard a pack of Little Panda cigarettes he had bought at the restaurant earlier.
"These are for you!"
The guard caught the cigarettes Su Chen threw and broke into a wide grin when he saw the brand.
"Thanks, Young Master Su!"
Su Chen waved dismissively and stomped on the gas, heading straight for the underground garage.
Su Qingya watched Su Chen with a complicated expression. Though a thousand questions swirled in her mind, she ultimately didn't ask any of them.
After all, she had already asked once. Asking again would feel like pestering him for an answer.
Soon, Su Chen parked the car in the garage.
The moment she stepped out of the car, everything she saw shattered her perception of reality once again.
To avoid embarrassing her brother, Su Qingya had spent the last few days studying up, starting with cars.
Gazing at the dozen or so cars parked in the garage, her eyes glazed over in a daze.
She saw Porsches, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, and even quite a few Rolls-Royces.
"Bro~ everyone who lives here seems so rich. Your rent must be a fortune. I saw online that a famous place like Tomson Riviera costs two or three hundred thousand a month!"
"This place you're in now must be over a hundred thousand, right?"
Su Chen stopped in his tracks. He glanced back at Su Qingya, who was still gawking at everything, and a mischievous smile played on his lips. "Who told you the place I'm living in is rented?"
"Not rented? D-don't tell me you... you bought it?" Snapping back to her senses, Su Qingya excitedly rushed over to Su Chen.
"Bro~ my dear brother, are you saying you bought this place? How big is it? How much did it cost?"
"Why don't you go up and see for yourself?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow and quickened his pace toward the elevator.
Su Qingya trotted after him, excitedly clinging to his arm.
"DING~"
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Su Chen saw a beautiful figure standing outside.
"Welcome home, Young Master Su!" Chen Mengyan was dressed in a floral cheongsam, her long, fair legs faintly visible.
When she saw Su Chen and Su Qingya emerge from the elevator, a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes—gone in an instant—especially upon noticing Su Qingya clinging to Su Chen's arm.
To be honest, Su Chen was quite surprised to see Chen Mengyan here. It was midnight, after all. He had to admire her professional dedication.
"You're still here so late. You must be exhausted."
"It's no problem, Mr. Su," Chen Mengyan explained. "The company arranged for my accommodations to be in this building, and I just happened to have something to report to you."
Su Chen nodded, then looked at his sister beside him. "This is my sister, Su Qingya. She'll be staying here for a while. Could you register her facial and fingerprint biometrics for her later?"
Hearing that she was Su Chen's sister, the smile on Chen Mengyan's face grew even wider as she greeted her with great warmth...
"Miss Su, hello. I am Mr. Su's exclusive butler, Chen Mengyan!"
"Hello!" Su Qingya replied shyly, her eyes occasionally darting over to Chen Mengyan.
She glanced at Chen Mengyan's towering peaks, then down at her own little hills, feeling a bit disheartened for a moment.
He opened the door, and the lights on the first floor instantly turned on.
"Whoa~ This is gorgeous!" Su Qingya couldn't believe her eyes.
Strolling through the living room, Su Qingya was dazzled by the crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, the nighttime view of the Huangpu River, and the lights of the Bund visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Looking exhausted, Su Chen collapsed onto the sofa.
"Mengyan~ please show Qingya the rooms and let her pick whichever bedroom she likes."
"Of course, Young Master Su!"
As Chen Mengyan led Su Qingya upstairs, Su Chen closed his eyes to rest.
An unknown amount of time passed, and Su Chen had drifted off into a light sleep.
Suddenly, he felt his head enveloped by two soft mounds. The comfortable sensation instantly roused the drowsy Su Chen.
Just as he was about to open his eyes, a pair of cool hands rested on his temples and began to gently massage them.
He decided to just pretend he didn't notice, closing his eyes again to enjoy the feeling in peace.
It felt better and better, and Su Chen's head instinctively nestled back a little further...
The next moment, Su Chen was wide awake. He opened his eyes and sat up straight.
"I drove for ten hours today. That massage really helped me relax. Thanks for the trouble."
Chen Mengyan shook her head, her face slightly flushed. "It's no trouble. My job is to solve problems for Young Master Su."
Those few moments when Su Chen's head had nestled back sent a tingling numbness through Chen Mengyan's entire body, and she felt a warm current flow through her.
She fidgeted, pressing her long, fair legs together.
"Is Qingya's bedroom sorted out?" Su Chen noticed Chen Mengyan's odd behavior and quickly changed the subject.
"It's all arranged. Miss Su is unpacking her things right now."
Su Chen nodded slightly. "Right, you said you had something to report to me earlier? What was it?"
The mention of work brought Chen Mengyan back to her professional demeanor. "Before you left, Young Master Su, you asked me to look into hiring a housekeeper. I've screened three candidates according to your requirements. When would you like to meet them?"
Su Chen pondered for a moment. "How about this: bring the three of them over at ten tomorrow morning. Also, buy some groceries and have them each cook something as a trial. And give me a copy of their files."
"Of course, Young Master Su! I have their files on my phone. I'll send them to you in a moment."
"Okay. It's getting late, you should go get some rest too."
Hearing this, Chen Mengyan nodded and slowly walked toward the door, her steps still a bit unsteady.
Su Chen watched her back and muttered under his breath, 'Looks like this tender peach is finally ripe. Just a little tear in the skin and the juices are already flowing.'
A THUD from the door closing brought Su Chen back to his senses.
Stretching, Su Chen got up and headed upstairs, humming a tune. "Come on, let's have fun, we've got plenty of time anyway..."