"How come theres another news report about a girl being followed? When will we women take a stand? Imagine a single guy being harassed on his way home at night—now that would be thrilling... Wait, hold on?" The voice on the phone paused abruptly, "This neighborhood is called East Haven,, why does that sound so familiar?"
At the end of August, the temperature in Northtown finally dropped below 90 degrees, no longer resembling a constantly heated dry furnace that left people dizzy and overwhelmed.
Today was especially cool and breezy. Olivia Reed, dragging her suitcase, walked through the lush green neighborhood, lazily responding to the person on the other end of the phone: "Im in East Haven right now."
"..." There was a pause, as if Leigh had just realized something, her tone turning worried, "Are you sure you still want to rent that apartment from River?"
"Why not? Its a prime location with a quality apartment at a 70% discount, thanks to River being abroad. Id be a fool to pass up such a great deal," Olivia looked up at the building number, Building 8, and turned to walk inside, "Ive checked, the perpetrator has been arrested. He was a suitor of that girl, not a habitual criminal. Plus, the property management has stepped up security; they require registration for anyone entering without a card."
Leigh: "Alright, are you almost there?"
"Im in the elevator," Olivia stepped in and pressed the button for the twenty-second floor, "Ill lose signal soon, so Ill talk to you later."
"Okay, remember to sign for the moving gift I sent you," Leigh blew her a kiss over the phone, "Its going to surprise you and make you happy, ensuring youll sleep soundly through the night!"
Olivia chuckled, "Sure, bye."
"Bye, darling!"
The elevator ascended smoothly, with hardly any or noise. It was a well-known imported brand with a simple yet textured interior. Olivia was reminded of the old, noisy elevator in her familys complex, and for a moment, she felt a sense of disorientation and unfamiliarity.
Not long ago, she had returned to Northtown from her mothers hometown and had spent a few sleepless nights at her own place, feeling her fathers presence everywhere.
She missed her father, but not in this way, so she reluctantly rented her friend Rivers apartment.
River was abroad, and it was empty anyway.
The elevator dinged, snapping Olivia back to reality.
She had arrived at the 22nd floor.
As she took a step forward, she suddenly stopped upon turning her head.
Then she blinked hard.
There was indeed a person standing at the door.
Not a hallucination.
It was a strange man.
Tall and lean, dressed in a well-tailored white shirt and trousers. The shirt was tucked into his pants, outlining the mans waist, narrow and lean, yet undeniably powerful.
He stood sideways at the door, slightly looking at his phone, his fingers pale and slender, with well-proportioned joints and neatly trimmed, round nails. The cuffs casually rolled up to the middle of his forearm revealed naturally taut muscles, with blue veins and tendons running along one side of his arm, perfectly balancing restraint and sensuality.
Dense eyelashes fluttered like raven feathers, quivering with the slightest movements of his eyelids. His profile was sharp and beautiful, like delicate strokes in a comic book.
As she observed, the man also turned to look at her.
A pair of peach blossom eyes as beautiful as a clear night sky, filled with a deep galaxy. Yet, his expression was indifferent, his thin lips slightly parted, and his voice was equally light: "Youre here."
Cool and deep, excessively pleasant to the ear.
Olivia responded awkwardly with an "Uh huh."
The man nodded almost imperceptibly: "Go inside."
"..." Wait.
Go inside for what?
Who is he?
Why is he here?
A bunch of questions suddenly flooded her mind.
Then she suddenly thought of Leighs words—
"I guarantee it will surprise and satisfy you, ensuring youll sleep soundly through the night!"
Could it be...?
After a year of not seeing each other, has that girl become so wild?
Although she had to admit, this mans looks and temperament would be top-tier even in the entertainment industry.
Indeed, he was a pleasant surprise and satisfaction.
But the problem was, she wasnt the type of free-spirited modern woman.
"Sir..." Olivia chose an appropriate address, "How much did they pay you?"
The mans eyes slightly narrowed: "What?"
"How much did they pay you for your services?" Olivia said politely, "I wont be engaging in this business anymore. Can I return the money to you? Im really sorry for the trouble."
The mans face remained unchanged, and his voice was still extremely indifferent: "No one paid me."
"No way." Olivia was taken aback, "Do you guys offer free services now?"
She looked at the man again; his appearance was impeccable, but his personality seemed less appealing.
Perhaps with his personality, his line of business wasnt doing well? So he was offering free services to attract customers?
The man seemed unwilling to waste any more words on her and directly entered the password, opening the door and going inside.
It was only then that Olivia realized something was amiss as he opened the electrical box in the entrance, illuminating the room.
She almost blurted out without thinking: "Youre not the gigolo Leigh found for me, are you?"
The sound of the man closing the electrical box was particularly loud, as if carrying an indescribable emotion. Olivia felt a sudden panic before being frozen by his cold gaze.
His voice seemed to be laced with ice: "River asked me to check the electricity, water, and gas. Didnt he tell you?"
"..." This is bad.
She was utterly embarrassed, with no place to hide, under the mans cold gaze.
Just then, another young male voice came from outside the door: "Hello, are you the dream of eight hundred million boys?"
Olivia was stunned again.
A courier in a uniform, holding a rabbit doll over a meter tall, smiled at her: "You have a package."
"..." Olivias mouth twitched.
The dream of eight hundred million boys? What on earth?
After signing for the package, Olivia couldnt bear to look at the man again.
She kept her head down and eyes averted, waiting with great discomfort as he inspected the utilities and set up the door lock fingerprint for her, finally breathing a sigh of relief as she saw him off.
Collapsing on the sofa to catch her breath, her WeChat notification sounded several times.
Olivia picked up her phone and saw messages from River.
【Yao Yao, I found a friend to help you check the electricity, water, and gas. Hell be there around ten in the morning.】
【His contact number: 188XXXXXXXX.】
【... 】
【Damn, this lousy signal in this godforsaken place, Im fed up.】
【Did you get it?】
Olivia recalled the most embarrassing moment of her life she had just experienced with that incredibly handsome stranger, and a flame of anger surged in her heart:
【Why did you go to Africa? Were you invited by the African people? Did your motherland lack your food and drink, you jerk! Go ahead, but can you fix your lousy signal?】
Nothing but trouble.
River seemed to have a good signal at the moment, replying a few seconds later: 【?】
【Its not that I dont want to fix it, but conditions are limited. Why are you so angry?】
【I repeat, its Vietnam, not Africa.】
【Im representing motherland, contributing to the construction of the planet.】
Olivia curled her lip: 【Its just because the salary is high.】
River replied with a "You" and then there were no more messages.
Olivia knew the signal must have dropped again.
After a while, Leigh called to check in.
"Hows it going, darling? Did you receive the gift?"
Olivia looked at the rabbit doll sitting with her on the sofa, recalling the earlier fiasco, her face expressionless: "I did."
Leigh: "I specially chose the lavender scent; its supposed to help with sleep. Try sleeping with it tonight."
Olivia forced a