Chapter 22: Are You Kidding Me?

Judging by their expressions and actions, Jiang Yan thought they might give up, but He Chunmei bit her teeth and declared firmly:

“Little girl, it’s fine. I’ll have the elderly and children wear double-layered masks! If they get infected, it won’t be your fault!”

“Yes, yes, little sis. The thing is, nobody else has air conditioning. The nearby hotels have AC, but my parents have underlying conditions, and we just saw in the owners’ group that Block D has those bloodsucking mosquitoes that will bite. So if we stay near home, we can manage their meals and daily life better.” Zhou Guangfu quickly added with a smile, trying to explain.

The couple was like a comedic duo, one playing the straight man, the other the funny man.

Jiang Yan, having nothing else to do, simply stood behind the door and quietly watched their performance.

As soon as Zhou Guangfu finished speaking, He Chunmei picked up again, this time lecturing Jiang Yan with a moralistic tone:

“By the way, little girl, if you want, we can pay you extra. How about 100 yuan per night for lodging plus electricity? We’ll bring our tents, we won’t stay long, and once the AC is installed in the next couple of days, we’ll move back.

They’ll handle washing and bathroom use at home. We’ll also prepare their meals so you won’t have to cook for them yourself.

Besides, you know, we’re neighbors. We’ll inevitably see each other, so we should help each other out. After all, everyone can have unexpected emergencies, right?”

He Chunmei’s acting and lines were clumsy, and Jiang Yan finally couldn’t hold back.

“Yes, big sister, you’re right. Neighbors really should help each other out!”

After saying that, she suddenly shifted her tone, her eyes twinkling mischievously:

“Big sister, my credit card and mortgage are about to be overdue. Could you help me pay them first?!”

He Chunmei had been all smiles at the start, ready to sweet-talk Jiang Yan into opening the door. But the last sentence hit like a bucket of cold water. Her throat clogged, and her face flushed with a mix of emotions.

She quickly recovered and shouted, “Young lady, that’s not the same thing! You—”

Before she could even finish the words “Are you kidding me?”, Jiang Yan slammed the door with a loud “BANG” and went back inside.

“This—”

He Chunmei had some authority at work and earned more than her husband, so she usually called the shots at home. She had never experienced being turned away like this.

Her anger flared, and she lifted her foot to kick the door, but halfway through, recalling Jiang Yan’s icy stare, she slammed her foot onto the floor instead.

Zhou Guangfu gently patted her shoulder and said, “Alright, wife. I told you this approach isn’t right. Who wants to live with strangers?”

“It’s not a critical time now! We just need it for a night or two. Besides, I don’t even know the layout of her apartment. The master bedroom has its own bathroom, and we’ll just stay in the living room with our tent. It won’t affect her at all!

And renting one room would only cost her 100 yuan a day! Think about it, where can you rent a room that cheap? Our interns’ shared apartments in the community cost 1,500 yuan a month for four bedrooms and two living rooms. That’s only 10 yuan per day per room!”

“Alright, alright, wife. If she doesn’t want to accommodate us, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s go home.” Zhou Guangfu just wanted to calm things down, gently tugging on He Chunmei’s sleeve.

“Hmph! What’s there to be arrogant about! She’s clearly a shameless mistress! I saw that man accompany her when she came to see the apartment! Otherwise, how could a young girl afford such a large place? And every time she goes out, she covers herself completely—she must be hiding something!”

“Alright, wife, say less. Be careful someone hears you.” Zhou Guangfu had sobered up a lot, and seeing He Chunmei getting more exaggerated, he reached out to coax and pull her home.

“If they hear, they hear! I’m not scared! I mean, why did I end up with such a timid, useless man who can’t make money!” He Chunmei vented her anger, taking it out on Zhou Guangfu.

She even twisted his arm hard.

Zhou Guangfu gritted his teeth in pain but couldn’t complain. He forced himself to say:
“Alright, let’s go home first. Our parents’ retirement pay comes tomorrow. I’ll tell them to give it all to you, okay? Don’t be too angry—it’s bad for your health, alright?”

“That’s more like it!” He Chunmei snorted and shoved the cake plate into his hands, huffing as she turned to leave.

Jiang Yan didn’t hear their ridiculous conversation. After closing the door, she entered her space.

In the [Planting Area], except for a few lonely rose plants, the black soil was still empty.

The seedlings she had previously bought were stacked to the side, not yet planted.

They were all in good condition, just dormant.

In the white [Living Area], aside from a chaise lounge and a desk-and-chair set, there was nothing else.

Tomorrow, Jiang Yan planned to place the custom-designed luxury mobile Apple pod she had commissioned.

The Apple pod used a healing-style homestay design and included an outdoor swimming pool.

The room had three floors, totaling over a thousand square meters, occupying roughly half of the white [Living Area].

A standard Apple pod costs around 3,000 yuan per square meter. Hers used the best materials and furniture—Hans country sanitaryware, Noodle country furniture, and native carpets—bringing the cost to around 6,000 yuan per square meter.

The bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, multifunctional audio-visual hall, gym, and outdoor pool were all fully equipped.

The holographic shooting practice room would also be in the AV hall, which took up the largest area.

Tomorrow, Jiang Yan planned to retrieve some photovoltaic panels from storage and have them installed directly on top of the Apple pod.

This way, when she placed the Apple pod in the [Living Area], part of her daily life could already take place in the space.

After staying in the space for a while, Jiang Yan returned to her room.

She booked a ride for the next day, set the AC to sleep mode, and got into bed.

After a month of drifting abroad, she really needed a good rest.

The next day, Jiang Yan woke up shortly after seven.

She checked the thermometer and her phone: the outside temperature had already soared to a staggering 45°C.

Checking several other countries and cities, except for a few desert areas with even higher temperatures, most places were similarly extreme.

This was truly absurd.

Unsure of the public and official response, she decided to check the news first.

As soon as she opened a popular app, several posts with millions of likes and comments popped up.