Chapter 4

On Wednesday, the day after signing the rental contract, at nine o’clock in the evening, Qin Chi arrived at Ping An Community again.

In the master bedroom of unit 101, Xu Qiao had drawn the double-layer curtains tightly shut and was controlling five fist-sized water balls, moving them in the curves she had imagined.

Under normal circumstances, each ability user’s mental strength is fixed. After consumption, it can be restored through rest or by absorbing crystal nuclei. However, the level of control over mental strength varies completely among ability users. It’s similar to two equally strong people: one proficient in martial arts and the other relying solely on instinct for offense and defense. In a fight, the difference in skill is apparent and indisputable.

Since graduating from military school, Xu Qiao had undertaken three basic missions issued by the base, each time accompanying Uncle Lu’s mercenary team. With Uncle Lu there, the team members took good care of her, and Xu Qiao did her best to fulfill her role as a healer.

However, without Uncle Lu, that mercenary team wouldn’t have recruited a newcomer like Xu Qiao, who had just graduated from military school.

The mortality rate for mercenaries was too high. Bonds formed while people were alive could dissipate when they were gone. In the past six months, none of the team members had come to visit Lu Yang, and Xu Qiao couldn’t hope that they would continue to take her on missions.

Given this situation, Xu Qiao felt an even stronger need to enhance her combat power so that when she joined a new mercenary team, she could deal with external dangers and resolve conflicts with other ability users.

The five water balls moved in a choreographed dance: some climbing along the curves, some descending, and others moving horizontally.

Xu Qiao precisely controlled them to complete each curve at a steady speed.

This practice had already lasted for an hour.

The sound of a car parking outside made Xu Qiao raise her eyebrows slightly. Glancing at the time, she stopped the movement of the five water balls. One water ball dropped into the pot of a lemon tree in the corner of the bedroom, while the other four followed her into the living room, scattering among several short vegetable and fruit planters. Once the moisture in the air had completely dissipated, Xu Qiao sat down on the sofa, waiting quietly.
—-
The communication wristband lit up.

Qin Chi: I’m here to see Lu Yang. I just contacted him, and he said he’d be back in about ten minutes.

In Qin Chi’s eyes, Xu Qiao could also be considered his landlord. He guessed she must have heard him parking, so out of courtesy, he greeted her.

Xu Qiao: Is there something you need, Mr. Qin, at this late hour?

Qin Chi: I’d like to renovate the room. The design plan came out this evening, and I want to consult Lu Yang’s opinion.

Xu Qiao felt once again the seriousness and politeness of this Mr. Qin. He could have easily sent the design to Lu Yang instead of coming in person to discuss it.

At that moment, unit 102 wasn’t suitable for socializing. Xu Qiao opened the door and happened to see Qin Chi, who had just reached the entrance.

The evening temperature was about seven or eight degrees lower than during the day. Qin Chi was wearing black casual pants and a dark gray wool sweater, giving off an aura that still felt out of place among the nearby ability users, but was more approachable than yesterday’s formal attire.

“Good evening, Miss Xu.” He greeted Xu Qiao with a smile

Xu Qiao wasn’t very accustomed to such formal address, but Qin Chi said it so naturally that she decided to get used to his gentlemanly manners instead of urging him to call her by her name.

“Good evening. Lu Yang will be back soon. Mr. Qin, why don’t you come in and wait here? I’ll make you a cup of lemon water.”

For ordinary ability users, offering lemon water was already considered quite a decent hospitality.

Qin Chi smiled, “Then I’ll take up your offer.”

He took off his shoes outside the door and pulled out a pair of cotton slippers from his space ability that matched his temperament, stepping gracefully into the entryway.

Xu Qiao pointed to the sofa for him to sit down while she went to the kitchen to prepare the lemon water. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Qin Chi didn’t sit down but instead walked over to the planting area on the balcony side.

To harvest more vegetables and fruits, many wood-type ability users would utilize indoor spaces, and Xu Qiao’s family was no exception.

Xu Qiao had planted scallions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, as well as tomatoes, spinach, leeks, and strawberries. The planters were either on the ground or arranged neatly on iron racks.

The bright lights illuminated the area, which was lush and green.

This was what Qin Chi could see, along with the lemon potted plant in Xu Qiao’s bedroom, and a potted fig and kumquat in the secondary bedroom and study, respectively.

Xu Qiao had tidied up the small courtyard outside to be visually pleasing, and the indoor arrangements were even more focused on aesthetics.

Seeing that Qin Chi was interested in the fruits and vegetables, Xu Qiao smiled, “Once the vegetables are ready, I’ll let Mr. Qin taste them. They’re homegrown, so I guarantee no harmful pesticides.”

Qin Chi: Thank you. I really enjoy cooking. If you can’t finish the fruits and vegetables here, I’d prefer to buy them from you first.

Xu Qiao: Of course, I was planning to sell some to the neighbors in the same building as well.

Qin Chi returned to the sofa.

Xu Qiao placed a tray on the coffee table, which held a pot of lemon water and three glass cups.

The lemon slices used for the water were also made by Xu Qiao from her own dried lemons, with a bit of honey added, making it a sweet and sour refreshment.

Qin Chi politely complimented her and then took out his tablet, opening the renovation design plan for Xu Qiao to review first.
—-
The first image was of the living room.

The design featured deep red wooden floors, soft white walls, light golden ceilings, a luxurious crystal chandelier, and gold elements everywhere: light golden curtains, dark golden picture frames, and dark wooden furniture adorned with dark golden decorations. Even the long flower table holding a large pot of roses was light golden.

The design, illuminated by light, presented a rich yet warm, luxurious yet elegantly tranquil atmosphere. For Xu Qiao, it felt like a completely unimaginable world. But when she tried to imagine Qin Chi in such a living room, everything suddenly felt harmonious and natural.

Xu Qiao studied the design intently for a long time before masking her complex feelings and saying to Qin Chi, “It’s a very comfortable design.”

Comfortable enough to make her envious.

She swiped to the second image, which was of the dining room.

The layout of Ping An Community wasn’t large, typically around 90 square meters. Xu Qiao’s family had a square table for four in their dining area, along with a sideboard, leaving little space left.

But Qin Chi only had a small round table that could accommodate a maximum of four dishes, and there was only one chair. The dark golden tabletop seemed to be made of an extremely expensive wood core.

The small table took up little space, while the sideboard was quite grand, with wine bottles reflecting the light in a magnificent manner.

The third image was of the bedroom, which Xu Qiao didn’t dare to look at for long. The fourth image was of the study, which shared a similar color scheme with the living room.

The fifth image was of the walk-in closet. Qin Chi had even converted the secondary bedroom into a separate walk-in closet!

Thinking of the wardrobe in her own bedroom, Xu Qiao felt as if she had just bitten into a lemon, and she couldn’t help but start complimenting Qin Chi.

Not long after, Lu Yang returned home, and Xu Qiao asked him to entertain Qin Chi while she went to the study to brood for a while.

After Lu Yang had finished reviewing the designs, Xu Qiao returned to the living room.

Lu Yang spoke in a neutral tone, “It’s fine.”

Since they were charging a high rent, they might as well let Qin Chi renovate as he pleased, as it wasn’t his points being spent.

Qin Chi replied, “I know my design doesn’t conform to the public’s taste. Once I move out, you’ll definitely have to renovate again. As compensation, I’d like to give you a fifty-cubic space crystal nucleus to help you preserve the original furniture in 102.”

Xu Qiao: “…”

Fifty cubes, that was larger than her master bedroom!

Lu Yang said, “…No need. Those pieces of furniture are old and won’t sell for much.”

Space crystal nuclei were extremely rare; even the lowest-grade one-cubic nuclei were hard to find, and ordinary ability users could only get them through luck from mutant beasts. Even if they had the money, they wouldn’t be able to buy one.

Qin Chi insisted, “Those pieces of furniture hold different meanings for you. If you dispose of them carelessly now, you might regret it in the future.”

Lu Yang lowered his gaze, “They’re just inanimate objects. I don’t need them.”

Qin Chi suggested, “How about this? I’ll use this space crystal nucleus as collateral. When I move out in the future, you can return the nucleus to me.”

Lu Yang said, “No need. What if I lose it? I can’t afford to compensate.”

Qin Chi replied, “I have spatial abilities, so there’s no need for you to compensate. If you don’t believe me, we can put this clause in the contract.”

Lu Yang was speechless.

Was it true that rich people had too much money to burn and had to spend it to feel happy?

Just as he was about to refuse again, his gaze suddenly landed on Xu Qiao’s slippers. He paused and then changed his mind, saying, “Alright, I accept your collateral.”

Qin Chi smiled, “If you both don’t mind, I’ll have the renovation team come over tomorrow. It should take about two days to complete all the renovations.”

Lu Yang looked at Xu Qiao, and she looked back at him.

Two days to finish such complex renovations? It was clear that Qin Chi had chosen the premium service from the renovation company.

After signing the collateral contract, Lu Yang followed Qin Chi to 102, where they packed all the old furniture and appliances into the black crystal nucleus that Qin Chi had used as collateral.

Once they finished, Qin Chi drove away, and Lu Yang returned to 101. He asked Xu Qiao, “I’ve never seen a wealthy ability user casually give their landlord a space crystal nucleus in dramas. What do you think his background is? Could he be someone who has offended enemies and is intentionally living incognito in a small place like ours?”

If that were the case, they might encounter unnecessary trouble and danger if enemies came looking for him one day.

Xu Qiao replied, “Look at his flashy style. Does he look like someone trying to hide their identity? Besides, our neighborhood is ordinary, but the Second Military Academy is not. If he dares to work there, he surely isn’t afraid of being recognized.”

Lu Yang was still unconvinced and searched for “Qin Chi” on the computer again. However, aside from a few news articles about people with the same name, he couldn’t find any information about the Qin Chi they knew.

Xu Qiao said, “The contract has already been signed. It’s pointless to think about those things. Just get some sleep.”

After practicing her abilities for so long, she was tired and needed rest to recover her mental energy.

Lu Yang replied, “You go ahead and sleep. I’ll read for a bit longer.”

Xu Qiao glanced at the high school student tightly gripping the mouse and shook her head as she walked away.

Lu Yang continued to search for “Qin Chi” for a while longer. After another fruitless attempt, he switched to searching for second-hand furniture companies, selecting a reputable one to contact.
—-
On Thursday, when Xu Qiao went to work, the renovation company hired by Qin Chi hadn’t sent anyone over yet. But when she returned in the evening, she saw a truck parked by the road, filled with debris from the house demolition.

After checking the small yard to ensure the renovation workers hadn’t caused any damage, Xu Qiao entered the building.

The door to 102 was open. Xu Qiao peeked inside and spotted a transparent vacuum spirit meticulously cleaning the brand-new dark floor. It moved silently and with great care.

Looking at the light golden ceiling and soft white walls, she realized that the hard renovation of 102 had already been completed in just one day.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in his fifties walked over from the kitchen. Seeing Xu Qiao at the door, he quickly said, “You must be the neighbor from upstairs. Don’t worry, we’ll do one last floor clean-up and then we’ll be done. We promise not to disturb your rest.”

Mr. Qin had clearly specified in the contract that they must finish all potentially noisy work before 5 PM.

Xu Qiao glanced around and sincerely remarked, “You all are really impressive.”

The man smiled sheepishly, “It’s mainly thanks to my wife; her spirit is a toolbox for renovations, and she has A-level renovation abilities.”

Just as he finished speaking, a capable-looking woman in work clothes walked out from the bedroom. She looked a bit tired and was holding a camera.

The man said with concern, “Let’s stop by the supermarket later and pick up some more groceries. I’ll make sure you eat well tonight.”

The woman nodded at Xu Qiao, then scolded the man, “Hurry up and get to work. You’re dawdling; we just need to take the photos here.”

The man was getting reprimanded, and it seemed the transparent vacuum spirit understood too, instantly speeding up its work.

Xu Qiao chuckled and turned back to her own apartment.