Chapter 17 – The Two Stubborn Mules Are Arguing~…

Thanks to Xie Qian intentionally going easy, the three of them quickly wrapped up the card game.

By then, it was already dark. Liu Yi, realizing he was the third wheel, suggested that if there was nothing else, he’d head home.

But Xie Qian stopped him and wouldn’t let him leave.

He had his own plan in mind. Having Shi Zhen drop him off at the hotel was just a delaying tactic. Otherwise, why would a grown man need a young girl to escort him?

Xie Qian had long been displeased with the run-down place Shi Zhen lived in. Not to mention the poor soundproofing and terrible environment, the neighbors were practically monsters and demons.

He’d never seen a decent man try to raise a hand against a young girl. Just saying that out loud would be a joke.

Funny enough, Shi Zhen had really managed to wear down Xie Qian’s temper. The girl was even more stubborn than he was. Earlier, when he tried to give her money, she flat-out refused. And yet, when he simply gifted her a phone, she acted all “grateful and indebted” and insisted on accompanying him out for fun.

Xie Qian didn’t know if all young people were like this these days, or if it was just Shi Zhen who was so headstrong.

Anyway, back when he was young, if someone offered him money, he’d take it without a second thought.

He didn’t even know what was wrong with himself lately—he just didn’t want Shi Zhen living in that broken old apartment anymore.

The feeling was like watching a sleek, snow-white Samoyed locked up in a rusty iron cage.

Who wouldn’t want to rescue that Samoyed?

Right now, all Xie Qian could think about was keeping that fluffy pup’s white fur from getting dirty. He just wanted to get it out of there as soon as possible and into a proper home.

He had Liu Yi stay behind to keep Shi Zhen company and made up an excuse, saying, “I’m heading back to grab my jacket. You two order some takeout and eat something. I’ll reimburse you when I get back.”

Shi Zhen immediately stood up and said, “No, it’s fine! I’m heading home anyway. I’ll bring you your jacket tomorrow.”

Xie Qian stepped in front of the door, blocking her path. He caught her as she rushed over and gently pushed her down onto the sofa.

“No need for you to go. Liu Yi,” he turned to the man sipping water, “play some cards with her, teach her to play ‘Draw the Turtle,’ perfect for two.”

Liu Yi set down his cup, saluted, and said, “Got it, Boss Xie. You go ahead. I’ll keep the little sis company. Don’t worry.”

Xie Qian nodded with satisfaction, then patted Shi Zhen’s head reassuringly before turning and heading out the door.

Shi Zhen stared at Xie Qian’s hurried figure, feeling something was off.

She thought to herself, It’s just a jacket. Why the rush? And if I was going home anyway, why not just go together?

Also—why did he pat her head?!

She hated when people did that. Every time someone did, she wanted to smack their hand away. She was an adult already!

“Hey, sis, you know how to play ‘Draw the Turtle’?” Liu Yi asked.

Her thoughts were cut off, and she quickly snapped back to reality. “Yeah, yeah, I know!”

She promptly tossed those questions aside and went to play cards with Liu Yi.

—

After leaving the hotel, Xie Qian took a taxi straight to Sunshine Community. He went up to the apartment and began organizing Shi Zhen’s things.

Although it wasn’t exactly proper for an outsider to touch someone else’s belongings, this was a special case that called for special handling.

Xie Qian carefully packed her laptop into its bag, then combed through her stuff, organizing and categorizing everything neatly.

Once he was done, he called a moving company. Five minutes later, the movers arrived with their tools and headed upstairs.

“Hello, just confirming the phone number ending in XXXX—are you Mr. Xie?”

Xie Qian replied, “Yes. Please be careful, don’t mess anything up.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Xie. We’re a professional moving service. We would never make such a rookie mistake.”

Even so, Xie Qian wasn’t reassured. If any of Shi Zhen’s things got dirty, the little girl might beat him up.

So he stood to the side and supervised the whole process himself.

“This bag’s not clean enough for the clothes. Use a different, clean one.”

“Hey man, don’t just throw that little box in. It’ll get smashed to bits. At least use some foam padding.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t touch the laptop. I’ll carry it myself.”

“Yeah, take everything except the mattress. Be careful with the rabbit ears!”

…

The movers were getting nervous under Xie Qian’s intense scrutiny. They looked helplessly at the driver.

The driver was an old hand at this. With years of experience, he immediately understood their frustration.

They were just uncomfortable being watched so closely.

With a knowing smile, the driver leaned over to Xie Qian and said, “Mr. Xie, where are we shipping this to? You haven’t given us a delivery address yet.”

Xie Qian froze. He was the kind of person who acted on impulse, doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

He’d had the sudden urge to give Shi Zhen a better place to live, so here he was—moving her out. But he hadn’t even bought the house yet!

“What’s the best villa neighborhood in Xiaoshan?” Xie Qian asked.

The driver looked a bit confused but answered anyway, “If you’re talking about the best, it’s definitely the standalone villas—that’d be Tianyuan Residence. Best in all of Xiaoshan.”

“Tianyuan Residence?” Xie Qian stuffed his hands into his down jacket pockets to warm them and asked, “Do you have the developer’s number?”

“The developer? I don’t, but I do have the sales rep, Xiao Zhang’s, contact.”

He might just be a driver, but after so many years in the business, he had his own network of resources.

“Alright, Xiao Zhang’s number will do,” said Xie Qian.

So, in a cloud of confusion, the driver handed him the number—then watched Xie Qian, right there in front of him, buy a house over a few phone calls.

“Hello, is this Xiao Zhang? Do you still have any villas in Tianyuan Residence?”

“It has to be a quiet one. Yes, standalone.”

“I want it immediately. If it’s already furnished, even better. Rush it. I’ll give you a 100,000 tip if this works out.”

“No, it’s not for me. I don’t have her documents, and that’s not your concern—I’ll handle it.”

“You just head over there and wait for me. I’ll pay on-site.”

After hanging up, Xie Qian turned to the driver and said, “Take everything to Tianyuan Residence, Building 2, Unit 3.”

The driver was stunned. In his forty-plus years of life, he’d never seen anything like this.

Did this guy win the lottery?

Or was he some long-lost millionaire heir just found?

Shocked or not, the driver was still professional. Once everything was packed, he steadily delivered Xie Qian and the luggage straight to Tianyuan Residence.

Xiao Zhang was already waiting outside the villa. When he saw Xie Qian, he welcomed him with a bright smile.

Moving, paperwork, and payment—everything was handled smoothly.

After paying, Xie Qian genuinely marveled at how cheap real estate was in Xiaoshan.

A whole villa for under ten million—what a deal.

He pulled some strings, and Xie Qian managed to get the property ownership certificate that very day—with Shi Zhen’s name written clearly and correctly on it.

On the way back to the hotel, Xie Qian couldn’t stop imagining what kind of expression Shi Zhen would have when she saw the certificate. Happy? Excited?

Would she jump for joy?

She definitely would, right? Who wouldn’t be happy to receive a gift?

Every time he bought a new toy for Da Huang at home, Da Huang would run around him in circles, wagging its tail and jumping on him with a big grin.

Just the thought of Shi Zhen smiling at him made Xie Qian want to rush back to the hotel immediately.

Shi Zhen’s script was still in the computer. Xie Qian knew how important it was for a creator.

He hadn’t dared to leave the computer at the villa. Instead, he carried it back separately.

Before knocking on the door, he tucked the property certificate into the laptop bag.

Shi Zhen opened the door. “Xie-ge, you’re back. Let me tell you, I only drew one Old Maid. The rest were all Liu Yi!”

She looked at him with an expression that clearly asked for praise.

Xie Qian exaggerated deliberately, “Wow, that amazing, huh?”

Liu Yi had already accepted defeat. He couldn’t beat President Xie at Dou Dizhu, and he couldn’t beat Shi Zhen at Old Maid. He was basically just there to be cannon fodder.

“Liu Yi,” Xie Qian waved him over, “come here for a sec.”

Summoned, Liu Yi happily trotted over. “President Xie, what is it?”

“You can head back now,” Xie Qian said. “You’ve done well these past few days. I’ll give you a bonus at the end of this month and a raise next month.”

Liu Yi beamed. “Ah, President Xie, you’re so generous! I’ll head out then. If you need anything, just give me a call and I’ll come right away.”

After sending Liu Yi off, Xie Qian handed the laptop bag to Shi Zhen.

Shi Zhen accepted it, completely confused. “Xie-ge, why’d you bring my laptop back? I was planning to head home in a bit.”

Xie Qian acted mysterious. “Open it and take a look.”

Shi Zhen gave him a glance, then lowered her head and opened the bag with suspicion.

Inside was something bright red. She frowned in confusion and pulled it out—on the front, in big shiny characters, were the words: Certificate of Property Ownership.

Shi Zhen furrowed her brows and flipped it open. The moment she saw the second page, she froze.

Her name was written on it!

She looked up at Xie Qian and asked, “Why… why does it have my name on it?”

Xie Qian sat down beside her, full of anticipation. “It’s a house I got for you. Do you like it? It’s in Tianyuanju—supposedly the best neighborhood in Xiaoshan.”

The reaction he had envisioned didn’t happen. Instead, Shi Zhen’s whole face scrunched up as she demanded, “Why did you buy me a house?”

Xie Qian sensed something was wrong. He replied, “The neighborhood you’re in is too old. The neighbors aren’t great either—it’s not safe. I’ve already moved your things. You can just move in. The villa’s decorated nicely. I think you’ll like it.”

Shi Zhen’s anger shot straight to her head. “You moved my things without telling me?!”

She shot to her feet like a rocket and looked down at Xie Qian from above.

She couldn’t believe it—this man’s domineering attitude was worse than Shi Daguo’s. How could he… how could he just make such a decision for her without a word?!

She might’ve been able to repay five thousand yuan, but a whole villa? How was she supposed to afford that?

He didn’t even ask if she wanted it and just shoved it at her. How was that any different from robbery?

Her face turned red as she felt her whole plan fall apart. “I don’t want it. Take it back.”

Seeing her unhappy expression, Xie Qian felt worse and worse inside. “Come on, why wouldn’t you take it? Didn’t you say you wanted to live in a bigger place? I want to give it to you. Just accept it.”

Hearing that only made Shi Zhen more upset. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Xie-ge, you’re being completely unreasonable. You didn’t even ask me before making a decision for me, and now you’re not letting me refuse it?”

Xie Qian nearly laughed in disbelief. So now he was wrong for giving her a house?

He gave up trying to explain. “I don’t care. I gave it to you—it’s yours now.”

Shi Zhen shoved the certificate back into his hand, puffing her cheeks in frustration. “Well, I don’t want it.”

Xie Qian felt like all his effort had been for nothing. He stubbornly pushed the certificate back to her. “Want it or not, it’s yours now. Your name’s on it, so you’re stuck with it!”

Shi Zhen was speechless. How could someone be this unreasonable? She flung the red booklet onto the coffee table. “I said I don’t want it. What are you going to do about it?”

This little girl wasn’t that big, but she sure could talk with bite.

A wave of unexplainable rage surged up in Xie Qian. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and, using only thirty percent of his strength, pushed her down onto the sofa.

Staring into her eyes, he gritted his teeth. “I said it’s yours—so it’s yours. If you’ve got the guts, call the cops and have me arrested.”

In that moment, Xie Qian looked like a wild wolf targeting its prey—his eyes filled with aggression, as if he’d tear her throat open the next second and drink her blood.

Shi Zhen was so terrified she burst into tears. Her lips trembled uncontrollably, and though she tried to hold it in, a few tears still slipped down.

The cold drops hit the back of Xie Qian’s hand and instantly woke him up from his rage.

He quickly let go of her hand and climbed off her in a rush.

Seizing the chance, Shi Zhen grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it straight at him.

“Jerk! Get away from me!”

Then she hugged the laptop and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door shut.

Xie Qian was already a mess inside. Getting smacked only made him even more dazed.

It took him half a minute to snap out of it. Staring at the tightly shut bedroom door, and thinking of how Shi Zhen had just run away like a little bunny, he suddenly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Well, not bad. The little girl didn’t let herself get the short end of the stick in an argument.

She even had the sense to run into the bedroom.

Looks like he was getting assigned to the sofa tonight.