Seeing Ye Yiqing's palm coming towards him, Chen Yang quickly lowered his head and slightly shifted his neck, borrowing and diffusing the force, causing Ye Yiqing's arm to wrap around his neck, apparently embracing him.
Just then, a surprised cry came from the courtyard entrance, "Chen Yang, Yi Qing, have you two made up so quickly?"
At that moment, Ye Yiqing was half-leaning in Chen Yang's embrace, with his left arm around her and his right hand still on her body, while Ye Yiqing's arms were enveloping Chen Yang's neck, their posture indeed suggesting an unusual relationship.
Hearing the voice at the entrance, Ye Yiqing swiftly retracted her hand from around Chen Yang's neck, pushed him away, and stepped back several paces, glaring and pointing at Chen Yang, "Thief, keep your distance from me, or you'll regret it."
Chen Yang lazily smiled and innocently raised his hand to touch Ye Yiqing's right hand, "Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose."
Ye Yiqing, who did not believe his words, eyed the somewhat frail-looking Chen Yang from head to toe. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she thought to herself, "Was the chill I felt for a split second when he turned around just my imagination?"
Without pondering further, Ye Yiqing turned her gaze to the courtyard entrance where a woman clad in a cheongsam stood.
It had to be said that this woman was incredibly beautiful with delicate features as if carved from a portrait. Her skin was fair, glowing with a hint of blush, and flawless. Her phoenix eyes seemed to hold endless tales, and her short hair, popular during the Republican era, added to her vintage charm.
Her figure, outlined by the cheongsam, was shaped like an S. Her three sizes were not prominent, yet when combined, they were simply perfect.
"Zi Ning, I finally see you, I've missed you so much!"
In Ye Yiqing's astonished gaze, Chen Yang walked over, gave Su Zining a big hug, and then kissed her on the forehead.
Just as their lips were about to touch, a soft palm blocked Chen Yang's lips. Su Zining looked at him tenderly and smiled, "You're twenty years old now, why do you still behave like a child?"
"Hehe, I haven't seen you for more than a decade, I couldn't help it," Chen Yang said, scratching his head like an innocent child.
If those who killed without blinking an eye saw Chen Yang like this, their worldviews would probably be overturned. And only in front of Su Zining could Chen Yang show such an expression.
In fact, Su Zining was a servant in the Chen family, nine years older than Chen Yang. When Chen Yang was young and living in the courtyard, she always took care of him and was very kind to him. Though she was a servant, her relationship with Chen Yang was like siblings, very close and deep.
"Zi Ning, you are still the most beautiful. Over the years, I've seen so many women wearing cheongsams, but none of them have the charm you do," Chen Yang said, sizing up Su Zining and clicking his tongue in admiration.
"Behave yourself," Su Zining said, tapping Chen Yang's forehead lightly. She was about to say more when Ye Yiqing, who was already unable to bear it, interrupted, "Wait, Zi Ning, can you tell me what's going on? Why has a man suddenly appeared in our house?"
Chen Yang imitated Ye Yiqing's tone and said, "Yeah, Zi Ning, I want to know why this woman, whom I don't recognize, is in my house. Moreover, she burst in while I was taking a shower and said she wanted to give me a massage to make me comfortable. She was wearing a police uniform, but she's actually a female hooligan."
"Who are you calling a female hooligan? Believe it or not, I'll flatten you!" Ye Yiqing yelled, flailing her arms, but she didn't call Chen Yang a thief anymore, as she had realized that he was indeed not a home invader.
In Su Zining's memory, Ye Yiqing was very skilled, and she feared that Ye Yiqing might hurt Chen Yang if she made a move, so she quickly mediated, "Yi Qing, you've both misunderstood. Let me introduce him. This is Chen Lao's grandson, Chen Yang. After Chen Lao passed away, he inherited this courtyard. From now on, he'll be your landlord."
What, landlord!
Ye Yiqing's face fell, showing her distress. She had thought Chen Yang was some distant relative of Su Zining's, but to her surprise, he turned out to be the master of the courtyard, her landlord.
Su Zining introduced Chen Yang to another person, "Chen Yang, this is Officer Ye Yiqing. She is currently living in the second room of the east courtyard and is one of our tenants here."
Chen Yang already knew that the other party was a tenant, but he was puzzled as to why the four-courtyard residence would be rented out, knowing his grandfather would never be short of such a small amount of rent money.
"Since you're the landlord, I'll forgive you today. You two can have a good chat."
Now that she knew Chen Yang was the landlord, Ye Yiqing felt somewhat embarrassed. Thinking of how she had pushed open the bathroom door earlier and seen Chen Yang's body, not to mention the "hooligan" comment she had made, her cheeks flushed with shame, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. She then turned and headed to her own room.
Watching Ye Yiqing's retreating figure briskly walk away, Chen Yang smiled without making a big deal of it. He had no desire to drive away such a beautiful tenant; that would have been a loss.
"You still dare to laugh, Officer Ye is a taekwondo black belt," Su Zining said with a mild warning. "If you really anger her, she would definitely beat you up. But don't be fooled by her fierce appearance; she's tough on the outside but soft on the inside." Su Zining briefly described Ye Yiqing's personality before her expression turned into one of concern as she asked, "Chen Yang, where have you been all these years, and how have you been?"
"Nothing much, just traveled around the world."
Chen Yang was telling the truth, yet he didn't mention that as he traveled the world, he had also killed quite a few people.
As they walked towards the hall, Chen Yang looked around at the somewhat neglected four-courtyard residence and asked, "Sister Zi Ning, Grandfather wasn't lacking money. Why would the residence be rented out to others?"
Su Zining hesitated, her brow furrowing before she finally spoke. "The four-courtyard residence wasn't rented out by Old Chen. After he passed away a year ago, I took it upon myself to rent it out."
Seeing the hint of self-reproach and sorrow in Su Zining's eyes, Chen Yang felt a surge of tenderness for her but refrained from asking further. He smiled and said, "It's okay, renting it out is good. We have plenty of rooms, and they would just be empty otherwise. It's livelier with people around."
Seeing the smile on Chen Yang's relaxed face, Su Zining kept the rest of what she had intended to say to herself. They had finally reunited after so much difficulty; why spoil the atmosphere by bringing up the Chens' affairs?
That evening, Su Zining cooked over a dozen dishes, all Chen Yang's favorites.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Su Zining smiled with satisfaction and said to Chen Yang, sitting beside her, "Everyone in the residence used to eat together. Now that you're back, you can't be the exception. Go invite Yi Qing and Xi Yue over for dinner."
Yi Qing, Xi Yue?
Chen Yang looked puzzled and turned to Su Zining, "I know Yi Qing, but who is Xi Yue?"
After setting down the bowls and chopsticks, Su Zining looked up and winked at Chen Yang, "Xi Yue's full name is Guan Xiyue. She's a nurse, very beautiful and gentle. Don't miss out on this opportunity."
So, there wasn't just a policewoman tenant but also a nurse? Could his luck get any better!
Chen Yang had an innocent face when facing Su Zining, but the moment he turned his head, a sly, mischievous smile tugged at his lips, yet he spoke calmly, "Okay, Sister Zi Ning, I'll go call them."
*****
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