In August in Ling City, the sun baked the earth like a raging fire.

This was a season greatly preferred by men, for no woman who dared to walk the streets would be clad in more than a scant three feet of fabric.

Li Xiaoyao, who had spent a few years abroad as a mercenary before finally being discharged and returning to his home country, was standing beneath a utility pole in the city center at this moment. The pole had a paper sign on it with two big characters: "For Rent."

Li Xiaoyao raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, cursed the damn weather, and then fished out his phone to call the number on the paper.

"Hello, I saw your rental ad. Is the place still available?"

A gentle and pleasant female voice came from the other end, "Not yet, if you have time right now you can come over. I happen to be at home."

"Okay, I'll be there shortly."

After ending the call, Li Xiaoyao looked around to get his bearings and then set off.

Half an hour later, Li Xiaoyao arrived at the upscale apartment building, registered his name, and took the elevator to the door of the lady's home.

Li Xiaoyao pressed the doorbell: "Ding dong!"

"Coming." A woman's voice came from inside, and Li Xiaoyao immediately recognized it as the same woman he had just spoken with on the phone.

The door opened, and a young woman in home attire stood gracefully at the threshold.

She had delicate red lips and watery large eyes that seemed as if they could speak. Her slightly chubby cheeks were irresistibly pinchable.

Her figure was sensational, and the loose home attire couldn't hide her lovely shape. The straight long legs under the hem of her skirt made one's head spin.

It only took Li Xiaoyao a second to survey the woman's body from head to toe. He silently marveled at how the big cities were indeed filled with beauties. However, on the surface, he maintained a slight smile, displaying the demeanor of an upright gentleman.

The woman seemed somewhat shy as she looked down and asked, "Are you the one who called about the room?"

Li Xiaoyao nodded and smiled, saying, "Yes, that's me. My name is Li Xiaoyao."

The woman brushed the hair from her forehead behind her ear and said, "Nice to meet you; I'm Tang Tiantian."

Li Xiaoyao pointed at the room and asked, "May I see the room?"

Tang Tiantian smiled sweetly, "Of course, please come in."

Li Xiaoyao pretentiously inspected the apartment at a leisurely pace. Tang Tiantian initially followed him, but her phone suddenly rang. She walked to the side to take the call.

The caller was a man who asked, "Tiantian, are you at home?"

"How do you know where I live?" Tang Tiantian asked into the phone.

The man confidently replied, "Heh, I can find out if I want to."

"Please stop calling me. I don't want to get to know you," Tang Tiantian said, somewhat angry, guessing that a colleague must have told this man about her.

The man said, "Feisty, I like women like you. I'm already in the elevator. I'll be there soon, so open the door to welcome me."

"Click!"

The call suddenly disconnected, and Tang Tiantian looked toward the door anxiously.

"Thump thump thump!"

Someone was knocking on the door.

Although Li Xiaoyao was looking at the apartment, he could hear everything from this distance; Tang Tiantian dropping something would be audible to him, let alone her phone call. He could even hear what the man calling Tang Tiantian was saying.

As Tang Tiantian heard the knocking, her eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of unease appeared in her eyes.

Tang Tiantian glanced at Li Xiaoyao, and he looked back at her with a smile, asking, "Is that someone else here to view the room?"

Tang Tiantian stared at Li Xiaoyao, her eyes suddenly brightened, and she asked, "Could you do me a favor?"

Li Xiaoyao asked, "What kind of help?"

Tang Tiantian's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she said in a low voice, "There's a man who keeps bothering me, can you pretend to be my boyfriend later and send him away?"

After saying that, Tang Tiantian added, "If you help me out, I can give you a discount on the rent."

Li Xiaoyao pinched his fingers, feeling the deal was very worthwhile, so he grinned, showing two rows of neat, white teeth, and said, "Deal."

Li Xiaoyao walked over and pulled the door open, where a man in a suit and tie stood, holding a bouquet of roses. He had a smile on his face, but, seeing that the person who opened the door was a man, his smile instantly vanished.

The man angrily yelled at Li Xiaoyao, "Who are you? How come you're at Tiantian's place? Where's Tiantian?"

Li Xiaoyao, hands in pockets, watched as Tang Tiantian, unnaturally, came up from behind and linked her arm through his, and said to the man, "Mr. Zhang, this is my boyfriend, Li Xiaoyao."

The man, named Zhang Biao, had a mighty name but was as frail as a chicken.

Zhang Biao glared at Li Xiaoyao for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter and said, "Your boyfriend? Tiantian, you're lying to me. Do you think I don't know? I've already inquired with your colleagues; you don't have a boyfriend at all. This guy, dressed like a bumpkin, how could he possibly be your boyfriend?"

Tang Tiantian hadn't expected Zhang Biao to be so observant and see through her ruse on the spot, causing her to feel a bit panicked, and her grip on Li Xiaoyao's arm tightened slightly.

Li Xiaoyao gently patted Tang Tiantian's arm, gave a gentle smile, and said, "It's okay, I'm here."

Hearing this, Zhang Biao snorted with laughter and spat, "Who the hell are you? If you know what's good for you, get lost right away."

After berating Li Xiaoyao, he turned to Tang Tiantian and said, "Tiantian, as long as you agree to be my girlfriend, I'll buy you whatever you want."

Suddenly, Li Xiaoyao said, "You have ten seconds to disappear from my sight."

Zhang Biao raised an eyebrow and cursed, "You motherf***er think you're tough?"

"Slap!"

Li Xiaoyao's slap landed on Zhang Biao's face, and Zhang Biao, with his small frame, couldn't withstand such a hit from Li Xiaoyao and was sent reeling.

"Ah!" Tang Tiantian hadn't expected Li Xiaoyao to actually hit someone. She watched as Zhang Biao spun around twice from the slap and then thudded to the ground. Tang Tiantian covered her mouth in shock.

Zhang Biao, holding his swollen half-face, glared at Li Xiaoyao with resentment, "You dare hit me, you actually dare to hit me!"

Li Xiaoyao feigned stepping forward, which scared Zhang Biao enough to scramble backwards in retreat.

Li Xiaoyao looked at him with contempt and said, "I'll count to three, and if you're still here, I'll make sure your other cheek swells up too."

Zhang Biao cursed, "F*** y—"

Before he could finish, Li Xiaoyao's cold voice rang out, "Curse once, I slap you once."

Zhang Biao immediately didn't dare to make a sound, scrambled up, and ran away.

Seeing Zhang Biao leave, Tang Tiantian said, "Thank you, thank you, it's lucky you were here today, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do."

Li Xiaoyao said, "It's no big deal, just lifting a finger. If there's nothing else, I'll get going."

Tang Tiantian was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked, "Hey, aren't you here to rent a place?"

Li Xiaoyao blinked and said, "I don't have money."

"What?" Tang Tiantian failed to respond at first, confused. No money? If you don't have money, why come to look at the apartment? No money and yet you state it so confidently.

Tang Tiantian was somewhat speechless, but considering Li Xiaoyao had just resolved the issue with Zhang Biao and he didn't seem like a bad person, she couldn't just kick him out.

After wrestling with the thought, Tang Tiantian finally said, "Why don't you just stay here for now? I happen to have a room available."

Li Xiaoyao immediately said, "Sure."

Tang Tiantian: "..."

[The new book has finally been released. Li Xiaoyao will embark on a new journey. I beg for recommendation tickets, rewards, and comments— I'm asking for everything!!!]