"I never rent out my place," Shi Lin coldly rejected him over the phone.
Qin Li sighed, "I am in a rush, please do me a favor, just for a month."
Shi Lin asked, "Why do you need to rent a place?"
Qin Li explained, "A girl from the company had an incident last night and needs to move. Her current neighborhood is too chaotic, and I'm worried. I wanted to arrange some employee dormitories and have her stay in Eight Corners City."
"Lin Mian?" Shi Lin asked casually.
"Did you figure it out so quickly? It seems like nothing can escape your notice. Anyway, she is my apprentice, so I want to take care of her. If you don't want to rent it out, then it's fine. I'll look for other options," Qin Li said.
After a moment of silence, Shi Lin said abruptly, "You can rent it to her, but I prefer only one person living there, and I don't want it to turn into an employee dormitory."
Qin Li immediately agreed, "No problem."
As long as it allows Lin Mian to move in, these were all minor issues.
Shi Lin hung up the phone and quickly sent a series of house numbers and passwords.
Qin Li tried to send him a red envelope as a thank you, but Shi Lin refused to accept it.
He didn't care about such small amounts, and Qin Li was used to it. He decided he would treat him to a meal later as no formality was needed between brothers.
Qin Li forwarded the house numbers to the human resources department and instructed them on some matters, making sure no one leaked any information.
Lin Mian quickly completed the application procedures and the allocation of the housing was also swiftly arranged. In less than half an hour, Qin Li showed up with his car keys in hand.
"Lin Mian, let's go. I have some free time this afternoon, I'll help you move," Qin Li said.
Lin Mian felt embarrassed, "Master, I can manage by myself. I don't have many things."
"Even if it's not a lot, you're still a young girl. Taking the subway multiple times will be tiring. With my car, we can get it done in one trip. Let's go," Qin Li insisted, leading the way out.
Lin Mian had no choice but to follow him.
She couldn't help but feel like she was inconveniencing him. However, as a mere intern, she had no means to repay his kindness. All she could do was hold onto her gratitude.
Upon arriving at the rental place, the living room was still a mess. Lin Mian's small single room door was slightly ajar, and the lock had been broken since the day before. She had hurriedly left with Shi Lin the previous night, and hadn't had the chance to replace the lock. However, apart from some clothes and daily necessities, there weren't any valuable items in the room, so whether the door was locked or not didn't matter.
Lin Mian quickly packed her belongings into a suitcase and a cardboard box, almost finishing the collection.
"Master, shall we go," Lin Mian said.
Qin Li quickly scanned the small single room, a fleeting surprise in his eyes followed by a sigh. "It's too dangerous for a young girl to live here."
Lin Mian forced a light smile, "Actually, it's not that bad here. It's just my bad luck to have encountered a bad neighbor."
"Forget it, there won't be such incidents in the future."
Qin Li looked at her, his tone serious yet gentle, "Mian Mian, you are excellent and have outstanding abilities. I will do my best to teach you, and you will only get better in the future. Trust me."
Lin Mian felt a pang in her heart, her eyes getting a little teary. "Yes, I will work hard!"
"Good girl, let's go."
Qin Li ruffled her hair, picked up her old suitcase with one hand, and went downstairs. Lin Mian held the cardboard box behind her, leaving the place without a second thought.
In the car, she called the landlord. Since the rental contract hadn't expired, the landlord didn't refund the deposit but returned the remaining rent to her.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Lin Mian suddenly remembered an important piece of information. She turned to Qin Li and asked, "Master, you haven't told me which building the employee dormitory is in at Bafang City?"
"You'll find out when we get there."
Qin Li gave her a mysterious smile, leaving her in suspense. Lin Mian could only silently look out of the window, praying in her heart.
With so many buildings in Bafang City, she hoped she wouldn't end up in Shi Lin's building, right? There couldn't be so many coincidences in the world.
Half an hour later, Lin Mian stood outside the apartment complex opposite Shi Lin's house.
She was completely dumbfounded.