C29 She Owed You Money?

Xia Yun made her way to the dingy entrance of a shabby building, and she scratched her head with concern. She shuddered as she drew in a sharp breath. In the end, she steadied herself and walked in.

Xia Yun lived alone in the left unit on the third floor. As soon as she opened the door and prepared to enter, she heard a rush of hurried footsteps coming from upstairs. The highly distinct noise of slippers striking the concrete floor was especially loud in the corridor.

"Hey, you little stinker. You finally came back!"

A menacing voice cursed her from the corner of the stairwell.

When Xia Yun heard the voice, she knew right away that it belonged to the building owner. Her face creased into a sudden smile as she greeted her. "Hello, Auntie! It's good to see you."

"Good? I'm not feeling too good!"

The landlady brandished her cattail-leaf fan in front of Xia Yun and spoke disparagingly, "If you didn't come back, I would have thought that you already ran away. Keep in mind that you still owe me three months' worth of rent.”

Xia Yun shook her head in haste and explained in a voice that had a soothing and hypnotic charm, "Auntie, I had no intention of running away."

The landlady gave her a sidelong glance of utter disbelief and yelled out, "Run? Do you dare to run away from me? Go on and pay the rent for three months and three days. Your bills, including water and electricity, add up to 3,300."

Xia Yun's expression seemed highly apologetic. "Auntie, I haven't received my paycheck yet. Would you mind waiting a couple more days?"

"Must I wait again?"

The landlady gave her an exasperated scowl. There was no doubt that she was getting impatient and upset. "You want to postpone it tomorrow, and when tomorrow comes, you're going to ask me for an extension, etc. Don't think that you can trick me just because I'm nice. You have to pay me today."

Xia Yun was left with no choice. She pleaded in desperation. "Auntie, I really don't have any available cash at this time. I'll head back to the kindergarten first and then appeal to the principal. The minute I receive my salary, I'll give it to you right away. Is that okay?"

"Cut the crap! I've had enough of your nonsense! If you don’t pay the rent today, I'll let you know who I really am and what I'm capable of!" The landlady tossed her fan on the floor and stormed into the unit directly. She roared, "Will you pay me or not?"

Xia Yun flushed with anxiety. "Auntie, believe me, I'm really broke now.”

"You don't have any cash left?"

As she spoke, the landlady picked up Xia Yun's belongings, went back outside, and dumped them in the hallway. After strewing Xia Yun's clothes, she ruthlessly trampled a few of her blouses. "How soon can you pay me?"

Xia Yun was so perturbed, since there was nothing she could do about her situation. A look of despair spread over her face as she beseeched, "Auntie, I really have nothing to give you. Please bear with me for a few more days."

"You're purposely refusing to give me money, are you?"

The owner snubbed Xia Yun and directly ransacked the unit's every nook and cranny. She threw the rest of Xia Yun's belongings straight down the corridor and cussed while stepping on them. "Get the hell out of here, you shameless wench! How dare you rent this place without a cent to pay me!"

The landlady's scolding was very scandalous, and her words became more distasteful as she went on. Before long, the tenants from all over the building overheard the commotion, and they all came to check what the ruckus was all about. Xia Yun's face was flushed with ignominy and resentment at herself. She wanted the ground to open up and devour her whole to avoid further humiliation. There was no way she could pay off the rent now.

"Please get out of the way."

At that moment, a low voice sounded from the hallway. The onlookers slowly dispersed as Lu Fengting pushed his way through the crowd. He gave the landlady an unfriendly and hostile look, and he approached Xia Yun's side. He knew the matter in an instant.

Lu Fengting initially asked the landlady, "Does she owe you money?"

The landlady gave Lu Fengting a calculating gaze from head to toe. Seeing Lu Fengting's stately appearance, her imposing presence weakened slightly.

She had lived comfortably for almost her entire life. Even though she made little money from her business, she still had the capability to gauge people's status. She felt she shouldn't insult the man standing before her.

The landlady nodded with a taut jerk of her head and said, "Yes. She still owes me three months' rent."

Lu Fengting's well-marked eyebrows gathered in a fleeting frown. "How much must she pay you?"