With Lin Jiang's help, they made it back to the woman's home.
The door had a fingerprint lock. As soon as it opened, a cat meowed from inside.
Lin Jiang glanced inside. It was a Ragdoll cat, and by the looks of it, an expensive one.
"Doudou, Mommy's hurt. I can't hold you for the next few days."
"Is it okay if I come in?"
"It's fine. Don't worry about your shoes, just come on in."
The woman was clearly saying this for his convenience.
Lin Jiang helped her inside. The apartment's decor was minimalist and modern, with a living space of at least 100 square meters.
The place was a bit of a mess, though. A black bra was hanging on one of the dining chairs. From the looks of it, she probably lived alone.
'Definitely a D-cup.'
Lin Jiang helped the woman to the sofa and casually took out the medicinal oil.
"I don't need this for now. You keep it. It should work better than your Yunnan Baiyao aerosol spray."
"Oh, I couldn't. I'm already so grateful you brought me home. I can't possibly take your things, too."
"It's okay. It's not worth much, so don't worry about it."
Lin Jiang placed the medicinal oil on the coffee table, trying to use this gesture to close the distance between them.
"I'll get going. Use it once in the morning and once at night. It'll help you heal faster."
"Wait." The woman called out to him.
"What is it?" Lin Jiang asked, turning back.
"Thank you for helping me and for bringing me home. Can we add each other as friends? When my foot is better, I'll treat you to a meal."
Lin Jiang was thrilled. 'Adding her as a friend gives me more chances to complete the mission.' He pulled out his QR code.
"Of course. It's just adding a friend, after all."
"I'm Qin Youyou. What's your name? Let me save your contact."
"Lin Jiang. I own Xiaojiang Noodle Shop across the street. If you come for noodles in the future, it's my treat."
To complete his mission, Lin Jiang tried to close the distance between them.
"Huh? You're the owner of Xiaojiang Noodle Shop? I order from your place all the time," Qin Youyou said in surprise.
"Especially the scallion oil noodles. I love them."
Lin Jiang hadn't expected such a coincidence.
"Next time you order delivery, add a note and I'll throw in a free braised egg."
"You've got a deal, hehe."
They chatted for a few more moments before Lin Jiang left to continue his morning run.
As he left, however, he couldn't help but take another look out of the corner of his eye.
'Yep, definitely a D.'
It wasn't that Lin Jiang was a pervert; it was a habit he'd developed in school. After finishing a test, you always had to check it over a few times to avoid mistakes.
He went back downstairs to the park and continued his morning run.
'Now that we're friends, I'll have a chance to talk to her. I can take my time with the mission. It's not like I have to make her go back right away.'
Lin Jiang's plan was to run five kilometers, but since it had been too long since he'd done such strenuous exercise, he was out of breath after three.
After finishing his run, he walked for another kilometer or so as a cool-down stretch.
After his workout, he was starving. He was ready to head over to his neighbor Old Wang's place and get a piece of... dumplings.
'Huh? That space got rented out?'
As he was walking, Lin Jiang stopped in his tracks.
Next to his small shop was a fruit market, and next to that, a liquor store. After that was a storefront that had been vacant and up for lease, but to his surprise, it looked like renovations were underway inside.
"Hey, excuse me. Did this place get rented out?" Lin Jiang asked one of the construction workers politely.
As a shop owner on the same street, when a new shop opened, it was natural to inquire about it. When he opened his own shop, the owner of the neighboring shop had also come to ask around.
"It's almost finished. Looks like it's going to open in a few days," the construction worker replied casually, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"What kind of shop is it?"
"A noodle shop, I think? I'm not too clear on the details."
Holy shit!
A noodle shop?
'Once this fucking place opens, won't it steal my business?'
"Thanks, man. I'll let you get back to it."
"Alright."
After thanking the construction worker, Lin Jiang left.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—
At that moment, Lin Jiang's phone buzzed. It was a message from Xu Lin.
Xu Lin: "Are you closed today?"
Lin Jiang: "Yeah, giving myself a day off."
Xu Lin: "If you're not busy, come over and hang out. It'll save me from being bored all alone."
Lin Jiang: "Where exactly?"
Xu Lin: "Get off the elevator, turn left, and go straight. You can't miss it."
Lin Jiang: "Alright."
An image of Xu Lin appeared in Lin Jiang's mind.
'Her husband's business trip doesn't seem to bother her at all. She's so carefree.'
He gave up on the idea of eating dumplings, bought a steamer of buns and a cup of rice porridge, and ate as he walked to Berkeley Mall.
Although it was very close, he didn't come to Berkeley Mall often, only occasionally to buy some daily necessities.
He took the elevator down to the first basement level.
The first basement level of Berkeley Mall wasn't complicated. It was mainly for food and drink.
On the right was the food court, but business didn't look great. Some people were carrying things out, as if a business was closing down.
Straight ahead on the left was the entrance to the mall's supermarket. To the right of the entrance was a Chinese medicine shop called Hengxin.
Xu Lin was sitting behind the counter with her legs crossed, binge-watching a drama.
Shifting his gaze, to the left of the supermarket entrance, there was another Chinese medicine shop called Shengxin Chinese Herbal Medicine Wholesale.
A woman in a semi-traditional cheongsam stood in front of the counter, explaining some medicine to two elderly people with graying hair.
The woman's looks and figure were decent enough. It was understandable how she could get together with Ma Shangxi.
But in terms of aura, Xu Lin was leagues ahead of her.
"AHEM... Did a woman in a cheongsam just steal your soul?" Xu Lin teased with a smile from behind the counter.
"I'm going for an ascetic persona these days. How could I possibly be tempted by a pretty face?" Lin Jiang said awkwardly.
"But their business is actually pretty good."
"That spot used to be a milk tea shop. Ma Shangxi managed to get them out and took over the lease for cheap. They have a price advantage over me."
"That son of a bitch. He's a real piece of work."
"We're all used to it. But I'd say you've gotten your revenge."
"What do you mean?"
"Look over there."
Xu Lin stuck her head out, looking toward the food court. She bent over slightly, her slender waist and perky butt forming a perfect curve.
Lin Jiang saw a few workers carrying things out.
Next to them, a burly man was supervising, talking nonstop to the workers.
"If I'm not mistaken, that guy with the big head is Ma Shangxi, right? What's he doing here?"
"That's Ma Shangxi's cousin's noodle shop. The reason he rejected you back then was probably because his cousin was coming. Now business is bad, and they can't stay open," Xu Lin said.
"With his noodle shop closing, your business should get a little better."
"I'm not worried about that piddling amount."
Lin Jiang walked behind the counter, ready to eat his breakfast first. Xu Lin, very perceptive, pulled up a chair for him.
The area behind the counter was very clean. On a small table behind her, bottles of medicinal oil were stacked in a pyramid shape, which looked quite interesting.
Next to it was a small price tag: 168.
"Are you here by yourself?"
"I have an employee, but she took a few days off, so I came to watch the store."
"Why is that son of a bitch coming over here," Lin Jiang muttered when he saw Ma Shangxi approaching.
Xu Lin gave a mysterious smile. "You'll see in a minute."
Ma Shangxi nonchalantly walked over to the medicine shop across the way.
The woman in the cheongsam broke into a smile, a hint of flirtatiousness in her expression, and began chatting happily.
When they got to an interesting part of the conversation, the woman would even playfully tap Ma Shangxi a few times.
Lin Jiang sucked in a breath through his teeth.
He rubbed his arms up and down. "It's giving me goosebumps."
"There's just something unbearable about a woman her age acting like that, isn't there?"
"It depends on the person. If it were you, it might be better."
Xu Lin smiled as she watched the two. "They're definitely not talking about anything serious."
"Huh? You can tell that just by looking?"
"This big sister has been around the block. I know women all too well."
The two continued to flirt. Ma Shangxi whispered a few words in the cheongsam woman's ear, then straightened his clothes and left with a serious expression.
"I should get going too. I've got some things to take care of, so I can't keep you company."
"Alright, go take care of business."
After leaving, Lin Jiang went to Fenglin International, planning to do a few laps of power walking. Making money was the priority.
"Huh?"
Just then, Lin Jiang saw a familiar figure heading toward the loft apartments at Fenglin International.
Ma Shangxi!