Chapter 6

Chapter summary: "What's there to pity about me? I'm the happiest person in the world."

Ni Zhenzhen followed Xu Tianzhou cautiously and asked, "Why are you here?"

Xu Tianzhou remained silent.

Ni Zhenzhen didn't dare to press the matter, after all, she was the one in the wrong. She had promised Xu Tianzhou more than once that she wouldn't give money to beggars anymore, and what happened? Now Xu Tianzhou had caught her red-handed.

Just when Ni Zhenzhen thought he wouldn't answer, Xu Tianzhou snorted softly, as if helpless and defiant, "I knew you wouldn't ignore it."

Ni Zhenzhen had no doubts about Xu Tianzhou.

They had known each other for many years and understood each other well enough. Just as Xu Tianzhou didn't believe she would turn a blind eye to a beggar, he also didn't believe Xu Tianzhou would be generous to a beggar.

Could it be...?

Ni Zhenzhen understood. Xu Tianzhou had repeatedly told her that beggars were all liars. To prove how absurd her kindness was, he said that it was precisely because of people like her that these people made a living from begging, deliberately fabricating tragic backstories to gain sympathy, when in reality their families weren't doing so badly.

"Maybe he already made several houses from begging."

Xu Tianzhou must have been utterly disappointed in her, so he didn't bother arguing with her this time. He pretended to be delivering something to the old lady, but in reality, he just wanted to take her to the old lady's house so she could see for herself what a "beggar's" home was like.

Thinking about all this, Ni Zhenzhen couldn't help but feel a little sad. It wasn't that she was worried about losing face in front of Xu Tianzhou, but rather that she was worried about how the old lady would feel if she found out that they gave her the things only because they suspected her of being a fraud.

The old lady was unaware of the affair between the two, let alone Xu Tianzhou's thoughts. She would occasionally turn around and chat with them about everyday matters, her unguarded demeanor making Ni Zhenzhen even more upset.

After crossing the overpass, the old lady didn't get on the subway; instead, she exited the subway station.

The dark clouds outside hadn't dispersed, obscuring the sky and making it seem unlike what one would expect at midday.

Worried that it might rain, Ni Zhenzhen hurried a few steps and asked the old lady, "Is your home far? Do you need to take a taxi?"

"It's not far, we'll be there soon," the old lady said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xu Tianzhou, standing not far away, subtly raised one corner of his lips. When Ni Zhenzhen understood the meaning behind that expression, her heart plummeted as if the clouds in the sky had turned to dust.

The old woman seemed oblivious to anything amiss and continued to lead the way with great enthusiasm. However, as she turned into a narrow alleyway lined with single-story houses, Xu Tianzhou's face darkened instantly.

It's hard to imagine that such a world-renowned modern metropolis has such places. In stark contrast to the towering buildings, the alleys are low, dark, and filled with sewage, which also reflects poorly on the people's mental state.

However, the old lady didn't stop in the alley; she walked straight through. At the end of the alley, a wide road decorated with flowers stretched out, opening up a sense of openness.

The old lady walked along the road for a few minutes, then stopped in front of a residential complex with a sign that read "So-and-so Garden," and said happily, "This is it..."

The community security guard was quite familiar with the old lady and even asked her why she was back so early.

"We have guests," the old lady said proudly, then turned and beckoned the two of them to come inside, "This way."

Xu Tianzhou couldn't help but chuckle, "See? The accommodations here are no worse than ours."

Xu Tianzhou's tone was extremely indifferent, not showing any emotion, but Ni Zhenzhen could detect a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

They are not only no worse than them, they are far better than them.

The entire residential complex consists of several light brown high-rise buildings. Although there isn't much greenery, it's clean and tidy. It's no exaggeration to say that it's exactly the home Ni Zhenzhen has always dreamed of.

She still refused to believe it, "Maybe it's rented?"

Even without Xu Tianzhou saying anything, Ni Zhenzhen herself lacked confidence. In such a location and environment, even renting would not be cheap.

“Maybe they live in the underground parking garage,” Ni Zhenzhen murmured.

A flash of cold light appeared, and a muffled thunderclap exploded overhead. Xu Tianzhou suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Ni Zhenzhen's heart stopped with Xu Tianzhou's steps. Before Xu Tianzhou could speak, Ni Zhenzhen hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry."

Xu Tianzhou looked over, his expression calm and composed, showing no sign of displeasure at being offended.

"Why should I apologize?" Xu Tianzhou's tone was gentle and touching, with a hint of a smile, as if he were not questioning Ni Zhenzhen, but sincerely seeking her advice.

The more nonchalant Xu Tianzhou acted, the more guilty Ni Zhenzhen felt.

“I…” Ni Zhenzhen couldn’t say it.

His smile vanished, and Xu Tianzhou sighed almost imperceptibly, saying, "Let's go."

Ni Zhenzhen guessed wrong. The old lady's home was not in the underground garage, but on a prime floor of a high-rise building.

As we exited the elevator, the old lady stopped in front of a door. "You must be exhausted. This is the place."

The door opened, and before Ni Zhenzhen could even go inside, she was terrified by the continuous gunfire from within.

Immediately afterwards, two explosions rang out, and then everything fell silent.

Just as Ni Zhenzhen was about to speak, a man's voice came from inside: "Why are you back? What time is it? What's with that five hundred yuan? Did you run into a rich guy? He's so damn generous..."

Ni Zhenzhen then realized that there was someone in the room. However, it was broad daylight, and the person's curtains were drawn and the lights were off. The only way to make out the person's outline was by the dim light from the computer screen.

The old woman put down her things and explained to the man, "We have a guest."

Just as Ni Zhenzhen was about to greet him, the person walked over at lightning speed and slammed the door shut.

“This…” Ni Zhenzhen was puzzled.

"I'm sorry, he..." The old woman was embarrassed; even though she was in her own home, she seemed unusually uneasy. "Sigh..."

"It's alright," Xu Tianzhou said understandingly.

He put down the groceries he had just bought from the convenience store and started chatting with the old lady. He called it a chat, but really he just asked her a few questions, such as who owned the house, who lived there, why she was begging, and how much money she could get each day.

Xu Tianzhou's purpose was clear, and he didn't care about the old lady's feelings at all. Ni Zhenzhen felt sorry for him and interrupted him several times, telling him to stop asking.

The old lady didn't mind and answered all her questions without reservation.

It turned out the house wasn't rented; it belonged to the old lady, a newly built resettlement house. The person living there was her son, in his forties, who spent his days playing video games and was currently unemployed. She had just started begging; the money wasn't much, but it was significantly more than what she earned cleaning...

"There are still many kind-hearted people..." the old lady couldn't help but sigh.

Hearing this, Ni Zhenzhen finally believed that instead of pitying others, she should pity herself.

Everything went as Xu Tianzhou had predicted. Seeing Ni Zhenzhen's distraught appearance, Xu Tianzhou nodded with satisfaction. He bid farewell to the old lady, saying, "Then we won't disturb you any longer."

Seeing that they were about to leave, the old lady insisted on seeing them off. She not only saw them into the elevator, but also wanted to follow them to the gate of the residential complex. It was only after Ni Zhenzhen insisted that the old lady stop at the entrance of the building. However, she did not go back, but stood there watching the two of them leave.

"Come again when you have time..."

"Okay." Ni Zhenzhen agreed with a smile, but she knew in her heart that she would not come again.

The sky outside was still overcast, the rain hadn't started yet, and the stuffy atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

However, Ni Zhenzhen soon felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart, and she relaxed completely.

She assumed the old woman was struggling financially and couldn't afford to eat, but it turned out the old woman wasn't like that at all. She had her own house, though it was rather simple and lacked decent furniture, but at least she didn't have to wander around and worry about finding a place to live, moving, or the landlord raising the rent like she did.

This is a good thing; she should be happy.

Xu Tianzhou keenly noticed the change in her expression and frowned as he asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"Thank you."

"Thank me?" Xu Tianzhou didn't understand. "Why should I thank you?"

Ni Zhenzhen pursed her lips and remained silent. She was afraid that Xu Tianzhou would be angry.

However, Xu Tianzhou had already guessed it without Ni Zhenzhen needing to answer.

He suppressed his anger and said sullenly, "You..."

Xu Tianzhou recalled a long time ago when Ni Zhenzhen insisted on giving money to a beggar. He couldn't stop her and could only say angrily, "You should have pity on yourself."

“What do I have to be pitied about?” Ni Zhenzhen smiled brightly, like the winter sun, and said with no small amount of pride, “I am the happiest person in the world.”

Xu Tianzhou didn't understand what happiness she had.

Ni Zhenzhen comes from a wealthy family, lives in an upscale neighborhood, attends an international school, and has never worried about money.

When she was in school, her dream was to work in journalism and become a snow sweeper who "shoulders the responsibility of upholding justice and writes articles with skillful hands." However, after being with him, she had to choose to work in a bank in order to earn more money.

Ni Zhenzhen applied for a branch in the city, but was assigned to a township, ostensibly to "train in the most difficult place." Strangely, those with connections didn't need to undergo training and went directly into the head office's business departments.

As for salary, the only consolation, it also fell short of the initial promise. It turns out the annual salary did exist, but only those with an A performance rating could receive it, and across the entire bank, very few people could achieve an A.

They also had a rough time looking for houses; the ones they liked were too expensive, and the cheaper ones were in poor condition.

Xu Tianzhou had experienced hardship before. When they saw the old apartment they were living in, Xu Tianzhou looked like he was blind, staring at the mold on the ceiling and the leaking toilet, and said, "This one is not bad."

Unexpectedly, Ni Zhenzhen also said, "It's really good."

Like a butterfly flitting into a flowerbed, she gestured around the small room, saying, "We could put a dining table here, a potted plant here, and we'd also love to change the curtains; it would be so beautiful when the sunlight comes in..."

She walked around the room, imagining what it would be like to live there, and then said to Xu Tianzhou, "The key is that it's close to your workplace, so let's take this one."

In Xu Tianzhou's eyes, Ni Zhenzhen was far from being happy, so when she said she was the happiest person in the world, Xu Tianzhou asked with amusement, "How are you happy?"

Ni Zhenzhen immediately hugged his arm, rested her head on his chest, and smiled with her eyes curving like two crescent moons, "Because I have you."

In an instant, Xu Tianzhou's anger vanished.

Xu Tianzhou didn't know what was going on either; he just couldn't do anything about her.

"Hey, wait for me..."

Xu Tianzhou walked very fast, forcing Ni Zhenzhen to run a few steps.

Xu Tianzhou finally stopped. Outside the old lady's apartment complex, Xu Tianzhou looked at her and sighed helplessly, "You go back, I'm going back to the shop too."

"Hello……"

After Xu Tianzhou finished speaking, he seemed to be deliberately avoiding something and left without looking back.