If it had been mentioned before tonight's incident, Fang Tingyun's words would have met with strong opposition from the three ladies. Now, however, they surprisingly did not object.
The three women exchanged glances, each with a hint of hope in their eyes. This evening's events had suddenly left them feeling very insecure. Ye Qing, on the other hand, brought them an unprecedented sense of security. Although they had only just met Ye Qing, his actions that night made them feel that he was a reliable man!
Among them, Huo Pingping knew best. That afternoon, she had intentionally struck a pose on the couch to see Ye Qing's reaction. He only looked at her once before turning his head away and never looked back. If it had been anyone else, she would have deemed the person hypocritical. However, with Ye Qing, she couldn't associate him with hypocrisy because it seemed to be his true nature.
And such an upright man, where could you find one in today's society?
Ye Qing said in a low voice, "I just wanted to find some guys to share the rent, it's not very convenient here."
"What's inconvenient about it? We all live together, and you're not staying in my room, how could it be inconvenient?" Huo Pingping stood up, walked over, and supported Ye Qing's shoulder, saying, "What? Are you afraid we might eat you up?"
The straight-shooting Huo Pingping spoke unrestrainedly, causing the other three women to blush and even Mu Qingrong felt a bit flustered.
"You are all ladies, and my staying here is not good for your reputation," Ye Qing said, looking at the women. "Thank you for your kindness, but I think I should find another place. And thank you for the dinner."
After speaking, Ye Qing turned and left the room.
Watching his retreating figure, Fang Tingyun's eyes reddened slightly. She wanted to chase after him and stop him, but with so many people in the room, she couldn't show it too obviously.
"Wait a minute!" Mu Qingrong suddenly stood up and walked to the doorway, saying, "Mr. Ye, have you found a job yet?"
Ye Qing turned his head and replied, "Not yet."
"Would you be interested in working at my company?" Mu Qingrong said. "You saw the compensation today. If you're interested, give me your contact information, and you can start work tomorrow."
Ye Qing awkwardly said, "I... I don't have a contact number..."
Mu Qingrong almost choked, but considering Ye Qing's current renting situation, she could pretty much confirm that his statement was probably true.
Mu Qingrong entered the room, took out an old cellphone and said, "Once you join the company, you are an employee. By rights, the company should provide communication devices for you. This is an old phone I used to use. It's not great, but the signal and everything else works fine. You can use it for now. Once you are officially hired, the company will get you a new phone!"
Ye Qing looked at the phone hesitantly and said, "This… this doesn't seem right…"
"As a salesperson at the company, you must have a communication device. You are now a member of the company, so it's necessary!" Mu Qingrong insisted, thrusting the phone into Ye Qing's hands. "I've already installed the SIM card. The company provides two hundred yuan a month for phone expenses. Any extra will have to come out of your own pocket!"
Ye Qing, holding the phone, couldn't help but sigh. When he was in the army, he had used quite a few such devices, but this was the first one that truly belonged to him.
Ye Qing pocketed the phone and suddenly asked, "What's the number for this phone?"
"It's written here." Mu Qingrong handed him a slip of paper. Ye Qing read it and turned to Fang Tingyun, saying, "Miss Fang, now I have a contact number. Please take note of it."
Fang Tingyun, already with teary eyes, suddenly heard Ye Qing's words and was overjoyed. Ye Qing providing her his phone number first meant that she was in his heart!
Actually, Ye Qing hadn't thought much about it, assuming Fang Tingyun was his first friend in Shenchuan City, and since she had given him her contact, it was only polite to reciprocate.
Huo Pingping exaggeratedly said from the side, "Oh wow, it's different having a phone, huh? What's this, giving Xiao Fangfang your number and not us?"
Fang Tingyun blushed deeply, and Ye Qing also felt somewhat embarrassed, saying, "Sorry, I... I have to take it one at a time…"
Eventually, Ye Qing also gave his number to Huo Pingping. Mo Xiang didn't ask for it. Apart from the moment when she saw her own photo and got a bit excited, she seemed to be cut off from the outside world most of the time, barely speaking a few words to Ye Qing.
After leaving his number, Ye Qing left directly, and the four women inside felt as if they had just experienced a draining ordeal.
"Ah, this world is indeed perilous!" Huo Pingping sighed. "It's good we encountered such a person, otherwise, who knows when we might have been threatened!"
Mu Qingrong remained silent for a long while, then finally muttered, "This man, is not simple!"
Fang Tingyun was overjoyed, constantly holding the phone number Ye Qing had given her and giggling from time to time.
"Okay, okay, enough! Look at you, you're no different from a schoolgirl with a crush!" Huo Pingping patted Fang Tingyun's shoulder, saying, "Xiao Fangfang, it's normal for a girl to have a fluttering heart, but you should still have limits to liking someone. Remember, the most important person in the world is yourself. Don't neglect yourself for the sake of a man!"
"I didn't!" Fang Tingyun whispered back.
"Didn't? It's practically written all over your face." Fang Tingyun turned to Mo Xiang and said, "Little Xiangxiang, don't you think so?"
Mo Xiang put down the book she was holding, looked up at the two women, and said, "Pingping, don't impose your views on Tingyun. People are all different."
Huo Pingping pouted, "All crows under the sky are black; these men are all the same!"
Mo Xiang gave a faint smile, didn't speak further, and then picked up a book.
Elsewhere, Ye Qing strolled through the streets, holding a newly acquired phone, feeling somewhat sentimental. He had initially planned to rent a house, but although he didn't secure a house, he had managed to resolve his job situation instead. Life, indeed, is strange.
But now that his job situation was resolved, finding a house was no longer so urgent. No one would ask him where he lived anymore.
The nighttime in Shenchuan City was the liveliest, with a vibrant mix of lights, wine, bustling markets, and crowded streets.
Even at night, Ye Qing's attire still attracted attention. Dressed in a military uniform, he stood out starkly against the social backdrop no matter where he was!
Ye Qing wandered the streets for a while and didn't head straight back to the under-bridge dwelling but instead turned into a dark alley.
Not long after Ye Qing entered, five or six men immediately gathered at the alley entrance. Looking into the dark alley, one of the men said in a deep voice, "It must be him!"
Another man said, "There's no mistake, his height, his looks, and the military uniform, exactly as they described!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go beat him up and then report to Big Lin as a tribute!"
"Damn, I heard that the last time, at Xitangkou, thirteen guys couldn't take him down by themselves. Six of us won't be enough to stick in his teeth!"
"Isn't Mr. Leopard, underling of Eldest Brother Lin, singing right next door? How about we call him over?"
"Good idea, you guys go fetch Mr. Leopard, and we'll continue following to make sure he doesn't escape!"
The men split into two groups, two went to fetch Mr. Leopard, while the other four entered the dark alley.
The alley was deep, but surrounded by houses which cast a weak light down, barely illuminating the alley enough to make out what was inside.
After two rounds in the alley, they hadn't seen Ye Qing and were quite surprised. Could it be they had lost him just like that?
"Are you guys looking for me?"
Suddenly, a voice arose from behind them. They immediately turned around, only to see Ye Qing, in his military attire, standing not far away.
They had just walked through this spot, and there was no place to hide a person. They hadn't seen Ye Qing at all. How had he managed to get behind them?
The four men were astonished, recalling incidents where several venues had been smashed. They had heard this person was a formidable fighter. Although they hadn't witnessed it themselves, the rumors alone had already scared them. Now, with Ye Qing's mysterious appearance behind them, they were even more taken aback.
"No… no, we weren't looking for you…" stammered one of the men.
"Not looking for me? You've followed me across five streets!"
Ye Qing calmly observed the men, causing them to startle internally. When they had started following, Ye Qing had already known? They had thought he hadn't noticed them. It seemed that the real fools were indeed themselves!
"We were just… just passing by…"
Ye Qing shook his head, "You're lying to me!"
"I'm not lying. We really were just passing by!" the man said urgently.
Ye Qing slowly stepped forward, speaking softly, "I've been in Shenchuan City for less than a month. I don't have many friends here, even fewer enemies. There's only one enemy I have, and that's Eldest Brother Lin. So, you must be Eldest Brother Lin's men!"
As he spoke, Ye Qing approached the four men. Compared to the robustness of these four, Ye Qing seemed rather slender. Yet, despite his slender frame, it was these four men who trembled in fear, while Ye Qing appeared as casual as if he was walking in a leisurely garden.
"So, you are the one who has been smashing our places!" a furious roar suddenly erupted from the end of the alley as six or seven men charged in.
At their forefront was a man with a heavily tattooed torso visible under an unbuttoned short-sleeve shirt.
Emblazoned on his chest was a large leopard head, situated right over his heart. The leopard's mouth was wide open with fierce eyes, as if ready to leap and bite at any moment.
This tattoo alone was enough to intimidate many.
This man was none other than Mr. Leopard, one of Eldest Brother Lin's most trusted lieutenants!
"Fuck, we've been looking for you for days. Who would've thought you'd show up right at our door today. Good, saves me the trouble of finding you!" Mr. Leopard charged toward Ye Qing, saying, "You like breaking arms and legs, right? I'll start by breaking both your arms and legs today, and see where you can show off then!"