"Huh? Live with you?!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Jinyu slightly furrowed his brows, feeling that it was somewhat awkward to spend the late night alone with a woman. He hesitated for a moment before asking again tentatively.
Wen Rou, hearing the tone of Mu Jinyu's voice, thought he was unwilling and looked down on her. She assumed he didn't want to put up with a jinx like her for even one night.
Her eyes dimmed as she looked down and said, "I'm sorry, I misspoke. But I'm not really sure about the surrounding area..."
Mu Jinyu saw Wen Rou's expression and immediately realized she had misunderstood. He quickly said, "No, I didn't mean that, it's just that... it seems somewhat inappropriate, right?"
Wen Rou raised her head to look at Mu Jinyu and saw his slightly embarrassed expression. The discomfort in her heart vanished in an instant. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle and softly said, "You can get shy? That's really cute."
At that moment, she also realized that Mu Jinyu was actually younger than her. Without his usual stern and imposing demeanor when facing an opponent, he looked just like a shy boy-next-door.
Mu Jinyu frowned and said discontentedly, "Please, don't use the word 'cute' to describe me. I'm not little!"
Upon hearing this, Wen Rou felt that he was even more adorable, rather than feeling afraid or worried.
She smiled gently at Mu Jinyu and said, "Yes, yes, that's right. By the way, I still don't know your name."
Mu Jinyu answered, "My name is Mu Jinyu, 'Mu' as in coveting wealth and beauty, and 'Jinyu' as in a hall filled with gold and jade."
Wen Rou found Mu Jinyu's self-introduction, with phrases like coveting wealth and beauty, amusing as if it suggested he might have any bad intentions towards her.
Initially, she felt that bringing Mu Jinyu back to her rental place would be somewhat difficult and awkward.
But now it seemed that Mu Jinyu was clearly just an overgrown boy who hadn't yet matured.
He was skilled, but maybe due to practicing martial arts from a young age and not interacting much with people, his personality remained innocent. He was likely still naïve about matters between the sexes.
Regarding him as a younger brother, her shyness about inviting a man to share her place for the night diminished a lot, and it no longer felt awkward.
"Okay, Little Mu, may I call you that?" Wen Rou asked gently.
"Whatever you want," Mu Jinyu replied, his expression slightly downcast as he saw Wen Rou clearly treating him like a younger brother.
"Alright." Seeing him like this, Wen Rou smiled warmly and said, "Since you're tired and looking for a place to rest, I'll just close the shop now and take you back to rest, okay?"
"This..." Mu Jinyu hesitated.
Reading his innocent mind, Wen Rou laughed and said, "It's fine. Business isn't booming for this store anyway. Closing up early means I can rest earlier too."
"It's not that..." Mu Jinyu's face turned slightly red as he coughed lightly and said, "I meant to ask, how much would it cost to spend the night at your place?"
Wen Rou nearly fainted.
He was very close to defeating her patience.
After a moment of stunned silence, Wen Rou regained her composure. She looked at Mu Jinyu with an odd expression and thought to herself, he really was a very innocent big boy.
But it was for the best.
It made her feel more at ease.
Wen Rou smiled faintly, shook her head, and said, "Don't worry about money. You've already helped me tonight. It's only right for me to offer you a place to stay."
"Really?" Mu Jinyu's eyes lit up.
"Mm," Wen Rou nodded.
"Wow, that's great."
Mu Jinyu cheered happily, almost unable to resist throwing his arms around Wen Rou and planting a kiss on her.
Although he now had over twenty million on him, for a miser like him, saving a bit on accommodation costs was a cause for great happiness.
Especially since he saved the money through his own ability, which made him even happier.
Mu Jinyu exclaimed jubilantly, "Boss lady, you're really nice. Are you hiring staff here? I want to be the boss."
Wen Rou: "..."
...
After closing and locking up the shop, Wen Rou led Mu Jinyu back to the small room she rented.
She probably didn't want to spend too much on her living space, right? Wen Rou rented a very small room, just over twenty square meters, with no balcony, no kitchen, and no separate bathroom—just a bed, a small wooden table, and nothing else.
"Sorry, the room is a bit small." Wen Rou opened the door, turned back to Mu Jinyu with an apologetic smile, and said self-deprecatingly, "I hope you won't mind."
She carefully observed Mu Jinyu's eyes, ready to grit her teeth and pay for a room in a nearby inn if she saw a hint of dissatisfaction or disdain in his gaze.
However, Mu Jinyu showed no sign of disdain upon seeing the simple room. He walked in with ease, saying casually, "It's fine. It's not that small. If we squeeze a bit, a few more people could sleep here."
Seeing him act this way, Wen Rou finally smiled with relief.
Observing Mu Jinyu's demeanor, it was clear that he hadn't lied earlier; he really grew up in a tough environment and was a simple big boy without much money.
Wen Rou followed him inside, closed the door, and started looking for a quilt. After making a bed on the floor, she said to Mu Jinyu, "You sleep on my bed tonight; I'll sleep on the floor."
The room was really small. After Wen Rou made the bed on the floor, there was barely any space left to stand. Sitting on the bed, Mu Jinyu immediately shook his head upon hearing her proposal, saying, "How could that be okay? Just staying overnight and bothering you already makes me feel uneasy. If I let you sleep on the floor, I might as well find somewhere else to sleep."
They argued for a while but ultimately Wen Rou conceded, letting Mu Jinyu sleep on the floor.
The room had no air conditioning and only one window, making it very stuffy. After persuading Wen Rou, Mu Jinyu wiped his sweat and began unbuttoning his suit.
When Wen Rou saw what he was doing, her face turned red, knowing he wasn't trying to be a pervert, and quickly said, "There's a public bathroom in the common hall outside. If you're feeling hot, go take a shower first."
As she spoke, she handed Mu Jinyu the toothbrush, cup, men's underwear, and beach shorts they had bought beforehand at the supermarket.
Wen Rou was well aware of the condition of the room she rented, so she had prepared in advance.
"Okay," Mu Jinyu accepted them, took off his suit jacket, and ran out to the public bathroom to shower.
Soon, Mu Jinyu finished showering and returned to the room shirtless, wearing only beach shorts, carrying the suit he had taken off.
He felt that this outfit was much more comfortable. Wearing a suit all night in the summer heat was unbearable.
When Wen Rou saw him return, she grabbed a basin with her change of clothes and, with her face flushed, dartly avoided looking at Mu Jinyu for too long as she left.
Mu Jinyu sat in front of the bed, chin in hands, beginning to fantasize about Wen Rou's appearance when she came out.
Her long hair damp, cheeks flushed, wearing a cool summer nightgown, revealing her healthily pale and rosy skin.