I turned around and smiled: "Sister Mary, Xiao Wu is leaving! Take good care of yourself from now on."
Mary's eyes were a little red. She turned around and looked behind her. Several waiters who were looking over in the corridor quickly turned their heads away.
"Fifth Brother, come into the room, I have something to tell you."
Once inside the room, she stood behind me, watching me open the closet and pack my things, without saying a word.
I didn't have much stuff; in fact, I didn't have much to pack, except for that ring, which I was determined to take. I also grabbed a few other odds and ends and put them in a small box.
"Fifth Brother, I feel so sorry for you!" Mary sighed, her expression helpless. "Everyone has seen how you conduct yourself. You take good care of your subordinates and treat us young ladies well... Why did Huan-ge..."
I shook my head: "There's no need to talk about these things."
Mary glanced at me: "Little Five...where are you planning to go? Are you going to work at another place?" She suddenly smiled: "As long as your Fifth Brother says the word, I, Mary, will take my girls and go with you tomorrow!"
I smiled, looked Mary up and down, and then said sincerely, "Thank you, Mary!"
To be honest, it's rare to find a mother who is more loyal than many men... Whether she's telling the truth or not, it's still quite remarkable.
"I'm not planning to do this anymore." I smiled.
Mary's face showed a hint of disappointment, which I could tell wasn't feigned. Then I heard her say, "Fifth Brother, I, Mary, have also worked my way up in the world of entertainment. I know who's a good person and who's a bad one. I don't tolerate any dishonesty! You, Little Fifth, are a capable person and treat your subordinates well! In all my years in this industry, I've never met any other manager who treats his subordinates like you do! Little Fifth Brother, what I said just now wasn't just empty flattery! I've seen through it all. Working under a manager like you is much more enjoyable, and at least I'm less likely to be bullied!"
I waved my hand and said seriously, "Sister Mary, what I just said was the truth. I really don't plan to do this anymore."
“Actually… with your experience in this industry, it would be easy for you to find another place outside of here,” Mary seemed to be trying to persuade me.
"I'm tired." I shook my head. "I've seen too much of that nonsense these past few years, it's all so annoying!" I glanced at Mary and smiled. "Sister Mary, to be frank, you're not young anymore, not like those eighteen or nineteen-year-old girls. You've earned enough money over the years, it's time to find yourself a place to settle down."
After saying that, I patted her on the shoulder, then picked up my things and prepared to leave.
"Wait a minute." Mary's eyes were filled with emotion as she quickly caught up with me, blocking the doorway. She then pulled a small envelope from her handbag and forced a smile, saying, "Fifth Brother, knowing you were leaving, my girls and I wanted to see you off, but you know how it is in our line of work—we all have to work the night shift and can't leave. The girls chipped in a little something to treat you to drinks! And thank you for taking care of me all these years!"
This really surprised me.
To be honest, I've always looked down on women who work as prostitutes. However, I have my own principles: I believe everyone has the right to choose their own lifestyle and path. As long as they don't affect others, no one has the right to interfere. Even if it's depraved or base, that's their own business and their own freedom.
In my opinion, prostitutes are at least better than thieves and robbers. At least they don't steal or rob; they sell themselves for money. Although I despise this practice, I would never adopt a moralistic tone to criticize it.
And who among those who sell their bodies isn't doing it for money?
The envelope in Mary's hand wasn't big; it probably contained only a few thousand dollars at most. But I knew that those few thousand dollars were earned by these girls who spent their nights drinking with customers, letting them touch them, hug them, and play with them!
Everyone says that prostitutes are heartless, but what happened today is something I just can't understand.
“Fifth Brother,” Mary said sternly, “do you think this money is dirty?” She paused, then gritted her teeth and said, “If it were anyone else leaving, I, Mary, would at most spit on their back! But it’s your Fifth Brother leaving, and I, Mary, am heartbroken! To be honest, it’s not that I, Mary, am being dramatic, but I’m worried about the future of my girls! I’ve seen plenty of men! That Ah Kan, he always seemed so respectable, but the day he took over, he wanted one of my girls to keep him company that very night! Humph, what a bastard! And last night, one of my new girls upset a customer, and the customer complained. That bastard Ah Kan slapped that girl right in front of me in the private room, until her face was swollen!”
I remained expressionless.
Mary continued, "I won't say anything else! Brother Wu! Do you remember last time, my little sister offended a customer, a customer that neither of us could afford to offend? Back then, you went into the private room and drank two bottles of XO with the customer in one go to calm him down, and then you were so nauseous that you couldn't get out of bed all day! I, Mary, will remember this!"
Then she handed me the money, gritted her teeth, raised an eyebrow, and snapped, "If you think this money is dirty, then just leave! I, Mary, will burn it right now without saying a word!" With that, she pulled out a lighter, her eyes fixed intently on me!
I'm speechless.
To be honest, although I don't bully my subordinates and take good care of them, I'm simply influenced by Huan Ge's habit.
I believe that whether she's a waitress, a hostess in a private room, or a prostitute, since she works for the company and makes money for it, I will definitely protect her!
But I never expected that these ladies would leave me with such a huge favor!
I sighed, took the envelope, glanced at Mary, and suddenly whispered, "Mary, my phone number won't change... I won't say anything else. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just let me know."
When I left, Mary saw me all the way to the door. Along the way, the waiters seemed to avoid me and didn't say a word, as if I were a plague.
I sneered inwardly. This wasn't the first time I'd witnessed the fickleness of human relationships; I just found it somewhat laughable.
I treat my subordinates well. This is evident from the fact that even before I met Yan Di, I was willing to stand up for her when she was being bullied. This is enough to show how I treat people!
Awei stood at the door. When he saw me come out, his expression turned sour. Mary glared at him, gave a deliberate snort, and then saw me to the door. Awei suddenly caught up from behind and took two steps, then stammered for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a few words: "Fifth Brother... thank you! Take care!"
I deliberately laughed, then kicked him and said with a laugh, "What do you mean, 'farewell'! It sounds like your mother's funeral! It's bad luck!"
Then he waved to them and strode away.
Amei had been waiting anxiously in the hotel lobby for a while. When she saw me come out, she immediately skipped over to greet me. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed that my expression was not good, so she quickly shut her mouth, carefully followed beside me, and then whispered, "Chen Yang...you...what's wrong?"
I waved my hand to signal her to be quiet, then walked out of the hotel, took a hundred steps down the street, and stood in front of the first beggar I encountered. I took the envelope Mary had given me out of my pocket, threw it in front of him, and then turned and walked away.
I heard the beggar behind me open the envelope, glance at it, and then shout, "My goodness!"
After walking out of the street, I began to consider my current situation: I am now unemployed and have nowhere to live... Where should I go next?
I glanced at Amei beside me. This well-behaved girl could tell I was in a bad mood. She hadn't said a word since then, just carefully keeping me company.
Book One: A Man in the Martial World, Forced by His Own Circumstances, Chapter Thirty-Two: "Pah!"
"What? You want to fire me? No way!" Amei pouted, her big eyes wide open, hands on her hips. "Please, how can you, a grown man, go back on your word!"
I spread my hands: "I'm unemployed now, I have no income."
Ah Mei's eyes darted around, and she laughed, "But you don't have to pay my salary! Some people have already received advances!"
"But I don't even have a place to live right now." I shook my head again.
"Tch! Don't try to fool me!" Amei shrewdly saw through my excuse: "You're a grown man, if you don't have a place to stay, you can rent a place, or sleep in a hotel. You can't possibly sleep on the street! Even if you live in a doghouse, as a responsible caregiver, I will stay by your side."
"Stop messing around, Mei." I frowned and said, "Don't follow me. If people from your company ask, just say you're still following me. Nobody will know anyway."
"You think it's that simple!" She deliberately looked at me like I was an idiot. "If the company were so easy to fool, would I be running around with you like this? Please! The company isn't stupid! They're not that easy to fool! I have to record your daily routine, your diet, and your physical condition, measuring your blood pressure, heart rate, weight, and nutritional status! And I have to report to the company every day! The company will also check my work from time to time! Do you think this job is so easy to hold onto?!"
I sighed, unable to refute her.
During my stay at the hospital, she did indeed perform many tests on me every day. At first, I thought they were just hospital examinations, but I later realized that many of them were part of her job.
"Reports can be faked," I said calmly. "If I don't tell you and you don't tell you, who will know!"
Amei thought about it seriously, then secretly glanced at me: "Are you really willing? You don't want me to take care of you, and you'll still pay me my salary... I've never seen anyone as foolish as you." But then she seemed to hesitate for a moment: "No... the risk is too great. The company will check, better safe than sorry! If I accidentally slip up, I'll be fired! To be on the safe side, I'd better just stick with you."
I was at my wit's end with this shrewd and stubborn girl.
And most importantly, after spending a few days together, she took good care of me, and the two of us got along very well, so it was really hard for me to fall out with her.
"Whatever! I'm going to stay at a hotel now! One bed! Are you coming with me?"
"Okay!" Amei actually nodded, with a heroic expression on her face: "I'll sleep on the floor! Anyway, this job pays so well, it's worth it!"
"I give up!" I sighed, thought for a while, and suddenly remembered the property management company I had extorted. They had promised to arrange a rental apartment for me! I immediately took out my phone and dialed the number.
When the property management company manager heard it was me on the phone, he sounded relieved and hurriedly asked me where I was and why I hadn't contacted him about the house in the past few days.
After a few subtle probing questions, I realized he was afraid I'd change my mind. These past few days had been the peak season for advertising and tenant recruitment in the commercial building where my accident happened, and he was afraid I'd go back on my word and expose the incident, which would be disastrous.
Driven by profit, people's work efficiency is exceptionally high. We discussed it over the phone and agreed to go see the house immediately. The location is not far from where I am now, and it is also a rather upscale community.
To be honest, I was secretly delighted.
I know that neighborhood; the property prices there are very high, and the rents are also quite hefty.
If I still had my job at the nightclub, there wouldn't be any problem. But now that I've lost my job, I have to consider the price.
Fortunately, when we were extorting that property management company, we had already agreed on a very low rent!
Without saying a word, I immediately grabbed the cardboard box, hailed a taxi, and drove to the agreed location.
Naturally, my little tail, Amei, still follows me.
...
"This is it!" I looked around the house and was quite satisfied.
The apartment has two bedrooms and a living room, is newly renovated, and both bedrooms face south, so it gets plenty of sunlight. The living room is spacious and bright. The only downside is that the bathroom is a bit small, but luckily I don't have the habit of taking a bath, so I'm quite satisfied with having a shower at home.
The house already has a set of furniture; it's simple, but sufficient. It was a gift from the real estate company; although it's not any designer brand or high-end goods, the quality is decent.
It's obvious that this is a "single apartment" type of house specifically for urban white-collar workers, but I don't care. I like this place very much. The community is very quiet, the surrounding transportation is good, and there is a supermarket downstairs, so life should be very convenient.
This was the second time I'd met the person from the property management company. He was clearly very confident in the house and knew I would accept it. Moreover, it was obvious he'd gone to great lengths to resolve this problem as quickly as possible.
The rent is 30% lower than comparable properties, and all property management fees are waived!
Just as I was about to make the decision and pay, Ah Mei suddenly called out, "Wait!"
Then the little girl skipped and hopped over to the guy at the property management company, pouting, and said, "This house has a huge problem!"
Then, with a single, rapid-fire chatter, she pointed out countless flaws:
For example, the tenth floor is problematic in Xiao Ni's words. She says that based on the city environment, the tenth floor is about thirty meters above the ground, which is exactly the exhaust layer in the air! Air pollution in the city, car exhaust emissions, generally float at this height, which has a significant impact on human health...
Then they complained that although the two rooms face south, they are blocked from sunlight by the opposite building from a certain angle, which shortens the amount of sunlight they receive by two hours each day.
And so she went on and on, eventually turning what I considered a very satisfactory house into a house riddled with flaws. In her words, Miss Amei, it was nothing short of a shoddy construction project full of quality problems.
Although the property management company employee was shrewd, he was clearly no match for the sharp-tongued A-Mei. After being thoroughly rebuked, he was both anxious and angry, his face flushed red. A-Mei then wisely stopped, and when the other party's anger was about to reach its breaking point, she calmly said, "With so many problems, could you lower the price a little more?"
Finally, under this little money-grubber's coercion and enticement, the property management company actually agreed to waive my water and electricity bills for six months! They even gave me a year of free internet broadband!
After I signed the lease and immediately paid the deposit, the property management staff finally came to their senses, gave the penny-pincher a thumbs up, and exclaimed, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Then the guy ran away, looking completely pale.
The little miser watched him leave with satisfaction, then turned to look at me, still in a lecturing tone, shaking his head: "Chen Yang, you're such a spendthrift! You spend money like water, do you think your money just falls from the sky?"
Ignoring my stunned expression, she flopped onto the sofa in the living room and then exclaimed joyfully, "Finally, I have a place to call home!"
Then the little money-grubber turned to look at me very seriously: "My esteemed client, for the next period of time, before you fire me, we'll be living under the same roof!" Then he sighed, saying in an envious tone, "Ah, this house is really nice... You've found such a good house, God must be blind!"
I scoffed, "What are you so smug about? If you want to stay here, start cleaning first. You need to wipe the windows, wash the floor, and buy a lot of things like blankets, towels, toothbrushes, etc."
"Ah!" The little money-grubber jumped up from the sofa, staring at me with wide eyes: "Are you kidding me! I'm your personal nurse, not your maid! I'm just a nurse, responsible for taking care of your body and your injuries! I'm not your nanny! I don't do housework!"
I deliberately shook my arm, which was in a cast: "Do you think I can do housework by myself like this? Luckily, we have piped natural gas here, otherwise, you'd probably have to carry the gas cylinder yourself!"
A sly smile appeared on A-Mei's face: "That's your problem... You'd better make your injury even worse... That way I can stay by your side as your nurse."
That cunning girl!
...
Joking aside, after dropping off her luggage, Amei went back to get her things and had to go back to the company to give a work report. She also wanted to go to the supermarket to buy me some household necessities—of course, I paid her for it. Not only for the necessities, but she also demanded a tip. She even drew up a list of all the housework besides her nursing duties.
For example, washing clothes costs ten yuan per time.
Cleaning costs ten yuan per session.