Sister, can I become a maid too?

Chapter 1: Collecting Rent, Then Encountering a Medical Miracle

Jiang Yubai looked at the old, even somewhat dilapidated residential building in front of him, his face showing a hint of helplessness.

His own mother is lying at home, and he comes to collect rent, euphemistically calling it "training."

It's just taking the money and leaving, what kind of trouble could possibly happen?

He shook his head and stepped into the dimly lit stairwell.

Before I had gone down a few floors, an impatient female voice drifted down the corridor into my ears.

"...It's not that I'm deliberately trying to make things difficult for you, but I have to collect your rent today."

Jiang Yubai looked up and saw that it was the floor he was going to.

He continued upwards, and then a slightly embarrassed female voice rang out: "Aunt Li... usually you can give me a few more days' grace, right? Just... just two days, is that alright?"

Her voice was as clear as a nightingale's song, carrying a hint of pleading; it was extremely pleasant to hear.

Seriously? I really ran into an accident?

Finally arriving at the stairwell where the sound came from, Jiang Yubai glanced up and saw the back of a slightly plump woman with long, wavy hair. He figured this must be the landlady Li he was looking for.

The girl who was talking to her was completely blocked by the older woman and could not be seen at all.

The older woman's tone grew increasingly impatient:

"I used to turn a blind eye to things, but these past two days the landlord has been sending people down to inspect. If you can't pay today, I won't be able to explain myself to him."

The clear, pleasant voice fell silent.

With a slightly annoyed "tsk" in his heart, Jiang Yubai stopped tiptoeing and spoke in his usual lazy tone:

"Hello, may I ask—"

His words suddenly caught in his throat.

Without the landlord's obstruction, he could finally see that the girl opposite him was wearing a simple cotton dress, with her long, soft hair hanging down her shoulders.

Her eyebrows and eyes were delicate and beautiful, her nose was straight and elegant, and her lips were small and full. Anyone who saw her would know that she was a beauty in the making.

At this moment, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were filled with undisguised astonishment as she stared at him in disbelief.

Lin Tingwan.

He recognized that face all too well; they had been in the same class for over two years of high school.

Running into a classmate while collecting rent wouldn't have surprised him so much, but—

Lin Tingwan, isn't she mute?!

On the first day of school, the homeroom teacher specifically emphasized this matter to the whole class and reminded them not to play any pranks or similar things.

But just now?

Before Jiang Yubai could think about it further, Aunt Li, who was standing next to him, turned around and looked him up and down, her brows immediately furrowing.

"You...you look unfamiliar. You're not from our neighborhood, are you?"

"....no."

Jiang Yubai subconsciously denied it, but his gaze remained fixed on the girl in front of him.

What's so special about this? When you can't pay rent, you're so desperate you'll start talking.

A medical miracle...

The older woman's gaze darted back and forth between him and Lin Tingwan, lingering for a moment on the girl's flushed ears and sparkling eyes, as if she had suddenly confirmed something, and her brows furrowed sharply.

"I'm telling you," she gestured with her chin toward Lin Tingwan, her tone resolute, "don't try to be clever."

"Either your boyfriend pays the rent today, or you pack your things and leave. There's no room for discussion!"

Lin Tingwan was stunned.

Jiang Yubai: "...?"

What is a boyfriend?

The tone clearly indicated that he was being treated as someone Lin Tingwan had specially invited to make a scene.

Jiang Yubai narrowed his eyes, his tone less polite than before: "You're Li Xia, the landlady, right?"

Hearing this, Aunt Li looked him over carefully a few more times, then frowned and said:

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Jiang Yubai said bluntly:

"The company has recently been checking the leasing status of shops and floors, and the collection performance here is not ideal, so I came to take a look while I was passing by."

Aunt Li was taken aback for a moment, then her expression changed abruptly. The impatience she had shown earlier vanished instantly, replaced by a forced, dry laugh.

"Oh my, you're from the company, no wonder you're so handsome... Look at my eyesight, I was right just now... I was collecting rent right here."

Lin Tingwan, who was standing to the side, watched the two people's slightly exaggerated interaction and a hint of vigilance flashed in her eyes. She took a half step back without making a sound.

Jiang Yubai didn't intend to put on a show in front of others, and then asked:

"So what's the situation now?"

"I..." Aunt Li glanced at Lin Tingwan, "Oh, it's not good to stand outside. Come, come, let's go inside and sit down to talk."

As she spoke, she reached out and pushed open the half-closed door, walking straight inside.

Lin Tingwan's expression changed, and she subconsciously wanted to speak up to stop him, but then she seemed to remember something and forcibly pursed her lips.

A question mark popped into Jiang Yubai's mind—if he understood correctly, Lin Tingwan was living in this house now, right?

Even though it was a rental, it's one thing for this older woman to go in herself, but to let a grown man like that go in...

"What are you still standing there for!" came an urging voice from inside. "Hurry up and come in and pour someone a cup of tea!"

Hearing this, Lin Tingwan bit her lower lip, glanced at Jiang Yubai with some anger, and then turned and went into the house.

Why are you glaring at me?

Jiang Yubai was a little confused, but seeing that the homeowner had already entered the house, he didn't hesitate any longer and followed him inside.

The house is an old-style one-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, and one-bathroom house. The layout is compact and the area is not large, but it is kept very clean.

Since it was someone else's room, Jiang Yubai only glanced at it twice and then looked away.

Aunt Li had already sat down on the old sofa in the living room and waved to him warmly: "Come, come, please sit down."

Lin Tingwan, on the other hand, didn't actually pour tea. Instead, she silently sat down on the small stool by the window, which was even further away than he was.

Aunt Li looked rather disappointed in him, then looked around and found the kettle, and proactively made Jiang Yubai a cup of tea:

"Um... what is your surname?"

"My surname is Jiang," Jiang Yubai said briefly.

"Oh, Mr. Jiang," Aunt Li immediately chimed in, "We've basically collected all the rent for this month in our neighborhood, except for this one household that hasn't paid yet."

She paused, glanced at Lin Tingwan who was hanging her head, and softened her tone: "The situation... is indeed a bit special. Could you perhaps make an exception?"

Jiang Yubai didn't reply, but just gave her a strange look.

Weren't you just yelling at us to demand rent? How come you're begging for mercy now?

Noticing his gaze, Aunt Li quickly tried to signal to the girl on the chair, but Lin Tingwan remained silent and motionless, looking like a statue.

—One plays the good cop and the other the bad cop, right?

—Sure enough, those two...

Lin Tingwan silently clenched her fists.

"Heh, heh," seeing that she didn't react, Aunt Li could only laugh awkwardly twice, "This child... is rather shy..."

Jiang Yubai glanced at the smiling landlord Li, then at the silent Lin Tingwan, and suddenly sensed that something was off about the atmosphere.

No, the more I look at this scene, the more it resembles a scene of a bully forcing rent and a woman being left speechless.

Jiang Yubai shook his head violently, quickly banishing the slightly bizarre idea from his mind.

To salvage the increasingly awkward atmosphere, he softened his tone and explained, "Landlady Li, actually, I know her; we're classmates."

His intention was to ease the tension between the two of them, but Aunt Li across from him was clearly taken aback. Her gaze shifted between the two of them, and a look of "I see" flashed in her eyes.

"I understand, I understand."

She quickly stood up, looking knowing, and said, "You young people can chat, I won't disturb you."

As she passed the door, she paused in her hand, which was about to close the door, but instead of closing it completely, she left a small gap.

Jiang Yubai: "?"

No, what exactly did you understand? Why did you suddenly run away?

The landlord has run away, so how am I supposed to collect rent?

He turned his head blankly, only to find that Lin Tingwan, who was sitting next to him, had a slightly pale face and was staring intently at him.

Why is this one acting like a mouse seeing a cat?

"Lin," he thought for a moment, then decided to satisfy his curiosity first, "you...were you deliberately silent at school?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Tingwan pursed her lips but remained silent.

"I heard you just now, so you don't need to pretend anymore," Jiang Yubai shrugged.

"..."

The last shred of hope that she could get away with it was completely shattered. Lin Tingwan took a deep breath and finally raised her eyes to look at him:

"Jiang Yubai... what exactly do you want?"

His tone was full of vigilance, but it couldn't hide his clear and pleasant voice.

"As expected, you can talk..." Jiang Yubai's eyes widened slightly.

For the past three years of high school, he had never heard Lin Tingwan speak. If it weren't for that clear question just now, he would have almost doubted whether he had been hallucinating.

Lin Tingwan ignored his words, only frowning in disgust, and repeated, "What exactly do you want?"

What do you want?

Jiang Yu blinked and said truthfully, "I'm here to collect rent."

Upon hearing this, Lin Tingwan's face paled even more, as if she had confirmed something.

"Collecting rent..." Her voice trembled slightly, "I knew it, you were all in cahoots, so... what are you planning to do next?"

"What collusion... what did you mean by 'how'?"

Jiang Yubai was stunned, somewhat puzzled.

Before he could figure it out, he saw Lin Tingwan clench her fist tightly and say, word by word:

"Jiang, Yu, Bai, are you still going to play dumb? I know you're used to being a womanizer... but I never expected you would actually do something like this."

"You knew perfectly well that the school tuition was just paid, and this inspection was something you arranged beforehand, wasn't it? Are you trying to blackmail me?!"

Jiang Yubai looked at the girl in front of him, her face flushed with anger, and a big question mark popped into his head:

"What...am I threatening you with?"

And what do you mean by "I'm used to being a womanizer"?

Lin Tingwan's ears turned bright red, and she spoke in a trembling voice, "What do you think? Are you forcing me to say it?"

Jiang Yubai stared blankly at the girl in front of him, while Lin Tingwan glared at him with eyes full of anger, meeting his gaze without backing down.

In the silence, a soft "click" was suddenly heard from the door.

The two subconsciously turned their heads to look—

A small head peeked out from the crack in the inner room door, looking at them with a hint of confusion.

The moment Jiang Yubai saw that face clearly, his pupils dilated slightly.

Her long hair was loose, and her features were delicate and beautiful, exactly the same as the girl in front of her.

The only difference was that those equally beautiful eyes didn't reveal anger, but rather a hint of bewildered confusion.

When Lin Tingwan saw her, her expression changed drastically:

"Wanwan, don't come out!"