4:30 PM.
Lin Luan gripped the stair railing with one hand and clutched his overcoat with the other, his legs trembling as he climbed the stairs.
Finally…I’m home.
He had just returned from Su Jin’s house.
That Su Jin—ever since she spilled the ketchup, it was like she’d become a completely different person, coming up with all sorts of ways to torment him.
Had she awakened some forbidden urge or something?!
He was supposed to be a rental boyfriend, but in the end, she treated him like a manservant!
Lin Luan let out a sigh.
But it’s fine. The flower language of a steel wool scrubber is great wealth and honor. He just had to hang on for a year or two—after that, he’d use the money he’d saved to give himself and his sister a better life.
At the door.
Just endure it! You can do it!
Lin Luan quietly cheered himself on in his heart, and the hand that had been clutching his overcoat balled into a fist at his chest in a gesture of encouragement.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, lifting the hem of Lin Luan’s overcoat.
Underneath, he was wearing a maid outfit.
The moment the wind exposed his clothes, Lin Luan panicked, immediately grabbing his coat collar tightly.
Su Jin refused to return his Kiton, only giving him this buttonless overcoat, and then offered him two choices.
First, go home wearing the maid outfit with the overcoat on top. Second, don’t wear the maid outfit, and don’t get the coat—just go home in boxers.
Compared to being a streaking pervert, Lin Luan had chosen the first option.
He’d taken longer to climb the four flights of stairs today than usual, and by the time he reached his door, his legs were so weak he could barely stand.
“Ugh, my keys…”
Lin Luan habitually reached for his pants pocket where he usually kept his keys, but only felt smooth fabric.
He froze, unwilling to give up, and searched every pocket inside and out of the overcoat, over and over.
Empty.
All empty.
Cold sweat immediately seeped out from his forehead.
He remembered.
His keys—the small, slightly rusty ones that belonged only to him, for both the iron gate and the wooden door…
All were in the pocket of the Kiton suit pants that Su Jin had confiscated!
It’s over!
Lin Luan’s legs nearly gave out, and he almost collapsed to the floor.
That expensive suit was probably lying quietly in some corner of Su Jin’s enormous walk-in closet right now.
Along with his keys.
He leaned his back against the cold, paint-chipped iron door, sliding slowly to the floor.
What now?
Was he supposed to find an Opening Master dressed like this?
Wouldn’t that make him a total pervert?!
Or…go back and beg Su Jin?
That thought had barely arisen before Lin Luan ruthlessly crushed it.
That woman had awakened a new XP and was clearly enjoying herself; going back would be walking right into the trap. Who knew what more outrageous tricks she’d come up with to punish him?
So what now?
The sky was gradually darkening. In the stairwell, the Sound-Controlled Light went out due to the lack of noise, leaving him shrouded in gloom.
Lin Luan took out his phone and checked the time.
5:15.
His little sister would get out of class at 5:30—she’d be home in about twenty-five minutes. In fact, if he just wanted to get home, he could simply wait for his sister at the door.
But! There was a very serious problem.
He was wearing a maid outfit.
Anyone could see him dressed like this—except for one person.
His sister.
It’s over! Does he really have to call an Opening Master? Or maybe he should just climb in through the window… Forget it, the fourth floor’s still a bit too high—
“Lin Luan…?”
A familiar voice called out.
Lin Luan’s body stiffened. He turned to look down the stairs.
At the landing, a familiar girl stood there.
“Why aren’t you going home?”
The girl was Shen Yu, his former colleague and childhood friend.
Suddenly, Lin Luan felt that the list of people who must not see him in a maid outfit should have another name added.
“I, uh, I… I forgot my keys.” Lin Luan scratched his head, clutching his overcoat even tighter.
Great, why did Shen Yu have to show up?!
No, he absolutely couldn’t let her find out.
“Huh…? Has Xiao Wan not come home yet?” Shen Yu took a few more steps up, carrying a bag of apples in her hand.
“Mm, Xiao Wan usually gets home in about ten minutes or so.” Lin Luan took a step back, making room for Shen Yu while maintaining his distance from her.
Shen Yu walked up to his apartment door and pushed at the locked door.
“Looks like you really can’t get in.”
“Um…so what brings you here?” Lin Luan asked, not understanding why Shen Yu would suddenly visit.
“Ah… me?” Shen Yu twirled a lock of her hair with one hand.
“Mm,” Lin Luan replied, unable to resist complaining in his mind.
There’s only you here—who else would it be?!
“I just wanted to check on you.” Shen Yu raised the apples. “After all, you found a new job, right? I wanted to congratulate you.”
“Oh… thanks.” Lin Luan answered, feeling a bit awkward.
All he wanted now was to get this girl in front of him to leave as soon as possible. But since she’d just arrived, he couldn’t think of any excuse to send her away.
“By the way… don’t you need to wear a uniform for work?” Shen Yu asked curiously.
She remembered that Lin Luan used to wear a really sharp suit.
“Ah, well, it was a bit hot today, so I didn’t wear a suit… haha.”
A bit hot? Shen Yu was confused—it wasn’t hot today. And… since it was hot, why would you ditch the suit but still wear an overcoat?
And wasn’t Lin Luan acting a bit weird today?
Why was he dressed so tightly wrapped up? Like those odd people…
Shen Yu unconsciously scrutinized Lin Luan.
She noticed that under the hem of his coat, there seemed to be a hint of white lace.
“Swish!”
Lin Luan quickly used his hand to cover the lace.
Shen Yu frowned.
Definitely strange.
But she didn’t press further.
Because her goal for coming today was already accomplished—no need to dig any deeper.
She’d come to see Lin Luan out of concern that, after being laid off, he’d lose all motivation and, like someone with a terminal illness, recklessly blow through his savings and end up ruined.
After all, judging from his recent convenience store expenses, Lin Luan really seemed to be heading in that direction.
She didn’t want him to end up like that.
But looking at him now, Lin Luan hadn’t lost hope for life after all. That was enough.
“Here, for you.” Shen Yu gently placed the bag of apples by his door, a gentle smile on her face. “Congratulations on your new job. Hang in there, okay?”
Seeing her gesture, Lin Luan breathed a sigh of relief.
He’d been worrying about how to send her away, and now Shen Yu was about to leave on her own—what luck.
He quickly said, “Thank you, Shen Yu, for making a special trip.”
“It’s nothing, aren’t we childhood friends?” Shen Yu smiled, turning to head downstairs. “I’ll get going, then—you… just wait for Xiao Wan to come home.”
Seeing she was really leaving, Lin Luan’s nerves finally relaxed a little.
Out of politeness and habit, he subconsciously took a step to see her off, saying courteously, “I’ll walk you out.”
“No need,” Shen Yu replied, waving a hand without turning back.
Lin Luan originally meant to just walk her to the stairway as a gesture. However, just as he got up and stepped forward, an accident happened.
The edge of the buttonless overcoat caught on the doorknob.
Lin Luan instantly lost his balance, his whole body yanked backward by the force.
“Bang!”
A dull, solid thud.
“Lu’an?! What happened…”
Shen Yu turned at the noise. She hadn’t even finished her question before she froze on the spot.
Lin Luan had fallen heavily to the floor, and his overcoat had slipped off, spreading out like a discarded cicada shell.
Above his head, the Sound-Controlled Light came on from the crash, shining down on him like a spotlight, perfectly illuminating the maid outfit he was wearing.
“Maid…maid outfit?”
Shen Yu was utterly stunned.