Chapter 21: Jiang Manman, Who Wants to Be a Canary

Qin Ze followed Lin Xiaoxi on a tour of the apartment building.

The environment was indeed excellent; every floor had a public lounge area, with a unified decoration style that was clean and tidy.

"President Qin, this is the best room in our building."

Lin Xiaoxi pushed open the door to the top-floor loft.

"This is a duplex loft, one hundred and twenty square meters across two levels, with an exceptional view."

Qin Ze stepped inside to look around.

The room enjoyed excellent natural light; through the floor-to-ceiling windows, half of Jiangcheng's scenery was visible.

The decoration followed a minimalist modern style, with branded furniture and appliances that looked very high-quality.

"If this unit were rented out, how much per month?" Qin Ze asked.

"At normal market rates, around five or six thousand a month."

"However, based on the building's previous operations, this type of unit rarely gets rented."

Qin Ze nodded; nowadays, living in an apartment, who would rent a five- or six-thousand-a-month loft!

"Keep this one; I have arrangements for it, so do not rent it out for now."

"Understood, President Qin."

Looking at this loft, Qin Ze already had a plan in mind.

Jiang Wan had always wanted a place of her own; this unit could let her stay there first.

Perhaps it might trigger Special Cashback!

Moreover, Shen Jingshu would need accommodation after her divorce, so she could be arranged to stay here as well.

As for himself, he still needed to save money quickly to buy a house.

He couldn't keep living in hotels forever.

"By the way, Xiaoxi." Qin Ze suddenly remembered something. "You just said you took out a loan to buy a house?"

Lin Xiaoxi paused for a moment, then nodded:

"Yes, I bought it last year."

"Did you take out the loan alone?"

"I took out the loan by myself." Lin Xiaoxi lowered her head. "The deed is under both my name and my boyfriend's, but the loan is entirely mine because my boyfriend has credit issues..."

Qin Ze understood.

This girl had most likely been swindled by a soft-rice-eating boyfriend.

"What job does your boyfriend have now?" Qin Ze asked.

Lin Xiaoxi bit her lip:

"After he lost his job last year, he's been staying at home, saying he wants to start a business, but I haven't seen any movement from him."

"So you're repaying the loan alone, and supporting him too?" Qin Ze frowned.

Lin Xiaoxi didn't speak, but her expression said it all.

Qin Ze sighed.

In this world, there are truly too many foolish girls.

"Alright, I understand."

Qin Ze asked no further questions.

"Work hard and manage the building's operations well; later, I will give you some commission."

"Thank you, President Qin," Lin Xiaoxi said gratefully.

After touring the building, Qin Ze returned to the lobby on the first floor.

"I'm leaving now; contact me on WeChat if anything comes up," he told Lin Xiaoxi.

"Understood, President Qin; take care on your way."

Qin Ze walked out of the building and got into his car.

He checked the time; it was already past eleven in the morning.

There were several unread messages on WeChat.

Su Qingqing had sent a photo.

The photo was taken in a very private space with dim lighting; she could be seen wearing a Chanel suit.

But the skirt was hiked up very high, revealing black stockings, her legs stretched straight, captured from a very provocative angle.

"Today's treat; does Brother like it?"

Below that was another message:

"Brother Qin, today my eldest uncle said he wants to set me up on a blind date; they're coming over tomorrow. Could you come by? Just to make them give up."

Qin Ze's heart sank; for Su Qingqing's eldest uncle to try finding her a partner at this critical juncture could only mean ill intentions.

Qin Ze hurriedly replied.

"I'll come over tomorrow morning."

Shen Jingshu also sent a message:

"Liu Bin returned today; for some reason, he actually tried to touch me, but I made an excuse to refuse."

Qin Ze typed casually:

"Tell me about any moves Liu Bin makes these days."

A message from Jiang Wan arrived as well.

It was a photo of picking up a new car.

Jiang Wan sat in the driver's seat of the Seal, wearing black fishnet stockings on her legs, with a pair of French-style low-cut shoes pressing the accelerator.

"Senior Brother, I picked up the car. Does it look good?"

Qin Ze replied:

"Wait until tonight for me to study it in detail."

Finally, there was a message from Jiang Manman:

"Brother, what about the meal we agreed on? I've been waiting for half a day already~"

Following that was an aggrieved emoji.

Qin Ze glanced at the time; it was nearly twelve o'clock.

"Send me the address."

The moment Qin Ze sent his message, the other side replied instantly.

"City center, Sakura Japanese Restaurant, second-floor private room, waiting for you!"

Qin Ze slammed the accelerator and drove toward the city center.

Twenty minutes later, Qin Ze parked the car in front of Sakura Japanese Restaurant.

This was a high-end Japanese restaurant, decorated with great style.

Qin Ze pushed the door open, and a waiter approached.

"Hello, sir, how many in your party?"

"I have an appointment, surname Jiang."

"Ms. Jiang is in the second-floor private room; please follow me."

The waiter led Qin Ze up to the second floor, arriving at the entrance of a private room.

"This is the place."

Qin Ze pushed the door open.

Inside the private room, a woman sat on the tatami, looking down at her mobile phone.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, she lifted her head.

The moment Qin Ze saw her, he paused for a second.

Jiang Manman was even more beautiful than in her photos.

She wore a black dress, the hem ending above her knees, revealing long, straight calves.

The dress featured a V-neck design, revealing a deep cleavage.

Her long hair was slightly curled, draped over her shoulders; her face bore exquisite makeup, her lips painted with vibrant red lipstick.

Her entire presence exuded the domineering flair of an older sister type, her aura very strong.

More importantly, Qin Ze saw the information box above her head.

【Jiang Manman, Rating: S】

【Occupation: Flight Attendant, Emotion: Nervous, Ill at Ease】

【Wish: Wants to find a wealthy boyfriend, wants various luxury goods, wants to be abused】

【Dilemma: Due to family background, she is heavily ostracized within the cabin crew; she wants to become rich and achieve prominence】

Qin Ze laughed inwardly.

He had come to the right place.

He had originally only intended to see what this Jiang Manman wanted to do, but unexpectedly, she was an S-rank.

However, the most crucial point was Jiang Manman's wish.

From her wish, Qin Ze could tell that she was a canary.

Though she was a canary with capital.

But the most critical part was this desire to be abused?

What did that mean? Could it be that she was a masochist?

And then there was Jiang Manman's dilemma, being ostracized by the cabin crew.

That was easy to understand; a place full of women meant plenty of trouble and gossip.

In that kind of environment, it was perfectly normal for Jiang Manman to be fond of material things.

Jiang Manman stood up, a charming smile appearing on her face. "Finally met you."

She walked to Qin Ze and eagerly pulled out the chair.

"Sit down quickly."

After Qin Ze sat down, she took a cup from the waiter and personally poured water for Qin Ze.

Her movements were very respectful, even somewhat obsequious.

Only after finishing did she sit down opposite Qin Ze, placing her hands on her knees like a student waiting for a teacher's question.

Qin Ze looked at her without speaking.

Jiang Manman felt somewhat uneasy under his gaze but maintained her smile.

"What would you like to drink? The sake here is quite good."

Qin Ze waved his hand.

"Speak up, why did you call me over? What's the matter?"

Jiang Manman bit her lip, seemingly organizing her words.

A few seconds later, she finally spoke:

"I investigated you."

Qin Ze raised an eyebrow:

"You investigated me? Investigated what about me?"

Jiang Manman began to rattle them off as if listing her family treasures.

"You graduated from Jiang University's Computer Science department — one of the top students of your year."

"After graduation you went to a major tech company, Jin Xun Group — you can see it on your company's official website — and you led a lot of key projects."

She paused, looking at Qin Ze:

"So your abilities are very strong. There's absolutely no way you were laid off. There's only one possibility: you quit on your own."

Qin Ze said nothing, waiting for her to continue her display.

Jiang Manman let out a hehe laugh:

"I got it right, didn't I!"

"From the car you drive, and from all those shopping bags from luxury stores you were carrying that day, I can tell you must have other ways of making money."

Qin Ze was startled inside.

This woman's mind is actually this sharp?

And she likes investigating other people this much?

But Qin Ze laughed to himself — he really had been a top student at Jiang University, and he really had been in charge of many key projects at the company.

But he hadn't quit on his own — he'd been replaced in his position and laid off.

Jiang Manman continued:

"The reason I asked you out today is that I don't want you to keep being kept in the dark by Zhou Ying."

"Zhou Ying told me once when she was drunk that she was just using you as an ATM — once she found a rich one, she'd be gone."

"So all that you've given her, she always took it completely for granted!"

Qin Ze looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly:

"Hiss! You're Zhou Ying's best friend, yet instead of speaking up for her, you're talking smack about her?"