Chapter 77

Saturday night.

Lin Feng frowned as he looked at the weekly work report Tang Mi had sent.

After reading it, Lin Feng asked, "Tang Mi, why has the rental rate of the houses, under your handling, dropped by percent these two weeks?"

Lin Feng has over a thousand apartments; that percent means about 50 units have become vacant.

No wonder the account balance dropped by over a million at once; it's because the security deposits were refunded.

Seeing Lin Feng's dissatisfied expression, Tang Mi pursed her lips and said, "Didn't you say you wanted high‑quality tenants?"

These tenants are all men, and they make the rooms filthy; after the lease ends, we decide not to renew with them.

Lin Feng's head spun, and he added, "Then why are the rents for those dozen‑plus units you let out 500 to 1000 less than before? Originally 5,000 a month, you rented them for 4,500; originally 6,000, you rented them for 5,000."

Do you know that with rising wages, house prices, and inflation, in the rental market my original price was already ten points lower than others'?

"Hey!"

Tang Mi immediately opened her phone, opened the photo album and showed it to Lin Feng.

In the album were all photos of tenants that Tang Mi had taken.

All of them were beautiful women—body‑con skirts, long legs, black stockings… everything you could imagine.

"Eh~"

Lin Feng was stunned by what he saw.

All types, all styles, slender or plump, everything was there!

Seeing Lin Feng's wide eyes, Tang Mi said proudly, "The quality of these tenants is decent, right?"

"Fine, fine…"

Lin Feng muttered to himself.

But he quickly recovered, glared at Tang Mi and said, "I'm talking about high‑quality tenants, not just beautiful women…"

Before he could finish, Lin Feng realized and frowned, "Tang Mi, are you taking kickbacks from them?"

"Ah~"

Tang Mi let out a startled cry like a Māo ér and almost jumped up.

Such a thing, and Lin Feng actually found out!!?

Seeing Tang Mi's guilty look, Lin Feng knew this was the truth behind the low‑price rentals.

When negotiating price with tenants, she collected a one‑time "handling fee" of a few hundred to a thousand, then lowered the rent.

The "handling fee" was paid in cash, while the rent and deposit were transferred.

"Speak up! How will you handle the kickback matter?"

Lin Feng gave Tang Mi no chance to argue.

"The money you give isn't enough!"

Tang Mi frowned and said, "Not to mention living expenses, just skincare products cost over 5,000 a month, okay!"

Lin Feng rolled his eyes, "That's not a reason to take kickbacks. Next month your living allowance is halved, only 2,500."

"And…"

Lin Feng added, "From now on, you only handle leasing and rent collection, signing contracts and receiving money; I'll do the rest!"

Tang Mi pursed her rosy little lips again.

Only then did Lin Feng notice that this beauty's lips were tiny—a so‑called cherry‑small mouth.

He feared that if he gave her an ice pop, she wouldn't be able to eat it.

Seeing Lin Feng's resolute expression and thinking that 2,500 yuan wouldn't even cover daily life, Tang Mi's eyes reddened as she said, "My grandfather gave me to you, not to have you torment me. I've been working hard; you don't know that I've been running around outside all the time, my skin has peeled from the sun, so what's wrong with buying good skincare products?"

My monthly allowance used to be tens of thousands, even dozens of thousands. Since being with you… you're clearly wealthy, yet you pinch me to death.

If you're dissatisfied with me, you can tell my grandfather and dismiss me…

Lin Feng said lightly, "You mean we're considered husband and wife? Even without a marriage certificate, according to your family customs…"

Before he could finish, Tang Mi said, "Of course! I'm now yours, and I'm a beauty too, right? You treat me so harshly; you're a wooden person, you don't understand romance!"

Lin Feng smiled inwardly, finally letting her experience how miserable a penniless life can be.

"Ah~"

Lin Feng sighed and said, "What does 'not understanding romance' mean? It's you not acknowledging our relationship. Then I can only treat you as an outsider! You work for me, I pay you wages; that's perfectly normal, right?"

Tang Mi shouted angrily, "Normal? You're a ghost! You're more vicious than Huang Shiren!"

Lin Feng chuckled, "Actually, there's another kind of secretary who can earn a very high salary."

"Hm!?"

Tang Mi looked at Lin Feng with a puzzled expression.

Lin Feng used the remote to turn on the TV, switched to a channel, and laughed, "Watch TV, see how other people's secretaries do their job."

Tang Mi didn't even look, sneered, "Do you think I'm a fool? What are you thinking all day! I would never do that!"

Lin Feng shrugged helplessly, "Then there's no way to raise the salary."

"You wait for me!"

Having said that, Tang Mi slammed the door and left.

More than ten minutes later, Tang Mi came back up.

Earlier she had been wearing a light‑blue, waist‑cinching long dress and platform sandals.

When she appeared again before Lin Feng, her outfit had already changed.

A white body‑con skirt, black ***, and a pair of black high heels on her feet…

Entering the room, Tang Mi walked a circle in front of Lin Feng and said, "Now I look like a secretary, right?"

To process the funds, she ultimately compromised.

Lin Feng gave a faint smile.

This is obviously a kind of progress!

If Tang Mi takes this step, the next two steps, three steps… will follow.

"Boss, I'm short on cash lately; could you raise my salary a bit? Look, their skin has all tanned!"

Tang Mi sat beside Lin Feng, her face coquettish as she spoke.

So she voluntarily took the second step.

Lin Feng nodded, "Since you've performed well lately, this boss won't take back your authority. I'll give you a raise… a raise…"

Lin Feng deliberately stalled.

Tang Mi's eyes widened.

The expression on her face was not anticipation but on the brink of eruption.

"Add ten thousand yuan!"

Lin Feng finally spoke the words.

One month is enough!

Tang Mi was so happy she almost jumped up.

To reward the two steps Tang Mi took, Lin Feng entered the room, opened the safe, and took ten thousand yuan in cash.

"Thank you, boss! Bye, boss!"

Tang Mi took the money and left immediately.

Watching Tang Mi leave, with her graceful sway and that truly Yingying-grasp small waist, Lin Feng smiled like a fox eyeing a chicken.

Tang Mi went downstairs, got into the car, and kissed a coin that smelled of ink..

She originally didn't love money.

But these past half a month, being out of cash, she was tormented to the point of choking.

Even eating a meal by the roadside, she had to consider how long the money in her pocket would last.

She started the secondhand SUV, about to leave, when the phone rang.

"Mom!"

After Tang Mi answered, she called out with a laugh.

"Little secretary, how have you been lately?"

Tang Mi's mother asked.

Tang Mi's eyes reddened, "Mom, my life is so hard now! Lin Feng—he only gives me 5,000 yuan a month for living expenses…"

A few minutes later, after Tang Mi finished speaking, she looked at the phone with a puzzled expression.

When did Mom hang up?