Love's Labyrinth

Chapter 2: Rich Woman

I once again appraised this woman. She sat upright, with slightly curled long hair cascading over her shoulders, fair skin, a slender figure, and an upturned mouth that exuded a confident sharpness. In short, she was an unequivocal beauty. At first glance, it seemed as if there was nothing in this world that couldn't be forgiven!

Old Li waved at me, "Adrian Sterling, come over, need to talk to you about something."

"About the rent, right? Next month, when I get paid, I'll pay it together. Is that okay?" I said with a forced smile, considering I had delayed the rent to Old Li for so long.

"It's about the house... um... this girl has already bought this house."

"You sold this house?! Who on earth would buy this shaky old house that can't withstand an earthquake?" I looked at the woman and exclaimed. Facing the crisis of homelessness, I couldn't care less about her elegance and beauty; anger took precedence!

Old Li looked awkwardly at the frowning woman and, after a while, said to me, "You should move out tonight. I won't ask for the rent from the past few months."

"Old Li, why do you act more and more like a grandson as you get older?... Even if you want to sell the house, at least let me know in advance. On such a rainy day, where do you expect me to find a new place?"

"Just find a hotel for tonight," Old Li said, indifferent to my feelings.

"You don't even own the property rights to the house, don't talk to me!" I retorted to Old Li and then turned to the unfamiliar woman, "The house is yours now. Can I continue renting from you?"

The woman shook her head, "I bought it for myself, no plans to rent it out."

I couldn't stay calm anymore, "Miss, are you okay? You drive a million-dollar luxury car and come to live in this dilapidated house!... Are you deliberately making trouble for me?"

The woman ignored my anger and calmly said, "You have one hour to move out."

Before she could finish her sentence, I interrupted, "I won't move... You've never heard of giving a heads-up before asking someone to move out?" I sat down next to the woman on the sofa. She instinctively moved to the other side.

I lit a cigarette, surveyed this old house, and felt a sense of loss. Two years ago, I came to Suzhou and lived here all along, enduring the toughest times of my life in this room.

Here, I confided in the living room clock, poured out my heart to the old floor lamp in the bedroom, and every item here seemed like a close friend who went through thick and thin with me. Leaving here meant losing my living support.

The smoke emanating from my mouth seemed to annoy the woman. She stood up from the sofa and walked to the other side.

Feeling increasingly unlucky, I blamed everything on today. Finding me wasn't pleasant for anyone.

After a while, Old Li said to both of us who were in a deadlock, "I have something to attend to at home. You two can discuss the matter of the house slowly." Without waiting for a response, he walked out like he had thrown away a hot potato, swift and slippery, carrying his bag.

Only the woman and I were left in the house.

Outside the window, the strong wind, accompanied by cold rain, began to wreak havoc again. The harsh weather made me reluctant to move out. I decided to sit and confront this woman. After all, I was broke, and time was all I had left.

I spoke to her, "Miss, may I ask for your name?"

She responded, without much expression, "Is it important?"

"Of course, I need to know which immortal allowed me to become homeless on this cold rainy night!"

She ignored the sarcasm in my words and responded coldly, "You have only 40 minutes now. If you don't move, I'll call the police."

Just as I was about to react, the phone rang. I glanced at the woman and took out my phone from my pocket. It was a call from Isabella Hartfield, another woman who annoyed me.

Impatiently, I answered the call, "What now? Didn't I give you money?"

Isabella Hartfield remained silent for a moment before saying, "Adrian Sterling, tomorrow is the weekend... Can you accompany me for a check-up at the hospital?"

"Is the child in your belly mine? Can't you find a friend to accompany you? Do you think I'm free?" I said, trying to discourage her with my momentum.

"In this city, you're the only friend I have."

"Isabella Hartfield, you're mistaken. We're bed buddies, not friends... Do you know what bed buddies mean?"

Ignoring me, Isabella Hartfield whispered, "I'm really scared alone! If you don't come, I'll end it myself! I won't have the check-up!"

I patiently said, "You went alone today. You should be more familiar with the route tomorrow."

"Because I was alone yesterday, I realized how terrifying it is!"

Isabella Hartfield's insistence frustrated me, and I blurted out a curse, "Damn you!"

"Damn me! The child is the result of you. If I knew, I would have given birth to the child, raised him, and told him that his father is a beast!"

The call ended with a beep.

"This damn thing!" I lit a cigarette and slapped my forehead. It had been two years, and I had never encountered such a troublesome bed buddy like Isabella Hartfield. Despite her strong assertions, I could confidently swear that the child wasn't mine. She claimed to have only one friend in the city, which made me think she was trying to deceive me. Just last week, I saw her on Weibo posting pictures of her partying in a bar with a group of people.

"Scum!" I looked

up, only to realize the woman had been looking at me with a disgusted expression. In the room, it was just her and me, and she was undoubtedly the one cursing me.

"Did you listen to my phone call?" I asked without emotion, not minding her calling me scum because I couldn't even distinguish whether I was scum.

"You have 30 minutes now," the woman's tone was even colder than before.

It was indeed a troublesome rainy night. Today, after giving all my cash to Isabella Hartfield, I was penniless. Where could I move to now? The vast expanse of the sky and earth seemed to offer no place for me, Adrian Sterling.

After a moment of silence, I said to the woman, "Miss, look at the storm outside, and it's getting late. It's impossible to move out tonight. Let's say I move tomorrow."

She glanced out of the window, finally leaving some room for negotiation, and asked, "When will you move?"

"Tomorrow, before 1 PM."

"At what time?"

"Before 1 PM. Can you let me move tomorrow?"

She nodded, "You can leave now. Remember to move your things by tomorrow."

I remained motionless. After a while, I leaned toward her side, deliberately hesitated, and said, "Miss, can you lend me some money?"

She looked somewhat surprised but firmly said, "I'm not obligated to lend you money."

"Not lending, huh? Then don't expect me to leave tonight. I have no money left, and I can't sleep under a bridge, right?" I lay down on the sofa, and deliberately said to her, "You better not think of calling the police. This was done unjustly by you and Old Li. Tell me, should you have at least notified me in advance and let me be prepared?"

She looked at me like a plague, confirming her desire to get rid of my entanglement. Unexpectedly, she said, "I have no cash."

I widened my eyes and looked at her. Saying no cash was a display of high-end, classy, and upscale living. Nowadays, rich people hardly carry cash in their wallets; the small amount they can hold doesn't satisfy their lavish expenses.

"Miss, this is fate. I also don't like to stuff my wallet with cash!" I shamelessly spoke the truth. My wallet had never seen much cash.

She ignored my words.

I continued, "How about this? Let me borrow your card, and I'll swipe a thousand. I'll return it to you tomorrow when I move. Or there's an ATM 200 meters away; if you're worried, you can go with me..."

She took out a bank card from her wallet, cutting off my words, "Password is six zeros. Before 1 PM tomorrow, get everything done."

I took the bank card she handed me and said, "No problem!"

I wasn't surprised that she handed me the bank card confidently. She knew my phone number, workplace, and connections—Old Li was well aware of everything. Maybe the card didn't have much balance either.

She sat quietly on the sofa, and I appraised her once again. Honestly, in the twenty-plus years of my life, I had never seen such a beautiful woman. There seemed to be a kind of aura about her that other women didn't possess. Unfortunately, it appeared that we didn't get along that well!

As I was about to leave, I half-joked and half-seriously said, "Miss, would you consider living together with me? I can cook, and I can also give you a full-body massage. After a day's work, I can provide you with a full range of services to make you comfortable..."

"Get lost!" She finally got angry and threw a pillow at me with precise guidance.