Chapter 4: Hello, the Plumber
664 Words
Yi-An Li was completely stunned.
He had made a losing business deal, yet received a reward?
Was there such a thing in this world?
It seemed off—perhaps the system’s reward was because his loss was minor and within an acceptable range.
This was experience—gaining experience...
What if he incurred a bigger loss next time? Would the system impose a punishment?
Immediately, Yi-An Li felt a twinge of concern.
What if he faced a genuine business failure in the future?
What would be the consequence?
People are always wary of the unknown. Everyone knows that losing in business comes with a price!
But how significant would that price be?
As the system exited, Stana's voice came through.
“Thank God you escaped. I’m so grateful that you made it out of France; otherwise, how could I have received this perfume?”
Stana, who had appeared polite earlier, now had a somewhat stiff expression. Her pretty face seemed a bit unnatural, and her smile was not as warm.
He came from France?
Could that be true?
Who can come from France now?
Spies!
The thought made Stana’s heart race.
“Um, would you like some coffee? I still have some.”
Stana, nervously, used the excuse to go to the kitchen. Once there, she took several deep breaths, her anxiety evident.
“What should I do? What if he’s a spy? I need to call the police, but the phone is in the living room!”
Pacing back and forth in the kitchen, Stana considered escaping out the window. However, seeing her neighbor preparing dinner across the way gave her a sudden idea. She quickly grabbed a pen and a notepad, scribbled a note, and threw it in a small glass bottle across the street.
The glass bottle smashing into the neighbor’s kitchen startled the woman preparing dinner. Turning around, she saw Stana peeking out of the window and gesturing anxiously.
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Soon, the rich aroma of coffee filled the room.
“Thank you,” Yi-An Li said sincerely.
The woman handed him a cup of coffee. Yi-An Li took a sip and found it very bitter. Just as he was about to complain, Stana spoke up.
“I’m sorry, there’s no sugar left at home.”
She smiled apologetically, her heart tight with worry.
“Black coffee is fine. Besides, I haven’t had coffee in a long time. You know, after the war broke out in France, coffee became very rare.”
Yi-An Li didn’t notice Stana’s discomfort. He endured the bitter taste, pretending to enjoy the coffee as he chatted with her.
From their conversation, Yi-An Li learned that her husband was a senior employee of the North Borneo Company. She only knew that he had fought against the Japanese forces after the war broke out and then lost contact.
“He should still be alive. Sometimes, no news isn’t necessarily bad news,” Yi-An Li offered some comforting words, and Stana shook her head.
“Let’s hope so. Anyway, let’s talk about something else. Do you have any plans for the future?”
Changing the subject, Stana inquired. Yi-An Li put down his cup and thought for a moment before saying:
“Miss, do you know where I can rent a house?”
“Rent a house?”
Stana glanced at him and then at her watch. Where were the police?
At that moment, a knock on the door sounded.
Stana's heart leaped with joy.
Finally, the police had arrived!
Almost unable to hide her smile, she quickly asked:
“Who is it?”
“Ma’am, I’m the plumber, Hack. The people downstairs said your bathroom has a leak, so I’m here to check it out.”
A plumber?
When Stana got up to open the door, Yi-An Li didn’t sense anything unusual.
The door opened, and two men dressed as workers walked in. Yi-An Li noticed, perhaps mistakenly, that they seemed momentarily taken aback when they saw him.
- Writer
