Ding-dong.
Jiang Jiamian had just finished showering and finally managed to dig out a clean set of clothes from the closet. He was heading downstairs to find sothing to eat when the doorbell rang.
He hurried to the door and opened it, only to see a handso man in a sharp suit standing outside.
Jiang Jiamian froze for a mont. "Who are you looking for?"
He had assud it was the housekeeping company’s employee, but it no longer seed so.
Logically speaking, the original owner stayed at ho writing novels all year round and had almost no social life. No one should be coming to his place. Normally, aside from delivery drivers, no one ever knocked on his door.
"Hello, are you Mr. Jiang?"
Seeing Jiang Jiamian’s stunned expression, the man gave him an elegant, polite smile.
"Ah, yes, that’s . And you are?"
Jiang Jiamian was still confused.
Judging from the man’s sharp features and impeccable attire, he looked like a successful elite. His suit wasn’t particularly luxurious, but it fit him perfectly, clean and refined.
The man maintained his faint smile and calmly extended his hand. "Hello, Mr. Jiang. I’m from a housekeeping company. I ca as soon as I received your call. Which rooms need cleaning, or all of them?"
Jiang Jiamian narrowed his eyes, staring at the man’s nearly flawless expression and face that looked good from almost every angle. "You’re from a housekeeping company? You’re here as a part-ti cleaner?"
These days, even housekeeping staff were this high-quality?
That face... and that well-proportioned, slender figure...
Jiang Jiamian couldn’t help but hiss softly.
"Yes."
The man nodded slightly, seemingly oblivious to Jiang Jiamian’s burning gaze, his professional smile unchanged. "May I co in?"
Jiang Jiamian abruptly pulled his gaze away and stepped aside. "Of course."
"Thank you."
The man entered.
Jiang Jiamian didn’t bother closing the door. He turned to leave imdiately. "Clean everything. I’m going out to eat. I won’t shortchange you."
"Wait."
The man suddenly spoke.
"What’s wrong?"
Jiang Jiamian was starving. The original owner had been unconscious for two days without eating anything. Combined with years of surviving on instant noodles and takeout, his body was pitifully weak. No matter how handso this man was, Jiang Jiamian wasn’t about to eat him.
The man looked at him seriously. "I almost forgot to ntion, Mr. Jiang. Congratulations. Your call was our company’s 100th transaction today, so you’ve been selected for an upgraded service."
Jiang Jiamian blinked. "Upgraded?"
An upgrade... for housekeeping?
The man glanced around briefly before continuing. "I see that Mr. Jiang lives alone, and the house is quite dusty. Our company has recently launched a premium service called All-Around Butler. In addition to cleaning, it includes cooking, watering plants, and full-scale household managent. Would you like to try it?"
Cooking... Jiang Jiamian subconsciously rubbed his stomach. It growled loudly.
He couldn’t eat out every single al. The biggest advantage of this villa was its seaside location and quiet. Going out three tis a day would be exhausting. As for cooking himself... honestly, he wasn’t that diligent.
"I know all about your sales tactics."
Tempted as he was, Jiang Jiamian didn’t believe a word of it. "What kind of nonsense is this? Don’t tell about 100th calls or lucky numbers. Just tell the price. I’ll subscribe."
Prizes, lucky draws, mbership upgrades, he’d seen them all. Did they really think he was that easy to fool?
The man smiled faintly. "It’s free."
Jiang Jiamian, who had been adjusting his collar, suddenly looked up. "What?"
Before the man could continue, Jiang Jiamian narrowed his eyes and pointed at him. "Oh? A new trick? Hidden fees? Like making spend a hundred thousand on a mop later? Let tell you, I may not be well-educated, but don’t try to scam ."
The man’s expression remained impeccable, distant, polite, and professional. "No, Mr. Jiang. We operate with integrity. There will be no additional charges. If you’d like, we can sign a contract stating that clearly."
Jiang Jiamian: "..."
This wasn’t just integrity.
This was basically giving it away for free.
If he wasn’t the one with a screw loose, then this guy definitely was.
Such a handso face... what a pity.
Still, Jiang Jiamian had no intention of refusing an offer like this.
He slamd the door shut, turned around, and was about to sit at the dining table, only to notice the thin layer of dust covering it. He stopped abruptly, then headed upstairs instead.
"Don’t bother cleaning yet." He said lazily. "Get sothing to eat first."
This original owner had truly wasted this seaside villa. It was as if his living space had been sealed inside the bedroom by so invisible formation. The rest of the house looked completely abandoned.
The man paused, clearly startled by Jiang Jiamian’s lack of courtesy. His expression shifted for the first ti. "Mr. Jiang... is there any food in your kitchen or refrigerator?"
He really wasn’t polite at all. Earlier, he’d even planned to leave him alone in the house to clean.
Was he not afraid he’d run into a thief?
Jiang Jiamian turned his head and looked down from the staircase, spreading his hands innocently. "Does instant noodles count? Or frozen dumplings?"
The man was silent for a mont. Then he turned around. "I’ll go out and buy so."
Jiang Jiamian leaned against the railing and looked at him. "What’s your na?"
The man paused slightly. "Zhou Mushen."
Jiang Jiamian’s eyes sharpened.
Zhou Mushen?
Why did that na sound so familiar?
Where had he heard it before?
"So when you go out to buy groceries, should I pay, or should you?"
He had already wanted to work for free. There was no way he would agree to a deal that left him losing money, right?
Jiang Jiamian wasn’t stupid. How could he fail to notice that this man might have ulterior motives for approaching him?
However, Jiang Jiamian had never been soone who rejected others simply because he was suspicious.
Whatever the other person’s purpose was, he had to confront them head-on to uncover it. Avoiding them would only an never knowing their true intentions, or worse, allowing the other party to retreat into the shadows and choose a different thod to achieve their goal.
Besides, life was already monotonous enough. The sa predictable plot from beginning to end held no excitent at all.
This small deviation from the original storyline, brought about by a single housekeeping call, filled Jiang Jiamian with a faint sense of anticipation.
He wanted to know what kind of twists this man’s sudden appearance would bring.
Or perhaps this person had simply wandered into his life by accident, unrelated to the plot entirely?
Either way, it was enough to pique Jiang Jiamian’s curiosity.
Zhou Mushen’s expression stiffened slightly. He raised his head and looked at Jiang Jiamian with a trace of speechlessness. "Of course you’ll pay. We’re only providing housekeeping services, which are already free. The cost of ingredients naturally falls on the employer. To avoid unnecessary trouble, we usually settle accounts monthly, but advancing paynt is also possible."
Jiang Jiamian blinked.
Oh.
It seed this person wasn’t completely outrageous.
At the very least, he understood that groceries had to be paid for. Otherwise, that explanation would have crossed from unreasonable into outright absurd.
"By the way..." Zhou Mushen paused, looking faintly embarrassed, "To make our services more convenient, we’ll be staying at the employer’s residence. Although the service itself is free, you’ll need to cover our room and board."
Jiang Jiamian’s eyes lit up.
So this was what he’d been waiting for!
"Go on." Jiang Jiamian said, lightly tapping the railing. "Food expenses can be paid in cash, so you can buy your own food, right? Or what’s the standard price per al? I’m not so nouveau riche. I’ve been eating instant noodles for a month, I can’t afford steak and lobster every day."
Zhou Mushen paused, looking at Jiang Jiamian, who was watching him warily from under lowered lashes. He replied firmly, "Standard pricing, based on the employer’s als. Whatever you eat, I’ll eat. If you have requests, I’ll buy accordingly. If you don’t, I’ll follow normal dietary standards."
Jiang Jiamian raised an eyebrow. "That works. Hurry up, I’m starving. You pay for this al first, and I’ll reimburse you when you get back."
"Okay, Mr. Jiang. I’ll be right back."
Zhou Mushen nodded politely and turned to leave.
After he left, Jiang Jiamian leaned against the railing for a long while without moving, making no move to return to his room. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, brows knitting together.
"System, where did this man with such unclear intentions co from? I don’t rember the original owner having grudges with anyone. If anything, he still had so savings. Could this be a scam?"
This person hadn’t appeared in the original storyline, simply because the original owner had never called for housekeeping services?
So a single phone call had triggered an unexpected event outside the main plot?
The system was also confused. "I don’t know, Host. But I think there’s no need to worry. With the host’s abilities, no matter what his purpose is, he won’t be a match for you."
Jiang Jiamian clicked his tongue. "Your flattery is getting better and better!"
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