Clueless Lamb
Lu Congxing carried half a watermelon upstairs, and Chen Jiatai greeted him with enthusiasm.
He immediately invited him into his room.
Taking the watermelon from him and walking ahead, he didn’t forget to remind him, “Be careful, don’t trip over the trash.”
The living room was cluttered with instant food packaging, and just one look at the mess made it clear what kind of person the owner was.
The kitchen had barely any cookware, obviously belonging to someone who rarely cooked.
Lu Congxing glanced around before finally choosing a relatively clean chair in the room to sit on.
Chen Jiatai, holding the watermelon, looked particularly happy.
Seeing him about to go find a knife to cut it, Lu Congxing quickly stopped him.
“This is for you. I’m not eating.”
Chen Jiatai’s face lit up. “Thanks!”
Without hesitation, he grabbed a plastic spoon and started digging into the watermelon while absentmindedly clicking his mouse with his other hand.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m back. Just went to open the door for someone. We’ll be playing Nobody’s Land in a bit.”
Lu Congxing blinked in surprise. “You’re streaming right now?”
With his mouth full of watermelon, Chen Jiatai mumbled, “Yeah.”
“Am I disturbing you?”
“No, no, you can come take a look.”
Lu Congxing cautiously stepped forward. It seemed like Chen Jiatai’s stream didn’t include face cam—just his voice.
In the top right corner of the computer screen, a small label read:
{Current Viewers: 3}
A pitiful number.
Lu Congxing hadn’t expected this. He originally thought that, since this guy aspired to go pro, he’d be more impressive. After all, he had seemingly locked himself indoors for a long time.
But his so-called “work” as a streamer looked no different from just playing games alone.
The chat moved so slowly that only one comment popped up after a while:
[The guy who just spoke has such a nice voice! Is he your friend?]
Chen Jiatai was thrilled that his stream was no longer just a monologue. He swallowed his watermelon and replied, “Yeah, he lives downstairs from me.”
[Will he be playing with you on stream?]
Chen Jiatai was straightforward: “No, he’s just visiting.”
As soon as he said that, the viewer count dropped from 3 to 2.
No new messages appeared after that.
But Chen Jiatai didn’t seem to care—he was probably used to it. He opened a folder, started downloading a new game, and casually introduced it while eating his watermelon.
Lu Congxing crouched down to watch, pointing at the little character on the screen. “Why isn’t he wearing clothes?”
Chen Jiatai replied, “I just started playing. No money for gear. It’s fine, I’ll have some in a few days.”
He didn’t explain how he’d get the money, and Lu Congxing didn’t ask—he just kept watching the game.
The little character kept dying over and over, and the viewer count never broke into double digits.
When the character died yet again due to poor controls, Chen Jiatai’s face darkened, and he slammed his keyboard in frustration. Then, he abruptly announced the stream was ending and shut it down.
Taking the opportunity, Lu Congxing spoke up in a casual, chatty tone.
“Do you know the tenant in 404 next to me?”
He had never tried gossiping like a human before, so he wasn’t sure how to control his expression.
Luckily, Chen Jiatai was still focused on his game after ending the stream and didn’t notice anything odd.
Without turning his head, he replied, “Yeah, Zeng Chengping. That guy’s annoying as hell.”
Lu Congxing was surprised. “Why do you say that?”
He hadn’t expected Chen Jiatai, who lived upstairs, to know Zeng Chengping that well.
It seemed that the relationships between tenants in this building were more complicated than they appeared.
Chen Jiatai slowed his gameplay slightly. “Apparently, he cheated on his wife and was abusive. She divorced him, and then he moved here alone. He’s a total deadbeat—always borrowing money to drink.”
His expression turned sour. “He even borrowed 200 yuan from me and never paid it back. When I first moved in, I didn’t know better. He said he’d repay me 250 yuan when he got his paycheck. But I guess I was the real idiot for trusting him. Didn’t even make him write an IOU.”
“I thought that since we were neighbors, he wouldn’t refuse to pay back just 200 yuan. But it turned out he was a complete deadbeat.”
He seemed to remember past events in great detail and had a strong dislike for Zeng Chengping.
There had been friction between them.
Lu Congxing silently took note of this.
Chen Jiatai asked in confusion, “Why are you suddenly asking me about this guy?”
Lu Congxing responded casually, “I got woken up by the noise of him coming home late last night, so I got curious about what he does. Is he going to come back that late every night?”
As he spoke, he made sure to show a troubled expression at the right moment.
Chen Jiatai scoffed, “Him? He does rough labor at a nearby warehouse. His working hours are all over the place—I’ve seen him leave for work early in the morning, and I’ve seen him head out late at night. But he only makes about 2,000 yuan a month, and he spends it all on booze.”
His expression showed clear disdain for Zeng Chengping, as if he thought he was completely worthless.
Huang Xin had also cursed Zeng Chengping for being a failure in front of his door that day.
The hierarchy of contempt seemed to be everywhere.
Lu Congxing took the opportunity to ask about Chen Fei’s job.
At the mention of Chen Fei, the scornful look on Chen Jiatai’s face turned complicated.
It was a mix of dissatisfaction, disdain, fear, and a hint of jealousy buried deep beneath the surface.
He took a bite of watermelon to mask his emotions, then forced himself to speak in an indifferent tone. “That guy? He’s just a night shift security guard at an internet cafe and a small-time thug around here. I heard he even spent time in juvenile detention before. His girlfriend must be blind to be with him.”
For some reason, he had brought up Zhou Zijie.
The jealousy in his eyes became even more apparent as he grumbled, “How the hell does someone like him get such a sexy girlfriend?”
Realizing what he had just said, he quickly covered his mouth and turned to stare at Lu Congxing.
Under his gaze, Lu Congxing remained completely unfazed. Instead, he nodded in agreement and said, “Miss Zhou is indeed very beautiful.”
Double eyelids, red lips, always wearing makeup whenever they met—she clearly cared about her appearance and carried a youthful charm.
Chen Jiatai relaxed at Lu Congxing’s response. He patted Lu Congxing’s shoulder and said, “Bro, you can’t go around repeating what I just said. I was just venting—who doesn’t gossip a little?”
“Yeah, I get it,” Lu Congxing replied with a smile.
Whenever he smiled, his eyes curved, making him look sincere.
Chen Jiatai continued muttering about how useless Chen Fei was—no education, no money, and just a bad temper.
Lu Congxing listened quietly.
He stayed at Chen Jiatai’s place until noon. Chen Jiatai was reluctant to let him go and even took out a pack of instant noodles, hoping to get him to stay longer.
After all, he had noticed that whenever Lu Congxing spoke during his livestreams, viewers would engage more. On the other hand, when he spoke alone, no one paid attention.
Lu Congxing used He Zhouyan as an excuse. “My brother told me to go home for lunch.”
Thinking of that man’s indifferent gaze, Chen Jiatai didn’t dare insist. He waved his hand. “Alright, alright, go on then.”
Of course, that was just an excuse. But what Lu Congxing didn’t expect was that when he got home, there really was a meal waiting for him.
Or rather, someone holding a meal, waiting for him.
The person delivering the food had clearly been instructed beforehand. They stood politely at the door of unit 403. When they saw Lu Congxing approach, their eyes lit up, and they greeted him enthusiastically while holding out the meal.
Lu Congxing took the large lunch box, which appeared to have several layers, in a daze. “Is this for me?”
The person immediately nodded. “Yes, this is the lunch Mr. He asked me to bring you. He wants you to remember to eat well.”
The lunch box had the logo of a smiling half-Buddha, representing a well-known high-end restaurant in the city. It was rumored that making a reservation there was quite difficult. Lu Congxing was surprised to learn that the restaurant offered delivery.
He couldn’t help but marvel at the power of money.
He thanked the person, then went back and opened the lunch box, only to laugh involuntarily.
He wondered if He Zhouyan was trying to train him to become a big eater.
The box had five full layers, each packed to the brim.
Lu Congxing instinctively picked up his phone and sent a thank-you message to He Zhouyan. His reply came almost immediately, followed by several caring messages.
He was eating while chatting with him and was surprised to find that Bai Ze, who had previously been known online for his concise and straightforward style, had actually started using emojis.
It seemed like a response to his little chick emoji.
During their conversation, He Zhouyan always replied quickly, and his responses were well-timed, never missing a beat. Before Lu Congxing even realized it, they had been chatting for a while. Despite the conversation being about trivial matters, it never felt boring.
If he hadn’t remembered that he might be interrupting He Zhouyan’s work, he could have continued chatting.
Meanwhile, in his office at the company, He Zhouyan absentmindedly stroked the edge of his phone, the screen still displaying Lu Congxing’s message wishing him success at work.
He squinted his eyes with satisfaction and muttered softly, “Such a good boy.”
Known for being strict with himself, President He decided to leave work early today, letting Pi Xiu handle the overtime.
Another reason Lu Congxing had to stop chatting was that he heard voices arguing outside, and the argument seemed to be escalating.
It was Huang Xin yelling at Zeng Chengping. As soon as she stepped out, she saw a beer can thrown in the hallway. Her temper flared, and she immediately knocked on his door, scolding him.
Lu Congxing had no intention of getting involved in this kind of conflict, but he suddenly remembered what Chen Jiatai had said about Zeng Chengping having a history of domestic violence. After some hesitation, he decided to open the door.
To his surprise, he walked right into a confrontation between Zeng Chengping and Huang Xin at the door.
The middle-aged man looked exhausted from a hangover, his appearance making him seem unwell. But when he glared, his eyes were filled with hostility.
The smell of alcohol was overwhelming, and the moment he heard the door open, his anger shifted. He still wasn’t bold enough to offend the landlord, so when he saw the young Lu Congxing, he cursed without holding back, “What are you staring at? I suggest you mind your own business, or I’ll make you regret it!”
Lu Congxing stared at him expressionlessly for a few seconds, making him uneasy before finally turning to the landlord and saying, “Miss Huang, you should go back and rest. Pregnant women shouldn’t get upset.”
Although Huang Xin was usually quite feisty, she didn’t dare continue arguing with a drunk man who seemed prone to violence. Taking Lu Congxing’s words as an excuse to step away, she simply nodded and left.
Zeng Chengping hadn’t expected to feel intimidated by someone much younger than him. He mumbled something under his breath and, with his bloodshot eyes from a hangover, took a serious look at Lu Congxing.
As his mind cleared slightly, something seemed to click, and he forced an awkward smile. “Sorry, kid. My head wasn’t working right just now.”
It was obvious he was scheming something—his face practically screamed bad intentions.
Lu Congxing, however, nodded without a trace of suspicion. “Mm, it’s fine.”
Like a clueless lamb, willingly stepping into a hastily set-up trap.