Chapter 4: The Siblings Finally Meet

Ode to Joy residential complex, 22nd floor.

Fan Shengmei had just finished getting dressed and was about to head out when she saw Qiu Yingying and Guan Ju'er standing at the door of 2201 next door.

"What are you two doing?"

Qiu Yingying pointed upward: "Sister Fan, look, 2201 installed a camera."

"And this camera can even move back and forth," Guan Ju'er added.

"What for? Guarding against thieves?" Fan Shengmei muttered with dissatisfaction.

"Oh, time's almost up. Sister has to go on a blind date. Bye-bye."

Qiu Yingying and Guan Ju'er returned home. They were delighted that they would no longer be disturbed by the renovation noise from next door, so they suggested going out for a stroll.

They wandered until evening before returning to the Ode to Joy complex.

While waiting for the elevator on the first floor, Qiu Yingying said to Guan Ju'er with envy.

"Guan Guan, seriously, I’m so envious of our neighbors. When will we ever be able to afford a place like this?"

Guan Ju'er leaned against Qiu Yingying and agreed: "Yeah, the environment in this complex is so good, it's close to the subway, and the layout is perfect. If I could own a place here, it would be like a dream."

As they spoke, the elevator opened, and it was already quite crowded inside.

After entering the elevator, a middle-aged man began criticizing the complex, calling it worthless.

When they reached the 22nd floor, Qiu Yingying and Guan Ju'er discovered that this eccentric family was actually the owner of 2203 next door.

Back home, the two couldn't help but grumble in frustration, but the next moment, the girl from 2203 knocked on their door.

"Hello, I'm Qu Xiaoxiao. We'll be neighbors from now on. This is some chocolate I brought back from the US; consider it a small gift. Please look after me."

"Thank you."

Qiu Yingying held the exquisite box of chocolates and mocked herself: "It's over, it's over. The neighbor in 2203 is a genuine 'white, rich, and beautiful' girl. Right now, I’m envious and jealous of her, but I don't hate her. A box of chocolate has already bought me off; I really have no integrity."

Guan Ju'er nodded in deep agreement: "Yeah, I was really angry at what they said earlier, but seeing how polite Xiao Qu is when coming to greet us, I’m not angry at all anymore."

Before they knew it, the chocolate was gone, and the two stared at each other, dumbfounded.

"What do we do? We didn't save any for Sister Fan."

"Destroy the evidence!"

Not long after they hid the packaging, Fan Shengmei returned, looking exhausted.

"Sister Fan, looks like it went well?" Qiu Yingying asked enthusiastically.

Fan Shengmei rolled her eyes: "No chance. He called himself an 'elite,' but he's just a low-level civil servant with so many demands. He had the nerve to ask me, 'Can we buy a house together with a mortgage?' Is his brain broken?"

"Is he handsome?" Qiu Yingying pressed.

"Handsome, really handsome. Over 1.8 meters tall, legs for days. But what’s the use? Can that be eaten or worn? Can it go out and make money?"

After nine o'clock, loud, boisterous music blared from 2203, giving all three of them a headache.

Qiu Yingying went over to negotiate, but it had no effect. Left with no choice, the three of them called property management. However, even after property management visited, the other party didn't tone it down.

Downstairs, Qin Hao heard the noise from above and his heart stirred. It looked like tonight was the iconic scene where the plot of *Ode to Joy* officially begins.

"Hello, I want to report a disturbance."

On the 22nd floor, after being warned by the police, Qu Xiaoxiao knocked on the door of 2202 in indignation.

"What is your problem? Calling property management, then calling the police? Didn't I say it would be over in ten minutes? Is this fun for you?"

Guan Ju'er looked confused: "We didn't call the police."

Qiu Yingying said angrily: "Why are you being so fierce? You were so loud, we just mentioned it to property management."

At this moment, the door to 2201 opened, and the elevator chimed at the same time.

Qu Xiaoxiao was puzzled: "If you didn't call the police, then who did?"

"I called the police. Is there a problem?"

Guan Ju'er looked at Qin Hao in surprise, muttering to herself: It's him?

Qu Xiaoxiao was also attracted by Qin Hao's muscular build, and her fierce expression instantly turned charming.

As Qu Xiaoxiao's admirer and number one sycophant, Yao Bin immediately jumped out.

"Kid, you're pretty bold, aren't you?"

"Kid, looking for trouble, huh?"

Several other rich kids stepped forward to back him up, surrounding Qin Hao.

Just as Andy, the owner of 2201, was about to dial the police again, a roar came from room 2202.

"What do you think you're doing!"

Guan Ju'er and Fan Shengmei watched in stunned silence as Qiu Yingying shoved past one of the rich kids and arrived in front of Qin Hao.

The rich kid was caught off guard and nearly knocked over. Feeling he had lost face, he immediately raised his hand to slap Qiu Yingying.

Guan Ju'er and Fan Shengmei were terrified.

However, what followed was the rich kid's scream.

Qin Hao had firmly grabbed the rich kid's wrist. Without even appearing to exert much effort, he gave a slight twist, and the rich kid was forced to his knees.

Seeing this, Qu Xiaoxiao wasn't worried about her friend at all; instead, she looked at Qin Hao with stars in her eyes.

Guan Ju'er was also astonished. She hadn't expected that the young man from downstairs, who spoke so gently, would be so decisive when taking action.

Andy, who had been about to dial the police, stopped and looked at Qin Hao with curiosity.

Yao Bin and the other rich kids had never suffered such an indignity. They roared at Qin Hao: "Let go, you bastard, or you'll regret it!"

As they spoke, they prepared to attack.

Qin Hao sneered and added a bit more pressure. The captured rich kid's face turned pale; he was secretly cursing in his heart—they were the ones shouting, why are you torturing me?

"Don't do anything reckless. I have surveillance here. You were the ones who started it; this gentleman is only acting in self-defense," Andy warned.

Yao Bin and his group's faces turned dark. What was going on? They were usually free to roam the vast city of Shanghai as they pleased, yet today, in this crummy complex, they kept running into tough obstacles.

"Don't talk nonsense. We didn't do anything. Tell him to let go first."

"That's right, let him go first."

Qin Hao ignored Yao Bin's group and instead said to the captured rich kid

"Do you have anything you want to say to my little sister?"

"Little sister?"

In an instant, the 22nd floor fell into a dead silence. Everyone's gaze fell upon Qiu Yingying.

Guan Ju'er looked at Qin Hao, then at Qiu Yingying, with an expression of disbelief.

Fan Shengmei was also shocked as she looked at the two.

Qiu Yingying finally snapped out of her fright, threw her arms around Qin Hao, and burst into loud sobs.

"Brother, where have you been all these years? How are you here?"

Seeing this, Qu Xiaoxiao took the opportunity to mediate: "Um, handsome, this whole thing started because of me. How about I apologize to everyone, and we just call it even? We didn't know each other before, but we do now, right?"

The captured rich kid nodded hurriedly upon hearing this: "Yeah, big brother, I was wrong. Please let go, I promise I won't cause any more trouble. My wrist is about to break."

Qin Hao looked helplessly at Qiu Yingying, who was clinging to him with tears and snot all over his shirt. He finally let go, pushed the rich kid aside, and gently patted her back to comfort her.

"Alright, aren't we seeing each other now? You're a grown woman, still as much of a crybaby as you were when you were little."

Qiu Yingying only then realized everyone was staring at her. She blushed instantly and pulled Qin Hao into 2202.

(End of chapter)