Chapter 7: It Is Not Easy to Dwell in a Great Position

The group climbed the stairs to the 21st floor. Qin Hao glanced at the floor sign.

"I'm here. Do you want to come in and sit for a bit?"

Andy shook her head gently: "No, I still have things to do."

"Next time. I really need to calm down," Fan Shengmei said, panting heavily.

Qu Xiaoxiao snorted and headed upstairs with an air of haughtiness.

Guan Ju'er was just about to refuse when Qiu Yingying grabbed her: "Guan Guan, let's go to my brother's place together. My heart is still pounding like crazy."

"Well, alright then." Having just experienced a brush with death, Guan Ju'er was also feeling a bit disoriented.

Qin Hao led the two of them to 2102.

After entering, Qiu Yingying realized the place was a bit different from what she had imagined. The room was incredibly clean, and although the decor was quite ordinary, the furniture and appliances didn't look cheap at all. They seemed brand new, with some even still having their protective film attached.

"Make yourselves at home. What would you like to drink? Juice, cola, or bottled water?" Qin Hao hung his keys on the hook by the door and asked casually.

"Oh, Brother Qiu, no need. Yingying and I just had yogurt in the elevator."

Guan Ju'er changed into slippers and curiously looked around the room.

Qiu Yingying had already started darting around like a little bee.

"Brother, do you live here all by yourself? Isn't that too extravagant?"

Qin Hao shrugged: "Yeah, I'm not really used to sharing an apartment with others."

"But it's so expensive! The rent is eight thousand a month," Qiu Yingying said, crossing her arms over her chest with the tone of someone who had seen it all.

"Brother, you can't be this wasteful. Living in the Magic City isn't easy. You need to save money to buy a house. Just look at Sister Fan; her minimum standard for a blind date is that the guy must have a house. If you don't have one, you won't even be able to find a wife in the future..."

Before Qiu Yingying could finish her nagging, Qin Hao tapped her on the forehead: "You little girl, starting to lecture me now?"

"Ouch, that hurts!" Qiu Yingying rubbed her forehead and glared at Qin Hao indignantly.

She then pulled Guan Ju'er over to mediate: "Guan Guan, tell me, am I right or not?"

Guan Ju'er immediately looked away the moment she met Qin Hao's eyes, saying vaguely: "Actually... as long as two people truly love each other, having a house or not isn't that important."

Qiu Yingying pouted in dissatisfaction: "Guan Guan, whose side are you on?"

After the playful banter, Qiu Yingying asked curiously: "Brother, what kind of work do you do now? How come we never ran into you in the elevator when we were heading to work?"

Qin Hao said nonchalantly: "Oh, I'm a freelancer. My schedule is quite flexible, so I usually don't leave that early."

"That's so nice, not having to wake up early. I feel like I never get enough sleep every day," Qiu Yingying said, her round eyes filled with envy.

Qin Hao laughed and scolded: "That's because you stay up too late scrolling on your phone."

"Hehe." Qiu Yingying felt a bit embarrassed, but then she pulled Guan Ju'er over.

"Who says? Guan Guan is the same. Sometimes she has to attend overseas meetings after she gets back, and sometimes she doesn't get to sleep until the early hours of the morning."

Guan Ju'er secretly tugged at Qiu Yingying and explained shyly: "Actually, it's not that bad. It's mostly just that I don't sleep very soundly at night."

After chatting for a while, Qiu Yingying discovered a Switch console in the living room and pulled Guan Ju'er over to play games.

Qin Hao went to his workspace to edit videos. He had been personally managing his two self-media accounts, "Movie Aim" and "Discount Meow," which he had used to start his career. These two accounts now had over six million followers across the web and were the most profitable assets of his company.

By the time Qin Hao finished editing and rendering the latest video and came out, he saw that Qiu Yingying was still dragging Guan Ju'er to play games.

Qin Hao glanced at his watch: "It's about dinner time. Why don't you two eat here this afternoon? I'll cook."

Guan Ju'er was about to refuse, but Qiu Yingying had already readily agreed: "That would be great! But Brother, can you really cook?"

In Qiu Yingying's memory, her brother, Qiu Yan, rarely did any housework at home.

Qin Hao rolled his eyes at Qiu Yingying: "Who are you looking down on? Don't worry, I won't poison you."

"Hehe." Qiu Yingying giggled and went back to playing games with Guan Ju'er.

Listening to the rhythmic sound of chopping coming from the kitchen, Guan Ju'er would glance toward the kitchen from time to time, noticing that Qin Hao actually looked quite professional.

However, being distracted, her gameplay naturally became a mess.

It left Qiu Yingying very frustrated: "Guan Guan, what are you doing? Why didn't you hit it? What a pity, we were so close to clearing the level."

Guan Ju'er was about to apologize when she smelled a fragrance wafting from the kitchen.

Qiu Yingying stopped complaining and pulled Guan Ju'er to the kitchen. Seeing Qin Hao skillfully stir-frying, she said in surprise

"Brother, you really can cook?"

Qin Hao tossed the wok and retorted: "Who was it that said I couldn't just a moment ago? Don't eat any later."

"Hmph, I'm going to eat it anyway." Qiu Yingying wrinkled her nose.

Guan Ju'er watched the siblings bickering with envy, suddenly feeling that what filled the air wasn't just the aroma of food, but the scent of home.

"Alright, the last dish, sweet and sour pork ribs, is done. Four dishes and one soup. Time was tight today, so these were the only ingredients left in the fridge. Guan Guan, just make do with this," Qin Hao said.

Guan Ju'er waved her hands repeatedly: "Brother Qiu, this is already very good. It's even better than what my dad makes."

Qiu Yingying was too busy to talk, her mouth glistening with oil. After eating several pieces of braised pork, she squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

"Wow, I'm so happy. This is the best meal I've had since coming to the Magic City."

Qin Hao chuckled and put another rib on Qiu Yingying's plate: "If it's good, eat more. In the future, if you're craving something, just give me a call in advance, and I'll make it for you."

"Mm-hmm, Brother, you eat too. It's so delicious."

Seeing Qiu Yingying stuffing her face with her cheeks puffed out, Guan Ju'er couldn't help but burst into laughter. Qin Hao laughed too, and the atmosphere at the dining table was exceptionally harmonious.

After the meal, Qiu Yingying sat slumped, clutching her stomach, and let out a burp before making a bitter face.

"Sigh, I ate too much today. I'm definitely going to get fat. What should I do?"

Guan Ju'er nodded in agreement; she had also lost control and was feeling quite stuffed.

Qin Hao smiled and ruffled Qiu Yingying's hair: "One or two meals won't make you fat. If you're really worried, do like Andy in 2201 and go for a run every morning."

Guan Ju'er asked curiously: "Brother Qiu, does Andy really go for a run every morning?"

"Yeah, pretty much. My exercise time isn't fixed, but whenever I go running, Andy is always there."

As soon as Qiu Yingying heard "waking up early," she wilted: "I... I think I'll just eat less. Waking up early would be the death of me."

"Hahaha~~~" Guan Ju'er and Qin Hao laughed together.

After resting for a while, Guan Ju'er offered to wash the dishes, and Qiu Yingying followed her into the kitchen.

Qin Hao didn't stand on ceremony; he told her where the dishcloth and detergent were and left the kitchen.

While washing the dishes, Qiu Yingying whispered to Guan Ju'er: "My brother hasn't been home for a few years, and he's like a completely different person."

"Is that so? Is that a good change or a bad one?" Guan Ju'er asked casually.

Qiu Yingying frowned and thought for a moment: "I guess it's a good change. My brother used to be very thin; he wasn't as muscular as he is now. Hmm, he seems to be making more money too, being able to afford such expensive rent all by himself. It's just that he's been in less contact with home, but that's normal. I only realized after graduating that working in a big city is so difficult..."

Guan Ju'er didn't interrupt, just listening quietly as Qiu Yingying chattered on about Qin Hao's past. For some reason, ever since they first met, her mind kept replaying the moment Qin Hao said gently: "Let me help you."

(End of chapter)