Chapter 5: Liu Shishi: You're Truly a Samaritan

“Your water pipe is clogged and you can’t get any water?”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll send you the property management’s phone number right away.”

“Why don’t I come over first to take a look? If it’s not something simple, then you can call the property management?”

“Okay.”

Hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang casually found a towel to wipe off his sweat, changed into a tight tank top, grabbed his keys, and headed out to help Nazha.

Women are actually generally more interested in romance than men, but they tend to be very reserved on the surface. Men should confidently show off their good looks when appropriate.

A woman’s interest in a man’s eight-pack abs, V-cut, and lean physique is no less intense than a man’s fascination with exotic island beauties in adventure movies.

Ding-dong.

Zhang Yang arrived at room 802, pressed the doorbell, and called out simultaneously, “Nazha, it’s me.”

The door quickly opened, revealing Nazha—remarkably beautiful even without makeup—in her snug nightgown.

“S…Senior Brother?!”

As she was about to warmly greet him, Nazha caught sight of Zhang Yang’s toned upper body encased in the tank top, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Her eyes instinctively drifted towards his well-defined chest muscles, hidden yet tantalizingly visible through the fabric. Feeling a terrifying heat surge in her ears, she unconsciously swallowed hard.

The sound of her swallowing was audible, her blush spreading from her face down to her neck.

Zhang Yang, seemingly oblivious to her discomfort, smiled and said, “I was working out earlier, so I didn’t receive your call. My apologies.”

Feeling somewhat self-conscious, Nazha averted her gaze and replied mildly, “No worries.”

Initially, she had been slightly annoyed at not getting through on the phone, but now seeing his physique, she thought it wasn’t such a bad experience after all.

“You mentioned there was an issue with the water pipes,” Zhang Yang stated, cutting straight to the chase. “Can you elaborate?”

Nazha led Zhang Yang to the bathroom and explained, “I wanted to take a shower, but no water would come out when I turned on the tap. My agent assured me that all utilities were paid on time, so I wondered if perhaps the pipes might be damaged.”

As Zhang Yang listened, he rotated the showerhead valve, confirming indeed no water flowed from it.

He then walked over to the nearby sink, but turning its faucet also yielded no water.

“It seems like quite a severe blockage,” Nazha observed, standing in the doorway with arms crossed. Her eyes kept drifting unconsciously towards Zhang Yang’s biceps and abs before quickly flitting away as if caught stealing a glance, yet unable to resist returning for another furtive look.

Zhang Yang didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he walked out of the bathroom, entered the kitchen, and turned on the tap there, only to find that no water came out either.

“I knew it,” Zhang Yang thought with a smile.

He then went straight outside under Nazha’s watchful gaze, opened the pipe well door, and reached in to turn the main water valve.

“Rushing!”

After a few breaths, the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom inside.

“The water is back!” Nazha exclaimed happily.

“Mm-hmm.” Zhang Yang approached Nazha, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “It was indeed the main valve that wasn’t open. That could’ve been quite serious; even if you’d dismantled all the indoor pipes, no water would’ve come through.”

Nazha blushed again—this time not just from embarrassment but also feeling somewhat ashamed. She couldn’t miss the teasing tone in Zhang Yang’s words.

“Junior Sister, since everything’s sorted now, I’m going to take my shower first.”

Zhang Yang left it at that, making a prompt exit.

In truth, he had ways to continue flirting with Nazha further—for instance, by deliberately leaving without his key earlier so property management would have to open the door for him. Beforehand, he could’ve asked Nazha to let him stay temporarily, creating an atmosphere ripe with possibilities as they spent some alone time together in one room.

But he didn’t act on it.

There will be plenty of time in the future!

“Nazha seeking my help confirms a suspicion I had,” Zhang Yang mused as he lay in the bathtub, deep in thought.

Nazha was from the entertainment industry, so helping her with her problem could have been an opportunity to improve their relationship. Yet, this chance wasn’t mentioned in the Opportunity Handbook. This meant either the handbook foresaw him resolving the issue or that Nazha wouldn’t have encountered such a predicament in the first place.

He mentally retraced his steps. If he hadn’t received the entertainment industry opportunity manual today, he would’ve likely gone back to his dormitory to sleep. That would mean not bumping into Nazha at the apartment complex, nor exchanging contact information, and thus not being sought out when she faced difficulties.

In her original timeline, perhaps Nazha never would have experienced this trouble.

Meanwhile, while soaking in the tub, Nazha sent a message to her manager, recounting the night’s events.

A swift response came through: “There’s a notice left on your door by the property management, reminding you to open the main valve before using water.”

Nazha was momentarily speechless.

After watching Zhang Yang enter room 801, Nazha initially paid no attention to the door of 802.

She quickly finished her shower, rushed to the doorway, and tore down the notice.

If Zhang Yang had seen it, the embarrassment would have been beyond measure.

Though their interaction was brief, Zhang Yang left a deep impression on her.

Little did she know, this impression would soon become a memory etched in her mind forever.

“No! No!”

The next morning at dawn, Nazha jolted upright in bed.

Looking around her surroundings, she felt as if she had gone mad.

A person she’d just met appeared in her dream.

Although there were no concrete events, possibly due to her lack of experience with such things, it was still utterly terrifying.

On the other side of the wall, Zhang Yang had slept soundly throughout the night.

He woke up, washed, got dressed, grabbed some breakfast from an old shop selling steam-fried buns, then took a car to reach his company.

Putting on a mask, he visited a nearby convenience store. Following the employee’s guidance, he bought several sizes and brands of Buddhist Scripture Pavilions.

Liu Shishi preferred cotton-padded bras between 240 to 350 mm in length for daily use, but he wasn’t foolish enough to buy only those sizes, lest it seem too coincidental and deliberate.

When men purchased these items, the cashier seemed quite accustomed to it; they swiftly processed Zhang Yang’s payment without any change in expression.

Zhang Yang breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the company with his “prop,” silently waiting in his dressing room for the appointed time.

Meanwhile, Liu Shishi arrived at the office via chauffeured car and immediately made her way to Cai Yining’s office.

After engaging in casual small talk for quite some time, Cai Yining took the lead and said, “Shishi, you don’t have any issues working with new talent, right?”

Liu Shishi smiled faintly. “Everyone starts off as a newcomer; I don’t mind.”

Given Cai Yining’s autocratic nature, voicing objections would be futile anyway, and indeed, Liu Shishi genuinely didn’t care about such matters.

“Mm-hmm.” Cai Yining was pleased by Liu Shishi’s attitude, using this interaction to gauge her control over her artists.

“You know, you’re not strictly required to work with newcomers,” Cai Yining continued. “Why don’t you persuade Old Hu? He could play the male lead.”

Liu Shishi understood that this was Cai Yining’s true intent—still clinging to the idea of having Hu Ge as the protagonist.

She was about to tactfully decline when suddenly, she felt a sense of heaviness in her lower abdomen accompanied by a warm flow.

Recalling the date, she inwardly cursed her bad luck. Quickly standing up, she said, “Miss K, I understand now. I’ll try talking him around. Excuse me, I need to attend to something personal back in my dressing room.”

Having received the answer she sought, Cai Yining naturally had no objections.

Liu Shishi swiftly returned to her private lounge and headed straight for the restroom. She opened the nearby storage cabinet, only to find it completely empty.

“We’re out!” Liu Shishi frowned instinctively, preparing to call the housekeeping assistant to purchase more supplies.

Just as she was about to speak, she remembered that she’d given them the day off today.

“Oh, this is just perfect!”

Realizing she’d have to endure the discomfort and handle things personally, Liu Shishi couldn’t just randomly stop someone else and ask for their help with shopping.

She put on her contact lenses, mask, and cap before stepping out of her exclusive lounge. As soon as she emerged, she spotted someone approaching from across the hallway—it was Zhang Yang, someone she knew fairly well.

“Shishi-jie!”

Zhang Yang’s face lit up with surprise upon seeing Liu Shishi. He then hastily tried to hide a transparent bag behind his back.

This motion caught Liu Shishi’s attention immediately; she focused in closer and noticed what was inside the bag. Her expression subtly shifted at the sight.

It truly felt like finding a pillow when drowsy—Zhang Yang arrived just in time.

“A-Yang, why would you buy something like that?”