I agreed to be a kept man, but I'm still being punished by the system.

Su Man led Lin Yang on a walk around the house.

The master bedroom has an ensuite bathroom, a 1.8-meter-wide bed, and a wardrobe covering an entire wall. The bay window faces the community garden, and the building spacing is good, ensuring privacy.

There are two smaller secondary bedrooms. One is empty, probably intended to be a children's room. The other has a desk and chair set, as well as a simple bookcase, so it looks like it's meant to be used as a study.

In addition, there is a public restroom, a small kitchen with a row of cabinets and a double-door refrigerator, and a large, open balcony connecting the living room and dining room, complete with a sofa, coffee table, dining table, and four dining chairs.

The layout is reasonable and the lighting is excellent.

Lin Yang finished reading and nodded.

"fine."

Without any further formalities, he simply took off his suit jacket and hung it on the coat hook in the entryway, then rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt.

"Let's start cleaning then."

Su Man paused for a moment, then took out her phone from her handbag.

"I'll hire a housekeeping company and have them do a deep cleaning."

Lin Yang walked straight to the balcony and pulled back the heavy curtains.

"Splash—"

The neon lights outside the window rushed in instantly, illuminating the dust that filled the room.

"fine."

Lin Yang pushed open the French windows, and the evening breeze rushed in, dispelling the stuffiness in the room.

"I'll be done in half an hour. Go sit in the garden downstairs for a bit, I'll call you up later."

After saying that, he found a mop and a rag in the storage room, and skillfully went into the bathroom to get water.

Su Man stood there, watching Lin Yang's busy figure. She kicked her high heels aside and walked barefoot on the cold floor tiles.

[Inner monologue]: He... is he going to do it himself? These days, college graduates actually know how to do housework? And he's so skilled at it...

She walked over as if possessed.

"Let me help."

Lin Yang was wringing out the mop when he heard this. He looked up, sized her up and down, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"President Su, are you sure you're not here to cause trouble, since you've never done anything like this before?"

Su Man's cheeks flushed slightly, and she puffed out her chest in a hint of defiance.

"Who said that!"

Her voice rose a few decibels.

"When I first bought this house, I cleaned and decorated it myself, bit by bit. But now I'm too busy and don't have time."

She paused, a hint of weariness creeping into her voice.

"I only have time today, because I have to go back to the company for a full day of meetings tomorrow."

Lin Yang paused for a moment.

"Isn't tomorrow Sunday? Are you off?"

Su Man leaned against the kitchen door frame, looking at the myriad lights outside the window, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

"At our level, what kind of days off are there?"

Lin Yang said nothing more.

As Suman's assistant, he knew better than anyone how horrific her schedule was.

This woman works almost as if she's burning her life out.

When cleaning, Lin Yang tried to do more himself and let Su Man just lend a hand so that she wouldn't get too tired.

More than an hour later.

It was close to 6 p.m.

This small three-bedroom apartment has been completely renovated.

The dusty furniture revealed a warm, lustrous sheen, the floor was so smooth it reflected the ceiling light, and the air was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant and the smell of a new home.

"That's about it."

Lin Yang tied up the last bag of trash and placed it at the door, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"I'll just clean it myself every day from now on, and keep it up."

Su Man slumped unceremoniously onto the soft fabric sofa and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Ugh, I'm so tired and hungry."

She rubbed her aching shoulders, her voice carrying a hint of languid coquettishness.

"I haven't done any physical labor in a long time, and I also stayed up too late last night."

This statement was quite meaningful, but Lin Yang thought to himself, "There are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not fields that are ruined by plowing. Besides, you were the one who took the initiative last night, asking for more than I did, in all sorts of positions and spaces."

He walked up to Su Man and looked down at her.

"President Su, you're just too busy and lack exercise."

He deliberately lowered his voice, which carried a hint of seduction.

"I'll take you to the gym another day to work out and see some muscular guys."

As he spoke, he deliberately tensed his right arm.

The thin white shirt was instantly stretched taut, clearly highlighting the outline of his biceps, exuding an explosive sense of power.

Su Man's gaze unconsciously fell on that strong arm, her throat moved, and her cheeks quickly flushed red.

She looked away as if she'd been electrocuted, and quickly grabbed her phone to cover her embarrassment.

"Then... let's go out to eat."

Lin Yang's smile deepened.

"Let's order takeout."

His gaze swept over the house they had cleaned themselves, and his eyes softened.

"I still want to have my first meal here."

Su Man paused in her hand holding the phone, looked up, and met his deep eyes.

She saw something in there, but couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

[Inner monologue]: The first meal... Did he treat this place like his own home?

Su Man's heart was gently touched by those words.

She nodded and began to slide her finger across the screen.

"it is good."

Seeing Su Man's inner thoughts, Lin Yang simply smiled slightly.

......

Half an hour later.

Three dishes and a soup were placed on the clean dining table.

Sweet and sour pork, Mapo tofu, garlic broccoli, and a bowl of steaming hot tomato and egg soup.

These are all very ordinary home-style dishes, yet they exude an enticing aroma.

The two sat facing each other, the hierarchical distinction between superiors and subordinates in the company gone, as was the restraint in the upscale restaurant.

The atmosphere was warm and relaxed.

"I didn't expect you to like this, Mr. Su." Lin Yang picked up a piece of tofu and ate it with relish.

"What, can't I like it? Does it mean I have to eat meat and fish every day?" Su Man rolled her eyes at him, exuding charm.

The two chatted and laughed, just like any ordinary couple.

Just then, a sudden cell phone ring broke the silence.

Lin Yang took out his phone, and the three words flashing on the screen sent a chill down his spine.

Empress Dowager Chen

He took a deep breath, like a warrior about to go to the execution ground, and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Mom."

He had barely uttered two words when a deafening roar came from the other end of the phone. The sound was so loud that even Su Man, sitting opposite him, could hear it clearly. She quickly covered her mouth and stifled a laugh, but the laughter still reached Lin Yang's ears.

Lin Yang quickly stood up and went to the balcony.

"You little brat! It's been a month! A whole month and you haven't called home once! I thought you'd died out there!"

Ms. Chen Shujuan's unique loud voice is full of penetrating power.

"Oh, so you know how to answer the phone now? I thought you dropped your phone into the river to feed the fish!"

"You just wait, next time I come back I'll beat you to a pulp! You heartless little brat!"

Lin Yang moved the phone away from his ear and gave Su Man an embarrassed smile.

"Mom, are you done talking?"

"Not yet, it's infuriating! They've graduated from university and they're still so immature."

"Aren't I looking for a job?"

"Did you find it?"

"Found it. They've moved to a new place too. I'll send you photos later."

"Are you short of money? Should I wire you some?"

"No need, you keep it for yourself to buy food. My salary is enough. I'll go back to see you and Dad during the Chinese New Year."

"Yeah, take care of yourself while you're out there, and don't stay up too late at night."

"Take care of yourself too, don't overwork yourself. That's all for now, I'm eating."

"Oh, then you should eat well and remember to call home often!"

"Okay, Mom. I'll call you every week from now on."

"That's more like it. I'm hanging up."

Before Lin Yang could reply, the phone went dead.