"Are you the owner of this room?"
Ke Teng, unsure of their purpose, asked back.
"Is there something?"
"Yes, we are from the neighborhood committee."
One of the girls waved a folder in front of him.
"Because our community's buildings are quite old, many bacteria can breed in winter. So, every year before the temperature drops, the committee organizes a unified disinfection and sterilization."
"Tonight at ten o'clock, please bring all clothes and shoes that are hung outside on the balcony back inside, and seal all windows and doors. We will be conducting unified disinfection and sterilization. Please cooperate."
So they really were from the neighborhood committee.
It sounded like a good thing, and Ke Teng had no reason to refuse.
"Okay."
After the girl finished speaking, she took out two long, thin bottles of medicine from her bag and handed them over.
"This is for use inside the room. Please spray it in closets, under beds, and in all corners and crevices yourself."
"Remember to spray it during working hours. When you leave, leave some gaps in the windows and doors for ventilation, so you don't get poisoned."
Ke Teng thought they were giving them away for free and reached out to take them.
As he took the medicine, the girl began writing in her folder.
"Owner of room XX, what is your name?"
"Jian Fei."
"Please leave your phone number."
Ke Teng didn't know her phone number, so he left his own.
"That will be 298. Cash or scan?"
Huh? They wanted money?
He was immediately astonished internally.
Being penniless was truly embarrassing. He had already taken the items and couldn't return them. For the first time in his life, Ke Teng experienced what "social death" meant.
"My phone is dead, just a moment."
Fortunately, his upstairs neighbor was home. He had seen the woman go back inside earlier and thought he could borrow some money from her.
Ke Teng knocked on the door, made up the excuse about his phone being dead. The woman, having seen him once that morning, assumed he was Jian Fei's boyfriend and gave him three hundred yuan.
"Thank you, I'll return it to you as soon as Jian Fei gets back."
The two girls didn't have two yuan in change, and Ke Teng didn't have a QR code for them to scan. They decided to forgo the extra two yuan.
Holding the two boxes of medicine, Ke Teng waited at the door, feeling much more confident.
*If it weren't for me, you would have missed this once-a-year pest control essential for winter.*
*I did such a big favor for you today, you can temporarily forgive me for not finding a job, right?*
He waited at the door with great confidence, from six to seven, then from seven to eight.
He stood, sat, and squatted, his legs almost giving out, his mind going numb. His stomach was rumbling with hunger. It was almost ten o'clock when Jian Fei finally returned, dragging her tired body up the stairs.
As he saw her head appear in the hallway, Ke Teng felt a surge of hope and hurried forward to meet her.
However, he saw her eyes were unfocused and her hands were empty, which brought him disappointment.
"Why are you back so late? Where's dinner?"
"I've been waiting for you since five. I'm starving. You didn't buy groceries or bring food..."
Jian Fei finally reached the door. Her usually meticulously tied hair was a bit messy today, her lips were pale, and her eyelids were swollen, as if she were seriously ill.
Seeing her in this state, Ke Teng swallowed the rest of his words in shock.
"What happened to you? Did something happen?"
Jian Fei didn't even lift her eyelids. She didn't want to look at him or speak. She walked straight to the door and mechanically opened it.
She threw her canvas bag on the ground, didn't change her shoes, and entered the room as if she had lost her soul.
Ke Teng, completely bewildered, followed her in with the medicine. Seeing her shake out a quilt on the floor and prepare to lie down, he couldn't help but remind her.
"Perhaps something happened and you're in a bad mood and don't want to talk about it, I can understand."
"But you can't sleep now. The community is organizing pest control tonight, so you need to pack your things."
Jian Fei ignored his words, her face blank as she continued with what she was doing.
Seeing her about to lie down, Ke Teng couldn't help but walk over and grab her wrist.
"Alright, alright, if you want to sleep, sleep. If you don't want to pack, I'll help you. But before you sleep, please give me 300 yuan."
Mention of money finally brought some expression to Jian Fei's face.
However, it was an expression of impatience.
She lifted her eyelids, cast a cold glance at him, and asked, "Do I owe you money?"
Faced with her gaze, Ke Teng felt utterly pathetic for a moment.
Why live in such a big house, spend so much money, and enjoy such a good life, only to come here and be constantly looked down upon by her?
What kind of look was that? In all his years, this was the first time a woman had dared to look at him with such unreasonable eyes.
If it weren't so late and he had nowhere else to go, Ke Teng would have really lost his temper with her.
"You don't owe me money, but you owe the neighborhood committee."
"I told you, they're organizing pest control tonight, and they gave us two bottles of medicine for 300 yuan..."
Jian Fei's expression grew increasingly displeased, as if she were asking, "Are you talking nonsense?"
To prove his innocence, Ke Teng raised his voice.
"Really! Every resident in the building has to pay. They said it's unified pest control and they've registered everyone. Haven't you experienced this before?"
"You know, I'm penniless. I didn't have the money to give them, but so you wouldn't miss out on such a good thing, I borrowed 300 yuan from your upstairs neighbor. Please go and return the money first."
Jian Fei's eyes darted back and forth, sizing him up and the two bottles of "Pyrethroid" in his hand.
He actually spent three hundred yuan on the cheapest insect repellent, which costs ten yuan for eight bags at the hospital pharmacy?
It must be the work of those two female scammers who prey on the elderly, as the neighbors had warned!
But he was so young, and so sharp when dealing with her, how could he be tricked?
Jian Fei had encountered trouble at the hospital today. Her chances of becoming a permanent employee were slim, and even graduating was uncertain.
She was already in such a miserable state, and now she couldn't even keep the six hundred yuan she had left in her pocket...
After observing him for more than ten seconds, she became too angry to bear it. Gritting her teeth, she shoved Ke Teng back forcefully.
"Whoever borrowed the money should pay it back themselves! How can there be someone as stupid as you in the world?"
"Your father only knows how to spend money on your food, drinks, and clothes, but not on your education, right? Others use their brains to think, but you use yours for decoration, don't you?"
"How can anyone be as foolish as you? My family is too poor to support such a stupid young master, nor can we repay the money you owe. Please leave, I don't want to see you for another second!"
Ke Teng felt as if he were looking at himself from twenty days ago.
That was how Jian Fei had spoken to him when she first arrived at his home.
Unexpectedly, in just about twenty days, their positions had been reversed.
It was too harsh. He hadn't realized it before, but those words were incredibly hurtful.
He had only eaten a few meals at her place, slept in her bed for two nights, and bought medicine for her out of good intentions, only to be scolded like this...
Ke Teng's self-esteem was shattered. His neck and face turned red, and he was too embarrassed to say a word.
Seeing that he still hadn't left, Jian Fei added maliciously,
"Still not leaving? Are you waiting for me to physically throw you out?"