Chapter 1

On New Year's Day, my tenant Terry suddenly sent me a TikTok video.

The title was "New Year's Landlord Rent Reduction Contest."

I was about to tell him that next month's rent would be completely waived when he sent another message:

"Did you fucking see my message or not? Just so you know, I'm only paying a hundred next month!"

Seeing his terrible attitude, I angrily replied:

"You don't need to pay next month's rent. Just get out this month."

That evening when my wife Chloe came home, she brought Terry with her.

His arm was intimately wrapped around Chloe's slim waist.

"If you won't rent the house to me, then I'll just have to move into your place."

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

The door behind them was still open, with luggage blocking the entrance completely.

I looked at Chloe. "What's the meaning of this?"

She leaned against Terry, arms crossed, and immediately started interrogating me.

"What right do you have to refuse to rent the house to Terry?"

I laughed coldly.

"What right?"

"That house normally rents for twenty thousand. I only charged him two hundred out of consideration for you. And he still wanted to haggle!"

Houses in that neighborhood were extremely popular and had no shortage of renters.

Back then, I had already found a tenant and signed the contract, but Chloe came up and tore up the contract on the spot, breaking the agreement.

"I have a friend coming to Brooklyn. We grew up together."

"Save this house for him."

"Just charge him two hundred a month for rent to make it look good. Don't make things difficult for me."

She threw out a few sentences and left in a huff, leaving me and the prospective tenant staring at each other awkwardly.

In the end, I had to apologize profusely with a forced smile, compensating them with two months' rent before the matter was finally settled.

Chloe frowned at my words.

"Alexander, when did you become so petty?"

"I was planning not to charge anything at all. To make you feel better, I specifically had Terry give you two hundred every month. What more do you want?"

A house with an annual rent of two hundred forty thousand became an annual rent of two thousand four hundred, and Chloe still thought I was stingy.

I suddenly had nothing to say.

Moreover, the things she took from our home to give Terry every month were worth far more than two hundred.

Holiday gifts from her company, shopping cards from my company, even the fruits and home-cooked meals my mom sometimes brought over—she would pack everything up and take it to Terry.

The New Year's clothes I bought online yesterday—I never even saw them before she eagerly grabbed them and left.

"Terry's all alone in this city. It's not easy. We should help him as much as we can."

"You're a grown man. Don't be so petty."

"We're all from the same hometown. If I don't help him out, people back home will gossip about me."

For the sake of Chloe's reputation, I had endured it all before.

But today, Terry's arrogant attitude completely ignited the anger I'd been suppressing for so long.

My attitude remained cold and hard.

"Move in? Impossible."

"In this house, it's either me or him. It can't be both!"

Seeing this, Terry tugged at Chloe's sleeve with a wronged expression.

"Chloe, I should just leave. Worst case, I'll find some random place to stay tonight."

Fake sympathy. It made me sick.

"Leave? Why should you leave!"

Chloe pushed me aside forcefully and led him straight to the guest room.

Though Terry kept his head down, the smugness in his eyes as he passed me was impossible to hide.

After settling him in, she finally came over to me.

"Stop making a fuss. It's just for one night."

"Tomorrow I'll take him to look at other places."

"You wouldn't let him live in the south side place, and Terry obediently didn't insist. Did I say anything about that?"

I clenched my fist, opened my mouth, but ultimately said nothing, telling myself to endure it for just one more night.

The next morning, I received a call from the property management.