I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 175

Chapter 175: He Will Forever Live in Our Hearts

 

On the twentieth of May, Shenzhen City hosted the “Literature and Art Exchange” exhibition.

 

It was reported that numerous novel websites would be participating in the event. Early in the morning, having obtained leave in advance from Ouyang Xue, I changed into the outfit I had purchased for the first time in the Wujia House Apartment – a set of “women’s clothing.” The upper part consisted of a small T-shirt, while the lower part featured shorts resembling hot pants. I complemented the ensemble with the “Thunder” class destroyer hat and a rabbit backpack, presenting a lively and cute appearance.

 

Initially, I intended to go out in a skirt as usual. However, considering the multitude of tasks planned for this holiday, requiring visits to various places, wearing a skirt might prove inconvenient. In the end, I had no choice but to opt for the shorts combination.

 

Regardless… given my current physique, even if I walked down the street in shorts, it was unlikely for anyone to mistake me for a boy. The insistence on my previous identity as the “self-proclaimed uncle” seemed to hold little significance.

 

Leaving aside the flowing long hair, meticulously “crafted” by Yin Xiamo, my skin maintained a snow-like fairness. Even with sun exposure during daily commutes to the café, there was no hint of tanning.

 

The sleeves of the T-shirt covered only a significant portion of the shoulders, and the shorts shielded only half of the thighs. From the front or the back, anyone observing would hardly perceive me as a boy.

 

Additionally, another aspect that has been bothering me is the frustration of finding my self-measured “three measurements” to be inaccurate. The catalyst for this discovery occurred during a conversation over dinner when Yin Xiamo complained about my insufficient wardrobe, insisting on dedicating an entire day during the next holiday to online shopping for various cute clothes for me. Lan Jiajia, who was dining with us, casually asked about the dimensions of my figure.

 

Unable to resist the demands of two women, I casually provided the measurements I had previously taken myself. However, upon hearing the data, Lan Jiajia immediately stood up, expressing disbelief, “It’s impossible. It differs significantly from my visual estimation.”

 

I tried to explain that I had used a soft ruler for the measurements, thinking that a couple of attempts should yield accurate results. Lan Jiajia, evidently excited, asked if I had a soft ruler.

 

“I used a soft ruler myself before,” I responded.

 

I was puzzled by Lan Jiajia’s heightened reaction. With caution, I inquired, “I measured it two or three times, it shouldn’t be too far off, right?”

 

As of now, if I remember correctly, my body’s measurements are approximately 71, 53, and 78 for bust, waist, and hips, respectively. While the waist and hip measurements should be relatively accurate, the challenge lies in the bust measurement. Having previously identified as a genuine middle-aged man, I am not entirely familiar with the precise location for measuring a woman’s bust. I simply wrapped the soft ruler around my chest and roughly read the numbers on it.

 

“I used to work as a fashion designer for a while, so I can roughly estimate your body measurements.” Lan Jiajia placed her chopsticks and bowl aside and headed upstairs, stating, “I suspect your measurements or the position you measured might be inaccurate. Wait a moment, I’ll get my tools.”

 

After saying that, my former editor ascended the stairs and quickly returned with a seemingly professional toolbox.

 

“Come on, Nuo’er, open your arms, and I’ll help you measure,” Lan Jiajia instructed. Following her guidance, I stood up from my seat, somewhat apprehensively opened my hands, and questioned, “Isn’t the bust measurement supposed to be around the chest?”

 

“You probably misunderstood,” Lan Jiajia clarified. Holding a soft ruler, she half-squatted and measured around my hips, adjusting the position meticulously and repeating the process several times.

 

“Yes, the hip measurement is 78, that’s correct.”

 

Next, she extended her hand towards my waist, using the soft ruler to measure repeatedly.

 

“Waist… 49, which is close to what you mentioned. Considering the clothes and the fact that you just finished eating, this number might be a bit smaller, but it shouldn’t differ much.”

 

Finally, Lan Jiajia stood up, slightly bending her waist, and said, “Take a deep breath.”

 

At this distance, with Lan Jiajia wearing a stylish top at home and bending over, I could clearly see the cleavage between her two large rabbits.

 

“Uh…”

 

I turned my face away, took a deep breath, and exhaled, asking, “Is this okay?”

 

“Yes, I think the bust measurement you mentioned earlier is not quite right. Stay in your current position and try not to breathe,” Lan Jiajia, who appeared like a “young mom,” began measuring my upper bust.

 

“Nuo’er, your figure is very standard, belonging to that perfect body between a child and a teenager… a girl’s ideal figure. Since the first time I saw you, I’ve been mentally estimating these body measurements. After observing for so many days, I cannot allow any room for error in my judgment.”

 

Lan Jiajia’s words left me bewildered. So, you are a somewhat perfectionist and competitive fashion designer?

 

“Upper bust 64, underbust 56. I knew it, it couldn’t be 70.”

 

After fussing around my chest for three or four minutes, Lan Jiajia sighed with relief, saying, “I thought my visual estimation was off.”

 

“Is there any significant difference?” I couldn’t grasp the significance of obsessing over these small numerical variations. “Isn’t 71 and 64 just a 7-centimeter difference?”

 

“You probably held your breath during the measurement or misjudged the location. Either that, or when measuring your bust, you might have struggled to operate alone, causing the ruler to tilt. Consequently, you ended up with a measurement above 70.”

 

Lan Jiajia stood up, expressing her perplexity. “I find it strange that Nuo’er, your bust measurement could be above 70.”

 

At this point, Yin Xiamo, on the side, chuckled discreetly, “She definitely doesn’t.”

 

“You say that again!”

 

I turned around and glared at Yin Xiamo, but with Lan Jiajia present, I refrained from saying much, muttering, “You aren’t much bigger either.”

 

“Her upper bust is around 78, and the subtraction of upper and lower bust measurements gives a figure close to a B cup. In your case, the subtraction is only 8, not even reaching an A cup, it falls into the AA category,” Yin Xiamo remarked with a sly smile.

 

Lan Jiajia put away the ruler, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “Thank goodness I didn’t miscalculate.” She advised, “Nuo’er, don’t mock others. Drink more milk regularly. Let’s see if you can grow a bit more in a few years.”

 

Even you…

 

“What does it matter!”

 

I returned to my seat, puffing up my cheeks. “After all, we both have two hands, two feet, and one head.”

 

“It matters. It matters a lot,” Lan Jiajia earnestly stated while putting away the ruler.

 

“Let me enlighten you about the measurements for girls. Three numbers: 0.51, 0.34, 0.54. This is a rough calculation method, corresponding to the upper bust, waist, and hip measurements. Simply multiply these numbers by your height, and you’ll get the standard measurements for a girl’s body.”

 

“For example, if Nuo’er’s height is close to 140 centimeters, then multiplying these three numbers, you get Nuo’er’s standard bust around 70, standard waist between 40…47 centimeters, and standard hip around 75.”

 

“Girls and boys are different. Generally, girls tend to keep long hair and wear skirts. The structure of a skirt itself forms a positive triangle. Aesthetically, girls usually lean towards a positive triangle.”

 

“If men engage in bodybuilding, focusing on upper body strength, the chest muscles develop, and shoulder muscles become robust. Due to men generally having broader shoulders than women, a muscular man is often described as an inverted triangle – broad at the top and narrow at the bottom.”

 

“In contrast, girls have a different body shape. Typically, a girl’s physique is a positive triangle – petite upper body and slightly larger lower body, especially in the hip area. This creates an aesthetically pleasing appearance, especially when wearing skirts.”

 

After packing up, Lan Jiajia placed the bag aside and returned to her seat. “When I first saw Nuo’er at the comic exhibition, I immediately thought her figure was beautiful. I measured against nearby references for quite some time. If you were to become a children’s clothing model, you would likely be very popular. Not only is your face cute, but your body also perfectly aligns with the golden ratio of aesthetics.”

 

“Nuo’er’s bust measurement deviates from the standard, but this standard is for regular individuals. It doesn’t mean bigger is always better. Nuo’er’s underbust is very small, indicating a slender upper body frame. This makes the triangular structure of her body quite apparent. Generally, for girls, it’s favorable to have a larger hip measurement than the standard, and a slightly smaller waist and bust measurements. Nuo’er’s physique falls into this category, with a delicate upper body and a fuller lower body, resembling the beautiful girls you find in manga.”

 

“Of course, Nuo’er’s current main drawback is her small bust. If her bust can grow to around a C cup, considering her current underbust of 56, adding around 15 centimeters to achieve an upper bust of 71, it would truly be a perfect figure.”

 

Therefore, under Lan Jiajia’s “professional measurement,” I obtained detailed data about my current body – upper bust 64, 7 centimeters smaller than the standard upper bust of 71 for a height of 139 centimeters. The underbust is 56, reflecting a child’s frame, making my upper body appear very slender. The waist, around 49 after a full meal and a bit of abdominal exercise in recent days, doesn’t differ significantly from the standard of 47. The hip measurement is 78, slightly larger than the standard 75, but according to Lan Jiajia, larger hips for girls are… very attractive.

 

In other words, due to the lean upper body, I need to choose children’s clothing in a size smaller when buying clothes.

 

No wonder when I used to wear clothes from my uncle days, my T-shirt would slip off one shoulder, and the clothing would slide down. No wonder when I wore the rabbit nightgown intended for a little girl to sleep, it would halfway slide down by the next morning. It turns out my current frame is smaller.

 

After breakfast, I once asked Yin Xiamo about the issue with my body shape. The answer I received was, “It looks cute in skirts.” In other words, even my body shape was intentionally designed this way by Xiao Mo.

 

“……”

 

……

 

“I always feel that girl must be hiding something strange from me.”

 

After 8 AM on Monday, there weren’t many people on the road. Coming out of Ai Luodi’s rental house, I alone boarded the bus to the Wujia Apartment. As usual, I found a window seat and sat down.

 

Taking out my phone, the desktop screensaver featured Yin Xiamo making a victory gesture with a mischievous expression. It made me feel a mix of love and frustration.

 

Today, I plan to make a trip to the Wujia Apartment first, complete the check-out procedures with the landlord there, then push my bicycle to an empty corner. I’ll have Xiao Mo move the remaining items from the apartment, tidy up, and finally check out.

 

“Let me see, if I check out now… I should be able to get at least 900 yuan?”

 

The car started slowly. I slightly closed the small window next to me and pressed down on my hat. With the development of society, there are quite a few “long-term rental apartments” similar to the Wujia Apartment now. Some companies specialize in this business.

 

People buy land and build houses themselves, or they directly approach landlords who have constructed entire buildings. They purchase these houses, transform them into a complete “long-term rental apartment,” standardize the decoration, and rent them specifically to young professionals who have just entered society.

 

The characteristic of such apartments is relatively low rent, usually one-bedroom or studio apartments suitable for young singles or couples. Additionally, they allow residents to have pets, and the apartments come with security and maintenance services. Considering the chaotic rental market and the varying quality of apartments, these long-term rental apartments have become highly popular among college students.

 

This led some companies to come up with a dubious scheme related to these “long-term rental apartments.”

 

The specific modus operandi of these companies is to convince students to rent for a full year, claiming various discounts that can save them several hundred yuan. They deceive them into signing loan contracts with third-party companies. Some students, without paying attention, sign a one-year contract, intending to stay for the full year.

 

Little do they know that they have actually signed a loan contract, and the money they pay when repaying the loan goes directly to the loan company, with no connection to the apartment owner. The landlords have already received a full year’s rent the moment these contracts are signed.

 

For example, here the rent for a one-bedroom apartment is 1000 yuan per month. The apartment owner convinces tenants to sign a one-year contract with a certain loan company. Tenants sign a contract with the loan company, and the loan company disburses 12,000 yuan. However, in reality, this entire amount goes directly into the apartment owner’s pocket, and the monthly “rent” paid by tenants is merely repaying the loan company.

 

Capitalists exploit this method, persuading tenants to sign one or two-year contracts. Each contract they secure allows them to receive loans of over ten or twenty thousand yuan. Deceiving 100 tenants into signing contracts instantly results in a fund flow of over a million yuan.

 

They then use this over a million yuan to continue negotiating with other apartments, buying or renting those properties, transforming them into apartments, and deceiving even more people to sign contracts with loan companies, securing additional loans. This rapidly expands the company’s capital, using the money for investments or to continue buying surrounding properties.

 

Some long-term rental apartment companies, in order to ensure that university students in the city reside in their apartments, not only acquire all the housing around a particular university but may also willingly incur losses by reducing rent. The goal is to ensure that the financial chain remains unbroken.

 

However, once the financial chain of such companies breaks or the owner disappears, a terrifying “financial crisis” occurs. The company vanishes, the houses undergo foreclosure, and the tenants who previously “rented” from the local landlords are evicted because the landlords are not receiving payments. The most unfortunate are the tenants.

 

As the company disappears, the contracts they signed are actually loan contracts, and the money has been taken by the long-term rental apartment owner. The tenants are left homeless, owing previous loans. If they cannot repay the loans, they may be taken to court by the loan company and labeled as “defaulters.”

 

The “Wujia Apartment” I am in was formerly associated with such a company. When the company faced a financial crisis, the owner fled, leaving behind a large number of tenants with debts. They not only had no place to live but also had to pay “rent” on time every month.

 

The situation became so severe that the government of Shenzhen City had to intervene. They arranged for a qualified local company to receive a substantial loan from the bank and take over the Wujia Apartment. This transformed it into the current model of “paying two months and getting one month free, without loans.”

 

At that time, I confirmed the contract several times before finally signing it. I opted for a short-term lease, fearing the possibility of the apartment owner disappearing, among other issues.

 

The room I rented required a two-month deposit, with a monthly rent of 850 yuan, totaling 1700 yuan for two months. When checking out, deductions for cleaning fees, water charges, and various miscellaneous expenses were expected. My anticipation was to receive around 900 yuan.

 

A few days ago, on Jiang Wei’s birthday, I gave an 800 yuan red envelope, which is a substantial amount for me at the moment. If I don’t receive the deposit refund from the Wujia Apartment at the end of May, my living expenses in early June might become a concern for Xiao Mo.

 

?I’ll go handle the check-out procedure shortly.?

 

Sitting in the car, enjoying the refreshing breeze outside, I moved my slender fingers and messaged the building manager, Yang Kun.

 

?Are you really leaving??

 

Soon, he replied: ?Won’t you consider staying for a few more months? I have a good relationship with the head manager, I can negotiate a lower rent for you.?

 

?No, I’ve already moved most of my belongings.?

 

After some thought, I added: ?Why don’t you go take a look inside? Check if there’s any cleaning or maintenance needed. I’ll come over later.?

 

?Okay, I’ll go now. When will you be here??

 

?In about half an hour.?

 

?Are you… Are you coming, or is your sister coming? Earlier, your sister mentioned that you went to a distant place and wouldn’t be coming back.?

 

?I…?

 

At this point, I instantly remembered the situation—I’m currently using the WeChat account of “Yin Shiren”…

 

?Oh, I… I am his sister.?

After hesitating for a moment and considering that I would be leaving anyway, I decided to be “honest” with the property manager: ?I am the sister. Actually, my brother has left.?

 

?Gone? Where did he go??

The property manager seemed not to have fully grasped the situation: ?He went out for fun, but why did he give you his WeChat account??

 

?He’s really gone, will never come back.?

I sent a sad expression: ?He mentioned feeling unwell that day, went to the hospital, and then…?

 

?Ah.?

This time, the property manager remained silent for several minutes.

 

?I’m sorry, I didn’t know about this.?

Five minutes later, Yang Kun, the property manager, replied again: ?No wonder I felt something odd on your end those days. Can I ask what exactly happened??

 

?Maybe it was due to staying up late frequently. He has been in a suboptimal health condition for a while. When he went to the hospital, things didn’t go well, and he couldn’t be saved.?

 

I, by the window, pondered for a moment: ?When my brother was on the phone, he mentioned feeling unwell, afraid that he might faint in the room one day without the property manager noticing, so he called me to come over and stay for a few days, also… also to take care of him.?

 

Sorry, Yin Shiren, for portraying you as such a person who tricks his sister. You… you can rest peacefully.

 

?So, I said… alas, this guy, in the past few months, I don’t know if he lost his job or what, but his lifestyle has been irregular.?

The property manager sent a comforting emoji: ?Condolences.?

 

?Yeah, I’m optimistic. I’ve almost finished moving my brother’s things these days, so I thought I’d take advantage of today being free to return the apartment.?

 

?Okay, come over then. I’m at your place’s entrance.?

 

?Sure.?

 

“……”

 

In the steady hum of the bus, half an hour later, I returned to the entrance of the Wujia Apartment in the Central District.

 

Following the familiar path at the entrance, I arrived at the doorstep of Building 3 of the Wujia Apartment in no time.

 

“Do you really not want any of these things?”

“Yes, I don’t need any of them. Take whatever you want, and if you feel like giving money… haha, I really don’t mind.”

 

Similar to the days when I transformed into a girl, today there were several tenants standing at the entrance of Building 3. The corner of the lobby was filled with furniture such as rice cookers, induction cookers, tables, and chairs.

 

“Is this rice cooker left by the previous tenant? I’ve seen it at least twice.”

“How do you know? I picked it up here half a year ago.”

“Nonsense, I’ve been living here for three years, and I remember many heirlooms very clearly, haha.”

“So, this time, this induction cooker’s turn to be an heirloom passed to your generation. Make good use of it.”

 

Perhaps because the tenant moving this time had quite a lot of stuff, including some previous household appliances, these tenants in the corner of the first floor were mostly unaware of the arrival of a little girl. I easily walked through the crowd and went upstairs.

 

“Long time no see.”

 

In front of the door of Room 301, I saw Yang Kun, the property manager, who was playing with his phone. “Don’t you have the key?”

 

“Let the boss know that opening tenants’ doors without their consent can lead to dismissal.”

 

Yang Kun scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Um… what’s your name?”

 

“Yin Nuo’er.”

 

“Nuo’er?”

 

“Yes, like the ‘Nuo’ in ‘promise’.”

 

“Oh… Nuo’er, are you… uh, are you okay?”

 

The property manager clearly wasn’t adept at handling such situations. “What’s your current situation, are you in high school or…”

 

I took out the key and opened the door. “Let’s deal with the issues here first.”

 

With a “click,” the door opened.

 

“There’s not much inside, I basically cleaned it up when I came last time. Take a look.”

 

Inviting the property manager inside, I gestured towards the well-cleaned room where I had worked tirelessly for most of the day. “See if there’s anything that needs attention?”

 

“Let me check…”

 

The property manager entered the room, first glancing at the bed, then bending down to inspect under it. He walked toward the window, wiping away some dust with his hand.

 

“Maybe… let’s just leave it.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I mean… let’s do this: I’ll have the cleaning aunt come over later to take care of it. Are you sure there’s nothing left in this room?”

 

I gestured downstairs. “There are still two bicycles; I’ll drive them back later.”

 

“Your height…”

 

The property manager gestured towards the tuft of hair on my head. “Can you reach the pedals?”

 

I instantly felt a bit flustered. “I’ll push them back.”

 

“Okay, then later you can push the bikes back. Uh, would you mind double-checking if there’s anything you need, like in the wardrobe or the bathroom?”

 

I shook my head. “I’ve checked many times before, and I’m sure there’s nothing left.”

 

At most, there were a few small clips by the bed, some hooks in the bathroom, but nothing I needed.

 

“Alright, I’ll call the cleaning aunt later, as per your previous contract. How many months’ deposit was it?”

 

“Two months.”

 

I added, “1700 yuan.”

 

“Then I’ll have the plumber check how much water you’ve used later, deduct the water bill, and return the deposit to you.”

 

The property manager extended his hand. “Give me the… the key and the room card.”

 

I took out the prepared items from my pocket and handed them over.

 

“That’s about it. Be careful when pushing the bike out later.”

 

“Huh?”

 

I was a bit puzzled. “What about the cleaning fee and depreciation costs?”

 

In the Wujia Apartment, they billed for commercial water and electricity usage. The water bill was deducted at the time of check-out. Over the years, I estimated the water bill to be around 400-500 yuan. The contract I signed stated that if the cleanliness was unsatisfactory during check-out, they would hire a professional cleaning lady to redo it and disinfect, deducting between 50 to 200 yuan. If any items were damaged, like missing refrigerator compartments or dusty curtains needing cleaning, these miscellaneous costs would add up to around one or two hundred yuan. Therefore, through calculations, I figured my 1700 yuan deposit could probably be refunded around 800 to 1000 yuan.

 

But now the property manager was saying they would only deduct the water bill, and nothing else?

 

“Since you’ve already cleaned it up, we won’t deduct anything else.”

 

Seemingly reluctant to delve deeper into this topic, the property manager waved his hand. “You’ve been through a lot, let’s just leave it at that.”

 

Hmm… it seemed like I unintentionally took advantage of “Yin Shiren’s death,” evoking strong sympathy from the property manager and leading him to unilaterally waive the cleaning fee and various furniture depreciation costs.

 

Sorry, “Big Brother”, I didn’t mean to…

 

At this point, there wasn’t much I could say, so I just adopted an “overwhelmed with gratitude” expression. “Um… thank you.”

 

“No need, no need. You can go downstairs and get… oh, right.”

 

As if remembering something, the property manager named Yang Kun took out his phone from his pocket. “We caught the person who used to come here often to steal. Here’s his photo.”

 

“Huh?” I approached and glanced at the screen of the property manager’s phone.

 

Hmm… isn’t this… isn’t this “Uncle Ben”?

 

Previously, during the comic exhibition, he mocked the male authors in the group using female avatars. He even came to the exhibition to boast about being a “signed master,” making 200 yuan a month before graduating. The guy who made fun of me in the group when my avatar was a male character from “Shakugan no Shana” and continued his mockery after I changed it to the female character Nagisa Momoe from “Puella Magi Madoka Magica.”

 

After getting mocked by Pipi, Marisa, and Jituto at the comic exhibition, did he turn around and come to the vicinity of this rental apartment to steal shoes?

 

“According to the police, this guy is a habitual offender. After attending a two-year college, he dropped out. His parents got so mad that they stopped caring about him, and then he started hanging out. He makes money every day through small thefts like this. The amounts in each case are not significant, usually items like electric fans, cardboard boxes left outside, and so on, for places like these rental houses. Some people are just too lazy to report to the police.”

 

The property manager had a very relieved expression. “Didn’t expect this guy to be so audacious, stealing and coming to our place multiple times. Ten or more surveillance cameras were installed after continuous complaints from tenants. Finally, we caught him and handed him over to the police.”

 

“That’s good.”

 

Pretending not to recognize the person in the photo, I said, “It’s good he got caught. Hopefully, he’ll learn his lesson inside.”

 

“Your brother… the shoes he took back as well. He sold them at a second-hand market, said he only got five yuan for them.”

 

Yang Kun put away his phone. “We might not be able to recover the items. He doesn’t have money to compensate in jail. Take a look…”

 

“No need for those shoes.”

 

I smiled, shook my head, acting as if I had just emerged from a dark period.

 

“My brother… let’s just consider he went to a faraway place.”

 

“……”

 

……