NOVEL WEB Chapter 376
Insert 19 Traditional Hero Rescuing Beauty
Knock knock—
“Is anyone home? We are the L獭 Home Service cleaning crew scheduled for today’s housekeeping.”
Ah Ho’s professional smile was fully visible through the peephole to the voice of the thug with a coarse voice.
But he didn’t answer the door, nor did he make a sound, preparing to pretend that no one was home and wait for Ah Ho, who seemed like a salesman, to leave.
This was expected. Ah Ho pressed the doorbell again and turned back, saying, “It seems no one is home. What should we do now?”
Ai Ye recited his lines from the script: “Oh, then let’s call the landlord to open the door.”
Hearing this, the two thieves immediately panicked, no longer caring about Yin Tianjie.
“F*ck, this Yin Tianjie is so meticulous, even scheduling home services? We can’t let him contact the landlord; if the landlord comes, we’re done for!”
“Brother, pocket the girl’s keys; it’ll be easier to explain later… I’ll handle them, trying to get those cleaners to leave quickly while you hide the stolen goods.”
Ah Ho had no landlord’s phone number, this was just a tactic to force someone inside to open the door.
The thief with the coarse voice pushed the door with his body, carefully opening a crack, only to see two young men in green work uniforms standing outside.
They were indeed cleaning staff based on their attire.
“There’s someone! There’s someone! May I ask what this scheduled cleaning is about?”
Ai Ye backed away without speaking, while Ah Ho pretended to look at the house number.
“Hmm? No mistake, this is Unit 7, Room 403… But sir, who are you?”
The thief with the coarse voice quickly came up with an excuse: “Oh, I’m a tenant who just moved in this month.”
“Oh, I see. Sir, there’s no need to be so cautious, we’re not suspicious people.”
Ah Ho pulled out his business card and slipped it through the door slit, turning around to show his back with the otter logo.
“We are L獭 Home Service’s cleaning crew. Didn’t the landlord tell you? Every month, we come for a thorough cleaning, including the refrigerator, air conditioner, and range hood!”
This was all Ah Ho making things up, but the thief had no way of knowing.
He replied, “Then this month isn’t necessary; the place is clean enough.”
“But that’s not your decision. Our employer is your landlord. We must complete the task by cleaning the house. Please cooperate, sir… Could it be that there’s something inconvenient in the house right now?”
The neckless thief frowned.
Could there really be such a landlord who would help tenants clean every month?
“Just wait a moment; the place is messy. I’ll tidy up first.”
“Okay.”
To make the scene more natural, the thief with the sharp voice was placing stolen items in less conspicuous spots. When the coarse-voiced thief returned, he looked up and asked, “How is it? Did they leave?”
“They’re not leaving. Those are the landlord’s cleaners. ‘Tenants’ don’t have the right to stop them; if we don’t let them in, they’ll go to the landlord!”
“F*ck, what kind of landlord is this? We have to let them in?”
“What else can we do? Let them clean. Brother, take the stuff when you pack, I’ll make the girl look more natural… If worse comes to worst, we’ll slip out during the day.”
Yin Tianjie’s hands and feet were bound. The coarse-voiced thief pulled out the towel just inserted and covered her with a thick quilt without letting her remove any clothes, worried she might expose her legs. He even tucked the quilt under her, being overly considerate.
Yin Tianjie seethed internally.
Damn it, this was a nine-hole quilt she bought just half a month ago!
Wearing a down jacket and covering herself with a heavy quilt made her feel suffocated, but she could endure it. She heard the knocking and, combining it with her recent text messages, guessed what was happening.
Although Ai Ye was her only hope among her contacts, she didn’t expect much from him.
After all, Fengtang Town was far away, and they had important projects today. It didn’t make sense for him to come all this way… yet he actually traveled thousands of miles to rescue her.
Perhaps because of the heavy clothing and quilt, her overheated brain started fantasizing about repaying Ai Ye with her body, her heartbeat racing abnormally.
What am I doing?!
Am I falling for a man?
A young maiden experiencing her first romantic feelings struggled to understand her emotions. Despite being a late bloomer, she was still moved by the classic damsel-in-distress scenario. The male ego melted under the heat.
The room was nearly cleaned. The coarse-voiced thief finally opened the door and led the two men inside.
“Please come in. Oh, this is my cousin. My sister is sleeping in the bedroom. Please keep the noise down.”
Actually, Ah Ho was the first to enter the room, saying sarcastically, “Hmm? Not big? Yet it’s crowded?”
“…Cough, cough, it’s not ideal conditions.”
He continued with a fake smile, “It’s fine, we won’t disturb your sister. But we need to check the environment; it’s the first step in our cleaning. We need to confirm any damage, like cracked tiles or dented walls. We can’t take the blame for the landlord.”
“Oh, go ahead, but don’t rummage through the cabinets.”
“Why? Are the cabinets broken?”
“No, nothing.”
“It’s fine. We won’t touch the cabinets. If they’re broken, you can explain it yourself.”
With the stolen items put away, the coarse-voiced thief wasn’t afraid of inspection, allowing Ah Ho and Ai Ye to move around the room.
Ah Ho went to the balcony and looked down.
“Both of you… although rented houses can’t compare to homes, throwing cigarette butts on the floor is too much. If they burn the tiles, we can’t handle it. The landlord will make us pay.”
“We’re rough guys, used to living messy. We planned to sweep it later, didn’t know you’d come.”
The coarse-voiced thief was polite on the surface but cursed inwardly. This cleaner was too arrogant, treating tenants poorly just because he was with the landlord. Such bad service was unacceptable.
If he were a tenant, he’d probably slap them.
But he was just a thief squatting in someone else’s home, so he couldn’t afford to be angry, bowing and apologizing instead.
“Sorry, sorry. We’ll explain the tile issue to the landlord.”
Both thieves were led to the balcony by Ah Ho. Ai Ye took the opportunity to sneak into the bedroom.
“Miss Yin?”
He whispered softly. Yin Tianjie, wrapped like a cocoon in a cotton quilt, wriggled free and raised the ropes binding her limbs.
“Wait, I’ll untie you soon.”
“Be careful!”
Ai Ye instinctively dodged as a stick brushed past his arm and hit the bed.
“F*ck, I knew you guys were crazy! Coming to clean without even a duster? Who are you fooling?”
The thief with the thin voice held an aluminum tube, possibly from a bicycle, swinging it and missing. He swung again, and Ai Ye raised his arm to block, wincing in pain.
“Aaah!”
Fortunately, the aluminum tube was light, so the injury wasn’t severe. But Yin Tianjie screamed behind him, hands over her mouth, clearly worried. If there was a mirror, she’d be shocked by her youthful appearance.
Xiao Binyi had been a street thug before. While he wasn’t weak in a fight, especially with his crush nearby, his courage and determination surged.
But before anything happened in the bedroom, the situation on the balcony changed.
“You’re not cleaners; you’re undercover!”
Hearing the thin-voiced thief’s words, the coarse-voiced thief realized he’d been tricked. Enraged, he punched Ah Ho’s side. Ah Ho reacted quickly, stepping back as the thief missed. Then he saw a dirty mop, reeking of mold, swinging towards his face.
“Ugh… Ugh!”
Pain aside, the mental shock was unbearable. The coarse-voiced thief fell to the ground, vomiting, losing his fighting spirit.
“No, we are cleaners, but who says cleaners can’t save people?”
Ah Ho looked at the coarse-voiced thief and shouted to the other room, “Ai Ye, I’ve got this!”
“Good, now it’s our turn.”
Ai Ye stretched, feeling like he was back in his fighting days… well, it had been months.
The thin-voiced thief with the aluminum tube advanced to the living room. He had too many stolen items to move freely. His initial attack failed, and he needed to be cautious.
“Who are you guys?”
“Members of a heroic home service company. Is that okay?”
“Hmph, heroes take risks.”
“Can you climb a rope ten meters high with a bucket on your waist?”
“…F*ck, why ask that?”
“That’s the physical requirement for high-altitude cleaners!”
Ai Ye roared and punched, the thin-voiced thief unable to dodge, raising the aluminum tube to block. The tube bent into a shape, losing its effectiveness.
“Bro! Watch out!”
Ah Ho warned, and the coarse-voiced thief rushed out from the balcony, tackling Ai Ye against the wall.
“Brother, run! We’ll meet again someday!”
“F*ck off.”
The thin-voiced thief understood and ran out the door.
Yin Tianjie finally snapped out of it, jumping out of the bedroom. “My watch is still on him!”
Ai Ye knew how important the mechanical watch was to Yin Tianjie, but he couldn’t chase after him.
“Let go!”
He punched the coarse-voiced thief, but the latter used one hand to pull Ah Ho’s pants, determined to buy time for his friend.
“Aaaah!”
A scream came from the stairs.
Vannī, the maid, arrived to find the entrance barred. Coincidentally, the thin-voiced thief exited the building, looking suspicious. Without hesitation, she tackled him.