Many things in this world can be viewed from two perspectives—there is neither absolute good nor absolute bad.
Take Spring Sister, for instance. Though she overturned our idealized notions of women, she also indirectly contributed to the dismantling of patriarchal values. In truth, as the slogan of family planning suggests—whether one has a son or a daughter, it matters not. Just look at Spring Sister and you'll understand...
Another example would be poor Xiao Mo, who has risked his life for the restaurant. Although his heroic deeds left him unable to leave his wheelchair for two months, it wasn't without its benefits. At the very least, he now enjoys a comfortable life, singing "I've seized the whip, now I am the master," all while being gently served by Ye Rong.
But aside from that, He Neng, who had hurriedly arrived at the command, brought along the goodwill of the Lei family and laid three contracts on the table.
"Mr. Chen, we have three options for you—First, the previous two million reward, with an additional 1.5 million reserved just for you. Second, a three-bedroom apartment in the eastern commercial district, free of charge. Third, a villa in the second phase of the luxury residential area, requiring a payment of 300,000."
He Neng, with a broad grin on his face, still felt a sense of smug satisfaction. After all, these conditions, resembling a fire sale, were enough to make anyone's heart race with excitement.
In reality, Ye Rong had become so dizzy from the conversation that she mindlessly peeled a grape and accidentally shoved the skin into her mouth...
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, when Chen Mo heard the three options, he did not rush to respond. Instead, he lightly tapped the table, seemingly still undecided.
In the eerie silence, Ye Rong couldn't help but tug at his sleeve, whispering, "Mo Mo, you're not thinking of choosing two out of three, are you? Though... I'd like to choose that too!"
Shameless! Utterly shameless! Upon hearing such words, He Neng rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, how could Chen Mo sink this low?
But remembering Lei Ying's parting words, he reluctantly forced a smile and awkwardly said, "Mr. Chen, all three options are quite generous. What do you think..."
"No!" Before He Neng could finish, Chen Mo suddenly shook his head, sighing in frustration. "None of these options will do!"
"What?" He Neng froze for a moment, unable to stop himself from jumping to his feet. What a joke—these conditions were already so generous that anyone unaware would think Lei Zhen was marrying off his daughter!
"Really, none of them!" Chen Mo shook his head, his face still contorted in distress. "What I mean is... is there... perhaps a worse option?"
"Pfft!" Ye Rong, who had been sipping water, immediately turned into a human fountain. The waitstaff exchanged confused glances, wondering if Chen Mo's brain had ended up in his knees after his injury, because surely, no sane person would reject such offers!
"To be honest, I can only accept a slightly less favorable option!" Amid the bewildered gazes of the others, Chen Mo helplessly spread his hands, feeling as though his heart might shatter.
A reward, free housing, a cheap villa... only a fool would turn these down, but how could he solve his unlucky predicament?
What if the moment he stepped into the villa, the whole building collapsed? Would he even survive such a disaster?
Even more frustrating was the fact that he couldn't disclose this reasoning to anyone and could only force a nonchalant look, pretending to be indifferent to fame and wealth.
But the more he acted this way, the more odd He Neng's gaze became. He finally stood up and left the room to make a phone call.
A few minutes later, the chubby man returned, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Mr. Chen, I've just spoken with the boss and the young lady! If that's the case, we do have a house available in the suburbs—three bedrooms, one living room, with furnishings."
Compared to the previous options, this new choice was clearly much worse. The house was an unsold relic, located in a remote area, and it even had a reputation for being unlucky.
But since Chen Mo insisted on a worse option, He Neng, following Lei Zhen's instructions, hesitantly said, "As for the price, I think the down payment would be 50,000, and then 1,500 monthly installments until the full amount is paid off!"
"Pfft!" Ye Rong once again lost control, spraying water everywhere as though evolving into a whale.
What kind of nonsense was this? A three-bedroom house with furnishings for only a 50,000 down payment? Even in the suburbs, such a deal was unheard of!
Heaven and earth! This was no longer a fire sale, it was practically a "storewide clearance before the lease expires!"
In fact, He Neng had carefully considered Chen Mo's financial situation before offering such a price.
But he had no idea that ever since the last incident with Jin Jiao, Chen Mo couldn't even scrape together five thousand.
The problem was that since the price had been lowered so much, Chen Mo couldn't ask for anything better. All he could do now was force a bitter smile and say, "Alright, but I don't have that much money on hand. Can the payment be delayed for a while?"
"That's no problem!" He Neng froze for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Mr. Chen, it's alright if you're short a few thousand. We can sign the contract now, and you can make the payment later!"
"It's not a few thousand!" Chen Mo, nearly in tears, responded. Then he said something that made He Neng nearly pass out. "Actually, I only have a few thousand on me..."
And thus, He Neng also began to weep. The two of them looked like they were in a scene from Brokeback Mountain, only a little more dramatic, as if they might collapse in a tearful embrace.
Fortunately, a few seconds later, the chubby man suddenly straightened up and said with determination, "It's alright! We don't require immediate payment. As long as you have the 50,000, the house will be held for you indefinitely!"
This news, though, was indeed a relief. Chen Mo sighed with relief, murmuring, "You're a good man! Old He, it turns out your appearance and your heart are inversely proportional..."
"Where's the goodness? A broken house and you're selling it at such a high price?" At that exact moment, the four appliances hidden in the kitchen came to a very different conclusion.
Looking at the map of South City, Nuo Nuo muttered helplessly, "Boss, we're too proud—where are we supposed to get 50,000 from? Honestly, I've been wanting to move for a while. The rental house is small and noisy, not even Sister Furong would be attracted to it!"
Who could argue with that? The appliances exchanged frustrated looks, shaking their heads as if they wished they could rob someone again.
But because of the last robbery incident, they were now restricted from acting on their own. Even picking up a wallet on the street required submission.
As Chen Mo would say—who knows if you'll steal a wallet, then casually drop it on the ground and shout, "I found it!"
"I don't care anymore!" In the strange silence, Guo Guo suddenly muttered, "I'm still best at robbing, let's go rob somewhere else…"
"Idiot, all four of you are short-circuiting!" Suddenly, a voice interrupted Guo Guo's words.
The four appliances turned to see Zhu Tou San, wearing sunglasses and swaying as he walked in, holding a small cigarette that seemed to have come from nowhere. "There are many ways to make money. Can't we make money without resorting to robbery... What, you're going to hit me again? No slapping my face, I make a living off my looks!"
This was true—Zhu Tou San was indeed making a living off his face, and the success of the restaurant was partially due to him. Thanks to Ye Rong's suggestion, the pet pig now made daily appearances, wearing sunglasses and playing the guitar while singing and dancing, attracting many female customers.
In fact, several white-collar women had already made purchase offers, and the high price almost made Ye Rong's heart skip a beat.
However, considering that the ownership wasn't hers, she could only reject the offers with regret, but she quickly proposed a series of paid services.
For instance—taking pictures with the pig, dining with it, bathing it... As Nuo Nuo jealously put it, Zhu Tou San was becoming a "high-class escort"!
Now, looking at the pig who had voluntarily squatted with its head down, Nuo Nuo and the others were no longer interested in taking action, fearing the restaurant's reputation would be affected.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Guo Guo suddenly had an epiphany, "Not robbing? Alright, then let's kidnap someone, or let Nuo Nuo sell herself to make money..."
"Kidnap your head! Sell your head!" Zhu Tou San gave an exasperated huff, rolled his eyes, and said, "Why can't we take the right path? For example, we can make money through business!"
"Business? What are we selling? Our talents, or our bodies?" The appliances exchanged glances and momentarily forgot to gang up on the rude pig