The Landlady
Though called 'next door,' there's a small garden between our homes, so it's not exactly close. But my parents have long been acquainted with the Luke family, and our families visit each other often.
My name is Quincy Scott, and I've come to the Luke family to collect the rent.
Three years ago, the Luke family ran into financial trouble and mortgaged their villa to my family, agreeing to pay rent monthly; if they miss payment three times, we have the right to reclaim the property.
As I reached the villa door, I heard crying from inside, mixed with a man's shouting—it was chaotic.
I raised my hand to knock, and Butler Clark from the Luke family opened the door.
When he saw me, his worry deepened; he quickly stepped aside and let me in. "Ms. Scott, you're here."
In the living room, Yale's father and mother sat on the sofa, their eyes rimmed red.
A blond-haired boy wearing a floral shirt was holding a girl in a floral dress, standing opposite them with a sour expression.
I was stunned for a moment.
This young man must be Yale Luke, the son the Luke family had been searching for five years—the one who fell into the sea by the coast, was saved by a village girl, lost his memory, and stayed in the river village until he was found just last month.
Yale Luke saw me too and sized me up from head to toe, his eyes filled with disdain, as if I were something filthy.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" He held the girl tightly, his tone sharp.
The girl looked up, her eyes gleaming with pride and contempt. She glanced disdainfully at me and coquettishly said to Yale, "Yale, is she the one whom your family has arranged a marriage with you?"
Yale immediately frowned and looked at his father and mother, his tone growing fiercer, "I only like Vivian, Vivian Lincoln! Give up on this—I won't enter an arranged marriage with any woman!"
Vivian nestled against him, lifting her chin arrogantly as she glared at me.
"When Yale and I were in the river village, he was with me every night; he's long depended on me. You, a poor girl trying to marry into a wealthy family, don't even think about joining the Luke family—no chance!"
I almost laughed aloud at her words, clutching the villa ownership certificate in my hand, momentarily at a loss for words.
I cleared my throat, trying to keep calm. "I'm just here to collect rent."
"This villa, along with the land you're standing on, belongs to my family. Technically, you should address me as the landlady."
Yale's father and mother overheard this and their faces grew even more awkward. They quickly stood up to smooth things over: "Quincy, don't take it personally with Yale. He just returned and has amnesia; his mind isn't clear."
Yale Luke wasn't convinced. He pushed his father's hand away and fixed his gaze on me: "Dad, don't be fooled! This kind of woman seems innocent but is actually vicious. She's after the Luke family's money and me!"
I frowned, genuinely bewildered by his reasoning: "What do I want from you? What part of you is worth my scheming?"
"I may have amnesia, but I'm not stupid! You're just trying to force me into a business arranged marriage!"
Yale Luke stiffened his neck, wearing a look that said, “I see through your scheme.”
Yale's mother grabbed his arm, her tone pleading: "Yale, don't talk nonsense! Quincy is the Scott family's daughter; the Scotts and the Lukes have been close friends for generations. She's not that kind of person. You even played with her when you were little—have you forgotten?"
"I don't remember!" Yale Luke shook off his mother's hand.
"I only remember Vivian—she's the only one who's been kind to me! If you keep forcing me, I'll go back to the river village and never come back!"
I saw he was utterly unyielding and felt a bit helpless: "Yale Luke, I'll say it again—I'm not here for an arranged marriage, I'm here to collect the rent."
"The rent for this month is already five days overdue. Pay it now, and I'll let it slide; if you can't, then we'll sue you."
"Collect rent?" Yale Luke paused briefly, then sneered, "This is my family's villa. Why would I pay you rent? You're just using this as an excuse to get close to me!"
I sighed, took out the property deed and mortgage contract from my bag, and handed them to him:.
"Take a look yourself. They bear your parents' signatures and fingerprints, along with the notary's seal. If you don't understand, I can bring a lawyer to explain."
Yale Luke glanced at the contract, his face paling slightly, but he still stubbornly argued,.
"It must have been you who forced my parents to sign! I don't believe it!"
At that moment, my mom came in carrying a thermos—she'd heard Yale Luke was back and had specially made some soup to check on him.
She caught his words just as she reached the door.
My mom placed the thermos on the table, her expression growing serious.
"Yale Luke, what do you mean by that? Since when did the Scott family ever force your Luke family?"
"Back then, if your parents hadn't begged us, saying they urgently needed money to get by, would we have lent you money and even accepted the villa as collateral?"
Yale was left speechless by the question but still stubbornly insisted, "Anyway, you all have no good intentions! Quincy just wants to marry me!"
My mother laughed angrily, "You? You want my daughter to marry you? Who do you think you are?"
"Our Quincy has both the looks and the family background. Why would she need to come to beg to marry you?"
Mr. and Mrs. Luke quickly pulled my mother aside to apologize, "Mrs. Scott, we're sorry. Yale just returned and his mind isn't clear yet. Please don't take it personally. We will definitely pay the rent tomorrow!"
Seeing Mr. and Mrs. Luke in a difficult spot, I didn't want things to get tense—after all, our families have known each other for years.
"Alright, then I'll come back to collect the rent tomorrow. That's all for today. My mother made some soup; please drink it while it's still hot."
After saying that, I took my mom's hand and started to leave.
Just as we reached the door, I heard Yale say to Butler Clark, "Butler Clark, never let that woman set foot in the Luke family villa again!"
I paused for a moment but didn't look back. Inside, I found it amusing—Don't let me in? Just wait until you can't pay rent and I kick you out. Let's see what you say then.
After leaving the Luke family, my mom was still angry, muttering on the way about how immature Yale was.
I didn't really mind—arguing with someone confused would only give me a headache.
Our home isn't far from school, and normally Butler Clark drives me there.
The next morning, the car drove along the road; the leaves rustled softly.
I was looking down at my textbooks when suddenly there was a loud "bang"—the car window was smashed, making my hand tremble.
Butler Clark immediately slammed on the brakes, his face darkening. "Ms. Scott, are you all right? It looks like someone threw a stone at us."
I put down my book and looked ahead, seeing a black sedan stopped not far in front. The car window rolled down, and Yale Luke poked his head out, his gaze disdainful as he looked at us. Vivian Lincoln sat beside him.
Vivian saw me and her eyes were full of hostility. She tugged at Yale's arm coquettishly. "Yale, why are you looking at her? Still thinking about her? You can't like her—you're mine!"
Yale Luke patted her hand, his tone indulgent: "Don't worry, why would I like a woman like her? She pretends not to care on the surface but secretly follows us to school—shameless."
I was completely confused—I was just going to school like normal, so how did it turn into me following them?
Butler Clark opened the car door and stepped out, walking over to Yale Luke's car with a serious tone: "Young man, do you know throwing stones at car windows is dangerous? What if someone gets hurt?"
Vivian Lincoln stuck her head out and pouted: "I think your young lady is deliberately following Yale to get his attention!"
"Why are you speaking like that, young lady?" Butler Clark's face flushed with anger. "Our car was clearly ahead of yours—how did it end up following you?"
Vivian Lincoln was at a loss for words, then began to act spoiled again: "Yale, he's bullying me; I'm so scared..."
Yale Luke pushed open the car door, strode over to Butler Clark, and pointed at his chest with a finger. "Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that? Believe it or not, I'll have you fired!"
Butler Clark shot back immediately, "Who do you think you are? You'd better explain the stone-throwing incident clearly!"
Yale Luke couldn't understand the dialect, but seeing Butler Clark's expression, he knew it wasn't good news.
His face darkened instantly as he turned to me: "Quincy Scott, is this how you try to seduce me? Sending your driver to pick a fight with me, hoping to get my attention? That's just childish!"
I sat in the car, watching him act so full of himself that I couldn't help but say, "Yale Luke, I'm not interested in you, nor am I trying to seduce you. Don't flatter yourself."
Butler Clark clenched his fists in anger. If I hadn't stopped him, he probably would have stormed over to confront them.
“Butler Clark, forget it. We still have to go to school—don't waste your time on him.” I tugged on his arm.
Yale Luke, however, thought I was scared and sneered proudly, "I'll let it slide just for today. But if I catch you following me again, I'll call the police and have you arrested!"
That completely set Butler Clark off: "Call the police? Fine! I'll call them right now and let them see who threw the stone and who's being unreasonable!"
Saying that, Butler Clark pulled out his phone to call the police.
Yale's expression shifted slightly, but he still put on a tough front: "Go ahead and call if you want—I'm not afraid of you!"
In the end, neither of us made it to school; we went to the police station together.
At the police station, the officers asked us to give separate statements.
As soon as Yale Luke sat down, he started shifting the blame: "Officer, don't listen to them! Quincy Scott deliberately followed me, and her family's driver bullied both me and Vivian. I was only defending myself—just threw a small stone to warn her."
Vivian Lincoln nodded, her eyes red and swollen, looking wronged. "Yes, officer, we were just trying to get to school. She saw me with Yale, got jealous, and deliberately caused trouble for us. You have to stand up for us!"
Butler Clark's face turned pale with anger. "You're lying! It was clearly you who threw stones at our car window first. When I went down to reason with you, you refused to admit your fault and instead tried to turn the tables on me!"
"Do you have proof?" Yale Luke tilted his head back and said, "If you say we threw stones, then show us the evidence!"
Judging by their shameless attitude, I lost all patience.
"Officer, there are surveillance cameras all along this road. Just check the footage and you'll see who threw the stones."
The police nodded and immediately ordered someone to retrieve the surveillance footage.
While waiting for the footage, Yale kept muttering, accusing me of causing trouble out of jealousy toward Vivian Lincoln, saying I was crazy to want to marry into the Luke family.
I was too lazy to bother with him, so I took out my phone and messaged the homeroom teacher, saying I had something to deal with and would be late to school.
Before long, the police arrived with the surveillance footage.
The surveillance footage was very clear, showing Vivian Lincoln sticking her head out of the car window and throwing stones at our car.
Yale Luke didn't stop her; he even smiled and patted her head.
After watching the footage, Yale Luke immediately fell silent, his face flushing red and then pale.
Vivian also panicked, grabbing Yale's arm and trembling as she said, "Yale, I didn't mean it... I don't know there're many surveillance cameras. I thought no one would notice..."
Yale's father and mother received a call from the police and rushed over immediately.
After watching the surveillance footage, their faces grew extremely grim.
Yale's parents said sternly to Vivian Lincoln, "Vivian, we only let you stay because you saved Yale. We've fed you and clothed you—how could you do such a thing?"
Terrified, Vivian hid behind Yale, tears streaming down her face. "I know I was wrong. Yale, please help me plead for mercy..."
Yale frowned but still defended her. "Dad, Mom, Vivian made a mistake, but she didn't hurt Quincy Scott. Can we just let it go?"
Mr. Luke trembled with anger. "Do you realize this is intentional damage to someone else's property? If Quincy Scott presses charges, Vivian will be legally responsible!"
The police officer nearby said, "Based on surveillance footage and witness statements, Vivian Lincoln deliberately damaged another person's property. Yale Luke knew about it but failed to report it and even helped conceal it. According to regulations, you must compensate Ms. Scott for her losses and will be detained for several days."
Mr. and Mrs. Luke quickly apologized to me, offered money to cover the car window damage, and begged me not to hold Vivian accountable.
Judging by how they acted, I didn't want to take things too far: "No need for compensation, I'll fix the car window myself. Detention will be handled according to the police's rules; maybe that will teach them a lesson."
In the end, Yale Luke and Vivian Lincoln were detained for three days.
After leaving the police station, Butler Clark told me, "Ms. Scott, you're just too kind. People like them deserve to be taught a harsher lesson."
I smiled: "It's okay. As long as they don't bother me again in the future, that's enough."
But I didn't expect that this incident would only make them hate me even more.
Three days later, as soon as I walked into the classroom, I saw the homeroom teacher enter with two people.
I looked up and was instantly stunned—it was Yale Luke and Vivian Lincoln.
Yale Luke saw me too, his eyes filled with contempt, like he'd stepped in dog poop. "Quincy Scott, you actually chased me all the way to school? You're really that desperate to marry me?"
My deskmate Mary nudged my arm and whispered, "Quincy, do you know these two?"
I pressed my lips together, unwilling to admit it. "Just neighbors."
Yale Luke seemed not to hear; he walked up to the podium, resting both hands on its edge, his eyes disdainfully sweeping across the whole class.
"I know this is the top class in A City, but even someone like Quincy Scott—who only wants to marry into a wealthy family and arrange a marriage with me—managed to get in. That shows the bar for this class isn't very high."
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