The room's owner wrapped his arms around Mia's slender waist, bringing his nose close to the intoxicating scent of her hair and taking a deep breath. "Such a delightful fragrance. Beautiful lady, if you're sensible, you'll obediently listen to me. I'm not an unreasonable person. As long as you follow me, I'll never mistreat you. Whatever you want, I'll buy for you."
"I don't want that," Mia said, her body trembling. The foul stench emanating from the room's owner's mouth made her nauseous. Mia would rather live like this forever than face a man who disgusted her so much.
The room's owner sneered, revealing his true nature. "Beauty, if you really don't agree, it's okay. As long as you willingly accompany me to bed now, our business will be settled. Otherwise, I'll call the police, claiming you stole my cellphone. I'm sure the police will believe me. Not only will they find the stolen goods with you, but you also took my newspapers. Those newspapers were intended for packing things, and you took them. Oh, let me think, I also lost a wallet with five thousand in cash and a passbook with about a hundred thousand. Beauty, think carefully. Do you think the police will believe you or me, given your usual behavior? Once you're arrested, your academic future is over. Think about it. I'm not someone who likes to force people."
Desperation filled Mia as she vigorously shook her head, pleading, "Sir, please, don't do this. I don't want those newspapers, and you can have your phone back. I don't want anything. Please, let me go."
"The only condition for letting you go is to sleep with me. This matter will be a secret between us. After it's done, we'll pretend we never met. I can guarantee that no one will know what happened between us." The room's owner, with a lecherous smile, was convinced he had successfully manipulated the situation and was already fantasizing about Mia in bed.
"Who says only the two of you know? I know too." Louie's voice came from behind. "If you're going to do something like that, do it in the bedroom. Why do it at the doorway and let me hear it?" Louie, wearing a white casual outfit and sneakers, had just showered and still carried the fragrance of shower gel. He emerged from behind the door, casually pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
Seeing Louie was like seeing a savior for Mia. She broke free from the room's owner's embrace and hid behind Louie. Louie patted Mia's tender shoulder and, with a half-smile, said to the room's owner, "A man should act like a man. Intimidating a young girl isn't much of a skill."
"What's it got to do with you?" The room's owner, seeing his cooked duck fly away, turned angry and said, "She stole my things, and I'll report it to the police."
"Is it just this old phone?" Louie took the Nokia phone from Mia, weighing it in his hand. "It's not light. I think it's worth a buck or two. Fine, I'll buy this phone from you." After fumbling in his pocket for a while, Louie failed to produce any money. He looked apologetic and said, "Sorry, I forgot to bring money. How about this? I'll use that bundle of newspapers as payment. After all, it's worth a couple of bucks. Consider it a gift."
"But those are my newspapers!" The room's owner was nearly driven mad. Apart from the fact that this phone could easily fetch four or five hundred, even if it wasn't about the money, those newspapers were rightfully his. What kind of logic was this?
"Yours?" Louie frowned. "It looks more like garbage. If it's really yours, you shouldn't leave it outside the door. You claim what's inside is yours, and what's outside must be hers. Since that's the case, this bundle of newspapers should be considered this young lady's possession. According to market value, it's worth a buck or two, which is more than enough to cover the cost of buying your phone. You shouldn't feel wronged."
"You... you scoundrel! I'll report this to the police." The room's owner, infuriated, turned and walked towards the living room's phone. He had just gripped the phone when Louie's right hand clamped onto the room's owner's wrist, rendering him immobile. Mia followed, clinging to Louie's clothes, and in a soft and pitiful voice, pleaded, "Mr. Louie, I don't want those things. Let's just go."
"Go? Why should we go?" Louie's eyes flashed coldly. He stared at the room's owner with eyes as sharp as an eagle's, gradually releasing his grip. Louie sat down on the sofa, legs casually placed on the coffee table in front, completely at ease.
The room's owner, cornered by Louie and left with no way out, decided to brazen it out. He turned pale and stammered, "I'm afraid. You're in my house. If I report it, neither of you will have a good ending."
Louie glanced at the untouched coffee cups on the table, one almost emptied, and the other untouched. His brow furrowed slightly, and he asked Mia in a gentle tone, "Have you had this cup of coffee?"
Mia stood beside Louie, too afraid to sit. Louie, upon hearing her response, shook his head, saying, "It was prepared for me, but I didn't drink it."
Upon hearing this, Louie smiled and, without good intentions, picked up the untouched cup, sniffing it under his nose. "Hmm, the aroma is delightful, but I sense an odd smell. Sir, how about you take a sip and see?"
"No!" The room's owner rejected the idea of drinking that cup of coffee without a second thought.
"If you can't even drink the coffee you made, it suggests there's something fishy about it." With that, Louie glanced at the fixed telephone in the room. "Why don't you call the police, and we can go to the police station together?"
"Are you threatening me? Do you know who I am, you brat? Look at yourself, a nobody. Let me tell you, you're in my house. If I call the police, both of you won't have a good time." The room's owner, feeling cornered, decided to boldly confront them, color returning to his face.
"I'm so scared," Louie teased, not forgetting to taunt the room's owner. Louie acted as if he were terrified, causing the room's owner to shiver. Louie spread his hands, smiled, and said, "See that? This house is yours, and so is this cup of coffee. With the scene at the doorway earlier, we have a fantastic story. You, as the homeowner, intended to behave inappropriately with this beautiful girl. When caught, you resorted to force to establish a relationship. Unfortunately, I accidentally stumbled upon this scene, resulting in an attempted assault. This is the real incident that just happened. As a bystander willing to stand up for what's right, I won't hesitate to appear at the police station as a witness. Sir, is there anything else you'd like to add?"
"You...this is framing and setting me up, this is slander!" the room's owner roared.
"But this is the reality. Now you only have two options: first, we settle this privately. You compensate this beautiful girl with ten thousand as mental damages and guarantee not to harass her again. We'll call it a day. Second, we go to the police. I believe the police will find my testimony more convincing, and we have evidence. Prepare yourself for prison. Oh, by the way, before you enter the cell, make sure to have some painkillers. Inmates in prison tend to appreciate criminals like you," Louie said with a smile, but his smile seemed devilish to the room's owner. His face turned pale, and large beads of cold sweat dripped down. It wasn't an impossible scenario, and with his limited knowledge of the law, he believed he had a higher chance of being sentenced. His psychological defenses finally collapsed, and defeated like a rooster in a fight, he lowered his head. Weakly, he agreed, "I agree to the first option."
"Good, my friend. Now we can reconcile. Come, have a seat," Louie made room, gesturing for the room's owner to sit down, oblivious to the fact that this was the owner's own house. The owner sat down beside Louie, dejectedly saying, "Forget it, let's call it a day. I won't trouble her again."
"Since that's settled, let's talk about the money. I assume you're taking the money, right?" Louie's expression turned serious. "I've said it before; if you don't take ten thousand as compensation, be prepared for prison."
"No, no, I'll take it," the room's owner hurriedly stood up, fetching four thousand from the bedroom. "This is all I have. You don't know, my recent stocks plummeted. Otherwise, I wouldn't be living in this apartment."
Louie unabashedly took the four thousand, roughly counted it, approximately matching the amount. He patted the owner's shoulder, smiling, "Alright, I'm not here to push people to death. Four thousand it is." Hearing this, the owner showed a hint of joy, but Louie continued, "As for the remaining six thousand, write an IOU. Say you owe Mia six thousand, and you'll pay it back when you have the money. Of course, to prevent any accidents, please write your ID number on the paper. That way, even if you run, I can still find you."
The room's owner had no choice but to accept. Although unwilling, he was forced to write an IOU and handed it to Louie. Louie handed the IOU to Mia with satisfaction, saying, "Have some water to quench your thirst."
The room's owner, still in dismay, didn't pay attention and took the glass Louie offered. After drinking it, he regretted it and rushed to the bathroom to vomit. Mia didn't know, but he knew what was in the coffee – it was an aphrodisiac.