Chapter 1

Chapter 1

That day, I left a bad review for an in-home housekeeping service.

Not on purpose, of course.

The day before, my ex had come over. We failed to come to an agreement, and he smashed every bottle and jar in my apartment, splattering ketchup all over the floor. I had no choice but to book a housekeeper through a local services app.

Who would have thought the moment she opened the door and took one look, she mistook the place for a murder scene and bolted.

I was in a terrible mood, so I left a few passive-aggressive comments in the app.

The next day.

I was still in my apartment, catching up on sleep, when the doorbell rang outside.

I could tell the person pressing it was very polite, because after every ring, he waited quite a while before pressing it again.

I looked through the peephole. A young man was waiting outside, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, tall and slender.

When he saw me open the door only a crack and peer out warily, he gave me a courteous nod.

“Ma’am, may I have a moment of your time?”

Thinking he was from some sales company, I hurriedly shut the door.

I almost crushed the fingers he had braced against the doorframe.

Early the next morning.

I carried a full bag of broken glass downstairs, planning to throw out the trash.

Unexpectedly, the suited man with the briefcase appeared again the moment I reached the elevator. Seeing me head downstairs with a dead expression and a bird’s-nest head of hair, he followed me with an earnest look instead. “Please wait a moment. I’d like to introduce you to our company’s 5S Star Cleaning Service… Ma’am? Ma’am?”

He called after me the whole way before finally dragging my mind out of its sleepy haze.

“Huh?”

“Hello, ma’am. I’m from Yishi Company. I’m truly sorry we failed to satisfy you.”

He showed me his employee ID. Looking down, I saw he was also carrying an enormous pitch-black briefcase. Printed across it in bright, glossy paint were several large words-Yishi Housekeeping: A Brand-New Home for You.

Next, he accurately recited my name and phone number, then sincerely offered to provide the service again, as long as I withdrew the bad review.

The thought of the shattered glass and ketchup all over my apartment instantly soured my mood.

“No thanks. You can leave.”

As if afraid I would hide back in my apartment again, he opened the briefcase right there and displayed his powerful cleaning tools.

“Please give us another chance, ma’am.”

I had to admit, small companies these days really went all out to meet their performance targets.

After weighing my options, I reluctantly agreed.

But after I opened the door, faced with ketchup splattered everywhere, a ceiling crawling with ants, and a glass chandelier in the center of the room that was half-shattered, the man expressed the same shock as the housekeeper from that day. “How did it end up like this?”

“It was my ex-boyfriend…”

I suddenly realized this was not something I should be telling a stranger, so I cut myself off stiffly.

“It’s nothing.”

Seeing the dejected look on my face, he gave a solemn nod.

“It’s all right.”

“Ma’am, please leave it to me.”