Chapter 001: The Female Hooligan and the Thief

　　Steam filled the bathroom. Ryan Brooks leaned his head back and closed his eyes, letting the water wash over his scar-covered body. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he murmured to himself, “Lovely Dong’an City, I, Ryan Brooks, have finally come back.”

　　Just as Ryan Brooks was relaxing, there was a sudden click—the bathroom door was pushed open, and a woman’s voice came from outside: “Hehe, let me see who’s taking a shower. Sis will give you a massage, guaranteed to feel good.”

　　Ryan Brooks shivered, reflexively grabbing the nearby basin to cover himself, and looked toward the bathroom door. A girl, wrapped only in a towel with her fair, fragrant shoulders exposed, stood at the doorway grinning.

　　Their eyes met. Grace Bennett’s smile instantly froze on her face. She hadn’t expected that there would be a man she’d never seen before in the bathroom—and he wasn’t wearing any clothes.

　　Are thieves these days really so bold? Stealing things and then taking a shower?

　　“Who are you?”

　　“Who are you?”

　　The same question came from both Ryan Brooks and Grace Bennett, and they both paused, clearly confused.

　　Only then did Ryan Brooks take a good look at the girl’s appearance: a perfectly shaped oval face, big watery eyes, fair skin, and a curvy figure—she was a goddess-level beauty, the kind any man would fall for.

　　But why was she in his house? More importantly, why was she staring at him so intently?

　　“Hey, you pervy girl, what are you looking at?”

　　Ryan Brooks shouted, snapping Grace Bennett back to her senses. She quickly averted her gaze.

　　Even though the basin was blocking her view and she hadn’t actually seen anything, her pretty face still flushed red, her brows furrowed in anger, and she kicked at Ryan Brooks, cursing, “Breaking into someone’s home and even daring to shower here? You’ve got some nerve!”

　　Grace Bennett’s kick was high, aimed straight at Ryan Brooks’s face, but because she was wrapped in a towel, the hem flew open, and she was about to expose herself.

　　Noticing Ryan Brooks’s gaze, she quickly pulled her leg back before it reached him, clamping her legs tightly together, so angry she almost spat blood.

　　She wanted to keep fighting, but was afraid of exposing herself—wouldn’t that just benefit this thief for nothing?

　　Gritting her teeth, Grace Bennett glared at Ryan Brooks, slammed the bathroom door shut with a bang, and shouted from outside, “Bastard! Hurry up and get dressed and get out here, or I’ll come in and deal with you myself!”

　　“This girl is pretty, but her temper is way too fiery.”

　　Ryan Brooks muttered, but wasn’t the least bit anxious. He continued showering at his own pace. No matter how upset the girl was, this was his house—did he really need her permission to take a shower?

　　As for the girl who had suddenly appeared, Ryan Brooks had already figured it out. No one would barge into someone else’s bathroom wrapped in a towel, so there was only one possibility: she was a tenant here.

　　The siheyuan where Ryan Brooks was now had been inherited from his grandfather. He’d just arrived today and was taking a shower, but hadn’t expected there to be a beautiful female tenant living here.

　　Thinking about that girl with not only a fiery temper but also a fiery figure, Ryan Brooks wondered if she was also part of the inheritance his grandfather left him.

　　“What am I thinking? Grandpa was such an upright man—how could he have done something like that?”

　　Ryan Brooks’s gaze became serious, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he scrubbed the soap on his body and started whistling a tune in the bathroom.

　　As soon as he started whistling, the bathroom door was pounded on with a bang, bang, bang. Grace Bennett shouted from outside, “Bastard! You’re even whistling? I’ll give you one minute to get dressed, or I’ll lock you in there!”

　　“Damn, so arrogant. But I’m a generous man—I won’t stoop to your level.”

　　Ryan Brooks pursed his lips, pretending not to hear the girl, and continued showering.

　　After a while, there was a click at the bathroom door, and an angry voice called out, “I’m locking the door now—don’t even think about coming out!”

　　“Heh, you think a door can keep me in? They don’t call me ‘God’ for nothing.”

　　Ryan Brooks chuckled and started whistling again.

　　Hearing the whistling, Grace Bennett outside was so angry she felt like her head would explode. She’d never seen such an arrogant thief—caught showering in someone else’s house and still in the mood to whistle. Absolutely shameless.

　　“When he comes out, I’m definitely going to beat him until he’s looking for his teeth on the floor!”

　　Grace Bennett said fiercely. She glanced down at her towel, then hurried to her room, afraid the thief would escape. She quickly put on a jacket and pants, then rushed back to the bathroom door.

　　Hearing the whistling still going on inside, Grace Bennett relaxed a little. “Let’s see how cocky you are. I’ll beat you up in a minute, then drag you to the police station.”

　　After a while, the sound of running water in the bathroom stopped, and the rustling of someone getting dressed could be heard.