Chapter 2: Living with a Beauty

Fuming District.

This area is a typical urban village, about a twenty-minute distance from Tianxing University, where Lin Beixiu lived during the summer vacation.

The main reason was the variety of vendors at night, working until the early hours, making too much noise, along with the smell of stir-fried dishes wafting up, which greatly affected Lin Beixiu. Thus, at the start of the semester, he thought of changing to a quieter house closer to the school.

He had his eye on an apartment near the school, but unexpectedly, the apartments were sold out.

Lin Beixiu sighed, pushed open the door of his room, took his suitcase, and began to tidy up.

His belongings were few, just some clothes and daily necessities, which took about fifteen minutes to organize. His gaze then fell on a photo frame on the desk.

It displayed a boy and a girl, both around five or six years old, the boy handsome and the girl cute.

Seeing this scene, Lin Beixiu’s icy expression softened. His thumb gently slid over it, finally resting on the girl’s face, as he carefully placed the photo frame in his suitcase.

He then took out a necklace from the drawer, resembling a coin with a blue five-pointed star on it.

This was given to him by the little girl in the photo, treasured by him and never worn, carrying a story filled with regrets. That experience had left Lin Beixiu unable to move on for a long time.

Lin Beixiu sighed and placed the necklace beside the photo album.

Regarding the landlord, he had already given notice in advance, and once the room was checked, he could get his deposit back.

As he finished packing, his phone vibrated. Seeing the note on it, a complex emotion flashed through his eyes, mixed with softness, and a smile crept onto his lips.

“Hello, Grandpa.”

“Little Bei, have you completed all the enrollment procedures?”

“Yes, all done.”

The voice on the other end was his grandfather, Zhang Yunwu, whose signature Lin Beixiu had forged on the parent’s consent form.

Because his grandfather was his only relative.

His tuition fees were gathered from his grandfather’s dumpling sales. Thus, his grandfather was the closest person to him.

“But you’re giving so much money to the family, how about you…”

Lin Beixiu interrupted him, telling a kind lie.

“Don’t worry, I have enough. I earned a lot over the summer. As for you, don’t skimp, we’re not short of money.”

“Alright, alright.”

After chatting for a while, Lin Beixiu hung up, feeling somewhat melancholic, recalling his grandfather’s advice to smile more, make friends, and stop getting into fights.

Lin Beixiu agreed to all, not wanting to disappoint his grandfather again.

Lin Beixiu sighed, packed up, glanced at the quiet room behind him, and quietly closed the door.

Barely affording an apartment, he had lied, not wanting to worry the elderly man.

Returning back to the residential area, he had checked all the nearby buildings but wasn’t satisfied. Ultimately, he chose this building, deciding to spend more on a two-bedroom if necessary, as long as he economized on the remaining money.

However, when he contacted the landlord again, he learned that the two-bedrooms were also rented out.

“All gone?”

All the apartments were gone that morning.

The landlord said helplessly over the phone, “Of course, you know today, there are many students, and apartments rent out quickly.”

“Actually, there’s one left. Someone else also wanted a two-bedroom, but we haven’t agreed yet. Why don’t you come and see? There might be a chance.”

“Wait for me.”

Seeing it as his last chance, Lin Beixiu immediately asked the taxi driver to speed up.

Finally, when he arrived, panting with a large suitcase and backpack, the two people inside looked at him with shock and disbelief.

“You don’t need to rush like that.”

“Just kidding.”

Lin Beixiu rested for a while, leaning on his knees, “I’ve already returned my previous place. If I don’t get a room here, I’ll have to sleep on the streets tonight.”

Lin Beixiu then sat on the sofa, finally looking at the girl sitting opposite him.

However, recognizing the familiar clothes and skirt, he realized she was the beautiful girl he had seen at the entrance of the community.

Their eyes met, clearly recognizing each other.

“I understand both your situations. You both wanted a single room and can’t afford a two-bedroom. How about sharing? What do you think?”

Despite hearing the landlord’s proposal, the beauty frowned at Lin Beixiu, who noticed her gaze and pondered.

He wasn’t keen on living with a stranger, fearing trouble, but it seemed he had no better option.

“What does she think?”

Lin Beixiu looked at the landlord, asking.

“We’re discussing it.”

The landlord interjected, “That’s why I called you over, to see if you can accept each other. If so, you can share, which is much cheaper than renting a room alone. If not, I’ll rent the room to someone else. That’s it.”

The prospect of saving money made Lin Beixiu’s expression fluctuate, as saving was now his priority.

Lin Beixiu tentatively asked, “What do you think?”

The beauty nodded, facing her own difficulties. If not for an accident, she wouldn’t consider cohabitating with a stranger, even though Lin Beixiu made a good first impression.

Lin Beixiu breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he could rent on his own if necessary, albeit reluctantly.

“Okay.”

Seeing their agreement, the landlord drafted two contracts on the spot, handing them over with simple terms. Lin Beixiu quickly reviewed and signed his name, and the girl did the same.

They then calculated the rent and paid the landlord. At over 1500 a month, it was indeed much cheaper than before.

The landlord handed them two sets of keys and then showed them to the apartment.

Building 12, Apartment 801.

This was their shared room. Lin Beixiu, satisfied with the clean setup, especially liked the balcony, which offered a distant view of Tianxing University’s buildings.

“I’ll take this room.”

Lin Beixiu nodded to the woman, who hadn’t removed her mask, and moved to the other bedroom, finding it clean with a fresh scent, simple furnishings, and everything necessary.

Opposite the bed was a desk, convenient for studying and well-lit. Lin Beixiu found no fault.

Lin Beixiu settled in, placing the photo frame and hanging the necklace on it.

He then lay on the bed, looking at the photo frame, feeling sleepy. After playing some old songs on his phone, the familiar lyrics lulled him into sleep.

He dreamed again of the scene with two children running, smiling carefree and innocently, as Lin Beixiu’s lips curved into a slight smile….

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