Just then, the elevator arrived. Bai Qingqing smiled and led Ke Ruobing inside, then pressed the button for the sixth floor.
“Actually, I’m not well-behaved,” Ke Ruobing murmured in protest.
“What did you just say?” Bai Qingqing turned to ask, having not heard her clearly.
“N-nothing.” Ke Ruobing shook her head.
The elevator soon reached the sixth floor. Bai Qingqing led Ke Ruobing to a large, dark-red door.
With practiced ease, Bai Qingqing retrieved a key from a hidden spot behind the fire hose cabinet. She unlocked the door, then put the key back where it had been.
Ke Ruobing looked around. The building had three apartments per floor, with Bai Qingqing’s in the middle. The two neighboring apartments had the same dark-red doors, but they looked as though no one lived there.
As soon as Ke Ruobing stepped inside, the sight before her brightened her eyes. It was like entering a cozy little world with a character all its own.
The decor was simple yet tasteful. Cream-colored walls and wooden furniture complemented each other, making the space feel both bright and warm.
A row of pale-green sofas was arranged just right in the living room. Green plants of various sizes were scattered artfully throughout, adding a touch of nature to the space.
The floor was spotless, a sign of how much care the person who lived there put into the home.
What surprised Ke Ruobing most was that every bedroom door had a wooden plaque hanging on it.
One bore the two neat characters “Qingqing,” clearly marking Bai Qingqing’s room. Another read “Bai Yan,” apparently belonging to someone else. The plaque on the last door, however, was blank.
“This heat is unbearable!” As soon as Bai Qingqing entered, she hurried to turn on the air conditioner.
The display lit up at once, and the unit began to hum softly. As it started up, cool air slowly began to flow.
Feeling the cool breeze brush her face, Bai Qingqing let out a long breath. The chill seemed to ease the sweat on her face a little.
Ke Ruobing watched Bai Qingqing with amusement. She hadn’t expected such a beautiful girl to be so candid and outgoing.
Bai Qingqing casually explained the layout. “There are three rooms. My Big Brother has the master bedroom, you can take the second bedroom, and I’m in the smallest one, the study. My Big Brother usually uses the kitchen, but he rarely cooks. If you need to, you can cook for yourself. We’ve got all the kitchenware, so use whatever you like.”
Ke Ruobing frowned slightly. She wasn’t particularly keen on sharing a place with a man.
Bai Qingqing seemed to notice her concern and smiled. “Don’t worry. The master bedroom has its own bathroom, so Big Brother won’t be competing with us for one. The bathroom outside is for the two of us. Big Brother can be a little quiet, but he’s easy to get along with.”
Ke Ruobing nodded.
Honestly, she could sense Bai Qingqing’s sincerity and warmth. That was why she’d only started wondering whether Bai Qingqing might be a bad person after they’d already reached the building. Bai Qingqing seemed nice, so her Big Brother was probably easy to get along with too.
Besides, she was exhausted. She didn’t want to look for another place; all she wanted was to take a shower and get some proper sleep.
After hesitating for a moment, Ke Ruobing asked, “How about we switch? The study is smaller than the second bedroom.”
Bai Qingqing smiled smugly. “You don’t understand. The Wi-Fi is fastest in the study.”
At that answer, Ke Ruobing opened her mouth, then settled on another question. “Then how much is the rent? Could I rent it for just one month? I’ll leave once school starts.”
Bai Qingqing immediately replied, “The rent is one thousand a month. Of course, you can stay for just one month. But I’d still suggest you consider staying here after school starts. The Jianghai University dorms cut the power at eleven at night, and there’s no air-conditioning. Yecheng summers are really hot.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it and see how things go,” Ke Ruobing said, nodding.
Once everything was settled, Ke Ruobing finally let out a breath of relief.
She walked slowly to the bathroom, stepped inside, and closed the door. Warm water poured over her, washing away the exhaustion and stress of the past few days.
After her shower, Ke Ruobing gently towel-dried her damp hair. As she left the bathroom, her gaze drifted toward the living room.
She stopped short at what she saw.
A man was sitting on the sofa. He wore casual pants and a black T-shirt. A baseball cap and a mask lay carelessly on the coffee table.
He was the man whose clothes Ke Ruobing had accidentally stained on the train. Now he had taken off his mask, revealing his face.
He had a handsome, slightly wild-looking face, and his deep eyes seemed to hold endless stars. One look was enough to draw you in.
Ke Ruobing’s breathing quickened slightly. This was the first time she’d seen him without his mask.
“Why… are you here?”
Coming back to herself, Ke Ruobing asked in confusion. A doubt rose in her mind: Could this man have followed her here?
When the man saw Ke Ruobing, he raised an eyebrow slightly, evidently just as surprised by this sudden turn of events.
“Brother Yan, you’re finally back!”
A cheerful shout broke the strange tension.
Ke Ruobing turned to see Bai Qingqing rushing out of her room, her face alight with uncontainable joy.
“He’s your Big Brother?” Ke Ruobing asked, looking at Bai Qingqing in surprise.
“Yeah. My actual Big Brother,” Bai Qingqing replied naturally.
Ke Ruobing suddenly understood. She quickly pulled out her phone and opened Bai Qingqing’s Moments. That was why Bai Qingqing had seemed familiar—she’d seen her photos before.
Bai Qingqing rushed over happily and began kneading her dear brother’s shoulders and legs. “My dear big brother, why did you take so long to come back? Where’s my stuff?”
The man glanced toward the sofa beside him.
Only then did Ke Ruobing and Bai Qingqing notice a box beside it.
“Love you, Brother Yan!”
Bai Qingqing cried out, then hurriedly carried the box back to her room.
That left only Ke Ruobing and the young man in the living room. The atmosphere suddenly turned a little awkward.
Ke Ruobing spoke hesitantly, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. “Why didn’t you accept my red packet? I got your clothes dirty, so I should compensate you.”
“It’s fine. It’s no big deal. Looks like we’re pretty fated to keep running into each other.” The man gave a soft laugh.
“Yeah,” Ke Ruobing said awkwardly.
Neither of them said anything more. A faint awkwardness hung in the air, and Ke Ruobing quietly turned and went back to her room to dry her hair.
The man remained seated in the living room, lost in thought.
Once she had finished everything, Ke Ruobing lay down on the bed. Though exhaustion had made her eyelids heavy before, now she was wide awake.
Only when her eyes began to feel sore did Ke Ruobing finally drift off, half-asleep.