The key was very pretty, with a Kuromi doll keychain attached. She hadn’t expected the landlady to have such a girlish heart.
Just as she left, little did she know, the landlady walked to another booth in a back room and handed the contract to a handsome young man in a black windbreaker.
“Young man, the job is done. I’ll be on my way then.”
“Mhm, thanks.”
Pei Ke looked at the elegant and neat handwriting on the contract, a ripple of a smile spreading across his face. So easy to fool, hahaha.
What satisfied him even more was that the girl was even prettier in person than in her photo. Her face was small and rosy, and her eyes were especially beautiful. Dressed in a little white dress, she was as lovely as a flower. Everything about her was perfect; she even looked fragrant. He spun his phone, paid for the coffee, and fiddled with the key as he strolled leisurely home. Life was certainly looking more and more promising.
In the afternoon, Ning Jinyu packed her things, held her cat, and followed the mover she had hired with his van to Jingyang Community.
This was the university town, and Jingyang Community was right in the city center. She had really scored a bargain. If she needed to go to the university for classes, it was just a ten-minute bus ride away.
The van driver helped her carry her things up to the third floor via the elevator, took his payment, and left.
Ning Jinyu, holding her cat, went to open the door to 101.
The first thing she saw was the spotlessly gleaming, cream-colored ceramic tiles. A black rug was laid at the entrance, and next to it was a shoe cabinet with a pair of unopened, pink, fluffy bunny-ear slippers.
There were other shoes in less girly styles, but she didn’t look closely. She first let the cat in and tossed it onto the sofa, then turned back to drag in her suitcase, gaming chair, and a large pile of equipment and backpacks.
It was a real feat for the driver to have carried it all up for her; she was already exhausted just from moving it this short distance.
She had brought her own slippers. After changing into them, she collapsed onto the sofa, panting. She was dead tired.
Click. The sound of a lock turning. Her face flushed, she looked toward the sound, ready to greet her roommate. But then, the dark brown door of the master bedroom opened, and out walked a tall, slender, and uncommonly handsome man! His fair, large hand casually tousled his hair with a blue towel, his knuckles well-defined and incredibly attractive. He was even wearing a bathrobe! His collarbones were distinctly visible, exuding a sensual charm.
Ning Jinyu, who was still panting from exhaustion, was now utterly dumbfounded. Her voice was tinged with confusion, “You… who are you?”
Could he be the boyfriend of that cool and sophisticated female roommate?! Holy crap!
Pei Ke was doing it on purpose. Hiding the smile in his eyes, he feigned composure and shot her a cold glance. After a pause, he asked in a low voice, “And who are you?”
The man’s deep, alluring voice was pleasant to the ear, leaving Ning Jinyu, who was still holding her cat, completely bewildered.
“I’m renting a room here. Where’s my sophisticated female roommate?”
Pei Ke’s lips curved into a smile. He walked over, still drying his hair, and sat down beside her. Looking straight ahead, he said, “Little sister, what sophisticated female roommate? I just rented this place.”
“What! That’s impossible.” Ning Jinyu looked at his gorgeous face and smelled the sweet scent of shower gel in the air. She awkwardly lowered her head and sent a message to the landlady.
Pei Ke’s smile deepened. He had set up an auto-reply in advance.
Sure enough, Ning Jinyu saw the irresponsible message from the landlady: “Oh, you mean that girl? She came to me this morning to cancel her lease, so I rented it to someone else. You never said you wouldn’t live with a guy. Besides, he’s already signed the contract. He signed for four years, for work. Gotta go.”
Ning Jinyu fell silent. To make matters worse, the man beside her restlessly leaned closer, his fragrant scent an undeniable presence. “So you’re my housemate. Nice cat, it’s cute. My name is Pei Ke. 188, 21, Scorpio. What about you?”
As he spoke, he leaned in and reached out to pet the fat cat, Zhizhi, in her arms.
He was so close that it felt like they could kiss if she just turned her head. Ning Jinyu’s ears turned red, and she swallowed. Two-tenths of her earlier frustration dissipated. Beauty was truly a distraction.
Since it had come to this and the contract was signed, she was truly at a loss. She lowered her head and sighed, “Hello, my name is Ning Jinyu. 165, 18 years old. Pisces.”
Pei Ke lowered his gaze, a smile with an ambiguous meaning in his eyes as he looked at her. “Little sister, actually, 21 isn’t just my age.”
After he said that, he casually walked back to his room, drying his hair.
Ning Jinyu froze, pondering. If 21 wasn’t his age, what was it? Five minutes later, she closed the search bar on her phone, her face beet red as she glanced toward the master bedroom. She was slightly shocked. This person was such a pervert. How could he be like this?
Ning Jinyu looked across from the master bedroom and saw two other rooms. Having rested enough, she set up her cat’s supplies in the living room. While the fat cat continued to sleep on the sofa, she moved her belongings into the larger of the two rooms, then closed the door and began to unpack and organize.
Aside from the unexpected roommate, she genuinely loved the apartment. After getting her things in order, Ning Jinyu locked her door and took a shower as well.
She had worked up a sweat organizing all day. Once everything was done, she wrapped her hair in a towel and, wearing a nightdress, began to set up her streaming equipment, microphone, and screen-casting graphics card in her room.
Knock, knock, knock! A knock sounded at the door.
Still remembering what had happened earlier, Ning Jinyu walked over to open the door with some awkward reluctance, glaring at the person with an unfriendly expression. “What do you want?”
Pei Ke had changed into a rather casual outfit. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt so loosely it made him look like a male siren, paired with slim-fit trousers. His dark hair was slightly tousled, giving him a carefree, boyish air. He smiled with considerable abandon. “So fierce?”
Ning Jinyu’s ears turned red. She cursed him inwardly—it’s all your fault!—but her face didn’t show it. She snorted coldly, “I don’t think we’re that close.”
“Then why don’t we come out and do it, and we’ll get close?”
Ning Jinyu’s eyes widened, and her neck flushed red with anger. “Are you sick in the head?!”
Pei Ke sighed, his dramatic personality taking over. He looked at her with a sorrowful expression. “I meant, come out and sit with me for a bit. I made dinner and wanted to invite you to sit and eat with me, to chat. What were you thinking? Hmm?”
“I wasn’t thinking anything!” Ning Jinyu was getting flustered and tried to shut the door, but he grabbed the sash of her nightdress.
Pei Ke tugged on her sash. “Why are you running? Why are you avoiding me?”
Ning Jinyu had never met anyone like him. She glared at him, puffing her cheeks. “I’m not! Let go of me. What are you trying to do?”
Pei Ke’s gaze fell on her hair, which was wrapped in a dry-hair cap. A large pink bundle sat atop her pretty little face; wasn’t it heavy?
He cleared his throat, his low, husky voice now sounding righteous. “As a proper roommate, it’s necessary to care about the other’s physical health. Look at you dawdling. Come with me.”
Ning Jinyu was dragged into his room in a state of alarm. Before she could struggle free, she was pushed down onto a rotating gaming chair. The dry-hair cap on her head was untied, and her inky black hair cascaded down like a curtain, falling wetly onto her face and shoulders.
The sound of a hairdryer started up soon after. The man wanted to blow-dry her hair. She was at a loss, her voice soft. “You don’t have to help me. I can do it myself.”
Pei Ke said lazily, “Can you just sit still? Or would you rather chat with me?”