Troublesome – Chapter 4

Renting an Apartment

If there are no problems, let’s sign the contract.

For half an hour, Hua Luo was brainwashed by the word “breakup.” It was the first time she’d heard so many breakup songs. Midway, she couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh, “Teacher Jin, your playlist is quite unique.”

Jin Shuilan tilted her head and explained, “I’ve been writing a breakup scene recently and got a bit stuck. Listening to songs to find some inspiration.”

Oh—no wonder.

Hua Luo deeply empathized. Once, when she was writing about a female protagonist who opened a breakfast shop, she had staked out a nearby breakfast shop for half a month. The shop owner thought she was trying to steal their techniques¹ and almost put her on a banned list.

Hua Luo nodded emphatically. “Teacher Jin, you’ve worked hard!”

Jin Shuilan glanced at Lu Zhenqiu and said lightly, “It’s no trouble.”

After speaking, she asked, “Do you not like these songs? I can change them.”

Just as Hua Luo was about to speak, Lu Zhenqiu said, “No need to change them, they’re quite good.”

Since she said so, Hua Luo naturally chimed in, “Yes, they’re quite good.”

Jin Shuilan nodded slightly and continued to drive attentively. The air conditioning wasn’t on in the car, and it was a bit stuffy. Lu Zhenqiu opened the car window, and a cool breeze drifted in.

A faint, elusive fragrance lingered around Jin Shuilan’s nose. The hand gripping the steering wheel was sweaty. She rubbed it for a moment, then brought it to her lips and coughed lightly.

The car made a turn and entered a residential complex.

Lu Zhenqiu turned her head to look. The greening in the complex was excellent; at a glance, it was all reds and greens, very soothing and clean. The environment was quite nice. Hua Luo asked, “Teacher Jin, is this the place?”

Jin Shuilan parked the car in a garage and said to Lu Zhenqiu, “This is it. We’re here.”

This place probably isn’t cheap.

Lu Zhenqiu calculated inwardly. Hua Luo had previously told her about the rental information: a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, ninety square meters. She had originally wanted to rent a studio apartment, but landlords wouldn’t allow dogs, so she had to look for other places. However, one-bedroom apartments were too sought-after, so she could only look for two-bedroom ones.

It’s just a bit expensive.

Lu Zhenqiu pursed her lips, her peripheral vision glancing at Jin Shuilan. She imagined how she would haggle² when they discussed the rent. Would Jin Shuilan accept bargaining? Would she just say “I’m not renting it out” and tell her to leave? It wasn’t impossible; Jin Shuilan’s bad temper was well-known in their circle, hardly a secret anymore.

Should she just rent it directly? The greenery was quite good. Although she hadn’t seen the apartment itself, judging by the surroundings, it couldn’t be bad. However, a two-bedroom apartment was a bit too big for her alone.

Her conflicted expression was noticed by Jin Shuilan. The three of them entered the elevator.

Jin Shuilan and Lu Zhenqiu spoke at the same time: “I…”

Lu Zhenqiu paused. “Teacher Jin, you first.”

Jin Shuilan: “I don’t think you need to rent a two-bedroom apartment by yourself.”

Hua Luo nodded vigorously from the side. “We originally planned to rent a studio apartment, but those landlords wouldn’t agree when they heard Qiuqiu has a dog. And one-bedroom apartments are too in demand, so we had to look for two-bedroom ones.”

Jin Shuilan asked, “In that case, would you be open to sharing an apartment?”

Lu Zhenqiu glanced sideways. “Sharing?”

Jin Shuilan said, “I happen to have a place that needs a co-tenant, and it’s very suitable for you. Sharing would also mean splitting the rent in half.”

Lu Zhenqiu hadn’t ruled out sharing, but many potential housemates couldn’t accept her dog, which was why she’d dismissed the idea. Now that Jin Shuilan brought it up, she pursed her lips. “Is the housemate male or female?”

Jin Shuilan lowered her eyes. “Female. She rarely leaves her room usually.”

Lu Zhenqiu was a little tempted. She continued to ask, “Then, does she mind dogs?”

Jin Shuilan shook her head. “She doesn’t mind. She likes small animals a lot.”

Hua Luo nudged Lu Zhenqiu with her wrist, signaling with her eyes that she could continue discussing it. Lu Zhenqiu also felt the conditions were good. She fell silent for two seconds, then Jin Shuilan said, “Let me show you the apartment first.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded.

Ding! The elevator arrived. The building had a total of twenty-eight floors, and the apartment for rent was on the twenty-third floor, a mid-to-high position. Although Lu Zhenqiu had never bought a house, she had plenty of experience renting and knew that an apartment on this floor wouldn’t be cheap.

However, the co-renting option they just discussed could help split the rental cost.

There were two units per floor. Jin Shuilan took out a key card and stood before the unit on the right. She pressed it, and with a click, the door opened. Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the bright living room. This unit faced the sun, receiving ample sunlight. Connected to the balcony were four floor-to-ceiling windows that could be opened left and right. Light poured in from outside, filling the living room with warmth.

The layout was quite large, much more than just two bedrooms and a living room. Just as Lu Zhenqiu frowned, Jin Shuilan said, “This is the shared apartment. Those two rooms over there are the master bedroom and a study. If you rent, you’ll live in this room, and you only need to pay rent for one room.”

She opened a door, revealing a guest room. A faint, grassy fragrance wafted out—a very refreshing scent. Lu Zhenqiu glanced inside. The room was about thirty-odd square meters, larger than any one-bedroom apartment she had seen before. The decor leaned towards warm colors, but the wardrobe was empty, and there was only a bed and two nightstands, making it look rather spacious.

Hua Luo said, “This environment is really nice!”

She asked Jin Shuilan, “Teacher Jin, can I go in?”

Jin Shuilan nodded. “Feel free.”

Hua Luo walked in. She said to Lu Zhenqiu, “This bay window, ah—I love it! Qiuqiu, let me tell you, looking down from here at night is especially beautiful, all the lights of a myriad of homes!”

Lu Zhenqiu had lived in high-rises before, so she naturally knew. She nodded.

Hua Luo walked to a spot next to the bay window and said to Lu Zhenqiu, “I think you can use this spot for your equipment. Oh, right, Teacher Jin, does the other tenant know Qiuqiu does live streaming?”

Jin Shuilan was looking at Lu Zhenqiu. The light from outside refracted, landing on Lu Zhenqiu’s eyelashes, dancing with her blinks. Her eyes were exceptionally clear and bright, and the red mark at the corner of her eye stood out against her fair skin, very eye-catching.

Hearing Hua Luo’s question, she collected herself and said, “She knows.”

Hua Luo felt relieved. Many people were prejudiced against live streaming. They had previously encountered people who looked at Lu Zhenqiu strangely upon hearing she was a streamer. So, before renting, they always made it clear: if acceptable, they’d proceed; if not, they’d look for the next place.

However, Hua Luo didn’t want to look for another place. The environment and the high-altitude view here were just too good! Just standing here and looking down felt refreshing and uplifting.

She turned her head and asked Lu Zhenqiu, “What do you think? I think it’s pretty good!”

Lu Zhenqiu was also very satisfied. Just as she opened her lips to speak, Jin Shuilan said, “Let’s take a look at the bathroom and the kitchen.”

Hua Luo nudged Lu Zhenqiu. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go see.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded and followed Jin Shuilan out. Next to her bedroom was the bathroom. It looked like just a door, but opening it revealed a whole new world inside. There was even a bathtub! Above the bathtub was equipment for watching movies—a large LCD screen suspended overhead. On either side were white countertops, and on one of them sat an unfinished bottle of red wine, a wine glass prominent beside it.

It seemed this housemate really knew how to enjoy life.

Hua Luo exclaimed in amazement, “This is an automatic massage bathtub, isn’t it?!”

Jin Shuilan smiled. “Did you buy one too?”

Hua Luo said, “I wanted to buy one, but my bathroom is too small, it wouldn’t fit. Wuwuwu, Qiuqiu, let me tell you, this thing is super awesome! Soaking in the bath while getting a massage and watching a movie—it’s practically a divine life³!”

It was just very expensive. Back then, Hua Luo had gritted her teeth and planned to use half a year’s manuscript fees to buy one, but her bathroom was too small to fit it. She had lamented this for a long time. Now, seeing this model, she was rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed longingly on the massage bathtub.

Lu Zhenqiu pulled her back and asked Jin Shuilan, “Is the shower further in?”

Jin Shuilan walked further in. The shower was at the very back. She glanced at Lu Zhenqiu and asked, “You don’t like baths?”

Hua Luo also turned to look at Lu Zhenqiu, staring at her with an expression that seemed to say, “You actually don’t like baths? Are you even human?” Lu Zhenqiu felt uncomfortable under their gazes. She gave a muffled cough and said, “I quite like them, but I think the other housemate probably wouldn’t like others touching her things.”

Jin Shuilan smiled. “It’s okay.”

She said, “You can use anything here as you please.”

Hua Luo was slightly astonished. “Really? We can use anything?”

Jin Shuilan nodded. “Yes. I call the shots here.”

After hesitating for three seconds, Hua Luo patted Lu Zhenqiu’s back and let out a series of soft “Ahhhhhh!” shrieks. Before coming, she thought it was just an ordinary two-bedroom apartment. Now, it felt as if she had accidentally slipped into a luxury villa, the kind that was an oasis of tranquility amidst the city bustle. It was too pleasantly surprising!

Lu Zhenqiu was also very tempted, but she was still considering the rent.

This place… shouldn’t be cheap, right?

Just with such good conditions, renting one room would probably be quite expensive. Moreover, she hadn’t met the other housemate yet and didn’t know her temperament, or if she truly didn’t mind dogs as Jin Shuilan said…

Seeing her hesitation, Hua Luo anxiously pulled her aside. “What are you still thinking about? Such great conditions! If you don’t rent it, I want to!”

The conditions were indeed temptingly good.

Jin Shuilan said, “Do you still want to see the kitchen?”

Hua Luo nodded. “Is it this way?”

Jin Shuilan led them to the left side of the living room. It was a semi-open kitchen with a large countertop serving as a dining table. Behind the dining table was the kitchen area. It looked well-equipped, but everything seemed very new, as if it hadn’t been used much.

Hua Luo asked, “Does the other housemate not cook?”

Jin Shuilan said, “Rarely. She doesn’t like cooking.”

After speaking, she looked at Lu Zhenqiu. “Miss Lu?”

Lu Zhenqiu replied, “I’m alright.”

She cooked all three meals a day herself. She had studied cooking for a while before, so her culinary skills were passable. Jin Shuilan hummed in acknowledgment. Lu Zhenqiu looked around; everything was very satisfactory. She said, “Teacher Jin, about the rent…”

Hopefully, it’s not too expensive.

Lu Zhenqiu’s heart was pounding, but her expression remained calm.

Jin Shuilan asked, “When you rented before, how was the rent calculated?”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “My previous studio apartment was four thousand a month, with one month’s deposit and three months’ rent paid upfront⁴. A one-bedroom apartment was around three thousand…”

She was hoping to rent this place for the price of a studio apartment. She didn’t know if Jin Shuilan would find that too low. Lu Zhenqiu was just calculating that she could offer a slightly higher price later when Jin Shuilan said, “How about this: we sort of know each other, and we’re all in the same profession. Let’s not go by the market rate. I’ll give you a friendship price—two thousand a month. How does that sound?”

Lu Zhenqiu was visibly stunned. Jin Shuilan frowned. “Is that too expensive?”

Hua Luo and Lu Zhenqiu were both dumbfounded by how cheap it was. Jin Shuilan said, “Fifteen hundred is also fine. However, although there’s no deposit here, it must be a full lease.”

Hua Luo snapped back to reality. “What’s a full lease?”

“It means an annual lease. Minimum one year.”

One year, fifteen hundred a month for rent, that’s eighteen thousand a year. Normally, a studio apartment costs four thousand a month! Holy sh#t! This is too much of a bargain!

Hua Luo grabbed Lu Zhenqiu’s hand. “Rent it! You won’t find a deal like this anywhere else⁵!”

Lu Zhenqiu also felt these were the best conditions she had found so far, and the price was the lowest. She nodded. Jin Shuilan said, “If there are no problems, let’s sign the contract.”

Hua Luo piped up, “I have a question!”

Jin Shuilan tilted her head to look at her. The joy slightly softened the sharp lines of her features, making her seem less cold and aloof, less unapproachable. Hua Luo’s courage grew, and she asked, “Teacher Jin, do you have any other apartments for rent here?”

It doesn’t have to be exactly the same; a slightly lower grade would be fine too!

Jin Shuilan glanced at her and coolly refused, “No.”

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The author has something to say:

Fifty red envelopes, muah.

Jin Shuilan: Little bunny, be good, open the door⁶. I’ve already washed up all nice and clean⁷, I want to come in.

Lu Zhenqiu: …

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