Chapter 2 The Weird Landlord 1
From the moment a person is born, her background has already determined half of her fate. When we were young, we all struggled, thinking that life would give us a brilliant future, but in the end, I was defeated by reality.
——Xiao Anning
The next morning, I woke up an hour earlier than usual.
I sneaked into the living room and lay on He Yue 's door to listen for a while. When I found that there was no movement inside, I was delighted, quickly locked my bedroom door, and ran out.
Today is the commercial performance that Sunai arranged for us. The location of the commercial performance is in Yangpu District. I heard that it is the opening of a five-star hotel. When I rushed to the hotel, Sunai and Xiao Anning had already put on their makeup.
Sunai pulled me towards the dressing room, saying as he ran, "Why are you here so late? We're going to perform in half an hour."
"Mornings in Shanghai are like riding a snail. There's so much traffic, you know that. Half an hour is enough. It only takes me twenty minutes to put on makeup and one minute to change clothes." I quickly sat in front of the makeup mirror. Sunai helped me choose clothes. I dropped my bag and started to put on makeup.
In fact, since entering freshman year, Sunai, Xiao Anning, and I have taken on quite a few commercial performances. We are already familiar with the explicit and implicit rules and how to deal with unexpected situations.
So, I don’t know what Suna is so anxious about.
After putting on makeup, Sunai, Xiao Anning and I prepared to perform. The stage was professionally built, and the lighting and sound effects were very good. There were cameramen hired by the hotel and Sunai around the stage. The style was the best among all the activities we have participated in.
The performance went smoothly, and after the singing and dancing ended, I was about to leave the stage when the host called me.
I didn't understand what was going on and was pulled to the center of the stage by the host. Sunai had already brought Xiao Anning off the stage. She even made a cheering gesture to me in the crowd.
I was being stared at by many pairs of eyes and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
The host was speaking the official thank you speech next to me, and then he changed the subject and said, "After the performance, we will have a small episode here. The person next to me is Miss Shen Muxi, and her boyfriend wants to give her a surprise here. Let's wait and see, and give this young couple some time."
After that, the host left the stage. I saw Qiao Xinyu suddenly walk out of the crowd holding a rose.
I panicked, and my feet seemed to be rooted, unable to move a step. Qiao Xinyu walked onto the stage holding flowers, stood in front of me, and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, Muxi."
My fingers pinched my thigh nervously, not knowing what to do.
"Shen Muxi." Qiao Xinyu turned on the headphones hanging behind his ears, and the sound was amplified through the headset. "It is normal for couples to have some bumps and bruises. I beg for your forgiveness. I don't want to be without you. We have been together for almost three years. Let's just keep going like this and don't leave, okay?"
The uninformed audience members in the audience were making a noise, so I looked away and avoided looking at Qiao Xinyu's face.
There are only two types of people who can be bewitched by such love words: the first type is people who have just started a relationship, and the second type is idiots. I understand the truth, but no matter how rational I am, facing this situation, my brain is still in a mess, as if a lot of messy things have been poured into it.
Qiao Xinyu grabbed my hand, and I shook it off subconsciously, and asked in a low voice: "What do you want?"
"I beg your forgiveness." Qiao Xinyu stared at me, his eyes full of brilliance. I suddenly remembered that two years ago in the summer, his eyes were just as blazing.
I avoided Qiao Xinyu's gaze and cast a look for help to Sunai and Xiao Anning in the audience. Xiao Anning wanted to come on stage, but was secretly held back by Sunai.
"Muxi." Qiao Xinyu held one of my hands, his voice as soft as cotton.
"Kneel down on one knee and apologize sincerely." The people in the audience just watched the show.
Qiao Xinyu tightened his grip on my hand and pretended to kneel down. I grabbed his arm, frowned slightly, and said, "Come with me."
After saying that, I pulled him and took him to a secluded place under the stage.
"Mu Xi, have you forgiven me?" Qiao Xinyu followed behind me and asked expectantly.
I stopped, turned my head and looked at him, and asked, "Forgive you? Qiao Xinyu, what do you want to do?"
"I want you to forgive me." Qiao Xinyu said it frankly, but I wanted to laugh.
"Then just think about it." After saying that, I turned around and wanted to leave.
Qiao Xinyu took a big step back and stood in front of me, saying, "Muxi, can you please listen to me before you leave? Consider that we once loved each other with all our hearts."
I pursed my lips tightly, and the words "loved with all my heart" pierced my heart like sharp thorns.
I looked at him with red eyes and said, "You say."
Qiao Xinyu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he smiled bitterly: "It was Sunai who gave me the idea to go on stage and apologize to you. The day after you left home, Sunai found me and gave me a severe lesson. I was very confused and didn't know what method I could use to win you back, so I went to school in a daze, and only chased after you when I saw you."
His hand holding the rose gradually dropped, and he added: "If I were you, I would never forgive a boyfriend who had a relationship with another woman, but Mu Xi, I have no choice. No matter how many idol dramas I have watched, when it really happens to me, I don't know what to do. This kind of sadness has left a scar in your heart, I know I can't heal it, but I still want to try, the kind of attempt that a moth throws itself into a flame."
I admit that I was soft-hearted at that time. I don't know whether Qiao Xinyu loved me with all his heart, but I did love him with all my heart. My feet rubbed against the ground uncomfortably, and I bit my lower lip tightly, not knowing what to say.
Qiao Xinyu suddenly hugged me in his arms, gently pressed my head, and let me lean on his shoulder.
Once upon a time, in order to comfort me who was hurt by rumors on the Internet, he also hugged me like this, pressed my head, and said, "It's okay, cry for a while, let your tears flow on my shoulders, and I will bear the bad things for you."
My emotions were very complicated and I couldn't help but grab his shirt and bury my head deeper into his.
"Muxi." Qiao Xinyu patted my back and said softly, "Come back, okay? I'll be waiting for you at home."
I wiped my tears, escaped from his arms, and said, "I need to think about it."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Xinyu grinned and said, "It's okay, I'll wait for you." Then he handed me the rose in his hand.
I hesitated for a moment, took it and left quickly.
Sunai and Xiao Anning were waiting for me outside. As soon as they saw me come out, Xiao Anning came over and grabbed my arm and asked, "Muxi, have you forgiven that scumbag?"
Before I could answer, Sunai scolded Xiao Anning, "Xiao Anning, can you please stop calling me a scumbag? After all, I am Muxi's boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Xiao Anning asked Sunai, "Sister, this is a cheating boyfriend. Also, Qiao Xinyu appeared here, did you notify him?"
Sunai said without hesitation: "I was the one who informed him. The matter between the two of them must be made clear."
"You are the only one who is meddling in other people's business." Xiao An Ning glared at Sunai.
"You..." Sunai was so angry at Xiao An Ning that he couldn't speak.
I quickly stepped between the two people and said, "Alright, alright, I know you are all doing this for my own good. I am an adult and I have my own judgment. Don't worry about it, okay?"
"I'm not worried about you." Xiao An Ning hesitated, finally sighed, turned around and said, "I'd better go get the performance fee. It's great to have money again."
After saying that, she left without paying any attention to us.
Sunai exhaled and frowned, "Children are children, what do they know?"
"She's right." I held Sunai's hand and said, "You're not wrong either. You're all doing this for my own good. I know that, but the methods are different. I can handle the matter of Qiao Xinyu by myself. Believe me."
Sunai patted my shoulder and nodded: "Anyway, no matter what happens, remember to come to us."
"Okay." I smiled back, not wanting to worry Suna.
Sunai asked: "So what are you going to do next?"
"Let's go back to Qingshui Bay first. No matter how Qiao Xinyu apologizes, I still feel uncomfortable. I'd better go back and deal with that troublesome senior first, so that he won't pack up all my luggage and throw it out." I shrugged, feeling quite helpless.
"Do you need my help?" Sunai couldn't help but smile.
"No need, you go find An Ning, I'll take a taxi back." After saying that, I said goodbye to Sunai, walked to the side of the road and stopped a car.
Sunai watched me leave before turning around and going into the hotel.
After returning to Qingshui Bay, I still tiptoed into the rented house like a thief doing something bad.
The room was very quiet, it seemed that He Yue was not at home.
I looked around, took the glass bottle with dried flowers on the table, filled it with water, and put the roses in it.
"Crack." A dry cough came from the direction of He Yue's bedroom.
I turned my head and saw him leaning against the door frame, looking at me with an unpleasant expression.
I hurriedly held the dried flowers and said, "I'll go see if there are any empty bottles."
"Have you forgotten what I said last night?" He Yue reminded me while standing in place.
I held the dried flowers and sneered, "What did you say last night?"
He Yue looked cold. He turned and walked into the kitchen which was integrated with the living room. He made some coffee and said, "I can return all the rent you paid to my mother. I am used to living alone and don't like being disturbed."
"I live alone but I still buy a two-bedroom apartment..." I expressed my dissatisfaction and muttered to myself.
He Yue seemed to have super hearing. He tilted his head slightly and looked at me warningly.
I quickly turned my back to him, thinking of a solution quickly in my mind.
The sound of He Yue brewing coffee suddenly stopped. He took a long breath and called out calmly, "Shen Muxi."
"Huh?" I looked back at him.
He Yue stood there stiffly and ordered, "Come here."
I put down the dried flowers and walked over puzzledly.
He Yue grabbed my shoulder with one hand, pulled me in front of him, and then ran to the sofa in the living room. The "thump thump" sound of his footsteps betrayed the panic he was trying to suppress.
I looked at him in confusion as he squatted on the sofa, hugging a pillow and staring vigilantly towards the kitchen.
"Why are you looking at me? Catching cockroaches." He Yue glared at me, then a blush flashed across his face and he turned his head away awkwardly.
I looked at the pool in front of me in surprise, and sure enough, there was a cockroach in it.
"Hahaha!" I couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Senior, how long did it take you to raise it so fat?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" He Yue shouted, suppressing his emotions.
I returned to the living room, pulled out a piece of paper, and caught the cockroach accurately in my hand. I turned around, faced He Yue, held the cockroach high, and said, "I caught it, now what?"
He Yue immediately used the pillow to cover himself, and changed his usual calmness, shouting in panic: "Shen Muxi, are you sick? Of course I threw it away!"
"Where should I throw it? The trash can or your room?" I put my hands on my waist and shouted deliberately.
He Yue swallowed his saliva, blushed and said, "Trash can!"
I waved my hands and said, "No, that won't work. This cockroach is my strong teammate. If it goes into the trash can, won't I be thrown into the trash can too?"
"What exactly do you want to do?" He Yue looked at me with red eyes.
I walked over holding the cockroach and said, "I just think that if there is such a big cockroach here, there must be many larvae in this kitchen. I think you, senior..."
Before I finished speaking, He Yue rolled over from the sofa. He hid behind the sofa and said in a compromising manner: "What do you want? Just tell me clearly."
I stopped and discussed, "Let's both take a step back. You should be patient while I'm live streaming. Meanwhile, I'll go out and look for a house. Once I find a suitable one, I'll move out. Before that, you're not allowed to chase me away. In return, I'll clean the kitchen and living room inside and out for you."
"Deal." He Yue's voice came from behind the sofa. I stood on tiptoe and couldn't see him, so I said, "Okay, I'll go out and throw it away."
I pretended to walk out seriously, but as soon as I walked out of the room, I couldn't help laughing uncontrollably.
This He Yue looks serious and out of touch with the world, but I didn’t expect that he is quite cute when he is afraid of cockroaches.
However, now that I know his weakness, my life will be much easier in the future.
After throwing away the cockroaches, I kept my promise and cleaned the house thoroughly. Since I was in a good mood, I even made dinner myself.
He Yue was disgusted by the food I cooked, but he ate it with gusto.
Wearing an apron and resting my hands on the dining table, I asked, "Senior, I have only known you for a few days, but my opinion of you has changed drastically."
"I don't want to listen to you." He Yue refused, eating in silence.
I didn't care and continued, "On the morning when you first moved in, I thought you were a very cold person, but now I feel that you are not really cold, you are just pretending. Hahaha, you were scared like that by a cockroach."
He Yue suddenly dropped his chopsticks and spit all the food in his mouth into the trash can. I quickly covered my mouth and said, "I'm sorry."
He Yue wiped his mouth and said, "I'm full." Then he sat on the sofa and flipped through a men's magazine.
I curled my lips, put the dishes in the kitchen, and turned on the faucet to wash the dishes. The phone in my apron suddenly rang. I quickly wiped my wet hands on the apron, took out my phone and saw that it was a text message from Qiao Xinyu -
Mu Xi, see you in front of Gate 1 of Wanda Plaza tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you.
I put my phone back in my pocket and continued washing the dishes.
After a while, I asked, "Senior, have you ever been in love?"
"It has nothing to do with you, right?" He Yue answered in his usual unkind tone.
I was washing the dishes and I said, "There's something I don't understand."
The sound of a book closing came from behind, and He Yue asked: "Is your relationship with your boyfriend in crisis?"
I was startled, turned around and looked at He Yue, nodded vigorously and said: "Senior, you are so smart."
"Stop flattering me." He Yue interrupted me.
I walked up to He Yue, leaned against the dining table and asked, "From your perspective as a man, would you get drunk and…" I crossed my arms and said politely, "What?"
He Yue suddenly smiled, as if he already knew what I was going to say. He said, "Either you have something to hide, or you just want to cheat. There aren't that many reasons."
I bit my lower lip, feeling mixed emotions.
I smiled at He Yue and went back to the kitchen to continue washing the dishes.
Either he has something to hide or he wants to cheat, there aren't that many reasons.
He said it very straightforwardly.
So straightforward, yet irrefutable.
I still couldn't sleep that night. When I woke up the next day, I dressed myself up beautifully and went to meet Qiao Xinyu.
Qiao Xinyu was waiting for me at the entrance of Wanda No. 1 early in the morning, holding a flower in his hand.
"Muxi." He walked towards me and handed me the flowers with a smile on his face, "Here."
I felt a little awkward, so I took it and put it behind my back, and asked, "What are you doing out here?"
Qiao Xinyu patted my head lovingly and said, "Of course I'll buy you something and go to the movies with you."
I avoided Qiao Xinyu's hand, and he noticed my avoidance, and held my hand instead, saying, "Let's go in."
When I am with Qiao Xinyu, I still do the things I used to do - go shopping, watch movies, and buy things I like, but I don't have the same mood as before. No matter what I did before, as long as he was around, even the smallest things could make me happy for a long time.
But now, even if I hold his hand, I feel that this person does not belong to me from the beginning to the end.
Three hours later, after buying groceries, eating snacks, and playing games, I still hadn’t mustered much interest.
Qiao Xinyu rubbed his hands and asked, "Do you want to go to the movies?"
"Yeah." I didn't object and was led by him like a puppet.
Sitting in the cinema, the light from the screen fell on my face, and I watched expressionlessly as the hero and heroine loved each other to death, but in the end could not be together.
Halfway through the movie, the phone in my pocket vibrated. It was a call from an unfamiliar number.
I immediately went out to answer the call: " Hello, hello."
"Shen Muxi, where are you?" He Yue's voice came.
"He Yue?" I asked with a smile, holding the phone, "Did you encounter cockroaches again?"
"Shen Muxi, if you mention cockroaches again, I'll kick you out."
I ignored He Yue who was stubborn and said, "Since you took the initiative to call me, you must have something to ask for. Tell me, what's the matter?"
"Come back, I forgot to bring my keys."
"If you praise me for being kind, I will go back and give you the key." I teased He Yue deliberately, wanting to see him get angry and embarrassed.
He Yue refused to compromise: "It doesn't matter if you don't come back. At most, I can stay at my friend's place for one night. But our water and electricity bills are almost gone. If I don't pay, you can just wait to accompany the night."
"Why didn't I see that you were so shameless before? Really, I'll just go back." I hung up the phone angrily, and when I turned around, I saw Qiao Xinyu standing behind me.
I looked away and stammered, "I'll go back first... My roommate didn't bring his key."
Qiao Xinyu had no expression on his face. He nodded slightly and said, "I'll take you back."
"No need, I'll take the subway back by myself. The movie hasn't ended yet, you go back first." I rejected Qiao Xinyu's kindness and ran away from the cinema on my own.
At that time I didn’t know that we were about to leave before the movie was over.
Perhaps ever since I came back from my trip and witnessed that romantic scene, he and I were destined to part ways.
The love in our youth is just pure love, but love is not just as simple as love.
After I got out of the subway station, I jogged back to Qingshui Bay. He Yue was sitting on the side of the corridor playing with his phone. Seeing me panting, he asked calmly, "What happened? Were you chased by a dog?"
"Being chased by cockroaches." I said as I took out my keys.
He Yue entered the living room and said while looking for the key: "I'm going to be away for a few days. I'll give you the water and electricity cards. If there's a power outage, go downstairs to pay. Just come back and tell me how much you paid."
I stood by, put my hands in my pockets and said, "This is so bad. If you don't mind, I'll pay for the water and electricity."
He Yue picked up the suit on the coat rack, nodded, and said, "It's the utility bill for the previous month anyway, so you pay for it. Why should I mind?"
I immediately regretted it and said, "I'll wait for you to come back with the receipt."
He Yue put on his suit, glanced at me, and went back into the bedroom to pick up his briefcase.
I looked at He Yue who was changing his shoes at the entrance and asked cautiously, "Senior, when will you be back?"
"Probably five days later." He Yue answered me casually.
"Then you must take good care of yourself." I followed He Yue's steps, watched him put on his shoes and left, then pretended to be reluctant and sent him to the elevator.
As soon as the elevator door closed, I felt like I had regained my freedom, and I couldn't help but sing all the way back.
I closed the door and immediately sent a voice message to the WeChat group: "Sisters, the difficult senior He is going on a business trip for five days. You are all welcome to visit my home. You can even stay at my house for a party!"
"So great? Can we come tonight?" Xiao Anning asked me.
"Okay, but remember to clean the room back to its original state after the party," Suna replied.
I listened to their voice messages with a smile and said, "I know all this. I dare not let Mr. He catch me."
I put down my phone, cleared my throat to express my irrepressible excitement, imagined that there were tens of thousands of fans in front of me, and officially started the show: "Now I will bring you a song called "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau". Thank you for your love for me."
Everything was ready, the spotlight turned on above my head, I closed my eyes affectionately, and sang in the usual posture of a soprano singer: "Who brought the ancient call, who..."
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a door opening behind me. I stopped and turned around stiffly. He Yue opened the door and came in, staring at me suspiciously. I pretended nothing happened and smiled at him.
He Yue picked up the phone that was left on the coffee table and walked to the door. After thinking for a while, he frowned and said to me, "Actually, the sound insulation of this house is not as good as you think, really."
