Sister Lin was momentarily stunned, looking at me and pointing at Xu Xin, “Do you two know each other?”
I scratched my head and smiled, “We were high school classmates.”
“Long time no see,” Xu Xin said with a smile as she looked at me.
I replied awkwardly, “Yeah, long time no see. I didn’t expect you’d get into Shenghua, too.”
Xu Xin feigned annoyance, “What’s really surprising is how you managed to get into Shenghua, isn’t it?”
Don’t I really look like someone who did well in school?
Xu Xin stepped forward and whispered in my ear, “This time, you can’t get away!”—and then she actually bit my ear.
“Ouch!” I exclaimed. This little girl really meant it—she bit so hard!
“What are you two doing?” Sister Lin asked, looking at our antics with a puzzled expression.
Xu Xin just smiled, “It’s nothing; this is how we always greet each other when we meet.”
What the heck! Who greets like that?
Rubbing my ear, I asked, “By the way, Campus Belle Xu, what brings you here?”
“I saw the rental listing on a forum, so I came over!” Xu Xin replied with her ever-present smile, though she noticed the discomfort in my eyes.
Sister Lin added from the side, “I ran into her on the way, so I came along.”
“Was that phone call made by you?” I asked Xu Xin, puzzled.
Xu Xin paused, then asked, “What phone call?”
That made sense—although the voice sounded familiar, it definitely wasn’t Xu Xin’s. Besides, that girl said they were coming as a pair, and Xu Xin met up with Sister Lin on the way. That means there are two more girls looking to rent—and with those two, the room’s occupancy would be just right!
“I memorized your number, so once I saw the contact info I came straight over without even calling you,” Xu Xin explained when she saw I’d fallen silent.
I smiled, “You know me—I still didn’t know to let you in after all this time. It’s pretty hot, so come on in.”
Sister Lin clutched her forehead, feigning grief, “My, my, my handsome little brother—how can you be so clueless?”
I thought, I may be slow sometimes, but I’m not as clueless as you…
Just as the three of us entered the room, Mei’er came running over with an excited look, arms wide open as if she wanted a hug.
Ah, if you’re going to get a girlfriend, you should go for someone like Mei’er. Look at that—hugging in front of everyone! What nerve! I spread my arms too, ready to give Mei’er a warm embrace.
But who would have thought that Mei’er suddenly hugged Sister Lin instead, exclaiming, “Sister Lin, I’ve missed you so much!”
“Sis, I’ve missed you too! Now, give me a k!ss!” And with that, she planted a k!ss right on Mei’er’s cheek.
That spot is exclusively mine, alright?! Damn Sister Lin—if I get mixed up with her, nothing good will come of it!
“Ahem, ahem!” I coughed a couple of times, then said, “Aren’t we supposed to check out the apartment? Let’s go look!”
Sister Lin looked at me with a mischievous grin, “Oh, what’s this—jealous? I just have to k!ss you a couple more times!” And with a couple of smooches—damn it! That’s just so unfair!
At that moment, Xu Xin looked at Mei’er with a somewhat strange expression but eventually smiled, “Hi, I’m Xu Xin. I’m sure we’ve met before.”
Mei’er glanced at Xu Xin as if pondering something, then smiled, “I’m Su Mei’er!”
Sister Lin and Mei’er sat hand in hand on the sofa while I took the seat across from them. To my dismay, Xu Xin ended up sitting right next to me—and so close that I could almost catch a whiff of that maiden’s unique fragrance, which made me rather uneasy.
“Xia Tian, when did Mei’er get here? Why didn’t you tell me?” Sister Lin said with a smile.
Lost in my thoughts, I quickly replied, “Mei’er just arrived.”
“Oh, so that’s why you decided to rent a place—because of this!” Sister Lin said teasingly, then added, “Do you want your sister to go out and buy you some D*rex or something?”
D*mn it! How can Sister Lin say things like that? Didn’t you notice Xu Xin is right here beside me? Isn’t this exactly the kind of chaos you’re known for?
“Better keep it for yourself! I don’t need it for now!” I snapped.
Xu Xin, who’d looked off the moment she saw Mei’er—and whose expression darkened when she heard Sister Lin’s joke—broke into a smile again when she heard my remark. I really can’t figure out what goes on in a girl’s mind.
I looked at Xu Xin and said with a smile, “Even though we’re friends, if you’re renting this place you’ll have to pay the rent. It’s 20,000 a year—no problem, right?”
“You really have no idea about cherishing delicate beauty!” Xu Xin playfully scolded, then pulled out two stacks of red banknotes from her bag and placed them on the table, “Exactly 20,000. Check it out and see if it’s enough.”
“Who’s got the upper hand here?!” I exclaimed as I grabbed the money. It felt damn good! Holding so many banknotes at once—this was a first for me!
“Ahem, ahem!” I coughed twice and looked at Sister Lin, “Sister Lin, what about yours?”
Hearing that, Sister Lin laughed, “Just put it on credit for now; I’ll pay you back once I have the money!”
“You’re not planning on dodging payment, are you?!” I retorted. Seriously, if Sister Lin doesn’t pay me back, there’s nothing I can do!
Sister Lin wasn’t amused, “Who would default on payment?! Don’t forget, back when you rented my aunt’s place, you didn’t pay the rent on time—I kept delaying it for you!” She paused, then continued, “Lately, I’ve had my eye on a bag. Once I buy that, I’ll pay the rent!”
Holy crap! When it came time to collect the rent, it was because you had your eye on a bag; and now, when it’s time to pay, you’re eyeing a bag again! Isn’t that just ridiculous?!
“Mei’er, look at your Xia Tian—so stingy. Listen to your sister, maybe you should switch to someone else!” Sister Lin teased Mei’er deliberately.
At the sound of that, I couldn’t even think about the rent and hurriedly said to Sister Lin, “Sis! You’re my real sister! Let me take care of the rent for you, alright?!”
“Now that’s my good little brother!” Sister Lin replied as if it were the obvious thing to do.
Honestly, I really felt like going up and slapping her right then!
Suddenly, Xu Xin snatched the money from my hand, “Since you won’t take Sister Lin’s money, then you might as well not take mine either.”
What the heck! Seriously, you can’t mess around like that! Where’s the scriptwriter? Scriptwriter, come out here! Today, I absolutely must have a word with you! This is so d*mn illogical!
Seeing my utterly miserable expression, Xu Xin laughed, “Alright, I was just joking with you! Was it really necessary? Here, take the money!” And she shoved the money back into my hand.
I grabbed Xu Xin’s hand tightly, tears glistening in my eyes, and said passionately, “Compared to Sister Lin, you’re nothing short of a goddess!”
Xu Xin’s face flushed red, and she quickly withdrew her hand, stammering, “I-I’ll go take a look at the apartment first!” And with that, she hurried off.
What on earth is going on? Is it really that easy to get shy?
Sister Lin smiled, “I’ll go check out the apartment too. Mei’er, do you want to come with your sister?”
Mei’er shook her head with a smile, “No thanks, I want to go take a shower!”
“Alright then, I’ll go by myself!” Sister Lin said with a smile as she headed off to check out the place.
Mei’er looked at me and said, “Xia Tian, I’m going to take a shower!”
“Okay, go ahead!” I replied with a smile, though inside I was thinking, a shower? That sounds great—soon I’ll get to feast my eyes!
While I was lost in thought, Little Xia Tian started acting up again, raising its proud little head—but who has time to take care of that now!
Right now, the number one priority is to sneak a peek at Mei’er while she’s sh0wering!
Once Mei’er went into the bathr0om, I tiptoed after her.
Hehe, may the heavens bless my Little Xia Tian!
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