Song Qiuyu had never considered sharing a rental with anyone—girls were out of the question, boys too, and any other undefined gender didn’t work either.
If possible, she preferred renting alone.
Yet, when Jiang Xiao invited her, she inexplicably didn’t refuse immediately. Instead, she decided to at least take a look at his place.
On the way to the rental, she kept an eye on the Rental House Notices plastered on the walls.
But the prices only made her want to back out more and more.
As she weighed her options, a thought bloomed deep inside her—one so surprising she barely recognized it herself.
If sharing with Jiang Xiao didn’t disturb him much and the place was nice, maybe sharing wasn’t such a bad idea.
However, this dangerous notion stayed in her mind for less than half a second before she hurriedly dismissed it.
Sharing with someone as smart as Jiang Xiao meant that someone not as clever as him wouldn’t last more than a few days before being completely exposed—like running naked in front of him.
Every little thing would be revealed!
And this wasn’t just about exposing ordinary bad habits or quirks that could cause disputes. It was the kind of exposure where a malicious roommate’s misdeeds would be caught and avenged!
Living with four people was very different from sharing with just two.
If it was just two people living together, what might happen between them was something she didn’t dare even imagine.
Her heart was already uneasy, and she was ready to back out.
Jiang Xiao then stopped and pulled the Room Key from his pocket, opening the door to the rental.
Song Qiuyu looked up.
Inside was a moderately sized apartment, fully equipped, with all the furniture she would expect, and plenty of space left in the living room.
The overall layout was warm and cozy.
It was practically her Dream House—the rental version!
Song Qiuyu blinked, unsure if this was the apartment’s original state or if Jiang Xiao had redecorated it. She leaned toward the latter.
After all, someone as meticulous as Jiang Xiao would definitely spend time arranging the place to be as comfortable for himself as possible.
She was different—lazy when it came to this kind of thing. She left the rental as it was the day she moved in.
“Come in.”
Jiang Xiao was changing shoes by the door.
“Okay…”
Song Qiuyu nodded and accepted the Brown Plush Slippers he handed her, about to put them on.
“Jiang Xiao, were you planning on sharing this place from the start?”
Her brow furrowed suddenly as she spotted a suspicious detail.
“Hm?”
Jiang Xiao paused.
“Why else would you prepare two pairs of slippers?”
Song Qiuyu tilted her head, probing.
Recalling the scene where she recently saw him laughing and chatting with Sang Tian, her mind raced.
“They’re for washing.”
Jiang Xiao answered calmly.
…
Song Qiuyu thought it over carefully and realized that actually made sense. Even indoor slippers needed regular washing.
She nodded again, no longer dwelling on it, crouching to change her shoes.
At that moment, Jiang Xiao kindly reached out a hand, indicating she could hand him her backpack.
Without hesitation, Song Qiuyu took off her Backpack and handed it over.
“Thanks, Jiang Xiao!”
She smiled brightly.
“You’re welcome. This is my bedroom, and that one next to it is currently empty. I cleaned it when I moved in, but it’s just being used as a storage room for now.”
Jiang Xiao gestured toward the two adjacent rooms, then gently placed her backpack on the Sofa in the living room.
“Okay. Got it.” Song Qiuyu nodded obediently.
She slipped her small feet out of the Canvas Shoes she wore with black socks and quickly slid into the clean Brown Plush Slippers.
After changing, she immediately stepped into the empty bedroom. Her eyes brightened at once.
The bedroom was spacious, bright, and well-ventilated.
Although Jiang Xiao called it a storage room, it only held one suitcase and a glass display cabinet against the wall, filled with several finely crafted Figurines.
It felt like she could just drag her luggage in this afternoon without even cleaning.
“Pretty big.”
Jiang Xiao narrowed his eyes as he watched Song Qiuyu walk around, looking and touching things.
She didn’t linger long before pulling out her phone and sending a Link to Jiang Xiao at the door.
A “ding” sounded, and Jiang Xiao opened the Link.
It was full of tips on University Student Rental Traps to avoid.
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“Not sure if I’m too late… I’m not doubting your judgment, I just…”
“I understand.”
“You understanding is good. But hehe, just this bedroom alone, I’m actually pretty satisfied with it, but I feel…”
Song Qiuyu nervously twisted her fingers, unwilling to turn and face Jiang Xiao.
She really liked this room.
But for all kinds of reasons, she needed to find more reasons to refuse without hurting anyone.
“If you rent this room, the monthly rent should be around six hundred.”
Jiang Xiao, of course, saw through her thoughts and extended an olive branch so gently it wasn’t just within reach—it softly wrapped around her wrist.
She couldn’t refuse.
…
Song Qiuyu pressed her lips tightly, her gaze wavering.
“I’ve paid attention to those rental traps mentioned in the video. You can rest assured on that.”
Jiang Xiao walked over and pulled out the Contract.
“Here’s the contract—you can take a look.”
“Uh…”
Song Qiuyu tugged nervously at her sleeves, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before forcing herself to turn and accept the contract.
After reading it, she frowned in indecision.
There was really no problem.
What should she do? Both this apartment and Jiang Xiao as a roommate seemed like the best option so far.
Rejecting it would make her look foolish.
“I’ll take a look at the kitchen and bathroom then!”
“Okay.”
Jiang Xiao took back the contract and watched her leave the bedroom. He followed her with his eyes as she walked around, tilting his head slightly and smiling.
Just as he expected, Song Qiuyu failed to find a single flaw despite trying hard.
“Jiang Xiao, is it just me, or…”
Song Qiuyu seemed to give up struggling, sitting heavily on the Sofa with her head lowered, clasping her hands nervously.
Jiang Xiao was slightly stunned.
“I still get the feeling you really want to find someone to share the rent with, and that person is me?”
Song Qiuyu turned her head to look at Jiang Xiao and pointed at herself.
“But Song Qiuyu, haven’t you always taken good care of me?”
Jiang Xiao smiled calmly, as if brushing off the topic, saying something irrelevant.
Song Qiuyu frowned, staring at him without blinking, silently urging him to take the matter seriously and not dodge the question.
“Alright, I admit it—I saw you checking Rental House Notices over and over last night, so I guessed maybe you want to move out of the Dormitory.”
Jiang Xiao shrugged and said casually.
Suddenly, Song Qiuyu stiffened, her heartbeat racing as embarrassment flooded her.
So… Jiang Xiao had seen everything!
She couldn’t ask any further.
Then Jiang Xiao walked toward her at a steady pace, and with a single short sentence, he shattered all her defenses and wariness in an instant.