Chapter 1
Chapter summary: "The landlord said that starting next month, the rent will increase by five hundred each month."
At 5:28 a.m., Ni Zhenzhen opened her eyes. She always managed to wake up before the alarm clock went off, so as not to be late for work and not to wake the people next to her.
Xu Tianzhou was still asleep, his long eyelashes visible, his breathing steady.
He has excellent sleeping posture; he looks exactly the same when he lies down as when he wakes up in the morning.
Ni Zhenzhen propped herself up halfway, using the sparse light filtering through the curtains to observe him. She liked looking at him, but she didn't dare stare at him while he was awake. As she looked, Ni Zhenzhen recalled the first time she saw him. It was in high school English class, when Xu Tianzhou, a transfer student, walked into the classroom.
Everyone was stunned by his appearance, and they discussed it amongst themselves. Ni Zhenzhen also felt that he was different from others. He was aloof, arrogant, and rarely smiled. His speech and behavior revealed a maturity beyond his years, as if he were detached from worldly affairs, making him unapproachable.
But no matter what, they still got together.
Thinking of this, Ni Zhenzhen smiled unconsciously. She suppressed the urge to kiss him and carefully rolled out of bed.
The living room lights came on, revealing a small and cramped space. The apartment was an old building from the last century; the floor tiles were cracked, some plaster had fallen off the walls, and a light bulb hung from the moldy ceiling.
Ni Zhenzhen went into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast.
It's called a kitchen, but it's really just an enclosed balcony. There's a gas stove on one side and an old sink on the other. The middle section is only big enough for one person. If a slightly overweight person were standing here, they probably wouldn't even be able to turn around easily.
Ni Zhenzhen's long-standing strict adherence to time management has honed her skills in quickly preparing breakfast. She puts the rice that was soaked the night before into the pot, places the steamed buns and eggs on the steamer rack, and while waiting, she also prepares a side dish. However, today's task is a bit heavier. In addition to making breakfast, Ni Zhenzhen also has to cook lunch. Fortunately, she is not picky about food; a little rice and a stir-fry dish are enough for her.
Xu Tianzhou was already up when the food was served. He had just changed into his work suit and was tying his tie in front of the mirror.
Suddenly noticing her serious face in the mirror, Ni Zhenzhen was taken aback. Xu Tianzhou looked extremely handsome in a suit; even now, seeing him like this still made her blush and her heart race. In Ni Zhenzhen's opinion, the suit wasn't anything special; it was just a work uniform issued by Xu Tianzhou's company. But unsurprisingly, he wore it with an air of luxury and high-end designer.
"Dinner's ready," Ni Zhenzhen said to Xu Tianzhou, snapping out of her daze.
"Hmm." Xu Tianzhou, having finished tying his tie, lowered his head and adjusted his cuffs, responding with a faint "Hmm."
Xu Tianzhou never speaks while eating. Usually, Ni Zhenzhen talks animatedly on the side, while he nods occasionally or gives a casual "hmm".
Unlike usual, Ni Zhenzhen's expression was complicated today. After hesitating for a long time, she cautiously said, "The landlord said that starting next month, the rent will increase by 500 yuan every month."
Xu Tianzhou paused, his hand holding the spoon still, and raised an eyebrow. "Another rent increase?"
This wasn't the first time the landlord had raised the rent. Six months ago, the landlord asked for an increase of 300 yuan per month because the house had been vacant for a long time before being rented to them. In order to rent the house out, the landlord had no choice but to give them a discount. The landlord said she felt annoyed every time she thought about it, so she insisted on raising the rent when renewing the lease.
Ni Zhenzhen pursed her lips. "Actually... the landlord and his wife have it pretty tough too."
The landlord couple are from out of town. Several years ago, they used all their savings to buy this house to prepare a wedding home for their son. Since their son is still in college, they rented out this house in the city to them and rented a bungalow in the rural suburbs themselves. The elderly couple do not have formal jobs and can only do odd jobs. This house is their only source of income.
Xu Tianzhou didn't speak. He lowered his hand, and the spoon hit the bottom of the bowl, making a crisp sound.
Ni Zhenzhen knew she had angered Xu Tianzhou again, and her voice involuntarily lowered, "Recently, with the urban renewal project, many people have moved out to rent houses, and rents have indeed gone up quite a bit. Actually, five hundred yuan isn't an insurmountable expense for us. By the way..."
As Ni Zhenzhen spoke, she took out a lunchbox from the kitchen. Half of it was filled with rice, and the other half with stir-fried lettuce and wood ear mushrooms. The food was still steaming, and a faint aroma wafted out, making it look refreshing and very tempting.
Ni Zhenzhen said enthusiastically, "I did the math, and I spend a lot of money on takeout every day. It's better to bring my own food. It's healthier and more affordable. Qian Lina also brings her own food every day."
Xu Tianzhou remained silent, his face grim.
“I’ve prepared one for you too.” Ni Zhenzhen took out a boiled corn from behind her back. “You eat late and your food is so oily, so take this and consider it an extra dish.”
The corn looked soft and tender, carefully wrapped in a plastic bag by Ni Zhenzhen. Xu Tianzhou took the corn and casually remarked, "You..."
Ni Zhenzhen smiled, looked around, her gaze sweeping over the photos on the wall, the gardenias on the TV cabinet, and the fairy lights on the window. She said with a touch of emotion, "I finally managed to make this place feel a bit like home, and I really don't want to move again."
Xu Tianzhou knew that Ni Zhenzhen's wish was to move into their own house as soon as possible, but with the current housing prices and their income, this wish was probably not easy to realize.
At seven o'clock, the two left home and headed towards the nearby subway station. As soon as they joined the dense crowd, everyone would unconsciously quicken their pace.
This isn't the most crowded subway station in the city, but it's not much better. You have to queue from outside the station, then queue again at the security checkpoint, and then queue again after entering the station. When the train finally arrives, the people in the middle of the carriage don't want others to squeeze in, while the people outside are desperately trying to get on. This is tough on the people standing at the door. Ni Zhenzhen was squeezed so hard that her feet were lifted off the ground several times. It was Xu Tianzhou who used his height advantage to bring her to a safe place and even used his body to create a small shelter for her.
Two stops later, the two had to get off and transfer to another subway line. This was the most physically and technically demanding moment, and also the moment that made Ni Zhenzhen's scalp tingle. On this day, she was once again pushed back by the crowd of people getting on the train. Fortunately, Xu Tianzhou grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the train.
After getting off the bus, Ni Zhenzhen didn't bother to tidy her messy hair and hurried forward while lifting her shoe heels.
To get from one platform to the other, you have to cross an overpass. As Ni Zhenzhen walked, she suddenly stopped and stared blankly in one direction.
"What's wrong?" Xu Tianzhou, who was walking ahead, turned around.
"It's nothing," Ni Zhenzhen replied.
Xu Tianzhou followed Ni Zhenzhen's gaze and frowned immediately. He grabbed Ni Zhenzhen's arm and urged, "Hurry up, don't be late."
"Oh." Ni Zhenzhen continued walking forward, but the scene she had just witnessed felt like a thorn stuck in her heart.
As Ni Zhenzhen mingled with the crowd and came down the steps, she spotted a car parked on the platform. She ran a few steps and rushed up to it, then shouted to Xu Tianzhou just as the doors were about to close: "Don't forget to eat corn."
The car door closed, and Ni Zhenzhen couldn't hear what he said. She could only vaguely make out the words "I understand" from his lip movements.
Ni Zhenzhen sighed. Xu Tianzhou didn't take her words to heart at all. When he got busy with work, he might forget about it again.
A few stops later, Ni Zhenzhen found a place to sit down. Since it was a bus heading to the suburbs, there weren't many passengers on board. At this time, most people were heading to the city center, just like Xu Tianzhou.
Ni Zhenzhen works at a bank in a suburban town. She could easily rent a place near her workplace like Qian Lina, which would save money and make commuting more convenient. However, she is always worried about Xu Tianzhou.
He works at Huijing Plaza in the city center. If he lived in the suburbs, his commute would take two hours each way. His working hours are already long, and with the commute, it would be too tiring. Although it's a bit tiring now, the two of them chose to be together, so they should share the burden, right? Besides, working at the branch in the township is only temporary. As long as she performs well, she might be transferred to the city soon.
After greeting the security guard, Ni Zhenzhen entered the branch through the back door and went straight into the changing room on the right to tie her hair and put on a scarf. During this period, the bank was focusing on professional image, and it was said that they had even arranged for "mystery spies" to conduct undercover investigations. Any problem in any aspect could result in being used as a typical example and publicly criticized throughout the bank.
Ni Zhenzhen dared not be negligent and carefully arranged the silk scarf in front of the mirror.
A short while later, Rong Xiaodan and Qian Lina came in.
Rong Xiaodan is a local. She attended primary and secondary schools in a township school just across the street. According to her, twenty years ago, this place was a cemetery, and her family wouldn't let them play here. Who knew that she would end up working here after growing up?
Qian Lina rented a place in a neighborhood not far from Rong Xiaodan's home, and the two often bumped into each other when they came to work.
Along the way, the two talked about buying a house, from the housing prices in different districts to which housing developments had good school districts, and how much down payment their families could afford.
Qian Lina comes from a well-off family; her parents are a middle school teacher and an internist, respectively, and they have already prepared a sum of money for her. Rong Xiaodan's family isn't wealthy, but there have been rumors that their area will be demolished, and if they choose monetary compensation, they'll have enough for a down payment.
"Zhenzhen, what about you? If you buy a house, how much can your family support you?"
Just as Ni Zhenzhen was about to secure the stray hairs by her ears with hairpins, Rong Xiaodan suddenly jumped in front of her, her big eyes blinking like a little deer from an animated film.
At the same time, Qian Lina, who had just turned around and inserted the key into the locker lock, suddenly stopped. In fact, the question Rong Xiaodan asked was the same question she wanted to ask.
She had always been curious about Ni Zhenzhen's family background. To be honest, Ni Zhenzhen didn't seem special at all. Her clothes, shoes, and bags were all from the most ordinary brands. She didn't own a house or a car, but she always felt that Ni Zhenzhen was different from them.
She still remembers when she first joined the company, all the new employees were taken to a hotel for training, one of the training contents was service etiquette. After everyone imitated the teacher's movements once, the teacher called on Ni Zhenzhen to do it once. Qian Lina clearly remembers that when Ni Zhenzhen sat down on the chair, crossed her legs and put them at a 45-degree angle, everyone present subconsciously let out a sigh of admiration.
Rong Xiaodan said Ni Zhenzhen was like a fairy descended from heaven, but Ni Zhenzhen replied that it was only because she had studied dance as a child. Qian Lina thought that was just Ni Zhenzhen being modest; she had also studied dance as a child, so why wasn't she called upon by her teacher to demonstrate?
She also remembered that during the interview, Ni Zhenzhen mentioned that she graduated from a foreign university, and that being able to study abroad meant she must have some family wealth.
To Qian Lina's surprise, Ni Zhenzhen's family situation was much worse than she had imagined.
As everyone gradually became more familiar with each other, Qian Lina learned that Ni Zhenzhen had not taken the college entrance examination and had no intention of taking it at all.
She attended an international school from kindergarten to middle school, where tuition alone cost 200,000 yuan a year. Add to that other miscellaneous expenses, and it's definitely not something an ordinary family could afford.
But no matter how they tried to subtly probe, whenever it came to family matters, Ni Zhenzhen would either remain silent or find a topic to brush it off.
Sure enough, this time, Ni Zhenzhen pointed to her hair and said, "Can you take a look? Do I have too many stray hairs?"
"No way! It looks fine to me. Why don't you help me with the scarf? I'm too clumsy with my hands, I just can't get it right."
"Okay, okay, don't worry, I'll definitely make it look beautiful for you."
The sound of the key turning filled the air, and a cryptic smile crept across Qian Lina's lips.
Rong Xiaodan was fooled by Ni Zhenzhen again.
Although Ni Zhenzhen was reluctant to talk about her family, she had mentioned her husband to them a few times.
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