Chapter 8 Cohabitation Agreement (×) Cohabitation Agreement ()……
Shen Xingjian seemed to have taken the happy chicken soup to heart. Of course, it could also be that the night was over and the dawn brought a new life.
The next afternoon, Shen Xingjian returned to normal and came to negotiate with her with two agreements.
"Thank you... for last night." His tone was awkward, and the word "thank you" was as vague as a mosquito's hum.
Shen Xingjian touched his nose, then handed her two agreements, "I thought about it, since we don't know how long we will live together, some rules should be made clear in advance. I drafted a living together agreement in duplicate, take a look."
Gao Xing reached out to take it, and immediately noticed the alteration on the title: the word "居" in "同居" was crossed out and changed to "住".
"Whereby Party A and Party B have reached an agreement to reside together, and to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties and to protect their legitimate interests, this Agreement is hereby entered into..."
She read out: "First, basic principles. Both parties should respect each other's dignity and maintain civility and courtesy. They should not argue, insult, ridicule, or slander each other."
A question mark slowly appeared in Gaoxing's head. Who is looking for trouble all day long?
Shen Xingjian looked up at the sky: “Although what you said is not unreasonable, but isn’t it a bit too much to say in front of me that if I was struck to death by lightning, no one would collect my body?”
Gao Xing was a little speechless, but he held it in and continued reading: "Second, division of space. In addition to the public space, Party A and Party B each have some exclusive space. Among them, the east and west rooms on the first floor, the bathroom, and the west room on the second floor belong to Chen Xingjian; the east room on the second floor, the study, and the bathroom belong to Gao Xing; the living room, kitchen, and dining room are public spaces. No one may enter the other party's space without permission."
He added sarcastically, "Men and women are different after all. Breaking into my bathroom without permission like you did last night, where is my innocence?"
Gao Xing rolled his eyes and spoke as if someone really wanted to go in.
"Third, belongings are subordinate. According to the principle of whoever contributes owns, all items in the house belong to their contributors and are not shared in principle. If Party A and Party B wish to borrow each other's items, they must obtain the other party's consent in advance and are not allowed to move or use them without permission."
Gao Xing was really impressed. I only used the gas stove once during a power outage, but he still remembers it and even wrote it down in the agreement. How could there be such a petty person in the world?
"Fourth, humanitarian concern?"
Gao Xing brought the agreement closer. "Mutual assistance is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation. When living together, if one party encounters danger or an emergency, both parties should provide timely assistance to demonstrate humanitarian care."
What is this?
Gao Xing put the agreement down and looked at Shen Xingjian.
She was a normal person with all her limbs, and she wouldn't go out in the yard with a shovel in a thunderstorm, looking for death. What kind of danger or emergency could she have encountered? Wasn't this message clearly written for her?
“Is there a problem?” Shen Xingjian crossed his arms righteously, not feeling that he had taken advantage at all.
"Oh, no problem." Gao Xing curled his lips.
Forget it, just consider it as a good deed.
Gao Xing glanced at the items at the end, which were all trivial clauses, such as dressing appropriately in public spaces; keeping quiet after 9pm and not making obvious noises; planning the time and frequency of using public spaces reasonably, and using them during off-peak hours, etc.
The only special clause is the last one: "Party A agrees to provide three meals for Party B free of charge. In return, Party B needs to be responsible for the sanitation of public spaces once a day and must not be lazy, slack, or foolish."
Shen Xingjian immediately said arrogantly: “I didn’t let you eat for free. From now on, the hygiene of the kitchen, living room and dining room will be yours, so that you don’t have to lie upstairs every day and your limbs will degenerate!”
Although Shen Xingjian and Gao Xing's deal only lasted a few days, judging by the happy expression she wore every time she ate, she probably didn't like instant noodles that much. Moreover, with her current pale and thin appearance, if she fainted from malnutrition one day, the ambulance wouldn't even know where to take her!
Shen Xingjian felt that he was simply a great kind-hearted person.
Gao Xing finally agreed to the agreement. After both parties signed it, Shen Xingjian took the contract and concluded: "The agreement will take effect from the date both parties sign it. That is to say, from now on you must strictly follow the agreement. If you violate it, you must move out according to the agreement."
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but say: "Of course, a gentleman's agreement is to guard against gentlemen, not villains."
Gao Xing also collected his share and raised the corner of his lip: "Okay, little man."
Shen Xingjian immediately exploded: "You are the villain!"
…
After his lottery-get-rich plan failed, Shen Xingjian didn't sit idly by. He had a new idea.
Smart travel applications are just his predictions about future trends based on the current development of the automotive industry. Now that the future is right in front of him, why should he cling to just one application?
He called Xu Jiakai and said, "Didn't Guanya say they were willing to pay twice Wanhe's price? Then give it to them."
In just a few days, Shen Xingjian's attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees.
Xu Jiakai was about to ask him why he changed his mind when he heard him say, "As long as we still have the patent, we can still make a comeback."
Xu Jiakai suddenly fell silent, paused for a few moments, and then replied, "Okay, I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Gao Xing just came down from upstairs. Seeing that she was dressed like a decent person again, Shen Xingjian, contrary to his usual behavior, did not say anything rude. Instead, he asked attentively, "Are you going out? Will you come back for lunch?"
As he said this, he took out a few hot buns from the steamer and placed them on the dining table.
Gao Xing didn't realize his scheming and went straight to the kitchen to get the dishes and chopsticks. He replied, "I'm going to take the exam. You don't have to wait for me at noon. Put the pots and pans in the sink and I'll come back to wash them."
Shen Xingjian knew that she was looking for a job, but he didn't care. Seeing that she was in a stable mood today, he said smoothly: "I have thought about it carefully. This is not a solution. We still have to solve the law of time and space overlap as soon as possible. You know, my time and space are ten years behind yours. The key may still be on your side."
Gao Xing was completely focused on the recruitment exam today, so she didn't have the energy to engage in any intrigue with him. She lazily asked, "So, what do you want to do?"
Shen Xingjian immediately said: “So we need to share information, enhance our understanding of each other, and jointly unravel the secrets of the overlap of time and space!”
Happy: "Get to the point."
Shen Xingjian: “I want to borrow your computer.”
Happy:"……"
So much nonsense just for this little thing.
Gao Xing readily lent him the laptop. She knew that Shen Xingjian probably had other intentions, but she didn't bother to care.
Whether he really wanted to unfold the space-time or was still trying to get rich, it was none of her business as long as it didn't hinder her.
Agreeing to lend it to him was just to maintain a temporary alliance.
…
Beijing South Ruixi Hospital is affiliated to Ruixi Medical Group and is the largest private hospital in Beijing South City. It is benchmarked against high-end private hospitals abroad and offers the best treatment to medical staff in Beijing South.
She was both happy and surprised when she received the exam notification from this unit, because Ruixi Hospital is a Sino-foreign joint venture and prefers talents with overseas study backgrounds. According to their employment standards, she should have been screened out at the resume stage. She signed up at that time just with the attitude of giving it a try.
I don’t know if it was because her resume mentioned winning a skill competition, but Ruixi actually sent her an exam notice and even subsidized 500 yuan for travel expenses. It was so generous, I’d be a fool not to go.
After getting off the subway, I happily followed the instructions in the notification text message and arrived at the examination location at Ruixi Hospital.
Since graduation season, she has participated in at least eight recruitment exams, if not ten. She thought she had some understanding of the exam contents of major hospitals. She never expected that Ruixi Hospital would not play by the rules. Instead of testing basic knowledge or professional skills, it tested English, and the extremely difficult professional English!
When I came out of the examination building dejectedly, I was happy to know that I had failed again. The only consolation was that as long as I took the written test, I could get 500 yuan for travel expenses, so it was not a wasted trip.
As she was walking dejectedly on the asphalt road of the hospital, a child rushed over recklessly and bumped into her, causing the leaves in his arms to fall to the ground.
The child had an IV in his hand and fell to the ground with a cry of "ouch" after bumping into someone. Gao Xing saw that the child was wearing a hospital gown and was so scared that he rushed to help him.
"Are you okay?" she asked nervously.
The child patted his butt and got up from the ground. Looking at the leaves scattered on the ground, he suddenly screamed, "These are the leaves I picked with great difficulty! It's all your fault! It's all your fault!"
Gao Xing was startled, thinking, "You're the one who hit me, and you're still throwing a tantrum?" But since he was just a child and this was a hospital known for its psychiatric department, he didn't provoke him any further.
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll help you pick them up!" She squatted down to pick up the leaves and said in a gentle voice.
Just as she was coaxing him, a clear voice came from behind: "Xixi, don't be so rude. If you do this, your brother won't teach you how to draw leaves anymore."
Hearing the sound, the fingers that were happily picking up leaves paused unconsciously.
Soon, a woman came running over. She seemed to be the child's mother. She bent down, apologized for the child, and took the child away.
After the woman left, Gao Xing was still squatting there. She was a little hesitant, not knowing whether she should turn around.
The next second, the tips of pure white canvas shoes appeared in sight. The man half-knelt, and his slender fingers picked up the scattered leaves on the ground.
"Sorry, are you okay?" The clear voice brushed past my ears like a breeze.
His breathing hitched slightly in joy, "It's okay!"
She stood up hurriedly, and when she saw the light-colored hospital gown on him, she blurted out, "You?"
Zhou Jinkai paused and asked calmly, "Do you know me?"
Realizing his own gaffe, Gao Xing lowered his head, his lips slightly parted: "I... I really like your work, Mr. Shixu."
Gao Xing didn't expect him to remember their brief encounter. On the contrary, she didn't want him to see her in such a miserable state.
Hearing her answer, Zhou Jinkai narrowed his eyes slightly, and in just a moment, he returned to his usual gentleness.
He smiled and said, "Thank you for your love. By the way, what's your name? I have a new album coming out soon. If you don't mind, I'd like to send you one as a token of my gratitude for your love. Of course, if you think it's too presumptuous..."
Gao Xing hurriedly said: "No!"
After returning from the publishing house that day, I happily looked for his works online. He is an extremely talented painter. Even though he has only been in the industry for less than two years, he has already become a leading painter.
Gao Xing quickly took out a pen and paper from her bag, neatly wrote down her contact information and handed it over with both hands.
Zhou Jinkai took it and looked at the contents of the note. "Your name is Gaoxing?"
He curled his lips and looked at the girl in front of him again: "It's a nice name. So happy, let's keep today's events as a little secret between us, okay?"
Gao Xing didn't understand what he meant at first until she noticed the hospital gown he was wearing.
Although Gao Xing would not tell anyone, to Zhou Jinkai, she was just a stranger he met for the first time. If the news that the famous painter Shi Xu was accidentally encountered in a mental hospital spread, it would inevitably affect his reputation. His concerns were not unreasonable.
"Okay." She promised solemnly.
After the girl left, Zhou Jinkai stroked the note in his hand with a gloomy expression.
Happy, Villa No. 1 at Mingjing Lake Resort.
On the way back to Villa No. 1 by subway, looking at the people coming and going in the subway station, happy memories unconsciously returned to four years ago.
The first time I met Zhou Jinkai was four years ago, when she just started college.
Gao Xing was born in a small mountain village in Xijiang. Ever since she was old enough to understand, she was determined that one day she would leave that place, a place full of poverty and backwardness.
However, in the first ten years of her life, she endured humiliation and studied hard, and all she got in return for countless first places was to escape from a small mountain village with only dozens of people to a small town with tens of thousands of people.
Coming to Jingnan to attend university was Gao Xing's first time leaving Xijiang. She carried her luggage alone, took a long green train ride, and traveled through mountains and rivers to reach this far-enough place.
She had filled out her college entrance exam application at random, simply because her parents thought nurses could marry doctors and decided for her. She wasn't happy about it; as long as she could leave Xijiang, and be away from them, that was enough.
The prosperity of southern Beijing is like expensive goods on the shelves, amazing and daunting at the same time. When she set foot on this land with a woven bag on her back, she saw the world outside the mountains for the first time.
She didn't know the way, didn't have a cell phone, and didn't even know there was a school welcome bus at the train station. She ignorantly followed the crowd to the subway station wearing a yellowed T-shirt and plastic sandals.
She wanted to go in, but the gate with a gray tongue blocked her way. She saw others throwing blue coins into the gate, and uncertainly took out a coin from her pocket that she had originally intended to use for the bus, not sure if her ordinary coin would work.
When she bent down and tried to put coins into the gate, the subway station staff shouted at her and told her to buy a ticket from the ticket machine next to her, saying how could she be so stupid at such a young age.
Gao Xing apologized repeatedly and dragged his luggage back to the ticket machine with difficulty.
It was the peak time for the train station, and a huge crowd of people was pouring into the subway station. Gao Xing went against the flow of people, and the heavy woven bag was kicked around, and she could hardly hold on to it with both hands.
"Can you please give way?"
"What are you doing carrying such a big bag?"
"It's so annoying, why are there so many people?"
Complaints were heard one after another in my ears. Although they did not mention anyone by name, I was happy but still apologized panickily.
The weather at the end of August continued the scorching heat of midsummer. The subway station was noisy and stuffy. Sweat dripped from her forehead and her back was soaked.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Ah—"
Just as she was dragging her luggage in a panic and helpless manner and was almost about to fall down due to the crowd, a hand grabbed her.
To this day, Gao Xing still remembers the feeling at that moment: dry and slightly cool fingers covered her wet and sticky wrist, helping her to maintain her balance with a flexible force.
The boy in front of her carrying a drawing board smiled at her, revealing a faint dimple on his face, then turned to the woven bag in her hand and took over her heavy bag.
"Be careful!" he said gently.
For a boy, he was extremely handsome, so handsome that Gao Xing's limited language system at the time could not find a word to describe him.
She had never seen such a handsome man, so handsome and elegant, so gentle and kind.
"Are you a freshman this year?" The boy helped carry the luggage and led the way for her.
Gao Xing followed closely behind him and said "hmm" softly behind him.
"Jingnan University?" he asked.
Gao Xing's eyes followed the drawing board on his back, and she saw the small words written on it: Zhou Jinkai.
Zhou Jinkai? That should be his name, right?
"Or Jingnan Polytechnic?"
Gao Xing came to his senses and shook his head: "...No."
"Could it be such a coincidence that it's the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts?" He stopped and looked at her at the end of the queue at the ticket machine.
"It's Jingnan Medical College." Gao Xing said in a low voice.
The reason why she lacked confidence was that the first three schools were all outstanding universities of the same type, while Jingnan Medical College was unknown and was just an ordinary second-tier university that not many people knew about.
"So you are the angels in white who save lives and heal the wounded." He smiled.
Maybe he just smiled out of politeness, but at that moment, his happy heart felt throbbing for the first time, like the breeze blowing through the grass and the birds flying over the treetops.
That was her first day in Jingnan, and it was a day she could never forget.
That day, Zhou Jinkai carefully taught her how to buy tickets and transfer, introduced her to the city's landmarks and attractions, and helped her carry her heavy luggage all the way to the school gate, even though they were not going that way.
Before leaving, he told Gao Xing: Everyone has a first time, and everyone grows through trial and error. There is no need to be ashamed or timid, because there is nothing shameful in trying.
The author has something to say:
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There is nothing shameful about hard work, but arrogance is [Like]
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