"This house is quite nice."
As Lu Zhe looked around in that one-bedroom rented room, he couldn't help but blurt out.
Xue Xiaodie stood beside him, her hands behind her back, and smiled, "Of course, I told you."
On the other side was the landlady, a middle-aged, slightly overweight woman with permed hair: "You absolutely cannot find a place nearby with a lower price and better conditions!"
Lu Zhe nodded subconsciously, already quite tempted.
The landlady had already told him. The rent here, including utilities and internet, is nearly two thousand a month. It's definitely more expensive than his previous shared apartment, but the living environment is much better; at least he doesn't have to fight with others for the toilet anymore. And considering his salary at Ji Chunqiu's company, the rent isn't a huge burden.
He said, "So when can I move in?"
"I know you young people are busy and have to go to work later, so I prepared it in advance. You can have it now!" the landlady said, taking out the contract she had prepared beforehand.
The contract was printed on A4 paper, only two pages long. The content on both pages was very simple, with the same information, and the landlady had already written her name on them.
Lu Zhe took it and looked at it twice. When he looked down, he realized that the pen had been stuffed into his hand.
The landlady pulled out another bunch of keys, smiling as she said, "Sign up and I'll give them to you. What's there to hesitate about?"
Lu Zhe glanced at Xue Xiaodie, thought for a moment, and then signed his name on the contract.
The landlady took the contract and pen, stuffed the key and access card into his hand, and said warmly, "I have lunch at home, why don't you eat here?"
Xue Xiaodie smiled and said, "No need, Auntie. We're quite busy at lunchtime and should be leaving now."
"Alright, I won't bother you anymore... Ah, youth is wonderful."
As the landlady said this, she opened the door and went out with a smile.
Xue Xiaodie also ran out, but only a dozen seconds later she ran back, holding a broom in one hand and a mop in the other.
"Let's clean up tonight, leave your things here... Hey, what's wrong?"
The girl put down the broom and mop and noticed that Lu Zhe's expression was a little strange.
Lu Zhe: "...It's already decided, is the big cleaning tonight?"
Xue Xiaodie was a little embarrassed, and she tugged at her clothes and said softly, "It doesn't necessarily have to be today. You can call me to help whenever you feel the need to clean..."
Lu Zhe paused for two seconds, then smiled and said, "Okay, thank you very much."
If it were up to him, house cleaning would never take less than a few days. But now that this girl is keeping him on track, it's good that it's done quickly.
Xue Xiaodie: "Shall we go grab something to eat now? We need to fill our stomachs before we have to go to work. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Lu Zhe: "I already..."
Xue Xiaodie: "You're not allowed to say 'I can do anything'!"
Lu Zhe suddenly had a feeling that the girl in front of him seemed to understand him a little too well.
————
Xue Xiaodie and Lu Zhe's lunch consisted of snacks bought from a roadside stall.
Both of them had very limited lunch break time, and moving luggage and renting a house had already taken up most of it, so in order not to miss their shifts in the afternoon, they could only buy something to eat on the go.
Lu Zhe was holding a small paper bowl containing fried potatoes, fried tofu, and cauliflower.
When he bought the bowl, the vendor gave him two small bamboo skewers, but he only needed to use one as he ate while walking—but suddenly, a slender hand reached out, grabbed a bamboo skewer, speared a piece of potato, and snatched it away.
Lu Zhe turned to look at the girl beside him.
Xue Xiaodie, who was eating a potato, asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Zhe: "Never mind, it's nothing."
It's just a potato, nothing serious. It's just that he's not used to sharing food from the same bowl with girls.
Xue Xiaodie then realized that perhaps it was a habit from when she 'used' to eat with him that made her snatch his food; it was purely an unconscious action.
So the girl waved the snack in her hand: "Or, you can eat mine?"
Lu Zhe: "...That's a jianbing guozi."
The jianbing guozi was a complete set, but the girl had already eaten half of it. If he shared it, it would inevitably raise suspicions of an indirect kiss.
Xue Xiaodie stuck out her tongue and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Sorry, it was just a joke..."
In the 'past' when the two were in a relationship, it was all too common for her to share half of what she ate with him.
Xue Xiaodie secretly reminded herself that although their relationship seemed to have grown closer, it was still just a relationship that was more than friendship but not quite romance, so she couldn't get too carried away.
While Xue Xiaodie remained silently shy, Lu Zhe ate his fried tofu, feeling a subtle mix of emotions—hesitation or regret. What if he had taken advantage of the situation and eaten her jianbing (Chinese crepe)? Would his relationship with this lovely girl have grown even closer?
So, should we close the distance now?
Lu Zhe couldn't help but feel that if things continued like this, his procrastination would probably get worse and worse...
The two crossed the street and quickly arrived at the office building. Inside, they reached the elevator, which opened shortly afterward.
Xue Xiaodie stepped inside naturally, but when she turned around, she found Lu Zhe standing outside.
The girl looked at him, smiled naturally, and asked, "What are you standing there for?"
Lu Zhe swallowed hard, stepped into the elevator, and smiled at the woman next to him first.
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