Chapter 72 The Villain Zhu Yanhe. The phone in my pocket rang…
Ning Buyi answered his phone as his phone rang in his pocket. The voice in his ear made his face scrunch up, and anyone could tell it wasn't good news.
"Um, Mr. Ning, I can't rent that house to you anymore. We will compensate you for the breach of contract. I will come to you later to terminate the contract."
Why can't we rent it to him suddenly?
Mr. Bear tilted his head and asked him, "What's wrong?"
Ning Buyi gripped his phone tightly, pursed his lips, and started looking at nearby hotels, unable to help but complain about why he was always so unlucky: "The person who rented the house to me suddenly said they wouldn't rent it to me anymore."
"I have a guest room that's unoccupied," the electronic voice said, solving his problem for him. Ning Buyi looked at him blankly, but suddenly going to stay at a stranger's house seemed really strange!
Ning Buyi declined without much thought: "Thank you, thank you, but it's not necessary. I can stay at a hotel!"
Mr. Bear said in a low voice, "You don't need to be afraid of me."
The boy waved his hands and opened his eyes, lying: "No, no, I just prefer staying in hotels..."
Mr. Xiong did not insist further, but instead offered to help Ning Buyi find a new house.
All right.
Ning Buyi refused his kindness twice, and seeing his slightly lowered head, he felt too embarrassed to refuse again! After receiving the boy's affirmative answer, he raised his head again, as if nothing had happened.
He's such a good actor!
The city was shrouded in the dim night, and the faint moonlight did little to brighten the streets. A gust of wind brushed against his neck, and Ning Buyi shrank back.
His heart began to pound faster, and his pace quickened. Ever since what happened last time, Ning Buyi had been afraid of walking alone at night. A figure inexplicably flashed through his mind. He shook his head and started jogging towards his rented room.
"Why won't you rent it to me anymore?" Ning Buyi asked the real estate agent who had shown him the apartment that afternoon.
"Well... I can't really say."
The agent rubbed his hands together, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
This made Ning Buyi feel even more uneasy, and he pressed further, "Did someone tell you to do this?"
An idea formed in the boy's mind. Seeing the intermediary nod, his hands, which had been hanging by his sides, gradually grew cold and clenched into fists. He wanted nothing more than to punch Zhu Yanhe. At the same time, a surge of anger welled up in his heart. He knew that it must be that scoundrel Zhu Yanhe who was behind it.
He returned to the hotel seething with anger. Lying on the bed, he grew angrier the more he thought about it. Why did she have to come out and trip him up even though they were no longer together? Zhu Yanhe was such a petty and unreasonable person!
The bright lights illuminated every corner of the hotel room. Ning Buyi's face was shadowed by the light, revealing his wicked intentions. He took out his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart, just because Zhu Yanhe said he would get lost and insisted on carrying him, threatening to spank him if he couldn't remember!
The phone rang for less than two seconds before connecting. Ning Buyi vented her pent-up anger into the receiver: "Zhu Yan, are you crazy?! I finally managed to rent a place, what right do you have to tell me what to do?! We're done with each other!"
The person on the other end wasn't annoyed, but simply responded softly, "You can go home. Ning Buyi hasn't eaten for the past two days since you left."
"Ning Buyi" was the fish they raised together. Although they raised it together, he was only responsible for watching over it, while Zhu Yanhe took care of the rest.
Ning Buyi felt like he'd punched a pillow. He smirked into the microphone and said, "Zhu Yan, do you just want to see me homeless so I can go to your house?"
Zhu Yanhe rubbed his temples and said in a calm tone, "You rented a shared room; the formaldehyde levels are too high. You'll end up in the hospital if you live there."
What is a "chuan chuan fang" (串串房)?
The argument paused as he switched to looking for related terms. His soft breathing reached the other end of the line. Zhu Yanhe's gaze fell on the paper before him, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. He felt as if the small boat formed from his beating heart had finally found its harbor, and the journey home would be long and arduous.
He hadn't heard Ning Buyi speak for a long time, but not for very long.
Ning Buyi stared at the screen with his mouth slightly open, only then realizing that there was such a big pitfall in renting a house.
Realizing that she had misunderstood Zhu Yanhe, she felt a little awkward. But then she thought that Zhu Yanhe was now indebted to her, and this little bit was nothing compared to the bad things he had done to her!
Ning Buyi held his phone, his tone dry: "Oh, who cares? Even if I die, it's none of your business."
He spoke the last sentence in a low voice, afraid that Zhu Yanhe would be angry. Ning Buyi frowned. Why should he be afraid of Zhu Yanhe being angry!
The casual remark about death carried a hint of helplessness in that deep, resonant voice: "If you can't take care of yourself, I'll consider bringing you back."
Hearing him say such defiant words, Zhu Yanhe's breathing became heavier. Ning Buyi was the kind of person who forgot the pain once the wound healed, but Zhu Yanhe was not. He would never forget the faint, labored breathing of the person in his arms that night. Every breath, tinged with a soft hiss, tightened his heart until the last drop of blood was squeezed out.
On the other side, the boy unconsciously imagined himself suddenly appearing in his rented room, having Zhu Yan kick open the door, tying him up, and throwing him back onto the bed.
"Are you crazy?!" Ning Buyi angrily hung up the phone, then punched the white pillow in his arms, still not satisfied. Who was it to him? They had nothing to do with each other anymore!
The walls in the room were slightly yellowed. The boy lay on the bed, covered only by half a blanket. His fair legs swayed in the light, and shadows danced between his inner thighs.
He was looking through pictures of rooms on the screen. The rooms on his phone were spacious, and the wood flooring, even the grain, seemed to be made of real wood. The wall lamps, when lit, resembled Zhu Yan's home, and looked very expensive.
Mr. Xiong recommended several houses to him, but Ning Buyi thought they were all about the same. His eyes were getting tired, but he still searched for them on the app himself. Those houses looked more expensive than a hotel for a month's night.
The chat window remained silent. Mr. Bear seemed to have guessed why Ning Buyi wasn't replying, so he typed a few more messages back.
Mr. Bear: This is a place my friend is renting out; it only costs a thousand a month.
Ning Buyi was frowning as he looked at the online rental listings when he saw this one. He immediately sat up, the quilt spilling out and bunching up in his stomach. He stared at the information with his eyes wide open.
No, son, take it from me!
This price is even lower than that skewer room! After Ning Buyi's initial delight, doubts resurfaced. Wasn't Mr. Xiong also looking to rent a place? Why didn't he rent one?
The person on the other end seemed to read his mind, anticipating his thoughts, and sent another message.
Mr. Bear: But you'd need to share an apartment with me, is that acceptable?
What else is there to say!
Upon seeing this message, all his doubts vanished, and Ning Buyi readily agreed to Mr. Xiong's request. With a major concern resolved, the young man sprawled out on the bed, muttering to himself that he could take care of himself even without Zhu Yanhe.
The fallen leaves gradually disappeared, and S City was already in late autumn. When he first arrived, he was wearing short sleeves, but now, even with a scarf around his neck, he still felt a cold wind blowing in. In the blink of an eye, Ning Buyi had been here for almost three or four months.
The boy walked along the path in the residential area, breathing warm air into his palms; the white mist rose and then dissipated. Mr. Bear had told Ning Buyi to wait for him at the entrance if he couldn't get in, but Ning Buyi simply asked the security guard and was inside—it was that easy!
He followed the navigation in his hand to find the way to the new house, carrying a large bag in his other hand and a small bag in his mouth.
There are still a few ginkgo trees in the community, their trunks bare, and the ground beneath them is covered with bright yellow petals. In the distance, a figure strides towards us—no, a bear's shadow.
He was afraid that Mr. Bear hadn't seen him, so he waved his hand dramatically at people, mumbling something while chewing on something.
"How did you get in?" The emotionless electronic voice remained. Mr. Bear naturally took the bags from Ning Buyi and led him forward. "Why didn't you call me?"
"Hey! It's no big deal. I just told the security guard and came in." Ning Buyi spat out the bag in his mouth and pulled out a bag of steamed buns from his pocket.
The person under the doll frowned slightly but said nothing.
The boy glanced furtively at the bear beside him, then looked at the steamed bun in his hand. The perfectly risen white dough was still steaming, and the plastic bag wrapped around it looked like a delicacy.
Ning Buyi held up the steamed bun in his hand: "Do you want some?"
The doll head turned its head to look at him and shook it. Ning Buyi's reluctance was too obvious. He was afraid that if he ate it, he would have to buy more from the same store to appease him.
The boy chuckled twice, withdrew his hand, and took a big bite. The dough had cooled down a bit after being left outside for a while, just the right temperature to not burn his mouth. He had shared what Mr. Bear himself wouldn't eat.
“Home is here.” The two stopped in front of the tallest building on the far side. Ning Buyi looked up at the building and then looked around.
This building is the most special. Other buildings only have trees planted in front of them, but here there are flowers on both sides of the entrance. Da Xiong said that the flowers on one side were planted by the neighbors on the first floor. Ning Buyi nodded with an "Oh", he wouldn't mistake the building!
The building had dozens of floors and was designed with two sides. Ning Buyi followed him into the elevator. The space wasn't very large, and various repair advertisements were plastered all around. He turned his head and asked, "Why do you wear this outfit every day?"
Big Bear paused, turned his head, and lowered it slightly: "I'm used to it. Am I strange?"
Ning Buyi quickly waved his hands: "No, no."
Seeing that he was looking down and a little aggrieved, Ning Buyi thought that he had accidentally touched a sore spot on Da Xiong. What's wrong with wearing a mascot costume? What's wrong with not showing his face? Why did he have to ask?
The cramped elevator space brought the two close together, and they could smell the hotel shampoo on Ning Buyi's body with their breath. The man's face showed no sign of grievance; instead, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
The interior was furnished just like some of the pictures Ning Buyi had seen yesterday—only black, gray, and white, cold and impersonal, much like Zhu Yanhe's home.
The boy looked around. To the right of the entrance was the dining table, and in the center of the living room was a beige sofa. The house was small but empty, and it looked like no one lived there.
"You can stay in the sunny room." Mr. Bear carried his things and went straight to the bedroom facing the sun. The bedroom wasn't big, with a large bed in the center and a wardrobe against the white wall on the right.
A bay window extends outwards from where the sunlight streams in. Rays of sunlight peek through the curtains and lie on the mattress; just looking at him makes one want to lie down.
Ning Buyi had also looked at another bedroom, which was smaller and had no sunlight. He rubbed his head and said, "Why did you make me sleep here?"
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Author's note: I'm not doing well these past two days. I'm thinking that if I just let things be, everything will go smoothly. But actually, I should just be like that jerk and keep going until the very end. Screw you!!!
I had the privilege of sneaking a peek at CEO Zhu's shopping app and discovered that Zhu Yanhe is incredibly enthusiastic about buying all sorts of clothes for Ning Buyi, including the latest releases from major brands. He'd even pick out items that suited Ning Buyi. During Ning Buyi's university years, his looks and fashion sense made him a sensation on the campus forum, showering him with love letters. Zhu Yanhe, working at the company, was furious seeing this and could only assert his dominance by matching outfits, which resulted in them being mistaken for matching parent-child outfits… [doge]
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