My Beautiful Landlady

After leaving the hospital, the two drove to the first apartment they had arranged to see. On the way, they passed a China Mobile service center, where Wei Jin picked up a phone—a Nokia 8250.

Looking at the second-latest model in front of him, Wei Jin was too speechless to even complain.

After signing up for an M-Zone plan, Wei Jin and Zeng Li arrived at a residential complex near the Beijing Film Academy.

The complex had been built in the eighties and was less than a kilometer from the school. As far as distance went, it was quite suitable.

A middle-aged man in a white shirt, black dress pants, and chunky leather shoes stood at the entrance. It went without saying that he was the real estate agent.

After exchanging pleasantries, they got straight to business. The apartment was on the northeast side of the complex, and the three chatted as they walked.

To be honest, this was Wei Jin's first glimpse of the capital in 2003. The immense sense of being in a different era mingled with the weight of the city's history, leaving him unable to tell whether he had traveled through time or was witnessing history come full circle.

The agent did most of the talking along the way, singing the apartment's praises. Wei Jin said nothing, and after a quick look around, he wasn't very satisfied.

There was no mystery to it: the complex was too old, and the previous owner hadn't put the place in order. It looked like a complete mess. Given the tastes Wei Jin had developed in his later life, he simply couldn't accept it, so they could only move on to the next apartment.

They soon reached another complex, but after a quick look around, Wei Jin found himself facing the same problem.

Most homes in this era had layouts and decorating styles like these. It was hard to find one that suited Wei Jin's tastes and living habits, so there was nothing for it but to move on to the next.

Just as Wei Jin and Zeng Li were both starting to think about giving up, the three arrived at a residential complex in Lianhuachi, Fengtai District.

"Hmm, the location's nice. It's just a little farther from school."

Zeng Li spoke as she surveyed the complex and its surroundings.

"It's fine. It's less than three kilometers. I can count the daily walks as exercise. Didn't the doctor tell me to get some moderate exercise anyway? I've been lying in the hospital for almost a month. I'm practically growing fur."

Wei Jin didn't think it was a bother. He followed the agent into the complex, and after they passed a few buildings, he spotted someone waiting downstairs in the distance.

Looking from afar, Wei Jin saw a young woman in a sky-blue floral dress. He could tell she had a nice figure.

"Are you Miss Gao, the owner of apartment 501?" the agent called out from several meters away.

Hearing someone call her, Miss Gao turned to look. Her light ponytail swayed with her head, giving her an indescribably lovely, refreshing look.

"Yes, hello. I'm Gao Yuanyuan, the owner of 501."

Gao Yuanyuan smiled, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. Her youthful air seemed to wash over them.

At that moment, Wei Jin cried out inwardly, Holy shit, isn't that Hupu's goddess? What a coincidence!

Seeing Wei Jin staring fixedly at the young woman without responding, Zeng Li's expression changed, and she pinched his waist with her small hand.

Wei Jin cried out in pain. Realizing he had lost his composure, he hurriedly said:

"Hello, Zhou Zhiruo. I saw you play Gao Yuanyuan."

"Pfft."

"Pfft."

At those words, Miss Gao laughed until she swayed like a flower in the breeze. This guy is so funny, she thought.

Zeng Li laughed too, then realized that the landlady in front of her was Zhou Zhiruo, the heroine of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, which had aired at the beginning of the year. She then said:

"Hello, Miss Gao. I'm Zeng Li. I'm an actress too, just like you. This is my younger brother, Wei Jin. I came to help him look at the apartment today."

Hearing her, Gao Yuanyuan looked at Zeng Li. The woman before her wore a fitted white shirt, light blue jeans, and a pair of white sneakers, giving her an indescribably youthful, lovely appearance.

Combined with her long, wavy hair and well-defined features, she also had the air of a mature beauty, looking both beautiful and striking. Gao Yuanyuan couldn't help feeling envious.

Taking a closer look at Wei Jin, she saw that he was tall and straight, with a simple, short, textured haircut, long legs, and shapely shoulders. Even an ordinary black T-shirt showed off his figure. With his sword-like brows, starry eyes, and sharply defined features, he was the very picture of a sunny, cheerful young man.

Looking at the "sister and brother" before her, Miss Gao, the landlady, was very pleased with her prospective tenant.

Wei Jin, meanwhile, was also observing the goddess said to have conquered all of Hupu.

Up close, he found that she was even prettier in person than on television or in photographs. The contours of her face were clearly defined, and she wasn't the least bit fat.

Sure enough, video cameras and cameras make people look fatter.

"Why don't we go upstairs and look at the apartment?"

The agent, who had no mind to admire the handsome man and beautiful women, spoke up.

After all, to him, everything else was just floating clouds. Sales performance came first.

"Mm, all right. Miss Zeng, I'll take you up for a look."

With that, she led the way up the stairs.

"Pretty, isn't she? Your eyes have stopped moving. Men, honestly."

Zeng Li pinched Wei Jin again.

"North of the Yangtze, Zeng Li is the fairest," Wei Jin proclaimed beside her ear. Then he added teasingly, "I was just admiring her for a moment. You're not jealous, are you, Sister Li?"

Seeing that they were entering the stairwell, Zeng Li ignored Wei Jin's teasing.

The four reached the fifth floor. Gao Yuanyuan took a set of keys from her small white shoulder bag, opened the door, and invited them in:

"Come on in and have a look."

It was a three-bedroom apartment with one living room. Two bedrooms and the living room faced south, while a small bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen were on the north side.

Gao Yuanyuan had occasionally stayed there before. Now that she had become a little famous, she was afraid of being recognized and thought it would be safer to live with her parents, so she was renting the apartment out.

She had wanted to rent it to a family, who would be more likely to take care of it, but the sister and brother she had met today seemed suitable too.

Wei Jin was looking around the apartment. It was a cozy little home. The furniture arrangement, the colors of the decor, and the little decorative touches all showed that its owner had the heart of a young girl.

All in all, he was very satisfied. Wei Jin turned to Zeng Li.

"It's nice. What do you think, Sister Li?"

"I think it's very good too, but you have to take care of it. You can't be careless about keeping it clean."

Zeng Li said this to reassure Gao Yuanyuan. She could tell the young woman cared a great deal about it.

"Sister Li, don't you trust me? Besides, I still have you, don't I?"

Wei Jin promptly entrusted the great responsibility of cleaning the apartment to the beautiful woman who loved looking good and keeping house.

The landlady was willing to rent, and the tenant wanted to rent. Nothing could have been better. The three quickly reached an agreement on the rent, to be paid quarterly, with one month's rent as a deposit and three months paid upfront. Wei Jin and Gao Yuanyuan readily signed the agent's standard contract and exchanged phone numbers.

With business concluded, Miss Gao was also a little curious about the siblings, so she asked:

"Miss Zeng, you're an actress. Is Xiao Wei one too?"

Gao Yuanyuan had already seen Wei Jin's ID card when they signed the contract, so calling him Xiao Wei came quite naturally.

"No. Wei Jin is a student in the Beijing Film Academy Class of 2002 Directing Department."

"Oh, so you're in the directing department, Xiao Wei? What made you decide to apply for it?"

With business concluded, Gao Yuanyuan felt a desire to find out more about this handsome young man.

The three chatted about this and that. When Gao Yuanyuan learned how Wei Jin and Zeng Li had met, she exclaimed that it was "like an idol drama."

Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. Miss Gao declined Zeng Li's invitation to lunch and took her leave.

Wei Jin and Zeng Li also had a quick lunch, then threw themselves into the great undertaking of moving.

After putting his belongings away in the bedroom, Wei Jin stepped out and saw the beautiful woman helping tidy up. Looking at her, he felt as though they were married and making a home together. Before he knew it, he had walked up and wrapped his arms around Zeng Li from behind.

Burying his face in her hair, he took a deep breath. The faint fragrance left him utterly intoxicated.

"Sister Li, you're so good to me. I already feel like I have a home now."

Hearing this, Zeng Li turned and kissed the younger man, seeming to understand how he felt. A warm, cozy feeling rose up in the apartment.

That afternoon, after putting everything in order, Wei Jin and Zeng Li went to the mall together to buy daily necessities. She also bought plenty of dishes Wei Jin liked, saying she wanted to let him taste her cooking.

But one thing puzzled Zeng Li: why was Wei Jin, a man from northern Shaanxi, so fond of Sichuan cuisine?

That evening, Wei Jin was alone, looking at the unwashed bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen, with black lines all over his forehead.

Zeng Li seemed to have opened her Ren and Du Meridians and grown smarter. She had fled as soon as they finished eating, without even washing the dishes, afraid she wouldn't be able to leave that night.