The New Tenant

012. The New Tenant

Jiang Siming got up and ran over to pull the front door open.

A slender figure stood in the doorway.

Her appearance alone made Jiang Siming's eyes light up.

She looked like the girl-next-door described in novels.

Her features weren't the stunning type, but they were easy on the eyes.

A face full of collagen, faint eyebrows curving naturally like crescent moons.

Clear eyes, lips without lipstick but carrying a light pink, tender as new sprouts.

Her hairstyle was a simple bob, very short, reaching just to her neck.

Both sides of her hair were tucked behind her ears, revealing a clean neck and springy earlobes.

She was petite, not tall—only about one meter sixty-five.

But she radiated liveliness from head to toe!

A girl like this only appeared in high school classrooms, in novels and comics, as the fantasy of first love.

Jiang Siming felt she could easily outshine Shen Jiayi from that movie You Are the Apple of My Eye. If she had played the role, she'd have been ten times better-looking than Chen Yanxi, no question.

The girl carried a large guitar on her back and dragged two heavy suitcases in her hands.

Before Jiang Siming opened the door, she was quietly talking to the landlady, Sister Luo, who stood beside her.

"Auntie Landlady, we agreed beforehand—I haven't settled on this room yet. If my neighbor turns out to be too... you know, I'll still consider switching places."

"Don't worry, little girl. Auntie won't lie to you. This young man has lived here for over a year. He's a good person. Every tenant who's shared the place with him has spoken highly of him."

Slam.

The door opened, and their conversation ended there.

The girl looked up at Jiang Siming. In an instant, the mental defenses she had carefully built came crashing down.

"How can a guy be this good-looking?"

A faint blush crept across her fair cheeks.

Everyone loves beauty. Men like pretty women; women like handsome men.

That rule is universal, though people value appearances to different degrees.

Some are die-hard looks-first types—as long as the other person is attractive, they'll overlook anything else, even if their character is rotten, and willingly act like a simp.

But this girl wasn't like that. In fact, she cared very little about appearances.

It was just that Jiang Siming's looks far exceeded the highest standard she had ever seen, which triggered a blush and a racing heart she had never experienced before, shaking her composure.

"You're the new tenant, right?"

Jiang Siming finished sizing her up and spoke.

The girl nodded. "Mm."

"Then please come in. Sister Luo probably told you already—being my neighbor means meeting a few of my conditions. I made that clear to her before renting, so don't take it personally."

Jiang Siming was straightforward. Even though this girl was easy on the eyes and even looked a bit familiar, he had no idea what she was really like. He still had to say what needed to be said.

"That's fine. Go ahead." The girl was understanding, even a little pleased.

In fact, she would have been more worried if Jiang Siming said nothing and set no rules—that would mean he was just as casual and messy himself.

"It's nothing major. First, keep things clean. I don't care about your bedroom, but the living room and bathroom need to stay tidy. We'll take turns cleaning. Keep your personal items properly stored."

"Mm-hmm, no problem with that. Since I'm the new one, I'll handle the cleaning for this whole month!"

The girl generously volunteered to take on the housework. Jiang Siming didn't refuse—he'd treat it as a test.

"Second, unless absolutely necessary, don't bring strangers home. If you really have to, you need the other person's consent. Same goes for me. Deal?"

Jiang Siming hated tenants who liked to bring a bunch of shady friends over, turning the place into a mess—even if he was living in someone else's house.

"No problem!"

"Last thing—no making too much noise at home that disturbs others' rest."

This one made the girl hesitate a little. She asked cautiously, "I'm a music student. I practice guitar and singing."

As if afraid Jiang Siming would be upset, she quickly added, "But don't worry—I'll keep the volume down! I won't play after midnight!"

Jiang Siming nodded in understanding and agreed. Then he gave her a quick tour of the place.

He was usually particular about cleanliness—not to the point of being obsessive, but basic tidiness was a must.

After looking around, the girl was satisfied and happily signed the contract. Sister Luo left with the money, looking pleased.

Now it was just the girl and Jiang Siming left in the house.

"How much rent did Sister Luo charge you?"

Jiang Siming had just seen the girl hand Sister Luo a stack of red bills, so he asked out of curiosity.

"Three thousand five hundred a month, I paid for three months," the girl answered obediently.

Jiang Siming rolled his eyes—he knew that "Vladimir" would be this way.

"What's wrong? Is something off?" the girl asked, puzzled by Jiang Siming's expression.

"My rent is two thousand a month."

"Ah! That much cheaper!"

The girl's face showed a pained look, but within seconds, she switched back to a smile.

"Forget it, chalk it up to a lesson learned. Think of it as losing money to ward off bad luck."

Defeated by the girl's optimism, Jiang Siming had nothing more to say. He just nodded and politely offered, "You've got a lot of stuff. Want me to help?"

"No need, no need. I can handle it myself."

Jiang Siming nodded and turned to head back to his room for some sleep.

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Wang Xinyi, a junior at Shanghai Conservatory of Music. And you?" the girl called out from behind.

Jiang Siming looked back and said, "Jiang Siming. Graduated from Fudan University three years ago. Now I'm unemployed."

"Wow, Fudan University! It's right near my school. I always wanted to get in, but my grades were too bad. Can I call you Senior Brother from now on?"

"Up to you."

"Thanks, Senior Brother."

Back in his room, Jiang Siming shut down the computer and went to sleep. When he woke up, it was already dark.

His stomach growled. He was about to order takeout, but from the kitchen came the sound of stir-frying and women's voices.

Curious, Jiang Siming opened the door and walked out. Two figures stood in the kitchen—one was the new tenant, Wang Xinyi, and the other was a woman he didn't recognize.

"Xinyi, I really don't feel good about you living here alone. And your neighbor is a man. You're so pretty—what if he gets some bad ideas?"

"Cousin, you're way too dramatic. He graduated from Fudan University, and he seems like a nice guy. Pretty disciplined too."

"Disciplined? Sleeping all day until now?"

"That's his own business, sis. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, right. What does he look like?"

"He's... okay. Pretty handsome. (Nervous)"