Renting a Place

Little He Qing heard what had just been said and called through the iron net, "Wen Wen, did you just say you weren't planning to go to high school with us?"

Han Wenwen gave an awkward little laugh. Fortunately, Little He Qing hadn't misunderstood the second half of her sentence. She scratched her head. "It's not that I don't want to. My grades are bad, so I probably won't get in."

Ever-helpful, Little He Qing felt it wasn't a big deal. She went around the iron net and ran in a wide circle to Han Wenwen's side.

Clenching her little fists, she looked both confident and nervous. "Your grades are bad? I can tutor you! As long as I give you lessons every day, you'll definitely get into high school! We're Best Friends—how can we possibly be separated?!"

Han Wenwen stared at her Best Friend in embarrassment, thinking, If only things were really that simple.

Lin Zhengran caught the look hidden beneath Han Wenwen's smile. He seemed to have already foreseen the outcome.

Sure enough, from that day onward, Little He Qing began setting aside time to frequently tutor Han Wenwen in the dormitory and on weekends.

Han Wenwen studied seriously on the surface, unwilling to let down Little He Qing's enthusiasm, but her grades never improved.

Of course, this was partly because Han Wenwen truly wasn't suited for studying. More importantly, she knew that even good grades would be useless. What she needed now was to become self-reliant, and that matter distracted her greatly.

So, another month passed. When the final exam results for eighth grade came out, Little He Qing saw that Han Wenwen's score had improved by only the tiniest amount and grew so anxious that she nearly cried.

Han Wenwen spent the entire night comforting Little He Qing in the dormitory and promised that she would study hard from then on.

Only then did Little He Qing's emotions finally settle down somewhat.

During the summer vacation after entering eighth grade, Han Wenwen didn't return to her southern Hometown with Little He Qing. Instead, she made up an excuse, saying that her Uncle had come to The North, so she needed to stay here for a while before going back.

Thus, Little He Qing could only take the High-Speed Rail back by herself.

One day, Lin Zhengran went downstairs to buy something. As he entered the residential compound, he happened to see a certain Fox asking the guard, "Grandpa, what's the landlord's phone number here? I want to rent a place and ask about the price."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Lin Zhengran coming out of the compound. The two of them looked at each other from a distance.

Han Wenwen was rarely so shocked. She smiled at Lin Zhengran, then turned around and tried to run.

But Lin Zhengran called out to her. "I know of a place with very cheap rent, and it isn't far from the school. It's a little small, but it might suit you."

Han Wenwen, who had wanted to flee, stopped and looked back at Lin Zhengran in surprise. She held out five fingers and honestly revealed how little money she had. "But I only have a budget of five hundred yuan."

Lin Zhengran understood at once. "No wonder you couldn't find a place to live. But that's enough."

Ever since the system had displayed his Charm value reaching forty half a year ago, Lin Zhengran had discovered that whenever he spoke to someone, as long as he didn't cause them any trouble, they would easily develop the urge to help him.

Thus, Lin Zhengran brought the nearly silent Han Wenwen to a residential compound called Splendid China City.

They found the landlord herself, and he asked whether Han Wenwen could rent a room there for a month first.

When the landlady saw two children coming to rent a place, she naturally refused. "Bring an adult to discuss it with me. And without a deposit, it's definitely not happening. I've never done business like that."

Han Wenwen sighed, already guessing that this would happen.

Who could have expected everything to change when Lin Zhengran spoke? "Older Sister, we're students at New City First High School, and we're locals too."

He briefly explained a few things. Han Wenwen wondered what use that could possibly be. Her own sweet-talking hadn't helped her find a deposit-free place these past few days. Yet after hearing Lin Zhengran's words, the landlady took an instant liking to the handsome boy.

"Oh my, this handsome boy is so sweet-tongued. And he even called me Older Sister~" The landlady covered her mouth, laughing. "All right, all right. Since you're so young, I'll let you skip the deposit. But an adult still has to sign the contract."

Han Wenwen was astonished that the other party had actually agreed. Lin Zhengran hadn't even said much—how had he managed that?! Understanding immediately, she hurriedly nodded, her voice filled with surprise. "That's no problem. I'll tell my Uncle. It's just that he'll need a few days before he can come over."

Lin Zhengran quickly followed up. "Older Sister, could we stay here for a few days first and have an adult come sign the contract later?"

The landlady continued smiling. "Of course, of course. Since this handsome boy has asked, how could Older Sister not give you some face?"

Lin Zhengran smiled, thinking, This ability is pretty useful.

"Thank you, Older Sister. You're such a good person."

The landlady giggled shyly at the praise.

"This handsome boy is really sweet-tongued~"

The landlady found them a safer vacant room. It was a single room of more than thirty square meters, with only a Restroom and a bedroom, but it was spacious and clean. The room also had a basic wooden bed, a table, and chairs.

There was a surveillance camera outside the door, so they wouldn't have to worry about danger.

The landlady handed the key to Lin Zhengran. "Have your adults come find me within a week to sign the contract. Once it's signed, you can stay here as long as you like."

"Okay, thank you, Older Sister."

After being praised until she was thoroughly delighted and satisfied, the landlady left. Han Wenwen blankly took the key from his hand.

Lin Zhengran said, "This will be your room from now on."

She stood beside Lin Zhengran and examined the little home that belonged solely to her.

She laughed in disbelief, her eyes even shining with an indescribable light. "Lin Zhengran, you're amazing!" Then she asked, "You don't happen to know that Older Sister, do you? Otherwise, why would she be so easygoing?"

Lin Zhengran answered concisely, without the slightest blush or hesitation. "Maybe I'm handsome and sweet-tongued."

Han Wenwen froze, then burst out laughing. She nodded, tilting her head with a beaming smile. "Lin Zhengran really is handsome. Among all the boys I've met, you're the most handsome."

Han Wenwen lay flat on the bare wooden bed.

Looking at the spacious, cozy room, she took a deep breath of its peaceful freedom. "I feel so happy. This is the first time in my life that I've had a room of my own."

Lin Zhengran sat on the bedboard. "It's only a rental, not a house you bought."

Han Wenwen closed her eyes and smiled. "Lin Zhengran, you don't understand what I'm thinking. Some things are known only to me."

Lin Zhengran blurted out, "After being Deskmates for so long, I can still make a rough guess. You're a Fox who really hates owing people favors. That's why you've been staying at your Uncle's place all this time. You've never felt any sense of belonging and always felt that you owed him. And the Female Dormitory is out of the question."

Han Wenwen, lying on the bed, opened her eyes in shock and stared at him. The wish she had written during the Lianxin Festival suddenly flashed through her mind.

I hope the man I meet in the future will know what I want.

Lin Zhengran turned around and continued, "This really does count as a room belonging solely to you. It's just a little temporary, but at least you're free now."

Han Wenwen listened to everything he said, and a blush suddenly rose on her cheeks.

The words "True Son of Heaven" surfaced in her mind.

But only for an instant. She quickly came to her senses, noticed the blind spot in his words, and sat up in confusion. "Wait, Lin Zhengran, how do you know about my Uncle?!"

Lin Zhengran looked embarrassed and revealed the truth. "Actually, when we ran into each other at the supermarket last year, I happened to be passing through that street and overheard some of it. I just never told you. You remember that day, right?"

Her Fox Eyes slowly widened. For the first time, she felt that she hadn't been able to hide even the slightest bit of herself from someone else.

He had known about all those things the entire time.

Han Wenwen instinctively wrapped both arms around her upper body to protect herself. With a flushed face, she said, "Lin Zhengran, how could you be so mean..."

Thanks to the generous reader "May You Shine Upon China" for rewarding 500 Qidian Coins.

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