Yu Dian was already twenty-four, but she was thin and small, lacking even a hint of a mature aura. Walking beside Cheng Yun, she looked like a female college student who had just started her freshman year. She had even worn a formal summer OL uniform when she came over. One could tell it wasn't expensive, mainly because her aura completely clashed with the outfit. She lacked the slightest trace of confidence, cheerfulness, or steady maturity—if anything, she was the exact opposite.
She was so purely introverted it almost seemed absurd. Through chatting, Cheng Yun also learned that she had always lived alone, which really made one wonder how she had survived on her own over the past few years.
At around two in the afternoon, Cheng Yun had already taught her how to use all the equipment and systems required at the front desk. Because it was very simple, she learned it quickly as well. Most of the time was spent with Cheng Yun discussing work arrangements with her.
Yu Dian had a weak sense of agency; basically, whatever Cheng Yun said, she would just nod and say okay, as long as she was provided with a job that included meals, housing, a salary, and plenty of private time, she seemed to feel like her life was complete. Especially since the food here was quite good and the accommodation wasn't bad either—at least better than the small room in the rented apartment she shared with others.
Business had been pretty good these past two days, with guests arriving one after another, which gave Yu Dian a chance to practice and get some hands-on experience.
Cheng Yun stayed right beside her, imparting experience while pointing out her mistakes. Apart from being far too shy and timid when communicating with guests, she was practically flawless in every other aspect.
At around four, Yu Dian went back to pack her things, leaving Cheng Yun alone at the hotel front desk once more.
In the evening, Cheng Yan rode over expressionlessly on a Mobike bicycle. As soon as she stepped through the door, she sat on the sofa and played on her phone without even raising her head, striking a pose of absolute refusal to speak with Cheng Yun.
Resignedly, Cheng Yun finished tallying the bills and said to Cheng Yan, "I'm going out for a bit, watch the place for a while!"
"No!" Cheng Yan didn't even raise her head.
"Just watch it for ten minutes or so!"
"No!"
"What kind of temper are you throwing..." Alternating between exasperation and amusement, Cheng Yun said, "Cut it out, I lost, alright."
"No way!" Every time Cheng Yan heard him speak to her in that sort of 'adult talking to a child' tone, inexplicable anger flared up. "Didn't you find a front desk cashier? You're not paying me a salary, why should I work for you?"
"She only starts work tomorrow," Cheng Yun said blankly.
"Oh!! You chased me away, and now because someone else isn't coming to work, you want to drag me back? Is there any such good thing in this world?" Cheng Yan said indignantly.
"Huh?? Wasn't it you who said you wanted to leave? And you even had an expression of finally being liberated... I thought you finally didn't have to work for me here and felt immensely relaxed all over!" Cheng Yun only felt it made no sense at all. "How can you say I chased you away? Your anger is a bit lacking in basis, don't you think..."
"My wages were settled in full!"
"Then... give them back to me?"
"..." Cheng Yan simply ignored him and continued lowering her head to play on her phone.
Resigned, Cheng Yun said, "I'm going out to buy groceries. If you won't watch the place for me, are we eating takeout again tonight?"
With a swish, Cheng Yan stood up, smoothly shoved her phone into the front pocket of her tight-fitting jeans, and strode into the counter to stand there. "I want sweet and sour pork ribs and boiling fish."
"How troublesome is it to clean fish!" Cheng Yun frowned. "Just stir-fry a couple of ordinary dishes!"
"I want boiling fish."
"You girl! Why are you so much trouble!"
"Boiling fish!" Cheng Yan glared at him. "You said if I helped you watch the front desk, you couldn't treat me poorly when it came to food!"
"Fine! Boiling fish!"
"And sweet and sour pork ribs."
"Fine! Sweet and sour pork ribs!"
"The boiling fish has to be extra spicy!"
"Fine! Extra spicy!"
"Hmph!"
"..."
With a heavy expression, Cheng Yun walked out. A vegetable market was not far away, about a five-minute walk.
About an hour later, the boiling fish and sweet and sour pork ribs were set on the coffee table. The boiling fish rested on Cheng Yan's high school math textbook underneath, which happened to fit just right.
Cheng Yan was exceptionally satisfied, her complexion looking much better. She scooped a full bowl of rice and began to eat.
In her eyes, Cheng Yun had practically no skills, including the achievements Cheng Yun made during his university years, which couldn't enter her eyes because the money Cheng Yun earned had little to do with her and wouldn't land on her card. Only his cooking was different—she was one of the direct beneficiaries and currently the biggest one. Therefore, she deeply appreciated this aspect of Cheng Yun.
She was also very grateful to Cheng Yun's ex-girlfriend for training Cheng Yun's cooking skills to such a high level.
It was just that now there was one more person sharing Cheng Yun's cooking with her, and that person happened to be a young female front desk cashier.
The thing surrounding every university the most wasn't actually internet cafes, nor hotels, nor even clothing stores or snack shops, but rather the cheap and crude rental houses scattered all around university vicinities.
Many students didn't care how good the surrounding environment or geographical location of a rental house was, nor did they have harsh requirements for room decoration or hardware configurations. As long as it was close to the school, with air conditioning and hot water, that was enough. Many people didn't even need a kitchen; as long as it allowed them to escape the cramped dormitories and difficult-to-get-along-with roommates, and gave them and their girlfriend a place to cohabit, they could even do without a kitchen and rent just a single bedroom.
Graduate school exam applicants had slightly higher demands, only pursuing a bit of quietness.
Houses with four or five suites around the school were not uncommon. Each room could be rented to a student or a couple, with the cheaper ones going for eight or nine hundred and the more expensive ones just over a thousand, which was much more profitable than renting out the whole place.
Yet tenants often squeezed six or seven people into such apartments, regardless of gender, sharing the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. The master bedroom came with its own bathroom, which was fine, but people in the other rooms had to queue up to take a shower.
Yu Dian rented a very inconspicuous old residential building on the fifth floor, and there was no elevator, in the smallest room.
Five bedrooms in this apartment had been rented out, and the one she rented was the only one without air conditioning, lacking even a window. Every summer, it was stuffy and uncomfortably hot. Even the landlord, who had grown familiar with her over time, felt sorry for her and brought her an electric fan.
In a family, such a room would be used either as a storage room or a study. Of course, the price was also very cheap, just six hundred a month with a deposit of one and one month's rent, which suited her financial situation well.
As for the name Yu Dian, it was said that when her mother gave birth to her, it was raining outside, so she was given the name Dian (Droplet).
At this moment, it was six o'clock, and Yu Dian was enduring the stuffy heat inside the room during dusk. Fortunately, her constitution was weak, and she didn't sweat easily.
From the living room outside came the sound of a couple leaving today saying goodbye to others—they were returning to the dormitory these few days to cope with the department's final inspection—along with the fragrant scent of takeout ordered by various shared roommates. Meanwhile, she sat quietly on the hard bed of the small room, enduring the hunger coming from her stomach.
Before her was her packed luggage. Aside from the bedding and a folding table, all her winter and summer clothes combined amounted to only a small rolling suitcase and a backpack.
Yu Dian couldn't help but recall that meal at noon, instinctively swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
At noon, she had been too embarrassed to ask for a second helping of rice, so she only ate a small bowl. Coupled with her long-term irregular eating habits, she filled up after eating very little. Yet whenever she thought of that plate of potatoes stewed with pork ribs left over at Cheng Yan's place, and her own cowardly appearance of wanting to pick some up but being too embarrassed to extend her chopsticks, she felt a dull ache in her heart—even if she just grabbed some potatoes, that would have been fine!
And thinking that starting tomorrow she would also be considered to have stable three meals a day, and not only would she continue doing what she wanted to do, but she would also have a stable job, she felt filled with yearning for the future!
Pity that tonight...
Yu Dian touched her stomach, groping out a battered Xiaomi 2s from her bag, and opened a delivery app.
In the past, the main function of this delivery app had been to provide her with a platform to quench her thirst with the mere thought of plums. Even if she could bear to eat a good meal, she couldn't bear to part with that delivery fee; she would rather walk half an hour to the store to eat. Only when a new store opened or delivery companies competed with promotions and the discount was truly substantial would she consider it.
Yet today was destined to be a different day!
The end of the month was approaching, and she would also be leaving this place tomorrow. Thinking about it, she really felt a bit reluctant—she had lived in this small room for nearly two years, and finding such a cheap room with independent space in Jinguand was truly difficult.
Therefore, she was prepared to splurge, eat a good meal, and commemorate the blood and sweat she had spilled in this place.
"Let's... keep it within twenty yuan!" Yu Dian muttered to herself, then familiarly tapped open several filter conditions on the delivery app and began searching.
About half a hour later, the phone shut down prematurely due to low battery.
"..." Yu Dian was long accustomed to the temper of this old device and sighed. If she were really left to keep choosing, she probably wouldn't be able to decide anyway. "There are still two steamed buns in the fridge... Forget it, forget it, I'll just go downstairs and eat noodles."
She sat in the room for a while, feeling that she really should have suggested starting work tonight, but she was too embarrassed to bring it up. What if the boss saw through her motive?
Hearing that there was no movement in the living room outside, she finally opened the door, tiptoed out, and headed downstairs.
The next day.
Yu Dian usually slept until twelve, which allowed her to save a lunch—yes, eating a breakfast at noon was enough, as two steamed buns could definitely fill her up. Yet today she woke up at six, strapped on her backpack, pulled her suitcase with one hand, and carried the folding table board and a bundled-up pillow and quilt with the other. She opened the door and left without a sound, then laboriously dragged the rolling suitcase and bedding down the stairs step by step—
Compared to the farewells between the couple and the shared roommates yesterday, her departure truly went completely unnoticed.
She didn't dare drop the rolling suitcase because buying a replacement if it broke was very expensive, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and grip it tightly until her hands grew sore and weak. Reaching the bottom of the stairs made her feel as though her arms were about to break.
At that moment, however, her phone rang!
In a fluster, Yu Dian let go of the rolling suitcase, ignoring her aching arm muscles, pulled out her phone, and looked—
The caller ID was Boss Cheng, which she had set just last night.
"Hello... hello boss, don't rush, I'm coming right over." Yu Dian answered, speaking in a hurry.
"Work starts at seven, and it's not even six-twenty yet. What are you panicking about?" Cheng Yun's warm voice, carrying a hint of a smile, came through the other end of the phone. "I just wanted to ask if you have a lot of luggage, and whether you need me to pick you up."
"N-no... not much." Yu Dian's arm was still aching, and hearing those words, her eye sockets grew slightly warm. "I-I'll be there in ten minutes or so."
"Alright, remember to be careful crossing the street."
"Mhm..."
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