Between the tree-lined boulevard in the university district and the seaside yacht marina stood a whole row of upscale, hotel-style apartments.
They were just a three-minute walk from Lulin Street, where the Ronghui Building stood, and ten minutes from the central lecture hall of Ocean University. Red Mountain University was farther away and required a ride, but it was only two stops.
Though each one claimed to be a student apartment, and advertised itself as offering affordable, good-value rentals to students attending the prestigious universities in the district, all it took was a glance at their opulent exteriors to know that college students barely scraping by on part-time work could never afford to live there, no matter how much the rent was discounted.
But we also had to understand that a person's class status was often plain to see as early as their basic education. Even college students from the middle class balked at these eye-watering rents. And yet, these apartments were never short of tenants.
Whether rented or bought, they were always at least eighty percent occupied.
Of course, setting aside class—the root of all evil—and consumerism, at least the security of the apartments and the entire neighborhood was excellent.
Gongsun Qing owned an apartment there. Note that she "owned" it, meaning she hadn't rented it—she had bought it outright.
Even among those who could afford these luxury, hotel-style apartments, she belonged to the very top tier.
Of course, we also had to acknowledge that Gongsun Qing was a good girl. Though she lived on the top floor of a luxury hotel, she was still a good girl who was more than willing to work her way through school.
She wasn't particularly active as a ranger, but she was very diligent about auditioning for various film crews. She had