House

Chapter 34: The House

Working for others was no longer an option; jobs involving human interaction were ill-suited for him, and the same went for office-based roles.

However, Xiang Kun was not without alternatives. He hadn't wasted his four years of university, nor had he spent his recent working years in vain. Aside from overtime, he hadn't squandered his time on leisure or frivolous pursuits, but had instead poured it all into learning new technologies—originally thinking that as the company grew or even went public, he might have to shoulder greater responsibilities.

He couldn't go out for interviews or hold a standard job, but taking on freelance projects from home was perfectly feasible, and he actually had the connections to do so.

Although his income would certainly be unstable, at least his time would be relatively flexible, and he wouldn't need prolonged contact with others, making it the better choice for now.

After several rounds of mutation, not only had his physical functions strengthened significantly, but his cognitive speed and memory capacity were also much sharper than before. Furthermore, it was easier for him to maintain high levels of concentration and engage in long-term, high-intensity work.

Work that might have previously taken 50 hours to complete could now potentially be finished in under 30 hours, provided he remained fully focused and worked continuously. Moreover, these 30 hours could be consecutive; he could finish it in a little over a day without eating, drinking, or resting.

But Xiang Kun didn't start taking on projects immediately, because after returning from the hiking trip with Tang Baona last weekend, he had a new idea:

Sell the house and return to his hometown.

Xiang Kun had joined his previous company right after graduation and stayed for seven years, making him essentially one of the company's veterans.

Given his tenure and contributions, his salary was relatively low compared to the industry average, but he hadn't cared much at the time. After all, he hadn't been chasing that salary during his seven years of working far beyond the 996 schedule; he had been chasing the company's stock options.

Once the company went belly-up, those options naturally became worthless, and his seven-year goal was slashed in an instant. However, unlike most employees at the company, he rarely had extra expenses, and the salary he earned over those seven years had mostly gone into buying this house in the outer suburbs.

The house in the outer suburbs wasn't as valuable as those in the city center, nor did it appreciate as quickly, but in the few years since he bought it, it had still seen an increase of over eight thousand per square meter.

If he sold the house now and paid off the remaining mortgage, he would have over a million left, plus his original savings.

In 2019, over a million in this city wasn't a small amount, but it wasn't exactly a fortune either. To put it simply, he couldn't even afford to buy a decent house in full with that money.

At first, Xiang Kun had thought that if he died because of this "illness," the house would be a memento left for his parents to support their retirement.

Initially, he still held onto the idea of "curing the illness," so he stayed in this big city, thinking that if he couldn't hold on and was forced to go to a hospital, the medical conditions and information access would certainly be better.

But as he drank blood time and again and mutated, his thinking had changed drastically.

Especially after the hike with Tang Baona, he felt that perhaps staying far away from crowds and the city was a better choice.

Indeed, he had no reason to stay in this city anymore.

If he returned to his hometown, he had already planned it out: he would first use a portion of that million to buy comprehensive commercial insurance for his parents, then save the rest. He would only need a very small amount of money to sustain himself for several years.

If he didn't get married, didn't raise children, and didn't pursue a high quality of life, the cost of staying alive was actually very low.

Whether to leave or stay, Xiang Kun hadn't made a final decision yet.

But regardless of the decision, reclaiming the house was a certainty.

The previous tenant was actually the only tenant this house had ever had, moving in as soon as the property was handed over. Neither side was particularly petty, and whenever issues arose, they would each take a step back; the cooperation over these years had been quite pleasant.

After moving out, the tenant had even taken the time to give the house a simple cleaning, so when Xiang Kun arrived, he wasn't met with a scene of chaos.

When the house was originally handed over, it came with basic renovations, so Xiang Kun hadn't spent money on further upgrades. He had thought that if he ever took it back to live in himself, he would renovate it then, so he had only bought a few essential pieces of furniture and appliances like an air conditioner and a washing machine; the TV and refrigerator had been added by the tenant later.

Although the previous tenant was a good person, they had two children, and after living there for several years, the walls and floor tiles had suffered some wear and tear. However, since it was just a cheap, basic renovation to begin with, Xiang Kun didn't mind much and readily returned the full deposit without deducting a cent.

After a quick sweep, Xiang Kun moved in that very evening—after all, he didn't have many belongings in his rental, and it had only taken an hour to pack everything up that morning.

While he was moving his things, a chubby little girl who looked like she was still in kindergarten stood at his doorway, watching him while eating a lollipop.

"Little sister, is something the matter?" Xiang Kun walked over and asked in as gentle a voice as he could manage.

"Did Brother Xiaomin and Brother Xiaofeng move away?" The chubby girl took the lollipop out of her mouth and asked in a milky voice while peering behind him.

Xiang Kun knew that "Brother Xiaomin" and "Brother Xiaofeng" were likely the two boys from the previous tenant's family; if he remembered correctly, they were both in elementary school.

"Yes, they moved away, but not far—just to the building next door. Didn't they tell you before they left?"

The chubby girl pouted, looking a bit unhappy. She didn't answer Xiang Kun, turned to walk away, but then seemed to remember something. She ran back, pulled a lollipop from her pocket, and handed it to Xiang Kun: "Uncle, here, for you."

Xiang Kun was stunned. He was just about to decline, saying that he didn't eat candy, but seeing the hopeful look in the little girl's eyes, he hesitated and then accepted it, patting her head: "Thank you. What's your name?"

"My name is Liu Shiling. 'Shi' as in poetry, 'Ling' as in bell. I live at 706, right over there!" The chubby girl pointed to a room with an open door on the other side of the hallway.

"So we're neighbors. I'll be counting on you in the future, then?" Xiang Kun smiled and nodded.

The chubby girl nodded repeatedly: "Mm-hmm, I'll take care of you."

On his first night in his own home, Xiang Kun didn't go out to familiarize himself with the surroundings immediately. Instead, he lay on his balcony, quietly watching the moon in the night sky.

After buying this house, he had imagined countless times what it would feel like when he finally moved in.

Of course, in those fantasies, by the time he moved in, the house would have been renovated according to his own tastes, the furniture and appliances would have been replaced, and there would have been a lady of the house.

In those daydreams, the house he lived in might not even be this one; it could have been a high-rise with a sweeping river view, a school-district property in a prime location, or a quiet, high-end detached villa.

That had once been the most frequent scenario in his few moments of leisure.

Thank you all for the clicks, favorites, and comments. Recently, because I've had less time to write, the update speed has been a bit sluggish, but it will be better in a couple of days. I should be able to maintain a steady pace of two chapters a day.