Coming Clean

Before bed, Xiong Yaqian messaged him as usual.

Over the past few days, she had been much more proactive than before. She kept sending him "good night" and "good morning," and sometimes, in the middle of the night, she'd even message him to say she couldn't sleep.

It was clear she was eager to move things forward.

By the usual pace of a blind date, if things continued steadily through the end of the year, their parents would be meeting.

But...

Zhang Yang wasn't particularly noble. He was only an ordinary person, after all. If he were still that good-for-nothing wage slave, he'd naturally have jumped at the chance to be pursued so enthusiastically by a girl like her. But now...

Call him conceited, or whatever else, but with his current income of twenty thousand a day, and all the possibilities ahead of him, was he really ready to keep things going step by step with a girl like her?

Honestly, he wasn't all that keen.

But he didn't want to string her along and toy with her feelings, either.

"I'd better not reply for now." Zhang Yang gave up on responding, planning to keep his distance for the next couple of days. If that didn't work, he'd tell her outright how he felt.

That night, he really didn't reply.

Early the next morning, Zhang Yang set off to view his new apartment in person.

"Sir, our apartments come fully furnished and equipped. They include a large-capacity refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, oven, and a full set of cookware and tableware. The shared facilities include a gym, a private outdoor garden, a residents' lounge, a screening room, a lobby lounge, and an underground parking garage. We also provide a 24-hour concierge service..."

At this serviced apartment right next to Zhongshan Park, a staff member showed Zhang Yang around the model unit.

This was a 93-square-meter one-bedroom apartment, with a monthly rent of over twenty thousand yuan and a minimum lease of six months.

As for the quality, that went without saying. Every detail had been carefully considered, since the target clientele certainly weren't ordinary office workers.

Standing on the balcony, Zhang Yang could see the lush greenery of Zhongshan Park nearby. He preferred peace and quiet, and had always felt that if you were going to live somewhere, it ought to feel like a home. There was no need to choose a commercial center that was as bustling as could be.

This place offered the best of both worlds and was well suited for living.

"I'll take it, then. Let's sign the contract." Zhang Yang made his decision without hesitation.

He wasn't buying the place, after all. His cashback for a single day was enough to cover a month's rent, so there wasn't much to think about.

"Right this way." The staff member smiled warmly.

That afternoon, Zhang Yang settled on this serviced apartment beside Zhongshan Park and signed a six-month lease.

"How far will I get in six months?" As he drove his Cayenne back, Zhang Yang looked out at the towering skyscrapers and felt a surge of anticipation.

Maybe by then, he'd already have a home of his own in the Magic City.

That afternoon, back at his old apartment, Zhang Yang sorted through his things.

He hadn't accumulated many personal belongings during his years in the Magic City. After all, for the past two years, he'd done little but work.

A no-name refrigerator, a Midea fan, old clothes...

He'd always been used to saving money, so he couldn't quite bring himself to throw things away. He called a used-goods recycling service, then packed up the old clothes he'd never wear again and put them in the collection bin downstairs.

Back in the now-empty apartment,

Zhang Yang suddenly felt as if he'd never left a trace in the Magic City—as though he'd never been there at all.

"Good thing I'm not the same person I used to be." Zhang Yang felt immensely relieved.

He opened the window and let the cool evening air fill the room. As he looked ahead to the days to come, he suddenly felt that his life was only now truly beginning a new chapter.

Checking the time, Zhang Yang messaged Xiang Youde.

"Are you off work?"

"My back and waist are killing me. I'm exhausted as hell..." Xiang Youde complained bitterly. He'd already used up his annual leave and had no days off left.

"Come over to my apartment for a good meal," Zhang Yang invited him.

There was no way he could let all the good food he'd bought at Sam's Club go to waste. He could have a nice dinner with Xiang Youde, then let him take the leftovers home.

Now that he'd moved into a new apartment, it was time for a fresh start.

"I'll be right over. Want to have a drink?" Xiang Youde perked right up at the invitation.

"Drinks?" Zhang Yang murmured. Years of restraint and self-discipline had nearly made him forget what alcohol was like. But what was the point of being disciplined? After going around in circles, wasn't it all to enjoy life a little more?

"Bring a bottle!"

A little later, the apartment door stood ajar.

In the empty apartment, a hot pot and grill sat on a square table, surrounded by cherries, marbled beef, beef short ribs, assorted vegetables, and a bottle of alcohol.

Xiang Youde ate a sweet and sour cherry, then another, his cheeks bulging.

"This is amazing!" He practically drooled with happiness. "By the way, Zhang Yang, are you planning to...?"

He'd thought Zhang Yang was getting ready to leave the Magic City for good.

"Nothing like that. I just moved." Zhang Yang laid two steaks in the pan and took a small sip of his drink.

He hadn't had a drink in ages. The sharp burn went straight to his head.

"You scared me! I thought you were looking for another job." Xiang Youde let out a long sigh of relief. Unable to wait, he grabbed a piece of meat from the hot pot and yelped like a monkey when it burned his tongue.

They filled their glasses and ate and drank, chatting about all sorts of things.

They talked about what it had been like when they first arrived in the Magic City, their first day at work, life and ideals, and even their hopes for the future.

As time passed, they both got a little tipsy.

"When are you planning to move back home?" Zhang Yang asked casually. He'd heard Xiang Youde say he'd go back in a couple of years.

"Probably not until..." Xiang Youde's eyes grew hazy. "Not until I've paid off my mortgage and found a wife, I guess. What about you?"

"Me?" Zhang Yang laughed. Could he really say he was planning to find a way to put down roots in the Magic City?

He hesitated, but Xiang Youde burst out laughing, thinking he'd figured out what Zhang Yang was thinking. "Come on, Zhang Yang. We've been out of college and working for years now. You still this naive? You think we can really settle down in the Magic City?"

"Maybe. What if it works out?" Zhang Yang said noncommittally.

"'What if' doesn't pay the bills. People like us, wage slaves whose lives are predictable ten years in advance—how many possibilities do we really have? Unless we win the lottery..." Xiang Youde said around a mouthful of meat.

Zhang Yang didn't say anything more. Seeing Xiang Youde wolfing down food as if he hadn't eaten meat in a month, he got up and took everything out of the refrigerator.

"You can take all this with you when you leave."

"No, no. You're moving into a new place, not going back home. This stuff must've cost a pretty penny." Xiang Youde shook his head.

"You don't want it? Fine, I'll give it to someone else." Zhang Yang muttered to himself. "I think there are a few girls sharing a place on this floor. I'll ask them later if they want any."

"Don't do that!" Xiang Youde looked up. "What's the point of giving it to some girls? You're moving out, so do you expect them to remember how nice you were? It's different if you give it to me. We're brothers in hardship, comrades in the same trench. You can't go wrong giving it to me! I might even call you bro—"

Xiang Youde rambled on and on.

Just then, a string of question marks popped up on Zhang Yang's phone from his blind date, Xiong Yaqian.

"What do you mean? You're just going to ignore me?"