Roommate

Chen Yuan stood in the room, set down his luggage, and looked around.

It was a privately built house in an urban village, and it had seen better days. The walls had yellowed a little, and a few cracked floor tiles had been patched with clear tape.

The living room was small, furnished with just a sofa, a coffee table, and an old television.

The moment Zhang Xiu'e came through the door, she collapsed onto the sofa, propped both legs on the coffee table, and cried:

"Oh, I'm exhausted! Absolutely exhausted!"

Chen Yuan glanced at her, at a loss for words.

Come on, I was the one carrying the luggage the whole way!

Zhang Xiu'e stretched out on the sofa, raising her arms and leaning back. The movement tugged her tight T-shirt upward, exposing a strip of pale waist.

Her full breasts shifted slightly under the stretched fabric, spilling a little over the neckline to reveal a tantalizing curve.

Chen Yuan hurriedly looked away.

Zhang Xiu'e paid no attention and said:

"I share this place with a coworker. Two bedrooms and a living room, one bedroom each. Twelve hundred a month, split between us. Not bad, right?"

Chen Yuan nodded. "Not bad."

Zhang Xiu'e took out her phone and checked it. "She's not home at this hour. Probably out fooling around with her boyfriend again."

Chen Yuan looked at Xiu'e's phone with a little envy.

A smartphone with a big, shiny screen. He didn't even have a phone yet. It looked like he'd have to buy a cheap one soon.

"Xiu'e, what exactly do you do for work in Deep City?"

Zhang Xiu'e sat up and tossed her phone onto the coffee table.

"I'm an agent."

"An agent?"

"Yeah, an employment agent."

Zhang Xiu'e explained,

"I find jobs for people who come to Deep City to work. Factories, logistics, security, cleaning, you name it. Whenever I place someone, I collect a small fee."

Chen Yuan paused.

A thought instantly popped into his head: No wonder Xiu'e wanted me to come to Deep City with her to find work. This is what she does for a living.

Seeing his dazed expression, Zhang Xiu'e smiled. "What? Think I tricked you into coming?"

Chen Yuan quickly shook his head. "No, no!"

Zhang Xiu'e stood, walked over to him, and flicked his forehead.

"What are you thinking? You think I brought you here just to make a little placement fee off you?"

Chen Yuan covered his forehead without saying anything.

"Yuan, we grew up together. Would I ever rip you off? I'll waive your fee and find you a good job. That's what friends are for, understand?"

Looking at Xiu'e, Chen Yuan felt warmth well up inside him.

He nodded. "I understand!"

Zhang Xiu'e's smile deepened, and she gently pinched his cheek.

"That's a good boy!"

Chen Yuan blushed again.

Zhang Xiu'e headed out, turning back when she reached the door.

"You're all sweaty. Go wash up. I'll go downstairs and get us two orders of fried rice noodles. We'll make do tonight. I'll treat you to a proper meal another day."

Chen Yuan nodded.

After Zhang Xiu'e left, the apartment fell quiet.

Chen Yuan felt sticky all over, too. After a full day on the train and carrying luggage the whole way, his sweat had dried and soaked him again several times.

He took a clean pair of underwear and a T-shirt from his bag and headed for the bathroom.

The bathroom was tiny, only two or three square meters. There was a squat toilet, a showerhead, and a sink.

Chen Yuan hung his clean clothes on the hook behind the door, stripped, and turned on the shower.

Hot water poured over his entire body. He let out a soft sigh of pleasure as he finally relaxed.

Chen Yuan squeezed out some shampoo and rubbed it into his hair.

Just as his head was covered in lather, he heard the front door open.

The door banged open, then slammed shut.

A flurry of hurried footsteps rushed toward the bathroom.

Chen Yuan froze. Before he could react, the bathroom door was flung open!

A young woman stood in the doorway.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with slightly messy long hair and makeup on her face. She wore a camisole with two thin straps over her shoulders and a miniskirt that barely covered the tops of her thighs.

She was breathing hard, her chest heaving as she gulped for air.

They both froze, staring at each other for several full seconds.

"Ah!!!"

Chen Yuan abruptly snapped out of it. His cheeks burned as he hastily turned his back to her, instinctively covering himself with both hands.

"Who are you?!"

Chen Yuan had no idea how to answer.

"I... I'm..."

"How the fuck did you get in?! Where's Xiu'e?!"

Only then did Chen Yuan realize this woman must be Xiu'e's roommate.

"Xiu'e... Xiu'e went out to buy fried rice noodles."

The woman said nothing, but she didn't close the door either. She simply stood there.

Chen Yuan could distinctly feel her gaze slowly sweeping down his back. It hit him like a bolt of lightning!

I'm still naked!

"Turn around!"

What?! Chen Yuan was utterly shocked!

"Hurry up and turn around. I want to see what you look like!"

Chen Yuan was completely dumbfounded!

What's wrong with this woman?

"Hurry up. I'm counting to three. One, two..."

Gritting his teeth, his face bright red, Chen Yuan slowly turned around, keeping both hands firmly over his private parts.

The woman stood in the doorway and looked him over from head to toe.

Her stare made Chen Yuan's skin crawl.

"Not bad. You've got a nice body!"

Chen Yuan opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

"All right, get on with your shower. I can't hold it anymore, so hurry up!"

With that, she pulled the door shut.

Chen Yuan stood in the bathroom, stunned for several seconds.

The water was still running, splashing over him.

Outside, he heard the woman moving around the living room, followed by a knock on the door.

"Hey, hurry up! I need to pee!"

Chen Yuan frantically rinsed off the suds, dried himself with a towel, pulled on his clothes in seconds, and yanked the door open.

The woman stood outside with her arms folded, looking at him.

This time, Chen Yuan got a clear look at her.

She had quite a figure, with long, straight legs beneath her miniskirt. In her high heels, she stood considerably taller than Xiu'e.

"Done?"

Chen Yuan nodded.

The woman squeezed past him into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Standing in the living room, Chen Yuan heard rustling from inside.

He quickly went over to the sofa and sat down, not daring to look toward the bathroom.

A little while later, the bathroom door opened.

The woman smoothed her hair, sat on a stool opposite Chen Yuan, and crossed her legs.

Her miniskirt was already short. Crossing her legs made it ride up, revealing most of her thighs.

Their pale skin was almost dazzling!

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Eighteen?" The woman looked him over. "You don't look it. More like twenty."

Chen Yuan said nothing.

"I'm Zhou Min, Xiu'e's roommate."

"Hi, Min!"

Zhou Min's eyes curved with her smile, revealing two little pointed canines.

"Quite the sweet talker!"

She stood and moved over to sit beside Chen Yuan.

The sofa was small, so the moment Zhou Min sat down, she was pressed right up against him.

"What's your relationship with Xiu'e?"

"We're from the same hometown. Same village."

"Same village?" Zhou Min tilted her head to look at him. "That's all?"

Chen Yuan paused. "That's all!"

The front door opened, and they both turned toward the entryway.

Zhang Xiu'e pushed the door open and came in carrying two orders of fried rice noodles. She paused when she saw Zhou Min sitting beside Chen Yuan.

"Oh, you're back? I thought you were out fooling around with your boyfriend."

Zhou Min stood and stretched.

The movement pulled her camisole tighter, clearly outlining the full, round swell of her breasts.

"We broke up."

Zhang Xiu'e blinked. "Again? Hadn't you only been dating this one for two weeks?"

Zhou Min waved a hand. "Don't get me started. Asshole!"

She headed for her room, looking back at Chen Yuan when she reached the door.

"This young fellow from your village is pretty interesting. We had a nice chat."

With that, Zhou Min went into her room and pulled the door shut behind her.

Zhang Xiu'e glanced at the closed door, then turned to Chen Yuan.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing much."

Zhang Xiu'e came over, set the fried rice noodles on the coffee table, and sat beside Chen Yuan.

"She didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

Chen Yuan shook his head. "No."

Zhang Xiu'e studied him for a moment.

"Then why did she say you were interesting?"

Chen Yuan opened his mouth, unsure what to say.

He couldn't exactly tell her that her roommate had cornered him in the bathroom and looked him over from head to toe, could he?

"We just... chatted a little."

"Right, just chatted a little." Zhang Xiu'e pushed the fried rice noodles toward him. "Eat up before they clump together."

Chen Yuan took the chopsticks, lowered his head, and started eating.

"Yuan, keep your distance from Zhou Min from now on," Zhang Xiu'e suddenly whispered in his ear.

"Why?"

Zhang Xiu'e glanced at Chen Yuan, hesitating.

"It's nothing. She's just... a handful."