"Let's go. This one's too expensive—eighty thousand Denny a month." Morning Star smiled at the two of them.
"The next one… oh, that's Granny Yani from 202 over there."
Zhe looked up. Not far away, Granny Yani—slightly stooped, around fifty or so—was staring blankly at one corner of Random Play.
"Looks like Granny's already here. Let's head over," Zhe said, leading them forward.
But before they even got close, Fang Wen seemed to hear Granny Yani muttering to herself.
"What… what is this?"
"This is outrageous. Scribbling all over someone's storefront like this—what kind of badly raised brat did this?"
Fang Wen stepped closer and saw a green smiley-face graffiti.
He remembered perfectly well that Zhe had sprayed it there himself, calling it "art suited to the spirit of the new age."
Turning his head, sure enough, he found Zhe wearing an awkward smile.
"Honestly, I can't even bear to look at it. If the owner of this shop saw it, they'd be furious enough to start cursing on the spot."
"You young people these days really have less and less sense of propriety. You only think about yourselves and never about other people. Sigh, I truly feel sorry for the shop owner!" Granny Yani shook her head as she spoke.
The corners of Fang Wen's mouth twitched wildly.
I don't know whether the owner would feel sorry or not, but I do know he desperately wants to flee the scene right now.
No. Hold it in. I can't laugh yet.
Seeing Fang Wen's barely suppressed smile and Morning Star's puzzled expression, Zhe's stiff face finally reddened. He cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Granny, I'm the owner of this store."
Granny Yani turned to look at him.
"Huh? How could that be? At your age, you should still be in school. The owner's son, maybe."
"Ahem, he really is the owner," Fang Wen stepped in to back Zhe up.
"Well now, young people these days really are incredible—so capable at such a young age."
As she spoke, Granny Yani moved closer to Zhe.
"Granny likes you very much, you know. In the future, when Granny comes here, remember to give Granny a discount, hahaha."
Zhe was still remembering what had just been said, and could only smile awkwardly and nod stiffly.
"Hahahahaha."
After exchanging a look with Morning Star, Fang Wen finally lost the battle and burst into genuine laughter.
Oh no, I can't take it anymore—Granny likes you very much, huh—
"Young man, what's so funny? How rude!" Granny Yani blushed furiously and put her hands on her hips as she scolded Fang Wen.
Fang Wen didn't take offense. Instead, he answered with complete seriousness.
"I'm very sorry, Granny. I've actually received professional training. No matter how funny something is, I normally wouldn't laugh… but just now I happened to remember something even funnier, and I really couldn't hold it in anymore—"
One corner of Zhe's eye twitched.
Professional training?
What kind of rotten personality does this guy have?!
After a long stretch of commotion, they finally remembered they were there to ask Granny Yani about the apartment.
"302, right? Oh, I know that one. It was just listed recently. I'm in 202 below it. I've lived on this street for years."
"So who's the one looking to rent?" Granny Yani's sharp gaze moved back and forth across the three of them.
"It's me, Granny." Morning Star stepped forward and answered with a smile.
"Oh my, what a pretty girl. Don't you worry about the apartment, dear."
Looking at Morning Star—young and lovely—Granny Yani immediately patted her chest in assurance.
"Our building has the best atmosphere on this whole street. Everybody helps each other here. You absolutely can't go wrong renting this place! Oh, oh, you want to view it, right? I know 302 like the back of my hand. For me, it's just a phone call!"
The sheer enthusiasm in her manner left all three of them momentarily stunned.
"Thank you… Granny, but I can manage myself…" Morning Star quickly waved her hands, looking a little flustered.
"It's only right. Girls as polite as you are rare these days! Good personality, pretty face too. My third son should be about your age… I'm only asking, I don't mean anything by it."
Granny Yani took a step closer.
"Little miss, do you live alone? I don't mean anything by it—if we're going to be neighbors, it's only natural to know these things."
"Ah, well, I wouldn't exactly say I live alone. I'm taking care of three children."
?
Fang Wen turned and looked at Morning Star. If he had guessed correctly, she was probably only two or three years older than him.
And now she was telling him she was the mother of three children?!
"What?! You have three children?" Granny Yani clearly hadn't expected that either, and her eyes went wide.
"Well… maybe you'd better ask yourself. Granny can't seem to find her phone right now."
"I'm pretty curious too. I've never heard that before," Fang Wen chimed in.
"Pika, Mashu, and Emperor. The three of them live with me."
Are those names for people?
All of them wore equally confused expressions.
"They're pets," Morning Star said with a warm smile.
"Ohhh, so they're pets. Look at Granny's memory, honestly. Ah, there it is—I found my phone."
That face-changing speed was faster than alternating current.
"No need, Granny." Morning Star waved a hand, then directly looped her arm through Fang Wen's.
"Let's go look at the next place first."
Seeing Granny Yani's face freeze on the spot, Fang Wen merely nodded politely to this master of changing expressions and said nothing.
For snobs like that, the best response was to keep your distance. Clearly, Morning Star had seen through her too and immediately chosen to walk away.
Sure, they were giving up on a place that might have had low rent.
But "might" was only "might."
This kind of trade-off was hardly enough to stump a legendary part-time warrior like Morning Star.
Fang Wen, meanwhile, didn't mind being used as a "shield." After all, besides being a Proxy and a newbie information broker working together, they could also be called friends.
"Well, now you owe me one," Fang Wen teased the Morning Star who was still holding onto his arm.
"Hmph. Then how does little sister plan to repay you, hmm~" Morning Star lifted her face toward him, smiling brightly.
That smile seemed even more dazzling under the sunlight, and Fang Wen lost focus for a moment.
"Haven't thought of anything yet? Then big sister will be waiting whenever you are~"
"Hey, hey, hey—could you not say things in a way that's so obviously open to interpretation?" Fang Wen lightly tapped her on the head.
"Oh? Is it open to interpretation? Big sister has no idea."
Truthfully, she didn't dislike interacting with Fang Wen this way at all.
From the very beginning, she had already felt a certain degree of affection for this gentle, handsome Fuxing.
After spending more time with him, she had gradually begun to think that maybe… being with him wouldn't be so bad.
It was only that he always seemed to carry a constant sense of urgency, as though some mission awaited him that he had to complete. That was why she buried those thoughts deep in her heart.
She could wait for him.
…
Zhe said the shop still had things to take care of, and since Fang Wen was accompanying Morning Star, he headed back first to help out.
Though what was with those exaggerated winks before he left?
He and Morning Star weren't in that kind of relationship.
Fang Wen glanced at the affection gauge on the panel.
Still 39.
Hadn't broken through yet. Good.
The second landlord was a man who looked rather cold and spoke in a clipped, abrupt way.
"Ground floor. Forty-nine square meters. One bedroom, one living room, terrace included. Two hundred thousand Denny. Only renting for two months. Don't ask anything else."
The two exchanged a glance.
"That cheap?" Morning Star voiced exactly what Fang Wen was thinking.
If something seems too strange, there's usually something wrong with it!
"However, there are two conditions."
I knew it.
Fang Wen wore the expression of a man who had seen through everything. Hah. The price was tempting, sure—but sorry, my own setup is obviously still better than yours!
The man glanced at Fang Wen and continued in that same practiced tone.
"First: no going to the second floor. Second: every night at ten o'clock, the terrace door must be opened. A cat will come in. The door can only be closed after it enters. After that, it'll go upstairs on its own."
…Wait. Those conditions were not at all what Fang Wen had been expecting.
"Can I at least look at the apartment first?" Morning Star sounded tempted. To her, it was just one extra cat. That barely counted as a condition.
"No. I've said everything there is to say. Agree and do the paperwork. If not, leave."
The man's voice suddenly turned agitated.
Fang Wen finally understood why this apartment hadn't been rented out, even though the price and terms seemed so good on paper.
Who rents a place without seeing it first?
This landlord is suspicious as hell!
Fang Wen was starting to feel like changing clothes and coming back later just to investigate the guy.
"What a shame. I really wanted a place with a terrace. My cat loves basking in the sun. Ah… come to think of it, this cat looks so much like mine. It's practically just a larger Mashu," Morning Star sighed and murmured to herself.
The landlord's entire demeanor changed in an instant. Fang Wen reflexively shifted into a guarded stance.
"You own a cat?! How old? What color? Male or female?!"
"Uh…" Morning Star looked a little uncomfortable, but still answered, "About one year old, female, roughly the same coat pattern as yours… Is there some problem?" She blinked.
"…You want to see the apartment? You can do it right now. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Ask anything you want—I'll answer everything I know!"
No, wait a second.
That was not what you were saying just now?!
The landlord's previously cold face was now brimming with excitement. He stepped closer while thrusting his phone toward Morning Star.
"Here, this is my cat, Yilu. Though everyone on Sixth Street likes to call her Cookie. She usually suns herself and naps around Sixth Street, but comes back when it's time to sleep. Cute, right? She's a tabby too. Ours—our cats—will definitely become good friends!"
Well, that settles it. A one-hundred-percent certified cat slave.
"You can absolutely go up to the second floor too. Give me two hours and I'll clear it out. You can bring your little cat upstairs. Hehe… they can have a litter of little Mashus and little Yilus…"
What kind of declaration is that?!
Clearly Morning Star was getting a little alarmed that this guy might do something outrageous. After hearing about her situation, the landlord had actually started insisting that she abandon Pika.
It took quite a while before the cat-obsessed landlord finally gave up.
As they walked down the street afterward, Morning Star still looked somewhat dejected.
"It's okay. The place I'm introducing you to definitely won't cause any trouble." Fang Wen patted her lightly on the back with easy familiarity.
"Don't worry."
"Mm. Thank you." Morning Star tucked back some hair that had gone a bit messy and forced out a small smile.
Looks like she's still bothered by what just happened.
Fair enough. What kind of bizarre landlords even were those?
One was after her, the other was after her cat.
Absolutely shameless.
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