Chapter 18

The agent pushed open the master bedroom door. The room had already been cleaned spotless, with only a faint trace of perfume left in the air.
Ji Zhou looked around, then checked the bathroom. Compared with all the places he had viewed before, this was the one he was most satisfied with.
“Your roommate is a streamer. He doesn’t go out much, so he also uses the common areas relatively little.”
From their interactions over this period, the agent knew this client was an introvert who feared trouble and disliked dealing with strangers. If listings weren’t so scarce, he would never have considered sharing.
“A streamer?” Ji Zhou frowned slightly. “Will it be noisy?”
“No worries. Soundproofing was done during renovation. I guarantee you won’t hear a thing in your room.”
There were no better options right now. Ji Zhou feared that if he hesitated again, this one would be gone too.
After finishing a look at the kitchen, he decided: “I’ll take it.”
The agent’s eyes lit up. “Then I’ll contact the landlord and pick a time for you to sign.”
“Okay.”
The agent went out to make a call. Ji Zhou walked another lap through the shared space. When he slid open the balcony door, a pink gauze dress came into view—bright and lively in color, with long tulle from the hem draping down and glowing vividly in the sunlight.
“Mr. Ji, the landlord is nearby. He’ll be here soon.” The agent came over, phone in hand.
Ji Zhou turned to him. “Didn’t you say the person sharing with me is male?”
In Ji Zhou’s view, sharing with the same sex was more convenient. It was a shared balcony—if a girl’s intimate laundry hung together with his, it would feel strange. Also, the second bedroom had no en-suite; the shared bathroom was close to the rooms. If she was bathing and he passed by, it would be awkward and make him uncomfortable.
The agent also froze upon seeing the dress. “It is a male tenant. I confirmed with the landlord.”
Then, as if recalling something, he explained, “Maybe this was left by the previous master-bedroom tenant. That tenant was a woman.”
That was possible. Ji Zhou didn’t say anything more.
The landlord arrived in just over twenty minutes, a middle-aged man. He said he had been playing cards nearby and came as soon as he got the call. The contract had already been prepared by the agent, and Ji Zhou carefully reviewed each clause to avoid hidden pitfalls.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to trick you with contract traps. I own plenty of properties. I’m not short of money from one or two units. Just live here at ease,” the landlord said broadly.
Ji Zhou: “Mm.”
Before signing, he confirmed once more: “The one living in the second bedroom is male, right?”
“Yeah, yes. Young lad, not very old, very proper-looking,” the landlord said. Then he looked up at Ji Zhou and added, “If he were a girl, you two would match pretty well. You both look like celebrities.”
Ji Zhou smiled and signed the contract.
After everything was settled, the three of them took the elevator down.
The agent was still trying to solicit more business from the landlord. “If you need to rent or sell your other properties in the future, you can contact me too.”
The landlord laughed heartily. “Sure. You handle things reliably.”
Standing behind them, Ji Zhou sent Mianmian a message:
[Did you get her there?]
Ding—the elevator stopped on the first floor.
The landlord’s car was in the underground garage and he still needed to go to B1, so the agent and Ji Zhou said goodbye to him in advance.
The two pushed open the glass door at the unit entrance. A man in a black face mask and baseball cap walked in with his head lowered.
Ji Zhou passed him shoulder to shoulder. In the height of summer, the man was wrapped tightly in long sleeves and long pants. The low brim and big mask nearly covered his entire face; no one could see what he looked like.
After the man walked away, the agent whispered, “Definitely an internet celebrity.”
Ji Zhou glanced in that direction casually and quickly looked away.
He rarely watched livestreams and had little interest in influencers or celebrity fandom. So even though the agent bragged that his roommate might be somewhat famous online, Ji Zhou didn’t care much.
Beep—his phone got a new message.
Mianmian: [Dropped her off. I also just got home and am about to shower. I walked around outside just now and got super sweaty.]
Mianmian: [What is husband doing?]
Joice: [Getting ready to head home.]
Mianmian: [Not working today?]
Joice: [Sunday. I’m not on duty.]
Mianmian: [Tell me when you get home.]
Joice: [Okay.]
Mianmian: [Drive safe, mwah mwah.]
Joice: [Got it.]
After getting home, Ji Zhou sat on the sofa for a while, thinking where to start with packing.
Three years. This apartment held too many traces of his life, and packing was very cumbersome. Fortunately, the final deadline was the end of the month, so the schedule was still manageable.
As the room temperature slowly dropped, Ji Zhou took out his phone and sent Mianmian:
[I’m home.]
Mianmian: [[Image]]
In a bathtub full of foam, a girl’s right foot pressed against the far end of the tub, with her whole leg raised above the water. Fine bubbles clung to the fair, smooth skin. The photo wasn’t explicit, yet it was enough to invite endless imagination.
Mianmian: [That fast? I’m still bathing.]
Ji Zhou shrank the enlarged photo back to normal and replied:
[Then bathe first. I need to sort some things.]
He locked the screen and tossed the phone aside, then went into the bedroom.
He packed up winter clothes first, then organized infrequently used personal items bit by bit, planning to call a moving company on his next day off and move everything at once.
After packing most of it, the home immediately felt much emptier.
He took a cold shower in the bathroom and came out wiping his hair.
He picked the phone back up from the sofa.
4:15 p.m.
Mianmian: [Oh.]
4:28 p.m.
Mianmian: [Done showering. Tell me when you’re done being busy.]
Joice: [Done.]
Only after finishing dinner did Ji Zhou receive her reply:
[I handled some work just now. I’m done too.]