On Thursday, Qian Fei returned home from work to find Gui Lili and Li Yifei had moved in.
The living room and kitchen were cluttered with their belongings strewn everywhere. When Gui Lili saw her come in, she said somewhat apologetically, "We have too much stuff and haven’t had time to tidy up yet! Are you planning to cook? If you are, I’ll move the things out of the kitchen first!"
Qian Fei had originally bought groceries, but after seeing the chaotic state of the kitchen with barely any space to stand, she changed her mind on the spot.
"It’s fine, I won’t be cooking today. You guys take your time! Let me know if you need any help!"
She glanced toward their room and saw Li Yifei lounging like a boss on their sofa, a laptop perched on his lap—whether he was gaming or doing something else, she couldn’t tell.
She awkwardly found a tiny spot near the kitchen entrance, contorted herself to stuff the groceries into the fridge, grabbed a cup of instant noodles, and retreated to her room.
While eating her noodles, she heard Gui Lili’s unhappy voice through the door: "Can’t you lend a hand and help me tidy up? If I have to do this alone, when will we ever finish? Do you even want to sleep tonight?"
Li Yifei’s equally displeased voice followed: "I told you, I’m working on a report! It’s for tomorrow morning’s meeting! If we can’t finish organizing today, just take your time—at least make the bed first!"
Then came a series of thuds and crashes—likely Gui Lili throwing things around in frustration.
Gui Lili’s voice took on a tearful edge. "Li Yifei, can’t you show me a little consideration? Can’t you finish the report after we’re done cleaning?"
Li Yifei seemed to kick the coffee table, his tone impatient. "You’ve been driving me crazy lately! Can’t you be more reasonable? Did we really have to move this week? This project has to be submitted to the CSRC next week. If I don’t finish drafting the discussion points today, we won’t be able to review them tomorrow, and then I might as well resign and live on air next week! Forget it, I’m going to the office!"
Qian Fei heard rustling noises, followed by a loud bang as the door slammed shut.
Slurping her noodles, she thought to herself, At least that coffee table was bought at a 70% discount on Taobao—otherwise, I’d be heartbroken.
※※※※※※
Before bed, she heard the front door open—Li Yifei had returned.
After he left, Gui Lili had stopped tidying. Qian Fei guessed she was crying in her room because she could faintly hear the sound of someone blowing their nose.
She was worried the two would start arguing again when Li Yifei came back, but somehow, he must have worked some magic—the room remained eerily quiet.
They actually managed to coexist peacefully.
Her tense heart settled.
Good. At least I won’t have to agonize over whether to intervene in the middle of the night.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, her phone buzzed with a WeChat notification.
It was from Hu Zining.
"Are you free tomorrow night? I bought two tickets for a movie at Wangfujing’s Hengdian Cinema. If you’re available, let’s go together!"
Without a second thought, Qian Fei replied: I’m free!
She had been lonely for too long. Watching Gui Lili and Li Yifei argue today, she had actually felt a twinge of envy. She wanted someone by her side too—even if it was just to bicker with.
So when Hu Zining invited her out, she was practically moved to tears with gratitude.
※※※※※※
The next morning, Qian Fei, Gui Lili, and Li Yifei all left for work at the same time.Qian Fei felt a bit awkward walking with them, so she stopped at a street stall to buy breakfast as they passed by.
Gui Lili greeted her, while Li Yifei glanced at her without saying a word before the two of them walked ahead.
Qian Fei figured she could at least avoid taking the same subway as them, so she picked up her jianbing guozi and set off again. But when she was squeezed all the way to Fuxingmen Station, she unexpectedly ran into Li Yifei again at the exit.
She remembered Yao Jingjing once mentioning that Li Yifei worked in investment banking, just like her, but she hadn’t expected him to also work in the Financial Street area.
Li Yifei noticed her too and seemed slightly surprised. For the first time, he initiated a conversation: “You work in Financial Street too?”
Qian Fei nodded, forcing a dry smile. “What a coincidence!”
Li Yifei asked, “At a bank?”
Qian Fei shook her head. “No, I’m in investment banking—though I’m still a rookie!”
Li Yifei let out an “Oh,” then said, “We’re in the same field. Maybe we can exchange insights sometime.”
Qian Fei wanted to say, “I wouldn’t dare,” but before she could, Li Yifei strode ahead with his long legs, leaving her with just his back and a parting remark: “I’ll go ahead.”
Qian Fei stared at his retreating figure with mixed feelings.
Could this guy ever have a complete conversation with her? She was his landlord, after all. He talked when he felt like it and walked off when he didn’t—was that really okay? Was her presence really that negligible?
Lost in thought, Qian Fei arrived at the company in a melancholy mood.
※※※※※※
Before leaving work in the afternoon, Qian Fei borrowed Xiaoyuan’s makeup kit again. As she handed it over, Xiaoyuan remarked, “Feifei, you’re not planning to rely on my makeup kit for your entire love life, are you?”
Qian Fei grinned shamelessly. “Lend it to me a few more times. If things work out with this guy, I’ll buy my own set. No point wasting money otherwise!”
Xiaoyuan scoffed. “You’re so stingy, yet you let me mooch off your meal card every day. But then again, I’ve never seen a woman as reluctant as you to spend on her own face. Qian Fei, are you even a woman?”
Qian Fei dabbed foundation on her face while checking the mirror. “For now, yes. But if I don’t find a man to ‘moisturize’ me soon, I probably won’t be for long!” She pointed to the corner of her mouth. “Look, I’m about to start growing a beard! I asked my single female classmates, and they said they’re almost growing beards too. We all agree it’s a sign of man deficiency—we need to absorb yang to replenish yin!”
Xiaoyuan nearly spat out her water. “Qian Fei! Can you act normal for once? My thousand-yuan foundation can’t even cover up your inner roughneck!”
Qian Fei flicked her ponytail smugly. “I may be a roughneck in front of you, but in front of men, I’m a little enchantress! See ya!”
Xiaoyuan rolled her eyes. “That line wouldn’t fool anyone—except maybe ghosts and yourself!”
※※※※※※
Qian Fei and Hu Zining agreed to meet at the entrance of Wangfujing Department Store. Not wanting to deal with subway security, she took the bus instead. She thought she’d arrive first since she was closer, but the Friday evening rush hour on Chang’an Avenue was a sea of motionless cars. A trip that should’ve taken minutes stretched into an hour, and she still hadn’t arrived.Hu Zining texted her saying he had already arrived just as she managed to squeeze her way to Tiananmen East Station. She braced herself and replied: Sorry, I didn’t take the subway. The bus is stuck in traffic right now. I’m one stop away from Dongdan!
Her heart pounded as she waited for his response, afraid he might show displeasure.
For the past two years dating Wang Ruohai, she never dared to be late. Once, they had arranged to meet after work to buy shirts at the mall, but she got delayed over half an hour due to a last-minute task from her boss. When she finally arrived, Wang Ruohai’s face was frosty with anger. He pointed at his watch and coldly told her, “You’re thirty-eight minutes late. If you don’t want to spend money and would rather I keep wearing old clothes, just say so. Don’t pull this late-arrival nonsense!” With that, he turned and walked away.
No amount of apologies, explanations, or coaxing worked. After that, she never dared to be late again.
Her phone beeped—Hu Zining had replied.
“No worries! I left work early. A pretty girl is worth waiting for!”
Qian Fei stared at her phone screen, and her heart bloomed like a flower.
Unable to resist, she secretly switched to her front-facing camera, tilting her head left and right to check herself out.
He called her a pretty girl!
Suddenly, the driver slammed the brakes. Qian Fei lurched forward, her phone slipping past several shoulders before clattering to the floor.
Thankfully, those shoulders cushioned the fall—otherwise, the screen would’ve been shattered.
She quickly apologized and squeezed forward. “Sorry, excuse me! Let me grab my phone!”
The bus was packed. Amid a chorus of complaints, she inched closer to her phone.
Just as she focused on pushing through, she spotted a hand reaching toward her through the crowd—holding her phone.
She took it with repeated thanks, then followed the arm to see who had helped her.
To her shock, it was Li Yifei’s face staring back at her…
Her expression froze as she greeted him, “What a coincidence, running into you again!”
Li Yifei’s lips quirked slightly as he nodded. He gestured toward her phone with his chin and said sagely, “Not the best time for selfies with the bus this crowded.”
Qian Fei’s face stiffened completely at his tone.
※※※※※※
Finally, they reached Dongdan. Qian Fei fled the bus like her life depended on it.
Watching the wheezing bus drive off, she exhaled in relief.
She truly admired women who carried mirrors everywhere and could confidently check their reflections anytime, anywhere. How did they manage to primp so effortlessly in public? She had merely sneaked a peek at herself on the bus, yet once caught, she’d been mortified enough to want to hang herself.
Patting her cheeks, she muttered to comfort her flustered heart, “It’s fine, it’s fine! It’s not like I know that Li Yifei well anyway! No shame, no shame!”
She turned to head for the underpass—only to find Li Yifei standing right behind her.
She strongly suspected he had witnessed and heard everything she just did and said, given the unmistakably amused smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.
Losing her composure, she blurted, “You… got off at this stop too?”Li Yifei raised an eyebrow. "Actually, we're not that close, so I don't have to tell you why. But since we're living together now, I think it'd be more convenient if we gradually get to know each other better. Someone invited me to dinner at Chengfu Restaurant." He waved at Qian Fei, who stood there dumbfounded. "See you later, landlord."
Qian Fei felt like a character in a comic book slowly cracking apart...
She was going to watch a group-buy movie with tickets costing twenty-five yuan each, while he was dining at Chengfu Restaurant where the per capita consumption easily exceeded a thousand yuan. They both got off at Dongdan station—how could the gap between people be so vast! And she was even his landlord...
Watching Li Yifei's retreating figure, she sourly labeled his behavior in her heart.
"Showing off wealth! Flaunting! Laughing at others! And that... that obnoxious strutting!"
Author's Note: By popular demand, letting Li Yifei out to flirt a little. Also by popular demand, I'll speed up the breakup process! clenches fist
Yesterday watching Xingxing had me laughing so hard I nearly peed, especially when Er Qian dressed as a high school student trying to look as young as Professor—spit out my food laughing!!!
That said, geese leave feathers when they pass, readers leave comments when they pass Your comments give me more motivation to write than even Professor does! holds cheeks
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