AD Chapter 4
Yunshan City is a first-tier city, and now it is the summer vacation, so there are a lot of people looking to rent, and housing resources are very tight. Shen Du originally thought that since his asking price was high and the rental term was long, it would be easy to find a satisfactory house.
But he didn’t expect that after looking for two days, he still hadn’t found anything he liked.
“Mr. Shen, this is the best property within your budget. If you’re still not satisfied with this one, you’ll have to increase your budget,” the agent had accompanied him for two days of house hunting and could tell that the man in front of him had a bit of a spoiled attitude.
He didn’t want a property in an old complex, didn’t want one without an elevator, didn’t want a small balcony, didn’t want a master bedroom facing north, didn’t want poor soundproofing, didn’t want one in a busy area, didn’t want one far from Yunshan University… the agent hadn’t encountered such a hard-to-please client in a long time.
After a few days of looking, Shen Du also felt tired, especially since it was getting hotter by the day. He wanted to settle down quickly and stay in an air-conditioned room.
Moreover, he still owed some people a few rounds of games.
“The price can be increased, as long as it meets my requirements.”
Upon hearing this, the agent felt much more confident, and the frustration from having spent two days running around in the heat seemed to disappear: “Now that you’ve said that, I’m at ease. Let me raise your budget and see what we can find.”
Shen Du nodded and stared blankly out the window. He felt a slight pain in the wound on his left arm, unsure if it was due to sweat. He thought he should ask the tattoo shop what to do about it when he had time.
Oh, wait.
He remembered the long list of precautions sent to him earlier by [Dreamy Affection].
“Mr. Shen, I found it!” The agent excitedly ran over with an iPad. “I found a property that perfectly matches your requirements, a two-bedroom, and it’s close to Yunshan University. Take a look.”
Shen Du put away his phone and took the tablet to take a look. The photos did look good, but he wasn’t sure about the actual condition.
“This house has been listed for a long time and hasn’t been rented out yet,” the agent explained while they were on the way there by taxi.
The area had only recently been developed, the environment was nice, the property management was responsible, and the main issue was the high rent. The residents were either wealthy or high-status people, all well-mannered, so there wouldn’t be any trouble like the noisy situation with the couple next door.
“The house is good… but it’s too expensive. For the same price, people would prefer to rent a three-bedroom or four-bedroom house,” the agent roughly mentioned the price, then discreetly gauged Shen Du’s expression, worried he might back out due to the high price.
The sun was beginning to set, and the evening glow was turning red. The car entered an elevated highway, and the remaining sunlight filtered through the half-open window, casting a golden glow on Shen Du’s face, making half of it look like it had a halo, with the fuzz clearly visible.
“Let’s take a look first,” he said.
After the taxi stopped at the entrance of the community, Shen Du’s restless mood slowly settled.
This community looked pretty good.
The house the agent showed him was indeed nice: facing north to south, with a large balcony, a big floor-to-ceiling window in the master bedroom, spacious rooms, a clean house, and good soundproofing. Most importantly, it was close to Yunshan University.
Shen Du was very satisfied.
The location was excellent. When he entered, he had already noticed the expensive cars coming into the parking lot, so calling it a wealthy neighborhood wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Typically, for such a property, the owner wouldn’t even consider renting it out if it were empty.
As if knowing what he was thinking, the agent smiled and said, “Some wealthy people own too many properties. They probably want to rent it out to avoid it gathering dust but don’t want to just let anyone live there, so they have so many requirements.”
Sure enough, once the deal was made, he would need to report the tenant’s information to the owner.
“These are the owner’s requirements and the information you need to fill out,” the agent pulled up a Word document and handed it over. “Take a look, and if you’re satisfied, I’ll send the information to the owner.”
Shen Du raised an eyebrow. “Does this mean I might still be rejected by the landlord?”
The agent maintained a professional smile but didn’t answer directly. “Your rental requirements match the owner’s needs, so there’s no need to worry about that. I’ll let you know as soon as there’s any news.”
Shen Du didn’t respond and lowered his head to look at the document.
[Rental Guidelines]
- No pets allowed
- Any addition/replacement of furniture in the room requires the owner’s consent
- Any changes to the display of the house must be approved by the owner
- Any damage to walls/furniture must be reported to the owner immediately
…
There were several points listed on the page, and as Shen Du read through them, he started to feel something was off. He scrolled down and discovered the document had several pages, scrolling down seven or eight times before he reached the end.
“…”
Shen Du closed his eyes for a moment, and the scene of the neighbors next door arguing over trivial matters flashed through his mind.
He held back his irritation.
Shen Du exhaled and, when he opened his eyes, his expression had returned to normal. The agent, who had been carefully watching his reaction, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed like this was a done deal.
After reading the requirements, Shen Du’s expression improved slightly. Although the long list of rules seemed daunting, most of them were small matters that aligned with Shen Du’s usual habits.
There was only one rule he couldn’t accept.
Why did he have to report to the landlord if he wanted to add anything to the house?
Deep in thought, Shen Du flipped to the appendix and began filling out his personal information as required.
Name: Shen Du
Gender: Male
Occupation: Student
Do you smoke: No
…
When Shen Du handed over the form, he had the strange feeling that he had sold himself.
The agent took the tablet and sent the information to the landlord. After a while, without receiving a reply, he told Shen Du to wait and stepped aside to make a phone call.
The phone rang for about ten seconds before the other side picked up. It was a man’s voice: “Who is this?”
“Hello, Mr. Qin, I’m an agent from ×× company. A client is interested in renting your property. I’ve had them fill out the information according to your requirements and have sent it to you. Please take a look. If everything is fine, we can draft the contract.”
Qin Yi was in the middle of sketching something for a client. His assistant, Xiang Nan, was holding the phone for him, making it inconvenient to talk: “Sorry, I forgot to let you know. I’m not renting this house anymore.”
Shen Du, who had been wiping the sweat from his arm with a tissue, suddenly heard the agent raise his voice: “What? You’re not renting it anymore? But the client is already here. I think he meets your requirements. Would you like to reconsider?”
The voice on the other end was deep and magnetic, with a tone that left no room for negotiation. The agent, realizing this, swallowed the rest of his words, holding the phone, unsure of what to say next.
“So the landlord isn’t renting it anymore?” Shen Du looked at him from the sofa.
The young man’s gaze was calm, his good upbringing giving him an air of composure. Even though he knew this might be a wasted trip, he didn’t show any signs of frustration.
Qin Yi suddenly heard a familiar sound. It was faint at first but hard to ignore through the receiver.
He paused, thought for a moment, then put down his tool. Looking at Xiang Nan in surprise, he took the phone, opened the file the agent had sent, and swiped up with his thumb, quickly reaching the last page.
[Appendix – Tenant Information]
Name: Shen Du
…
The agent sighed silently, thinking the deal was about to fall through when suddenly the voice on the phone changed its tone. He was stunned, then looked at the young man: “Mr. Shen, the landlord would like to speak with you.”
Shen Du was a little surprised but didn’t say anything. He calmly took the phone and said, “Hello.”
The clear, melodic voice was still captivating.
Qin Yi lowered his eyes, turned off the speakerphone, and spoke in a soft voice: “Hello.”
Xiang Nan’s eyes nearly popped out.
Shen Du was truly stunned this time. His mind instantly flashed the image of a tall man sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his arm.
He held the phone, uncertain, and asked, “Mr. Qin?”
Qin Yi responded with a low hum, his voice so soft it was almost like a whisper. He seemed somewhat pleased that the other person had recognized him. “You want to rent a house?”
“Yes.” Shen Du, still unaware, could only feel the deep tone of the voice gently tickling his ear, as if a physical hand was scratching it.
He moved the phone slightly away, and it felt much more comfortable.
Shen Du was able to recognize Qin Yi’s voice just from a single sentence, mostly because he hadn’t met many people recently and Qin Yi’s voice was particularly pleasant, leaving a strong impression.
So, the house he wanted to rent was Qin Yi’s?
What a coincidence.
On the phone, Qin Yi asked him, “Did you go through the rental requirements?”
Shen Du remembered the long list of terms and raised his eyebrows slightly, saying, “Yes, I’ve read through them.”
Qin Yi asked again, “Can you meet the conditions?”
Shen Du thought for a moment, then said, “…Probably.”
Suddenly, Qin Yi let out a brief, soft laugh. Shen Du felt it was a bit strange and was about to ask what was so funny when Qin Yi said, “Alright, pass the phone to the agent.”
“…”
Half an hour later.
The agent, holding the freshly prepared contract, was so happy he was nearly in tears. “Finally done, all that running around wasn’t in vain. Mr. Shen, I didn’t expect you and Mr. Qin knew each other.”
If Shen Du had contacted Qin Yi directly, this deal might have been off his hands. Such a big deal, even he could only watch.
Shen Du instinctively reached for the tattoo on his arm, but stopped halfway and said, “We’re not that familiar.”
It was just a boss and client relationship, a brief encounter.
The agent smiled knowingly. Whether or not they were truly unfamiliar didn’t matter; after all, the deal was signed, and he would earn a lot of commission—he could relax for the next month!
“Property management will contact you soon to set up your access permissions, and the room’s password is written in the contract. You can move in anytime.” The agent stood up, extended his right hand, and said, “It was a pleasure serving you. Do you have any other plans? Perhaps I could buy you a coffee?”
Shen Du declined and didn’t shake his hand. “No need.”
“Then I won’t keep you. If you have any friends looking to rent or buy, feel free to contact me. If you can, please leave a five-star review on the platform. I wish you a pleasant life.”
Night had fallen, and the neon lights outside flickered. The living room lights were blinding. Shen Du lay on the sofa, looking at the unfamiliar layout, his mind drifting back to the phone call earlier and that long list of rental terms that had made his head spin.
…Who would make such excessive demands?
Thinking about Qin Yi’s somewhat casual tone earlier, Shen Du absentmindedly wondered if he was actually being sold off.
*
After a day of rest in the hotel, Shen Du called a moving company. He didn’t want to hear any more from that couple and handed the keys to the movers, letting them handle everything.
In the evening, the weather turned cooler. Shen Du stuffed his clothes into a backpack, checked out of the hotel, and took a cab to his new home.
The movers had just arrived. Shen Du went to a nearby fruit store and bought some watermelon and grapes. “Thanks, everyone, for your hard work. Have some fruit before continuing.”
“Ah, this is all part of the job. Thank you, sir.”
The door to the apartment was wide open, with the air conditioning running. The movers were sweating as they carried boxes in and out. Shen Du thought there wouldn’t be much to move, but seeing it now, there was actually a lot.
As the sun began to set, orange-red beams of light streamed in, adding a soft glow to the world.
When Qin Yi stepped out of the elevator, this was the scene he saw.
The young man was leaning by the window in the hallway.
His flaxen hair fluttered gently in the wind, the ends dyed a light golden color by the sunset. His slender frame stood out, his thin shoulder blades resembling delicate butterfly wings. The legs emerging from his pants were straight and graceful, so white they almost glowed.
It was so beautiful, it seemed almost unreal.
His steps faltered, and the urge to capture the scene in a painting overwhelmed him.
“Excuse me, could you move aside?”
Soon, the silence was broken.
The movers came out of the other elevator and needed to pass through here. Qin Yi came to his senses and stepped aside.
The person by the window turned to look, and when their eyes met, Qin Yi saw a hint of surprise in the young man’s eyes.
“Mr. Qin?” The young man straightened up. “What are you doing here?”
“I was passing by, just came to take a look.” Qin Yi walked over, stopping beside him and glancing at the busy movers. “How’s it going? Everything going smoothly?”
Shen Du smiled. “Pretty smoothly, yeah.”
He didn’t even need to lift a finger.
To be honest, he hadn’t expected Qin Yi to come today.
The landlord was certainly doing his job well.
“Xiao Shen, can I call you that?”
Shen Du said, “You’re older than me, so whatever works.”
The young man spoke with his eyes slightly squinted, looking quite content.
Unexpectedly, the other party’s voice was clear and slightly playful, a tone that was different from what Shen Du had imagined.
He remembered that Qin Yi’s voice had a more magnetic quality to it, not so youthful.
“Are you from Beijing?”
Qin Yi’s gaze lingered on the side of the young man’s face, studying him carefully.
Shen Du seemed unaware and responded, “Are you?”
Qin Yi hummed, then suddenly took a box of cigarettes out of his pocket.
“Do you mind?”
Shen Du shook his head and turned to look at him.
Qin Yi’s hands were truly beautiful.
They looked like a carefully crafted work of art, steadier than most people’s.
Shen Du had thought the same when he saw Qin Yi sketching at the studio last time. Those hands were made for tattooing and drawing.
A cigarette was suddenly handed to him.
It was held by that hand, which he thought was beautiful and elegant, with the filter facing him.
Shen Du:?
“I don’t smoke.”
“You’ve been staring at it, I thought you were asking me to give you one,” Qin Yi raised an eyebrow.
Shen Du immediately turned red, annoyed with himself for staring too long.
At such a moment, of course, he couldn’t admit it. He didn’t want to be seen as a pervert: “Actually, that’s what I meant earlier. You can still give me one.”
He took the cigarette, his finger accidentally brushing against Qin Yi’s palm.
Shen Du quickly pulled his hand back. He only wanted to hold the cigarette for now and deal with it later, but when his gaze met Qin Yi’s half-smiling, half-mocking eyes, he casually put the cigarette in his mouth.
Shen Du held the cigarette between his lips, his gaze shifting slightly as he mumbled, “Can I borrow a light?”
Qin Yi shoved something cool into his hand.
It was a lighter.
With a silver exterior, it gleamed with a cold metallic shine.
It was a very high-end lighter, and Shen Du had no idea how to use it.
Shen Du looked at it back and forth, but couldn’t figure it out. Just as he was about to put it down, Qin Yi’s voice came from above.
“It’s here.”
A faint fragrance of incense wafted in the air.
Qin Yi grasped his hand and guided him to the switch.
Click.
A flame flickered.
Qin Yi controlled his hand, bringing the flame to the bottom of the cigarette.
Shen Du froze, not daring to move.
“Thank you.” The warmth of another person’s hand reached his, but Shen Du’s expression remained calm. “I—cough, cough, cough, cough…!”
Shen Du coughed violently, hurriedly pulling the cigarette away.
The hand that had held his was now gently patting his back: “Take it slow, don’t inhale it all at once.”
Shen Du felt like he had returned to that day in the studio, like a fish waiting to be slaughtered, easily controlled by that large hand, not daring to act out.
“No—I’m fine, cough, cough, cough…”
Shen Du avoided his hand and leaned against the wall, gasping for air. “I’m really fine. That… your cigarette is pretty strong.”
Qin Yi, with a cigarette between his lips, took it out and held it between his fingers, asking, “You’ve never smoked before?”
Of course not!
He’d never even touched one!
But Shen Du clearly couldn’t say that, so he vaguely responded, “Never smoked something this strong.”
Qin Yi nodded, though it was unclear whether he believed him.
“You…” Shen Du still wanted to say something, but when he saw Qin Yi pull out another cigarette, tearing the cover of the pack, he was a little confused: “What are you doing?”
“I’m just here to check on my tenant.”
Qin Yi took a pen from his pocket, lowered his head, and wrote a string of numbers on the cigarette pack cover, then handed it to him: “This is my number. If you have any problems, you can call me.”
After speaking, he pointed to Shen Du’s left arm: “Remember to come by the shop for a follow-up check.”
Shen Du looked down.
It was a personal contact number, not like the one left in the shop for people to add.
Thinking about everything that had just happened, Shen Du suddenly felt that the thin piece of paper in his hand was as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Could it be that Qin Yi was interested in him?
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