The Next Day, Morning
Lin Yuan called Zhao Jue and expressed his desire to rent a place outside.
Zhao Jue had a wide network and many acquaintances, so Lin Yuan's first thought after considering renting a place was to ask Zhao Jue for help.
"Renting a house?" Zhao Jue asked, "Do you have any specific requirements for the house?"
Lin Yuan replied, "Affordable rent."
Two seconds of silence from Zhao Jue. "Apart from being cheap?"
Lin Yuan attempted to elaborate, "High quality and inexpensive."
"..."
Am I being too unsophisticated? Isn't that the same as 'cheap'?
Zhao Jue chuckled, "Well, then you've found the right person. I have an apartment near your school. I'll have the keys sent to you. Just remember to take care of the utilities; the rent is on the house. Is that cheap enough?"
"No, that won't do." Lin Yuan insisted, "I should pay the rent."
Zhao Jue casually remarked, "The place would be empty otherwise, and I don't particularly want to rent it out. The rent isn't much anyway. It's better to let you live there. Don't make a fuss about it; otherwise, I might be upset."
"Okay." After some thought, Lin Yuan agreed, "If you need a song in the future, remember to find me."
Zhao Jue teased, "What, can you grow another summer flower?"
Lin Yuan fell into contemplation. Would a red rose count as a summer flower?
Zhao Jue laughed, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. I'm a bit busy here. Tonight, take the keys and check out the place; daily necessities are ready inside. You should be able to move in tonight. I'll also arrange for a cleaner."
"A cleaner?" Lin Yuan quickly added, "I'll clean it myself."
Zhao Jue didn't insist, "Fine then, I'll hang up for now."
"Okay." The call with Lin Yuan ended.
Zhao Jue made another call. Her tone regained its usual authority, "Apologize to the client; I've decided not to rent out the house at Wutong Court."
"What?" The person on the other end became anxious, "Sis, are you not satisfied with the price? The client was willing to pay fifteen thousand a month right after viewing it; that's not cheap even at Wutong Court... How about this, don't worry, I'll talk to the client, we can increase the rent by another thousand!"
"No need." Zhao Jue calmly said, "I won't rent it for any amount. I'm reserving it for my own child. Let them live there until they buy their own place in the future. You can help me rent it out then."
"...Alright then." Upon hearing this, the other party was at a loss. She wanted the house for her child; what else could they say? Lin Yuan, of course, was unaware of this.
After the call with Zhao Jue, he spoke to Xia Fan and Jian Yi, informing them about his decision to move out.
"Move out?" Xia Fan was concerned, "Can you manage on your own?"
Jian Yi furrowed his brow, "Should I talk to my family and come with you?"
Lin Yuan wasn't in good health. It would be dangerous if something happened and he had no one to look after him.
Lin Yuan said, "It's alright, I'm not a child."
According to the system, Lin Yuan had no risk of passing away until at least twenty-seven years old.
"Alright then."
After some deliberation, they said, "We'll help you clean up in the evening. If you're staying out, make sure to stay in touch with us regularly."
Lin Yuan nodded.
In the afternoon, Zhao Jue's assistant brought Lin Yuan three keys and politely said, "Teacher Xianyu, Sister Zhao said if you want to clean up, I can come and help you."
"Thank you, no need."
The assistant nodded, "Then I'll head back to the company. The address is Building 52, Unit 804 in Wutong Court. Please remember that."
"Okay."
Lin Yuan noted the address, and that same night, with Jianyi and Xia Fan, entered the residential area called Wutong Court.
"Wow!"
Jianyi was amazed as soon as she entered, "You're renting in Wutong Court? This is the best community near our school, complete with facilities and a lakeside view. They say the rent here is at least ten thousand a month. Lin Yuan, with your salary, can you afford it?"
"The rent is so high?" Lin Yuan was somewhat surprised, then truthfully replied, "This is a house from someone in the company, given to me for free, no payment required."
Jianyi stared at Lin Yuan, "Is the person a man or a woman?"
"A woman."
"I knew it!" Jianyi looked disheartened, "Definitely being kept by a powerful woman! Lin Yuan, how could you do this, you've disappointed me so much—why wouldn't this rich woman introduce me to someone?"
"There probably aren't any rich women, but there should be quite a few male leaders with unique tastes." Xia Fan sneered.
"Men?" Jianyi suddenly shivered, "They'll ask for a fee!"
Lin Yuan: "..."
Xia Fan: "..."
Amid laughter and chatter, the three entered Building 52, Apartment 804.
The moment they opened the door, Xia Fan froze, observing the interior setup. For a moment, she couldn't help but wonder, "Lin Yuan, is your superior... really not aiming for something more from you?"
It was a three-bedroom apartment.
Approximately over 140 square meters.
The apartment was situated in the best spot of the community, offering a view of the lake from the balcony beside the bed.
The interior was modern and minimalist in design, seemingly simple, but the materials used were evidently not cheap. It must have cost a good amount to set up. Moreover, it seemed like the place had barely been lived in; everything felt brand new.
"Perhaps it's because I helped her out."
Lin Yuan explained, his emotions slightly wavering in this moment.
"The darling of our group indeed," Jianyi said with a smile, and Xia Fan nodded in agreement, choosing not to delve further into the matter, choosing to believe Lin Yuan's explanation.
The so-called "patronage" was merely a joke.
Although Lin Yuan loved money, he did have his limits.
And Lin Yuan's easy-going nature meant he always had good relationships.
Perhaps it was also related to Lin Yuan being handsome since childhood; people naturally warmed up to him just by seeing his face.
In this world, some could win others over purely based on their looks. Combine that with Lin Yuan's perpetual frail health, it was easy for him to receive some special treatment, although this particular instance of favor seemed a bit excessive.
"I've decided!"
Jianyi joyfully roamed the house and then pointed to one of the side bedrooms. "This side room is mine! I might occasionally crash here!"
"Then, I'll take the other room."
Xia Fan gestured toward the third room.
The master bedroom was the largest, but the two side bedrooms were also quite spacious.
Lin Yuan called Zhao Jue to explain the situation and, once granted approval, nodded. "One person, one key."
Lin Yuan had a total of three keys, just enough to distribute.
Without any formality, the two of them promptly pocketed their respective keys.
As friends for many years, they never made a fuss about such matters.
"Let's start cleaning up."
Jianyi, looking around the house, felt an overwhelming surge of energy.
However, the downside of a large house was that cleaning it was quite a task. Even with three people working together, it took over two hours to finish cleaning.
"We won't go back tonight; let's just sleep here."
The three, exhausted and sweating, didn't feel like returning to school. After all, there were new blankets in each room's wardrobe, so staying over posed no issues.