"Really? It looks like I'm getting more and more successful, so why don't you just give in to me?" Bao Bao said with great delight after hearing Yan Yan's words.
It wasn't until this moment that Qi Yi started to realize the relationship among these three people besides himself.
And the most important reason he understood was not that Yan Yan had introduced the "SB couple," but rather the sound of Bao Bao speaking.
Although as a boy he found Bao Bao very handsome, the voice he heard was undoubtedly that of a girl.
Bao Bao was an identical twin, and she had an older sister named Meina, while Bao Bao's real name was Mei Bao.
Such a name really didn't suit Bao Bao's handsome appearance.
Hence, Bao Bao hated it when people mentioned her real name.
The apartment where Yan Yan was currently living was initially rented for Shen Xi by Bao Bao.
When Bao Bao rented from Eureka, she signed a three-year lease, and it had only been two years now.
Bao Bao stated that since she didn't want to pay a penalty for breaking the lease, whenever they were going to move out, Yan Yan would have to take over the remaining lease.
The "SB couple" provided a solid reason—Bao Bao had just bought a house and was broke, needing to cut costs and absolutely couldn't afford to pay the penalty.
Bao Bao's parents, over the years, had already accepted treating Bao Bao as a "boy," given that their daughter had dressed quite neutrally since she was fourteen or fifteen.
Fortunately, her sister Meina had always been quite ladylike, and most of the time, Bao Bao's parents would tell people they had twins—a boy and a girl.
However, Yan Yan knew clearly that the reason given by the SB couple wasn't true.
Although the Bao family wasn't the richest in Xiamen, they were definitely among the top ten.
With only Meina and Mei Bao as the "sister" pair in the Bao family, it would be quite difficult for Bao Bao to be broke.
The real reason was that the house Yan Yan had previously stayed in Melbourne was suddenly being sold by the landlord, and the place was reclaimed before the lease was up, making it very difficult to find a satisfactory place at short notice.
The apartment Bao Bao rented in Eureka had three bedrooms; initially, she and Shen Xi each had one, and the remaining room was used as a study.
Both of them were getting married now, so at least one room could be vacated for Yan Yan.
Moreover, Bao Bao had bought a Penthouse in Docklands which wouldn't be decorated and furnished in less than a year and a half. (note 1)
Thus, the likelihood of them really violating the lease was very small; it was possible that even when the contract expired, the new house might still not be ready.
Before arriving, Qi Yi had thought that there was another boy upstairs to confront, but after arriving, he realized he was facing three noisy girls.
After recognizing the facts, Qi Yi's mood suddenly brightened.
Yan Yan was just living with the "SB couple," and the "handsome guy" he had just seen had no relationship with Yan Yan beyond friendship.
All was clear, and the sky was bright after the rain.
"If I hadn't heard you talk, I definitely wouldn't have figured that out," Qi Yi quickly adjusted his mood and naturally joined the conversation.
"Yan Yan, the school hunk you've brought back is nice—do come over more often," Bao Bao was satisfied with Qi Yi's "misunderstanding."
"You're welcome to come over often—by the way, Qi Yi, I almost forgot to ask, how long are you planning to stay in Melbourne this time?" Yan Yan suddenly remembered this important question.
"Probably two or three days," Qi Yi wasn't about to disclose that he had just changed his flight to leave tomorrow.
"Is it two days or three days? What kind of mathematician isn't precise?" Yan Yan was slightly discontent with the vague answer.
"What? Mathematician? What kind of species is that? Is it human?" Shen Xi looked horrified.
"Who told you someone who studies math is a mathematician?" Qi Yi challenged Yan Yan.
"Uncle Zhang, Uncle Li? Who knows, really. How many days exactly?" Yan Yan playfully continued to ask.
"Three days," Qi Yi answered without much thought, even feeling a bit regretful for not having said a few more days.
But in fact, Qi Yi himself wasn't clear how many days he could stay.
"Does today count?" Yan Yan felt Qi Yi's answer was still not strict enough.
"It doesn't count," Qi Yi continued to answer earnestly.
"Ah, when did Grandpa start speaking so loosely?" Yan Yan said with a helpless look on her face.
"In the Year of the Monkey? The Month of the Horse? Who knows?" Qi Yi quickly picked up Yan Yan's new way of speaking.
"What did you just call him? Grandpa?" Shen Xi and Baobao asked in unison.
"Isn't he? Isn't he young enough to be unbelievable?" Yan Yan gave Shen Xi and Baobao a 'believe it or not' expression.
"It is indeed hard to believe. You two chat; I'm going to see how Shen Xi's report is coming along," Baobao said as he prepared to take Shen Xi into the room.
"I still want to see the handsome guy," Shen Xi complained.
"Look later," Baobao pulled Shen Xi back to the room.
"What about the meal, aren't we cooking?" Shen Xi reluctantly followed Baobao back into the room, looking back every three steps.
"Didn't Shen Xi finish her report? What are we going back to the room for at this time? Aren't we supposed to be cooking? How about we each make a signature dish tonight? You guys start, and I'll join shortly," Yan Yan kept Baobao and Shen Xi in the living room.
"What about your Grandpa, is he participating too? Are we making three dishes or four today?" Baobao stopped his steps back to the room.
"Qi Yi, can you cook?" Yan Yan genuinely didn't know the answer.
"Under the premise that quality isn't guaranteed and the ingredients are simple, the chances of my cooking being edible are probably greater than 50%," Qi Yi tried to answer Yan Yan's question precisely.
"Just tell us straight, scrambled eggs with tomatoes or tomatoes with scrambled eggs?" When it truly came to being precise, Yan Yan felt somewhat unaccustomed.
"Do you guys have fermented tofu?" Qi Yi asked.
"Are you in charge of plating then?" Shen Xi asked, half surprised and half teasing.
"I saw you just bought water spinach, I can try making fermented tofu with water spinach," Qi Yi proposed his own signature dish option.
.........
note 1
Docklands—a trendy, upscale area in Melbourne, including a yacht harbor, new CBD, and high-end residential area.
A two-bedroom apartment in Docklands is not cheaper than a whole villa in the suburb.
Penthouse refers to an apartment on the top floor of a high-rise building.
Most Penthouses are located on the top floors of the luxury apartments in Docklands.
A penthouse in Docklands can buy a whole row of large villas in the suburb.
Villas in Australia are freehold properties, unlike apartments.
Thus, living in Docklands not only requires wealth but also a pursuit of a fashionable lifestyle.
From a purely real estate investment perspective, Docklands is not the best choice.