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墨書 Inktalez
After getting off the plane and stepping out of the airport, Bai Yujing felt a sudden sense of disconnection as he looked at the bustling crowd inside and the traffic outside. It was already afternoon, and after a tiring journey, he hailed a taxi, planning to go home and rest for a while.
Upon returning to his room, he found it being cleaned, and all his belongings had been thrown outside. "What’s going on? Why are my things outside?"
Fuming, he pushed the door open and walked in, only to see the landlord cleaning. "Landlord, why have you thrown all my things outside? This is really unfair!"
"Unfair? This is my house. You haven't paid your rent and I couldn't reach you. If I don't throw your things out, whose things should I throw?"
The landlord was a somewhat tough middle-aged woman. Unable to contain his anger, Bai Yujing kicked the mop she was holding out of her hands. "Get out!"
"What do you mean get out? This is my house." The landlord looked at Bai Yujing with a fierce expression, but her tone softened as she stepped to the door. Then she raised her voice again, saying, "I don’t care; I’ve already rented the place out. Someone will move in tomorrow. You must be out by tomorrow morning."
"Get lost!"
Bai Yujing had lived here for over a year. The landlord had always talked about raising the rent, but he had been putting it off without agreeing. This time she was probably eager to rent it out because of that issue and wanted to kick him out. Bai Yujing found this greedy and petty woman quite unpleasant.
Lying down on his bed for a moment helped ease his irritation. He called Emma to tell her he was back in the country. Emma informed him that she was preparing to return to London for her final year of studies and mentioned that his name had been submitted to the Endangered Species Conservation Organization for assessment by their domestic branch soon. After reluctantly ending the call with Emma, Bai Yujing called his close friend, Wang Yi.
Wang Yi was likely still at work. "Hey, Wang Yi, where are you now?"
Bai Yujing spoke in dialect; Wang Yi's father had been called that in their village when they were young, and eventually everyone started calling Wang Yi that too since they were classmates and understood each other well. "Wow, Old Bai! You actually came back! I thought you were enjoying yourself here and had betrayed the revolution by joining capitalist society."
Bai Yujing's face darkened. "What are you talking about? I'm not here to joke around! I just got back, and my landlord rented out my place while I was gone. Now I'm homeless; I need a place to stay."
Wang Yi immediately replied, "No problem! I'll be off work soon; just wait for me!"
Wang Yi lived not far from Bai Yujing, in the same neighborhood but not in the same building. After checking his belongings, Bai Yujing decided not to keep some furniture he had bought himself. Besides his computer and PS console, he would leave behind everything else except for a second-hand washing machine he had bought at that time—he would see if Wang Yi wanted it later. The refrigerator was something he had snatched during a Double Eleven sale on Taobao; it was quite new, so he hesitated but decided to give it to Wang Yi as well since it seemed like Wang Yi planned to move in with Tangyuan.
After calculating everything, it seemed there wasn't much he truly needed.
However, moving everything turned out to be exhausting for Wang Yi. Bai Yujing's body had undergone some modifications; he managed to carry the refrigerator across most of the neighborhood by himself and brought it upstairs for Wang Yi. By then, Wang Yi was practically exhausted; Bai Yujing had done all the heavy lifting alone—even carrying tables and bookshelves—completely emptying Wang Yi's originally bare apartment.
He filled Wang Yi's place to the brim with his belongings while Wang Yi sat on the sofa, staring at Bai Yujing in disbelief. "Did you cheat or something? In just a few days you’ve changed so much! Honestly tell me what kind of supplements you've been taking."
Bai Yujing laughed heartily. "What supplements? It's all about yin-yang balancing techniques; you know?"
"Coach, I want to learn too!"
"Sorry, but my skills are not for public sharing; they are passed down internally and only to males!"
Old Driver started the car with a roar. After they finished their tasks, the door opened, and Tangyuan walked in holding a takeout box. "Hey, Old Bai, it's been a while since we last met. You seem to have become much more handsome!"
Indeed, Bai Yujing had changed significantly; his physique had become more toned and streamlined, with added muscle. He looked energetic, and his eyes appeared sharp. Especially his hair, which had recently turned thick and shiny, growing densely like steel needles. If left unkempt, it would turn into a wild mess.
He looked vibrant and full of life, which certainly made him appear more attractive. However, Bai Yujing would not admit it: "What are you talking about? I've always been this handsome! Stop openly coveting my good looks; can't you see that Wang Yi is already jealous?"
"Come on! I'm jealous? Clearly, I was the heartthrob back in school! Someone could only look up to my brilliance from behind," Wang Yi immediately retorted, stepping up to challenge Bai Yujing.
Bai Yujing was unyielding and began revealing a series of embarrassing stories from Wang Yi's school days. Wang Yi couldn't stand it and retaliated by recounting some of Bai Yujing's awkward moments from school. They ended up in a stalemate, providing Tangyuan with quite the entertainment as she laughed uncontrollably.
While eating his takeout, Bai Yujing reflected on how he used to cook for himself and had grown somewhat tired of takeout. However, after eating British food for a while, he suddenly found this takeout delicious. It wasn't that Scottish food was bad; he had just gotten used to stir-fried dishes and rice. After not having them for so long, he felt nostalgic and out of place.
Suddenly, Bai Yujing thought of something and looked at Wang Yi and Tangyuan: "I suddenly feel something's off. Me moving in here won't ruin your good thing, right? With your romantic affair heating up, it would be awkward for me to stay here."
Tangyuan's face turned red instantly as she picked up a pillow from the sofa and threw it at Bai Yujing: "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not living here!"
After saying that, she huffed and glanced at Wang Yi, then turned back to Bai Yujing: "Old Bai, I'm heading back now. If you need anything, just call me. Wang Yi, remember what you promised me; otherwise, you're in trouble."
Bai Yujing nodded immediately: "Okay, wait a moment, Tangyuan."
He quickly took out a packaged set of clothes from his luggage along with a set of cosmetics recommended by Emma and handed them to Tangyuan. The clothes were a three-piece tartan set combining traditional and modern Scottish styles. Holding them in her hands, Tangyuan was pleasantly surprised.
"Is this for me? Old Bai!" she exclaimed excitedly as she examined the outfit.
Bai Yujing nodded: "Of course! I specifically picked this out for you. I even asked Wang Yi for your clothing size, but I chose based on my own taste. I hope you like it."
The plaid skirt paired with an English-style shirt and jacket made Tangyuan nod repeatedly: "Of course I like it! Thank you so much, Old Bai!"
After saying that, she shot a glare at Wang Yi, then opened the door to leave. Bai Yujing turned back to look at Wang Yi: "Looks like someone isn't doing well in their relationship; how come what you said on the phone is so different?"
Wang Yi sighed: "Girls can be unpredictable; who knows why she suddenly got angry? I've been trying to make things right these past few days. I was planning to give her a set of clothes the day after tomorrow. Now that you've given her something first, my surprise gift will lose its impact. By the way, where's my gift?"
"How could I forget yours? I brought you a men's Scottish Kilt..." As soon as Bai Yujing pulled it out, Wang Yi's face darkened.
"Get lost!"
Wang Yi chased after Bai Yujing with a broom. With no other option, Bai Yujing took out the whiskey he had brought back and a set of bagpipes. "Whiskey, bagpipes, this is genuine Scotland merchandise."
Bai Yujing played the bagpipes while trying to perform for Wang Yi, but there was no rhythm, only noise. When Wang Yi raised the broom again, Bai Yujing had no choice but to stop.
"A bunch of uncultured people who don't know how to appreciate art," Bai Yujing sarcastically remarked.
Wang Yi's sofa could be laid flat, turning it into a bed, so Bai Yujing decided to stay in the living room. Fortunately, he had blankets and other necessities. "I'm planning to go look at some houses tomorrow."
Wang Yi asked, "Where are you planning to rent? Why not just rent here? We could still live together."
Bai Yujing shook his head. "I think I'll just buy a place. It's more comfortable to live in your own house."
Although he often said that buying a house now would be a loss and that prices would eventually drop during holidays, Bai Yujing felt uncertain about how long he would have to wait. It was better to buy a place; even if prices fell later, it wouldn't matter. Having a house would also make him look good when going out, and his parents would feel more at ease about him living away from home. During holidays, he could invite them over to stay.
With that in mind, he decided to buy a bigger place. He had over thirteen million on hand and planned to check out the market tomorrow.
Wang Yi's jaw dropped in shock. "Buying a house? Are you aware of how high the prices have risen in Deep Market?"
Bai Yujing nodded. "I happen to have some money right now. I don't really understand investments, so buying a house seems like the best option. It's better than leaving it in the bank where it will depreciate, plus I don't even have a place to stay right now."
"Rich people deserve their fate; how dare you flaunt it in front of me?" Wang Yi could hardly tolerate Bai Yujing showing off like that and quickly threw a pillow at him before launching into a swift kick.
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