"Sorry, do we know each other?"
Lin Fang couldn’t help but gaze at her again, trying to see whether she was soone he knew. While she appeared slightly familiar, he couldn’t put his finger on it.
The girl leaned slightly on the doorfra, folding her arms in response. Her posture sohow attracted Lin Fang’s gaze to her bare, long legs below the shorts, although it was only for a mont. "It’s , Zhi Yan. From Class 3 of Huaxi No.2 High."
His eyes widened. "Wait... Zhi Yan? Class Monitor Zhi Yan?"
She nodded, a smile twitching on her lips.
Now that she ntioned it, recognition hit him like a mory bomb.
Back then, she had short hair and glasses larger than her face. Always sitting in the front row, correcting teachers, chasing after late assignnts. Top 10 in school rankings, nearly invisible to anyone who didn’t care about grades.
The woman standing in front of him now was... not that girl.
Her hair was long now, tied back in a casual ponytail, and her glasses were gone, replaced by sharp eyes and a quiet confidence. She wore light howear, simple but fitted, and looked like soone who would step out of a fitness app comrcial.
His gaze once again couldn’t help but fall to her long legs, and Lin Fang rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I honestly... didn’t recognize you. You changed quite a bit."
"You’ve changed, too. You have beco more... *Ahem*" Zhi Yan said, stepping aside and motioning him in. "Anyway, please co in. I’ll show you around."
The apartnt was clean, bright, and surprisingly spacious.
The living room had a large couch, a ga console blinking in rest mode, and so neatly stacked fitness gear in the corner.
She led him past the kitchen, a warm, spice-filled area. It was quite aromatic.
"Your room’s down here," she said, opening a door near the hallway. "As ntioned on the website, an attached bathroom. Wi-Fi’s already on. Monsters are allowed as long as you can carry them in a container, and you have to register them in the database. Or else, they will have to be put in the stables." Leaning a bit closer to him, she quietened her voice as she slowly spoke, winking. "Actually, you don’t have to. The Landlord is my Aunt. I can manage her, as long as you promise that your monster pet doesn’t cause destruction."
"Don’t worry." Lin Fang said, nodding. "I’ll follow the rules."
"Good then..."
As he looked around, another door opened from the opposite hallway, and a girl with earphones slung around her neck peeked out.
"This is Li Liu," Zhi Yan said. "My friend from college. She’s a certified monster trainer."
Li Liu glanced up at him and gave a short nod. "Hey."
Lin Fang was frozen in his spot, his eyes widened in shock, his lips quivered a bit as he forced out a greeting. "Hello..."
She didn’t say anything else, just went back to her room, the soft click of a keyboard already returning behind the half-closed door.
"She’s usually like that," Zhi Yan said with a slight grin. "Don’t mind her."
Lin Fang didn’t say anything to that. His mind was in a complete ss, seeing a person he had loved in his past life, encounter right when he was looking for a new house.
Taking deep breaths, he spoke in his head, to himself, "Lin Fang, relax. Li Liu doesn’t know who you are. But eting her and an old classmate from high school at the sa ti... feels like this is destiny. Maybe, this is another golden opportunity to redo my romantic life, too."
Soon, they walked back to the living room, where Zhi Yan poured him so water and gestured to sit.
"There are two others here," she continued. "A couple. They work weird hours, so you won’t see them much. He’s in a call center. She’s a receptionist at LanTang Burgers. They rent the third room. Not much is to know about co-tenants... if you stay here and converse daily, you can get to know more."
Lin Fang nodded as he took the glass, feeling a dry throat. "I see."
There was a short silence. Then Zhi Yan looked at him as she sat opposite him, crossing her legs. "So. How have you been? Like for the past five years?"
Lin Fang exhaled, leaning back into the sofa.
"It’s not much to be honest," he said in a quiet voice, trying to rember his life from high school graduation till the age of 24. "I didn’t go to college and took over my dad’s business. And it kinda went down to hell."
Zhi Yan listened without interruption as he criticized his own decisions, or how pathetic he was, without even wondering how the other party would judge him. Maybe it’s because it is an old classmate. Or maybe it is because he wanted her pity on him so that he could have the room.
Whatever the reason, it actually worked. Lin Fang could see it on Zhi Yan’s face.
He looked down at his hands as he continued.
"Eventually, I had to sell everything, the house and the store, deciding to pay off the debts and start again. But I didn’t have any university education and had no job for the past five years. And I highly doubt soone would hire , except for those departnt stores. So, I intend to continue being a pet seller. Looking to rent a small store sowhere nearby. You know, try again to get back in the business and all."
Zhi Yan’s gaze softened at the store. She couldn’t help but sigh. "You’ve had a rough ti."
Lin Fang smiled faintly. "Yeah. But I’m still standing."
She studied him for a second longer, then stood up. "Well, you’re here now. The rent’s cheap. als are included. As long as you don’t cause drama, well, I don’t think you will, if you were still the sa Lin Fang I know... anyway, I think you are going to be fine..."
"Uhhh..." Lin Fang looked at her, tilting his head in a bit of confusion.
The sa Lin Fang you know?
Since when did you ever know ?
We barely talked in high school, except for your constant nagging over howork incompletion.
His mind filled with a few thoughts, but in the end, he replied with a smile. "I hope so. Thanks."
She nodded, stood up, and then started walking toward the kitchen. "Alright, if you have ID with you now, you can give now and we’ll get your details registered in the Apartnt database, or you can also register on the day you move."
"Yeah, that’s not a problem." Lin Fang nodded, taking out his wallet. But then, Zhi Yan said, "Not right now. Co... join for dinner."
The warm scent of braised tofu and stead rice lingered in the air as Zhi Yan placed two bowls on the table.
"Uhh... I have already..." Lin Fang was about to refuse, but Zhi Yan cut him off. "C’mon, don’t be so modest, classmate. Co join ."
"Well..." Lin Fang hesitatingly stare at his own abdon, which was almost full. In the end, he got up.
They sat across from each other in the small dining area, the apartnt humming with more conversations.
"So," she said, scooping rice into her bowl, "I was wondering... if you’re planning to sell monster eggs and pet food again, you must plan to rent a store around this region, right?"
Lin Fang nodded.
Zhi Yan raised a brow. "Have you ever thought of going pure digital?"
He paused. "Digital?"
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