The four roommates ate and drank together. Jiang Chen had a modest tolerance for alcohol; after a few bottles of beer, he stopped drinking.
He was afraid that if he got drunk now, this embarrassing episode would follow him for all four years.
After the meal, the four of them headed back to the dorm. Once inside, Wang Congle suddenly blurted out, "Holy crap, brothers, you're about to have a sister-in-law."
The others looked at him in total confusion.
He picked up his phone and showed the photo on the screen to the rest of them. "Isn't our counselor gorgeous?"
Thinking this idiot was a lost cause, Ding Junfei turned to Jiang Chen and Ye Nian. "My urine is yellow. Let me go wake him up with it."
After spending the afternoon with him, Jiang Chen had realized that Wang Congle was the kind of person who lost his mind the moment he saw an attractive woman.
During the meal, whenever a pretty woman walked by, his eyes would lock onto her like an auto-aim system, yet he never had the nerve to go up and ask for her contact information.
And he even called it: "The strategist doesn't go onto the battlefield."
He was a real character. But when Jiang Chen saw the woman in the photo, he was slightly startled. Wasn't this the girl he had met on the high-speed train? What kind of coincidence was this?
However, this photo clearly didn't look as good as she did in reality. While she was certainly pretty in both, the photo somehow looked a bit fake; she usually looked rather aloof, but she seemed much more approachable in the picture.
Jiang Chen thought to himself that having a counselor like this for four years would at least be easy on the eyes.
After this little episode, the four of them got ready to climb into bed and rest. Jiang Chen opened a rental app on his phone and checked out housing listings in the nearby residential areas.
Every description looked great, but you only discovered the difference between the seller's edit and reality when you went to look in person.
Suddenly, a voice belonging to someone outside their dorm's vocal range echoed through the room: a woman!
The guys instantly fell silent, sitting up one after another to discover that Ye Nian was on a video call with a girl. Judging by how they addressed each other, she was his girlfriend.
Wang Congle had the biggest reaction. "What the... fuck! You—you—you actually have a partner and didn't tell your bros?"
Ye Nian gave a sheepish laugh. "We started dating back in high school, and she goes to our school too. My headphones ran out of battery today so I didn't bring them, sorry guys."
"Do I care about the headphones? Your bro cares about your happiness!" Wang Congle said with a heartbroken expression.
Jiang Chen and Ding Junfei also came over to take a look at Ye Nian's girlfriend. They made a stunning couple, a perfect match.
After the two sides exchanged greetings, they each went back to their own business. Jiang Chen bookmarked a few rental listings that looked decent on his phone and then drifted off to dreamland.
The next morning, Jiang Chen woke up bright and early. For no other reason than the fact that the dorm didn't have air conditioning; it had been so hot last night that he hadn't covered himself properly with his quilt, and by morning he had caught a chill.
He decisively crossed a few air-conditioning-free apartments off his list, did a quick wash-up, and headed to the campus cafeteria to grab some breakfast.
Since classes hadn't officially started yet, there weren't many people in the cafeteria. After a simple breakfast, he scanned a shared bicycle at the entrance and headed to the first residential area on his list.
Room 502, Xingfuli Residential Area. Jiang Chen had already contacted the landlord about viewing the apartment, and the landlord was waiting there early, opening the door with a beaming smile to welcome him.
The moment Jiang Chen stepped inside, he was hit by the smell of cheap perfume. Looking at the seemingly decent renovation, Jiang Chen was reminded of the hastily flipped, quick-fix rental properties he'd seen online.
The decor was nice, but in reality it was all shoddy workmanship with formaldehyde levels way over the limit. Jiang Chen took a look around at the apartment's details on his own—it was unmistakably a quick-fix rental.
For an old residential complex, the interior was far too new, and the deliberate attempt to cover up the smell of the room meant Jiang Chen no longer wanted to stay and look around.
He exchanged pleasantries with the landlord and left.
He headed to the second residential area, another older complex not too far from the school, only to find out upon arrival that they were no longer renting units out.
Just like that, he ran through four residential areas in a row, none of which were currently renting. Jiang Chen felt like swearing—if you aren't renting out units, why even post the listing?
Finally, Jiang Chen arrived at the last stop of his apartment-hunting trip: Jiangnan Villa.
True to its name as an upscale residential area, the environment was quiet and serene, with lush shade from trees and blooming flowers everywhere, among which stood rows of exquisite, well-spaced buildings.
Standing before the door of the pre-arranged apartment, Jiang Chen took a deep breath and dialed the landlord's number.
Before long, the landlord hurried over with a warm smile glowing on his face. As he unlocked the door, he warmly introduced the place to Jiang Chen: "Ah, student Jiang, welcome to check out this apartment. Over here is the second bedroom, which is currently still up for rent.
Now, as for the master bedroom over there, someone has already snapped it up. But don't you worry, the second bedroom is fantastic too! Our original listing price for the rent was 2,500 yuan a month, but considering you're taking the second bedroom, I'll give you a bit of a discount—how does 2,300 yuan a month sound?"
Jiang Chen calculated mentally that he received a 1,200-yuan monthly subsidy from the school. If he rented this second bedroom, he would only need to pay an extra 1,100 yuan out of pocket each month.
Besides, being able to live in such a prime location and high-end residential area for that price was an absolute steal! Thinking of this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile.
Guided by the landlord, Jiang Chen enthusiastically toured the rest of the rooms aside from the master bedroom.
Every room was furnished to be warm, comfortable, well-lit, and properly ventilated. Especially the spacious and bright living room, which featured a soft sofa and a high-definition TV, giving it an exceptionally cozy feel.
There was also the kitchen, fully equipped with all sorts of cookware, allowing Jiang Chen to fully exercise his culinary skills. The bathroom was clean, tidy, and fully appointed with all facilities, making it very convenient to use.
After the thorough tour, Jiang Chen was extremely satisfied with the apartment. He turned to the landlord and said, "Landlord, this place is really nice, I like it a lot. I'm planning to move in a few days from now. As for the rent, I'd like to pay monthly at first, is that alright?"
The landlord nodded generously and replied with a smile, "Of course that's no problem at all, student Jiang! Whenever you want to come is fine, just hand me the rent when you arrive. Actually, the tenant for the other room won't be moving in for a few days either."
Hearing this, Jiang Chen felt even more at ease. Afterwards, he and the landlord exchanged contact information and once again expressed his gratitude.
Bidding farewell to the landlord, Jiang Chen left Jiangnan Villa with a heart full of joy and a brisk, light step. He felt as though he could already see his wonderful and fulfilling future life here beckoning to him.
Returning to the dorm, Jiang Chen found that there was already no one inside. Glancing at his phone, he saw a message in the dorm chat from Ye Nian asking if he needed anyone to pick up food for him.
"Just grab whatever, no spicy food."
"Ok!"
After sorting out the housing issue, Jiang Chen talked to his parents about the apartment rental details, and hung up just as his roommates returned.
Once he told them about it, the guys started discussing moving in together in a couple of days to avoid the hassle of everyone moving on different floors.