The two girls giggled and frolicked their way back to the dormitory.
However, there was now an additional girl in the room with a gentle and quiet appearance. Her name was Wang Weiwei, and she was also their roommate.
Unlike the other two, who had already started working directly, she took the postgraduate exams last December and was currently waiting for the results. Although she had always been a top student, it wasn’t just about the scores; she hoped to get into her preferred choice, Yanjing University.
“Manni, Wenqian, are you guys moving out already?”
Wang Weiwei had just come back from the library to find that the two roommates had their luggage packed and their closets empty.
“Yeah, we were originally moving out tomorrow, but there were some last-minute changes,” Xu Wenqian replied.
“Oh, I’ll help you move.”
Wang Weiwei was the kind of person who didn’t talk much usually. Though not particularly close with her roommates, they had never had any conflicts over the four years and were the type that might simply fade into the crowd after university.
In fact, for most people, high school classmates with whom you stay in touch often outnumber university classmates because high school friends are usually from the same area. Even without special effort, you might run into them occasionally.
But university classmates are different, coming from all corners of the country. Many may never see each other again after graduation.
Of course, whether they are high school or university classmates, in the end, there are probably only two or three that you keep in contact with—or sometimes not even that many.
For most people, their social circle tends to shrink with age. The number of friends around you is always decreasing. Those you once thought would be friends for life might gradually lose contact.
As a child, you don’t understand the phrase, “The older you get, the lonelier you become,” until later when you begin to comprehend it…
With Wang Weiwei’s help, the three managed to move all the remaining luggage downstairs in one go.
After packing the trunk full, the second row was almost filled too, leaving just enough room for one adult to sit.
But that was enough. Li Manni could hold Xixi in her arms.
Xu Wenqian was assigned to the passenger seat, holding several stacked plastic basins in her arms, with two thermos flasks at her feet.
“We actually managed to fit everything in!”
“But, to use such a luxury car for moving, it seems like such a waste.”
Xu Wenqian, sitting in the passenger seat, expressed her sentiment.
“Well, a car is just a tool after all,”
Yang Hao said nonchalantly as he rolled down the window. “Say goodbye to your roommate. It’ll be hard to see each other again.”
“Not necessarily, we’re all still in Jiangcheng for now!”
Xu Wenqian laughed carelessly but still waved at Wang Weiwei, who stood beside the car, “Weiwei, come hang out with Manni and me when you have time.”
Li Manni also added, “We’ll send the location to the group once we get there.”
“Mmhmm, have a safe trip~!”
Wang Weiwei waved back at them with a smile on her face, but her gaze inadvertently fell on Yang Hao’s profile. She had heard quite a bit about Li Manni’s brother-in-law in their dorm room discussions, but this was the first time she saw him in person, so she couldn’t help but be a little curious.
She also remembered that Li Manni and Xu Wenqian had mentioned in their conversations that all of his hotpot restaurants had closed, forcing him to sell houses and cars to repay debts. So how was he still driving a luxury car worth millions?
About forty minutes later.
Yang Hao parked the car in front of Building 3, Unit 2, of the Fenghua Residential Area.
He then started carrying the girls’ luggage upstairs. Luckily, being on the third floor was not too high, and they arrived after a short while.
Once inside the apartment, Li Manni and Xu Wenqian took a quick tour. Both of their faces lit up with joy. Although the residential area was a bit old, the apartment’s interior was quite new. The furniture and appliances were all provided, making it a true move-in ready place.
“Brother-in-law, is the rent for this place really just 1,800?”
The apartment exceeded Li Manni’s expectations, and she asked nervously.
“If you think it’s too expensive, it can be cheaper.”
Yang laughed, the wealthy tycoon that he was, not worrying about such a small amount of rent.
“Uh, no need!”
“It’s already cheap enough!”
Li Manni shook her head repeatedly, afraid of causing her brother-in-law any trouble.
“Yang, this apartment isn’t yours, is it?”
Xu Wenqian had a hunch. If this apartment was merely owned by a friend of Yang Hao’s, he wouldn’t have the authority to offer a further discount. Combined with him driving a luxury car worth millions, it seemed quite normal for him to own such an apartment.
Li Manni, who knew about Yang Hao’s situation, hadn’t considered this possibility, since Yang Hao and Xixi were still renting an apartment themselves.
But now, Xu Wenqian’s guess seemed to explain why the apartment could be rented out so cheaply to them.
“Smart!”
Yang Hao nodded. Such a thing was impossible to hide; the monthly utility bills always included the homeowner’s name. Although it wouldn’t show the full name, the surname would be displayed.
And if one wanted to confirm it was him, a simple question to the property management would do the trick.
“I knew it, no one else would rent to us this cheaply!”
“Yang, you’re too kind, thank you, thank you…” Xu Wenqian thanked him profusely.
Li Manni, however, was astounded. She hadn’t expected their friend’s guess to actually be true.
“Brother-in-law, but you and Xixi…”
Li Manni wanted to say that the two were still renting a place, but Yang Hao interrupted her with a wave of his hand, “I have another apartment. I’ll probably move there in a month or two.”
“Ah?”
You have another apartment??”
Li Manni’s beautiful eyes widened in shock as she stared at her former brother-in-law, momentarily at a loss for words.
He was supposed to be down on his luck, so how suddenly there’s a house, a car?
She was curious about the origins of the apartment but with Xu Wenqian still there, and since it was a matter of personal privacy, asking directly seemed impolite.
“Alright, let’s move the stuff first!”
“It’s also getting late. You still have quite a bit to tidy up.”
Yang Hao had no intention of continuing the topic. The three of them went downstairs to move things again and managed to bring everything upstairs.
“Manni, go downstairs and say hi to Xixi, and then we’ll be taking off.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Li Manni was quick on the uptake, realizing Yang had something to say to her alone; she immediately followed him as he walked downstairs.
Once in the corridor on the ground floor, Yang Hao stopped and said, “You can collect Wenqian’s rent for me for the time being. You’re still an intern and not earning much. When you get a permanent position and your salary increases, you can give me the total rent then.”
“This…”
Li Manni didn’t know what to say. Yang’s move effectively meant he wasn’t taking rent from her and was giving her control over Xu Wenqian’s rent.
She went from paying rent to collecting it.
“Family doesn’t talk in twos.”
“Let’s leave it at that. Don’t be late tomorrow!”
Yang Hao didn’t give Li Manni a chance to respond, waved his hand, and strode out of the building.
“Brother-in-law…”
Li Manni hurried after him, a thousand words caught in her throat. In the end, she just cautioned, “Drive carefully.”
“Hmm, go upstairs.”
“It’s pretty cold outside!”
Yang Hao got into his car, rolled down the window, and waved to Li Manni.
“Auntie, get up early tomorrow~!”
Xixi poked her head out the window and reminded her.
“Don’t worry, your auntie won’t be late!”
Li Manni smiled and nodded at the little girl, and then watched the car disappear into the night before turning to go upstairs.
As soon as she entered the apartment, Xu Wenqian grabbed her arm, shaking it while teasing, “Manni, Yang is really great.”
“I think one of us ought to repay him by marrying him!”
“Repay?”
“If you married brother-in-law, that would be returning kindness with ingratitude!”
Li Manni gave her friend an exasperated look. Xu Wenqian had a great personality, albeit a bit immature; If she really became Xixi’s stepmother, they might end up fighting over snacks.
For brother-in-law Yang Hao, it would be no different from raising two daughters, exhausting indeed.
“Well, in that case, it’s got to be you then!”
Xu Wenqian continued teasing with a giggle, “If you really went from being the aunt to Xixi’s stepmother, you’d become my landlord.”
“Landlady, remember to give your poor friend free rent…”