He rented the room to win back his ex. He stayed for the landlord. Qi Shen is tall, fit, in finance and impossible to please; Ji Xinchen is tall, sunny and far too easily swayed by a good face. Frenemies to lovers, light and funny, complete in one book.
Steamy · 18+. Explicit scenes between adults.
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"Ding, ding, ding."
Just as Ji Xinchen finished refueling his car and was lining up for the free car wash, his phone suddenly rang. He took the phone from its holder to check. It was a notification from a home-sharing platform: someone was inquiring.
"Can I get a discount if I rent for a month?"
A big client! Ji Xinchen quickly replied, "15% off."
"Off-platform?"
Off-platform... Ji Xinchen calculated the platform's cut and gave the lowest discount.
"30% off, but you need to pay half upfront."
"Deal. Send me your WeChat ID."
Ji Xinchen sent his WeChat ID. Just as he switched to WeChat, a car behind him honked, urging him to move forward. After parking his car and checking WeChat again, the friend request had arrived. He approved it and made a note – 'One-month tenant.' He clicked on the man's profile picture – a standard business photo. He was wearing a suit and crossing his arms, but not smiling – thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose, thin lips. His good-looking features composed an indifferent poker face.
The car in front was already being washed. Ji Xinchen handed his car wash ticket to the staff, closed his car window, and turned on the air conditioner. It was still a bit hot in early September and the car felt stuffy with the windows closed.
Picking up his phone again, Ji Xinchen sent a greeting emoji. The other party didn't type a message but directly transferred some money. He opened the calculator and calculated the total: daily price x 15 days x 30% off. The amount was correct down to the last penny.
"Couldn't you round it up?" Ji Xinchen had just finished complaining when a new message arrived.
"I'll arrive this afternoon. Make sure it's clean."
Seeing the green light up ahead, Ji Xinchen drove his car into the car-wash booth. After parking, a staff member came to wipe down his car. He responded with an OK emoji, but couldn't help but mutter to himself – "Such a rude person!"
By the time his car was cleaned, it was nearly noon. Ji Xinchen turned off his ride-sharing app and drove straight home.
Ji Xinchen lived in Diamond Bay, facing the Sea river. The south-facing windows offered a direct view of the river, a view no worse than the neighboring Shangri-La or the Ritz-Carlton across the river.
Ji Xinchen lived on the 14th floor of building 2. The apartment he rented out was on the 16th floor. These two apartments were precious assets of Ji's father, who always boasted about his discerning vision, having bought the apartments at a low price and seeing their value double.
The Ji family were all local natives. Ji's father was a real estate dealer when he was young and had flipped more properties than he could count on his hands and feet. Now he had retired and left these two apartments to his son. He and his wife had moved to Jixian County to run a rural bed and breakfast, a fulfilling and fun way to spend their retirement.
Ji Xinchen didn't have any grand aspirations. He listed the apartment on a home-sharing platform to earn some pocket money. He drove for a ride-sharing app to pass time. But he spent most of his time practicing the piano and rehearsing.
Ji Xinchen was a young rock and roller with his own band. They had released a few albums and regularly performed live. They weren't top-tier famous, but they had a decent fanbase. Ji Xinchen had been in the music circle since he was 18 or 19. After bouncing between three bands, the current one was the most successful and reliable.
A note when something new is out, a preorder opens or a price drops.
