CSGM - Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Renting the Floor Below You

A steady, faint breath lingered at the tip of Ren Zhi's nose. Beneath her fair nose, her two red lips were lightly closed, like a rosebud waiting to bloom—vibrant and serene.

Chu Xi looked down at her for a moment, then suddenly leaned in close to Ren Zhi's lips.

Her nose twitched as she took a sniff.

-Hmm, she smells nice after washing up. No scent of alcohol. Not bad, not bad.

Ren Zhi was a heavy sleeper after drinking, but Chu Xi was still afraid of disturbing her, so she got up and went to the other study.

Some documents were pinned under a stapler on the desk. The one on top was an "Application to Join the XX Film Association." Chu Xi had only meant to glance at it, but after her eyes passed over it, she found herself unable to look away. She stared for a few more seconds, her expression growing hesitant.

It was Ren Zhi's application, but in the family members section, "None" was written after both "Father" and "Mother."

What did "None" mean?

Didn't have any? Missing? Estranged? Or dead?

The character was written with smooth strokes and even ink, looking as if the writer hadn't hesitated at all—as if it were completely routine.

Chu Xi silently speculated.

No wonder there was no one else in this home. The shoes in the closet were all Ren Zhi's size; there was no trace of a second person at all.

Oh...

I didn't expect Ren Zhi to be such a poor thing.

Now I understand why she's married to her work and not attached to her home.

Chu Xi sat down at the desk and opened her phone to search for some information and photos.

When she was finished, she yawned, blinked, and looked out the window. The faint light of dawn was just beginning to break through the murky darkness.

Chu Xi paused... Had time flown by so quickly?

A glance at the numbers in the top right corner of her phone revealed it was already 6 a.m.

She hurried back to the bedroom, quickly wrapped herself in the blanket, and hugged Ren Zhi from the side as she lay down to sleep.

But she hadn't been asleep for long—in fact, Chu Xi felt as if she had only closed her eyes for a moment—when the alarm clock jolted her awake.

Chu Xi woke up with a headache and asked in a faint voice, "What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock." Ren Zhi sat up and turned off the alarm.

But-

Something felt off. She looked down and saw two hands clinging to her. Chu Xi was hugging her tightly, with no sense of personal space whatsoever.

"Mmm... turn it off and let's sleep a little longer," Chu Xi said wearily.

"I have an appointment to work on a song today. No more sleeping. Take your hands off," Ren Zhi said, patting her.

"..." Today, work on a song?

Chu Xi heard her, but her body wouldn't move. She frowned, her eyes still closed.

Of course, her hands didn't move either; she was still deep in the throes of sleepiness.

Ren Zhi pushed her hands away and prepared to get up, saying, "If you want to sleep, then sleep. You can leave on your own when you wake up."

But as she tried to get up, Chu Xi grabbed her pajama pants, and her attempt to get out of bed failed.

Without opening her eyes, Chu Xi said in a low voice, "Don't go. Postpone it. Do it another day."

Ren Zhi looked at her, amused. "Why?"

"Do you want to sign the contract or not?" Chu Xi asked.

"What did you say?" Ren Zhi's expression changed slightly, her attention now fully captured.

"I found an opportunity for you," Chu Xi said, half-asleep. "Just don't go out. I'll take you there during the day."

Ren Zhi hesitated for a moment. Another second of delay would be disrespectful to the contract. In the next instant, she agreed. "Alright. How late are you planning to sleep?"

How late am I going to sleep?

Listen to that. Is that a question a human should ask?

Chu Xi turned onto her side and pulled the blanket over her head. "Until I wake up naturally, of course."

Ren Zhi looked at the small mound under the blanket and chuckled, amused. She hadn't expected Chu Xi to be so good at sleeping in.

Alright, she would treat today as a day off. Ren Zhi sent a message to the music studio, informing them she wouldn't be coming in to work on the song. She asked the director to take charge for now and said she would come later to check the audio tracks.

Some groceries were delivered, and Ren Zhi rolled up her sleeves to cook.

Chu Xi, who had declared she would sleep until she woke up naturally, was instead forced awake by hunger. Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of someone eating outside, and after much internal debate, she dragged herself out of bed.

When she came out and saw Ren Zhi's breakfast—tomatoes and cucumbers—she immediately regretted her decision to get up.

"Are you hungry? Want some?" Ren Zhi kindly asked.

Chu Xi paused for a moment. "...You bought groceries? What else is there?"

Ren Zhi listed, "Cauliflower, radishes, some green vegetables, salmon, beef, chicken, plus milk and bread."

Chu Xi thought carefully. "I'll have some pan-fried salmon. I'll make it myself."

As Chu Xi brushed her teeth, washed her face, and started cooking, Ren Zhi walked into the kitchen. "What's this opportunity to sign a contract you mentioned? Did you think of a way?"

Chu Xi's eyes were still heavy with sleep. She flipped the salmon in the pan dispassionately, her sleepy voice laced with cheekiness.

"Mhm, I dreamed about it."

"Don't tease me."

Ren Zhi, however, was quite serious.

"Alright, I'm not teasing. I really did find a way, but..." Holding the spatula, Chu Xi shot her a sidelong glance. "Sister, if you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat first, right?"

Ren Zhi smiled. "Go sit down and wait. I'll finish this."

Taking the spatula, she added out of humanitarian concern, "What else do you want to eat?"

Chu Xi replied, "Potato chips, cola, an ice cream cone, and fried chicken."

"..." She shouldn't have asked.

"Don't even think about it. Watch what you eat," Ren Zhi said, instantly becoming merciless.

With only six days left until filming officially began, she was strictly against this kind of undisciplined behavior from Chu Xi.

The pan-fried salmon was served. As Chu Xi ate, she asked, "By the way, is the apartment on the floor below you empty?"

Ren Zhi was taken aback.

"How did you know?" She was a little surprised by Chu Xi's guess. How on earth did she figure that out?

"I noticed from the elevator buttons. The one for the 3rd floor is cleaner than the one for your floor, the 4th," Chu Xi explained readily.

Ren Zhi herself only came home once in a blue moon, so the floor below must be practically uninhabited, right?

Sure enough, Ren Zhi said, "It's empty."

Chu Xi said, "Do you know who owns it? Could you help me get the landlord's number and ask if they're renting it out?"

Ren Zhi looked at her. "What are you planning to do?"

"I can't just live at your place forever," Chu Xi said. "The layout here seems quite spacious, so I'll just live on the floor below you. It's close to the film set, too."

Ren Zhi thought for a moment and said, "The rent here is very expensive."

"How much?"

"Six figures a month."

The knife and fork in Chu Xi's hands paused mid-cut.

Why not just rob people?

Her expression froze. Ren Zhi, however, just smiled.

"But if you live there, it can be free. I'm not renting it out anyway."

Chu Xi suddenly understood.

So the apartment on the floor below was also Ren Zhi's property.

So that was it. She was really rich.

But... her focus was still on the rent price Ren Zhi had just quoted.

Isn't it obvious why the apartment wasn't rented out?

Chu Xi said bluntly, "That rent is basically robbery. You're too kind. You could just rob people directly, but instead, you even throw in a bed for them to sleep on."

Ren Zhi looked at her coldly. "Say one more word and I'll start charging you."

Knowing when to quit, Chu Xi instantly changed her tune.

"Okay, thank you, boss."

The boss chuckled.

"You should take some mute potion for your health when you have nothing better to do."

Expensive? This was the Capital, a prime location. For a four-hundred-square-meter single-floor apartment, was that rent really expensive?

Ren Zhi used to rent this apartment out often. It was just that the recent inquiries had all come from people in the industry with shady reputations. She was unwilling to rent to them, which was why it had been vacant for a while.

Bored while waiting for Chu Xi to finish eating, Ren Zhi started an idle conversation with her.

"Why did you think of renting the floor below me?" she asked.

Chu Xi replied without thinking, "You drink often. I was worried you'd feel unwell coming home alone. If I'm here, I can take care of you."

Ren Zhi's words and expression suddenly seemed to freeze. Across from her, Chu Xi continued to cut and eat the fish on her plate, her own expression unchanged.

After that, the two stopped talking. Chu Xi focused on her breakfast, while Ren Zhi played on her phone.

Ren Zhi's mind was in a bit of a mess.

She remembered the scandal on Our Restaurant. Chu Xi had guessed she was a lesbian then, right?

Or had her previous evasions been so seamless, her cover-up so perfect, that Chu Xi had dismissed the suspicion?

Chu Xi, for her part, remained perfectly composed and took excellent care of her. But ever since Ren Zhi had started to find Chu Xi more and more pleasing to the eye, she worried that she herself might start having some dangerous thoughts.

Humans are creatures of intuition and personal magnetism; feelings automatically categorize themselves based on instinct. For example, last night—Ren Zhi didn't dare to dwell on it—when Chu Xi brought her home, what she seemed to feel wasn't a sense of friendly loyalty, but one of warmth.

In other words, her emotional filing system was malfunctioning.

Ren Zhi searched for a few terms on her phone-

"What is the mentality of a straight girl flirting with a lesbian?"

【Curiosity and exploration, thinking it's a fun game or conversation, or perhaps wanting to know what it feels like to attract someone of the same sex...】

She frowned as she read this, then sized up Chu Xi again.

Chu Xi met her gaze and looked up. "What? You want some fish too?"

"Nothing, just looking."

Ren Zhi averted her gaze. That doesn't seem like it.

Chu Xi didn't seem to be doing it intentionally.

【Sympathy and understanding, possibly because she sees the other person's loneliness, sadness, or need for care, and is attempting to offer some warmth and support...】

This was even less likely for Chu Xi. Pass.

【It stems from the other person's personal charm and social skills. Even without any intentional action, some people can unintentionally express their charm through their words and actions, thereby arousing the interest of others...】

After reading for a while, Ren Zhi felt this one was the most plausible.

It seemed Chu Xi was just being unintentional.

Ren Zhi let out a breath and couldn't help but speak her mind. "You're a really good friend to me."

Chu Xi had more friends in the industry than just her—Luo Yangtian, Li Xiling, Zhou Luyan, and many trainees from the Three Kingdoms camp were all enthusiastically trying to befriend her. But her treatment of Ren Zhi was exceptional; in other words, she was especially caring.

"I am pretty great. If you're grateful, you should set aside some time to do mind training with me. Improve yourself to repay me," Chu Xi said, full of energy and smiling. "Although your IQ is pretty good now, don't get complacent. Learning from me is the only way to reach the next level."

This time, Ren Zhi was finally not so resistant. "Let's talk about it when we have time."

Seeing that Chu Xi was almost finished eating, she returned to the main topic. "What method did you think of that could give me a chance to sign a contract with Hong Gang?"

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