Chapter 40
As soon as Lin Zheng finished speaking, he pulled out his phone, went over to Gu Lin, and showed him the screen. “You’re here, so help me take a look. The agent sent me these few houses. I looked at them, and two of them seem pretty suitable. They’re close to the city, and the transportation is convenient. Even though it’s a yearly lease, the conditions are all good. Can you help me choose which one is better?”
Gu Lin saw the images on Lin Zheng’s phone—pictures of the houses’ interiors and the surrounding environment that the agent had sent him.
Gu Lin was stunned for a moment, then he asked, “Why do you want to move out?”
Even though Gu Lin knew that Lin Zheng would eventually leave, he still asked the question reflexively when he heard him say it.
Lin Zheng had already made up his mind when he came back.
His living in Gu Lin’s house was originally out of necessity. His plan was to stay at Gu Lin’s for a few days, and then when the time was right and he found a house, he would move out.
Now that he had found a place, there was no reason for him to stay at Gu Lin’s any longer.
He and Gu Lin no longer had the same relationship they used to. He would feel awkward continuing to live there, and to be honest, it wasn’t appropriate.
Even for friends to live in someone else’s house for too long isn’t quite right.
He said to Gu Lin, “With our current relationship, wouldn’t it be inappropriate for us to live together? Plus, I’m a little embarrassed to be living and eating here for free.”
Gu Lin replied, “Then you just don’t live and eat here for free, right?”
Lin Zheng thought, that makes sense.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
First, he couldn’t help Gu Lin with work. Second, he couldn’t cook. To be precise, not only could he not cook, but he was also having Gu Lin come back from work every day to cook for him.
Wasn’t this getting things backward?
It was as if he was the owner and Gu Lin was there to serve him.
He knew Gu Lin was good to him, but he couldn’t just take advantage of him like that.
Until he was sure he could have a relationship with Gu Lin, he didn’t want to be too willful in front of him.
Although whether they could be together would also depend on the time they spent with each other.
But spending time together didn’t mean they had to see each other every day and live under the same roof.
In fact, even if they lived in two different cities, hundreds or even thousands of miles apart, as long as they wanted to, they could always make time to be together, communicate, and nurture their feelings for each other.
This was Lin Zheng’s thought process.
Lin Zheng added, “And I think I still want my own place, so I can have my own space to think.”
Lin Zheng had considered what if he and Gu Lin were to have an argument. Gu Lin was the owner of the house, and he was just a tenant. Then he would have nowhere else to go. Although it was just a hypothetical, he couldn’t help but feel that he would be in a terrible position.
It was better to have his own space, a bottom line, and a place to go. Wasn’t that a good idea?
After Lin Zheng finished talking, Gu Lin took the phone from him and actually started looking at the houses for him.
His long fingers scrolled across the screen, and his eyes took in the colored photos and snippets of text.
Lin Zheng also leaned in to look.
He asked for Gu Lin’s opinion. “Which one do you think is better?”
Gu Lin didn’t answer immediately. He continued to look at the house descriptions, the location, and the price.
The three houses were in different locations. Some were close to the city center, while others were in the distant suburbs. The suburban ones had fewer people, and the environment was decent, but as they got further from the populated areas, the safety significantly decreased.
Gu Lin looked and looked, and then he looked at the house closest to the city center.
He asked Lin Zheng if he liked going out for drinks at night.
Of course Lin Zheng liked it.
Gu Lin stared at Lin Zheng for a while before saying, “Then this one isn’t suitable for you either.”
Although this house was convenient for transportation and daily life, because of its location, there were almost no nightlife or entertainment venues like bars nearby.
Lin Zheng thought, “Wow, Gu Lin really did think of everything for him.”
Gu Lin put the phone back on the table and came to his final conclusion. “So, none of these three houses are good. They’re not suitable for you to live in.”
Lin Zheng: “Huh?”
The agent had found them based on his requests. How did none of them end up being suitable?
Just as Lin Zheng picked up his phone to look for himself, Gu Lin said next to him, “Either the safety is too low, or the transportation is inconvenient, or there’s no nightlife like you want.”
Gu Lin summarized it all for Lin Zheng in one sentence.
Lin Zheng asked him, “Then what should I do? Should I have the agent find new houses for me? But these are already the most suitable ones he could find.”
“The most suitable house for you?” Gu Lin counted on his fingers. “High safety, convenient transportation, and you have your desired bars nearby.”
Gu Lin looked at Lin Zheng and said, “This place is your best choice.”
Lin Zheng finally got it. Gu Lin’s whole point was to get him to stay here.
Gu Lin glanced upstairs. “I can’t take care of all those flowers upstairs. If you’re really that worried about living here for free, then you can help me take care of them.”
Lin Zheng’s eyes followed. The flowers upstairs, in fact, were his responsibility to take care of during the time he was living in Gu Lin’s house, after he returned from Gu Lin’s grandfather’s house. But this was a small task.
Lin Zheng glanced at Gu Lin’s spacious living room and the seemingly low-key but ridiculously expensive furniture. Gu Lin loved collecting things, from small dishes to large decorations, all of which were incredibly expensive.
Taking care of a few pots of flowers was a value that was far from enough to cover the cost of living here.
Since Lin Zheng was so insistent on moving out, Gu Lin decided not to say anything else.
Lin Zheng knew Gu Lin was giving up.
That was actually a good thing. They needed to be clear about their boundaries, or there would be trouble later.
Just as he was about to tell Gu Lin that he would have the agent look for other houses, he saw Gu Lin take out his phone from his pocket and call Assistant Shen.
Lin Zheng was confused. What was Gu Lin calling Assistant Shen for at this hour? When the call connected, he heard Gu Lin say, “Assistant Shen, help me put the villa next to my company up for rent. Yeah, this villa is too spacious. It’s a waste for me to live here alone. I’m looking for a roommate. It’ll be about 2,000 a month. I’m not joking. Just put it up like that. You don’t have to be selective; male or female is fine, I have no problem. Oh, and rent can be paid monthly, yearly, or even temporarily delayed. The only condition is they have to be neat and tidy.”
Lin Zheng, who was listening nearby: “??!!!!”
A luxurious house like this for only 2,000 a month?! And there was no payment restriction?!
No, no, the real question was, Gu Lin was going to rent this place out?!
Gu Lin spoke on the phone, his gaze turning to Lin Zheng, and he continued to speak to Assistant Shen. “Oh, I forgot to add one more thing. It’s first come, first served. Don’t wait too long.”
As soon as Gu Lin finished speaking, Lin Zheng grabbed his arm. The person next to him, Lin Zheng, frowned and looked at him seriously, asking, “Are you really going to rent this place out?”
Gu Lin moved the phone away from his ear and said to Lin Zheng, “Of course I’m not joking. It’s a waste for me to live in such a big house alone. It’s empty anyway, so wouldn’t it be better to rent it to someone who needs it?”
Lin Zheng held up two fingers and said in a hoarse voice, “Only two thousand dollars?”
Gu Lin smiled and said, “What’s wrong with two thousand dollars? I just want to provide a house at the most affordable price to someone who needs it most.”
Lin Zheng thought, “The monthly cleaning and maintenance alone probably cost more than two thousand.”
“You’re way more willful than I am.”
“You really do whatever you want.”
Seeing that Lin Zheng wasn’t speaking, Gu Lin put the phone back to his ear. “Assistant Shen? Yes, you don’t need to double-check. I’m really not joking. Put the house up for rent right away, the sooner the better.”
As soon as Gu Lin’s voice faded, Lin Zheng held up a small sign with three big words on it: I’m applying!
Lin Zheng ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation and succumbed to the lure of money.
Only 2,000 a month with such great living conditions? If he didn’t apply, it would be a huge waste!
Gu Lin’s lips curled up in satisfaction. He said to Assistant Shen on the phone, “Assistant Shen, you don’t have to put the house up for rent for now. I’ve already found a roommate. When you come to work tomorrow, prepare a rental agreement. My roommate and I will sign it then.”
Gu Lin hung up and looked at the person next to him, smiling and extending his hand. “Hello, new roommate.”
Lin Zheng shook his hand earnestly. “Hello! New roommate!”
Lin Zheng was serious about life.
Assistant Shen’s efficiency was much higher than Lin Zheng had imagined. The next morning, before Gu Lin had even left for work, Assistant Shen had already delivered the rental agreement to Gu Lin’s house.
The two of them signed it together, and Lin Zheng even paid a quarter’s rent in advance.
Throughout the process, Assistant Shen was expressionless, but in reality, he was watching the two of them in utter confusion.
What was… this?
But he didn’t dare to ask too many questions about his boss’s business, so he just continued to be quietly confused.
Since he had paid money to live in the house, Lin Zheng lived there with a clear conscience over the next few days.
He went about his business without any restraint, treating the place as his own home.
He even walked with a swagger.
Anyway, he would fulfill the condition Gu Lin requested. It was just about being neat, and he was very neat; he couldn’t stand a speck of dust.
One night, Gu Lin came home late. He was probably working overtime. Lin Zheng was already in bed when Gu Lin still hadn’t returned.
He didn’t wait any longer. After all, roommates had freedom of movement, in every sense of the word. So he went to sleep first.
Perhaps it was because he had eaten some very dry nuts in the afternoon, but in the middle of the night, Lin Zheng’s throat was terribly dry.
He fumbled in the dark to get up and get some water. As soon as he went downstairs, he saw that the living room light was still on. He thought Gu Lin hadn’t come back yet, but as soon as he reached the first floor, he saw Gu Lin coming out of the bedroom, holding some documents.
Gu Lin was wearing a bathrobe, and his hair was still wet. He held the documents in one hand and a towel in the other, wiping his hair.
The bathrobe’s belt was loosely tied, but it still outlined Gu Lin’s perfectly proportioned body.
His upper body was a perfect inverted triangle. The large V-neck of the bathrobe revealed his prominent collarbones and a bulging pectoral muscle on one side. Below that, his toned abdominal muscles were vaguely visible.
At this moment, Gu Lin was walking toward the sofa with his long legs.
Lin Zheng crouched by the cabinet, watching and swallowing hard.
Muscles, his favorite.
He accidentally knocked something over with his hand, and it fell to the floor, making a noise. It startled Lin Zheng and also drew Gu Lin’s attention to him.
Seeing Lin Zheng, the expressionless face of Gu Lin broke into a smile. He asked, “Why are you still up so late?”
Hearing Gu Lin say that, Lin Zheng looked at the time on the wall and realized it was already 1:30 AM. But it looked like Gu Lin had only just gotten home.
The water dispenser was not far from Gu Lin.
Lin Zheng walked over to get some water and said with concern, “I’m thirsty. How about you? Is work at the company very busy? Why are you coming back so late?”
Gu Lin didn’t answer immediately. He just looked at Lin Zheng’s cup and said, “The water is probably cold. You should heat it up again.”
Lin Zheng just realized he had gotten cold water.
But it didn’t matter.
He could drink cold water.
Lin Zheng was about to continue getting water, but Gu Lin took the cup from him halfway through and pressed the heating button.
Lin Zheng muttered, “What are you afraid of? I can drink cold water. I’m about to die of thirst.”
Gu Lin put his cup aside, his tone soft. “It’s getting cold. Drinking cold water isn’t good for your stomach, especially in the middle of the night. It’ll be ready in two minutes.”
Lin Zheng fell silent.
After the water was heated, Gu Lin got a new cup for Lin Zheng, filled it with water, and then said, “I’m following up on a project, so I’ll probably be coming home late for the next few days. Remember to close the windows and doors and turn off the lights before you go to bed.”
Gu Lin handed the cup to Lin Zheng. “Don’t be like today, sleeping without turning off the light.”
Lin Zheng took the cup, and the warmth immediately spread from the cup to his palms. He held the cup in his hands and said, “I left the light on on purpose because I was waiting for you to come home.”
Gu Lin was stunned.
After saying that, Lin Zheng felt a little shy and turned his head away.
Someone had once said that leaving a light on at night for someone who wasn’t home yet meant you were waiting for them to return.
Lin Zheng held the cup in his hands, and the warmth from the cup seemed to spread from his palms to his face.
His face felt a little hot.
Suddenly, a head rested heavily on his shoulder, and his arm was gripped tightly by a hand. Gu Lin’s muffled voice came. “I’m going crazy. How much longer are you going to test me? I’m really about to lose it.”
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