Adhering to the principle of not answering strange calls, Jiang Yuan simply hung up. In a short while, the phone rang again. It was the same number.
Frowning, Jiang Yuan clicked to answer.
"Hello. May I ask if this is Jiang Yuan?" A strange male voice.
Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then murmured an affirmative answer.
"Your takeout is here downstairs of your dormitory building. Can you come down and pick it up now?"
Takeout? What takeout? She remembered that she hadn't ordered any.
"Hello. Are you making a mistake? I didn't..." Before she could finish her words, the delivery man hung up.
Jiang Yuan: "..."
"Sisters, did any of you order takeout and accidentally fill in my number?" Jiang Yuan asked.
All her dear roommates shook their heads.
No? Then who could it be?
Muttering to herself, Jiang Yuan slipped on her slippers and scurried downstairs.
The delivery man was holding a box with a prominent KFC logo. As soon as he saw Jiang Yuan coming, he immediately handed it to her. "Jiang Yuan, right? Your takeout is here."
"Wait. I remember I didn't order KFC." Jiang Yuan stopped the delivery man. "Are you making a mistake?"
The delivery man pointed at the order on the package and asked, "Is the name correct? How about the number?"
Jiang Yuan nodded blankly and carried the big bag of KFC back to the dormitory.
She put it on the table. Lin Suye smelled the aroma and walked over. Seeing the big bag of KFC, she exclaimed, "Yuanyuan, did you buy so much KFC at night just to poison our whole dormitory?"
Jiang Yuan was puzzled. She scratched her head and said, "No. I don't know who bought it for me."
"Yuanyuan, you dropped something." Su Kexin passed by, picked it up and put it on her desk.
It was a heart-shaped sticky note.
It read: "Just say if you want it."
Her heart skipped a beat. Involuntarily, she flexed her knuckles.
All her previous frustration vanished. A wisp of sweetness lighter than marshmallow gradually welled up in her heart.
She only mentioned the Crazy Thursday meme to Chi Xu tonight.
Chi Xu didn't reply to her. Instead, he took action and directly ordered KFC and had it delivered downstairs.
Jiang Yuan took a photo and sent it to Chi Xu, with a sincere thank-you message.
[forikyy: Don't be too touched. I accidentally ordered too much. Share it with your roommates.]
A concise message.
Jiang Yuan curved her lips. Her light-colored pupils were as clear as glass, even brighter than the moon in the sky.
She set up a bedside table in the middle of the dormitory, neatly arranged the KFC on it, clapped her hands and greeted everyone, "Let's eat together. Chi Xu is treating. Don't be polite."
"Wow, Chi Xu is so nice. When will he confess his love to you?" The four of them sat down on yoga mats. Yu Xin stuffed a chicken popcorn into her mouth and mumbled.
"I admit that Chi Xu's move to win over your roommates is very successful. Unlike the guy I met the other day. He was so stingy. He asked me out to play, but all we did was walking around the park near the school for an afternoon. My feet were killing me." Thinking of this, Su Kexin got angry.
Lin Suye took a bite of the chicken and leaned closer. She whispered, "Yuanyuan, did you confess your love to Chi Xu tonight?"
"I did. But then I regretted it. I used the Crazy Thursday meme as an excuse. That's why we have this KFC feast." Jiang Yuan pointed at the big table of food and complained.
"By the way, sisters, do you know if there are any houses for rent near the school? My mom suspects that the formaldehyde in the dormitory hasn't completely dissipated. She wants me to move out for a semester."
Su Kexin: "Formaldehyde exceeding the standard? It's impossible. The school doesn't have the guts. If something happens to us, it won't be able to explain itself."
"I told my mom the same thing. But she insisted that I move out for a semester. I may move out soon."
"So soon, Yuanyuan. We've only lived together for two months. I don't want you to leave." Yu Xin sat beside her. Her face was as long as a bitter melon. She put her arms around Jiang Yuan's shoulders, hugged her tightly and rubbed her head against Jiang Yuan's neck.
It tickled Jiang Yuan.
She laughed and patted Yu Xin's arm. "I'll come back. You can still see me in class every day. I'll definitely move back next semester."
"Some teachers in the staff dormitory on campus may rent out their houses. But there should be none available at this time. There are also many apartments for rent outside the school. Yuanyuan, you can ask the store owners. They should know." Lin Suye took a big sip of the ice cola and felt refreshed from head to toe.
Jiang Yuan nodded thoughtfully.
The next day, Jiang Yuan took advantage of the time after school to check if there were any suitable apartments near the front and back gates of the school.
"Student, you've come to the right place. The furniture here is brand new. There's an elevator. It uses civilian water and electricity. I'm just wondering if you want to live alone or share the apartment with others." An aunt took out the key and opened the door of the apartment.
The living room was spacious and bright. A simple cloud-shaped sofa took up most of the space. The floor lamp was arc-shaped. There was an open kitchen with all the appliances.
Jiang Yuan took a stroll around. She opened the window of the master bedroom. In front of her was the school building. In the distance, she could see her dormitory building.
It only took about ten minutes to walk from here to the classroom, which was about the same as before.
Jiang Yuan was quite satisfied. She casually asked, "How much does it cost per month if I live alone?"
If the price was reasonable, she wanted to live alone.
"We require one month's rent as a deposit and pay the rent monthly. The whole apartment costs 2,500 yuan per month." The aunt smiled.
2,500 yuan???
It's robbery!
It's too expensive. Although her family was not short of money, there was no need to throw money away. Jiang Yuan felt heartache.
Moreover, her dear parents had given her a budget of 1,500 yuan per month, which included water and electricity bills and other miscellaneous expenses.
"If you don't want to rent the whole apartment, there are two bedrooms. The master bedroom costs 1,400 yuan per month, and the side bedroom costs 1,100 yuan." The aunt noticed Jiang Yuan's hesitation and took the initiative to say.
"Of course, since the semester started, most of the good apartments nearby have been rented out. This apartment was just vacated because the previous tenant suddenly decided not to live here anymore."
"Little girl, you're quite lucky. You came at the right time and found such a good place."
"People who share the apartment are all girls, right?" Jiang Yuan asked carefully.
"Yes. Don't worry. We won't do anything improper. If you've made up your mind, add me on WeChat, transfer the money and I'll give you the key."
Jiang Yuan didn't hesitate for long. She directly added the aunt on WeChat and transferred the money. The aunt was also very straightforward. She immediately gave the key to Jiang Yuan.
She still had classes in the afternoon. Jiang Yuan told her parents about the situation and then went downstairs to school alone.
When the elevator door opened, a little boy was standing inside.
It was the grandson of the old lady she met last night.
Jiang Yuan still remembered him.
"You actually live here?" The little boy widened his eyes in disbelief.