Chapter One: House Hunting

“Xiaoyu, could you get the lamb chops from the fridge for me?”

Hearing Shen Wang call to her from the kitchen, Yu Youchu replied with a cheerful smile, “Coming!”

Today marked three months since she and Shen Wang had moved in together, so they had both left work early to celebrate at home. Shen Wang had even taken it upon himself to cook a special meal for their anniversary.

They had been a couple since their sophomore year in college, and their relationship had always been good. She was more on the reserved side, though—if it weren’t for the high cost of living in the capital, and Shen Wang’s suggestion that living together could help them save money, she might not have agreed to move in with him yet.

But after these three months, she’d come to realize that Shen Wang was both practical and considerate—a person who knew how to live life well.

She hurried to the fridge, found the lamb chops, and was about to help Shen Wang with dinner when her phone suddenly rang.

A quick glance showed a WeChat message for Shen Wang: “I’m on the plane back to China. Do you have time to meet up?”

Thinking nothing of it, she picked up his phone and walked into the kitchen. “You just got a message. Why don’t you reply first? I’ll defrost the lamb chops.”

“You’re so sweet,” Shen Wang said, smiling as he took the phone, kissing her lightly on the corner of her lips. But as he opened the message, his expression froze.

Noticing his clenched fists, Yu Youchu was worried something was wrong and patted his shoulder. “What’s the matter?”

With a loud bang, Shen Wang suddenly shoved her aside and ran out, phone in hand. Yu Youchu’s lower back slammed against the kitchen door, sending a numb wave of pain up her spine as she slid to the floor.

“Shen Wang! Where are you going?” she called out, struggling to stand despite the cold sweat from the pain, but Shen Wang seemed not to notice. He hurriedly changed his shoes.

“Something happened at work. I need to go right away!” he said, slamming the door behind him.

Yu Youchu lay on the floor for a long time before managing to get up. The soup in the kitchen was starting to burn; she turned down the heat, limped out to grab her phone, and called Shen Wang.

The call barely rang once before he hung up.

She couldn’t understand what could be so urgent that he’d leave like this.

But then, Shen Wang was about to get a promotion at work—it made sense he was busy.

She massaged some medicinal liquor into her back to ease the pain, then was about to message Shen Wang to ask when he’d be home. But as she opened WeChat, a new post popped up.

“Lin Qingyuan: Back in China and ready for a new chapter~”

Her hand trembled as she read the words.

Lin Qingyuan was her senior, in the same year as Shen Wang. Both were members of the student council—a striking pair, the sort everyone joked about being perfect for each other.

So at first, even when she liked Shen Wang, Yu Youchu only dared show him her feelings in subtle, hidden ways.

But in the second half of sophomore year, Shen Wang suddenly got drunk one night and appeared beneath her dorm window, asking if she wanted to date him.

She was so swept away by the unexpected joy that she never asked why he’d been drinking so much.

A few days later, Lin Qingyuan left the country for an exchange program and disappeared from everyone’s lives.

All these threads wove themselves into a net that now wrapped tight around Yu Youchu, leaving her breathless.

She put the untouched ingredients back in the fridge, tidied up the kitchen, and sat at the dining table to wait for Shen Wang’s return.

The clock crept past two in the morning before the electronic lock finally beeped.

Shen Wang came in, wrapped in the night’s wind, looking tired yet with a glint of youthful pride in his eyes—something she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Spotting her still awake, Shen Wang was clearly surprised. “You’re not asleep yet?”

Yu Youchu stared at him. “Aren’t you going to explain where you went?”

Shen Wang hesitated, eyes darting away. “I had to work overtime.”

Yu Youchu gave a small laugh. “You know you can never meet my eyes when you lie.”

She stood up and took his phone, unlocking it.

“What are you doing?! Give it back!” Shen Wang lunged to snatch the phone, but Yu Youchu had already opened WeChat.

Three minutes ago, he had messaged Lin Qingyuan: “I’m almost home. Go to bed early.”

“How are you going to explain this?” Yu Youchu looked up at him, eyes red. “You went to see Lin Qingyuan… and you lied to me, didn’t you?”

Shen Wang snatched his phone back, jaw clenched. “Fine! So what if I saw an old classmate?”

“It’s always like this with you—if there’s a girl around me, you start making a scene! How can I ever tell you the truth?” he said, full of self-righteousness. “Forget it. If you’re going to be mad, so be it. You never listen to my explanations anyway. If this doesn’t work, then let’s break up!”

With that, he shoved past Yu Youchu toward the bathroom.

She watched his back, feeling her heart freeze with pain.

When she’d seen that post, she hadn’t been that upset—she’d even thought that if Shen Wang would just explain, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But instead, he’d turned it all on her, as if it was her fault?

For the first time, she found the man she’d loved for years a complete stranger.

Her voice was hoarse. “Fine. Let’s break up.”

Shen Wang paused, then scoffed coldly. “Fine. Then get out of my house right now!”

With those words, he went into the bathroom.

Yu Youchu clenched her fists.

She was only an intern, barely making ends meet. In this city, even the cheapest rent cost over six thousand a month—after paying, she’d barely be able to afford instant noodles.

Did Shen Wang really think he had her trapped?

Holding back tears, she returned to their room, packed her few belongings, left the keys behind, and walked out.

It was early March. The night wind cut her face like knives.

At this hour, the subway and buses had stopped running, and she couldn’t bear to waste money on a taxi. Gritting her teeth, she dragged her suitcase all the way back to campus.

Her heels were blistered, her hands numb from the cold, and she had to beg the security guard to let her in before finally making it back to her dorm for a rough night’s sleep.

It was noon the next day by the time Yu Youchu woke up, groggy and chilled to the bone.

She sneezed, looking at the empty dorm room, worry settling in her chest.

Fourth-year students weren’t supposed to stay in the dorms, and there was no way she could keep living there. After today, she’d be busy with work and wouldn’t have time to look for a place.

She needed to find somewhere to live, fast.

After a quick wash, she started searching for apartments on various apps and soon found a few promising listings. They were all close to her office, surprisingly only about three thousand a month, and private studios—perfect for someone living alone.

Her eyes lit up, and she called the landlord immediately.

A middle-aged man answered in a thick Beijing accent. “Who is this?”

“Hello, I saw your listing for a place near Huaide Bridge. Is it still available? I’d like to come take a look,” she replied.

“Oh, yes, it’s still available. Come on over, I’m here now,” the man said enthusiastically. “Just give me a call when you arrive.”

Relieved, Yu Youchu packed her things and took the subway to the address.

The man was waiting outside the shop, dressed in a black suit with a “Lejia Real Estate” badge pinned to his chest. He gave her a quick once-over and greeted her warmly, “You’re here to see the apartment, right?”

Yu Youchu nodded quickly.

“You came at just the right time—these places are really popular, but it’s a weekday, so most clients can’t make it,” he said, leading her inside. “Let me show you some AR photos first. If you pay a two-thousand-yuan deposit, we’ll go see the place and sign the contract afterward, okay?”

She hesitated at the mention of paying up front. “Can’t I see the apartment first?”

The agent glanced at her, lowering his voice. “Listen, the rule in our business is, whoever pays the deposit first gets the contract. These places are hot because the landlord is leaving the country and wants to rent them quickly—lots of agents have their eye on them!”

“I can see you’re serious about renting, otherwise you wouldn’t have come right away. If you pay now, even if another agent brings someone over, I can tell them you already put money down, right? And the deposit will be deducted from your rent anyway!”

Yu Youchu wavered, but the agent seemed honest and straightforward. Gritting her teeth, she took out her phone and transferred the money. “Can you take me to see the apartment now?”