I Fell in Love With My Cool, Aloof, and Alluring Roommate (GL) - Chapter 3

The landlady said the girl had been living there for three years, had a stable job nearby, but kept odd hours, leaving early and returning late, so the other tenants rarely saw her. The rent wasn’t expensive either—just one kilometer from U University, and if two people shared, it would be 2,300 per person per month, with one month’s rent as deposit and payment every three months.

Rong Ting was quite satisfied, but her mother was worried. On the way, she voiced many concerns—like what kind of job this person had, whether she might be involved with unsavory people, or if she would bring others home…

Rong Ting, however, thought it was simple enough—just ask and clarify later.

That evening, the green wizard hat finally accepted her friend request and sent a message.

It was very brief.

【I have time tomorrow. You can come see the apartment after 5 p.m.】

Rong Ting replied: 【Received, okay.】

After sending it, she felt a bit awkward. Her long-standing habit from school had led her to reply in a submissive tone, when just “Okay” would have been fine.

Oh well, it was already sent—it’s not like she could take it back now.

The next day, she had quite a few classes. By the time her Classical Chinese Studies class ended, it was already 5:10 p.m.

Her mother was waiting outside, and to save time, they took a taxi.

The neighborhood was quite remote. They had to go through Bingjiaokou Hutong, pass a secondhand store, and then cross a narrow alley before they could see the gray slab building.

From the outside, it looked plain and simple, with community management and a police station nearby.

The stairwell, however, was quite clean, with almost no dust. Only a few items were piled in the corners, but they didn’t block the way.

Or perhaps Rong Ting hadn’t expected much from a place at this price, so this environment was already pretty good.

The apartment they were going to see was on the sixth floor—the top floor.

On this floor, there were two units, one on the left and one on the right. In front of one door was a short shoe rack with shoes scattered messily on top, and two bags of trash piled nearby.

Rong Ting instinctively shifted her gaze to the other door. In front of it was clean, with only a navy-blue doormat featuring a picture of the Smurfs.

Suddenly, it clicked. She double-checked the apartment number on her phone.

It was 601.

Finally, she knocked on the clean door.

For some reason, her heart was pounding. She had a feeling something was about to happen and even felt like backing out. Why did she always take the bait when someone threw her a piece of information?

Actually, there was no rush.

But before she could react, the door opened.

The two of them stared at each other and froze for a moment.

“Uh.”

“It’s you.”

The girl standing at the door was tall and slender, wearing a loose black T-shirt and matching denim shorts. Her features were delicate and striking, but what stood out the most was her dark green hair, loosely tied back.

The hem of her loose black T-shirt was originally tied in a knot at the sides, revealing a glimpse of her fair waistline. Seeing the visitors, she untied the knot, and the slightly wrinkled hem fell down, covering that flash of pale skin.

For some reason, Rong Ting looked away, feeling a hint of regret.

Rong Ting remembered her, but she hadn’t expected her to remember her too.

A slow smile spread across Ran Jiu’s lips as she opened her phone, tapping and swiping while saying, “My name is Ran Jiu—Ran as in ‘endless,’ Jiu as in ‘wine.'”

Ding-dong. Rong Ting picked up her phone. The green wizard hat on WeChat had sent a message: 【Ran Jiu】

So that was the “Jiu.”

Ran Jiu stepped aside to let them in, murmuring almost imperceptibly, “You still have to give me your contact info.”

The door to Ran Jiu’s bedroom remained closed. Even though Rong Ting was curious about what was inside, she restrained herself appropriately.

The apartment viewing went smoothly. Rong Ting’s mother, usually quite picky, walked through the place twice, inspecting everything with meticulous care—from the kitchen range hood to whether there was any limescale in the bathroom sink. The water flow and floor drains were all in good condition, and everything proved to be spotlessly clean.

The best part was that the bedroom Rong Ting would occupy came fully furnished with a bed, desk, and chairs. The previous landlord’s child had studied here, so there was a sturdy desk, a wardrobe, and a comfortable office chair.

The entire apartment was clean, likely because the occupants had good living habits.

With the apartment itself satisfactory, the only remaining concern was the roommate.

The three of them stood together in a brief moment of silence.

Ran Jiu glanced at her watch, perhaps wanting to wrap things up quickly. “Auntie, feel free to ask any questions you have.”

Rong’s mother breathed a sigh of relief at the invitation and finally asked everything she wanted to know: work schedule, job nature, whether outsiders would be brought home, how utilities and internet bills would be split.

“My work is a bit complicated and confidential for now, but my schedule is regular—10 a.m. to 7 p.m.—so it won’t disrupt her routine,” Ran Jiu spoke calmly, her voice carrying a cool, detached tone. “…My workplace is far from here, and I won’t bring people home. The internet bill for this year has already been paid in full. As for water and electricity, we can settle those when the bills arrive.”

Just as Rong’s mother was about to ask more, Ran Jiu suddenly turned her gaze to Rong Ting. “What do you think?”

Caught off guard, Rong Ting paused for a moment before answering honestly, “I think it’s really good.”

After that, Rong’s mother couldn’t find any more flaws. Since there was no agency fee involved, they simply used an online platform to guarantee the transaction. Ran Jiu mentioned that if they weren’t comfortable with a template downloaded from the internet, they could draft a paper contract instead.

Rong Ting declined, feeling an inexplicable sense of trust toward Ran Jiu, who didn’t seem like a bad person.

Ran Jiu didn’t ask for a security deposit. Rong Ting transferred half a year’s rent upfront and agreed to move in the next day.

As they were leaving, Ran Jiu suddenly called out to her, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Do you need help moving in tomorrow?”

Rong Ting was momentarily stunned. Two years wasn’t too long, but it was enough for her to grow numb amidst the complicated interpersonal dynamics in the dormitory. She realized she was about to start a new chapter in her life, and a wave of joy slowly spread through her.

She replied briskly, “No need, I don’t have much stuff.”

That evening, she arranged to meet with her class advisor to explain the situation.

The class advisor came to their dormitory building as soon as she received the message. Fortunately, no classmates were around, so no one saw them.

Rong Ting’s class advisor was a second-year graduate student, an outstanding individual with rich experience in both academics and work, which was why she had been assigned as their advisor. However, everyone had their moments of helplessness. Their advisor was clearly well aware of the undercurrents in the dormitory and asked Rong Ting several times to confirm whether she really wanted to rent a place off-campus.

Rong Ting nodded. At the moment, she believed this was indeed the best solution.

The class advisor said, “Or I could talk to them.”

Rong Ting politely declined the suggestion.

First of all, they were already adults and should handle their own affairs. Secondly, matters requiring external intervention often become complicated, especially since the homeroom teacher didn’t know the full story. Even if a temporary solution was found, given Wan Sang’s vindictive nature, things would likely escalate later.

In short, she didn’t want to provoke a petty person or ruin her reputation among others.

U University’s dormitory management had always been lenient, with many students living off-campus and administrators turning a blind eye. As long as the homeroom teacher agreed, it was fine.

That evening, Rong Ting still rested at the hotel with her mother. After taking her medicine, she sat on one bed while her mother sat on the other.

Rong’s mother looked worried. She knew Rong Ting had never been talkative since childhood, with few friends and a small social circle. She wasn’t particularly smooth in handling situations, nor was she good at comforting others, making her prone to being taken advantage of in social interactions.

But Rong Ting’s perspective was simple: she didn’t want to learn these superficial social niceties, nor did she want to waste time analyzing others’ complex psychology—unless she had too much time on her hands.

After all, for a normal person, maintaining basic respect was enough. Beyond that, relationships came and went, and it wasn’t up to her.

Rong’s mother asked if she wanted to find a boyfriend, but Rong Ting had no interest in such matters for now. She simply said she’d focus on adjusting to shared living first.

The next day, she returned to the dormitory to pack her things. The atmosphere among the other three was unusually lively, as if they were placing a group order for milk tea.

Seeing her return, Chen Saiyu hesitated for a moment before asking Rong Ting if she wanted to join their order.

Rong Ting shook her head without saying a word, quietly packing her belongings.

As they watched her pack one large bag after another, the others gradually sensed something was off. Chen Saiyu’s tone grew tense. “What are you doing?”

Rong Ting replied flatly, “I’m moving out for a while.”

She was so focused on packing that she didn’t notice the dormitory atmosphere instantly cooling. Wan Sang, who had been helping with the group order on her phone, froze for a moment and accidentally canceled it.

“You can’t be serious,” Chen Saiyu walked over and instinctively grabbed her arm. “Are you sure? Renting outside is expensive, and it’s inconvenient for classes, not to mention unsafe.”

Rong Ting slowly pulled her arm away. “There’s property management there, so it’s relatively safe.”

“Besides, I don’t need to come to campus all the time.”

The moment the door closed, leaving behind the oppressive past, a crack finally appeared in Rong Ting’s calm expression.

She let out a long sigh of relief. Finally, goodbye.

Rong’s mother was waiting at the dormitory gate. Less than twenty minutes later, she saw Rong Ting coming down with her belongings.

“So fast? Did you pack everything?” Rong’s mother asked, surprised. Rong Ting nodded. “I don’t have much.” She only brought her bedding, clothes, and some daily necessities. She had thought it through simply—she could retrieve her books later when she needed them.

The two took a taxi straight to the rental place. Rong Ting didn’t have a key yet, so she had informed Ran Jiu in advance.

Given the response time from last time, Rong Ting expected to wait at least half a day.

To her surprise, as soon as she sent the message, the reply came: “No problem.”

Being cautious, Rong Ting sent another message after arriving: “Is it convenient for me to come up now?”

Unexpectedly, less than thirty seconds after sending the message, the hallway door opened. Ran Jiu’s loose hair was soft, each strand glowing. She pushed open the security door with one hand and casually took the two bags from Rong Ting’s grasp. “Let’s go.”

“Oh, no need, no need.” Rong Ting always felt a bit overwhelmed by such generous kindness from others.

Rong Ting was 1.68 meters tall, but she hadn’t expected Ran Jiu to be slightly taller, even looking down at her with a dismissive gaze, as if she couldn’t possibly carry the bags herself.

There was no other choice. Rong Ting had to take the two bags from her mother’s hands as well.

Once upstairs and inside her bedroom, Rong Ting was about to start tidying up when she noticed that the desk and bed that were already in the room had been wiped clean, and there wasn’t a speck of dust on the balcony.

Ran Jiu didn’t enter her bedroom. She just set down the things and left.

Since there was no need to clean, unpacking became much easier. Rong Ting’s mother was taking a train that evening and suggested that Rong Ting could invite Ran Jiu to join them for a meal later.

After finishing unpacking, Ran Jiu appeared dressed to go out, her dark green hair cascading down, with a small section at the side of her face braided into a thin dreadlock. Hearing that she was still wearing a thin T-shirt and jacket, Rong Ting quickly reminded her, “It’s a bit cold today. Don’t you want to wear something thicker?”

Ran Jiu had already stepped one foot out of the bedroom but paused, then reluctantly pulled it back and closed the door to change. When she emerged again, she was wearing a high-necked white thin sweater with a light blue windbreaker over it, giving off a more student-like vibe.

It seemed this roommate would be easy to get along with, Rong Ting thought with a smile.

Ran Jiu reached into her jacket pocket and walked over to her. “Hold out your hand.”

Rong Ting instinctively extended her hand, and a keychain dropped into her palm, with two keys and a thin blue whale card attached.

“One is for our unit door, and the other is for the apartment door.” Ran Jiu put on a black baseball cap. “I’ll be back around 9. I have my keys, so just don’t lock the door.” With that, she hurriedly opened and closed the door, and light, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway before fading away.

This… Rong Ting was momentarily stunned. She had planned to invite her for a meal.

That evening, Rong Ting accompanied her mother to Beijing West Railway Station. On the way, she felt a sense of disbelief at how quickly everything had passed—from her mother’s arrival to finding a place, renting it, and finally settling in, all within just a few days. She had finally escaped that oppressive environment, though she wasn’t sure what the future held, especially since she would be staying in this city for a long time.

As her mother was about to go through the ticket check, she waved for Rong Ting to head back. Rong Ting lingered outside, even feeling a fleeting urge to follow along, but she could only watch as her mother disappeared into the crowd entering the station.

She stood there in a daze for a few minutes until her phone vibrated. She picked it up to see two messages.

From her mother: “It’s cold outside. Hurry back. I’m about to board the train.”

From Ran Jiu: “I might be home late tonight. Turn off the lights and go to sleep. Don’t wait for me.”