Star Garden Community, Building 8, Room 501. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Woo woo woo—"

The warm wind of the hairdryer dispersed the moisture.

The mist in the mirror was wiped away slightly by Cheng Qiuyu’s palm, revealing her face that still bore a hint of sleepy allure.

Her long slightly curly chestnut-colored hair became fluffy and soft under the heat.

A sweet fruity shampoo scent wafted from between the strands.

Last night, when she followed Yao Lingling back here, it was already the early hours.

Lingling, like an enthusiastic little squirrel, brought her brand new pajamas, unused toiletries, and soft towels.

The two of them lay on the same bed, chatting for a long, long time.

From design to gossip, from work to food, neither knew exactly when they fell asleep.

This must be the first time in her life she slept in the same bed with a friend.

The fiery Lingling was quite restless in her sleep, occasionally tossing a leg over her.

But Qiuyu didn’t mind; instead, wrapped in that lively vitality, she felt a long-missed sense of harmony and warmth.

She walked out of the bathroom door.

Immediately she saw the energetic silhouette on the living room rug.

Yao Lingling was performing a set of high-intensity glute and leg exercises.

Sweat soaked her sports vest, and her tight workout pants accentuated her full curves.

Brimming with healthy, vigorous vitality.

"Done with your shower, Qiuyu!" Yao Lingling stopped as she heard the commotion, turned around, picked up a towel to wipe her forehead, her face blossoming with a radiant, unhindered smile.

"Mm." Cheng Qiuyu answered softly.

"It’s almost eleven now, and our meal practically turned into brunch," Yao Lingling chuckled, sticking out her tongue, "Wait for me, I’ll take a quick shower and change clothes!"

"No rush."

Because the company provided a very hearty late-night snack after last night’s livestream, neither of them was particularly hungry at the moment.

With Lingling wrapping up her things, the two headed downstairs together.

Walking in the old neighborhood filled with the essence of life, the late autumn morning carried a sharp chill.

Autumn winds howling, sweeping up the fallen leaves that rustled at their feet.

Yao Lingling, like a tireless little sun, eagerly introduced the surrounding environment all the way, from which supermarket’s vegetables were freshest to which corner milk tea shop was offering discounts...

After a long walk, turning two corners, they arrived at a small breakfast shop.

"Boss, two bowls of vegetable tofu, two egg pouches, and four wild veggie buns!" Yao Lingling expertly placed the order, then grabbed two plates of free pickles for both from a nearby jar.

Soon, hot steaming breakfast was served.

Looking at Lingling’s enthusiastic and attentive demeanor, listening to her chatter on about the arrangements.

A warmth surged in Qiuyu’s heart, making her feel bright and cheerful overall.

She ate quietly, listening to Lingling share various cuisines and anecdotes.

After a while, Qiuyu suddenly spoke up: "Lingling, have you three always been sharing an apartment here?"

"Yeah, ever since graduation. Back then, Shumin and I worked at the same company, and Jiahong was preparing for the civil service exam. The place was close to school, familiar surroundings, so we stayed."

"Well... Now that you all changed jobs, do you plan to move to another place?"

Lingling paused, then swallowed the bun in her mouth, replying honestly: "Yeah! Jiahong and Shumin are now at Huashang Clothing with excellent pay, and their company offers rental subsidies.

The lease on our current place ends next month.

We’ve been looking but haven’t found anything suitable yet."

That’s a very real situation.

Right after graduation, everyone was starting from scratch, so they make do.

But now with stable jobs and significantly higher salaries, naturally, they want a better environment.

After hearing this, Qiuyu fell silent for a moment, looked at Lingling, finally mustered the courage and asked, "Can I... share a place with you guys?"

Lingling was taken aback, blinking: "Aren’t you living with President Gao?"

"My senior is also planning to move, and," Qiuyu’s gaze dimmed a little, "it’s a bit inconvenient for her..."

Lingling gave an "uh" as if she understood something, her expression darkened slightly.

Then she regained her enthusiastic demeanor.

She grabbed Qiuyu’s arm excitedly and said, "Sure! Of course! Then we’ll pick a suitable community together! Four of us can rent two apartments across from each other, and we can hang out regularly! You and I can rent a three-bedroom apartment, turn one room into our design studio, put up easels, mannequins..."

Yao Lingling became more and more excited as she spoke, as if she could already see the wonderful future life.

Listening to her plan, Qiuyu’s anxious heart finally settled down comfortably.

She was actually scared of being alone, and even more afraid to rent a place by herself. Lingling was undoubtedly the perfect choice.

In this way, she wouldn’t have to worry about being under her senior’s watchful eye, with Tang Song...

The guilt arising from being "immoral" was also greatly reduced.

Although she wondered what her senior and Tang Song were doing now?

...

AM.

Bamboo Stream Community.

Sunlight pierced through the thick curtain gaps, casting a bright strip of light in the room.

On the bed, Gao Mengting lay like a cat with all its bones removed, lazily sprawled with a layer of crumpled cotton blanket.