TA • Chapter 5

Chapter 5

In Xu Ding’s place, the sofa was probably the most comfortable thing in the whole apartment. Cheng Ke had slept on it for several days, and somehow he had even felt more at ease there than he did at home.

Maybe it was because it wasn’t home. After all, he had also slept soundly before, slumped over a table at McDonald’s.

He sat on the sofa, rubbed his face, and glanced toward the bedroom. The bed was already empty, and Xu Ding’s luggage had been taken away too.

"Xu Ding!" he called.

Once he was sure Xu Ding really wasn’t in the apartment, he stood up, stretched, and slowly walked into the bathroom.

There hadn’t been much in the bathroom before. After all, no one lived in this apartment, and a part-time cleaner only came by on a regular schedule. But the things Cheng Ke had bought really were a little excessive.

He rarely bought daily necessities. Most of the time, once something ran out, his mom would have someone replace it for him. He never really knew what he used or what got swapped in, and he could not tell the difference in how it felt at all.

This time, when he went to the supermarket himself, he had picked the big bottles and all kinds of bulk packs, because they looked more cost-effective.

Looking at it now, no wonder Xu Ding had had to ask that one extra question. It really was kind of bizarre. He just hoped he hadn’t made Xu Ding think he was planning to squat here and never leave.

Cheng Ke checked the time on his phone, called the agent, and set up a meeting an hour later to go look at the apartment.

First he needed to grab breakfast. He had not eaten last night, and by now he was so hungry it was starting to feel uncomfortable. But even starving like this, he still had no idea what he wanted to eat.

He walked back and forth twice along the street outside the residential complex’s gate, then finally went into a small pizza shop.

He ordered a cup of coffee and a seafood pizza.

He rarely ate breakfast outside. In his memory, every morning after he got up, there would be neatly arranged breakfast waiting in the dining room, and it was basically never the same for half a month at a time.

But none of it had been the kind of food he liked. Even if it changed every day, it was still mostly Western food. He felt that he actually preferred soy milk, youtiao, and doufunao.

Looking at the coffee and pizza in front of him, Cheng Ke did not quite understand why, in the end, he still wound up eating this sort of thing.

The agent arrived right on time and pulled up beside him in his car. "You’re Mr. Cheng, right? I’m Xiao Zhang from the agency."

"Mm." Cheng Ke nodded.

Xiao Zhang looked him over from head to toe. "Get in. I’ll take you around to see them. There are three places, and you can pick one."

"Thanks." Cheng Ke got in the car.

There was a smell inside, technically a fragrance, but it was so strong that Cheng Ke could almost smell the alcohol in it. He cracked the window open a little.

For him, the first feeling of being a useless person away from home was probably travel.

"About the price range you mentioned before," Xiao Zhang said as he drove, "did you have a rough idea? The three places today are priced differently. If you have a general range, we can start with the one closest to what you want."

"No," Cheng Ke answered very honestly. "I only have requirements for the apartment itself."

"…Okay." Xiao Zhang nodded. "Then what are your requirements?"

"A bit bigger, cleaner, easier to get around from,"

Cheng Ke said. "And the residential complex should be nicer."

"Then the price won’t be low," Xiao Zhang said.

"Mm." Cheng Ke responded.

He very much wanted to tell Xiao Zhang that he had no concept of rental prices at all, that he had no idea what kind of apartment usually cost what.

The first apartment was a two-bedroom. The complex and transportation were both pretty good, but as soon as Cheng Ke stepped inside, he felt uncomfortable. The buildings were too close together. Standing by the window, he could even see the pattern on the pillow in the opposite bedroom… tacky as hell.

And the apartment was not all that new either. The walls were still covered in wallpaper. He liked plain white walls.

"How is it?" Xiao Zhang asked. "This one should basically meet your…"

"Are there newer apartments than this?" Cheng Ke asked.

"The owner only got the key for this one two years ago," Xiao Zhang said. "If you think this is old, then it’s basically down to newly built apartments."

"Mm," Cheng Ke walked toward the door. "Then let’s go look at a new one."

"Sure." Xiao Zhang clapped his hands together. "Mr. Cheng, what kind of work do you do?"

Cheng Ke did not answer. For a moment, he actually did not know how to respond. No one had ever asked him that kind of question before.

The people he dealt with most were his drinking buddies. Even if someone new was brought into the circle, they still would not ask about that sort of thing. Not everyone was as idle as he was, but none of them really had what you would call a proper job.

He hesitated for a few seconds and chose silence.

"I don’t mean anything by it, Mr. Cheng," Xiao Zhang said as he led him downstairs. "I’m asking mainly because of the landlord’s requirements. For this new place, the landlord has quite a lot of conditions for tenants."

"Oh." Cheng Ke thought about it, then could only give the one thing he could actually do as his "job." "Sand painting."

"You sell sofas?" Xiao Zhang asked.

"Sand painting," Cheng Ke explained. "It means drawing pictures with sand."

"Oh! Sand painting! I know that, I know that!" Xiao Zhang nodded repeatedly. "Then you’re an artist. Sand painting is seriously impressive."

Cheng Ke smiled but did not say anything.

"It’s just a pity," Xiao Zhang said. "After you draw for ages, one swipe of the hand and it’s gone, right?"

"Mm." Cheng Ke got into the car and changed the subject. "What else does the landlord require?"

"A proper job," Xiao Zhang said. "Being neat and clean, having a regular routine, not bringing people home casually, no renting to couples. Married people are okay, but no children."

"…Oh. I’m single." Cheng Ke did not know whether these requirements were unusual, but he should qualify.

When he saw the apartment, Cheng Ke felt a huge relief. There was no need to look at a third one.

The apartment was on the top floor and had a terrace, which faced the residential complex garden. The renovation was simple too, wooden floors, white walls, plain furniture.

The only thing that made Cheng Ke a little unhappy was that this place was only two streets away from where he had inexplicably rolled around in a trash can and even gotten stabbed a few days ago.

Seeing him hesitate a little, Xiao Zhang launched into a pitch about the area. Busy commercial location, all kinds of malls and supermarkets, lively nightlife, restaurants, bars, and clubs all available.

"And the transportation is even better," Xiao Zhang said. "The subway entrance is right nearby, and there are lots of bus lines too. Once they all pull in, they can practically block the road. If you want to go anywhere…"

"This is it." Cheng Ke cut him off. Xiao Zhang had not stopped talking the entire way, and his endless chatter was already close to unbearable.

"All right, then I’ll explain the details," Xiao Zhang continued in one breath. "If you need to bring in new furniture or appliances, you have to discuss it with the landlord in advance. No keeping pets. No changing the locks yourself. If something breaks, you can’t fix it on your own, you have to tell the landlord…"

Cheng Ke felt his head grow heavy. Even sitting down on the sofa, he could no longer clearly hear what Xiao Zhang was saying. He did not know whether Xiao Zhang was too annoying or the landlord too verbose, he only kept saying "Mm," until Xiao Zhang finally wrapped up with, "three months deposit, one month rent."

"What does three months deposit, one month rent mean?" Cheng Ke asked.

"…It means you pay three months’ rent as deposit, then pay the rent once every month," Xiao Zhang explained.

"Oh." Cheng Ke thought about it. "I can just pay for a few months, or half a year, all at once."

"No, the landlord requires monthly payments," Xiao Zhang said.

"Why?" Cheng Ke froze.

"Easier to raise the rent, maybe," Xiao Zhang answered honestly. "Or if they don’t want to rent it out anymore, it’s easier to deal with."

"…Oh." Cheng Ke was still a little dazed.

Jiang Yuduo was leaning against the window with a cigarette in his mouth, looking at the tiles in Lu Xi’s hand. Lu Xi had touched each of the tiles on her right one by one, but still had not decided which one to play.

In the end, she picked up a two of characters and was about to discard it when Jiang Yuduo kicked the back of her chair. "You’re handing out money?"

"No, Lao San, what do you mean by that?" Liu Ge, who sat next to Lu Xi, slammed a hand on the table in obvious annoyance. "If you want it, shut up. If you don’t, then play yourself. Why the hell are you shouting orders from over there?"

"If I went up there and played, your house would have already lost to me more than eighty times," Jiang Yuduo said.

"Do you understand the saying, 'the true gentleman watches a game of chess in silence'?" Liu Ge stared at him.

"It’s just gambling. Don’t make yourself sound so refined," Jiang Yuduo said with a smile.

"Hey, exactly! You know it’s gambling?" Liu Ge shouted.

"All right, all right." Lu Xi patted Liu Ge on the shoulder, then turned back and waved at Jiang Yuduo. "Stop giving orders here. Go wander around outside."

"I’m going," Jiang Yuduo said, stretching, then walking toward the door. As he passed Liu Ge, he tossed a pack of cigarettes onto the table by his hand. "Liu Ge, may you get rich."

"You brat, always like this!" Liu Ge stuffed the cigarettes into his pocket. "You piss people off, then you sweet-talk them after."

"Then do you want me to sweet-talk you or not?" Jiang Yuduo held out his hand. "If you don’t, give them back."

"Go wander outside!" Liu Ge slapped the table.

Jiang Yuduo laughed and opened the door, walking out.

He did not really like watching Lu Xi play cards anyway. She had played for so many years and still had not improved at all, a total walking fortune disperser.

Today he had originally been supposed to go check on Building 1. The other day, a family on the second floor had tearfully begged to delay their rent by another month, saying they really had no money. Jiang Yuduo had agreed, but today he still had to go make a round to warn them.

Actually, by his usual standards, he would not have agreed to delay it by another month. He felt he probably was not very compassionate. Seeing people struggling at the edge of survival sometimes made him feel annoyed.

Maybe it was because it reminded him of certain things from the past. There was always someone worse off than you, and someone somewhere was always living in a way more miserable than you could imagine.

But this was Lu Xi’s property, so they had to do things Lu Xi’s way. Lu Xi had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Before, there had been someone who owed eight months of rent and still did not pay in the end, even dragging the table away when they fled. Lu Xi had cursed for three straight days, every word as sharp as a knife, but when someone wanted to delay the rent, she usually still gave them some leeway.

Back when he refused to leave, Lu Xi had also thrown all the work at him one job after another, acting as if she was determined to work him to death, but in the end she still did not kick him out, and even gave him money…

A ringtone cut off Jiang Yuduo’s memory. He pulled out his phone and glanced at it. It was an unknown number. Instinctively, he looked around first, then turned his back to a wall before answering.

"Mr. Jiang?" A man’s voice came from the other end.

"Who is this?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"I’m Xiao Zhang from the agency. You came to our office before to register your property," Xiao Zhang said. "Are you available to come over right now? We have a tenant here who’s very suitable. Could you come sign the contract?"

"Tomorrow." Jiang Yuduo said.

"It’s like this, this tenant is in quite a hurry and wants to move in tonight. A tenant that decisive is actually pretty rare," Xiao Zhang said. "And your requirements are already quite a few. This one agreed without even trying to bargain on the price…"

Jiang Yuduo frowned. "Does this person meet the requirements?"

"An artist, single, looks especially neat and tidy," Xiao Zhang said. "A gentleman in his twenties."

Jiang Yuduo kept his brow furrowed. A man? And he was in such a rush to move in? He wanted to sign the contract right now? Couldn’t wait until tomorrow? Just hearing it sounded wrong.

"Mr. Jiang?" Xiao Zhang called him again.

"Fine, wait there. I’m coming now." Jiang Yuduo hung up, then called Chen Qing. "Do you have a car right now? Come take me to my sister’s new place."

"I do, but it’s a Cayenne. Isn’t that too small?" Chen Qing said. "Should I get a truck instead?"

Jiang Yuduo said nothing. Before yelling at Chen Qing, he tried hard to understand what those two sentences meant, but in the end he still failed.

He forced his tone calm, trying to keep his voice even. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don’t you need to haul luggage when you move? There are a ton of things. A Cayenne can’t fit all that," Chen Qing said.

Jiang Yuduo had an urge to grab some random person off the street and beat them up. He gritted his teeth. "No. You come over first, just drive the Cayenne. I’m downstairs at the card room."

"Okay." Chen Qing was very straightforward. "Be there soon."

A Cayenne came around the corner soon after and stopped beside Jiang Yuduo.

Before Chen Qing could even open the door, Jiang Yuduo rushed over, yanked open the driver’s door, grabbed Chen Qing by the arm, and smacked his back several times.

"Move what house?" Jiang Yuduo roared in his ear. "What car are you even driving? Go work for a moving company!"

"Fuck!" Chen Qing covered his ears. "You said Sister Xi’s new place! You told me to drive over! Wasn’t that what you said last time you moved?"

"I said to go sign the rental contract!" Jiang Yuduo yanked his hand away and shouted again.

"Got it," Chen Qing said, slumping over the steering wheel and digging at his ear with a finger. "Third Brother, give me a break."

"You give me a break," Jiang Yuduo said, getting into the car and sitting in the front passenger seat. As he fastened his seat belt, he sighed. "Day after day, it’s like living in some kind of time-space chaos. Not a single sentence matches the same channel."

"The apartment got rented out?" Chen Qing drove off.

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo lit a cigarette. "They said he was an artist."

"Then he should be pretty rich," Chen Qing nodded. "He wouldn’t be behind on rent."

Jiang Yuduo said nothing.

"Though not necessarily," Chen Qing thought about it. "Like that Jige guy, dressed so decent, wearing a watch worth over a hundred thousand, and he’s digging through trash cans too. Does that count as performance art?"

"Shut up and watch the light." Jiang Yuduo turned on the radio and turned the volume up.

Chen Qing probably could not get past the idea that Cheng Ke was a homeless man digging through trash, and Jiang Yuduo felt unfairly furious on Cheng Ke’s behalf.

Thinking of Cheng Ke, he felt a little lost. What exactly was this guy here for?

Recently, he had not really noticed anyone tailing him. The only suspicious person was Cheng Ke, but Cheng Ke really did not look like someone capable of doing anything at all.

Were bodyguards nowadays trendy as highly educated idiot-style handsome guys?

But the tenant they were signing now seemed even more suspicious than Cheng Ke.

Jiang Yuduo turned his head to look at Chen Qing. "Anything going on around here lately?"

"No," Chen Qing said, shaking his head. "Pretty quiet. Just a bunch of petty bullshit. It’s just that Zhang Daqi still hasn’t given Dogzi his money, and Dogzi’s been upset about it every day."

"I’ll go take a look tomorrow," Jiang Yuduo said. "Dogzi doesn’t have much going for him anyway. He can lose sleep for a month over three thousand yuan."

"That can’t compare to you, though. You have how much money on hand, and how much does he have? His whole family spoils him at home, and you…" Chen Qing swallowed. "I’ll go tomorrow. You going would be inappropriate. Someone like Zhang Daqi doesn’t even deserve you going in person."

Jiang Yuduo gave a low sound of acknowledgment and said nothing else, turning to look out the window.

"How long until we get there?" Cheng Ke sat on the sofa, bored out of his mind, pressing the lit screen on his phone on and off, on and off…

His phone was empty, not even a little game to kill time. But his old phone had been much the same. Aside from making calls, and occasionally paying for something, it had almost no presence in his life.

After all, moments like this, when he was just sitting there blankly with a stranger, were not all that common.

"We should be there soon," Xiao Zhang said. "It’s not far."

As soon as he said that, the elevator outside the door dinged, and someone came out.

Cheng Ke let out a breath and put his phone back in his pocket. Just as he was about to stand up, he looked up and froze first.

"Hurry up, I still have…" Jiang Yuduo walked into the apartment. His gaze shifted from Xiao Zhang’s face, then he froze too. "…something to do."

"Holy shit? Jige?" Right behind him came Chen Qing, the ever-loyal enforcer. The moment he saw Cheng Ke, he loudly blurted out the brand name he would probably never forget.

"You know each other?" Xiao Zhang was also shocked.

"No." Jiang Yuduo said.

Cheng Ke said at the same time, "No."

"Ah," Xiao Zhang said awkwardly with two little laughs, rubbing his hands together. "Then… should we all take a look at the contract first and then sign?"

"No need to look." Cheng Ke only wanted this situation to end as quickly as possible.

"All right." Jiang Yuduo hooked over a chair and sat down in front of the table.

"…Fine." Cheng Ke took the contract Xiao Zhang handed him.

Actually, the moment he saw Jiang Yuduo, he very much wanted to turn around and leave on the spot, not even looking back, the kind of person no one could drag back.

But in the end, he still clenched his teeth and held on.

He was very satisfied with this apartment, and he needed to settle himself down immediately.

Jiang Yuduo still owed him one stab.

"This contract is signed directly between the two of you. We agents are just here as witnesses," Xiao Zhang said. "We’re very正规, so the two of you can rest assured."

Cheng Ke held the contract in silence, reading it very seriously, but not a single word went in.

"Did you tell him all the requirements?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"Yes." Xiao Zhang said.

"What requirements?" Cheng Ke asked casually.

Jiang Yuduo turned to look at Xiao Zhang, and Xiao Zhang instantly got so nervous he started stammering. "Mr. Cheng, t-those things I, I just told you…"

"Oh." Cheng Ke nodded. "You said them."

"Only you can live in this apartment. Plants, birds, fish, insects, cats, dogs, and anyone other than you cannot live here," Jiang Yuduo said. "Anything in this place, if you want to touch it, you have to ask me firs…"

"Enough." Cheng Ke slapped the contract onto the table, took the pen, signed his name, then leaned back in the chair. "I’m pretty busy."

Jiang Yuduo stared at him for a while, then turned to Xiao Zhang. "Do I sign my name, or the landlord’s?"

"Yours is fine," Xiao Zhang said. "There was a power of attorney from the landlord before."

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo grabbed the pen, signed his name, and threw the contract back to Xiao Zhang. Then he looked at Cheng Ke again. "You have my number, right?"

"No." Cheng Ke answered.

Jiang Yuduo tilted his head. The stern-faced Chen Qing, who had been standing behind him the whole time and looked very much like a bodyguard, immediately pulled a cigarette pack paper out of his pocket and placed it in front of him.

Cheng Ke looked at the slip of paper in front of him, with the three words Jiang Yuduo and a phone number written on it. Without even turning his head, he could feel Xiao Zhang’s shocked gaze beside him.

He gritted his teeth, took the so-called "business card," and put it in his pocket.

After the contract was signed, the three months’ deposit and one month’s rent were paid, and Jiang Yuduo handed over the key to the lock that said no changing the locks, Cheng Ke felt the next step should be that everyone stood up and went their separate ways.

But Jiang Yuduo was still sitting across from him, staring at him.

Chen Qing was still standing behind him with a stiff face, staring too.

Because Xiao Zhang was still beside them, Cheng Ke did not want anyone to think he and those two had escaped from the same mental hospital. He could only clear his throat, trying to say something to part on good terms.

"You can go now," Jiang Yuduo said first, waving Xiao Zhang away. "Thanks for the trouble."

"Then…" Xiao Zhang hesitated.

Chen Qing simply cut in, forcibly escorted him outside, and closed the door.

"I’ll just say it directly," Jiang Yuduo looked at Cheng Ke. "I don’t know what your real purpose is, but if you don’t want to rent this place, it’s not too late to back out now."

"Then I’ll say it directly too. I don’t know what disease you’ve got, but since I said I’m renting this place, then I’m renting it for sure," Cheng Ke pressed on the wound at his waist. "I’m set on it."