He Yao ate her fill and got a sore throat the next day.
Not only did she have mouth ulcers, but two pimples also appeared on her chin.
She went to see houses with the agent without any makeup. After a day of running around, her legs were worn out, but she hadn't found anything suitable.
Either the houses had good locations and spaciousness, but the prices were outrageously high.
Or the prices were barely acceptable, but the locations were ridiculously remote.
For someone like He Yao, who only earned a few thousand yuan a month, she couldn't afford to rent a place in the city center.
Paying half her salary for rent and utilities each month would be like working for the landlord.
She decided to look at more places. Anyway, the hotel expenses weren't coming out of her own pocket. She had to choose the most suitable one.
She worked during the day and looked for houses after work. Busy like this, time flew by, and it was Wednesday again.
Xu Zheng, belatedly remembering that He Yao was still staying at a hotel, came up to her and asked.
"Hey, I say, are you addicted to staying in hotels? Didn't you say you were looking for a place to live? Why haven't you found one yet?"
He Yao was annoyed by his overly shrewd demeanor, pretending to be confused when he knew the truth.
"Who says I haven't looked? I go out to see houses every day after work, and my legs are almost worn out. Haven't I found anything?"
"You know what the housing prices in Suzhou are like. With my salary, can I just pick and choose?"
Xu Zheng plopped down on her desk. "Can you speak to me with a better attitude? After all, I'm your boss..."
He Yao poked his leg with her pen. "Boss, it's working hours. It's not good for people to see you sitting at my desk like this."
"Tsk, I'm talking to you seriously!"
"Am I not talking to you seriously?"
"Alright, alright, He Yao, I won't argue with you. I just want to tell you something. I'm not just your boss, your old classmate, but also a young, strong, financially independent single man."
"If you really can't find a suitable place, and you don't want to live in a remote area out of desperation..."
He Yao looked at him coldly with her bright, clear eyes.
Xu Zheng smiled. "We all know each other well. I know your past, and you know me. Between adults..."
He Yao cut in. "Are you trying to say that since you're single now, and I don't have a place to live, I should go and live at your place?"
"We're both adults, so we can each get what we need. You don't charge me rent, and I don't ask for anything else. Friendly cooperation, right?"
Xu Zheng met her beautiful eyes, and after two seconds, he slapped the table.
"Do you know why I've been unable to forget you all these years? He Yao, you're so different from ordinary beautiful women."
"Not only are you beautiful, but your personality is also what I admire."
"You're not wishy-washy, you don't hide things, you don't make people guess your thoughts. You say what you think, and I absolutely love that about you!"
"That's very true. Look at me, I'm quite good-looking, and although my career isn't huge, it's not small either. Even if you date someone else, like Director Tang, wouldn't it eventually lead to that point?"
"He's not even as good as me. Rather than him, you might as well be with me."
He Yao leaned back, reclining leisurely in her chair, looking at him.
"But if I were to date someone like Director Tang, we might eventually get married. What benefit would I get from being with you?"
Xu Zheng: "Although it's unlikely we'll get married, I won't treat you badly. On holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, you won't be short of gifts."
"After a period of time, you'll earn quite a bit, won't you? And when you leave me, you'll still be a noble single lady, not hindering you from finding someone else."
What a great speech.
He had truly pushed the boundaries of shamelessness to the extreme.
However, this wasn't the most outrageous thing He Yao had encountered among the oddballs.
If it were someone less experienced, a young girl, she might have been moved by him.
Unfortunately, He Yao's first love was Zhan Jingrui.
As the saying goes, "What has been seen cannot be unseen, and nothing else can compare."
Having met a top-tier scumbag and a top-tier handsome man, no one could touch her heart now.
"Considering we are old classmates, I'll pretend the harassment just now never happened. If you dare to mention it to me again, I'll reveal your true colors to another old classmate, Zhan Jingrui."
"Xu Zheng, you probably don't want Zhan Jingrui to know, do you?"
Xu Zheng's smile vanished, and he stood up from her desk.
"Look at you, if it's yes, it's yes, if it's no, it's no. I'm just discussing this with you, I'm not forcing you. Why are you getting upset?"
"Alright, alright, if you don't like it, I'll find someone else. Get back to work."
Hearing Xu Zheng say that, He Yao understood even more clearly that all men are motivated by self-interest; no one is willing to let a woman they have no relationship with benefit for free.
She could stay in the hotel for a day or two, but if it dragged on, Xu Zheng would become unwilling. She needed to speed up her search for a place.
Having stood her up twice before, Director Tang hadn't found an opportunity to meet He Yao.
To be honest, he missed her quite a bit.
He had asked her out every day for the past few days, but He Yao always said she was busy, and her reasons were well-founded.
She even sent him chat logs with the agent, leaving Director Tang speechless.
However, he wouldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Seeing He Yao worried about finding a place every day, he also mobilized his connections to help. On this Friday, he actually found something.
A female colleague at his company who was about to resign had her apartment lease terminated. Apart from some clothes and cosmetics, she didn't want to take her other belongings and asked in the group if anyone wanted to take over.
Director Tang inquired about the price, which was reasonable. He accepted on He Yao's behalf.
He sent He Yao a message, suggesting they go see it together after work.
When He Yao heard about such a good opportunity, where she could move in with just her bags, and the price was not high, she eagerly agreed.
As soon as she agreed, Xu Zheng came to find her again, saying that the supplier qualification certificate had been obtained long ago, but the Zhan Corporation was still not giving them orders, and they needed to think of a solution.
He Yao didn't have time to think of a solution. "Aren't you anxious for me to move out of the hotel? I have to go see a house."
Xu Zheng casually asked, "What's going on? You found one already? Where is it? Is it safe?"
He Yao didn't want to explain, but to get away quickly, she told him the truth.
"It's introduced by an acquaintance, so it should be fine. Don't worry, you won't be held responsible if anything happens."
That's great. Xu Zheng returned to his desk.
He propped his legs on the desk and rocked his chair leisurely, then sent a message to Zhan Jingrui, inviting him to dinner.
Zhan Jingrui hadn't seen He Yao for a week.
It seemed that besides playing chess, they had no other reason to meet now.
That meal had planted a seed of longing, and he kept thinking about her renting a place, feeling restless these past few days.
Normally, if Xu Zheng messaged him, he would ignore it, but today, he replied almost instantly.
"Where? With whom?"
Xu Zheng said obsequiously, "You decide the place. We two can catch up."
"Isn't your assistant also our old classmate? You always talk about catching up, why haven't I seen you bring her along?"