The Downtrodden Villain In A Redemption Romance Novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35 Lin Cheng

Xu Wen and Lu Qingrang followed the flow of people and stepped down the steps of the long-distance bus with empty steps.Nearly thirty hours of jolting made their legs become weak and they almost fell to their knees.

Before they could stand firm and adapt, the completely different climate between Lin City and City A gave them a warning. A biting autumn wind roared towards their faces, like a cold knife scraping across their cheeks, instantly penetrating their thin clothes.

“Hiss—” Xu Wen was so cold that his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

He subconsciously stamped his feet on the spot, turned sideways almost instinctively, and reached out to pull Lu Qing behind him, trying to use his not-so-thick body to block the biting cold for him.

However, this time Lu Qingrang was pulled over without obedience.

He stood firmly on the spot, suddenly stretched out his hand in the howling autumn wind, firmly and naturally put his arm around Xu Wen’s shoulders, and pulled the two of them close to each other.

“Stop blocking,” his voice was blown away by the wind, but it was filled with warmth, “We will stay warmer if we lean against each other.”

Xu Wen was stunned and looked up at Lu Qingrang.The autumn wind ruffled his hair wantonly, and it danced wildly in the air, almost covering his face.

A wave of heat rushed into Xu Wen’s heart, making his nose sore and his eyes burning.He stretched out his arms without hesitation, hugged Lu Qingrang back heavily, buried his numb face into the other person’s shoulder, and shouted in a muffled voice:

“Good brother!”

The hug in the cold wind briefly but effectively dispelled the confusion of arriving in a strange place for the first time.The two of them were slightly separated, but their shoulders were still close together, as if they were afraid of being blown away by the cold autumn wind.

“The first priority is to find a place to stay.” Xu Wen rubbed his hands that were stiff from the cold.He took out his nearly out-of-battery mobile phone and started searching for Lin Cheng’s rental information.

Unlike City A, where people often pay three deposits and pay one, and the agency fees are high, Lincheng’s rental market appears to be much more friendly to the people.

But even so, for the two of them, who had almost emptied all their cash, leaving only the money Xu Wendang received as start-up capital, every penny must be calculated carefully.

“First look for short-term rentals, or individual landlords, and avoid intermediaries.” Lu Qingrang suggested softly from the side, scanning the blurry or fancy house pictures on the phone screen.His calmness effectively neutralized Xu Wen’s impetuousness due to his eagerness.

They first tried to contact several landlords who had marked their personal listings.

The first landlord was very enthusiastic, but the house was on the top floor of an old tube building. There was no elevator, the stairwell was full of debris, and the lighting was dim.

The room was even smaller, with mottled walls. The only window faced the wall of another building, and there was almost no sunlight.Xu Wen looked at Lu Qingrang’s pale face and pulled him away without any hesitation.

“No, this place is too depressing. You will definitely not feel comfortable if you stay here for a long time.”

The second landlord was a shrewd-looking old lady, and the location of the house was acceptable. But when she heard that they only wanted to rent the house for a short period of two months and had no proof of stable employment, she immediately shook her head like a rattle, her eyes were full of distrust, and the price was very high.

The successive setbacks made the atmosphere somewhat dull.They stood on the side of the street, watching the passing traffic and hurried passers-by, feeling a sense of wandering and helplessness quietly coming over them.

“How about… let’s go check out the housing agency over there?” Xu Wen pointed to a seemingly regular agency store on the corner of the street with a tentative tone.He knows that agency fees are a big expense.

Lu Qingrang was silent for a moment and nodded: “It’s better to go and take a look. The information will be more concentrated. Let’s… talk cautiously.”

The agent was very enthusiastic. After hearing their budget and requirements: short-term rental, one room, clean, preferably sunny, he quickly selected several properties.

However, the reality remains stark.Either the house is too dilapidated, the location is too remote, or the landlord does not accept short-term rentals.

The only one that looked good, but as soon as they expressed some interest, the agent hinted that they needed to pay an extra fee to get priority in signing the contract.

Xu Wen felt angry when he heard this, and almost couldn’t help complaining, but Lu Qingrang gently pulled his arm.

“Let’s think about it again.” Lu Qingrang nodded politely to the agent, and pulled Xu Wen out of the store.

“Damn, this kind of routine is everywhere.” Xu Wen kicked the pebbles under his feet in frustration.

The sky is getting darker, the night comes earlier in the north, and the temperature drops faster.After running around all afternoon, the two of them were cold, hungry, and physically and mentally exhausted.

“Go and have a look over there?” Lu Qingrang suddenly pointed to the leasing notice posted at the door of an old community across the road.The paper was a little yellowed, and it looked like it had been posted for a while.

With their last glimmer of hope, they dialed the phone number above.The person who answered the phone was an older lady with a very kind voice who lived in that community.I heard that they wanted to rent the house for a short period of time. After some hesitation, I agreed to take them to see the house.

The house is on the fifth floor and there is no elevator.But the moment they opened the door, both of them were stunned for a moment.

It is a standard one-bedroom and one-living room, not large in area, but extremely clean and tidy.The walls are freshly painted with latex paint, giving off a light smell.

There is a spacious window in the living room facing south. At this moment, the afterglow of the setting sun is shining through the glass, filling most of the room with warmth, casting bright spots on the floor.Although the bedroom is a bit smaller, it is still bright and clean.The kitchen and bathroom looked a bit dated, but the tiles were polished to a shiny finish without a trace of dirt.

“This house was left by my parents, and the old couple moved in with me.” The eldest sister explained, “Everything is complete, but it’s a bit old. I’ve been reluctant to rent it for fear that the tenants won’t take care of it… Seeing that you two guys are very kind, it’s not easy. Short-term rental… Okay, I’ll help you make the transition. One deposit, one payment, water, electricity and gas.”

The price quoted by the eldest sister was just at the limit of their budget.

Xu Wen and Lu Qingrang looked at each other, and both saw excitement and hesitation in each other’s eyes. The price was very tight. After renting, they really had no money left.

Xu Wen looked at the warm sunset outside the window, then looked at Lu Qingrang’s side face that was outlined softly by the golden light, and remembered the longing between the two of them in that run-down hotel.

He gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

“Sister, we rented it!”

Sign the contract, pay the money, and get the keys.The whole process was as fast as a dream.When the cold key was really held in his hand, Xu Wen felt a real sense of landing.

I sent the landlady away and closed the door to isolate myself from the cold and noise of the outside world.Only the two of them were left in the room, and the warm sunset glow filled the room.

Xu Wen let out a long, thorough breath of relief, as if he wanted to spit out all the running, fear and exhaustion of the past few days.

He walked to the center of the living room, opened his arms, turned in a circle, and then threw himself heavily into the old but clean fabric sofa, and let out a sigh of satisfaction:

“Finally… I have a nest!”

Lu Qingrang also slowly walked to the window, stretched out his hand, let the last sunlight fall on his palm, and felt the faint warmth.

He turned around and looked at Xu Wen, who was slumped on the sofa, almost falling asleep from exhaustion. He looked at the undisguised simple satisfaction on his face, and the corners of his lips that had been tense finally curved softly.

The home, which was small and old, consumed almost all their cash.

But here, there is sunshine.

There were two of them.