When Love Comes Home… and Everything Collides

“So, Yi Yi, do you have any luggage?”

“Some. It’s stored in a parcel locker in the nearby neighborhood.”

“Oh, let’s go get it together, then.”

“Okay.”

Yi Yi and I walked to the nearby housing complex. There was a parcel locker right around the corner.

These lockers are really everywhere now. You can find three or four in the same complex.

They’re definitely convenient. The delivery guy doesn’t have to make dozens of calls to find someone, you don’t have to worry about missing deliveries, and even the security guard doesn’t have to accept packages on your behalf.

But I never thought of using a parcel locker as temporary storage. Smart move. It’s definitely safe. Yi Yi’s thinking is pretty flexible.

We took Yi Yi’s luggage out of the locker. It was just one small travel bag.

“Is that all?”

Yi Yi lifted the bag easily.

“Yeah. Just a few documents and a change of clothes. I didn’t need a bigger bag.”

“I see.”

I thought there would be several big bags and small bundles. That’s the impression women’s luggage gives.

And Yi Yi was a rich man’s daughter. I wouldn’t have been surprised by any amount of luggage. I was prepared to make multiple trips.

“Let me carry it.”

“It’s fine. It’s not heavy.”

I tapped Yi Yi on the nose and took the bag from her.

“I’m your boyfriend. And a boyfriend is someone you can rely on completely.”

“Ah… that’s true. Then I’ll leave it to you, Darling.”

Damn. A cheesy line like that doesn’t suit a guy like me, does it? No charm at all.

I should stop saying stuff like that. It’s awkward and embarrassing.

“Alright, let’s head back. My place isn’t far. A ten-minute walk.”

One hand holding the travel bag, I pointed in the direction of home.

Yi Yi raised her hand.

“Um, Darling, before we go back, could we stop by a supermarket?”

“Huh? Didn’t we just come from one?”

“No. I mean a grocery store. For fresh ingredients.”

“Oh, to buy food? There’s a fresh food shop right in this neighborhood.”

“I want to buy some ingredients. But if you already have some at home, we don’t need to. What do you have left at home?”

“Uh… no. Just energy drinks…”

My fridge was just a drink cooler. Living alone, I never bought any fresh ingredients. At most, I’d have instant noodles.

“Only energy drinks? Darling, what do you usually eat?”

I was a bit embarrassed, but I had to answer.

“Uh… instant noodles.”

It was pretty pathetic.

But I think most young people nowadays are the same as me.

Life is busy enough without having to cook your own meals. Unless you’re really into healthy living, I doubt most people have the energy.

— Busy? You? —

— Shut-in → busy, lol —

— Apologize to the overworked corporate slaves, RUA! —

Shut up!

Technically, I do work. I’m not really a shut-in.

“Instant noodles? I’m surprised. I thought you’d order takeout.”

“Well, I sleep during the day, so I don’t really have a chance to order takeout.”

Delivery apps are so convenient now, they really enable lazy people.

But my internal clock is on American time. I sleep during the day, so my eating habits are beyond normal.

I only get a proper breakfast thanks to Sister Ling’s kindness. Lunch and dinner basically don’t exist. Instead, I have a late-night snack.

Usually, before my night shift, I’d find some place that’s still open and grab a bite.

Most places are closed by that hour. The only things open are chain fast-food places like Golden Arches, but with my neighborhood being all residential, there aren’t any of those nearby. And I’m too lazy to go far.

So I usually just survive on instant noodles.

“You mean you only eat instant noodles, Darling?”

“Yeah, pretty much…”

Though Sister Ling also makes me breakfast, I subconsciously omitted that.

I mean, it’s not exactly something you tell your girlfriend—that your attractive neighbor brings you breakfast every day.

“That’s very unhealthy.”

“I know…”

Even I know this lifestyle is terrible.

I expected her to complain, or scold me, or even be disappointed. But she just stated the fact and then said, as if making a promise,

“It’s okay. You have me now, Darling. You’ll be healthy from now on.”

“Yi Yi…”

“After I get off work early, I’ll come home first and make breakfast, waiting for you to come back.”

“Ah, is that why you agreed to the manager’s ten o’clock shift?”

Yi Yi, who got off work before me, could be home by six.

She smiled shyly.

“Yes.”

“…!”

Thousands of words came down to one:

Having a girlfriend is the best. The best!

No, this was beyond girlfriend territory. It was like having a capable, home-loving wife.

“Darling?” Seeing me with my head tilted back, silent, she thought for a moment. “Ah, are you worried about the cost of food? You don’t need to worry about that. I have some savings.”

“No, no, you misunderstood… Huh? Wait, you have savings? Your parents didn’t take them?”

“This isn’t money they gave me. It’s prize money and scholarships I earned.”

“They didn’t take your scholarships?”

“Money like that, they had no interest in. They only valued the short-term profits I could bring. This amount wasn’t even peanuts to them.”

“I see.”

“So, Darling, don’t worry about money. You can use whatever I have… Though it might not be enough to buy a house or anything…”

“How could I… Huh?”

Buy a house?

Not enough?

Wait, this is the capital. Housing prices are the highest in the country. You can’t even think about buying a place without three or four million. And she said it “might not be enough”?

Really? Or does Yi Yi just not have a sense of housing prices?

“How much savings do you have, Yi Yi?”

“Just over a million. It’s not a lot.”

“…”

Seven… seven figures?!

I thought saving ten or twenty grand was pretty good. I never expected… Yi Yi was the real rich one.

If Sister Ling wasn’t keeping me, then with Yi Yi as my girlfriend, I really might be kept by a rich woman… No, a rich, beautiful girl.

“And that’s all from prizes and scholarships?”

“Yes. My grades were very good, so I got a lot of scholarships. I also entered various competitions and won prizes. My family covered my tuition and living expenses, so there was plenty left over. It just added up.”

“What school gives that much in scholarships?”

“Stanford.”

“…”

Of course. Overseas education, top-tier university. Only such elite education would suit a young lady’s reputation.

“There are a lot of brilliant people there. I only got two master’s degrees. I could have continued, but the Shen family didn’t need me to have such a high degree. So I came back right after graduation.”

I was shocked at first, but thinking about it, it was only logical.

After all, she was the kind of young lady who could be introduced to the idiot for a blind date.

Families like that care about matching status.

Just being beautiful isn’t enough. You need a degree that wouldn’t embarrass them.

Yi Yi was a perfect product, carefully crafted.

And… she must have put in a lot of effort for that.

“Yi Yi, how old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

Only nineteen…

“Come to think of it, Darling, how old are you?”

“I’m two years older. I’m twenty-one.”

“And your birthday?”

“My birthday is… April fourth.”

It took me a moment to remember, since no one’s asked in so long.

“April fourth… What a shame. It’s already passed.”

“Yeah. It’s the end of May. But it’s okay. We can celebrate next year. And today is also worth celebrating.”

“Yes. Leave it to me. I’ll make a big feast!”

She seemed very confident in her cooking. Just the fact that my girlfriend was going to cook for me was enough to move me.

“I’ll look forward to it, then.”

“Okay!”

Seriously, my happiness levels were off the charts today.

Yi Yi and I bought the ingredients and were nearing my place around nine o’clock.

As we approached my building, I got a bit nervous. There was one person I was worried about.

Sister Ling. Ayane Hane. The beautiful landlady.

Honestly, I was praying we wouldn’t run into her.

Even if Yi Yi was staying in my room, she would still be a “resident” of this building.

And my situation here was special. No one not accepted by Sister Ling could live here.

Eventually, Yi Yi would inevitably meet her.

But if possible, I wanted to delay that. Let them meet more gradually, not with Sister Ling coming to deliver breakfast while Yi Yi was coming home with ingredients to make me breakfast.

That would be too awkward.

We reached the fifth floor. Walked out of the stairwell. Turned the corner.

And sure enough, there was Sister Ling, carrying breakfast, about to knock on my door.

She turned her head. She saw me, Yi Yi, and the bags of groceries in our hands.

Our eyes met. The air froze.

“Ah…”

If both my hands weren’t full, I’d be rubbing my temples right now.

Way to jinx it, me.