Otis quietly stepped back out, slammed the door shut, and stared at the apartment number. Then, he glanced at the key in his hand.
'I must have entered the wrong apartment.'
He opened the door again.
This time, he stepped in with his left foot first and was greeted by Mei's cold gaze.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Otis felt as though he were dreaming.
This couldn't possibly be happening.
He stammered, "You look just like my ex-girlfriend…"
Mei frowned and stood up.
"I am your ex-girlfriend!"
'Otis, what kind of game are you playing? Pretending not to recognize me? Even if you turned to ashes, I'd still recognize you!'
Otis shook his head vigorously.
"No, no, no. That's impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Mei crossed her arms and tilted her head.
"What's impossible?"
Otis replied, "Aren't you supposed to be working at Émerveillement Corporation?"
Mei stayed silent. Should she admit that she avoided going to Émerveillement because she thought Otis would be there? That would sound like she was deliberately dodging him.
'I don't care about him at all! The breakup didn't affect me one bit!'
She huffed coldly and asked, "What about you? Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to go to Émerveillement too?"
Otis was about to say he wasn't avoiding her, but that would only make it sound like he cared about the breakup. Instead, he shrugged and said, "Oh, I lied back then. I never planned to go there. I just wanted to come here."
Mei narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, so you were lying to me while we were dating? Such a fine gentleman."
Her tone dripped with sarcasm, but Otis was used to it and remained unfazed.
"Exactly, I'm the perfect gentleman. Gentlemen like me are hard to find these days."
He pulled his suitcase inside, ignoring Mei's gritted teeth.
"What are you doing?" Mei asked, stunned.
Otis shut the door behind him.
"I live here. I just signed a lease for three months."
Mei froze. Otis's words sank in, and they both realized the same thing at the same time.
Wait a second… this means we're living together?!
Both took a deep breath.
Otis slapped his forehead, looking dazed.
No way. Could something like this really happen?
Mei screamed internally.
What the hell is this?! I have to live under the same roof as Otis!
She wanted to stomp her foot but restrained herself. Instead, she pointed at the door.
"You, go rent somewhere else! Leave!"
Otis rolled his eyes.
"Lady, the rent here is twelve hundred a month. Only an idiot would give this up. Tell you what, you pay me, and I'll go find another place."
Otis had always called her "lady" as a joke when they were dating, and neither of them noticed the familiarity in the moment.
But Mei had no money. She was as broke as could be. During their relationship, they'd spent a fortune buying things for each other.
Otis would buy her gifts, and she'd feel guilty and buy him something in return. Then Otis would feel guilty and buy her something even more expensive.
In the end, both of them ended up broke, and the shopkeepers made a fortune.
At this moment, Mei wanted to go back in time and tell her past self: How could you be so stupid?!
Now, all she had was fifteen hundred yuan to last until her next paycheck, which wouldn't arrive until the twentieth of next month. Just thinking about it exhausted her.
Her wallet was emptier than her pride.
Pathetic.
And it's all Otis's fault. Ugh, men just drain your money!
She snorted and said, "You want me to pay you? How can you be so shameless?"
Otis shrugged.
"Well, that's settled then. Which room is yours? I'll take the other one."
"Oh, how polite of you."
"I'm always polite."
"I'm in the room to the left of the hallway. It has a small balcony."
"Got it."
Otis wasn't picky. He dragged his suitcase to the room on the right. As he passed by Mei's room, he caught a glimpse inside.
Her suitcase lay wide open on the floor, with clothes scattered everywhere. Pink… white…
Seriously? Can't you keep things neat?
At least don't pile clothes on top of your laptop! How many times have I told you that?
Calm down. Calm down. Wait, we're not a couple anymore. I can't say these things.
Mei flopped onto the sofa, covering her face with a pillow.
Ugh, how did this happen?!
Out of all the people in the world, why Otis?
She couldn't understand it and felt annoyed. Why did he have to come here of all places?
She heard the sound of suitcase wheels stopping, followed by Otis's even voice.
"You should clean up your stuff. You have work tomorrow."
Then she heard him roll his suitcase into his room and shut the door.
Mei sniffed.
Mind your own business, seriously.
This man… so meddlesome.
Pretending to be kind… okay, maybe he's a little kind…
She inadvertently recalled the times Otis held her hand, hugged her tightly, and made her feel safe and secure.
No, wait. If he was reliable, we wouldn't have broken up!
She got up. She might as well tidy up a bit.
Entering her room, she saw her open suitcase and the clothes scattered everywhere, including some undergarments.
She froze, her face turning crimson.
Did Otis see all this when he told me to clean up?!
She immediately shouted, "Otis!!!"
Rushing to his door, she found it locked.
Otis, unpacking his suitcase, smirked. Of course, she'd yell his name.
Hah, do you think I don't know you?
From inside, he called out, "The door's soundproof. Can't hear you."
Mei gritted her teeth.
A thin wooden door? Soundproof? Yeah, right.
She puffed her cheeks in frustration, snorted loudly, and went back to cleaning her room.
Meanwhile, Otis surveyed his own room.
Hmm, small and sparsely furnished.
There was a bed, but no mattress or bedding. A desk and chair—perfect for setting up his laptop later.
There was air conditioning, which was nice, though he worried about summer electricity bills.
No wardrobe, but he could manage with his suitcase for now.
After tidying up, he set his laptop on the desk.
Stepping out, he saw Mei sitting on the sofa, sulking. Her bedroom door was now shut. She seemed to have realized something.
Otis looked at her and asked, "Roommate, I'm going out to eat. Want to join?"
Mei turned her head and said, "No."
Who'd want to eat with you?
Otis shrugged. Fair enough. He shouldn't have asked.
Makes sense. She's moved on. Why should I linger?
He turned and opened the door.
Mei glanced at the clock. Six in the evening.
She was feeling a bit hungry. Maybe she should grab something to eat.
Unable to resist, she called out, "Roommate, what are you going to eat?"