Mei looked at him and said, "Of course it has to be equal. I suggest turning it on before sleeping, setting a timer for three hours, and letting it turn off automatically."
Otis's jaw dropped.
"Three hours?! The weather is scorching hot all day and night, and it's only June. July and August will be even worse. Just three hours? What, are we supposed to stay awake sweating for the rest of the night?"
He knew Mei was frugal, but this was extreme.
Mei coughed lightly, her face slightly red. "Actually, I initially thought two hours would be enough."
She nervously fiddled with her fingers, avoiding his gaze. "But I considered you, so I decided on three hours…"
She only had a little over a thousand yuan left, and between electricity, water bills, and other expenses, she had to make it stretch until next month. Sure, she could ask her family for money, but after declaring her independence and confidently moving out to build her career, returning home to ask for help would be too humiliating.
Thinking about this, Mei glared at Otis.
This is your fault! All my money went to you!
Men—emptying my wallet since forever!
Otis could feel her silent rage and coughed awkwardly. "Alright, fine. Three hours it is."
Only then did he recall his own financial situation. With just a few hundred yuan left after expenses, limiting air conditioner use seemed wise. Three hours a day—how much would that cost? Maybe two yuan per day? That's about sixty yuan a month, and with food costs, the total monthly expense could easily reach over a thousand yuan.
He nodded to himself, deciding he needed to cut back too.
Mei continued listing her rules, cracking her knuckles for emphasis.
"Third, no playing games at night."
Otis tilted his head. "You might as well just kill me."
No games? What's the point of living?
Mei gave him a displeased look.
Of course, it's about games again. When they were dating, he always stayed up late playing games. What was so fun about them, anyway?
She clarified, "I mean, no playing games at bedtime."
"Uh-huh," Otis replied. "And what's bedtime, exactly?"
"Ten o'clock."
"Ten is way too early. Midnight."
"Midnight is too late. Your sleeping habits are terrible. I've told you to sleep earlier… Fine, eleven."
"Deal. Eleven it is."
Sometimes, compromise was necessary. Mei knew Otis wouldn't agree to eleven if she suggested it outright, but starting at ten made him settle for eleven.
She nodded, then remembered something else.
"Fourth…"
Otis frowned. "Didn't you say three rules? What's with this fourth one?"
Mei coughed and replied, "Three is just a symbolic number, not an actual limit."
Otis sighed, realizing she was playing word games. "Alright, what else?"
"Fourth, we wash our clothes separately. No throwing everything together in the washing machine."
"That's fine," Otis agreed easily.
I always wash my clothes separately anyway. I'm not about to throw my shirts in with shoes or something.
He crossed his arms. "You've made all these demands, so I'm adding two of my own."
Mei lifted her chin proudly. "I'm clean and perfect. What could you possibly want to add?"
Otis snorted. "First, no throwing your clothes all over the place."
Mei blushed, recalling the mess in her room earlier. She stammered, "Of course, of course. At least I won't leave them in the living room. Don't worry about that."
Otis continued, "Second, no screaming in the middle of the night while reading novels."
Mei's face turned an even deeper shade of red.
Otis knew Mei loved reading novels and often stayed up late to finish them. She used to send him dozens of excited messages at night, gushing about how amazing a story was, complete with screenshots and endless commentary.
At the time, Otis would blearily open one eye in the middle of the night, read her messages, and respond, "That's great. Mm-hmm. Totally agree." Like a half-functioning robot.
Flustered, Mei tried to sound firm. "Obviously, that won't happen anymore. I'm working now, not a student anymore. No more late-night novels!"
Still, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Looking back, she had gone overboard with those late-night messages. But those novels were just so good!
Otis thought for a moment but couldn't come up with any additional rules. "Alright then. We'll stick to this for now. Anything else, we'll deal with later. I'm going to play games."
Mei rolled her eyes. Men—always about their games.
Fine, at least I'll have some peace. We'll just stay out of each other's way.
Instead of returning to her room, Mei grabbed a piece of paper, tore it, and neatly wrote down their agreed-upon rules—six in total, including Otis's additions.
Her handwriting was clean and elegant, something Otis always admired but could never replicate.
She taped the list to the cupboard near the entrance, high enough for Otis to see every time he walked in. Satisfied, she returned to her room to tidy up.
Afterward, she decided to take a shower. But the thought of Otis being just next door made her heartbeat quicken, her face heating up.
This is ridiculous. Calm down, Mei. It's not like you're showering in front of him. There's an entire wall between us.
The more she thought about it, the more self-conscious she felt. Shaking off the thoughts, she grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom.
Before stepping in, she knocked on Otis's door.
Otis, who had just opened his laptop, reflexively shouted, "Come in!"
It was a habit from dorm life, where everyone would yell that without even looking up.
Mei pushed the door open slightly and peeked in.
The room was surprisingly tidy, clearly cleaned up.
Otis, seeing Mei, still felt a bit awkward. "What is it?"
"I-I'm going to take a shower," Mei stammered softly.
Otis nodded.
Mei pointed at him. "Put on your headphones. Don't come out! Wait until I'm done!"
Otis nodded again. "Alright, alright."
Seriously, does she think I'm going to eavesdrop on her shower? What's there to hear?
Otis put on his headphones and played some soft music. But his room was right next to the bathroom, and despite the headphones, he could hear the sound of running water.
Unbidden, an image popped into his mind—Mei standing under the shower, her head tilted back, water streaming down her figure.
And then he heard a loud scream.
"Ah—!"
Otis froze. What was that? Why did this mental image come with sound?!
What's going on?