Chapter 40: The Pink Bath Towel (Third Update) Please Vote for Recommendations

"The other night, you two... I didn’t get a wink of sleep the entire night!" Lin Lin recalled that night a few days ago when sounds came from Tian Li’s room without pause until dawn. Even as the boss of the group, she couldn’t help but flush with embarrassment. This Hua Tianyu, and Tian Li too—could the two of you not exercise some restraint? Absolute scoundrels!

"Wow! Brother Tian, that’s wild... an entire night!" Xia Yang exaggeratedly gestured with his fingers to indicate numbers. "Six? Seven? Eight? Nine times? I am now thoroughly in awe of you!"

Tian Li’s face, already red from Lin Lin’s words, turned so scarlet at Xia Yang’s comment that she seemed ready to bleed. She might be uninhibited around Hua Tianyu, but that didn’t mean she was comfortable with such matters in front of others. After all, she was still a young woman new to such things.

She shouted at Xia Yang, "Did you wipe down the bar tables yet? Xia Yang, go wipe the tables!"

Xia Yang protested, "The cleaners already did it..."

Lin Lin grabbed an empty beer can from the table and threw it at him. "Go wipe them again!"

Xia Yang was speechless.

When Lin Lin lost her temper, it was always better for everyone to scatter...

Since the three of them had decided to live together and happened to be free today, Hua Tianyu took Lin Lin and Tian Li out to look for an apartment.

Shangjiang City wasn’t exactly huge, but it was far from small. Where would be best to rent? Lin Lin and Tian Li chattered away, first insisting on the North District because their workplace was there and they knew the area well. Then they changed their minds, suggesting the East District, since that was where the wealthy lived—if they were renting, why not find somewhere nice?

Hua Tianyu thought it over and ultimately decided on renting near Lin Lin’s university. After all, he’d come to Shangjiang City to look after Lin Lin, and since she hadn’t graduated yet, living close to campus would be much more convenient.

It’s often said that you can judge a city’s economic vitality by the number of rental agencies. In prosperous cities, property rentals are everywhere; in remote towns, hardly any exist. Shangjiang City’s economy was relatively strong by national standards, so finding rental housing wasn’t difficult.

As soon as they mentioned wanting to rent near Shangjiang College, a male agent in a white shirt and dark suit stood up. "Hello, my name is Bai Zhiping."

From the moment the three young people walked in, Bai Zhiping had been sizing them up. The two young women were attractive and dressed fashionably, but on closer inspection, their outfits bore no designer labels and were likely cheap online purchases. The young man’s attire was even more casual: a T-shirt, slacks, and sneakers, none of them brand-name, and all clearly worn for some time.

Since only the girls discussed requirements, and the young man seemed to have nothing to contribute—likely because he had no money—he mostly just looked around in silence to avoid awkwardness. Bai Zhiping had seen plenty of clients like this before. In his mind, he’d already concluded that the guy was probably one of the girls’ loyal admirer, tagging along in hope.

Although he heard Lin Lin and Tian Li’s requests for the apartment, he hardly took them to heart. He knew exactly what types of properties to show to clients like these.

"That’s pretty much all our requirements," Lin Lin said after laying out their needs. "Do you have anything like that available?"

"Yes, yes. Right this way," Bai Zhiping replied, grabbing a handful of keys and setting out with the three of them.

They chatted as they walked, and despite his private disdain, Bai Zhiping maintained his professional demeanor, introducing the surrounding area as they went.

After about five minutes, they arrived at a dim alleyway. "This way," Bai Zhiping said, gingerly stepping over a puddle of dirty water and steering clear of a broken bicycle as he led them deeper in.

Hua Tianyu found it odd—this area clearly did not meet the standards Lin Lin had just described, but he said nothing for the moment.

They followed Bai Zhiping up a staircase whose railings were already rusted, and he opened the door to an apartment.

The moment the door swung open, a wave of stench—sweat, sour leftovers, and the sharp reek of an unflushed toilet—rushed out, causing all three, even Bai Zhiping himself, to turn their faces away in disgust.

"Damn, it’s been days since anyone flushed the toilet again! These animals never listen no matter what you say," Bai Zhiping cursed under his breath, but his face quickly regained its professional smile.

"Here we are. Please take a look—affordable and a top choice for families in Shangjiang City," he declared.

"Top choice, my ass! Cheap’s the only thing it’s got going for it!" came a voice from the bathroom. A middle-aged man, bare-chested, emerged and retorted without hesitation.

He glanced at the three newcomers and added, "There are three beds left. The three of you would fill the place up—eight tenants in all."

"What? Shared accommodation?" Tian Li finally understood what kind of place Bai Zhiping was showing them and immediately confronted him. "Were you even listening earlier? When did we ever say we wanted roommates?"

"No way, absolutely not!" Lin Lin said in disgust, pinching her nose and refusing even to step inside.

"Heh, looks like you didn’t manage to con them in this time," the shirtless man said to Bai Zhiping with a gloating smirk.

"Oh, my apologies! I was just considering value and practicality for you. If this won’t do, let’s see another place," Bai Zhiping replied smoothly, unfazed by the shirtless man’s words—he’d seen such scenes countless times and had ready-made lines for every occasion.

"Our budget is sufficient. No need to see places like this—just show us the good ones," Hua Tianyu said calmly from the side.

"Of course, not a problem," Bai Zhiping replied, jangling his keys. "I brought keys to several apartments for you to choose from."

This time, after leaving the dingy alley, they followed him through a series of twists and turns to a row of apartment buildings. There were no puddles of dirty water here, but the peeling paint on the exterior walls and the faded vermilion window frames spoke to the buildings’ age.

They climbed a reasonably clean staircase and entered an apartment. This time, there was no unpleasant odor, and no shirtless man would suddenly emerge from the bathroom.

After wandering around inside, the three found that, although there were three bedrooms, the apartment wasn’t very spacious. The dining table was wedged across the hallway between the kitchen and the bedrooms, nearly blocking the passage entirely.

The interior was quite worn. The kitchen counters were coated in a thick layer of grease, the white toilet seat was stained yellow with age, and the uneven concrete floor had no protection from wooden boards.

Lin Lin and Tian Li took their time exploring this time, whispered to each other for a bit, and then Lin Lin asked, "How much is the rent for this place?"