Chapter 71
Chapter 71 – A Tenant's Woe
Su Tao took the lipstick from Lu Shimiao, twisted it out and applied it on his lips before adjusting the rearview mirror, then smacked his lips together with a smile. "I finally know the reason behind the fragrance from a lady's breath, it's the fragrance from the lipstick."
The lipstick had a sweet scent. Su Tao subconsciously turned to look at Lu Shimiao's rosy lips and wondered how sweet it would taste to kiss her.
Lu Shimiao rolled her eyes. "You really applied it, I only thought that you're only saying it casually. It looks like this lipstick can be thrown away."
Su Tao placed the lipstick into her bag before retrieving a tissue and put it before his lips. With the lips mark on the tissue, he folded it nicely and placed it inside the bag with a smile. "You can throw the lipstick, but you must keep this kiss mark. You can keep it as a memento to look at it every night when you're lonely as well."
"You're narcissistic." Lu Shimiao was rendered speechless by Su Tao's words.
Su Tao shook his finger and stared at Lu Shimiao for quite a while. He noticed that her makeup today was a little thick, especially her eye shadow, which looked more charming, and smiled. "I'm analysing it from the angle of psychological studies. Your mental condition isn't good, so you need a pillar to support you."
Subconsciously wiping her forehead, Lu Shimiao replied, "You won't be my first choice even if I have to look for a pillar."
"Why not? I'm a heroic gentleman, versed in both martial and knowledge. Not to mention that I'm covered with a righteous aura as well, you won't be able to find another outstanding pillar like me in the world." Su Tao knitted his brows and acted angrily.
Lu Shimiao pulsed her lips and smiled. "That mouth of yours is pretty eloquent. For some reason, I just feel that you're not reliable."
Su Tao instantly suppressed his egotism and sighed, "You're really hard to serve. You can stop by the junction there and drop me off. This little brother will not be accompanying you."
Contrary to Su Tao's expectations, Lu Shimiao happily replied, "Sure, don't regret it."
She then flicked the signal and stopped the vehicle before saying with a smile on her face, "You can get out, now."
Su Tao never expected Lu Shimiao to be so keen and it instantly became a little awkward. It was true that Lu Shimiao had a cold character, but it's merely her exterior surface. Once you get familiar with her, you would realise that she was actually pretty shrewd to deal with.
He closed his eyes and gave up speaking, causing Lu Shimiao to smile out of complacency before she started to drive again. Ten-odd minutes later, the vehicle stopped outside a housing agency.
The agent took out a profile of houses, with the majority of them being small apartments, roughly about 80 square meters with two rooms and a living room. Amongst these apartments, the simple renovated ones were priced around ¥1,500, while highly renovated ones were at ¥2,000, and Lu Shimiao had decided on an apartment that's ¥2,500.
The agent took the key and unlocked the room. It turned out that the tenant still hadn't moved out, so the hygiene here was a little terrible. However, the place was linked from north to south; thus, it's full of light, and due to the renovations that the owner had down to this apartment, it gave a pretty good feel to others.
The agent simply introduced, "This is actually a marriage apartment, but the owner bought a bigger one a few years ago and moved out. This place is currently co-rented by two couples, and their lease will expire in five days. So if you want it, you still have to wait for some time."
Lu Shimiao wasn't too willing to squander on it and felt that the apartment was still pretty good. Thus, she smiled. "Sure, we can sign the contract now, when can I take the keys?"
The agent never expected Lu Shimiao to be so straightforward, since she had decided on the first apartment, so he smiled. "You have to sign a contract with the owner, but you can pay the deposit to secure the apartment."
Just when Lu Shimiao was about to take the money out, Su Tao suddenly held onto her hand and shook his head. "Let's look around a little more."
The agent immediately became unhappy, but the agent maintained a faint smile. "Mister, this apartment is extremely popular and has a good location, as well. You won't get to find something like this again."
Helplessly shaking his hand, Su Tao walked to the door and pointed at the lock. "If I have guessed correctly, this lock should have been changed at least three times, right? That means that this house often changed hands. Judging from the renovations and the household appliances, they should have been quite recent and haven't exceed a year. Yet, the locks have been changed so many times in a year, that means that the owner might be a narrow-minded person and isn't someone that's easy to get along with."
The agent was immediately stunned. He never expected that Su Tao would be so accurate, but he forced a smile. "That's mainly because the previous tenants were all short leases, so the owner changed the locks out of consideration for the new tenant's safety. If you want this apartment, the owner will also change the lock for you again."
"Let's look at another place." Su Tao shook his head.
The agent smiled, but he cursed Su Tao in his heart. They viewed a few more apartments. Lu Shimiao had no complaints about them, but Su Tao had continuously been nitpicking. Even the agent wished he could strangle Su Tao to death.
After spending half a day, the agent finally had no choice and brought out the best apartment. This time, Su Tao did not nitpick and straightforwardly had Lu Shimiao pay the deposit. The agent then made a call to the owner to inquire for an appointment to sign the contract. Coincidentally, the owner was also free at the moment and immediately signed the contract after half an hour.
Taking the keys to the new apartment, Lu Shimiao smiled. "I initially wanted to settle it within an hour. I never thought that we would waste half a day in this. You're pretty patient today, and you even nearly pissed the agent off."
Su Tao sighed, "You're too inexperienced. These agents are extremely shrewd. They won't take the best resources out, since there would be one less every time they used it. They're trying to use a long line to catch a big fish. If you immediately rented the first one, then you're unlucky."
"No wonder you have been constantly nitpicky." Lu Shimiao smiled, since she finally understood the reason for Su Tao's actions.
Su Tao stretched his hands out and helplessly replied, "I became the bad guy to look for houses with you. Although the renovation of this apartment is so-so, the owner is easy to get along with. But you should change the lock when you move in, you're a female after all. So safety is important when living outside."
Lu Shimiao smiled. "I never thought that you'd be so attentive. In fact, my request wasn't too high, and I just wanted somewhere I can rest. I'll often be busy in the hospital with frequent overtime. So I will still be in the dorms most of the time."
Su Tao walked to the balcony and opened the window before he turned around with a smile. "Your mindset should change since your lifestyle has changed. You should try having a new frame of mind."
"Then, what frame of mind do you suggest?" Lu Shimiao asked with a smile as she walked to Su Tao.
Su Tao faintly smiled. "Like looking for a guy to have a taste of love and forget your terrible husband."
Lu Shimiao shook her head before she cast a complicated glance at Su Tao. "It's a pity that they aren't easy to find. I'm a pretty picky woman."
Su Tao acted as if he was in deep consideration before nodding his head. "Yeah, you need to find a reliable one. Why don't I sacrifice myself and give myself to you?"
In response to Su Tao's tease, Lu Shimiao glared and gently pushed his shoulder. "Don't speak nonsense, you're so much younger than me. I don't have any feelings for you; I only think of you as a younger brother."
"But that's not what many guys think. They like mature women because being together with such a woman can put a fragrance on them as well." Su Tao smiled.
Lu Shimiao sourly replied, "I only treat you as a colleague and friend, don't be cheeky."
Seeing the dimples when Su Tao looked at her from the side, he found her being incredibly charming when such a cold beauty revealed such a warm smile, before he replied, "But if you're looking for a lover in the future, you must consider me first!"
"Okay, I need a lover now, and you're hired." Lu Shimiao turned to look at Su Tao, then she spoke after seeing the sincerity in his eyes. But the instant she said those words, she felt her face burning, so she quickly changed the topic. "Right, come and help me bring some of the stuff I have in my car."
Shock flashed on Su Tao's face before he asked, "You're not thinking of staying here tonight, right?"
"Why not?" Lu Shimiao smiled charmingly.
Su Tao could only follow Lu Shimiao down after their conversation. The trunk of her BMW wasn't small, but women usually had more stuff, so it was filled to the brim, so they spent half an hour before they finished sorting everything. After some simple tidying, Lu Shimiao snapped her fingers and smiled. "You must be hungry after doing so much work. Come, I'll treat you to a feast."
Su Tao sweated quite a bit, so he found himself pretty much captivated by Lu Shimiao, thus the reason for his charity. He smacked his lips with a sigh and bitterly smiled. "I've helped you personally and physically; you definitely have to reward me."
The two of them turned around, and just when they're about to leave, urgent knocking sounds came from the door. Su Tao and Lu Shimiao exchanged a look with shock in their eyes.
When they opened the door, they saw a robust middle-aged man who reeked of alcohol. He knitted his brows. "Mhm, who are you guys? Where is my wife?"
Lu Shimiao frowned as she explained, "We just rented this apartment, you're the previous tenant?"
The man slapped his forehead then smiled. An alcoholic smell came from his mouth. "Oops, I made a mistake. Sorry about that."
Watching the middle-aged man leave, Lu Shimiao knitted her brows. Su Tao remained calm. He could naturally tell why Lu Shimiao's expression changed. She was startled by that man, and as a feeble woman, what would she do if he knocked on her door in the middle of the night?
Not to mention that the lock still wasn't changed, so the previous tenant definitely had a spare key to the apartment.