Feeling the softness on his back, Shen Yi gently pinched her thigh as a form of punishment.
The two of them laughed and playfully walked to the car.
Shen Yi patted her bottom and said,
"Aren’t you getting down yet?"
Fu Nanzhi tightly wrapped her arms around Shen Yi’s neck, shaking her head repeatedly,
"I’m not getting down."
"If you don’t get down, I’m going to tickle you."
Shen Yi grinned mischievously, reaching out to her sensitive spot as if to tickle her.
"I surrender, I surrender, I’m getting down."
Fu Nanzhi, extremely sensitive and afraid of being tickled, quickly jumped off Shen Yi in fear.
Whether in this life or the last, Fu Nanzhi’s greatest fear was Shen Yi tickling her.
The two of them got into the car and drove out of the parking lot.
As they reached the intersection, Shen Yi turned to her and said,
"Drop me off up ahead. You should head back early so Mom doesn’t worry."
Fu Nanzhi stubbornly shook her head and refused,
"No way. At least let me take you to the door."
Shen Yi chuckled,
"I’m a grown man, I’m not going to get lost."
"But I still want to take you."
Fu Nanzhi stood her ground.
However, no matter how far she took him, there would always be an end to the journey. The car stopped at the entrance of the neighborhood.
Shen Yi got out of the car, and Fu Nanzhi followed suit.
"Honey, wait a second."
She walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk.
"These are the clothes I bought for you last time. The package has already arrived."
"Take them back and see if they fit."
Fu Nanzhi had already unpacked quite a few of the packages, all from her recent online shopping spree.
Shen Yi looked down and saw that there was indeed a lot—everything from underwear to clothes and shoes—Fu Nanzhi had bought him a complete wardrobe.
"How am I supposed to wear all this?"
Shen Yi rummaged through the items and picked out two sets, holding them in his hands.
"That’s enough. I’ll take these. You can put the rest in the wardrobe."
His place was too small, and carrying so many clothes back would be a burden. Besides, he wouldn’t be staying there for long, and moving back and forth would be a hassle.
"Thanks, sweetheart. Come here, give me a kiss!"
Fu Nanzhi happily leaned in, offering her cheek.
"Alright, I’m heading back. You should go home too, and send me a message when you get there."
"Okay..."
Fu Nanzhi hesitated, taking a few steps but constantly looking back.
Shen Yi stood on the curb, watching her and said,
"In a couple of days, I’ll go with you to have dinner at your place. We can’t keep avoiding Mom. We can’t become fat in one bite, so we’ll take it slow."
Fu Nanzhi started the car, rolled down the window, and replied,
"Got it. Bye."
Shen Yi waved at her.
He watched until Fu Nanzhi turned the corner and disappeared from sight before heading home.
The motion-sensor light in the hallway turned on.
Shen Yi lived on the fourth floor. Since it was an old neighborhood, there was no elevator, but fortunately, the building wasn’t too tall, so climbing the stairs wasn’t too strenuous.
As he reached the third-floor landing, he heard the sound of something heavy being dragged.
Looking up, he saw a woman struggling to carry a suitcase up the stairs.
He didn’t try to hide his footsteps, and the woman turned around upon hearing him. Their eyes met.
Shen Yi was facing the light, while the woman’s face was hidden in the shadows, her hair cascading down, making it hard to see her features.
Just as Shen Yi was about to ask, she suddenly spoke, her voice clear and melodious,
"What are you staring at? Aren’t you going to help?"
The voice made Shen Yi pause, and he exclaimed in surprise,
"Cheng Jun?!"
"What are you doing here?"
Cheng Jun handed the silver suitcase to Shen Yi, finally catching her breath,
"Why can’t I be here?"
She wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead. The lack of an elevator in the neighborhood had really worn her out.
Her slender arms and legs weren’t built for heavy lifting, and she had struggled to get the suitcase up the stairs.
Shen Yi took the suitcase and effortlessly lifted it with one hand as he walked, asking,
"Which floor?"
"Fourth floor."
"Fourth floor?"
Shen Yi frowned and followed her, only to see her stop at the fourth floor.
Cheng Jun rummaged through her shoulder bag for the keys and unlocked the door.
Shen Yi’s sense of unease grew stronger.
The room she had just entered was directly across from his own apartment. In other words, Cheng Jun had moved in right across from him.
As the door opened, the layout appeared quite spacious, roughly 80 to 90 square meters.
The owner had clearly renovated the place, as it was fully furnished with all the necessary furniture.
The unit faced a better direction and had a larger layout compared to Shen Yi’s place, which had been partitioned for rental purposes. This one was likely the owner’s original residence.
Cheng Jun walked in, and Shen Yi followed, helping her push the suitcase inside.
Standing in the living room, Shen Yi watched as Cheng Jun looked around, his confusion reaching its peak. He asked,
"Why... why did you move here?"
"Guess."
"I’m not going to guess."
Cheng Jun glanced at Shen Yi, her hands behind her back as she paced around the room,
"I had a fight with my family, so I moved out. Is that not allowed?"
Shen Yi wasn’t entirely convinced by her explanation,
"I believe you had a fight, but with your standards, would you really live here?"
"What’s wrong with this place?"
Cheng Jun tapped the table and ran her hand over the sofa as she replied,
"It keeps the wind and rain out, there’s food and drink, a place to sleep. I’ve lived in worse places before."
Shen Yi knew what she was referring to. After all, could anything be worse than the environment during the apocalypse?
She might be a young lady, but she didn’t have the airs of one.
However, Shen Yi didn’t believe it was a coincidence that she had moved in across from him, so he decided to ask directly,
"How did you know I live here?"
Cheng Jun smiled lightly and said,
"Is it really that hard to find you?"
Hearing this, Shen Yi realized he had asked a pointless question. In this city, it really wasn’t difficult for her to find him.
At least, finding his address wasn’t hard.
"Alright, I need to start unpacking."
Cheng Jun walked Shen Yi to the door.
"Thanks for the help."
As the door closed, Shen Yi returned to his own small apartment.
Sitting on the sofa, he felt a headache coming on. She really had a way of keeping things quiet until the last moment.
He had just been thinking about her earlier in the day, and before the day was over, she had moved in right across from him.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, Shen Yi couldn’t really complain.
He couldn’t very well tell her to her face that she couldn’t live near him—that would be too narcissistic.
Setting his thoughts aside for the moment, Shen Yi got up and hung the new clothes from the bag to prevent them from getting wrinkled.
He then went to wash up and do his laundry, as the smell of hotpot still lingered on him.
Afterward, he sat down at the table and turned on his computer to download some study materials.
He had already used up his daily quota, so he was preparing for tomorrow’s simulation session.
With the internet, he could easily find everything he needed, saving him the trouble of buying books.
Halfway through his research, he heard a knock at the door.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Shen Yi walked over and opened the door, unsurprised to find Cheng Jun standing there.
She was wearing a white T-shirt and hot pants, her long, fair legs as striking as a pair of chopsticks.
Her long hair was loose, and her cheeks were slightly flushed, her entire body exuding a fresh, clean scent, clearly having just showered.
She handed him a small paper bag and said,
"Here, a thank-you gift for today."
Shen Yi took it and saw that it contained some homemade cookies.
"So? Aren’t you going to invite your neighbor in for a visit?"
Cheng Jun raised an eyebrow and looked at him.