Shen An unpacked the bottles and jars from his suitcase, arranging them neatly.
He then opened the wardrobe, intending to hang up his clothes.
The moment he swung open the doors, a faint fragrance wafted out. A small aromatherapy bottle sat at the back, the source of the scent.
What surprised Shen An, though, was that the wardrobe already held a few items of clothing.
He hesitated as he picked them up, unsure whether Xu Yijing had prepared them for him or if they were leftovers from the previous “tenant.”
A closer look revealed the tags were still attached—brand-new clothes.
Shen An compared them to his own size. They were a touch small, but wearable.
Clearly, these were meant for him.
Whoa~
That caught him off guard.
Before arriving, he had braced for the worst, picturing Xu Yijing as the ultimate rebellious problem child.
What followed would be a nonstop battle of wits.
But from their first meeting until now, she showed no signs of being a troublemaker.
On the contrary, she was composed, quiet, polite, and incredibly thoughtful.
Putting himself in her shoes, if some stranger suddenly showed up to live with him, Shen An might smile politely on the surface, but he’d have his doubts underneath.
Few people could match Xu Yijing’s level of care and consideration.
The only drawback? The styles were a bit dated—not suited for someone his age, more like outfits for the elderly.
And they seemed unisex, leaning toward a neutral aesthetic.
Pushing aside his questions for the moment, he finished tidying up the room.
Then he pulled the pink brick phone from his pocket.
No notifications—just a countdown ticking down: 30.
It had started automatically the instant he stepped into Xu Yijing’s apartment. Thirty days of peaceful coexistence for the System Commission Task.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and lay down on the bed, eyes narrowing in thought.
The situation was intriguing.
Xu Yijing’s mother insisted her daughter had mental issues that needed fixing.
Even after Shen An politely declined multiple times, she pressed on with her money offensive, desperate for his help.
Yet from that first encounter, Xu Yijing seemed like the epitome of a well-mannered young woman—flawless.
Zhao Li didn’t come across as unstable either. At the coffee shop, she had played the part of a worried mother to perfection, fretting over her daughter.
Both seemed perfectly normal, which was the most suspicious part of all.
Shen An turned suspicious eyes toward Zhao Li.
Everything they knew so far was her one-sided story.
Xu Yijing hadn’t shown a single odd behavior. Maybe she did have issues, hidden deep—but for now, Zhao Li was the prime suspect.
Soon, Shen An reached two conclusions.
First, Xu Yijing might indeed have mental problems, but she concealed them expertly—not your average case—and he simply hadn’t noticed yet in their short time together.
Second, Xu Yijing was perfectly fine. The problem lay with Zhao Li.
Either Zhao Li was the real head case, or she had ulterior motives.
What could a mother possibly want from her own daughter?
It couldn’t be a fight over inheritance, could it?
Shen An recalled the lavish hotel and coffee shop. Hmm, that wasn’t out of the question.
Blood ties were precious, but greed could devour even the best of them.
Ugh~
Lost in thought, Shen An realized he was getting too nosy.
Truth be told, whether Zhao Li or Xu Yijing was the one with issues, it had nothing to do with him at the core.
Even with the System Commission Task hanging over him.
He had no intention of going all-out to complete it anyway.
The main reason he accepted Zhao Li’s commission was his empty pockets and need for a place to crash.
Once that pressing issue was sorted, he couldn’t care less about the task or whose problems they were.
If he could wrap it up along the way, great.
After all, he had a good heart.
As for accumulating 100 points to make a wish~
That might tempt others, but to Shen An, it was worthless.
Right now, he was treating this world like a game, fully immersed and eager to have some fun.
That was all he wanted.
Hmm~ Might as well treat it like exploring levels.
He was curious about his new roommate’s personality too. Even making a friend wouldn’t be bad.
No one could resist something so stunningly beautiful.
Especially when it was beautiful beyond reason.
With that, he sprang up from the bed, grabbed a piece of clothing from the wardrobe, and stepped out of the room.
In the living room, Xu Yijing sat quietly watching a program on TV. Only when Shen An approached did she slowly turn her head.
“All settled in already?”
She asked.
“Yeah, I didn’t bring much. Just a quick tidy-up did the trick.”
Shen An gave a sheepish smile and held up the garment. “Uh, did you prepare this?”
Xu Yijing nodded slowly. “Yes. I asked your mother about your situation beforehand and got these ready.”
Then, a bit embarrassed, she murmured, “I might not have chosen well.”
She meant the outdated styles and wrong size.
“No, no, they’re great.”
With that, Shen An slipped it on right there in front of her. “Fits perfectly.”
The style was a little old-fashioned, but Shen An carried a natural maturity that made it work without much clash.
Perhaps the real key was his handsome face and build.
Still, once it was on, the size issue was obvious—a slight squeeze.
Shen An kept his bright smile, but it couldn’t hide the way the tight fabric outlined his muscular frame.
Too obvious!
Xu Yijing’s lips curved up slightly. She covered her mouth demurely. “The tag’s still on, right?”
“Not yet.”
“Good. These can be exchanged as long as the tag’s intact.”
She picked up some paper and a pen nearby. “Tell me your measurements, and I’ll swap them out later.”
“Uh, six-foot-two, about 165 pounds. Should be XXL.”
“Yeah, I got XL. Too small.” Xu Yijing nodded. “Could you bring out all of them? If it’s not too much trouble.”
“Of course.”
Shen An shrugged off the outer layer and headed back to fetch the rest from the wardrobe.
“Just set them here.”
Xu Yijing pointed to the sofa beside her.
He placed the clothes down and took a seat as well.
“First off, sorry for barging in like this.”
Shen An said sincerely.
“No worries.” Xu Yijing smiled softly. “Your mother and mine are old friends. Makes us practically family.”
“Plus, you’re a freshman, and I’m a Senior Sister. Looking out for underclassmen is part of the job, right?”
“Yeah, speaking of Senior Sisters, I ran into one when I first got here. Not as nice as you, though.”
Shen An mentioned her with a hint of gritted teeth.
“Maybe she had other things going on? Don’t judge too quick off one meeting.”
Xu Yijing showed no curiosity about the details, instead offering careful advice.
That surprised Shen An.
This girl’s heart was so kind, it almost seemed unreal.
Before he could recover, Xu Yijing picked up a blank sheet of paper.
“There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
It was phrased as a discussion, but her tone left no room for debate.
Pen in hand, she fixed her gaze on him. A mix of allure and innocence shattered into sharp intensity.
“Go ahead.”
Shen An said lightly.
“The truth is, I don’t need anyone taking care of me. I can manage myself.”
Xu Yijing stated flatly.
Shen An glanced around the spotless apartment and nodded in agreement.
You could tell a lot about a person from how tidy their place was.
Xu Yijing’s home gleamed—immaculate.
A slacker could never pull that off.
“But I’m not against making friends.”
She continued. “I get that you have your own struggles. Life’s not easy for you, so I won’t hold any prejudices.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Shen An nodded.
“Still, we’re basically strangers. We don’t know each other, so some ground rules are best set upfront.”
“That’s why I want us to draw up a Cohabitation Agreement.”
“A Cohabitation Agreement?”
“Yes. It lays out boundaries, rights, and responsibilities. That way, we won’t get in each other’s way.”
Xu Yijing smiled faintly. “I think it’s the best way to keep the peace.”
“Funny, I’m on the same page.”
Shen An watched her steadily, expression neutral.
“Perfect.”
Xu Yijing lowered her head and began scribbling on the paper.
“Even though the Employment Contract names me as your employer, we don’t need to be so formal in day-to-day life.”
“I don’t need you to act like a full-time nanny, running around taking care of me. Freshman year is busy enough—you need your own space too. You can’t let this part-time gig derail your studies.”
“Here are some requests from me. I hope you can accept them.”
After a moment, the blank sheet of paper was filled with closely packed lines of text.
Her handwriting was beautiful, just like she was.
Shen An took the paper. The words outlined several key points.
For instance, he couldn’t enter her room or the last room at the end of the hallway without her permission.
She also preferred quiet and disliked disturbances, so she hoped Shen An would keep his noise to a minimum during normal times.
These rules were like laying down the ground rules, clearly defining the boundaries between them.
Finally, Xu Yijing emphasized her right to make the final call.
If Shen An offended her or broke any of the agreement’s terms, she reserved the right to unilaterally end their employment relationship.
At the same time, true to her kind nature, she promised to help him find a new part-time job if that happened.
These demands were entirely reasonable—not a single one was excessive.
The cohabitation agreement wasn’t harsh at all. In fact, it was exceptionally favorable to Shen An.
In summary: live and let live, no interference.
Unless Xu Yijing specifically asked for something, Shen An could treat the place like his own temporary rental apartment.
The apartment’s spacious layout—over a hundred square meters—provided more than enough room for two people to live completely independently.
This…
She was practically an angel.
Shen An gazed at Xu Yijing, half-convinced a holy glow was radiating from behind her.
He signed his name with lightning speed, without a second’s hesitation.
He had no objections whatsoever.
To him, this agreement was a total win-win.
It satisfied Xu Yijing’s needs while meeting his own.
She didn’t want disturbances, and he didn’t want to play nanny.
He just had to coast through the first month like this. Once he found a new income source, he could ditch this lousy System for good.
Xu Yijing blinked in surprise at Shen An’s eagerness.
“What’s wrong?” Shen An asked, caught off guard.
He even felt a little embarrassed.
Free room and board, no rent, and Zhao Li tossing in a monthly wage on top.
Not to mention the luxury apartment—and the girl in front of him was one of the top school beauties at East China University.
It was an experience that caught him off guard yet left him oddly satisfied.
“Anything else you want to add?” He looked at Xu Yijing hopefully, secretly wishing she’d throw in something a bit unreasonable.
Pure mooching like this was starting to weigh on his conscience.
Xu Yijing shook her head and said softly, “I’m good. Do you have anything to add?”
“Nope, I agree to all your terms. Let’s do it just like this!”
“Alright then…”
“No ‘alright then’—just sign your name too.”
“Oh~”
Xu Yijing picked up the pen and signed her name with deliberate slowness.
Perfect. With that, the cohabitation agreement was officially in effect.
