After being kicked out of the wealthy family along with her yandere childhood friend

After tidying up, Pei Jin lay down on the hard wooden bed and closed his eyes.

My lower back is a little sore.

He turned over, the bed creaked, then he turned over again, but he was still uncomfortable.

He plans to go out and look for work again tomorrow morning.

But what if you can't find it?

If you can't find it, you'll just have to put in more effort.

If ten hours a day isn't enough, then twelve hours; if twelve hours isn't enough, then fourteen hours.

With his eyes closed, a thought suddenly popped into his head that had nothing to do with money: once he made money, he would first need to buy a mattress.

When Bai Tao came out after taking a shower, there was no light on Pei Jin's side.

It was pitch black behind the floral fabric, and you could faintly hear very steady breathing, which sounded heavier and deeper than yesterday.

She lay down on the sofa quietly.

The sofa springs made a muffled thud the moment she lay down, and she froze.

After waiting a few seconds to make sure the breathing on the other side of the floral cloth hadn't changed, she slowly and gradually laid herself flat.

The sofa is still too small.

Her ankles were resting on the handrail, her arms were close to her sides, and she had to be careful even to turn over.

Should I buy a mattress?

If she buys the mattress, how can she get Pei Jin to give her the bed?

You can't just say, "Pei Jin, you can sleep on the sofa, I'll sleep on the bed."

Pei Jin's face, with its blank expression, was enough to make her swallow back the words she was about to say.

Or should she say her back hurts?

Or is it because she said the sofa was too soft and she couldn't sleep on it?

She plans to buy a mattress after sleeping in the bed for two days.

Bai Tao stared at the ceiling for a long time, but couldn't come up with a good solution.

"No, stay away from me."

Bai Tao cried as she backed away, her back hitting the glass of the French windows, the coldness raising goosebumps on her back.

She had nowhere to retreat, and the person in front of her was still moving forward, step by step, unhurriedly.

Pei Jin pressed closer, his shadow descending and enveloping her completely.

Bai Tao was pinned against the curtains of the French windows by Pei Jin.

The thick velvet fabric clung to the back of her hand, its velvety texture making her feel slightly uncomfortable.

But she couldn't care less about any of that. Pei Jin was too close to her, so close that she could see the curve of his eyelashes, so close that her breath and his breath mingled together, and she couldn't tell which was whose.

She was turned over, and Pei Jin pinched her chin from behind, not too hard, causing her face to tilt slightly upwards.

His fingers were slightly cool as they traced her jawline, applying gentle pressure.

"Baby is so great."

His voice came down from above, deep and resonant.

Bai Tao could hear her own heart pounding in her ears, like someone drumming in her chest.

"Just one more time."

The next second—

Pei Jin suddenly opened his eyes.

The light streaming through the small basement window made him squint; his breathing became rapid and erratic, his chest heaving.

I broke out in a cold sweat, and my undershirt stuck to my back, which was very uncomfortable.

His heart was still beating so fast that he had to close his eyes, take a deep breath, and slowly exhale.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes again.

Sunlight streamed through the two narrow windows, reflecting off him and landing on the most vibrant part of his body.

It looks like a tiny little tent.

Pei Jin glanced down at the pillow, then slammed his head back down.

What a vivid dream.

He picked up his phone and glanced at it.

6:03.

I can't fall asleep anymore.

Pei Jin lifted the blanket and sat up quietly.

The wooden bed creaked, and he froze for a moment, listening intently to the sounds coming from the side of the floral fabric. His breathing was steady and unchanged.

He felt relieved, reached for his slippers by the bed, and stood up very quietly.

He gently lifted a corner of the floral cloth.

Bai Tao is still asleep.

One leg was placed on the coffee table, her fair foot dangling over the edge, her five toes slightly curled.

Her other leg was curled up on the sofa, her knee bent into a soft arc.

Her rose-red silk nightgown slid up quite a bit with her movements, revealing a large expanse of her fair, glowing skin and most of her profile.

The shoulder straps of her nightgown had slipped down, thin as a red thread, hanging loosely on her arm, as if they might fall off at any moment.

The nightgown was a silk slip dress in a rose-red color, which made her skin appear almost translucent.

Because she was sleeping in such a casual position, half of the view was exposed, bright and dazzlingly white.

Pei Jin thought of that absurd dream he had just had.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, then he quickly looked away.

Pei Jin turned around and walked quietly towards the restroom, each step he took was very light.

The bathroom door closed behind him, and Pei Jin turned on the faucet. The sound of running water drowned out his unsteady breathing.

He picked up a towel, soaked it, wrung it out, and haphazardly wiped his face, neck, and body.

The towel was cold, but it didn't help.

He wiped it again, but it still didn't work.

Pei Jin draped the towel over the faucet, braced his hands on either side of the sink, and looked down at the murky water in the basin, which looked like milk had been spilled into it.

There wasn't time to cook, so he grabbed his keys, went to the alleyway near the entrance, bought breakfast, and brought it back.

Bai Tao was still asleep. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he waved his hand in the air. Before leaving, he hesitated at the door for a moment, then took out a pen and a piece of paper from the drawer.

I'm going to work. Remember to eat breakfast. My new number is 1xxxxxxxxxxx.

Pei Jin tucked the note under the breakfast bag and glanced at Bai Tao on the sofa.

She rolled over, shifting her leg onto the coffee table, her fuchsia nightgown sliding back and forth with her movements.

He looked away and gently closed the door.

He took his breakfast out of the bag: two steamed buns and a cup of soy milk.

She sat on the electric scooter with one leg on the ground, placed the steamed buns in the storage basket in front of the scooter, held a soy milk in her left hand, and swiped her phone screen with her right hand.

I won't eat in the room, because I'm afraid it will disturb Bai Tao.

Pei Jin took a bite of the steamed bun, his gaze fixed on the phone screen, but his mind was elsewhere.

After finishing his early shift, He Fan carried his bass guitar into the building.

The bass bag was black and very large. His makeup wasn't completely removed, and the glitter at the corners of his eyes flashed briefly in the morning light before fading away.

There was some glitter on the clothes, and when the light shone on the shoulders and collar, it reflected tiny, colorful lights.

His face was etched with fatigue, his eyelids drooped, and his steps were somewhat unsteady.

He was startled by Pei Jin sitting on the electric scooter.

"elder brother?"

He Fan's voice was hoarse, a peculiar trait that often accompanies someone finishing a night shift.

Pei Jin nodded, his tone indifferent.

"You're back?"

"Um."

He Fan rubbed his eyes, wiping away a patch of glitter from the corner of his eye. "Why aren't you going inside to eat?"

"She's sleeping."

He Fan nodded without asking any further questions.

He looked so tired that he was swaying slightly even while standing still.

"Then I'll head back now."

"it is good."

Pei Jin withdrew his gaze, glanced at the time on his phone screen, and finished the last sip of soy milk.

The paper cup was crushed and thrown into the nearby trash can.

Bai Tao was awakened by a knock on the door.

I groggily opened my eyes, my forehead already covered in a thin layer of sweat, sticky and uncomfortable.

The basement windows were poorly ventilated, and the coolness accumulated at night quickly dissipated after sunrise, replaced by a stuffy, suffocating heat.

She lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling for two seconds, her mind still not fully awake from sleep.

There was another knock on the door.

The knocking was neither too loud nor too soft, carrying a sense of polite restraint.

Bai Tao propped herself up on her arms and glanced subconsciously at the key on the cabinet by the door. The key was hanging there; Pei Jin had left her the house key.

"Pei Jin?"

Bai Tao's voice was still hoarse from just waking up, as if there was a wad of cotton stuck in her throat.

"It's me, the one diagonally across from you."

He Fan's voice came from outside the door. Bai Tao was stunned for a moment, looked down at herself, quickly tightened her shoulder strap, and grabbed the coat from the back of the sofa and draped it over her shoulders.

She turned her head and saw the breakfast on the coffee table.

The steamed buns and soy milk were packed in a plastic bag, with Pei Jin's handwriting pressed on a pink sticky note next to them—a few neat lines of text.

Bai Tao walked to the door, her eyes were dazzled by the silver light of the kitchen knife on her right. When living alone, safety is the most important thing, so she silently picked up the kitchen knife and hid it behind her back.

She didn't want to open the door, but since her neighbor across the street lent her a raincoat and helmet, she blocked most of the iron gate with her body, leaving only a small gap.

Her right hand was still behind her back, holding the knife, while her left hand was on the door frame. She tilted her head slightly and looked out through the narrow gap.

He Fan was standing outside the door.

Her hair was wet, as if she had just taken a shower, with a few strands sticking to her forehead and water droplets dripping down the ends. She carried a faint scent of shower gel.

"What's wrong?"

Bai Tao spoke very softly, and the door was not opened wider.

He Fan picked up a bag from his hand; it was a transparent plastic bag containing a box of red strawberries.

"These are strawberries a customer gave me last night when I was at work. There were too many to eat."

He Fan pushed the bag forward, turning his wrist so Bai Tao could see what was inside.

"I'll give you some."

Bai Tao paused for a moment, then put the knife aside. Her movements were so quick that He Fan didn't even notice what she was holding.

She opened the door wider, leaned out halfway, and took the bag of strawberries.

"Thank you, thank you."

Bai Tao's voice was a little brighter than before, carrying a sense of bewilderment after being struck by such unexpected kindness.

"I can't accept this."

"Oh, it's nothing."

He Fan waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across Bai Tao's face.

He saw the thin layer of sweat on Bai Tao's forehead and her tender little face, flushed red from the heat.

"It's quite hot here, don't you have air conditioning?"

Bai Tao blinked in surprise and shook her head.

"No, do you have any there?"

"Yes, we bought an air cooler ourselves."

He Fan gestured with his hand to indicate the size.

"Those small ones that are placed on the ground, although they are small, are very cool because our living space is also small."

He took a step back, opened the door, and turned slightly to reveal the half-open door behind him.

"Would you like to take a look?"

Bai Tao curiously peeked out.

She could see a small part of He Fan's room; light shone from inside, making it much brighter than her own room.

"May I?"

Bai Tao's voice held a cautious anticipation, "Is your friend home?"

She was asking about He Yilong.

That tall, somewhat fierce-looking man.

He Fan smiled knowingly.

"He's not here. Are you coming?"

Bai Tao decisively turned around and put the bag of strawberries in her hand into the sink.

She took the key from the coffee table, closed the door, and followed He Fan to the opposite side.

"By the way, I still don't know your name."

Bai Tao's voice echoed in the corridor for a moment, then was mostly absorbed by the cement wall.

"He Fan,"

He Fan turned his head and glanced at her.

"I'm a musician. Tonight I'm performing at a bar with my band."

"Wow,"

Bai Tao's eyes lit up. "Amazing!"

He Fan felt a little uncomfortable being praised, so he lowered his head slightly, and the tips of his ears turned a little red.

He cleared his throat and continued, "The one taller than me is He Yilong; he works in IT."

Bai Tao paused for a moment.

I work in IT.

He Yilong works in IT.

Bai Tao has always thought that people who know computers are incredibly capable, with their heads filled with things she can't understand at all.

Moreover, she remembered that in her previous life, Pei Jin worked at an IT company that no one believed in and was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Then, in less than two years, they turned it into a technology company that no one dared to underestimate.

She would tell Pei Jin about it when he returned.

Bai Tao mentally gave herself a thumbs up, feeling that she was simply the most dedicated investor in the world.

The moment He Fan pushed open the door, a cool breeze carrying a faint fragrance rushed out and brushed against Bai Tao's face, making her squint her eyes in comfort.

She followed He Fan inside, stood in the middle of the room, and looked around.

The layout is exactly the same as hers, but the feeling here is completely different.

A light gray short-pile rug was laid on the floor, several band posters were pasted on the wall, and the blankets on the bed were neatly folded.

The pillow was placed in the center, and a small pot of pothos was on the windowsill. Its leaves were lush and green, with a little bit hanging down, swaying gently in the air.

There was no musty basement smell.

Instead, there was a very pleasant aromatherapy scent, light and not cloying, and the whole room was so clean that Bai Tao felt like her room was a garbage dump.

He Fan stood next to the air conditioner fan and demonstrated it to her.

"The toilet window can be left open frequently."

He bent down and pointed to the small window.

"Buy another small fan and point it at the toilet to help with air circulation."

"This small air cooler is very useful; it's more than enough for a small room. And sometimes it gets very cold if you turn the temperature down too low."

Bai Tao nodded repeatedly, her gaze fixed on the white air conditioner fan.

"Is there a link?"

Her voice held an urgency, "Give me one!"

"Can."

He Fan smiled, took out his phone from his pocket, opened WeChat, and the two scanned each other's QR codes face to face.

Just as Bai Tao was about to put her phone away, she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Bai Tao."

He Fan glanced at her and nodded.

"It's a very nice name, it suits you perfectly."

Bai Tao glanced at He Fan, who looked completely innocent. If she didn't know he liked men, she would have thought his enthusiastic attitude meant he was interested in her.

"Your mattress,"

She looked up, her gaze falling on the neatly made bed.

"Do you have a link? Please send me the dimensions as well."

He Fan glanced at her and nodded.

"By the way, when I came back just now, your boyfriend was sitting on the stairs eating breakfast."

"I asked him why he didn't go inside to eat, and he said he was afraid of disturbing you. That's so nice, so thoughtful."

When she returned to her room, Bai Tao opened a shopping app, selected same-day delivery within the city, and ordered the same air cooler as He Fan.

My finger swiped across the screen a few times, then stopped on the mattress page.

The link He Fan sent showed several mattress thicknesses. She selected the thickest one, added it to her cart, but didn't pay.

Once she and Pei Jin have switched sleeping spots, they'll buy a new mattress.

Bai Tao put her phone on the coffee table, opened the cup of soy milk Pei Jin had bought, and took a sip.

cold.