The dark shadow heard the voice and immediately began braking, but it was moving too fast. In the end, it had to use both its feet and its face before it barely managed to stop—right at Yu Ning’s feet.
Only then did she see clearly that the dark shadow was a… husky.
The husky stared at the man behind her with those clear yet foolish blue eyes, happily sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail. It was even whining softly, but it still sat there obediently without moving.
Summer clothes were very thin. Perhaps his hands were too rough, forming a stark contrast with her delicate skin; through the fabric of her floral dress, Chen Chuan felt as though his fingertips had been scalded.
Seeing that she had steadied herself, he quickly withdrew his hand, took a step forward, and rubbed the husky’s head.
Yu Ning had already recovered from her shock.
She stared at the man and dog before her and asked, “This dog… is yours?”
“Mm.” Chen Chuan responded, then looked back at her. “You’re… afraid of dogs?”
That suddenly reminded him—he had forgotten to mention on the homestay booking app that there was a dog here. He would have to update it tomorrow.
Yu Ning smiled and shook her head. “Not really. It just shot out too suddenly just now. Its name is Tank? Can I pet it?”
Chen Chuan stood up and made room for her.
Yu Ning gently stroked Tank’s head and smiled. “You’re so well-behaved, baby. How old is it?”
“A little over three.”
“Oh, okay.”
While she was petting the dog, Chen Chuan had already carried her two suitcases inside.
At this hour, Father Chen and Mother Chen had long since gone to bed. He walked to the front desk, took hold of the mouse, and clicked lightly. The computer screen lit up. He filled in Yu Ning’s name, room number, and check-in date in the room registration.
Lastly, he needed to verify her ID.
But she still hadn’t come in.
He walked to the doorway and looked at the woman still crouched there scritching the dog, then called out, “Tank, come here.”
Tank shot into the house with a whoosh.
Yu Ning’s hand hung in midair. She turned her head to look at the man inside, then stood up, patted her hands, and walked in. At a glance, she could see the entire layout of the first floor.
The overall decor leaned toward a simple modern natural-wood style. The front desk was on the right-hand side of the door, and directly ahead was a glass door leading to the backyard.
On the left was a long dining table and a kitchen hidden behind a dark blue floral curtain.
“Go to sleep,” Chen Chuan said to the dog.
Tank obediently went to the little wooden house built against the wall in the yard.
Yu Ning tilted her head and glanced at Tank. This husky was rather different from the huskies in her impression.
Although Tank’s eyes were clear and foolish, it really was obedient.
“ID card.”
Hearing this, Yu Ning rummaged through her bag and handed him her ID card.
Her ID photo had probably been taken a few years ago. Though she was barefaced in it, it still couldn’t suppress the powerful impact radiating from that exquisite, beautiful face of hers.
Chen Chuan’s gaze shifted slightly and landed on the year and month of her birth.
His eyes narrowed faintly.
She was actually the same age as him, and their birthdays were only two days apart. His was August 24th; Yu Ning’s was August 26th.
“Does my ID photo look better, or do I look better in person?”
Just as he was slightly distracted, Yu Ning suddenly leaned her head over, blocking the ID card. She blinked and looked up at him from below.
Those already upturned fox eyes curved into crescents now, with shards of light gathered in their depths, as dazzling and brilliant as if an entire galaxy were hidden within them.
If her voice didn’t sound like a female hoodlum’s—slick, frivolous, and teasing—perhaps Chen Chuan really would have sunk into such a pair of eyes.
He calmly looked away, ignored her, verified the ID, then returned it to her. After that, he used a key to open the drawer and took out a room card.
Then he picked up the suitcases again and headed upstairs.
Yu Ning estimated that those two suitcases weighed at least over a hundred jin in total, yet he carried them effortlessly. Even climbing the stairs, his face did not redden and his breathing did not quicken.
There were six rooms on the second floor: three twin-bed standard rooms and three single rooms. The layout of the third floor differed from the second; there were only three king-bed rooms along the corridor, each with its own laundry room.
But the room sizes and layouts still varied somewhat.
The entire homestay had nine rooms in total.
Chen Chuan stopped in front of Room 302. The room card was recognized with a beep. He pushed open the door, casually inserted the room card into the power slot on the wall, and turned on the lights. The entire room brightened.
He did not go any farther in. “Disposable toiletries are in the bathroom cabinet. If anything comes up, message me on WeChat…”
Yu Ning couldn’t resist being mischievous. “What if nothing comes up? Then I can’t message you?”
“I won’t reply even if you do.”
“Wow, what kind of boss are you? Your service attitude is terrible.”
After spending most of the day together, Chen Chuan had gained a partial understanding of her basic personality. Ignoring the nonsense spilling from her mouth, he continued.
“The homestay provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning, six yuan per person. Lunch is from twelve to twelve-thirty, fifteen yuan per person for women. Dinner is from seven to seven-thirty, fifteen yuan per person. You need to let us know the day before.”
“If you want to buy ingredients and cook for yourself, the kitchen is free to use. If you buy ingredients and want us to cook them for you, the fee depends on how difficult the dish is. For everyday dishes, the labor fee starts at five yuan.”
Yu Ning raised her brows. She had been wrong today.
This was the longest he had spoken.
Still, this was quite considerate.
They actually provided three meals a day.
And it wasn’t expensive either.
Only fifteen yuan per person.
The labor fee even started at just five yuan.
A little curious, she asked, “With your prices this low, do you really make money?”
Chen Chuan glanced at her and answered with an irrelevant question. “Any other questions? If not, I’m going downstairs.”
Yu Ning continued asking, “Do you live in the backyard? What’s in the backyard?”
“It has nothing to do with the guests.”
“You told me to ask, but then you won’t answer.” She pouted regretfully. “Being so far apart, I won’t even have a chance to manufacture a chance encounter with you. Sigh.”
Chen Chuan was speechless inside and turned to leave.
But his arm was suddenly caught by her. He turned back and looked at those fair, slender fingers, then mercilessly shook them off.
Yu Ning didn’t mind. “One last question. What about someone like me, renting by the month? Isn’t there a monthly meal package?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“There’s no why.”
The homestay had been open for four or five years. At first, there had been a monthly meal package, but some people felt that they ate out many times during the month and had still paid the homestay for meals, so they were losing out, and they would make a fuss.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had simply cut that option altogether.
“Then it’s so troublesome for me to pay for every meal. Thirty-six a day, thirty days a month—that’s one thousand and eighty.”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” After saying this, he turned and was about to go downstairs, but when he reached the stairwell, he stopped again and looked back. “About what happened today, I’m sorry.”
Yu Ning froze, then deliberately looked at him in confusion. “What happened today? Which thing? So many things happened today. Or… are you talking about how you deliberately didn’t take the bait?”
Chen Chuan: “…”
He simply withdrew his gaze and went downstairs.
Yu Ning looked in the direction of the stairwell and suddenly laughed aloud.
Not bad.
He knew to apologize for the car breaking down halfway today.
She turned and walked into the room, closing the door behind her. The entire room was spacious, clean, warm, and comfortable. Against the wall were two three-dimensional wardrobes and a dressing table.
Whether it was the courtyard, the house, or the man, not a single thing failed to satisfy her.
Two thousand five hundred yuan a month really was quite a bargain.
In a cheerful mood, she opened her suitcases, found the clothes she would wear tomorrow, her pajamas, and her toiletries, then went to the bathroom.
As for the other things in her suitcases, she truly was exhausted today. After washing up, she lifted the sky-blue quilt and threw herself onto the two-meter-wide bed, sinking into the fluffy, soft pillow.
Soon, she drifted into dreams.