You Have Everything I Dislike

Chapter 22: Rooster and Dog Cohabitation

After graduating from university, Third Master got a job in Beijing. In the meantime, I continued my graduate studies. 

We rented a sixty-square-meter, one-bedroom apartment near his company. It included a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. 

We were looking forward to our happy little life, but we never expected that in just three months, this house would cause us all kinds of embarrassment. So much so that whenever the title “Landlord” was mentioned, the third master and I would both start sulking.

To be honest, when I think back on those days, I can only remember the warm moments, which made me feel full in the inside.

It was our first time looking for a place to rent, and neither of us had any prior experience. We looked for available houses on the internet and called each one.

We eventually found a suitable location. We went straight to the meeting place with a wad of cash in our pockets.

It was drizzling that day. The third master held a small umbrella above my head as he tied up the hood of his sweatshirt. 

The ground was wet from the rain and he slipped on the overpass, nearly faceplanting himself. That day, because of the wasted time from waiting for so long, I was already in a sour mood. 

“What is wrong with you?” I barked.

“Are you trying to say it’s my fault?” the third master asked me incredulously. 

“Or else what? You wanna blame me and say I pushed you?” I frowned.

The third master was enraged even more than I was. “I’m too upset — you hold it yourself,” he said, shoving the umbrella into my hands.

I grabbed the umbrella and was about to leave when he snatched it right back and continued to hold it for me.

The two of us sulking inexplicably, we got off the overpass and stood at the entrance of Building 360 to meet up with the intermediaries. We made two phone calls. 

“I’ll be there soon,” the agent said. 

Once the call ended, we were relatively silent. No one said anything at first.     

The third master stared awkwardly at the puddle of rainwater on the ground. “Grandma’s house had a lot of mosquitoes yesterday,” he spoke.

“Did they bite you?” I kept the conversation going.

The third master instinctively extended his arm to me. Three or four red dots littered it. 

“It itches like hell,” he grumbled.

I made crosses on his mosquito bites with my fingernails. There was still no sign of the agent after marking all the bites on his arm. I began forming crosses in the other direction, only stopping after all the red dots had a snowflake engraved on them.

“Is it still itchy?” I asked him, annoyed.

He suddenly took me in his arms. “Okay, that’s enough. It’s starting to hurt a lot. Look, I’m practically out of breath. Now, why don’t you turn that frown upside down — we’re about to begin a new chapter in our lives.”

I did not have the heart to push him away. 

“Here. It’s your turn to pinch me,” I responded sullenly.

I watched him drive away in his white BMW, leaving us behind to eat his dust. I didn’t have the energy to care how much the agent had ripped us off.

We hauled our bags in after the agent called the housekeeper to clean the house. To celebrate, we went out to eat with my aunt and brother before diving headfirst into rearranging our new home.

First, I changed the layout of the table. Following this, I assembled a dusty coffee table made of glass, hung up the curtains, and made the bed.

The third master was basically doing most of the heavy work. I was in charge of handing him the tools, with the occasional help doing minor fixes. 

In my eyes at that time, my boyfriend seemed so capable and reliable.

It was still summer vacation, and I had asked my mother for permission to spend a week in Beijing. This way, I could help the third master in finding and cleaning up a house. 

The third master had to report to the company the next day. I sat on the bed, looking like I was in charge of some massive project, as I shopped online for household items. In my mind, I was the image of virtue.

While I was browsing online stores, the third master was installing the TV and Internet in the living room. He was putting the cables together when he told me I needed to get a patch board and a router. With a door between us, we were chatting casually, as any couple would.

Later, he stood at the bedroom door, gazing at me affectionately. I looked up from the screen, waiting for him to begin lamenting about our new, quiet life. 

Well, he certainly lived up to my expectations once he opened his mouth.

“Both the cable and broadband lines broke,” he said.

The next morning, the third master went to apply for employment. I originally intended to be at home to clean up the house. After some serious thought, I thought it would be tough to order a takeaway and eat a big meal. So I crossed my leg and started flipping the app.

It turned out that there was no takeaway nearby…what the hell are crayfish, and they all cost 200 yuan to deliver…

After five minutes of calming down, I decided to lie in bed quite corpse, thinking that the third master in the morning could go home after finishing his job in the morning, and then would bring me delicious food ……

Who knew it took so long that he’d have to wait till the afternoon to get a paycheck blah blah blah. Which can’t save me at all.

At noon, this guy even sent me a WeChat to see what he had eaten, so I was determined to take a nap and overcome the hunger. After sometimes I got up and rummaged through the refrigerator, and drank half a bottle of Chinese sweet milk and half an apple pie left by the third master but still felt hungry. I touched the top of the refrigerator to find a bag of Liangping Shops crisp sweet dates left by the last tenant, as to why I would touch the top of the refrigerator can only be said to be a foodie’s intuition ……

Taking a first bite, I looked at the expiry date, it was more than a month away, and I ate the date…

while eating I thought about what to do if I was poisoned to death, and I regretted it after eating it…

I shouldn’t have let the cleaning lady throw away all the food left by the previous tenants in the fridge yesterday! I remember catching a glimpse of what was thrown away, including two packs of Shin Ramen and two bottles of Jinro and several boxes of distorting mirrors(snacks)! What a splendid lunch that must be!

After muddling through lunch, the doorbell rang suddenly.

That day, I thought it was troublesome, so I found a big T-shirt of the third master to wear it, and then wore shorts, which were vaguely hidden in the T-shirt and showed the side. I felt very sexy by scratching my head and posing in the mirror.

It was delivery from the No.1 store, the uncle in his thirties was not surprised at all when he saw me, and said: “Sister, please sign for it.”

I signed while roaring inside: Oh, stupid courier, you wait for my complaint call!