NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Rent A Room
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Perhaps because it had been a long time since her daughter talked back to her, Zhou Hui bit her upper lip and was at a loss as to why her daughter was having such a temper.
Du Honghong threw occasional glances from the living room with a slight hint of guilt in her expression.
Jiang Se remembered something. When she had confirmed her school of choice with her teacher in charge back then, she had clearly requested the notification letter be sent to the school. Why would it be here in the house?
“Why is this here?”
Zhou Hui sighed. “The school called your Uncle Du to inform you to pick it up from the school. One of your classmates brought your letter back since she was at school in the afternoon.
The call had actually been made a few days ago, but Du Changqun had basically ignored it. However, someone from Jiang Se’s class had brought the letter back from school for her.
At this moment, Jiang Se suddenly remembered that the phone number in the school registry was Du Changqun’s. She had forgotten to leave her own phone number with the school after buying her own phone because she had been busy with the filming these few days and did not manage to settle it.
Zhou Hui glanced at her daughter’s expression again. Then, she said with a sigh, “Your Uncle Du has never gone to college, but isn’t he doing fine right now? Does he not have a family and a career?” She did not mention the discarded notification letter. “Moreover, you can’t even support your own life and are still living in this house. How’re you going to pay for the tuition fees?”
Jiang Se was silent for a while before she made a decision. “I’ll look for a place to rent tomorrow and I’ll move out.”
There was still about a month before the semester started. She had $15,000 in her bank card, and more than $30,000 had yet to be paid by the production teams. According to the contract, she would be paid once the film was completed.
It was inconvenient for her to live with the Du family. If she wanted to go for auditions in August, she would have to go out early and come back late, so she was better off renting a room of her own.
Zhou Hui was alarmed. Her daughter’s expression told her that she was not joking. She wanted to persuade her at first, but she suddenly remembered Du Changqun’s cold expressions lately, hence she gave up on saying anything to make her stay.
Jiang Se did not dawdle after making her decision. She was up early the next day.
Because of the incident with her notification letter, Zhou Hui still had an awkward expression when she glanced at her. She did not greet her daughter. 1
Since she decided to rent a room, Jiang Se would naturally not consider anything around the immediate vicinity. There were many advertisement bills pasted on the walls around the area. However, most of the units were decades old, and they were not the most accessible as well.
Moreover, this residential area had no management office. It would not be very safe to return home late at night. Since she had to spend the money anyway, she decided to go with a real estate agent. She expected to spend about $8,000 for her tuition fees, which left her with a budget of around $7,000 for rent.
Her requirements were not high. In her current situation, it was impossible for her to have the quality of life she had when she was Feng Nan. However, she still wanted a secure neighborhood with a management office.
As for the location, the city center was naturally out of the question since she did not have much money.
The agent found a neighborhood according to her requirements.
It was built by the famous real estate company, Yunfeng Corporation. The units in the neighborhood were small and most of them were bought as real estate investments which were rented out after some simple renovation.
The agent brought Jiang Se to view the unit that was on the 11th floor. It was not spacious at only about 20 square meters. However, it was complete in other aspects despite its size. Equipped with a toilet and a kitchen, the landlord had furnished the unit as well.
The bed was by the bay window. There was a rack where she could dry her laundry on and a small couch beside her bed. Although there was no television set in the unit, the landlord had placed a used computer in it.
“The landlord is in a hurry to rent the unit out. Although the room is small, it’s not too far away from the neighborhood subway station. This neighborhood is relatively new, and it isn’t fully occupied yet. The management is very responsible, and the neighborhood is quiet. That ticks all your boxes. Also, the unit has already been renovated, so you can move in any time.” The agent was a young man with a crew cut. He seemed shy as he spoke to Jiang Se, and he threw furtive glances at her as he spoke.
“So, I’ve shown you the neighborhood, and I’ve contacted the landlord. If you’re willing to sign the contract, the landlord agrees to you paying a single month’s rent for now. You’ll have a grace period to pay your deposit as well.” He pointed to the computer in the room. “This unit is equipped with internet connection. Just call the office to activate it if you want to use it.”
After introducing everything there was about the unit, the agent could no longer restrain himself. “Are you a celebrity?”
Jiang Se smiled and did not answer his question.
This unit was indeed much better than her room back in the Du residence.
Although her monthly rent was $2,500, the unit was still clean and looked comfortable enough to live in. Perhaps it had never been rented out after the renovation. 3
When the windows were opened, the wind blew into the unit. Although the blocks were quite close to each other, Jiang Se gave it some thought and eventually decided to sign the contract and rent the unit.
The landlord’s term was that the unit had to be rented for at least half a year. With the agent mediating between them, Jiang Se was allowed to pay a single month’s rent for now. The remaining rent and the deposit could be paid in August.
Even so, the agent fees and the rent took a third out of Jiang Se’s bank account. After swiping her card, there was only $10,000 left in her card.
Although she had to spend her own money, she felt much more at ease moving out from the Du residence. Even if she had to go out early and come back late to work for a new film, at least, she would be able to return to her own house.
Jiang Se tried to comfort herself. “The 99th Love Letter” should be wrapping up soon, and she should be able to receive her remuneration. When she thought about this and looked at the balance of her bank card on her phone screen, she felt much better.
When everything was settled, it was already three in the afternoon. She prepared to return to the Du residence to move her things.
She did not have many possessions. Aside from some clothes, all she had were some posters and accessories typically owned by girls her age. These were bought by the original Jiang Se. Because she did not have much pocket money, the quality of the things she bought was not great as well. She placed all her belongings in a box by her bed.
After Jiang Se was reborn, she never touched these things. She hesitated slightly when she was moving, but in the end, she brought them with her.
When she was leaving the house, Zhou Hui was talking to the neighbor outside the house. Upon seeing Jiang Se come out from the house, the neighbor smiled and greeted her.
“Going on a trip, Sese?”
Jiang Se nodded while Zhou Hui’s gaze lingered on the bags in her hand. In the end, she lowered her head.
After paying the rent, Jiang Se looked at the computer in her room. Following a slight moment’s hesitation, she called the office to activate the internet connection in her room.
Ever since her rebirth, she seemed to have cut herself off from the world. Even her phone was one of the oldest models. It had been a long time since she surfed the web. Her only source of news was random mentions by the people around her.
She was interested to search for any latest development on the Feng family of Zhongnan Industries on the internet.
1