Chapter 37: Renting a House

The morning sunlight slanted through the gap in the curtains onto the carpet in the room, and Li Yan woke up in the warm glimmer.

Walking into the bathroom to wash, the sound of water washed away his sleepiness.

He had slept well last night, and now he felt refreshed.

He picked out a fresh daily outfit—a simple T-shirt from Dior, simple jeans from LV, and paired them with a pair of light sneakers.

After finishing his outfit, he sent a message to the agent: "See you at your store at ten o'clock."

The agent replied quickly: "Alright, Mr. Li."

It wasn't even eight o'clock yet; he had enough time to have a local specialty breakfast.

After going out, walking for five or six minutes along the street in the business district where the hotel was located, he saw a small shop at the intersection with a sign that read "Old Xu Baked Flatbread Soy Milk Shop."

The storefront wasn't big, and behind the glass window was the scene of freshly fried baked flatbread and freshly ground soy milk.

There was no magnificent decoration, but it had a kind of intimate, worldly flavor.

After entering, he ordered a baked flatbread stuffed with preserved meat and a bowl of steaming sweet soy milk, totaling about 15 yuan.

The baked flatbread was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the preserved meat was salty and fragrant with a hint of sweetness, and the soy milk was mellow, warm, and soft to the mouth.

Li Yan ate with great satisfaction; this was different from the refinement of yesterday's hotel breakfast, but it was also a kind of enjoyment.

While eating, he heard a few locals nearby chatting in low voices about today's weather and the news of the opening of a new subway line; although it had nothing to do with him, it made him feel closer to the daily life of this city.

Meeting the agent at the subway entrance, the subway station was only one kilometer away from the hotel; he walked for more than ten minutes along the city's clean sidewalk after going out.

By the roadside were plane trees and young people riding shared bicycles, occasionally passing one or two small coffee shops.

He glanced at the time at the subway entrance: 9:50 am; the other party said they would arrive at 10 am, very punctual.

Before long, the agent Xiao Chen appeared, wearing a simple shirt and trousers, holding a file folder in his hand.

After the two greeted each other, the agent smiled: "Mr. Li, the house we are looking at today is located in 'Binjiang Puyan,' which is a quite high-end residential complex near the Wangjiang Campus of Sichuan University.

You said you wouldn't look at low-end ones, so I picked a high-quality two-bedroom apartment."

Last night, he had put forward higher requirements to the agent: a house area of no less than 140 square meters, modern minimalist style, preferably with an independent study and cloakroom, close to the Wangjiang Campus of Sichuan University, to facilitate future university life.

Li Yan wasn't sensitive to price; now it was more important to find a place to live that met his standards: "OK, let's go take a look."

The two took a taxi to Binjiang Puyan; the complex was located in a high-end residential area near the Fu Nan River, surrounded by neat tree arrays, tidy non-motorized vehicle lanes, boutique supermarkets, and imported food stores.

Arriving at the entrance of the complex after a twenty-minute ride, the taxi fare was about sixty or seventy yuan.

Li Yan got out of the car and looked around: the main gate was made of arc-shaped gray-white stone carvings, access control was strict, and a team of concierges was dressed neatly, requiring registration for visitors.

After the agent reported, the concierge checked the information before inviting the two to enter.

Inside the complex, the greenery was lush, and fountain water features and small squares were dotted in the central garden.

Pebble paths, lawns, and sculptures all showed the developer's careful design.

The owner population seemed to be mainly high-end white-collar workers and elite families, without the noisy sound of vendors, very quiet.

The elevator lobby had marble floors, and the wall metal decorative lines were simple and neat.

The agent introduced: "This unit of yours is on the 16th floor, 145 square meters, two bedrooms and one living room plus an independent study and an independent cloakroom. The landlord is a senior executive of a foreign company, staying overseas all year round."

Opening the door and entering, what caught his eye was an open living room; the living room of about 40 square meters was paved with light-colored solid wood floors, and the walls were rice-white, with large areas of white space making the space look transparent.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, one could see the city skyline in the distance and a lush green tree-lined path.

There was no excessive decoration, just an abstract painting hanging on the sofa background wall; the TV was a large-screen OLED, and the coffee table and sofa were selected with a combination of simple wood and gray fabric, revealing a modern minimalist taste.

Walking inside was an independent study, about 15 square meters, with a wall of bookshelves and a dark solid wood desk; beside the desk was an ergonomic chair, showing that the landlord valued the study and office experience very much.

The window of the study faced the inner garden of the complex, with soft light.

There was also an independent cloakroom of nearly 8 square meters, with embedded cabinets and mirrors, and detailed lighting, allowing one to easily organize clothes, satisfying Li Yan's demand for a quality life.

The kitchen was semi-open, connected to the dining room, separated by tempered glass sliding doors; the countertop was artificial stone, and the appliances were complete, including a dishwasher and coffee machine.

The dining room was equipped with a dark wooden dining table and four chairs, the ceiling lamp was simple, giving people a fresh and neat atmosphere.

Of the two bedrooms, the master bedroom was about 30 square meters, with a large bed and a large floor-to-ceiling window, from which one could look into the distance; the second bedroom had a 1.8-meter bed and a wardrobe, which could be used as a guest room or storage room.

There were two bathrooms, one in the master bedroom and one beside the living room; the master bathroom had separate bathtub and shower areas, and the sanitary ware were all imported brands.

The agent smiled: "The price of this house is 13,000 yuan/month, one deposit and three payments, and the property management fee is 700 yuan/month.

There are a gym and swimming pool in the complex clubhouse, which require a monthly card of about 300 yuan/month; security patrols 24 hours a day, and the elevator has an access card."

Li Yan stood in the study, his fingertips lightly sweeping over the smooth surface of the desk, feeling very satisfied in his heart.

The space was large enough, and the independent study was what he needed; in the future, he could read and organize advertising materials here.

The cloakroom satisfied his requirement for clothing storage, and the extra space of two bedrooms and one living room was completely enough.

He thought that in the future, perhaps he would discuss projects worth over a hundred million with female classmates, or Gangan would come over to stay for a while; there was enough space for everything.

It was about two kilometers away from the school, about fifteen to twenty minutes by bike; it was a bit far, but the high-end environment and high-end facilities were worth it for him.

He didn't care about the slightly longer commute; after all, 13,000/month was not a problem for him, and it was also very close by car.

"I'm quite satisfied with this house," Li Yan turned to the agent and said.

The agent chuckled: "Good eye; this complex is one of the top high-end communities in this area, and the landlord is easy to talk to. Have you decided?"

Li Yan nodded: "This is it. We'll go back to the store to sign the contract later, right?"

The agent was happy: "Yes, I will communicate with the landlord. The landlord requires a minimum one-year lease; you have no problem with that, right?"

Li Yan was calm: "One year is no problem."

On the way back, the two chatted about some details:

One deposit and three payments, that is, the initial payment (13,000*4=52,000) + half-month rent agency fee (about 6,500 yuan), totaling nearly 58,500 yuan for the first period.

He didn't frown; the house was large, the environment was good, and everything was as he wished.

The agent asked: "Do you have a need for a car later? The parking space in this complex is about 500 yuan per month."

Li Yan smiled: "Add the parking space fee."

Returning to the agency store to sign the contract, it took about half an hour to finish the procedures, and everything was transparent.

He swiped his card to pay, then took the receipt and a set of keys; this house now temporarily belonged to Li Yan.

This was also Li Yan's first temporary foothold in Shudu. ===== CHAPTER 38 =====