Jiang Liu smiled and waved. "Hurry back and get some sleep. Don’t overthink things. You just recovered from being sick, so you need to rest properly. Go on."

"Alright then. Um... I’m going. Remember to think of me tonight, and also, consider being my boyfriend!"

With that,

Jun Qingmeng opened the car door and got out.

Jiang Liu watched her return to her apartment complex.

He started the car, cranked the steering wheel, and made a U-turn.

He looked at Tongtong, who was still asleep.

Jiang Liu called out in a low voice, "Tongtong, wake up, time for fried chicken."

"Mmm? Fried chicken? Where is it?"

Tongtong rubbed her eyes and looked around.

When she didn’t see any fried chicken, Tongtong pouted and closed her eyes to go back to sleep.

"Tongtong, if you sleep now, you won’t be able to sleep when we get home. You’ll never get up at four in the morning tomorrow,"

he continued.

Jiang Liu didn’t want his daughter to have to wake up so early every day, but Tongtong insisted on coming with him, so he could only give in.

Tongtong immediately sat up.

"Daddy, I’m not sleepy at all."

Her little eyes fluttered open and closed, as if she wasn’t sure if she was dreaming or awake.

「Brocade District.」

Jun Qingmeng took out her key, opened the door, took off her shoes, and slipped on a pair of slippers. Her white ankle socks smelled sweet.

"Guo Jia, I’m home!"

’The buns are here?!’

Hearing the commotion, Guo Jia flung her door open and rushed out as fast as she could.

"Where are my steamed buns and juice??"

Her gaze flickered past Jun Qingmeng, locking onto the bag in her hands.

Annoyed, Jun Qingmeng took the takeout containers of sashimi, steamed buns, and Di San Xian from her bag.

"There are no steamed buns or juice, but you’re in for a treat today!"

"What, no steamed buns or juice??"

Guo Jia was devastated, completely ignoring the second half of the sentence.

’I waited all day just for a taste of Jiang Liu’s steamed buns, and you’re telling me there are none?!’

’This is infuriating!’

’That’s it, our friendship is over!’

Jun Qingmeng had to suppress a laugh at her best friend’s dejected demeanor.

"These are dishes Jiang Liu cooked and some steamed buns he made. I brought you some. Plus, this is a new item he’s selling: wild bluefin tuna sashimi."

"Jiang Liu made this? And there’s a new item?!"

Guo Jia was thrilled. Her mood was a total roller coaster.

"Mengmeng, you’re too good to me! I love you so much!"

She snatched the bag, slapped it onto the table, and couldn’t wait to open it.

Jun Qingmeng said, "Heat the food up before you eat. There were ice packs in the bag, so it’s gotten cold."

Before she could even finish her sentence,

the container was violently ripped open.

Guo Jia had already started eating.

Her fingers picked up a plump piece of otoro and dipped it in soy sauce and wasabi.

She stuffed it into her mouth in one bite.

"Holy crap, this is amazing! So delicious! This texture... it really is wild tuna!"

"Mengmeng, this portion must cost almost ten thousand, right? What kind of connections does Jiang Liu have?"

Guo Jia was completely shocked as she ate.

This crisp, tender, and subtly sweet texture... it blew every other sashimi out of the water.

"It’s not that expensive. Jiang Liu sells it for eighteen hundred."

"Eighteen hundred??"

Guo Jia was shocked, her mouth hanging open.

"In that case, can I reserve ten orders every day?"

"Nope. You have to get in line, and you can only buy one at most. They’re in limited supply, you know."

Guo Jia was heartbroken. She stuffed another large piece of akami into her mouth, which made her feel much better.

’Good thing I have a bestie. As long as she has a crush on Jiang Liu, I can keep leeching off her.’

Jun Qingmeng suddenly said, "Guo Jia, let’s move somewhere else. I don’t want to live here anymore."

Guo Jia was still eating, her mouth glistening with fish oil.

"Mmm, so good," she mumbled. "Where do you want to move? I’m with you."

Jun Qingmeng sat next to her, took out her phone, and said, "I was looking online at apartments in the district where Jiang Liu lives. I want to rent a place there, ideally one where we can be neighbors with him. What do you think?"

The two of them were renting together.

The rent for the apartment was four thousand a month, with each paying two thousand.

Guo Jia’s eyes widened. "Does that mean I can eat Jiang Liu’s food all the time? Like, if I get hungry at night, I can just knock on his door, and your boyfriend will obediently cook for me?"

As she spoke, Guo Jia was so excited she felt like she was going to pee, and goosebumps erupted all over her skin.

’Just thinking about it is enough to make me giddy!’

Jun Qingmeng smiled and nodded. "Something like that. Jiang Liu and I are on good terms, so we can go over for free meals often. Like the steamed buns and juice you like, the sashimi, and Jiang Liu’s stir-fried dishes—they’re also delicious."

"But let’s not do the whole ’knocking on his door in the middle of the night’ thing."

"Deal! I’m in! Quick, find a place! When are we moving? Can we go right now?"

"Not so fast. Let’s take our time."

Jun Qingmeng opened a rental app, and the two huddled together to browse.

There were quite a few listings in Huasheng District.

At a rough glance, there were over fifty.

Some were for three-person or two-person shares, and some were for renting the entire unit.

Jun Qingmeng carefully scrolled through them.

Her heart skipped a beat as she clicked expectantly on one of the listings.

It was actually the unit right across the hall from Jiang Liu’s.

It was no more than ten meters away from Jiang Liu’s door.

Jun Qingmeng was so happy she wanted to jump up and down.

"Guo Jia, I actually found one! It’s on the same floor as Jiang Liu!"

"Then rent it, quick! Is it the whole unit? How much per month? It comes with appliances and all that, right?"

Jun Qingmeng nodded. "It has everything. Forty-eight hundred a month. More expensive than our current place."

This apartment had been listed for a long time. When Jiang Liu was looking for a place to rent before, he had also seen it but wasn’t satisfied with the price.

He ended up choosing a different apartment on the same floor.

It wasn’t as luxuriously decorated, but it was over a thousand cheaper.

Guo Jia’s mind was filled with Jiang Liu’s delicious food. She gritted her teeth. "This is the one! Let’s get it. I’ll find a moving company, and we’ll move right now."

"It’s late. Let’s do it tomorrow. I’ll consider taking the day off work."

"Fine, fine."

Jun Qingmeng said, "By the way, our lease here isn’t up for a while. We’ll probably lose some of our security deposit if we break it."

Guo Jia didn’t care. "So we lose it. Who cares? It’s not like we’re short on cash."

When the two of them ran away from home, they didn’t have much money on them.

Jun Qingmeng was a kindergarten teacher, and including benefits and all, she brought home over four thousand a month.

Guo Jia earned more. She was a small-time streamer, making over ten thousand a month. Her little nest egg had already reached four hundred thousand.

Guo Jia already had it all planned out.

’As soon as Jun Qingmeng and Jiang Liu settle down and buy a place...’

’I’ll immediately buy the property right next door.’

’I’ll knock on my bestie’s door for free food every day.’

’Mooch lunch, mooch dinner, and then come back for a midnight snack.’

’Even if those two kick the bucket, I’ll have myself buried right next to them so I can continue my grand mission of mooching meals!’

Jun Qingmeng looked at her phone and frowned. "Looks like the landlord is a man."

"So what if he’s a man? It’s not like he’s living with you."

"Guo Jia, you talk to him about the apartment. I’m not going to get involved."

Guo Jia was puzzled. "What’s with you now, missy?"

Jun Qingmeng shook her head. "I don’t want to interact with any men other than Jiang Liu. If it’s not necessary, I won’t."

"I mean, what if Jiang Liu sees me and gets the wrong idea? That would be bad. It’ll mess with my progress trying to win him over."

Guo Jia froze, then slowly let out:

"Missy, you’re not just love-struck, you’re a love-slave!!"

"I’m seriously suggesting you go see a therapist. This is a totally warped view of love, you know!"

Unaffected, Jun Qingmeng even seemed proud rather than ashamed. "You don’t get it. My actions come from being considerate of Jiang Liu’s feelings. It’s a profound kind of love."

"You’re too emotionally dense to understand."

Guo Jia scoffed. "So your love is ’profound,’ you like him so much, you’re so considerate you’re avoiding other guys for his sake... and what’s that gotten you? Are you two together?"

Jun Qingmeng counted on her fingers. "I’ve confessed my feelings to him thirteen times already."

"I’m sure I’ll succeed soon!"

She had a serious look on her pretty face.

Guo Jia clicked her tongue. "You poor, pitiful thing. If it were me, I’d never confess again after being rejected once. The fact that you’ve done it over ten times is seriously impressive!"

Jun Qingmeng pouted and flopped onto the sofa in frustration.

Soft, fragrant strands of her hair cascaded across her fair cheeks.

"How does it feel to be rejected every time? I swear, it’s like you’re made of steel. Don’t you get sad?" Guo Jia asked, curiously poking Jun Qingmeng’s pert bottom.