Chapter 0002 Then everything suddenly became abnormal

Ahaha, it seems that the item is a bit heavy. Lily awkwardly scratched her head

The beautiful girl immediately showed a look of joy, stuffed the paper into her bag, and patted her handbag: "Thank you! I have been looking for this for a long time..."

"Ha... what is this thing at such a late hour?" Hao Ren certainly did not want to lose face in front of a girl, so he deliberately shouted loudly to show that he was not scared at all. Then he looked up at Lily, expecting to see her frightened expression, but...

Hao Ren let out a weak sigh, and as he stepped away from the park, he suddenly felt an unusual heaviness in his footsteps

Hao Ren folded the paper and returned it to the other party, saying, "Of course I know this place, I will take you there"

However, the seemingly petite girl Lily did not take it seriously at all: "Don't worry, landlord, I am very good at fighting."

Puh-lah-lah

Hao Ren still felt that there was something off about the girl in front of him, but he was the kind of person who preferred not to think too much when faced with situations. Moreover, the other party was merely a tenant looking to rent a room from him. Having been a landlord for the past two years, he had long since become accustomed to not meddling in his tenants' affairs. Thus, he raised his hand and pointed to the entrance of the park: "We need to take the bus; the southern suburbs are quite far from here. By the time we get there, it should be almost evening. Oh, by the way, just to mention, I am the landlord you are looking for; the house you are inquiring about belongs to me."

The sign says this is Nanjiao Station! Baishi Road is an old street, and you have to take a small path. Have you ever seen a bus driving into an alley?

Logically, these few sentences should not be spoken. As a landlord, saying this can easily scare off tenants or leave them with doubts. However, Hao Ren has always been an honest person; although he is afraid of trouble, he is even less willing to deceive others or take advantage of them. Therefore, he straightforwardly explained the situation here as soon as he opened his mouth. This is also one of the reasons why he has been unable to rent out his house recently: he has had two potential tenants come to view the property, but both were scared away.

The bus stop is located beside a seemingly old road, with all surrounding buildings reflecting styles from two to three decades ago. The road surface is pockmarked, and the street shops, which have already closed, have narrow facades. Behind these shops are old and cramped five-story apartment buildings. All of this vividly illustrates how desolate and outdated a place can be, and this street, along with the nearby area, is the only "urban area" left in the southern suburbs. Sometimes, Hao Ren himself doubts whether this area has been completely forgotten by modern society, but at the end of each month, he regains his confidence in society: Don't panic, the water supply bureau won't forget you, ... and the old and cramped five-story apartment buildings behind the shops, all of this vividly illustrates how desolate and outdated a place can be, and this street, along with the nearby area, is the only "urban area" left in the southern suburbs. Sometimes, Hao Ren himself doubts whether this area has been completely forgotten by modern society, but at the end of each month, he regains his confidence in society: Don't panic, the water supply bureau won't forget you, ... the power supply bureau won't forget you, the gas company won't forget you, even the telecommunications company and insurance sellers won't forget you. With so many people constantly thinking of you in the outskirts, what is there to be unhappy about

Hao Ren rubbed his temples, feeling that the girl in front of him had been somewhat unconventional since just now. At this moment, he could no longer hold back and said, "Aren't you afraid of being taken away? What if I were to deceive you?"

The sky had already darkened, and one of the two streetlights by the path was out of order. Surrounding them were old, dilapidated houses, which made the atmosphere here even more eerie and terrifying. If it weren't for the nearly full moon shining down from the sky, even Hao Ren, a man well-acquainted with the environment, would feel a chill walking outside. He couldn't help but glance at Lily, who was following him without a hint of caution and appeared to be in a very good mood.

Hao Ren: "... ... Of course not!" He felt that he should keep his distance from this girl. If it weren't for the fact that she was a 'client', he definitely wouldn't have engaged in such a lengthy conversation with someone so foolish!

As soon as he laid his hands on it, he felt that the box belonging to Lily was quite unusual; its weight seemed as if it contained an equivalent volume of cement. This big, burly man found himself unable to lift it!

In that moment, he saw a pair of wolf-like ears suddenly sprouting from Lily's head

This is still a relatively mild way of putting it; in fact, he truly thinks that the girl in front of him is somewhat foolish... No, she is particularly foolish. Not only did she spend an entire day searching for a suburban address in the city center, but she also believed a stranger after just a few words, and was even about to confidently let the stranger lead her to a desolate suburb. How has the awareness of girls' self-protection become so weak these days? Is she particularly lucky, or have human traffickers been slacking off recently? How has this girl not been abducted?

However, Lily did not notice the strange expression on Hao Ren's face at all. She simply laughed heartily, lifted her large suitcase onto her shoulder with one hand, and the entire process was as effortless as picking up a bag of cotton

"But it says here it's at Baishi Building." The beautiful young woman raised her hand and pointed in a certain direction. Hao Ren knew that it was the location of a commercial building in the city center. "Isn't Baishi Building in the city?"

Hao Ren mumbled a lot in his mind, but it only took a second or two. The girl opposite him, who could be described as a bit foolish (is that okay to say?), seemed to have just reacted as well. She looked at Hao Ren warily and said, "Kidnap? So you are a human trafficker, planning to abduct me?"

The two quickly boarded the bus heading from the city to the suburbs, and the journey was anything but boring: Hao Ren discovered that his new tenant was not only friendly and lively, but also had a tendency to be a bit silly, and she was quite the chatterbox! On the bus, he listened as she enthusiastically chatted away, covering everything from the current status of second-tier celebrities both domestically and internationally to the housing prices in various second-tier cities; there was hardly anything she didn't discuss. Hao Ren had no idea how these topics began, but the other party showed no signs of embarrassment or running out of things to say. As long as he nodded in agreement occasionally, this quirky girl found the motivation to keep talking and continued to babble on... However, this was not a major issue; listening to her was a good way to pass the time, and moreover, Hao Ren took this opportunity to gain a general understanding of his new tenant's situation, which was essential for a landlord: to know the tenant's circumstances in as short a time as possible in order to prevent some troublesome issues.

"No, it's just that the road is a bit bumpy..." Hao Ren raised his eyebrows, looking at the uneven and broken road, unable to suppress a sigh. He felt that as a gentleman, he should do something. "Come, let me help you with the suitcase... Hey, what on earth did I put in here?!"

Hao Ren nodded slightly, and the spirited girl in front of him almost jumped up: "Ah, what a coincidence! How can there be such a coincidence in the world? Landlord, we must be fated to meet!"

Hao Ren stared with his mouth agape at the petite girl, who was at least a head shorter than him, effortlessly carrying a box weighing at least over a hundred pounds on her shoulder and striding forward with great speed. He almost began to doubt whether there was something wrong with his worldview, until Lily ahead called out loudly for him to hurry up and lead the way, prompting him to snap back to reality. As he walked, he muttered to himself: It's nothing, she just has a natural strength, hasn't she seen enough variety shows...

The beautiful girl nodded vigorously, exuding a sense of innocent charm: "Yes, yes! This place is quite hard to find."

As anticipated, when this exceptionally long bus came to a stop at a small station in the southern suburbs, the sky outside had nearly turned completely dark

Hao Ren felt that the familiarity of the girl in front of him was perhaps a bit excessive, but his attention was quickly drawn to the three words "looking for a house" that she mentioned. His drowsy mind, dulled by a summer nap, became slightly alert, and he suddenly remembered something: oh, he was a landlord. Just a couple of days ago, he had placed an advertisement in the local newspaper saying that he had a house for rent. Was this girl in front of him looking for a place to live?

He hasn't finished his sentence: This young lady, do you only look at the first two characters when you read place names

Of course it's hard to find! Hao Ren almost lost control of his tone; he suddenly began to suspect that the girl in front of him might have known him before and held a grudge against him, and that she had come specifically to tease him today. "Did you not notice that the address above says 'Nanjiao'? Nanjiao! You spent an entire day looking for a suburban address in the city?"

Suddenly, amidst the quiet of these four weeks, a commotion arose, startling him. He immediately turned to look in the direction of the sound, only to see a strange black shadow swiftly darting across the narrow night sky between the high walls on either side.

"What are you doing here?" Hao Ren was puzzled as to why a stranger he had just met was holding the address of his home. To be honest, he felt a bit excited at that moment, but he was also quite self-aware, fully understanding that all his romantic fortunes had been exhausted before the third grade of elementary school when he sat next to girls. Therefore, he maintained a calm demeanor, merely looking at the beautiful girl in front of him with a hint of curiosity.

The two walked along, one chattering away while the other seemed somewhat preoccupied, and soon they left the relatively wide main road, turning into a dark and narrow path: at the end of this path lies the so-called "White Stone Road," and ahead is the ancestral home of the Hao family.

It has been a long time since I last opened for business, and today I can finally receive the rent again

Hao Ren judged from this information that his new tenant was a spirited individual, temporarily without a stable job, but not someone who would cause trouble for himself, which he found quite satisfactory. In fact, no matter how one looked at it, such a young girl would not be able to cause much trouble, even though her personality seemed a bit quirky. However, that was her own issue, wasn't it? Hao Ren just needed to be a good landlord. In fact, no matter how one looked at it, such a young girl would not be able to cause much trouble, even though her personality seemed a bit quirky. However, that was her own issue, wasn't it? Hao Ren just needed to be a good landlord.

The beautiful girl, upon hearing this, immediately displayed a look of astonishment, her whole being startled and flustered: "Ah! Really?"

Hao Ren stood up and stretched lazily. Just as he was about to step out of the park, a sudden realization struck him: "Wait a minute! You said you spent the entire day searching for this address in the city center?"

Oh... haha, I tend to get things mixed up, please be understanding, landlord. Lily chuckled awkwardly a couple of times, chatting away along the way, as if she had become somewhat more familiar with Hao Ren unilaterally. She turned her head to look around the surroundings, her brows slightly furrowing, "It's quite desolate here"

While Hao Ren was lost in thought, worrying unnecessarily about a stranger girl, a strange flapping sound suddenly came from above.

Hao Ren urged Lily to follow, "Although the public security in this city is quite good, this place is relatively remote, and as it gets late, it is inevitable that some drunkards will be wandering outside. Let's head back to my place first, and I will help you settle in. By the way, I would also like to remind you to avoid wandering around at night as much as possible; your safety will save me some trouble too.

Hao Ren stared blankly at the note in front of him, which bore the address of a rather remote location in the suburbs. He was all too familiar with this address: it was none other than his own home

The silly girl nodded in satisfaction: "That's fine, I am afraid of being deceived. Shall we go then?"

The figure is quite good, the appearance is pleasing, and although the height is somewhat disappointing, the lively and cheerful demeanor more than makes up for it

Lily noticed that Haoren was silent, so she smiled to herself, reached out to pull her oversized suitcase, and followed along. However, she only heard two sounds of "thud thud," as the two rubber wheels on the suitcase fell off and quickly rolled away.

The dark night, the sparsely populated path, the unfamiliar environment, and the presence of a stranger whose background is unknown—all of these factors would be enough to alert any girl with a normal worldview. Yet, this "Liu Lili" shows not the slightest sign of tension. Is she truly lacking in awareness, or is there something else at play?

Hao Ren led Lily out of the car, and before he had a chance to catch his breath, he heard her exclaiming: "Is this Baishi Road?"

However, Lily just happily waved her hand dismissively and said, "Landlord, you are truly a good person, but I am not afraid of bad guys. I am particularly strong and skilled in fighting. The bad people I have encountered in the past have all been driven away by me"

Hao Ren was momentarily taken aback, and only then did he realize: "It is Baishi Road in the southern suburbs, not Baishi Building in the city center"

I am looking for a place to live!" the beautiful girl replied very straightforwardly, "I have been searching for a day, and since I really couldn't find anything, I decided to ask someone—however, you are the only one left in the park that I can ask.

As a half-stranger who had only known her for a day, Hao Ren knew he should not meddle in too many trivial matters, but this was the first time in his life he had encountered such a peculiar girl, who was so carefree and familiar to the point of being almost foolish. As a good person, he simply could not help himself.

The girl, surnamed Liu, is named Liu Lili, and she generously allows Hao Ren to call her "Lili" directly. She describes herself as a traveling veterinarian and a casual writer (though it is unclear what exactly a casual writer is). She has just arrived here from another city and plans to settle down permanently. She is not particular about her living arrangements, as long as they are clean, convenient, and provide shelter from the wind and rain, since her work is flexible.

Hao Ren felt that he had definitely encountered an unusual person today: "I am not saying this... well, let me be straightforward, aren't you at all afraid of meeting bad people?"

That shadow seems to be a bat, but its size... doesn't quite seem right

Hao Ren couldn't help but murmur: Have you really encountered bad people...? ... Is it because you drove them all away that you now have such an open personality and no guard up?

Ah. The beautiful girl quickly recalled and then showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, "I forgot, I tend to be a bit careless. So you know this Bai Shi Road in the southern suburbs, right? Please take me there."