Seeing that Xu Yanxia had already opened a rental app on her phone to start looking for an apartment, Lu Jingming hurriedly spoke up, "You don't need to look outside, I have places right here. There's a flat near the company at Yunjing Plaza, and a villa in the Zhongjiang Villa District..."
But before he could finish, Xu Yanxia said, "Those are all yours. I want to rent a place of my own to live in."
Yes, even if she couldn't afford to buy one for the time being, renting one was fine.
No matter what, it would be a space that truly belonged to her.
Saying this, she continued browsing the rental listings on her phone.
"..."
Lu Jingming followed her gaze and took a couple of looks. Seeing that the apartments listed were either old and dilapidated, or expensive and tiny, with some located who-knows-where, he thought for a moment and said to her, "I almost forgot, the group also provides dormitories for high-level talents."
"Really?"
As expected, Xu Yanxia's attention was immediately caught.
"Of course it's true," Lu Jingming said. "Wen Jiajun lives in one."
As he spoke, he took out his phone, opened a work app, and said, "Let me ask and see if there are any empty ones available right now."
He then sent off a message.
A moment later, he told her, "There are still a few units left. Do you want a three-bedroom or a two-bedroom?"
Xu Yanxia asked him carefully, "Is it shared with others?"
Forgive her, but she really didn't want to live with roommates.
Lu Jingming chuckled and said, "Of course you'd live alone."
"Oh," Xu Yanxia said, relieved. "I don't need that much space just for myself. Are there any smaller ones? A one-bedroom would do."
Lu Jingming said, "There are no one-bedrooms. Let's go with a two-bedroom then."
He then started typing another message on his phone.
A little while later, he showed her a few pictures he had received, saying, "You can look at the photos first. If you're satisfied, we can go check it out in person."
"Oh, alright."
Xu Yanxia took the phone and looked. The apartment in the photos appeared to have plenty of sunlight, and the renovations looked quite new.
She immediately nodded and said, "It looks pretty good."
However, after saying that, she found it a bit strange. "I remember Assistant Wen lives quite close to the company, in a pretty good location. The group uses such nice residential apartments as employee dorms? That must cost a lot."
"There's no real cost."
Lu Jingming smiled and said, "You know how the real estate market has been these past two years. We had a previous collaboration with this developer. They couldn't pay, so they compensated us with a few buildings in that complex. We sold off a portion, and the remaining units were kept as employee dormitories."
"After all, retaining talent is also very important."
"That makes sense."
Xu Yanxia nodded.
She saw Lu Jingming replying to the other party again.
A while later, he told her, "They're getting someone to clean it up. We should be able to go see the apartment in an hour."
"Okay."
She readily agreed. "Then I'll go back to the kitchen to study the new menu items. Just call me when we can head out."
"Mhm."
Lu Jingming nodded, watching her leave the office.
Later, seeing that it was about time, he took her to Heyue Gardens, where Wen Jiajun lived.
When they arrived, his good assistant was already waiting for them.
It was the last day of the holidays, and Wen Jiajun had probably just rushed back to Rong City. His face still bore a hint of travel fatigue.
"Hello, Assistant Wen."
Xu Yanxia stepped out of the car behind Lu Jingming and greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, beautiful."
Wen Jiajun instantly switched from his half-dead zombie state to a smiling face, asking her, "Did you have a good holiday?"
"It was pretty good."
Xu Yanxia quickly handed over the pastries in her hands, smiling as she said, "These are Mi San Dao, a specialty from my hometown. Please, have a taste."
"Wow, a gift!"
Wen Jiajun immediately took them, smiling even more happily. He joked, "As expected, only a beautiful lady would think of me. For the sake of this gift, I won't ask the CEO for overtime pay."
Saying this, he started leading them forward, introducing the place along the way. "This apartment is located inside the gardens, so it's quite peaceful. Our complex is also very convenient; there's a supermarket just a few hundred meters away."
Xu Yanxia nodded and casually asked him, "Is it in the same building as yours?"
"No, it's not. I live in Building One, and this unit is in Building Six. They're quite far apart."
Wen Jiajun said this while glancing meaningfully at Lu Jingming next to him. "If it were in the same building, he probably wouldn't have brought you here."
"Definitely."
Lu Jingming admitted it immediately without blushing. "I finally managed to win her over; of course, I have to take the necessary precautions."
As he spoke, he proactively took Xu Yanxia's hand, as if afraid others wouldn't know she was his girlfriend.
Xu Yanxia's face turned red.
Wen Jiajun cast a disdainful look at him and said bitterly, "I advise you to act like a decent human being, otherwise, making a single dog like me spit blood out of jealousy will count as a workplace injury!"
Pfft...
Xu Yanxia couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Chatting as they walked, they soon entered the building, took the elevator, and arrived at the 22nd floor. Wen Jiajun opened the door with a passcode and led them inside the apartment.
"The usable area of this unit is a little under sixty square meters. It's considered a small two-bedroom, but the layout is decent, and everything is quite new. Take a look around yourselves."
"Okay."
Xu Yanxia nodded and began to look around the apartment.
Housing prices in Rong City were not low, especially in the prime downtown areas where land was worth its weight in gold. A two-bedroom apartment of this size was actually quite nice.
Moreover, just as Wen Jiajun had said, the layout of the house was indeed very good and highly practical—
The modest-sized entryway had a built-in shoe cabinet. The living room faced south and connected to a viewing balcony. Opening the balcony door just now let a breeze flow straight in, showing that the ventilation was excellent.
The balcony was even fitted with tempered glass railings. Looking down, one could see the greenery in the gardens. The buildings in front were staggered, making the view wide and unobstructed.
There were two bedrooms, one facing south and the other north.
The south-facing one was the master bedroom, furnished with a double bed. Besides the wardrobe, there was still room for a desk.
The north-facing room was a bit smaller, but it could also fit a bed and a wardrobe, and the natural lighting was quite good.
Both the living room and bedrooms had wood-grain flooring throughout, and the walls were clean and white.
She also checked the kitchen and bathroom; they had all the necessary fixtures and looked very clean.
After buying some daily necessities like pots and pans, she could move right in.
Xu Yanxia was very satisfied; it could even be said that she fell in love with it at first sight.
Lu Jingming, however, frowned and said, "Isn't it a bit too small?"
The entire apartment looked smaller than his own bedroom.
"I think it's great,"
Xu Yanxia said. "Living alone, this space is more than enough for me. Besides, if it's too big, cleaning it would be a hassle."
"Exactly,"
Wen Jiajun immediately chimed in, telling Lu Jingming, "A capitalist like you, who never lifts a finger for chores, wouldn't understand. We working-class people have to do our own cleaning."
