Chapter 11: Shared Rental

Liu Yixin noticed Lin Ran and was somewhat surprised when she saw her face.

“Xiao Meng, your friend is so beautiful, isn’t she?”

Lin Ran habitually wore a mask after getting out of the car. She didn’t expect to be praised for her beauty.

She smiled and said, “It turns out that wearing a mask always makes people look better.”

Liu Yixin raised her eyebrows confidently and said, “I have a very good eye. Want to bet? I bet you’ll look even better without the mask! By the way… Xiao Meng, why don’t you introduce me to this beautiful friend of yours?”

Meng Xiao just remembered that she hadn’t introduced them yet and quickly said, “This is Director Liu Yixin. I’ve worked with her many times in filming. And this is Lin Ran, a new friend I just met. She works in… a magic troupe.”

Liu Yixin hadn’t had a chance to say anything when Qiqi curled his lips and said, “Hmph! Magic is all fake! I’ve seen decryption videos. Magicians just take out things hidden in advance. Those things can all be folded, so boring!”

Liu Yixin felt a bit embarrassed. She slapped Qiqi on the back of his head and asked, “How did I teach you at home? How can you be so rude?”

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Ckik, bsolhla, oyp iwkvl pvwccsad. “vbyv’p aktbv!”

Nkd Syd, bsolhla, oypd’v ydtau yv yzz. Fbl cldv esod yde pxkzle. “Fs obyv es usw oydv xl vs nsdfwal wr qsa usw?”

Ckik vkzvle bkp blye ytykd, vbkdjkdt, “Uyd usw nsdfwal wr rsvyvs nbkrp? Mbl jkde kd y ckt, rwqqu cyt nyd’v qsze vbyv, aktbv? Txrb, vbspl nbkrp nyd’v cl qszele, ps usw byhl dsoblal vs bkel vblx!”

Nkw Zkmkd yrszstkgle, “Psd’v xkde bkx; bl’p fwpv y nbkze obs eslpd’v jdso ydu clvvla. Mbkp jke… R’x yoyu qkzxkdt yzz vbl vkxl, yde bl’p clld prskzle cu bkp taydexy…”

Nkw Zkmkd rascyczu yzps jdlo vbl rakdnkrzl sq xytkn. Yytknkydp bkel vbkdtp vbyv yal lypu vs bkel sd vblka cseklp yde iwknjzu vyjl vblx swv wpkdt vlnbdkiwlp sa pjkzzp. Jwv rsvyvs nbkrp yal zyatl kd hszwxl yde rwqqu. Tso nswze y dsaxyz rlapsd bkel pwnb y ckt rynjytl sd vblxplzhlp?

Tsolhla, Nkd Syd fwpv pxkzle yde nsdvkdwle, “Fs obyv oswze usw es kq R nswze nsdfwal vblx wr?”

Ckik zssjle wr yv bla yde pyke, “Mbld R’zz… R’zz sclekldvzu rwzz swv xu vllvb!”

Nkd Syd pvlrrle cynj, pvsse ytykdpv vbl oyzz, alynble clbkde bla, yde vbld rwzzle swv vbl cyt sq rsvyvs nbkrp pbl bye cswtbv lyazkla qasx bla xytkn cyt. Mbl cyt sq nbkrp yrrlyale kd bla byde swv sq dsoblal.

She waved the bag of chips and handed it to Qiqi. “Little boy, do you want to check if they’re real potato chips?”

Qiqi was stunned. He flipped the whole bag of chips up and down, unable to help but exclaim, “They’re real potato chips! Never been opened, full of air! “

Liu Yixin was also amazed. She didn’t expect the magician in front of her to actually conjure up a bag of potato chips. Even if she had this skill, how did she know that Qiqi would want potato chips and hide them in advance?

But she just felt it was magical, not strange. If all the magician’s tricks could be seen through by an outsider like her at a glance, what mystery would there be?

Meng Xiao was fascinated, wanting to clap her hands, but she remembered she was injured and almost stirred her wound.

Lin Ran smiled. “Alright, little one, obediently go pull your teeth! As for the potato chips… you can’t eat them after pulling teeth, so give them to sister!”

She took the potato chips and put them behind her back. When she reached out again, the potato chips had disappeared.

Qiqi reluctantly turned to Lin Ran’s back but couldn’t find anything. He widened his eyes, his little mind filled with confusion.

Lin Ran rubbed his head. “Alright, sister needs to take the injured person home now! You can’t go back on your word, or else you’ll be a little dog!”

Qiqi raised his head proudly and said, “Of course, I keep my word. I’m not a little dog!”

Liu Yixin expressed her thanks repeatedly. “Thank you, Miss Lin. Next time, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Lin Ran smiled. “Director Liu is too polite. It’s just a little trick. It’s late now; let’s meet again next time if we have the chance!”

Liu Yixin nodded and led Qiqi towards the dental clinic.

After walking a few steps, Qiqi suddenly looked up at Liu Yixin and said, “Mom, I feel like I know that sister.”

Liu Yixin was slightly puzzled, then shook her head. “I’ve never seen her before, and neither have you.”

Qiqi touched his head and said, “I remember there was a sister who liked to rub my head before, but that was a long time ago. I don’t remember which sister it was.”

Liu Yixin chuckled. “Well, maybe it’s just a coincidence that she’s similar. You forget, Mom is a director; I wouldn’t forget a particularly beautiful lady I’ve met.”

Qiqi sounded a bit disappointed. “Oh, can we go see sister’s magic show?”

“We can, but I need to ask which magic troupe she’s with and when they’re performing… Anyway, let’s go pull your teeth first. You promised sister to be good!”

“I know, I don’t want to be a little dog…”

…

Lin Ran asked for Meng Xiao’s address and drove her home. Over an hour later, they arrived at the residential area where Meng Xiao lived. She parked the car and got out to open the door for Meng Xiao.

“Oh, can you do me a favor?” Meng Xiao took out a few A4-printed papers from her bag. “I was planning to put these on the community bulletin board when I got back, but my hand is injured, so it’s not very convenient.”

“Sure, no problem.” Lin Ran took the papers and glanced at them. “Are you… looking for flatmates?”

Meng Xiao nodded. “There’s a vacant room in the house I’m renting, and the rent is quite expensive. I thought about finding someone to share it with. This community is close to the film and television city, so there might be colleagues who work there looking for shared accommodation here.”

Lin Ran lowered her head and glanced at the paper in her hand, then lifted her head and pointed to herself, “What do you think of me?”

Meng Xiao was taken aback, then exclaimed, “Are you also looking for a shared accommodation? That’s great! I’d love to live with you! I’m out early and back late, basically sleeping during the day. I’m very quiet and won’t cause you any trouble.”

Lin Ran thought for a moment, “Do you mind if I have a pet? Of course, my pet is very well-behaved and won’t damage anything. I can take care of cleaning, so there won’t be fur everywhere.”

“Not at all!”

“Then… can you show me the house?”

Lin Ran followed Meng Xiao upstairs to see the house. It was a high-rise community with a simple two-bedroom apartment. The house was not large, only about 70 square meters, and the furniture and appliances were all complete but rather old. The rooms were very clean, and there were a few pots of flowers on the balcony. It was evident that, although Meng Xiao was very busy with work, she was very passionate about life.

The monthly rent for such a set of houses was 5000 yuan, which would be 2500 yuan per person when shared, which was relatively cheap in a big city like Qing. After all, it was in the suburbs, where housing prices were much cheaper than in the city center.

Lin Ran knew that Qing had a famous Fenglong Film and Television City not far from here, which was a well-known film and television base in the country, and many film crews would come here for location shooting. A whole industry chain serving film and television had emerged around here, and the drama she had previously filmed was shot here.

Although it was not very close to the New Star Theater, the rent was cheap, and it would just mean taking a few more subway stops.

Meng Xiao was quite eager for Lin Ran to share the accommodations with her. After all, who wouldn’t like a pretty girl?

“Come on, share with me, and I can protect you.” Meng Xiao persuaded Lin Ran on the side, “Look at my muscles!”

Lin Ran hurriedly held down her hand, trying to roll up her sleeves. If she aggravated her wound at this late hour, she would have to drive her to the hospital again.

“Okay, I’ll rent!”

“Hehe, when are you moving in? Shall I help you with your luggage?”

“No need for that; I only have one suitcase.” Lin Ran thought for a moment, “I can move in tomorrow, before noon… I’ve already paid for tonight’s hotel.”

…

Just before going to bed, Lin Ran received a call. The caller ID showed “Ge Siyu.” She had changed her phone number, but she had set up automatic synchronization before, so the phone copied the number from her original phone, showing the name of the owner of that number.

She looked at the number, her eyes flashing with a trace of coldness.

She answered the call.

A familiar voice came from the other end of the line: “Hello, I’m Ge Siyu.”

Lin Ran’s voice was very indifferent. “Is there something you need?”

Ge Siyu’s voice was gentle and pleasant. “I would like to invite you to live broadcast with me in my studio tomorrow. My fans really like you, and they also hope to interact with you.”

Lin Ran lightly sneered. She was still the same, always riding the wave of popularity. It was no wonder she had gained so many followers in recent years.

Her voice remained indifferent: “I don’t have time.”

But Ge Siyu didn’t give up. She softly persuaded, “Don’t be like this; we’re all in the same circle, and the circle is not that big. In the future, we’ll all meet as good sisters, helping each other is beneficial to everyone, right?”

Lin Ran spoke in a mocking tone, “Good sisters? I can’t be your good sister. Being your good sister… would that mean I would lose my house,right?”

Ge Siyu was momentarily speechless. “Um… are you talking about Xu Ruoyi’s matter? It’s been so long, and someone still remembers her. It’s really not my fault; she did that thing herself, I just accidentally leaked it…”

“Accidentally or intentionally?” Lin Ran suddenly laughed. “So, if I accidentally hang up Miss Ge’s call, Miss Ge will forgive me, right?”

“You…”

Before Ge Siyu could speak, she heard a disconnected “beep” from the other end.

She called back, but the other party had already turned off their phone.

A strange unease suddenly rose in Ge Siyu’s heart. After Xu Ruoyi was terminated back then, she disappeared, and Ge Siyu didn’t even know Xu Ruoyi’s real name.

At that time, using such means to harm Xu Ruoyi, she actually felt a bit guilty. Sometimes she would worry that Xu Ruoyi would come back to retaliate against her, but then she thought that with her status, she shouldn’t be afraid of Xu Ruoyi’s retaliation.

But she didn’t expect that after all this time, someone still remembered that incident and even believed that she was the one who harmed Xu Ruoyi.

But she shouldn’t have revealed any flaws, right? At that time, didn’t the entire internet think it was Xu Ruoyi’s fault?