My Roommate Lover - Chapter 3 - Paying Rent for Your Own House

It seemed like they had a point, but Jia Simiao was now penniless. He couldn’t possibly sleep on the streets or squeeze under a bridge with the homeless, could he?

Feeling quite frustrated, Jia Simiao asked, “I’m the landlord, this is my own house, why can’t I live here?”

Zhang Xixi turned back into the room and returned with a house leasing contract in hand, loudly declaring, “Look here, it’s clearly written in the contract. If you’re not satisfied, go find Ya-Jie.”

Jia Simiao chuckled bitterly, “Could you at least lend me a phone? I need to call Xiao Ya.”

Zhang Xixi shouted, “Trying to trick us into giving you a phone? Not a chance, Ziyu, don’t give it to him.”

Tang Ziyu, however, felt a bit sympathetic and handed her phone to him, asking, “Where’s your phone?”

“I ran into some trouble, and now I’m broke, without a phone.”

Jia Simiao took the phone and immediately dialed Xiao Ya’s number, but to no avail. It seemed Xiao Ya might have changed her number or canceled it after going abroad. Feeling a bit lost, he returned the phone to Tang Ziyu, muttering, “Can’t get through, this is bad.”

Tang Ziyu smiled, “It’s not a big deal. When Xiao Ya gets back or contacts us, we’ll let you know.”

Jia Simiao sighed, “The thing is, I’m broke now. I planned to stay at home and start a small business. What should I do now?”

Zhang Xixi, clearly enjoying his predicament, laughed, “What should you do? Just chill out. I have a suggestion: head north, under the River Bridge, you’ll definitely find a place to stay. It’s a great spot, cool at night, sheltered from the rain, and shaded from the sun…”

Talking to her was clearly getting nowhere. Fortunately, he had met Tang Ziyu on the plane, and they had a decent conversation. Jia Simiao said, “Tang Ziyu, I have a question. Did you pay the rent to Xiao Ya when you rented the house? If not, could you pay it to me instead?”

Tang Ziyu sympathetically replied, “We paid a year’s rent to Ya-Jie before she left. We signed the house leasing contract with her, so we should pay her.”

How did things get so complicated?

Jia Simiao was getting anxious, “How could you just sign a house leasing contract with her? Does she even have the Property Certificate?”

Zhang Xixi smugly replied, “She does. She said it was her husband’s house. Who knew it was yours? Haha, she went to America to find you, so are you her husband?”

“I’m not her husband, we’re just friends.”

This was getting hard to explain. Getting the rent back seemed impossible. Jia Simiao chuckled bitterly, “How about this? I stay in my own room, and you continue renting yours. I won’t interfere with your lives.”

“No way.”

Zhang Xixi immediately rejected, “We’re three innocent girls. How can we let a creep like you stay here? Who knows if you have a habit of peeking or stealing our underwear? Besides, we rented the entire ancestral house of Jia Family, including everything in it. We don’t agree to you staying here. Complain wherever you want.”

Tang Ziyu shrugged, “Jia Simiao, I sympathize with your situation, but we can’t help. You really need to find Xiao Ya to sort this out.”

“The problem is, I can’t find her.”

“That’s between you and her. We can’t do anything.”

It was frustrating, watching his own house but unable to live in it. Was there anything more pitiful, sad, or lamentable? Even when he fell for Wenren the Sage Buddha’s honey trap and lost a medical duel, he hadn’t felt this frustrated. With no money and the ancestral precept forbidding the use of medical skills for profit, how was he supposed to survive?

In Nanjiang City, he wasn’t without friends, like Zhang Mi. Two years ago, she had a serious illness, and he happened to treat her, which led her to fall for him. But treating patients and undressing them was normal, wasn’t it? Better not to stir up trouble.

Jia Simiao chuckled, “Could you show some humanitarian spirit? This is my home, after all. I won’t charge rent, can I at least stay in the side wing? When Xiao Ya returns, I’ll have her refund your rent.”

Zhang Xixi loudly replied, “No way, I just don’t want you living here.”

Jia Simiao turned to Tang Ziyu, “As a friend, you see how pitiful I am… Oh, isn’t there also Shen Jun’ao? Maybe she’d agree to let me stay.”

Tang Ziyu sighed, “Jun’ao is at work, she’ll be back around five. Why don’t you wait here until she arrives, and we’ll see what she thinks.”

Zhang Xixi glared, “Tang Ziyu, how can you do this? You’re inviting a wolf into the house.”

Jia Simiao quickly said, “Miss, you can’t say that. A beautiful lady like you, with looks and a figure, must be very compassionate, right? Oh, by the way, I don’t know your name yet.”

“Beautiful? You have good taste, recognizing my beauty at a glance.” Zhang Xixi was pleased, but pretended to be stern, “Stop flattering me. When Jun’ao gets back, you’ll be kicked out.”

At least he managed to get inside. The room’s setup hadn’t changed, even the books on the shelf were ones Jia Simiao had collected, like “Thirty-Six Stratagems,” “The Way of Business,” “Compendium of Materia Medica,” “Thousand Golden Prescriptions”… He gently touched them, feeling nostalgic.

Back in his own home, yet it didn’t feel right. When Xiao Ya returned, he’d have to give her a good scolding for causing him such trouble.

Zhang Xixi sat cross-legged on the sofa, munching on snacks and watching TV. Her posture caused her nightgown to ride up. Sitting beside her, Jia Simiao could glimpse her leggings under the skirt.

He looked once, twice, and finally, reluctantly, turned his gaze away. The key to being a creep was not letting others know you were one. If everyone was on guard, there’d be no opportunities. Jia Simiao was always cautious about this.

Tang Ziyu walked over and casually nudged Zhang Xixi’s leg, asking, “Jia Simiao, what did you do before? With your medical skills, you must have been a chief physician at a big hospital, right?”

What did he do? He was the internationally renowned “Ghost Hand,” a medical expert, and a trader at Five Continents International Trade in New York, making money domestically. Later, he realized it was a conspiracy by five major families from different countries.

When he saw news of a mainland boss, Ye Heluo, losing everything and committing suicide, he felt guilty and quit, returning home. His funds were frozen, leaving him penniless. Now, he just wanted to help Ye Heluo’s daughter, Ye Lanqiu, and live a simple life.

Jia Simiao casually replied, “I just did whatever to get by, worked all sorts of jobs.”

As they chatted idly, around five in the afternoon, the doorbell rang. Zhang Xixi quickly ran to answer it. When she returned, she was accompanied by a stunning woman. From his earlier conversation with Tang Ziyu, he knew she must be Shen Jun’ao.

She wore a navy blue tight-fitting police uniform, a police cap, and a gray shirt with a tie. Her skirt revealed shapely legs, and her belt held two shiny handcuffs, exuding authority and sternness. The ordinary police uniform accentuated her graceful figure.

“Gulp…” Jia Simiao shamelessly swallowed, unable to tear his eyes away. This was the legendary uniform temptation, wasn’t it? Stewardess, nurse, teacher… Images flashed in his mind, stirring his desires.

After a few seconds, Jia Simiao snapped back to reality, quickly standing up, “Miss Shen, I’m Jia Simiao, the owner of this ancestral house…”

Displeased with his gaze, Shen Jun’ao frowned, “I’m friends with Xiao Ya, she mentioned you. She went to America to find you, but you suddenly came back. Xixi told me the situation. You’re broke and want to stay here?”

Finally, someone acknowledged him. Jia Simiao was moved to tears, nodding eagerly, “Yes, that’s the situation. I’m really out of options, just a few coins left.”

Shen Jun’ao said, “Technically, you’re the owner, and we’re the guests. But we rented from Xiao Ya, signed a house leasing contract, and paid a year’s rent. Legally, we’re the owners for this year…”

“I understand, I understand.”

Jia Simiao said, “You stay in the main house, I’ll stay in the side wing, I won’t disturb you.”

Shen Jun’ao asked, “You really want to stay here?”

“Yes.”

“We’re not unreasonable. Just pay us rent.”