Tenant’s Secret Love

Chapter 35: You bastard

Renee drove me back to Robben's place. I hadn't drunk too much that night, so saying goodbye was easy.

Renee unbuckled her seat belt and said to me, “Thank you for dinner tonight. I really like that restaurant.”

“If you like it, go there often, but don't try to run up the bill. I'll bring a group of righteous people and corner you in an alley to beat you up.” I laughed and joked with Renee.

“If I really do that, I'll willingly submit to your judgment.”

“You're very aware!”

Renee didn't say anything more, opened the car door and got out, looking around for a taxi waiting to cross the street.

I got out of the car too, stood next to Renee and waited with her, then nudged her and said jokingly, “Let me discuss something with you.”

“What is it?”

“Let me go back to being your landlord and you be my female tenant, okay?”

“That's an impractical request! You just moved out.”

“But I miss that house more and more every day!”

Renee said decisively, “Put away your impious thoughts... I don't like having a man in my house.”

“But you took me in before.”

“That's because you were pitifully begging me.”

“Then I'll beg you pitifully again.”

Renee, who was no longer annoyed by my persistence as she had been before, spoke to me very patiently, saying, “It's really inconvenient for a man and a woman to live together. There are so many choices in such a big city, so why make things difficult for me?”

“So you're not going to live with your boyfriend in the future either? No matter who lives together, it's inevitable that a man and a woman will live together.”

Renee gave a faint smile and said, ”You're right, so I'll only live with my boyfriend, not you.”

Finally, an unoccupied taxi pulled up. Renee reached out and stopped it, then got in and quickly disappeared from my sight.

I muttered to the night, “You're also right, but why do I feel like you're forcing me to be your boyfriend so that we can live together officially? I remember that last time I told Stubborn-Father that you're not my type, so please stop thinking about me inappropriately!”

Suddenly I laughed to myself. This is really bold, even lying to myself!

...

Entering Robben's house, it was still empty, not even a TV. This night was destined to be dull and boring. I dragged a few boxes out from under the bed and found a can of beer. This was pretty good. Drinking a can of beer and singing a few songs with my guitar was a pretty good pastime.

The wind on the balcony was still blowing very wild. I sat on the railing with my guitar, unmoving. I was not afraid of the gusts of wind, but I was afraid of not seeing that “castle in the sky”. So I plucked the strings of my guitar and sang at the top of my lungs, as if calling, as if begging, calling for that faraway city to return to my heart, to settle down from now on, to never be adrift again.

Robben didn't know when he came back. Suddenly, he handed me a cigarette from behind, then jumped onto the guardrail and lit another cigarette for himself.

I put the guitar aside, lit the cigarette, took a drag and said to Robben, “I went to CC's restaurant for dinner today.”

“Really?” Robben mechanically responded.

“CC said she misses you.”

Robben looked at me, and after a moment of silence, he also said, “I also talked to Violetta on WeChat today.”

“Really?” I echoed mechanically.

“Violetta said she misses you.”

I smiled and said, “I'm telling you what CC said to you with a clear conscience, and you're obviously talking nonsense.”

Robben didn't waste any time and took his phone out of his pocket to show me his chat history with Violetta. Sure enough, it was in black and white, ironclad evidence.

I suddenly felt speechless, picked up the beer next to me and took a sip before saying, ”You and CC haven't seen each other for a long time, so let's go to her restaurant together sometime.”

“Bring Violetta, let's all go together.”

“Why do you always bring up Violetta?”

“Lucas, don't do unto others what you would not have them do unto you!” He laughed and added, ”You should understand better than anyone that a man's heart is not big, and it can only hold the first woman. In this respect, at least we are the same kind of person.”

I shook my head and said, “Robben, you and CC are actually quite a good match. At least you share the same ideals, the same hobbies, and the same character. But Violetta and I obviously come from two different worlds. She doesn't really like me that much. To be precise, it was just a period of time when we relied on each other. So really, don't compare us so far-fetched.”

“Forget it. I'm a bit tired today, I'm going to sleep first.” Robben patted my shoulder and climbed down the guardrail.

I shouted at him, “Go hang out with CC sometime soon.”

“We'll see.”

Robben gave me an ambiguous answer and left. I knew he didn't want to take his body and desecrate CC with an unloved heart. After all, CC was completely different from those women who could be brought back to bed at will. Robben had his own principles on this point.

In fact, I could understand Robben, but I still felt a little sorry.

...

The next day, I woke up a little later than usual, because I didn't need to take the bus today and Jack still had his car.

I arrived at the office just in time to clock in at the reception desk before nine o'clock. Right behind me, Jack hurried out of the other elevator and ran like a firecracker to the time clock. Just as he was about to insert his card, the time unfortunately jumped past nine o'clock.

Jack complained to me with a sad face, “Lucas, it's all your fault. I thought I had a car and slept until 8 o'clock, but it turned out... Alas! I've lost my perfect attendance award this month!”

I threw the car keys in my hand at Jack and said carelessly, ”What's the big deal about a perfect attendance award? I didn't get one last month either.”

“Have you ever gotten one since you started working?”

I was annoyed by Jack's question, my face fell. Jack quickly changed the subject and asked, “Did you say you would fill up my car?

“Don't worry, it's full.”

Jack finally nodded as if he had regained his mental balance.

I added, ‘By the way, I found a fuel card in your car and I handed it to the person filling up the car.”

Jack's face suddenly changed, still holding onto a last hope, he said, ’You don't know the password!”

“It's Ava's (Jack's girlfriend) birthday, I know it.”

“Lucas, you bastard! ...You stole my in-game equipment last time, didn't you!”

...

After entering the office, Jack still looked at me with a hateful gaze, but I ignored him. His little Alto will still have to be obediently used by me when I need it next time.

I was about to go to the break room to make a cup of coffee to refresh myself, but I received a summons from Mark, the manager, to go to his office immediately.

I put down the cup in my hand and went to Mark's manager's office.

“Sit down,” Mark said to me while looking at the documents.

“No, manager, if you have something to say, just say it, I'm busy.”

Mark looked up and smiled, then put down the documents in his hand and said to me, ”This time there is something you need to coordinate.”

“Is it still about GUCCI?”

Mark nodded and said, “The date for shooting the promotional posters has been changed to the 10th of this month. You should let the print model know.”

“I thought we agreed on the 15th. They're not unemployed, they can always find time to cooperate. Do you know how difficult it is to coordinate with the film crew to find a slot?” I said angrily.

Mark also said with a helpless face, “I can't do anything about the sudden adjustment made by GUCCI. They said the photographer had other work arrangements on the 15th and it had to be brought forward to the 10th!”

“Their attitude is really high! They say which print model to use and we have to help them find one, and they say adjust the time and we have to cooperate!” I became more and more angry.

“Okay, Lucas...you are on the company's payroll, and this is a task given to you from above, and you must complete it.” Mark also finally said to me with anger.

I sneered, “Does it mean that if the company says the moon in the sky is nice, I have to build a space shuttle and pluck the moon down to offer it to the company?”