Starting with taking in female college students

Chapter 65 A Life for Two

The water heater in Chen Rang's house is actually not very good.

The old man was misled into buying that so-called solar water heater, but the water was scalding hot in the summer, while it barely stored any hot water in the winter when hot water was needed. In addition, the small drop between the water heater and the third floor resulted in a frustratingly short water supply.

It's fine for guys like Chen Rang who only need three to five minutes to shower, but when girls need to style their hair or do thorough cleaning, their mothers always complain about the water heater.

However, Ni Youlin seemed completely unaware of all this.

She simply looked around the cramped bathroom with curiosity, observing the shelves overflowing with various toiletries. Even the towel rack on the opposite wall intrigued her; it was the first time she'd ever seen so many towels stored together.

After turning on the hot water, the sudden scalding sensation stung her small hand.

Accustomed to the stable water temperature of the past, she grimaced for the first time. She quickly withdrew her hand and then, puzzled, slowly adjusted the water temperature. However, the stubborn switch wouldn't lower the water temperature no matter how long she turned it, leaving her dumbfounded as she continued to slowly turn it.

She stood naked in the bathroom, the rising steam slowly enveloping her. The scene made her seem rather embarrassed, yet she also seemed to find it... quite amusing.

This was a completely different experience from anything she had encountered in her ordinary life.

"That young lady, she shouldn't be in any serious trouble, right?"

Chen Rang lay on the bed, listening intently but hearing nothing. He was a little worried about whether Ni Youlin could get used to life in a "commoner's" home, but then he thought that the girl shouldn't be so stupid as to be unable to take care of herself.

And the constant eavesdropping felt a bit creepy. So after waiting another ten minutes, Chen Rang sat up and took out his phone.

Are you asleep?

For a long time, no one replied.

This made Chen Rang even more worried, and images from a terrible horror movie flashed through his mind. Fortunately, this worry didn't last long; a few minutes later, Ni Youlin replied to his message.

"no."

"It's getting late, you should get some rest. I'll take care of things with Aunt Xie tomorrow, and then you can move in right away."

"I'm waiting for my hair to dry."

"Isn't there a hairdryer upstairs? Surely you know how to use it?"

"It just broke, I'm sorry."

Ni Youlin's words startled Chen Rang.

Why did the hair dryer break at this crucial moment? But then he thought about it and realized that the thing was something his mother had bought many years ago, so it wasn't surprising that it had reached the end of its lifespan. He couldn't say anything more about it.

To make matters worse, there was no hair dryer on the second floor. He, a grown man, never needed a hair dryer; he would just towel-dry his hair after washing it and let it air dry.

Faced with Ni Youlin's troubles, he could only reply helplessly.

"I'll get a new one tomorrow. You can dry yourself with a towel today."

Which towel?

Ni Youlin's words stunned Chen Rang once again.

He suddenly realized that he hadn't prepared a towel for Ni Youlin. The towels in the bathroom belonged to his parents, and even Chen himself didn't know which one to use for washing his face and which one to use for washing his feet, so naturally he couldn't give them to Ni Youlin.

So... this girl didn't use a towel when she took a bath? How did she dry herself off?

Some unhealthy images flashed through Chen Rang's mind, and he quickly slapped his forehead and stood up. He hurriedly rummaged through the wardrobe and finally found two unopened towels. These towels were free gifts from a previous purchase, and the family hadn't needed to buy them for years. Even small items like toothbrushes, laundry detergent, and shower gel were things the Chen family didn't need to spend money on. The only thing they had to do was buy a better brand of veterinary shampoo specifically for their clinic.

Upon arriving on the third floor, Chen Rang first sent a message to Ni Youlin, then knocked on the door twice.

He could have just gone in, but he was worried about seeing something inappropriate, so he stopped. He told Ni Youlin to go into her room or bathroom first, send him a message, and then he would go in and put the towel on the sofa.

Unexpectedly, Ni Youlin quickly opened the door.

She didn't treat Chen Rang like an outsider. Wearing a large blue T-shirt with "Xuzhou Animal Husbandry" written on the chest, she stood in front of Chen Rang. Her legs were bare and dazzlingly white; the cheap T-shirt was wet, vaguely revealing the outline of her body.

Out of politeness, Chen Rang didn't even have time to see if she was wearing underwear before quickly stuffing both towels into her hands.

Ironically, at that moment, Chen Rang pictured her with disheveled hair, resembling the water ghost Sadako. Her already petite face looked even thinner now, obscured by her hair, making her appear even more frail.

"Here's a towel, hurry up and get ready so you can go to sleep!"

After saying that, he didn't even ask Ni Youlin where she found the T-shirt, and turned to leave without hesitation.

"Meow?"

Just as Eunuch Yin was about to take the initiative and greet Chen Rang, he was surprised to find that Chen Rang completely ignored him.

Looking at the wide-open door, it wanted to chase after her, but hesitated. Looking up at Ni Youlin standing there motionless, it thought for a moment and took the initiative to rub against her, leaving two tufts of fur on Ni Youlin's slightly damp calves.

The wet touch made Grandpa Silver sneeze, and without hesitation, he turned around and left to continue exploring the house.

Ni Youlin was also startled awake by Grandpa Yin. She looked down at the towel in her hand in a daze, pouting and showing an expression that no one could understand.

Nothing more was said that night.

Chen Rang got up early in the morning, went downstairs to check on the blue and white cat and the female silver shaded cat, applied medicine where necessary, and fed them as needed. Only then did he go to Old Xu's breakfast shop across the street to buy steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk.

"Xiao Rang, why did you eat so much today?"

Old Xu knew Chen Rang's appetite well. Seeing that Chen Rang had ordered two cups of soy milk, he couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Is it your dad or your mom who's back? Didn't they agree to travel away for at least half a year? It's only been a few days!"

"What?! Can't I eat it myself?!"

Chen Rang glared at Lao Xu, annoyed. He certainly wouldn't tell the gossipy guy about Ni Youlin. If he found out that a girl lived in his house, the whole neighborhood would probably know in less than half a day.

"Hehe...you're just talking nonsense! When I got up at four o'clock this morning, I saw the lights on on the third floor of your house! It's not like your parents came back or something, it's not like someone just started staying at your house, is it?"

Old Xu, thinking himself clever, sneered and packed up breakfast for Chen Rang, then added a fried dough stick as a bonus.

Chen Rang did not refuse, but he also did not tell Lao Xu the truth.

He was just wondering why Ni Youlin's light was still on in the early hours of the morning. Had she not slept all night or had she gotten up too early? It couldn't be that she couldn't sleep because of the change of environment, could it? That girl didn't seem like the princess who was like the pea.

To be honest, she was like a lily abandoned in the wilderness. Though she looked delicate, she was striving to grow. Perhaps one day she would become a wild lily, but even then, she would be no different from an ordinary weed.

Chen Rang didn't know why such a feeling suddenly came to his mind.

He hurried up to the third floor and knocked on the door, thinking for a moment before sending Ni Youlin a message. But before he could finish typing, the door was opened quickly, as if Ni Youlin were standing right next to him.

Chen Rang looked at her and didn't see any signs of being haggard or having dark circles under her eyes.

Her hair looked messier than yesterday; it was obvious she hadn't dried it properly before going to bed, a terrible result of a night of messy hair. He sometimes does the same thing; after washing his hair at night, he wakes up the next morning with it standing straight up like a frizzy mess, and even wetting it with water won't flatten it.

She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. As for that terrible blue T-shirt from last night, maybe it was just a misunderstanding in his dream.

"This is breakfast, eat it while it's hot."

Chen Rang placed breakfast on the table, and as he turned his head, he saw the blue garment hanging on the balcony. It swayed slightly arrogantly in the morning breeze, and the four eye-catching characters were particularly conspicuous; however, it was just too thin, not as undulating as it had been yesterday.

"cough!"

Chen Rang cursed himself inwardly.

Seeing Ni Youlin innocently picking out a steamed bun, taking small bites while curiously looking up at him, Chen Rang quickly said, "When I'm not busy later, I'll go with you to the school to pack your things. Since you're coming to rent a place, you can't just bring one person, right? It's safest to use your own clothes and bedding, right? And what else do you need to prepare? Think about it beforehand and I'll take you to buy some nearby."

"oh."

Ni Youlin nodded obediently, without the slightest doubt.