Slowly Falling For Changkong

Chapter 50

***

They were now entering December, so the temperature dropped a lot. Xu Lian didn’t forget to wear a coat before going out today.

She made an appointment with the landlord at 2:30 p.m., so she left her home ten minutes ahead of schedule. When she arrived at Building 6, she still had five minutes to spare. Xiang Changkong was already waiting in front.

He stood alone and his head was slightly bowed, so his black hair hung over his face. Xiang ChangKong looked neat and easy-going, but somehow, he had this presence that made people unable to ignore him.

Xu Lian stopped and watched him for a moment, then approached him. “How long have you been waiting here? Why didn’t you call me when you arrived?”

Xiang ChangKong raised his head and gave her a natural smile. “I just got here. It’s almost time to meet up, so I thought you’d be arriving soon.”

Xu Lian put her hands in her coat pockets. “Well, I called the landlord before I left my house. He’s waiting for us upstairs.”

“Alright.”

The two walked side by side into the building. Xu Lian took advantage of their brief elevator ride to tell Xiang ChangKong about the apartment block. “This apartment building is only two years old, so everything is still relatively new. The property is good, and the owner is credible. There are volleyball courts and tennis courts in the community and it’s said that the indoor swimming pool will be finished soon.”

Xiang ChangKong patiently listened to Xu Lian’s explanation, then smiled. “I often come to this neighborhood to deliver takeout, so I might actually be more familiar with this place than you are.”

(T/N: If you’re confused, basically, the neighborhood is a bunch of apartment buildings. In between the buildings, there are tennis courts, etc. All the buildings together make up one community.)

Xu Lian raised a brow. “Is that right? Then what are the apartment types in this building?”

Xiang ChangKong gave her a wry smile at Xu Lian’s obvious taunt. He replied: “I told you before- We can only deliver food up to the customer’s door. We can’t actually enter their house.”

“Oh?” Xu Lian’s eyes turned meaningful as she said: “But back then, you didn’t stay outside.”

“You told me that since it was midnight, I was already off work.”

“I just offered. You stepping into my home means you wanted to come in.”

“….” Xiang ChangKong’s face suddenly turned red, and he looked away. Xu Lian didn’t understand his reaction, but after thinking about what she had just said, she realized something.

An imperceptible smile graced her face. She didn’t realize that the studious and talented Xiang ChangKong could have such a dirty mind.

When they arrived on the 20th floor, they both left the elevator without a word. They turned right, then stopped at apartment 2122. Xu Lian pressed the doorbell.

The landlord soon answered the door. When they entered the apartment, Xu Lian noted the wooden floor and the tasteful decor. The landlord took out two pairs of indoor slippers for them to put on.

It seems that numerous people had already viewed the apartment. The slippers the landlord gave them looked a little used.

The view on the 20th floor was good. Although the landscape was somewhat crowded, you can still see the sky in the distance. The 16 buildings in the community were deliberately staggered in a way that allowed residents to have sunshine and space.

The balcony was also bigger than that of Xiu Lian’s. Xiang ChangKong walked onto the balcony and looked up at the blue sky.

Xu Lian went towards him and looked out at the scenery. “The view here is good.”

“Un.” Xiang ChangKong lightly replied. His voice was so faint that Xu Lian felt like the wind could carry it away.

The landlord knew that Xu Lian was also living in the neighborhood, so he was enthusiastic. He said: “Why don’t we looked at the bedroom again? Although the apartment is only a little over 90 square meters, the living room and bedroom are designed to look very spacious. They designed the area to have high utilization.”

“Alright.” Xiang ChangKong and Xu Lian turned and followed the landlord to the bedroom. The master bedroom was equipped with a large bed and a small cloakroom on the side. It was made by the landlord himself. The side bedroom was much smaller in comparison, and it didn’t have a cloakroom, but it had a bay window so the view was nice.

After looking through the house, Xu Lian and Xiang ChangKong felt satisfied with the place. Xiang ChangKong asked the landlord: “How much is the rent here for a month?”

The landlord smiled and said: “I talked to Miss Xu on the phone yesterday about this. As you can see, this apartment is still quite new,. What’s more, the environment is peaceful, and the facilities are also good. I wanted the rent to be 3200 yuan per month, but since Miss Xu is a neighbor and our meeting feels auspicious, I’ll make it 3000 yuan per month.”

The house Xiang ChangKong was currently renting was 1800 yuan a month. By contrast, this apartment was much more expensive. It really stretched his budget.

While the walked through the house, Xu Lian could tell that Xiang ChangKong liked the place. The only problem was the rent. So Xu Lian looked at Xiang ChangKong and said: “We agreed on the rent yesterday. If you like, we can make the down payment right now.”

The landlord also went along with her. “That’s right. To be honest, the price I’m giving you really is a good deal. A lot of people already toured the apartment so if you hesitate, another person will most likely snatch it…”

After some thought, Xiang ChangKong said: “But there’s another problem. This apartment only has two rooms. I also have a younger sister…” Xiang Nuan may be at school most of the time, but she still can’t live without her own room.

The landlord became confused. He looked towards Xu Lian, then asked: “I thought you and Miss Xu were planning on living together?”

Xiang ChangKong: “….”

Xu Lian dryly coughed, then told the landlord: “Yes, we’re planning to live together.”

Xiang ChangKong: “….”

Oh….so it’s not that Xiang Nuan doesn’t have a room, but it was him who didn’t have a room.

In the end, the house was settled. The landlord told them that when the contract was ready, he would call Xu Lian. Xu Lian and Xiang ChangKong said their goodbyes, then took the elevator down together.

The elevator ride was very quiet, and Xiang ChangKong’s jaw was a little taut. When the elevator passed the 17th floor, he couldn’t help but say: “Are you really going to let me move into your place?”

Maybe it was because the landlord wasn’t here, but Xu Lian didn’t feel quite as embarrassed this time. She glanced at Xiang ChangKong and explained: “Xiang Nuan comes home on Saturdays every week and only stays for one night. It’s not very cost-effective to rent a three-bedroom house. Anyway, I have an empty spare bedroom. You can discuss it with Xiang Nuan to see who moves in with me. I won’t charge rent.”

“….” Xiang ChangKong figured it wouldn’t be much of a discussion. If he asked Xiang Nuan about this, she’ll definitely push him to move in with Xu Lian.

Since he didn’t reply, Xu Lian continued: “If you don’t want to, or if you feel wronged, then you can set up a bed in the living room? Either way, it’ll be much better than your current tiny bedroom.”

“….” Xiang ChangKong coughed, then said: “I’ll ask her tonight.”

“Good.”

When they left the elevator, the found that it was raining. The rain was quite torrential. The raindrops were dense, making it hard to see through it. Xu Lian frowned, then said: “Why is it suddenly raining so hard, ah?”

Xiang ChangKong suddenly remembered that the weather forecast said there was going to be rain today.

They waited under the eaves for a while, but Xu Lian soon grew impatient. She looked at Xiang ChangKong and suggested: “My place isn’t far. We should run; It’ll only take a minute or two.”

Xiang ChangKong thought about it. If they went, Xu Lian could immediately take a bath. Since she wouldn’t get cold, he nodded. “Alright.”

After seeing him agree, Xu Lian was about to step into the rain but was quickly stopped by Xiang ChangKong.

Xu Lian didn’t understand. “What’s the matter?”

Xiang ChangKong took off his coat and spread it over Xu Lian’s shoulders. “You can still keep out some of the rain if you hold this up. It wouldn’t be good if your clothes and bag get completely soaked.”

Xu Lian looked down and saw his black coat covering her tightly like a solid wall. It was like she was like in a protective embrace. She looked back towards Xiang ChangKong and said: “Aren’t you afraid of your own clothes getting soaked?”

“My clothes don’t matter.” Xiang ChangKong replied with a smile. “Your clothes look so beautiful, ah. Won’t you feel distressed if they get wet?”

He had a little sister, so he was somewhat knowledgable about how a woman cares for their clothes.

Xu Lian didn’t answer and instead moved to the side. She raised a hand and lifted one corner of his coat, then said: “Squeeze in. I’ll also get distressed if you end up drenched.”

Xiang ChangKong was startled. Then, his eyes grew bright, as if clouds had parted.

“Alright.” He said one word, then bent down to get inside the coat. With their shoulders touching, Xiang ChangKong held the other corner of the coat and asked: “Ready?”

“Yep.”

“Then on three.”

“Ok.”

“One, two, three!” After Xiang ChangKong said this, the two ran out together. The tops of their heads were hit with droplets and their feet splashed into puddles.

After he saw that it was raining, the landlord had come downstairs to give them some umbrellas. But by the time he arrived, he saw the two running together underneath a coat.

He silently retreated.

It seems that they didn’t need it anymore. Ah, it’s nice to be young.

Building 6 and Building 8 weren’t that far away from each other. Like Xu Lian said, it only took a minute to run between them. When they arrived at Building 8, they hid under the eave and wiped the rain from their bodies. Noticing that Xiang ChangKong was a lot more soaked than her, Xu Lian said: “Follow me up and take a bath.”

“No need. Just lend me an umbrella.” Xiang ChangKong replied.

“I don’t have any umbrellas.” Xu Lian told him.

Xiang ChangKong: “….”

“Come on.” Xu Lian walked inside the elevator. Xiang ChangKong hesitated, but in the end, he went in the elevator before the doors closed shut.

Xiang ChangKong coat was completely drenched, so Xu Lian placed it in her washing machine as soon as the entered her home. Xu Lian then looked for her father’s extra clothes. After looking for a very long time, she finally found a pair of her father’s pajamas and handed it to Xiang ChangKong. “This is my dad’s. Just make do with this for the time being.”

Then, she handed Xiang ChangKong a clean towel.

Xu Lian’s apartment had two bathrooms. She planned to use the one in her bedroom, while Xiang ChangKong was assigned to the bathroom next to her guest bedroom. Xiang ChangKong accepted the towel and pajamas, then thanked her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m going now, so you go take a shower too.”

“Un.”

Xiang ChangKong went into the bathroom and started the shower.

This wasn’t the first time Xiang ChangKong took a bath in Xu Lian’s home. But every time he took a bath, it was because of of…well…

His heart suddenly heated up. Xiang ChangKong lowered the temperature of the water, hoping to ease the heat in his body. When he finished, Xu Lian was still in the bathroom. Xiang ChangKong wasn’t surprised. Girls usually like to take their time.

Xiang ChangKong wore the clothes given to him, then went to the washing machine. When he peered inside, he noticed that in addition to his coat, Xu Lian’s shirt and jeans were inside. He studied the machine, then turned it on to wash their wet clothes together.

By the time the clothes finished, Xu Lian came out of the bathroom. She was also wearing pajamas, and her hair was wrapped in a towel on top of her head. She looked at the finished laundry, then went into the kitchen to grab two cans of beer. “I could’ve washed it myself.”

“It didn’t matter.” Xiang ChangKong replied. “I was free anyway.”

Xu Lian smiled, then offered him a can. “You want one?”

“Un.” Xiang ChangKong accepted the beer. He pulled the tab, then took a swig. Xu Lian also drank. As she lifted her head, the few drops of water along her neck slipped down to her clavicle, then disappeared into her collar.

Xiang ChangKong’s eyes followed the drop of water, his adam’s apple inadvertently moving as he did so.

Xu Lian drank the beer, feeling satisfied. But when she looked back down, her gaze connected with Xiang ChangKong.

His eyes looked darker than usual. Xu Lian had seen this expression on him several times, so she almost immediately understood his thoughts.

In the next second, Xiang ChangKong pushed her against the wall, his warm breath caressing the side of her neck. She hadn’t been this close to him for a long time. His masculinity completely covered Xu Lian, making her feel strange.

both of them were only wearing pajamas, so their temperatures passed through their thin clothes.

Xu Lian’s body, which had just come out of a bath, had an indescribable scent, bewitching Xiang ChangKong.

The changes in his body were communicated to Xu Lian, and the two of them gradually lost themselves to passionate kisses. Xu Lian managed to come back to herself and attempted to push him away, but Xiang ChangKong held her tighter. He whispered into her ear: “Don’t push me away, Xu Lian, don’t push me away.”

Xu Lian couldn’t move, but her hand was still placed on his chest. She could feel his heart beating wildly underneath her fingers.

“I didn’t want to push you away. I just wanted to change locations.”

His arm around her waist, Xiang ChangKong asked: “Where to?”

Xu Lian’s breath quickened and she had difficulty replying. “Bedroom.”

Xiang ChangKong lifted Xu Lian and brought her back to her room.

The two were enthusiastic. Xu Lian pinched him, but still actively cooperated with his movements. However, once they were on top of the bed, she suddenly pushed him hard. Forced to stop, Xiang ChangKong looked at her incomprehensibly. Xu Lian gasped and said: “Xiang ChangKong, you told me not to push you away. In return, you shouldn’t push me away.”

Xiang ChangKong’s desire filled eyes gradually brightened. He hugged Xu Lian once more and kissed her tenderly.

With this kiss, he solemnly replied: “Alright.”