Tenant's Secret Love

Chapter 53: A kind woman

I followed Renee's gaze and looked at my backpack. I said, "My backpack is indeed a Rikdas brand, but it's not as luxurious as I said. I bought it on Taobao for 50 yuan, and it came with a free sun hat!"

Renee bit her lip to keep from laughing, but I was mesmerized by her posture, which was so beautiful at the moment.

Renee finally suppressed her smile and asked, "Is the sun hat also a Rikdas brand?"

"Who remembers, the last time a friend borrowed it for fishing and never returned it, so inconsiderate!"

"Then it must be a Rikdas brand, so extravagant, so your friend coveted it!" Renee seriously analyzed.

This time it was my turn to be amused by Renee, but I said seriously, "So he is inconsiderate, selling his personality for a hat. If he likes it, he can just tell me, I'm so extravagant, I don't care about a hat!"

Renee shook her head with a smile, and stopped talking to me. Maybe she didn't really like my running on and on, and sometimes I really did make her laugh, but this kind of laughter was actually quite helpless.

The waiter finally brought two bowls of rice noodles and some other snacks, and Renee and I ate them.

During the meal, I occasionally glanced at Renee out of the corner of my eye. She remained quiet throughout, but I could see loneliness in that quiet. This loneliness had nothing to do with material things, but with her life story. But she was still living a strong, independent life. At least since I met her, I have never heard her complain about life.

I looked at her absent-mindedly, thinking about the conspiracy she was about to face. I felt a pang of heartache and intense struggle, but I felt so powerless!

As we were finishing our simple dinner, I finally said to Renee, "I still owe you 10,016 yuan!"

Renee replied nonchalantly, "I haven't forgotten, but you don't have to hurry to pay it back. First, find a place to live. As you said yourself, don't experience the pain of having nowhere to go again."

"You remember my words quite clearly!"

"You only said that to me last night, of course I remember."

I skipped over this topic and asked, "Then why did you close the door and not let me in when I returned from seeing my friends yesterday? I knocked on the door for almost ten minutes."

"Even if you had knocked for an hour, I still wouldn't have opened the door. I already told you, I'm not renting the house to anyone."

"Then tell me, why did you buy that old house and not rent it to someone else?" I asked again, a question that had puzzled me for a long time.

Renee looked out the window, her face a little dazed, and after a long time she whispered to me, "This is my private business, so just don't ask."

I didn't pursue it further, and I vaguely understood in my heart why she had bought that old house, but I wasn't sure.

In my silence, Renee, who rarely took the initiative, said to me, "It's still early, let's go look for a house together. You should hurry and settle down, or else the next time your father comes to visit you, you won't know what to say."

...

In the dark, I sat in Renee's car, holding my phone and searching for rental information on 58.com. I called to inquire about suitable places, while Renee acted as my chauffeur, driving me all over the city, watching me haggle with landlords or agents in all kinds of shady ways.

Thanks to Renee as my driver, I was able to efficiently view five houses in just over an hour. However, I was never completely satisfied with any of them, so we continued to drive around this huge city.

Half an hour later, Renee pulled over and said to me with a sigh, "So renting a house is really not easy!"

"Yes, there are a lot of unscrupulous agents out there these days. If you're not careful, they can take advantage of you,"

Renee nodded in agreement. She had never had the opportunity to come into contact with these things before, but she had just experienced them first-hand. This made me realize that sometimes it's not that people can't understand each other, it's just that they haven't really lived in each other's shoes.

"Are you thirsty? I'll go buy you something to drink," I asked Renee.

Renee nodded, and I even forgot to ask her what she wanted to drink. I opened the car door and walked away immediately. At that moment, I felt another wave of uncontrollable depression. Although Renee and I had fought countless times in that old house, I didn't really dislike her. As our relationship deepened, I discovered that she was not the kind of person I had initially thought she was. On the contrary, she was very easygoing. She seemed cold but was actually very warm-hearted. Perhaps she really was a kind woman.

I still remember that time when my father came to see me when I was at my lowest ebb. Although I had done something very wrong to her, she still chose to help me hide my downfall from my father. She even left in the end, leaving the house to me and my father. I still remember, by the moat, she covered my jacket for me so that I would not catch a cold, and I also remember, for me after getting drunk, she brewed honey milk in Robben's little hut...

I was torn between conflicting emotions, and I kept asking myself, "Lucas, do you really want to just stand by and watch a woman like this get caught up in your uncle's business schemes?

I finally looked back and saw her sitting in the car, surrounded by the lights of the city. Her figure was a little lost and lonely, reflected on the car window. I was heartbroken at the sight, but still couldn't tell her the truth. Because of Harlan, because of Mark, I couldn't selfishly ruin their bright futures.

I bought two cups of hot lemon tea and got back into Renee's car. I inserted the straws for her and handed them to her, saying, "It's a bit hot, so drink slowly."

Renee nodded and held the plastic cup in both hands to get the heat from the lemon tea. This autumn night already had a bit of the cold of winter.

We were silent for a long time, and Renee asked me, "Are we going to keep looking?"

"It's up to you. If you're not tired, I'm fine with it."

Renee smiled and said, "It's best to see a job through to the end. Let's get it done in one go and find you a place tonight."

I teased, "Miss Renee is really enthusiastic and resourceful. If you get my business done tonight, you'll be set for good and reap the rewards."

"You're not using the word 'sit back and reap the rewards' accurately. I'm doing you a favor by helping you find a place, and besides, that place was originally mine, so it's a bit far-fetched to say I'm just sitting back and reaping the rewards, isn't it?" Renee said seriously.

"Whatever, why be so petty!" I waved my hand impatiently.

"I learned from you."

I took a big sip of the lemon tea I was holding in both hands, but I almost burned my mouth and spat it out.

Renee pulled out a tissue and handed it to me, then wiped the tea that had fallen on her, complaining, "You just reminded me to be careful of the heat, but why did you forget when you were drinking it?"

I didn't respond to Renee, but my heart was filled with bitterness. I forgot because I was distracted, and I was distracted because I was struggling. At that moment, a strong urge welled up in my heart. I wanted to tell Renee about this conspiracy against her.