Tenant's Secret Love

Chapter 57: I will be myself

I hesitated for a long time before picking up the phone to Renee. My voice seemed to be lower than usual as I asked, "Have you finished work?"

"Well, haven't you finished work yet?"

"I'm about to finish work too."

"Oh, where is your company? I'll come and pick you up. I'll help you move your home today, and I'll be able to get one thing off my mind."

I laughed and said, "The reason you're so enthusiastic about helping me move is because you're afraid that I'll continue to mess with you, right?"

"That's a good word to describe it! ... You still haven't answered me about where your company is."

I froze for a moment before replying, "I'll go to Jumei to find you. The rice noodles restaurant downstairs is really good, and I'll treat you today as a thank you for all the hard work you've done moving my things."

"Okay, then come over. I'll wait for you in front of the rice noodles restaurant."

I replied to Renee, and then the two of them hung up the phone one after the other. I also temporarily gathered my thoughts and left the company with my backpack.

...

When I arrived at the north entrance of Jumei Shopping Center, Renee was already waiting for me in front of the rice noodle shop. She was not wearing any makeup today, but she was still so beautiful and moving. It was the peak shopping time, and the waves of people walking past would almost subconsciously turn their attention to her, attracted by her beauty. After all, natural beauties who don't wear any makeup at all these days are really rare.

However, I am a man who does not really appreciate her beauty. From the first day we met, I felt that her beauty had nothing to do with me. What I cared about was whether she would let me stay in that house. But in the end, I still moved out.

If I put it in a far-fetched way, moving out of that house was also a kind of compromise with reality. Although I had lived in that house for more than two years and Renee had been there for less than a month, because her name was on the property ownership certificate, I was the one who had to move out in the end. It had nothing to do with the length of time or the depth of the relationship, but was simply a compromise under the pressure of reality.

Maybe I really am a very idealistic person, so I used the length of time I had lived in the house as the criterion to impose the status of tenant on Renee, and I didn't feel that there was anything wrong with this, that it was only natural. Now it seems that the tenant is precisely me, and I'm not even considered a tenant. At least Renee, the person with the property ownership certificate, never agreed for me to rent that house.

I went up to Renee, and we both looked at each other in silence, as if we had nothing to talk about without engaging in a war of words.

Finally, I asked her, "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long. Let's go, there's hardly any room left inside," Renee said, looking behind her.

I nodded, and before Renee could react, I walked towards the rice noodle restaurant. For the first time, I very gentlemanly opened the glass door for her. Renee looked at me in surprise, but still politely said "thank you" before walking into the restaurant.

Renee found an empty seat and I went to order. After waiting in line for a while, I ordered two bowls of rice noodles and some other snacks, then sat down opposite Renee with the receipt and the menu.

We had been eating at this rice noodle restaurant for two days in a row, and I couldn't help but ask Renee, who was sitting across from me, in a bored voice, "Is the reason you like eating rice noodles because your name is Renee?"

Renee glanced at me but didn't answer, just lifted the teacup in front of her and took a sip, obviously unwilling to answer my silly question.

I laughed and didn't care, I was used to her indifferent attitude towards me anyway, although on rare occasions we could still act like ordinary friends.

After a while, the ordered food was delivered by the waiter. Renee only ordered a rice noodle, and all the other snacks were pushed to me.

I pushed the chicken leg and dried tofu in front of her again and said, "You have to help me move later. It's physical work, so you need to eat more."

"I'm only responsible for driving. Besides, do you have a lot of stuff? Last time you moved out, I saw you dragging and pulling it all by yourself, and you moved it all at once."

I then thought of the time when I fled in disgrace because I had no money to pay Renee back, and I laughed sheepishly, saying, "I was just looking for an excuse to make you eat more, and then I used your mouth to ruin your looks, to see what you would look like if you became fat!"

"You really are evil! But I'm sorry to tell you, I can't put on weight!"

I laughed from the bottom of my heart when I saw Renee's slightly smug look as she said she couldn't put on weight. Although she is indifferent most of the time, she still has a childlike innocence. The childlike innocence she showed in front of me without realising it also just shows that she no longer has any guard against me. Perhaps all the conflicts and unhappiness between us really just came from that room.

...

After dinner, Renee and I went to Robben's. I really didn't have much stuff, and I had asked her to wait for me downstairs, but she went up with me, carrying a few of the lighter bags for me as far as she could. In fact, she had the same problem with being duplicitous as most women. Just at the rice noodle restaurant, she had told me, "I'm only responsible for driving, not moving."

But such duplicity only proves that she is a kind woman, so my 'stubborn father' quickly judged her to be a good girl after only two meetings.

When we arrived at the new house, I simply cleaned the room, while Renee helped me make the bed at the same time. This made me feel bad, and I remembered that shortly after our first meeting, I had rudely thrown all of her quilts and blankets downstairs. Although I did it to vent my anger, when I compared our actions, I suddenly felt inferior.

After tidying up, I went downstairs to the drinks shop despite my fatigue and bought two glasses of hot juice. I gave one to Renee and moved a chair for her to sit down and rest, which made her wonder if I was going to use sugar-coated words on her again, then regret it and shamelessly ask to move back into the room. In fact, she misunderstood. I was just feeling remorseful about my rudeness to her and now my concealment from her.

Renee had only half drunk her juice. She put the juice on the coffee table and said to me with a sense of relief, "Now that you've finished your business, I should go."

"Oh, you take care on the way."

"Okay," Renee answered, already picking up her handbag.

I opened the door for her and said to her, "In the future, if you live over there and have any problems you can't handle, just call me anytime, I'm always on call."

Renee nodded, turned around and walked out of the house. I said to her again, "If you want home-cooked meals, just come over to my place, I'll cook for you. It's close to your office anyway."

"Got it." Renee didn't turn around, but her tone was less indifferent. I understood that she had got it, not just to deal with me. Maybe one night she would really come over to my place for a home-cooked dinner I had prepared myself, with congee, rice and a few simple home-style dishes.

Renee has already walked further away. Looking at her back, I once again feel a hundred emotions. Perhaps Darren will soon implement his power conspiracy. If I still hide it, even if I tell Renee later, there will not be much time for her to deal with it.

Renee had already entered the elevator and disappeared from my sight. My 'stubborn father's' words to me to 'treat her well' suddenly flashed through my mind, causing me to suffer another bout of excruciating pain. In the midst of this unrelenting pain, I finally felt like I had had enough. I gritted my teeth and told myself, 'I will be myself, the scumbag that everyone else sees me as, but I have my bottom line and I will stand by myself.