Chen Yunsheng took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. Then, he rubbed his cheeks and rose back up to his feet before twisting the key.
Tak!
The lock was released.
Ji Fanyin opened the door from the inside.
Before she could say a word, Chen Yunsheng naively tried to explain, “I’m not used to this key.”
Ji Fanyin pointed upward. Chen Yunsheng looked up and saw a 360-degrees CCTV.
“…”
“I shouldn’t have hung it around your neck. That’s what little kids do,” said Ji Fanyin. “But I lost the medal you gave me. I ransacked my room for a string and strung this to make up for that.”
Chen Yunsheng still remembered it as if it was yesterday. Back then, he had tiptoed to place the champion medal he had won from a basketball match around her neck. In fact, he had drawn an abstract picture of that medal as a secret code when he sent his fan letter to her studio.
Chen Yunsheng immediately put the key necklace back on and said, “I’ll continue wearing it.”
“That key is just a formality,” Ji Fanyin said amusedly. She flicked the electronic lock above the keyhole. “It’s biometric. You can register your fingerprint here.”
Five minutes later, Chen Yunsheng successfully registered his fingerprint with the electronic lock and even tested it twice. He nervously asked with pursed lips, “Can I come in and have a cup of tea?”
Ji Fanyin thought about it and replied, “You can make dinner.”
Chen Yunsheng clenched his fists tightly.
I knew that it was the right decision not to give up on cooking after graduating from my cooking class!
…
Even after he bade Ji Fanyin farewell and left her mansion, he still felt as if he was walking on clouds. He thought that he would be more mature and composed in front of Ji Fanyin, but somehow, he reverted back to that flustered youth whenever she was around.
He had lived many years in the other world and learned many new things, but he was still a newbie when it came to romance. Theories were paper-thin. No matter how many couples he had seen in his previous life, there was only so much he could learn without personally experiencing it.
Chen Yunsheng exhaled deeply as he returned to the apartment he was sharing with someone else.
His roommate was a graphics designer. His job could be done through remote communication, so he didn’t have to meet anyone and socialize. It was particularly suited for homebodies like him.
It had been a while since they started cohabiting. One was a social recluse whereas the other was cold in nature; they surprisingly got along well with each other.
His roommate was just walking out of the kitchen with cup noodles and a pair of disposable chopsticks when Chen Yunsheng entered the house. He lethargically greeted him, “Hi.”
Chen Yunsheng responded with a nod. He was never fond of talking, and his roommate had already gotten used to it.
The roommate was just about to return to his room when he suddenly froze on the spot. He stared at Chen Yunsheng with a look of horror, exclaiming, “What’s wrong, Brother Chen?”
Chen Yunsheng, who had slipped into a pair of slippers, subconsciously touched his own lips, but it didn’t seem like he was smiling uncontrollably like before. It was a relief to him that his expressions only went out of control when he was with Ji Fanyin.
“What do you mean?”
“I know that you major in music and I’ve seen you writing scores, but this is the first time I’m hearing you hum a song!” The roommate’s hand was trembling even though he had cup noodles in his hands. “Are you possessed?”
Chen Yunsheng had no recollection of humming a song. Just as his roommate had said, he had no such habit.
“What did I hum?”
His roommate fearfully retreated into his room as he tried to imitate the melody Chen Yunsheng had subconsciously hummed. “I’m tone-deaf, but I’m pretty sure this is the melody they play at weddings…”
Chen Yunsheng: “… I hummed that?”
His roommate gulped. “Yeap.”
Chen Yunsheng: “…”
His roommate stared at him for a moment, and his desire for gossip eventually overcame his fear and appetite. He walked over with his cup noodles and gestured with a tip of his head. “Brother Chen, is there good news? Are you graduating from singlehood? Come, you should share the news with me.”
“Not yet. It isn’t confirmed.” Chen Yunsheng coldly cut the conversation short. “I’ll go bathe. I still need to work tomorrow.”
He ignored his roommate’s gossipy eyes and headed to his own room.