Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

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"What?" Zhao Daxing blinked in slight confusion.

"I'm kind-hearted and can't stand to see others suffer," said Xu Qingyan, "Sorry, but you can go back. I'll find an agent without so many ridiculous rules."

As he spoke, he turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Ji, I'll give you a real discount," Zhao Daxing said as he saw the evening approaching; if he didn't take this deal, he had no idea what tomorrow's apartment viewings would be like.

He drove an Audi A8. Although he was only willing to offer a thousand, it looked like he could seal the deal today.

At these words, Xu Qingyan stopped in his tracks and glanced back at Zhao Daxing.

"A real discount?"

The little electric scooter zipped through the lanes, the phone mounted on its holder, the scenery retreating around them. There weren't many people in Zhao Daxing's live stream, just a few sporadic comments floating on the screen.

"Is Daxing handling company tasks again?"

"I'm dead, he almost got beaten up in his last stream, how dare he do it again?"

When they reached their destination, Xu Qingyan got out of the car, and a few more comments suddenly appeared on the sparse comment feed.

"Little brother looks so handsome, why is he wearing his mask so tightly? In my many years of experience with handsome men, he must be a heartthrob! Are you shy? Take it off and show your face to sister."

With a screech, Zhao Daxing picked up his phone and got out of the car. After a quick glance at the comments, he turned to Xu Qingyan and swiftly started to introduce the specifics of the old and worn-down residential area behind them.

"Classic old house, a scholarly family's former home, a neighborhood with a long history."

Xu Qingyan took a look at the shabby neighborhood and said, "Liu Yuxi must have written his 'Rustic Charm' poem here, right?"

"It's okay if you're not satisfied, we can just switch to another one," Zhao Daxing said, getting into the car and turning to him, "Brother, a thousand is a bit low, could you raise your budget a bit?"

"No."

The two huffed and puffed up to another building, and Zhao Daxing's first words made Xu Qingyan lose his composure.

"A house that demands you take a shower as soon as you enter!"

He looked around and said, "Is this converted from a public toilet? I don't even pick houses like this when I play Peace Elite, come on, I'm offering a thousand, not one hundred."

The comments exploded with laughter, and the number of viewers began to rise.

"Outrageous, where did the live stream find this house? Are there any Xinghai locals who can tell me if a thousand really only gets you a bathroom to live in?"

"Fuck, the squat toilet is right next to the bed, I really can't deal with this."

"Hahaha, so convenient in the winter, no need to get out of bed. Just roll over and you can pee, how handy!!"

"Indeed, if you're thirsty at night, no need to bother; just turn over and drink right from the trench."

"And the house even comes with an air conditioner, looks older than my grandmother. Xinghai's peeps are truly unique, the rich ones are still so stingy."

Zhao Daxing was a little surprised as the number of viewers unexpectedly soared to five thousand, and the comments went from sparse to dense.

An unclear idea formed in his mind... Hmm... next time, maybe he should shoot some outrageous houses and make a short video. It could be a way to grow his account.

"Let's go, let's go, I'm done looking," Xu Qingyan was beyond impatient, "Hurry up, I've had it, tell me how much I have to pay to live in a decent neighborhood."

"Around four to five thousand, depends on the area, the farther ones only need about three thousand," Zhao Daxing replied as he turned back, "Mr. Ji, you have a car, so it really wouldn't be a problem to live a bit farther away."

But the car wasn't his, so it wasn't like he could keep driving it forever.

Xu Qingyan planned to rent a foothold in Xinghai, because Pei Muchan was developing her career there, and there would certainly be future collaboration opportunities for music production with her.

As for why he didn't continue living in Pei Muchan's apartment, a short stay was one thing. But now that "Qing Tian" was gaining traction, it meant there would likely be more collaborations in the future.

Looking at the long term, taking advantage of someone did not bode well for a relationship.

But four to five thousand a month... that really seemed outrageous, not considering himself rich at the moment, and housing was a necessary expense. He had hoped to save where he could.

Just earned three hundred thousand! To put up with this indignity?

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By the time he returned to the studio, it was already seven in the evening.

Xu Qingyan hadn't eaten yet, sighed, and walked up to the second floor, which was still lit. Pei Muchan, who apparently had come back at some point, was there looking at her computer.

"Did you finish the score?" she asked without lifting her head when she heard him.

"Yeah."

He found a chair to sit down, "The houses in Xinghai are seriously outrageous, this afternoon... Ugh, never mind."

On hearing this, Pei Muchan lifted her gaze and looked at him indifferently. Her eyes moved away from the computer screen, revealing no emotion, but a faint cold light lingered in her eyes.

"I have an empty apartment of my own, why do you want to move out?"

"I'm not around often and I'm planning to find a place to settle down here," Xu Qingyan didn't hide the truth, sincerely saying, "Thank you, Boss Pei, for taking me in, but now I have some money, so..."

"Because I see Boss Pei as a friend, that's why I don't want to take advantage. Your house looks ninety-nine percent new, and it's troubling for an outsider like me to live there without paying."

"I have a friend who has a three-bedroom apartment," Pei Muchan said, glancing at him, "It's not expensive, want me to take you to see it?"

"Your friend?" Xu Qingyan appeared hesitant, glancing at Pei Muchan, "You'd better really have this friend and not just be trying to subsidize me."

Pei Muchan: "..."

Under the light, her eyes appeared very light in color, as if always surrounded by a thin layer of mist. Just one look from her, even if brief, was stunning.

The night outside the window was silent, a cicada droned from some tree in the late summer night.

"Do I look like someone who would do such boring things?" She fixed her gaze on Xu Qingyan and declared, "There's no need to deceive you; my friend has an urgent matter abroad and is busy trying to sublet in a day or two."

"She is upright, we've known each other for a long time, and the contract still has a year and three months left. You can sign the sublet with confidence, the original rental was five thousand a month, now it's two thousand five hundred."

What a discount, it was indeed worth considering.

That evening, Pei Muchan took him to see the apartment, which was flawless after a thorough look.

It was well-lit and ventilated from both north and south, spacious and clean, and the soundproofing was good. Although it was far from being as luxurious as Pei Muchan's big flat, it could also be considered quite bourgeois.

He didn't hesitate and agreed on the spot. They signed the contract online, transferred the money, and sealed the rental deal.

Having settled the accommodation issue, Xu Qingyan was in a good mood; only after his stomach growled did he realize he hadn't eaten dinner. Upon asking, he learned that Pei Muchan hadn't eaten either.

They casually drove around the neighborhood and found a small restaurant to eat in. The flavor was truly amazing, and despite being hard to find, the prices were reasonable.

The semi-open kitchen sparkled with firelight from the frying pan. The tantalizing aroma kept wafting into the main hall, stirring hunger.

Watching the owner debone a crucian carp, mince it into paste, mix it with egg whites, use a funnel to squeeze fish balls into a pot, and garnish them with scallions, drizzle sesame oil, and lay them on greens was a spectacle in itself.

Just watching the cooking process was worth the price of admission.

"Thanks to you, I was really going to struggle with finding a place," Xu Qingyan, who was preparing the tableware, sighed, "It's said that good apartments simply don't circulate, and now I understand why."

"Did you go look on the east side of the city today?"

"How did you know? I was taken on a wild goose chase by some damn agent. Saw plenty of bathroom-sized places, but hardly any proper rooms."

"Yeah, rents in Xinghai are indeed a bit high," Pei Muchan commented disinterestedly, her credibility almost nil, "I saw you today, featured on the Douhai live stream homepage."

Xu Qingyan: "...."

"You recognized me? Wasn't I wearing a mask?" He was somewhat speechless, "It's all because of that jackass, the agent's mouth is full of nothing but lies, acting as if all the good apartments are extinct."

"Heh." Pei Muchan smirked and then looked down at her phone, "I'd recognize you even if you turned to ashes."

Perhaps realizing that her statement might sound a bit too ambiguous, she felt a flush of warmth on her face and a physiological mist clouded her eyes. Fortunately, as she was looking down, the abnormality went unnoticed.

"Let me see, what homepage feature? He's really asking for it, trying to make money off me," Xu Qingyan murmured and opened the short video app, starting to search for the keyword, Zhao Daxing.

Just as a new video popped up and he was about to watch, his phone suddenly buzzed. Lin Wanzhou, who had been missing for a day and a half, abruptly messaged back.

"The contract is terminated."