Contractual Cohabitation GL - Chapter 1

(Jǐng Xiāonán) slightly squinted her eyes for a moment as warm sunlight hit her face when she stepped out of her car, one leg clad in dark brown pinstripe trousers.

Her sunglasses were in the drawer next to the driver’s seat, but on such a fine morning, she just wanted a close encounter with nature’s breath.

Sunlight. Air. Green leaves. Water. She stood by the car and pressed the lock button. This feeling made her close her eyes in satisfaction and breathe deeply.

After over ten consecutive days of busy work, this was her first day since early autumn that she didn’t have to be under artificial light in a plane, office, hotel, or conference room, wearing a cultured smile while facing clients or documents.

She casually ran her fingers through the short hair falling across her forehead. She truly hoped the girl who responded to her post this time could allow her to thoroughly relax and enjoy this day.

This thought made her knit her heroic, sword-like eyebrows almost imperceptibly. This was Melbourne, the city she had settled in for the past two years and the location of her company headquarters. Since she posted her invitation for a girl to spend a pleasant day with her, she had never chosen a girl from her own city. She always contacted a woman from the many responses, a woman who lived in a city she was scheduled to visit a few nights later. The rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its burrow; this principle she understood well. Whether for her personal reasons or for the sake of her career, she did not want to have any future connections with the women who responded to her posts.

But this time, she genuinely needed to relax, especially on this particular day. She didn’t want to be alone.

She sighed, deliberately smoothed out her furrowed brows, adjusted her dark brown suit jacket slightly, and strode towards the address she had already memorized. Before turning away, she glanced with mild curiosity at the quiet small park across the street. Why did the scenery here feel somewhat familiar?

Arriving at the destination building, she noticed that although it was a typical residential building, the overall impression was good, and the various facilities seemed complete. Jing Xiaonan looked at the intercom next to the locked main gate, pondered for a moment, then took out her phone and dialed the temporarily saved number.

The phone rang a few times, then was answered, and a slightly cool yet exceptionally pleasant female voice came through:

“Hello?”

Jing Xiaonan replied with a slight smile: “I’m already downstairs. Should I come up?”

The other person seemed unaccustomed to the natural familiarity in her tone. She hummed, then said, “No need, I’ll be down in a moment.” She paused, as if remembering something, and added, “Please wait a moment.”

Jing Xiaonan maintained her faint smile, replied “Okay,” and stopped speaking.

This situation was one Jing Xiaonan had experienced in dozens of slightly different versions. She was accustomed to the point of numbness regarding so-called first dates. She didn’t go back to the car, nor did she lean against it pretending to be nonchalant. She simply casually put her hands in her pockets and discreetly observed her surroundings.

The lawn was nicely trimmed, and some elegant flowers were grown nearby. From the perspective of the residents of this building, the surrounding environment was refreshing and green, and the orientation was good; homes would get sunlight without being overly exposed. Jing Xiaonan nodded slightly, vaguely sensing that this date might not disappoint her too much.

Thinking back to all the girls she had dated since posting the ad, she couldn’t help but smile. Quality dates weren’t absent, but there were quite a few oddballs too. Nevertheless, they were all experiences that enriched her understanding of the world.

After standing for a little while, about five minutes, the elevator behind the locked glass door of the apartment slowly opened. Jing Xiaonan was always punctual, and the fact that this girl only made her wait for a short while increased her favorable impression of the other party.

After the elevator fully opened, the two finally met face-to-face. In the instant their eyes met ten meters apart, the usually calm heart of Jing Xiaonan surprisingly rippled slightly.

A very beautiful girl. Her nude makeup made her beauty hard not to find stunning. Her beauty was clean, even refined. It wasn’t attention-grabbing or outwardly flamboyant, but once seen, it was difficult to look away. This was secondary; what made Jing Xiaonan feel happy was the aura she exuded. In this woman, a dominant “big sister” presence and gentle introversion were perfectly combined, paired with a very feminine white long dress, giving her the feeling of a goddess descending to earth.

After that brief eye contact, the other person offered a slight smile, nodded slightly towards Jing Xiaonan, and then walked directly over with elegant steps.

Jing Xiaonan subconsciously straightened her back and took two steps forward to greet her. The mild surprise in her heart had been calmed, but a hint of doubt still flashed in her eyes: A woman like this, would she respond to her post?

The other person stopped in front of her. Their gazes met in confirmation again. The woman in the white dress had a trace of uncertainty in her eyes, but she still looked at her gently, waiting for Jing Xiaonan to take the lead.

Being gazed at by such a beautiful woman, three years ago Jing Xiaonan would have been somewhat flustered, but over the years, she had gained more social experience and dealt with all sorts of people. Moreover, this was just a casual date, and the other party wasn’t deliberately difficult, so overall, her state was relatively relaxed.

“Have you eaten breakfast?” Jing Xiaonan stepped half a pace forward, closing the original distance of over a meter between them. It was slightly chilly on an autumn morning. She took the other person’s fair hands and found they were indeed not very warm, so she held them between her own to warm them up. The entire process was deliberately slow, giving the other person time to understand her intention and express any discomfort.

However, the other person didn’t seem to refuse. Although a hint of vagueness flowed in her eyes, she was ultimately cooperative.

“I didn’t know if you had already had breakfast, so I only ate some fruit at home.”

A very thoughtful approach and answer. Jing Xiaonan secretly praised the good upbringing of the beautiful woman before her. She released one hand, which had already warmed up, took the other hand, draped it over her arm, and led today’s date towards the car. As they walked, she said, “Then let’s go to a decent French restaurant nearby for a casual meal. It’s still early, we can’t let you starve.”

From her attitude, wording, and actions, Jing Xiaonan handled everything well. She didn’t come across as domineering, but there was a caring concern reminiscent of lovers who had shed all formality. Was this behavior due to having dated too many times, or was she simply a polished person? The woman who had been crowned “date” moved her lips but said nothing.

Jing Xiaonan opened the passenger door for her, waited for her to sit down, and then closed it. She then walked around to her driver’s seat. Throughout the process, she wore a sunny smile. The date looked at her smile and finally, involuntarily, curved her lips too. The sunlight today was quite warm.

The French restaurant Jing Xiaonan took her to was not the extremely high-end, overly formal, showy type. But from Jing Xiaonan’s observation of the look in her eyes as she glanced around, she knew the date liked it.

The restaurant was casual, with comfortable and fashionably coordinated décor and seating. Because the location was good, the window view was pleasing to the eye, coupled with the excellent craftsmanship here, Jing Xiaonan’s sense of style was immediately apparent.

After they had ordered breakfast and the waiter left, Jing Xiaonan produced a folded paper rose from where the waiter had taken the menus, smiled, and handed it over.

“This is for you.”

The date’s hand, which was adjusting her hair, paused, and her eyes fell on the beautifully folded red rose. But even with her peripheral vision, she could see the slight expectation in Jing Xiaonan’s eyes. Her hand didn’t move, and her expression seemed hesitant. She looked up at Jing Xiaonan, coincidentally spotting the wall behind her covered with countless sheets of the same colored paper, mostly bearing messages from couples. Looking towards the edge of their table, sure enough, there were a few blank red papers placed there. She suddenly smiled and gracefully accepted the rose.

“It’s beautifully folded.” Another pause, then: “Thank you.”

Jing Xiaonan nodded, secretly sighing at the sheer beauty of her smile. Then she continued, “What would you like to do today?”

“Hmm?” Seemingly not expecting such a question, the date paused, “Haven’t you planned it?”

Jing Xiaonan hummed, tapping the table gently with her knuckles. This woman, from the morning until now, had consistently been compliant, neither showing any of her own preferences nor expressing any curiosity. She was hard to read.

Jing Xiaonan always got along very well with people of the same gender; one might say she was quite popular with women. She wasn’t boring, nor did she come across as frivolous. Her innate romanticism added significantly to her attraction, and her every gesture, while maintaining grace, also appropriately showed a carefree manner. Overall, she was very pleasing to most women’s eyes.

While she was distracted, pondering her companion, the other party was also quietly observing her.

Softly contoured peach-blossom eyes, with obvious ‘aegyo-sal’ (cute under-eye fat) when she smiled. A pair of sword-like eyebrows and a straight nose gave her an air of heroism, but slightly upturned lips added a feminine touch to Jing Xiaonan’s features. Her figure was tall and slender with slightly broad shoulders, allowing her to wear a suit quite well. And her hair—her hair was not slicked with gel, not permed or dyed, nor cut extremely short, but fell naturally across her forehead, obliquely covering part of her eyebrows, making her features look delicate and pleasant.

As both of them were lost in thought, the waiter returned, carrying a tray with their coffees and breakfast. After setting down the cups and plates, he handed over a red card, explaining:

“Our restaurant owner is going to propose to the woman of his heart, and one of the gifts is a collection of nine hundred and ninety-nine blessing cards he has prepared. We are handing one to every table of customers, hoping you can write a blessing on the card in any language, sign your name, and help our boss succeed in his proposal.”

Upon hearing this, the romantic gene in Jing Xiaonan’s core resonated. She nodded to the waiter, indicating her willingness. She took the card and pen, then asked the woman sitting quietly across from her, “Would you like to write something too?”

The other person considered it for a moment, then took it and wrote two sentences of blessings. Her pen tip paused noticeably before signing, but she eventually wrote her full name, then handed it back to Jing Xiaonan.

Jing Xiaonan took the card and read the writing on it quite openly. The handwriting was neither too big nor too small, and the strokes were clear and strong, as if she had practiced. Her eyes finally landed on the last three characters.

Ye Luochen.

A very suitable name for her, although calling her ‘Luo Shen’ (Goddess of the Luo River) would be even more apt. Jing Xiaonan thought to herself, then boldly signed her own name in a flowing style, and returned the card and pen to the waiter with a smile.