Renting a House

"A growing lad will eat his father out of house and home."

After finishing two bowls of noodles, Lin Mo added an order of spare ribs and cured meat rice.

Under the watchful gaze of the auntie running the shop, he polished off two full bowls.

"Burp~~~" A long, satisfying belch escaped him.

Lin Mo patted his not-quite-distended stomach—this feeling of fullness was pure comfort.

The effects of the Body-Strengthening Pill seemed to linger.

His entire body felt warm and cozy, and despite the summer heat, not a single drop of sweat trickled down.

Bill paid, he headed out.

Walking down the street, he suddenly remembered that in his past life, he’d returned home on this very day, dropped his things, and immediately gone out to buy a mountain of snacks.

Then he’d gamed on his computer while munching away.

Thinking back, that didn’t sound half bad.

So Lin Mo bought some snacks too, though not as much—just enough to indulge in a bit of nostalgia.

Back home, he booted up his computer, still running on Windows 7.

Lin Mo had been fond of computers since childhood, so he’d taught himself how to install operating systems and download games to play.

Thanks to that, his family had gotten an internet connection early, allowing him to search for information online.

Now, reborn, Lin Mo had no intention of gaming. What he sought were clues about cultivation.

But the moment he searched...

"A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality" was still ongoing.

"Immortality’s Favor" had already concluded.

There were plenty of cultivation novels, but not a single scrap of real information about cultivators.

"Hey, System, did you bring me to the wrong world?" Lin Mo couldn’t help but grumble.

[Impossible! Absolutely impossible. Besides, this system is bound to you, Host. If anyone’s in the wrong place, it’s you.]

"Oh. Well, in that case, I guess we’re not lost."

Still unable to confirm whether cultivators existed in this world, Lin Mo decided to keep observing.

In simpler terms: lay low.

Anyone who’d read The Three-Body Problem knew how terrifying the Dark Forest theory was.

...

Early the next morning.

[Daily Mission: Run 10 kilometers.]

"System, you’ve gotten colder."

[Not really. "Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars—no system in this world compares to me."]

This system was anything but serious.

Lin Mo got up, checked the route, and decided to take the bus to his landlady’s place first, then run back.

He headed out, stopping at the local eatery downstairs for a serving of rice noodle rolls with minced meat.

After eating, he walked to the subway.

The apartment he was renting was on the outskirts of the urban village, a place he’d found just before summer break.

It had previously been shared by two young migrant workers, but they’d apparently changed jobs and moved out, leaving it vacant.

The location was ideal—transport and amenities were all within easy reach.

Guangba Middle School, where Lin Mo studied, was only about ten minutes away.

Practically next door.

Lin Mo walked downstairs with practiced ease.

After all, he’d lived here for three years. The place felt both familiar and strangely distant.

Standing at the foot of the stairs, he dialed the landlady’s number.

"Hello, Auntie? I’m downstairs."

"Oh, you’re here already? I’ll have my daughter come down to let you in. Just wait a moment."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. Just like last time.

Soon, the slap of slippers echoed from the stairwell.

A girl came down and unlocked the metal gate at the bottom.

She stood around 165 cm tall—quite tall for a girl—with a ponytail swaying behind her. A black T-shirt and black pants suggested she’d just rolled out of bed.

Her outfit was plain, but her face was strikingly pretty.

If Lin Mo remembered right, she was the class belle from the parallel class—Xie Yuling.

In his past life, he’d thought their meeting was fate.

Turned out, she couldn’t have cared less.

Probably sensing his intentions, she’d kept her distance from the start.

Eventually, he’d gotten the hint and moved on.

Remembering those cringe-worthy days, Lin Mo shook his head with a wry smile.

"You’re here to rent the apartment, right?"

The girl scrutinized him with a measuring gaze.

"Yeah. Your mom asked you to let me in, right? I’ll move in a few days—just here to pick up the keys today."

Lin Mo didn’t return her once-over. Instead, he gestured upstairs. "Shall we head up?"

He took the lead, climbing the steps.

The landlady’s family lived on the sixth floor—the top.

In a walk-up like this, the highest floors were the hardest to rent out, so they’d kept it for themselves.

By the time they reached the top, the door was already open.

The landlady greeted him warmly.

"Ah, Lin Mo! Didn’t expect you so early!"

"Got back from my grandma’s yesterday, and I’ve got nothing else to do today, so I figured I’d come get the keys now."

The landlady handed over the contract and keys.

Goat City, as a provincial capital, had long-established rental regulations due to its large migrant population.

"Want to go down and check the place again? No rush."

The landlady smiled kindly.

Lin Mo returned the smile and signed the contract without hesitation.

"Already checked it last time. It’s perfect. Just here for the keys today."

He pulled out a stack of cash—electronic payments weren’t mainstream yet.

First month’s rent plus deposit came to 800 yuan.

400 for rent wasn’t bad, especially with appliances included. He hadn’t haggled before, and there was no need to start now.

Xie Yuling, who’d let him in earlier, had already retreated to her room, clearly uninterested in further interaction.

Lin Mo didn’t mind. In his memory, this was exactly how she’d treated him the first time around.

Keys and access card in hand, he headed down to the fourth-floor apartment.

It had a kitchen, private bathroom, one bedroom, and decent lighting.

Air conditioning, washing machine, water heater—all the essentials were there.

The location was great, and with little time left to find another place, this was ideal.

After inspecting the clean, freshly tidied apartment (the previous tenants had moved out, and the landlady had given it a thorough scrub), Lin Mo prepared to run home.

On his way downstairs, he ran into Xie Yuling again—now changed into a blue outfit.

Still sporting a ponytail, but the shift from black to blue gave her a more youthful vibe.

Her expression, however, remained as frosty as ever.

She barely glanced at Lin Mo before walking off on her own.

Lin Mo didn’t dwell on it and continued downstairs.

By the time he reached the ground floor, Xie Yuling was already out of sight.

Every time he saw her, Lin Mo was reminded of his past foolishness.

The cringe was unbearable.

Now that they’d crossed paths again in this life, he figured it was best not to bother her.

No need to become the butt of jokes in future gossip.

With that thought, Lin Mo checked the street signs and started running.

No Google Maps on his phone in this era, after all.