Chapter 136: Oh No, Am I Really Starting to Think About Being a Good Wife and Raising Kids?
This is just too strange. I must be cursed or something.
When did it even start? When did I become this close to Xia Changyu?
Lin Yibai shook her head, she really didn’t know. At first, she just wanted to take advantage of being a girl to make life a little easier.
But it was like Pandora’s box. Once it was opened, there was no going back. And after becoming a girl, it wasn’t even as complicated or dramatic as those novels made it seem.
She lay on the hotel bed with no clothes on, a thin blanket only covering her chest and part of her stomach. It looked pretty tempting, honestly. The cool breeze from the air conditioner and the soft morning sunlight at 8 or 9 a.m. made everything feel super comfortable.
After finishing her chat with Xia Changyu, she was still thinking about what it meant to become a girl.
Thinking about the future. Thinking about that annoying guy.
“So-called 'girl advantage'... I guess I’ve already enjoyed it, I’ve tried it. Things are fine as they are now, so I shouldn’t try to stir things up anymore,” she whispered with a small sigh.
But the truth was, there was no turning back now.
This time, her transformation was lasting way longer than usual. Even after the whole weekend, the transformation meter was still more than half full. Would she have to ask her dorm mates to call in sick for her again on Monday?
Lin Yibai realized this situation couldn’t keep going like this. It really wasn’t sustainable.
The only small relief was probably that, thanks to Xia Changyu getting involved, her once messy part-time work life started becoming more stable.
Each day she helped guide the new department's tasks. And if she had time, she could still do random side jobs. If she didn’t feel like going out, it was fine too. The pay Xia Changyu offered was decent enough.
Time seemed to fly by. She broke up with Gu Xiaoxue in April, went to Binhai to save that annoying guy in May, and now it was already late June.
While she still felt unsure sometimes, she was getting more and more used to being a girl.
Since she wasn’t going to change back anytime soon, Lin Yibai decided to get some other things done.
She opened the school forums from several universities nearby.
More and more posts were showing up. People offering rentals or subleasing their places.
She chuckled softly and said, “Most seniors have already gotten their graduation certificates. Whether they’re starting work or going back to their hometowns, now’s the perfect time to grab a good rental deal.”
As her body continued to change, she realized she was no longer comfortable living with her guy roommates...
Because now... She really had become a girl.
So while she had the time, she figured she should settle the housing situation first.
She didn’t want to go home during summer break.
I mean, look at her now, how could she?
Even though the system slightly adjusted people’s memories, it would still feel... really weird.
Looking at all the rental posts on university forums:
[For Rent: Two-bedroom, one living room, one bathroom with big balcony, good sunlight, safe area – 2800 yuan/month]
[For Rent: Newly decorated apartment with furniture, only 3900 yuan/month. Rule: No cooking allowed.]
[For Rent: Cheap and budget-friendly...]
Lin Yibai looked at the listings and said to herself, “Looks like with so many students moving out for summer, the landlords are getting a bit desperate!”
She carefully looked through many rental ads, crossing out the obvious bad ones.
For example, some listings had the same price as others but didn’t even allow cooking, what’s the point of that?
She kept narrowing down her rental conditions.
Instead of renting from random landlords, she preferred finding graduating seniors who were subleasing their places. At least the price was usually clear and fair.
“Good environment, fair price, safety, convenience...” she muttered, then realized she might be asking for too much. The things she wanted didn’t really go well together.
She wanted a nice place and a low price? Was she dreaming?
So she gave up on “nice environment” first, and as expected, way more rental options suddenly appeared.
But when she thought about giving up “safety” and “convenience” too, Lin Yibai quickly shook her head. She was a girl now, those things were still very important.
After checking the listings that met her standards and were still close to campus, she saw that most were old buildings.
In the end, after comparing a few, she decided on an old apartment located in a government retirement home. The building looked outdated and was from the last century, so most students, especially girls, wouldn’t even consider it.
That’s because in many girls’ minds, old buildings mean danger. The older the place, the less safe they feel.
Even if the place had a sign saying it was a “Government Retirement Home,” it didn’t change those impressions.
These kinds of buildings were usually meant for retired officials. It’s hard to explain, but the important part was, there was a place available for rent. And because of the type of building it was, even if it looked old, the safety was pretty much guaranteed.
The person subleasing it was a graduating senior girl. They arranged to meet in person.
Lin Yibai played it smart and asked first, “Senior, where are you from?”
The senior didn’t think much and casually said a city name from another province.
They were discussing an old one-bedroom apartment in a traditional building style. The senior’s asking price wasn’t too high.
“It’s 1300 RMB a month. It has a kitchen and bathroom. I can leave everything for you. What do you think?”
1300? That was a very fair price.
Even for an old place, one-bedroom apartments like this usually went for around 1500.
But Lin Yibai still wasn’t fully satisfied. She replied, “You can take the kitchen and bathroom stuff with you. I mean, do I look like someone who cooks?”
With her smooth skin and delicate looks, she really didn’t seem like someone who cooked.
But this was a deal, after all, some negotiation was expected.
Lin Yibai couldn’t just show all her cards. Should she say she loved cooking and was a little home chef?
Lin Yibai knew the graduating senior was from another province and was in a hurry to return home, so she wanted to rent out the place quickly. That meant there was still room to bargain.
And sure enough, the graduating senior looked a bit troubled and asked, “Then... how much are you thinking?”
Lin Yibai replied, “Senior, you know I don’t have much money. How about 1,100 yuan?”
The senior was shocked and shook her head right away. “No way! That’s impossible. I’d lose too much money!”
But Lin Yibai argued back, “But I’m also taking a big risk here, right?”
The senior frowned. “What kind of risk?”
Lin Yibai explained, “After I take over the lease, I’ll have to give you the full deposit that you gave to the landlord. But you’re going back home, so I have no guarantee or protection.”
The senior quickly said, “You can trust me!”
Lin Yibai shook her head and replied,
“Can trust be used as food? According to the usual deposit rules, three months deposit, one month rent. I’ll need to pay you over 4,000 yuan all at once. Honestly... that’s a huge risk for a student like me.”
The senior said, “But 1,100 is just too low.”
Lin Yibai said calmly, “That’s why this has to be fair for both sides. You can think about it more. I’ll keep checking other places too. Here’s my contact info. If you think my offer is okay, feel free to reach out.”
Then, she got up and left.
It was summer vacation, renters had the advantage now, so Lin Yibai wasn’t worried at all.
The one who was in a rush was the senior. Why hurry to pay full price, just because the landlord is a woman? That wouldn’t make sense.
And just like she expected—
Not even three days passed before the senior called and asked her to come look at the place.
From the outside, the building looked old and worn, but inside it was clean and bright. White tiles, soft-colored walls, pink posters, and wind chimes on the windows.
There was a fridge, kitchen cabinets, a gas stove, and cookware.
Lin Yibai liked it right away. But she still said, “I don’t cook, so I’m not interested in any of the kitchen stuff. You can take all of it with you.”
(Please don’t! I beg you, leave the kitchen stuff!)
She was a little home chef. She loved cooking.
And since Sister Xia once told her about her annoying rival’s favorite foods, Lin Yibai believed she was really good at making dishes that guy liked.
Wait... why was she thinking about cooking for him?
What if that annoying guy said it didn’t taste good?
Then what? Lin Yibai snorted and muttered with a serious look, ‘If he dares say that, I’ll just kill him. Hmph!’
Ah, wait! She hadn’t even signed the rental yet! Why did she already sound like a little wife, thinking about cooking and taking care of a man?
No! That’s not who she was.
Cooking is fine, but being a good wife and mother?
Absolutely not.