My Landlord Boyfriend

1.

To save on rent, Lin Nan moved into a run-down apartment in a thirty-five-year-old building.

The old residential complex had plenty of problems. The power tripped whenever it felt like it, the solar water heater only worked three days a week, and three of the four lights had to be replaced.

The young landlord seemed pretty young, fair-skinned and handsome, but he also had that unmistakable air of a second-generation demolition-compensation heir who was happy to coast through life.

Every time he came over to fix a light or a water pipe, he wore a T-shirt and baggy shorts, shuffled around in flip-flops, and carried a battered toolbox.

Friend: "That guy looks pretty good. Why not give him a try?"

Lin Nan said, "No thanks. He's exactly the type I'm not into."

2.

Lin Nan's life had always been harder than everyone else's.

She worked part-time to support herself in high school and took out student loans in college. She chose the grueling computer science major because it paid better.

After graduation, Lin Nan landed a job at a leading internet company, earning a decent salary. But she still didn't dare let up for a moment. She shared an apartment an hour's commute from work and saved more than fifty percent of her income.

By the time she was twenty-six, she had paid off her last debt. She had just one goal left in life: save enough cash to retire early before she turned thirty-five.

Lin Nan was used to fighting with everything she had for what she wanted. She despised all the second-generation heirs who coasted through life on their families' money.

Even if he was honest, sincere, kind...

Much later, Lin Yuandong said the simplest romantic words to her: "Lin Nan, I don't want you to have to work so hard anymore. I'll work, you can collect rent, and you can manage our finances. Will you marry me?"

Lin Nan said, "Yes."

[Retired Systems Architect X Active Programmer]

Theme: Retire early