Contemporary realism, life in a rented room
Tough, tender-hearted, down-to-earth man VS clever, crafty college student
One-line summary: Wherever the money is, that's where love is.
[Blurb One]
The story begins romantically:
They meet at a bar and fall in love at first sight.
After his startup gets caught up in illegal business and is ordered by a court to pay 300,000 yuan in damages, Xue Zhengyi is forced to work at a bar to pay off his debt.
At the table, he overhears a group of men talking about a million-yuan deal. Xue Zhengyi immediately drops his glass and apron and rushes over to the most handsome man among them.
"Bro," he says ingratiatingly, "need a service?"
The man looks him up and down.
Xue Zhengyi grins at him, showing all his pearly whites.
The man asks, "How much?"
Xue Zhengyi says, "Three hundred thousand."
The man waves him off. "Too much."
Xue Zhengyi ventures, "How about a monthly package?"
The man says, "A year. I'll cover room and board, plus two thousand a month for spending money."
Xue Zhengyi reluctantly agrees. "Deal!"
And so, with a group of friends looking on in bewilderment, the man takes his hand.
Just like that, Xue Zhengyi is taken home by a complete stranger.
The man doesn't live in a luxurious mansion. He rents a single room in an urban village for just 600 yuan a month.
Xue Zhengyi complains, "Bro, we're living here?"
The man replies coolly, "I'm a little short on cash."
Xue Zhengyi raises an eyebrow. "For the whole year?"
The man shakes his head. "Tomorrow we'll sleep under a bridge."
Xue Zhengyi: "?"
The man pats him on the shoulder. "Get up at five tomorrow morning. We're moving."
Somehow, Xue Zhengyi becomes a cheap laborer earning 2,000 yuan a month.
A friend asks Zhao Mingdong in puzzlement, "You're an honest, hardworking good man. Why'd you bring home a lazy little con artist?"
Zhao Mingdong gets protective and declares righteously, "Rescuing a wayward college boy starts with me."
[Blurb Two]
Deep in the narrow alleys of an urban village, two poor fools with a combined debt of one million yuan become roommates.
The big brother works hard to pay the bills, while the little brother is determined to get something for nothing.
No miraculous golden finger to turn their lives around. They just open their eyes every morning and get to work!
They bicker all day, then have to squeeze into the same bed at night because they can't afford another.
Don't ask. They do it in the daytime and at night, too.
Reading guide:
A cozy everyday story about keeping each other company
Life is full of little annoyances, and a little bickering keeps things lively
Their days unfold at an easy pace as the sweethearts dote on each other
One-on-one, switch, happy ending, five-year age gap, lighthearted
Theme: Better to please yourself than put on a show for others
