"Seems they haven’t told you yet. Your parents mentioned three rooms—the guest room plus yours and theirs—are all shareable. I’ve already paid three months’ rent. How about you check with them, little bro~?"

"..."

Lu Huai’s mind went blank.

This lively young woman—radiating a uniquely cool, effortlessly stylish vibe, yet undeniably alluring—had already wheeled her suitcase into the living room while he stood frozen at the doorway.

"What’re you spacing out for? Don’t tell me my look’s too much for a good boy like you?"

Lu Huai instinctively turned away.

The boldly dressed girl, tattoos peeking from her sleeves, leaned against the sofa, tilting her head slightly to glance at him sideways, eyes narrowed with quiet scrutiny.

Lu Huai froze, then awkwardly looked away. Fumbling to pull out his phone, his voice trembled:

"U-um… sorry, I’ll just call them…"

Clutching the phone, he headed toward the balcony.

Even though taking the call right there wouldn’t be weird, he instinctively avoided it. To him, such moments could tip into awkwardness in a heartbeat—and with her watching, he couldn’t use the casual tone he’d normally use with his parents.

The girl waved dismissively.

"Go ahead~ I’m actually pretty satisfied with you."

Her blind-date-style comment made Lu Huai quicken his steps. A faint hint of warmth flickered at the compliment, but he knew better—his looks couldn’t possibly win over a stranger on first meeting. Just flattery.

On the balcony, the crisp evening breeze cleared the fog from his mind. Lu Huai’s thoughts were usually sharp—he wasn’t slow—but his emotions were easily swayed. That was just him.

He gazed at the star-dusted sky and the warm lights of the opposite building.

Amid distant car horns, he dialed his mom.

Compared to his stern father, his comforting, gentle mom was the only one he could ask right now.

"Hey, son!"

"Mom… uh… about the tenant? You rented the place without telling me…?"

Lu Huai asked helplessly.

"Huh? I mentioned it! Near summer break’s end—I called, you went ‘uh-huh, uh-huh’… so I took that as yes! The listing’s been up half a month. Your dad and I won’t be back for three months. Empty house? Waste. Extra cash *and* someone watching over you? Win-win!"

A few issues…

What the heck was "uh-huh"?

Lu Huai strained to recall—aha. He’d been gaming. She called. He barely listened, dismissed it as trivial… and it was about *renting the house*?!

"T-this isn’t okay, Mom. You know I… struggle talking to strangers. Especially a girl…"

"She’s great! I checked her profile, chatted all night. Would I set you up badly? Chuzhou University grad, top grades, now into music. A little rebellious, sure—but no bad habits. She’s stunning! Get to know her—she won’t be hard on you."

"It’s not about looks or music, Mom… your son just can’t handle this…"

"What do you mean? Lu Huai… be honest. Are you… into guys?"

"NO!!"

"Then what’s the problem? Living with a cool older sister might help you open up. This is your parents’ heartfelt effort—we vetted her carefully. She’s the one we handpicked!"

"But…"

"No buts. Deposit’s paid. Want us to refund her?"

"...Mom, just listen—"

No one listened.

His mom had already hung up.

Everyone knows: in parent-child talks, *kids* usually hang up first—not out of disrespect, but when topics hit dead ends. Kids know parents won’t abandon them, so hanging up feels natural.

But roles had reversed.

His mom hung up on *his* fussing.

Lu Huai didn’t call back.

Her stance was clear. Now he faced reality: a stunning, uniquely stylish girl—the exact type he couldn’t handle—was moving in.

Unbelievable. Like reality bleeding into fantasy. He almost wanted to post:

*"A cool older sister’s moving in with me—what do I do? Online help needed, urgent."*

A humblebrag. Sounding helpless, dripping with show-off energy.

But he wouldn’t post it. Too obvious. People would just think he was delusional, fishing for attention.

Sure, any teen would call this a dream—straight out of a rom-com manga.

But for Lu Huai? Beyond the flicker of surprise lay deep worry.

He was bad with people. With women? Disastrous.

With a beautiful, charismatic woman? He’d evaporate into oblivion.

After the initial shock faded, daily life would bring quiet strain.

Given his personality, they’d likely become strangers who shared a roof yet drifted further apart each day.

Within days, she’d see he was boring to the core—no spark for casual chat, no jokes to ease silence. Just timid, awkward glances.

Leaving that impression bothered him less than the thought of seeing disdain in her eyes.

And he knew… it was only a matter of time.

His fleeting amazement had vanished, replaced by quiet dread.

"Call done?"

The young woman—young in years but radiating mature cool, tall and confident—leaned against the sofa, smiling at him.

Lu Huai sat on the side sofa. His bangs couldn’t hide his face. *Why can’t modern aesthetics love helmet-length bangs?*

She was watching him. He felt it.

"Done… sorry for the delay…"

"No worries. You weren’t informed—now you are. Let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Su Xiangrong—*Xiangrong*, from the line *‘Clouds long for her robes, flowers envy her beauty.’* I’m a rapper. Not famous yet… but soon. AKA Su Mi—ready to vibe anytime~ hey, yo~"

"..."

With a casual gesture, her body swaying like she might drop into a street dance any second… Lu Huai’s skin prickled with goosebumps.

A little… awkward…

More than a little.

Would anyone *actually* do label-sign gestures to your face?!

And Mom said *singer*? Since when *rapper*?!

Ah. Tattoos made sense. Why she needed a roommate—suddenly clear.

Su Xiangrong noticed his dazed silence. Awkwardness was contagious. She smoothly dropped the pose, cleared her throat.

"And you?"

Lu Huai jolted. Hesitated. Spoke softly:

"I… I’m Lu Huai…"

He had nothing more. But Su Xiangrong’s curious gaze lingered, waiting.

*Wait—simple intros end here, right?*

*What else?!*

*I don’t have an AKA!*

*"Yo, AKA Fei Hua—who wrecked you in Sword Heart, Zither Soul?"*

*Get real! I’m just a regular, socially anxious high schooler—not a rapper!*

"..."

"Huh? That’s it?"

Lu Huai nodded honestly.

"That’s all…"

"How old? Still in high school?"

"Seventeen… second year."

"You *are* young. But no worries—if rent’s this cheap, big sister’ll look after you. Oh! Can you cook?"

Watching his unusually shy demeanor, she wondered: *Is my charm overwhelming? Or does ‘rapper’ feel too distant?*

Lu Huai shook his head.

"I can’t…"

"Coincidence! Me neither! So what—takeout every day?"

Su Xiangrong asked, utterly forgetting the golden rule of not imposing what you dislike.

Just as Lu Huai opened his mouth—

*Knock knock!*

"Lu Huai~! Open up! I’m starving out here!"

"..."

*Oh no.*

It wasn’t about love triangles or dramatic showdowns.

For someone with social anxiety, any group over two people doubled the panic risk—and it had just tripled.