YUZE
Ugh... here we go again.
Life has a strange way of disappointing me-just when I start believing that maybe, this time, things might get a little better.
I guess I forgot... not everything in this world works the way you want it to.
I glanced down at my shirt as I walked across the campus, the faint stain still visible despite my attempt to brush it off.
Careless.
People like that were everywhere.
Distracted. Loud. Unaware of their surroundings...
And when it came to fixing their mistakes-
even worse.
Good.
Very good.
Running away from the problem only made her more troublesome.
...Whatever.
It was annoying.
I exhaled quietly, pushing the thought aside.
It didn't matter.
She was just another stranger I happened to run into.
Without wasting another second, I turned toward the street leading to the bakery.
The familiar bell rang softly as I pushed the door open.
"I'm home," I said, glancing at my mother with a faint smile.
"You're back early," her voice came from behind the counter.
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I placed my bag down and looked at the faint stain on my shirt again.
She noticed it instantly.
"What happened?"
I paused for a moment before replying, my tone calm.
"I think the number of blind people in this world is increasing."
There was a brief silence.
Then-
"Yuze."
I ignored the warning in her voice and walked past the counter.
"Someone spilled coffee," I added, as if that explained everything.
"An accident?" she asked.
I didn't respond.
Because for some reason...
it didn't feel like just an accident.
To avoid the silence, I headed inside.
Maybe baking would help.
After freshening up and tying on my apron, I paused for a second.
Leaving her worried like that... wasn't right.
"Fresh chocolate donuts and lemon tarts coming up, mā," I called out from the kitchen.
"Then we're having braised pork belly for dinner tonight!" she replied from the other side, her voice noticeably lighter.
I let out a quiet sigh.
At least she was happy.
And somehow... that was enough for me.
__________________________
MIRA
My heart skipped the moment I saw him.
The tall man-whose rudeness somehow stood taller than he did-stood right in front of me. His mid-length dark hair was tied into a neat man bun, and behind those bold glasses, his eyes looked like they were silently replaying everything that had happened earlier... and cursing the fuck out of me for it.
And yet-
his posture remained calm.
Too calm.
As if he was quietly questioning my entire existence in that small shop.
The same attitude.
I suddenly felt like a criminal standing behind bars.
Wait-why am I feeling like this?
I didn't even commit a crime.
"You two know each other?" Aunty asked, clearly confused.
"No."
"Yes."
...Wait.
What?
"Other than your poor eyesight, it seems your memory isn't that great either," he spoke first, his tone calm-but sharp enough to cut through my patience.
My maa was right.
God really does give you good moments... right before a disaster.
"Ahh... ah-oh! Hi!" I forced a smile, straightening slightly.
"You work here? Nice to see you again."
Nice my foot.
He placed the tray of lemon tarts on the counter, then looked at me again.
"Take whatever you like, pay her, and try not to dump a box of desserts on someone in the street by 'accident' again."
His voice was low.
Deep.
Controlled.
He made it sound like a simple suggestion-
but I heard it for what it really was.
Sarcasm.
And a warning.
I was so flustered that I didn't even realize my entire face-including my neck-had turned cherry red.
Suddenly, it felt unbearably hot, even with the air conditioner running.
"Is that how you speak to a customer, Chun Yuze?" Aunty cut in, her tone firm as she looked up at the man standing beside her-who, quite honestly, looked twice her size.
"I'm so sorry," she turned to me immediately, her voice softening. "He's actually a very good kid-always respectful since childhood. I don't know what's gotten into him today."
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could-
"I simply advised her to pay more attention," he said calmly. "I wouldn't want the same accident to happen to someone else... like it happened to me."
Ugh...
That was too much.
I seriously felt like burying myself right there.
"I'm so sorry, pretty lady," she apologized again, lightly hitting his shoulder-though it didn't seem to affect him at all.
What is he, a pillar?
Honestly, he felt like someone made of concrete instead of flesh and blood.
I bowed as low as I could.
"Look, I'm really sorry for everything that happened earlier," I said quickly. "I'll compensate for the shirt along with the bill here."
I lifted my head just enough to look at him-my eyes sharper this time.
"So you're the one who spilled coffee on him earlier, my dear?" the lady asked.
I had no choice. No words came out.
I simply nodded, still not daring to look up.
"It's alright, accidents happens," she said gently. "And you'll already be paying rent. You don't need to pay anything extra. Living in Beijing isn't cheap-you should at least have enough to take care of yourself."
Oh god... are you some kind of angel sent to earth?
But still-
I had to compensate him.
It was only fair.
"It's okay, Aunty," I insisted, bowing again. "I can compensate him. You don't have to adjust the rent for your employee."
Silence.
Complete silence.
I frowned slightly, confused, and slowly looked up-
only to find her trying to hold back her laughter.
She failed.
"Oh dear," she laughed softly, "he's not an employee. He's the owner of this shop... and my son."
...
You're joking, right?
"We live on the ground floor," she continued, still smiling. "It's more than enough space for us. Renting out the first floor was his idea."
What.
On.
Earth.
Don't tell me-
he's my new landlord?
Yeah... my life in this country was officially doomed.
I thought he was just a helping hand when I first saw him. When Aunty mentioned her son, I never imagined someone like him would be hers.
And now-
this human brick was someone I'd have to see every single day?
"She's the one applying for the room?" he asked, glancing at his mother.
"Yes, she is," Aunty replied warmly. "She's been struggling to find a place. The university hostel is under construction right now. Poor girl."
No.
Absolutely not.
There was no way I could live under the same roof as this man.
Not after what had just happened.
Not with that attitude.
But reality didn't care about my preferences.
I was tired.
I had already spent hours looking for a place, and this was the only one within my budget.
I convinced myself.
You didn't come all the way here just to give up on the first day, Mira.
I took a slow breath, forcing myself to stay still.
"You're not seriously going to let a foreigner stay here, are you?" he said, his voice calm but firm.
My fingers curled slightly.
"A foreigner?" Aunty looked at me, surprised. "I thought you were from somewhere in China."
There it was.
That moment.
I had heard that before.
Again and again.
Sometimes with curiosity.
Sometimes with judgment.
I swallowed lightly.
"I'm from India... Aunty," I said quietly.
For a second, she simply looked at me.
Then her expression softened into a warm smile.
"India? I've heard it's a beautiful country," she said gently. "But today, I can see the people from there are just as beautiful. I have always seen those beautiful brown women and men in the tv sometimes, i was not familiar to this side honestly. But from the beginning you had that different spark which people here in China do not have."
I didn't expect that.
Not here.
Not after everything.
My chest felt a little lighter.
"Thank you," I said softly, managing a small smile.
I lowered my gaze again.
"I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused today. I'll take my leave-"
"Wait."
I froze.
I turned back slowly.
He was looking at me again.
That same unreadable expression.
A few seconds passed.
Then-
"Fine," he said.
I blinked.
"...What?"
"You can stay," he repeated, as if it meant nothing.
I stiffened.
Did he just change his mind?
"But there are conditions."
Of course there were.
"No noise," he said calmly.
"No unnecessary interaction."
He paused for a moment before adding-
"And stay out of my way."
I stared at him.
Then slowly looked away.
Great.
Just great.
Looks like I had just signed a contract...
with my worst nightmare.
If you're enjoying Mira's chaos so far, consider adding the story to your library 💖
It really motivates me to keep writing more chapters for you!