Chapter 95 Choosing Rooms

Chapter 95: Choosing a Room

"A surprise?" Yan Zhoubai mused. He couldn't think of anything he particularly wanted at the moment.

As the car entered the residential complex, Yan Zhoubai was already quite pleased. The neighborhood looked excellent, with beautiful surroundings and a noticeable lack of people, making it exceptionally quiet.

After parking in the underground garage, Zhan Jiayu led Yan Zhoubai directly to the elevator. The apartment he had purchased was a penthouse duplex on the twenty-second floor, offering expansive views. Their unit was the only one on that floor.

The moment the front door opened, Yan Zhoubai understood exactly what Zhan Jiayu’s surprise was.

A gray-and-white blur shot out from the living room and leaped into Yan Zhoubai’s arms. Zhan Jiayu, quick to react, steadied Yan Zhoubai by his waist from behind, fearing Huihui's enthusiastic pounce might knock him over.

As his hand rested on Yan Zhoubai’s waist, Zhan Jiayu couldn't help but marvel at its slenderness, so delicate it felt as though it might snap with a little force. He had indeed lost a lot of weight. It hadn't felt this way when Zhan Jiayu had held him completely in his arms in the hotel bathroom; back then, there had been a bit more substance to him.

"Huihui! My baby, what are you doing here?"

Yan Zhoubai’s delight was impossible to conceal once he recognized Huihui.

After leaping into Yan Zhoubai’s embrace, Huihui began nuzzling his face and licking his cheek. It had been a long time since Huihui had seen Yan Zhoubai. Yan Zhoubai had been hospitalized for over a month, and during that time, the Yan family had been too overwhelmed to consider bringing Huihui to visit.

Moreover, given Yan Zhoubai’s condition at the time, it probably wasn't advisable for him to interact with pets.

Huihui didn't understand what had happened; he had simply waited at home every day for Yan Zhoubai to return. This wait lasted over a month, until today, when he finally saw Yan Zhoubai again.

The endearment "baby" wasn't part of Yan Zhoubai's usual speech. He had picked it up from the system (a reference to the game system he was bound to) and, in his overwhelming joy at seeing Huihui, it had simply slipped out.

Zhan Jiayu, standing behind Yan Zhoubai, pondered the term "baby." Whether it suited Huihui, he wasn't sure, but he knew it would suit Yan Zhoubai perfectly.

"How did Huihui get here? Who brought him?"

While affectionately cuddling Huihui, Yan Zhoubai didn't forget to ask.

Yan Anxuan’s reluctance to let him take Huihui was clear to Yan Zhoubai. He loved Huihui dearly, and if Huihui remained with the Yan family, he would undoubtedly return regularly to visit him.

Zhan Jiayu’s desire to bring Huihui here wasn't born of malice, like wanting to prevent Yan Zhoubai from returning home. He simply felt that if he wanted this place to feel like a home, then Yan Zhoubai’s beloved pet should be here too.

The ultimate reason that swayed Yan Anxuan was the same: Yan Zhoubai’s happiness was the paramount goal. They had already caused Yan Zhoubai considerable unhappiness; were they truly going to continue acting on their selfish impulses?

Zhan Jiayu had no qualms about twisting the knife in Yan Anxuan’s wound; he had never liked Yan Anxuan to begin with.

"But in the end, I had a good talk with your elder brother. I heard that Huihui wasn't originally raised in the Yan family, which suggests that the others in your household probably don't care much for him. I thought bringing him here to keep you company was the best option."

Zhan Jiayu explained this to Yan Zhoubai, subtly throwing shade at the Yan family in the process.

When Yan Zhoubai heard Zhan Jiayu say that the Yan family didn't like Huihui, a fleeting look of dejection crossed his face, but it quickly vanished. He hugged Huihui and gave him a kiss.

"Yes, Huihui should be with me. I can take care of him now and buy him the best dog food."

Huihui seemed to understand what Yan Zhoubai was saying, panting with his tongue out, his dark eyes fixed on Yan Zhoubai, his joy almost palpable.

Upon entering the living room, Yan Zhoubai began to look around. The apartment was vast, and the living area was incredibly spacious. The minimalist decor, with few pieces of furniture, made the entire room feel large enough to play badminton in.

The living room faced south, with floor-to-ceiling windows along the balcony side, offering an expansive view. Yan Zhoubai could easily imagine the afternoon sun streaming through the windows, creating a warm glow as someone relaxed on the sofa for a nap.

The overall decor of the living room was a light gray, which felt airy and not at all oppressive.

"Is this apartment a duplex?" Yan Zhoubai asked.

He glanced around but saw no bedrooms, only the enormous living room and an open-plan kitchen. However, he did spot a staircase in the corner.

"Yes, the bedrooms are upstairs."

With that, Zhan Jiayu led the way, taking Yan Zhoubai upstairs.

As they reached the staircase, Yan Zhoubai noticed that the area beside it had been set up specifically for Huihui. There was Huihui’s dog bed, toys, and food bowls, all arranged very cozily.

Huihui seemed to love it too. As soon as they reached the spot, he leaped into his dog bed and lay there, looking up at Yan Zhoubai with what appeared to be a smile.

That was good—Huihui seemed to be settling in well here.

"We only brought him here yesterday. Chen Chu set all this up, and he also took him for a walk yesterday. I'm surprised he's adapted so well after just one day. Having the right expertise really makes a difference."

Zhan Jiayu was relieved to see Huihui so comfortable here. Chen Chu was indeed a capable and reliable individual.

"Expertise? Why is Assistant Chen suited for this?"

"Chen Chu had many dogs when he was in Country A. He's familiar with all kinds of breeds, so you could say he's well-suited for this," Zhan Jiayu explained.

"He had many dogs? Was it for work?"

"Partly, but not entirely. The Zhan family did raise a pack of hunting dogs back then, and there were specialists assigned to care for them. But Chen Chu loves dogs, so he took on the task himself. He also kept many dogs at his home in Country A."

Zhan Jiayu spoke casually, but the truth was that Chen Chu was a huge dog lover. In Country A, he had adopted many stray dogs, and his home practically looked like a pet shop. He had been thrilled when assigned this responsibility.

"I see. No wonder Assistant Chen seems so approachable. It's great that we both like dogs," Yan Zhoubai said, genuinely glad that Huihui had found such a caring person.

Zhan Jiayu, however, wasn't as pleased. Chen Chu seemed approachable just because he knew how to care for dogs? Did that mean Zhan Jiayu, who had no particular fondness for dogs, seemed unapproachable in comparison?

Zhan Jiayu’s gaze shifted from Yan Zhoubai to Huihui, who was still lying in his dog bed, looking like he was smiling at him.

Well, the dog did seem quite likable.

The second floor had four rooms, with the central open area converted into a home gym filled with exercise equipment. Yan Zhoubai wasn’t particularly interested in that—he wasn't keen on bulking up and preferred moderate exercise for health.

Zhan Jiayu, however, likely maintained rigorous strength training year-round. Unlike Yan Zhoubai’s elder brother, who was a polished elite, Zhan Jiayu had clawed his way up through the Zhan family’s ruthless, "survival-of-the-fittest" upbringing. Given that the Zhan family dealt in arms in Country A, without self-defense skills, he likely wouldn't have survived to see today.

Yan Zhoubai inspected the rooms. The four bedrooms on the second floor were nearly identical in layout and decor, with no clear distinction between a master bedroom, secondary bedroom, or guest room.

"Which one are you taking?" Yan Zhoubai asked.

"Any is fine. You choose first. They're all pretty much the same, though the two on that side face south and get more light."

Zhan Jiayu had no particular preference. Chen Chu had worked hard to find this apartment, and he was satisfied with it. Since the rooms were all comparable, he was fine with any.

"Does this place not have a master bedroom? Your room in the Zhan family’s old residence was huge. Aren’t these rooms a bit small for you?" Yan Zhoubai asked, confused.

"There’s no master bedroom. Any room is fine. It doesn't matter; a room, regardless of size, is only for one person."

For now, there was no master bedroom since he and Yan Zhoubai would be staying separately. But later, if they shared a room, they could always knock down the wall between two rooms to create a larger space.

"Oh, alright." Yan Zhoubai thought for a moment, then pointed to the room facing south. "I’ll take this one."

"Okay."

Zhan Jiayu promptly chose the room next to Yan Zhoubai’s.

And just like that, Yan Zhoubai smoothly moved into the apartment Zhan Jiayu had newly purchased. That very afternoon, Chen Chu arranged for their clothes and daily necessities to be moved in.

Yan Zhoubai didn't know if Zhan Jiayu's belongings were new, but all of Yan Zhoubai's items were newly purchased. His previous everyday items had all been left untouched at the Yan residence.

When Yan Zhoubai saw the closet packed with all sorts of clothes again, he couldn't help but wonder if Zhan Jiayu had some peculiar fetish.

Last time, when they went to Jiangshi for a trip, Zhan Jiayu had bought him a whole closet of clothes. Those clothes were still hanging in the wardrobe at the Yan family villa. At the time, there were so many that they couldn't all fit, so Yan Zhoubai had even copied Bu Qiran and set up a separate rack in his room to hang the extra clothes.

Now, instead of bringing those clothes over, Zhan Jiayu had bought him another full closet. How long would it take to get through all these?

"Young Master Yan, is there a problem? Do you not like these clothes?"

After directing the staff to put all the clothes into the wardrobe, Chen Chu noticed Yan Zhoubai staring at the closet with a hard-to-describe expression and couldn't help but ask.

"No, it's not that."

Yan Zhoubai shook his head, then leaned closer to Chen Chu and whispered, "Does your boss have some kind of thing? Why does he always buy so many clothes? Does he like these clothes himself but can't wear them due to his status, so he buys them for me instead?"

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Author's note: Zhan Jiayu: I just enjoy playing Miracle Xiao Chuaner games. [dog head]