Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I vented about my landlady's various bad behaviors on social media.

My high school friend saw it and started chatting with me, complaining about how hard it was to find a good apartment, especially with a friendly landlord. It turned out she had found a job close to my company but hadn't found a suitable place to live.

Seeing that she was starting work the next day, and since we were very close—one of the few friends I could truly confide in—I volunteered to let her stay with me for the time being. After all, I lived alone.

When we got back, we ran into the landlady in the hallway.

"Who is this?" she asked loudly.

I didn't want to deal with her, so I turned and pulled my friend towards the elevator.

My friend, not fully aware of the conflict between me and the landlady, tried to ease the tension by introducing herself, "I'm her friend."

The landlady blocked our way with her hand.

"No way. Why didn't you inform me beforehand that you were bringing a friend over?"

I looked at her like she was out of her mind. "Why should I inform you?"

Her eyes widened. "How dare you speak to me like that? I'm your landlady, you know that? This apartment is mine, under my name. You brought someone over without telling me, and you think you're in the right?"

I looked up at the ceiling, exasperated. "Please, do you even know what renting means? You've rented the apartment to me. I pay you rent every month, not so you can yell at me."

The landlady snorted. "She can't sleep here."

Having lived here for over a month, I had learned a bit about how to deal with her. "She will sleep here. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to call the police?"

I would have loved that. As the elevator arrived, I quickly pulled my friend inside and pressed the close button before the landlady could react.

The next morning, when I opened the door, I found the landlady sleeping outside. She had spent the entire night on the floor. When she saw me open the door, she woke up and tried to peer into my apartment, as if looking for something. Seeing my friend putting on her shoes, she had an "I knew it" look on her face.

"Ah, so you ignored my words and brought your friend to stay over."

"I stayed outside all night to catch you in the act."

I had no intention of denying it. "Yes, so what?"

"What do you want? I'm busy and need to go to work. If you have nothing else, please leave."

Then the landlady said something outrageous. "You want me to leave? Fine, pay your friend's rent, and I'll go."

My friend couldn't take it anymore. "Ma'am, be reasonable. One apartment, two rents?"

I continued from where my friend left off. "Are you out of your mind for money?"

She started making a scene outside the door. "I don't care. If you don't pay, you won't be leaving today."

I checked the time. If we kept arguing, both my friend and I would be late. I could afford to be half an hour late, even skip work if necessary. But it was my friend's first day at her new job. If she was late, she might lose it. Her field wasn't easy to find work in, and she had finally found a job that was perfect in every way. Missing this opportunity would mean who knows how long before she found another.

I took a deep breath and forced a smile. "How much do you want? A month's rent is unreasonable. I'll calculate it by the day and round it up. How about I transfer you a hundred?"

The landlady beamed. "A hundred it is. I told you, young lady, don't fight with me. You'll only suffer. You should have transferred it earlier."

After my friend left, she was still anxious. "Why did you give her the money? Even though it's just a hundred, she's a complete rogue. If you give in once, she'll definitely take advantage of you again."

I put my arm around my friend. "Hey, it's your first day at work. Focus on that. We'll sort things out with the landlady later."