Delta: Mandel Bricks drop right at the start!

On the morning of the fourth day, Lin Rui was awakened by knocking on the door.

"Lin Rui? Is he there?"

It was Aunt Zhang's voice.

He put on his slippers, walked to the door, and opened it.

Aunt Zhang stood outside the door, having changed out of her floral pajamas into a faded dark red coat. Her hair was pinned behind her ears with a hair clip, and she held a plastic folder in her hand.

"Aunt Zhang, what's the matter?"

"Let's go inside and talk." She squeezed in without waiting for Lin Rui to give way, looking the rented room up and down.

She first stared at the new VR headset on the table for two seconds, then glanced at the brand-new laptop next to it, and finally looked at the pile of takeout containers in the trash can.

Eel rice, grilled meat set meal, sashimi platter.

The restaurant names printed on these lunch boxes all represent mid-to-high-end establishments on this street.

"Aunt Zhang, please speak freely." Lin Rui leaned against the door frame, not inviting her into the house.

Aunt Zhang opened the folder and pulled out a piece of paper. Lin Rui recognized it as a copy of his rental agreement.

"Xiao Lin, your contract expires on the 15th of next month."

"Yes, I know. The lease renewal can be done at the end of the month, right?"

"It's like this," Aunt Zhang turned another page of the contract, pointing to the rent terms, "I plan to adjust the rent for this house."

Lin Rui looked in the direction she was pointing.

The contract stated a monthly rent of 1,800 yuan. When he signed the contract, Aunt Zhang even offered to give him 200 yuan less, saying that she saw he had just graduated and was having a hard time.

"How much should I adjust?"

"Three thousand five."

Lin Rui tapped his finger lightly on the door frame; the price increase was nearly double.

"Aunt Zhang, the average rent for apartments of the same type in the same building on Lianjia is 2,100 yuan."

Aunt Zhang removed her fingers from the contract and stuffed them into her coat pocket.

"That's someone else's house. Mine has a good orientation, a good floor, and good ventilation. Besides, I just replaced my water heater recently, which cost a lot of money."

The water heater was installed three years ago, and when Lin Rui moved in, the warranty sticker on it was already curled up.

"Xiao Lin, don't complain about the price." Aunt Zhang's speech quickened. "I see you're doing pretty well lately, a new helmet, a new computer, and you're ordering takeout for over a hundred yuan every day. You must be making money from that game, right? I don't know much about those things, but I can tell you're financially comfortable now."

A dilapidated corridor can't hide any secrets.

I've been ordering takeout frequently these past few days, and the names of the upscale restaurants are all visible on the outside.

The newly bought helmet came back in a big box, and when Awei shouted "Flagship model!" in the corridor, the whole floor could hear it.

Combined with the fact that he had previously paid off his overdue rent in one lump sum, all this information points to one conclusion: this young man, who once couldn't even afford rent, has suddenly become wealthy.

"I won't rent it for 3,500." Lin Rui pushed the door open a little, indicating that she could leave.

Aunt Zhang's smile vanished instantly. "So you're planning to move out?"

"I will stay here as usual until the contract expires. We'll see what happens after that."

"Kobayashi, please don't be like this. Let's discuss this together..."

"There's no room for negotiation on three thousand five hundred." Lin Rui's tone was flat, simply stating a conclusion.

"Aunt Zhang, you know the breach of contract clauses in the contract better than I do. Unilaterally changing the rent during the contract's validity period requires written consent from both parties. I disagree."

Aunt Zhang tightened her grip on the folder, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

She hadn't expected this reaction. In her mind, a recent graduate who had just paid off her debts should feel conflicted, hesitate, and ultimately compromise when faced with a landlord's demand for a rent increase.

"Okay, then we'll talk again when the contract expires." She tucked the folder under her arm and added as she turned back to leave, "But I'm telling you in advance, if the rent doesn't go up after it expires, I won't renew it. This place won't have trouble finding a tenant."

Lin Rui closed the door.

He stood behind the door and looked down at the bank VIP card in his hand.

With over 34 million in his account, he could buy a large apartment in this city outright.

The landlord, who charges 1,800 yuan a month, threatened to raise the rent in the rented room.

Lin Rui leaned against the door and laughed.

Back at the table, he opened the real estate app on his phone and typed "city center large flat" into the search bar.

He had seen the guy from that apartment complex a few days ago in front of the bank; the average price was 38,000 yuan per square meter.

The latest floor plan has been loaded: a large apartment of 152 square meters, with three bedrooms and two living rooms, good ventilation from north to south, and a top-floor duplex with a terrace. The total price is 5.78 million.

He bookmarked the page but didn't place an order.

It's not time to spend a lot of money yet.

But the environment here simply can't support his current wealth.

Frequent food delivery, new equipment, and late-night gaming chat—these traces of daily life are too jarring in the old environment.

Moving to a new house is something we can start thinking about. But not renting, we'll buy.

Full payment.