Yingqu Liuzi was pampered by her wealthy daddy.

Shen Yu'an thought that once the heating was fixed, life would go smoothly.

But as it turned out, life in London was never easy for him.

That afternoon, he was grading assignments in the art studio when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it and saw it was his landlord calling.

"Mr. Shen, I need to talk to you about something." The landlord's tone was not good, with an impatient air. "The rent will increase by two hundred pounds next month. You should prepare in advance."

Shen Yu'an was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard: "Two hundred pounds more? But we signed a one-year contract, and the price stated in the contract..."

"A contract is a contract. Prices have gone up now; look how much energy costs have increased. If you don't rent it, plenty of others will. Think it over."

Hang up when you're done.

Shen Yu'an stood there, holding his phone, stunned.

Two hundred pounds, which is almost two thousand yuan.

His monthly allowance was already just enough for his normal expenses, and the art supplies he used were expensive. With this price increase, he even had to start budgeting for food.

He bit his lip and called the landlord back.

"Hello, Auntie, I'd like to discuss something with you. Two hundred pounds is indeed a bit much. I'm a student and don't have much income, so could you perhaps...?"

"What's there to discuss?" the landlord's voice rose. "Let me make this clear: the rent is going up by two hundred pounds. You can stay if you want, or move out if you don't. I have several people waiting to rent here."

"But the contract says..."

"That contract was from six months ago! Everything's gone up in price now, you expect me to pay for your place? Think about it yourself, give me an answer by the weekend, or I'm putting the house up for sale."

The call was disconnected again.

Shen Yu'an stared at his phone screen, his eyes stinging a little.

He knew that rents in London were expensive, and he knew that landlords raising prices was not uncommon, but he felt really wronged that the rent was raised so suddenly before the contract expired, and with such a bad attitude.

But what could he do?

Arguing with the landlord? He's an international student, unfamiliar with the area, he can't win.

Moving out? Finding a place to live temporarily isn't that easy. Houses in London are in high demand, and the landlord definitely won't return the deposit, which is a month's rent.

Shen Yu'an put down his phone, sat on a stool in the studio, looked at the half-finished painting in front of him, and suddenly felt very tired.

It's not physical exhaustion, it's mental exhaustion.

He had no one to rely on in this city. He had to shoulder everything himself.

His classmates who were drawing with him noticed that he was unhappy and came over to ask what was wrong.

Shen Yu'an explained briefly, and her classmate was also furious: "Your landlord is going too far! She can't just raise the rent before the contract expires. You can sue her."

Shen Yu'an gave a wry smile: "Sue her? I don't have the time or energy for that, and besides, lawsuits cost money."

His classmate sighed and patted him on the shoulder: "So what are you planning to do? Find a new place?"

"I don't know, let's see." Shen Yu'an rubbed his eyes. "I need to give her an answer before the weekend, she's probably moving."

That afternoon, Shen Yu'an wasn't in the mood to paint.

He browsed several rental apps on his phone, but the ones he liked were too expensive, and the cheaper ones were either too remote or had poor conditions.

I finally found a place with a reasonable price, but when I called, they said it was already rented out.

That's how the rental market in London works; good apartments are gone within half a day of being listed.

Shen Yu'an became increasingly frustrated as he looked at the screen, and finally threw his phone aside, slumping onto the table, unwilling to move.

Unbeknownst to him, while he was browsing rental listings, someone else found out about it before he did.

Xize's assistant would give him daily updates on Shen Yu'an's situation.

This is Caesar's idea: not to be involved in every little detail, but to make sure the child doesn't encounter any unsolvable problems.

"The landlord suddenly raised the rent by two hundred pounds and was very rude. Shen Yu'an was looking for a new house this afternoon, but couldn't find a suitable one."

After listening, Xize put down his pen.

He leaned back in his chair, his grey-blue eyes narrowing slightly.

Two hundred pounds.

It wasn't a lot of money, but it was enough to make life difficult for an international student.

More importantly, the child was being bullied.

His landlord was rude, broke the contract, and bullied a foreign student who had no one to rely on.

With a blank expression, Xize picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.

"James, do me a favor."

The next morning, Shen Yu'an was still worrying about the house when his phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

He answered the phone, and a middle-aged man's voice came from the other end, speaking standard British English politely and gently: "Are you Mr. Shen Yu'an?"

"Yes, that's me. And who are you?"

"Hello, my name is James, and I work for a property management company. We have an apartment nearby, near your school, with excellent facilities and security. The original tenant moved to another country, so it's now vacant. The landlord wants to prioritize this apartment if someone is suitable, and there's no agency fee. I found you through a friend's recommendation. Would you be interested in taking a look?"

Shen Yu'an was taken aback: "Introduced by a friend? Which friend?"

"I can't disclose that, but they said it's fine if you know him," Mr. James smiled. "Don't worry about that for now. If it's convenient for you, you can come and see the house this afternoon. The location is excellent, about a fifteen-minute walk from your school."

Shen Yu'an hesitated for a moment.

He is usually very wary of such "good things" that suddenly come his way, feeling that it's too coincidental and unreal.

But now he really needs to find a house urgently, and the other party's tone is very professional, so they don't seem like a scammer.

"Well... I'll go check it out. What time in the afternoon?"

"Is three o'clock okay? I'll wait for you at the house."

At 3 p.m., Shen Yu'an found the place according to the address.

This is an old building with white exterior walls; it looks quite old, but it's very well maintained. There's a security gate at the entrance, requiring a card swipe to enter, so it's very safe.

Mr. James was already waiting at the door. He was a middle-aged white man in his fifties, dressed in a well-fitting suit, with a gentle smile.

Upon seeing Shen Yu'an, he extended his hand: "Mr. Shen? Hello, I'm James."

Shen Yu'an shook hands with him and followed him into the building.

The interior was very clean, with dark carpets in the corridors and prints hanging on the walls, creating a quiet and tasteful atmosphere. The elevator was an old-fashioned iron-gate type, giving it a vintage feel.

Upon reaching the third floor, James opened a door.

Shen Yu'an walked in, and her first reaction was: This house is too nice.

The living room is spacious, and the south-facing windows provide excellent natural light. In the afternoon, the sunlight streams in, making the whole room warm and inviting.

The furniture was complete, and every piece looked new and clean.

The kitchen is open-plan and features all new built-in appliances.

The bedroom wasn't big, but it was cozy. The bedding looked brand new, and there was a large wardrobe.

The bathroom tiles were spotless, the showerhead was large, and the water pressure must be good.

Shen Yu'an stood in the living room, somewhat unable to believe his eyes.

"How much is the monthly rent for this apartment?" he asked in a low voice, already prepared to see an exorbitant price.

Mr. James gave a number.

It's fifty pounds cheaper than the house he lives in now.

Shen Yu'an thought he had misheard: "So cheap? This house... is it okay?"

James laughed: "No problem at all. To be honest, the landlord of this building is an old gentleman. He's not short of money, and he rents out the house mainly to keep it lively and tidy. He doesn't like those messy tenants and would rather rent it to reliable people at a lower price. I told him about your situation, you're an international student, from the art school, and it's very quiet. He thought it was great."

Shen Yu'an still felt it wasn't quite real, so he walked around again, touched the kitchen countertop, opened and closed the window, and tested the heating.

The heating is on. And it's much warmer than the building he lives in now.

"If you're satisfied, you can move in anytime." James took out a contract from his bag. "This is the rental agreement. Please take a look. The deposit is one month's rent. There are no agency fees, and the property management fees and heating fees are included in the rent."

Shen Yu'an took the contract and examined it carefully.

Every clause is very standard, without any pitfalls, and even includes some clauses protecting tenants.

After he finished reading, he looked up at James.

"Who exactly is this friend you mentioned? And why is he helping me?"

James smiled and shook his head: "I really can't say. They only said one thing, that you're doing well."

Shen Yu'an tightened his grip on the contract slightly.

A person flashed through his mind.

That person's voice, that person's gray-blue eyes, the way that person handed him hot black tea.

Could it be him?

But how did he know I was looking for a place to live? And how did he manage to arrange everything so quickly?

Shen Yu'an bit her lip and signed her name on the last page of the contract.

When can I move?

"Anytime. If your current lease hasn't expired, we'll handle any issues there. Don't worry about the deposit; our legal team will communicate with your original landlord."

After Shen Yu'an signed the contract, James put it away and handed him the keys.

Three keys: one for the main gate access control, one for the room door, and one for the mailbox.

"Welcome, Mr. Shen."

Holding the three keys, Shen Yu'an stood in the warm apartment, suddenly at a loss for words.

As James was leaving, he turned back at the doorway, as if he had remembered something: "Oh, right, there's an envelope in the bedroom drawer. It was left by someone before. Could you take a look?"

Shen Yu'an walked into the bedroom and opened a drawer.

Inside was a light blue envelope, unsigned and without any markings.

He opened it, and inside was a card with a line of words written in beautiful handwritten English:

"Welcome to London. Stay warm and safe."

Welcome to London. Stay warm and safe.

There was no signature, and no information pointing to the sender.

But Shen Yu'an stared at that line of words for a long time, his heart pounding like crazy.

He recognized the handwriting.

It wasn't because he had seen this person write before, but because the style of writing each letter with such meticulous care perfectly matched a certain temperament he had encountered.

Shen Yu'an pressed the card to her chest and closed her eyes.

The room was warm, and sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the floor in a golden, sparkling way.

He finally realized that in this cold city, someone was nearby, protecting him in a way he couldn't see.

On his phone, he sent a message to the contact person whose contact was labeled "Mr".

"I've found a new house. It's beautiful and warm. Thank you."

A few minutes later, the other party replied with a single word.

"it is good."

It's still that brief.

But Shen Yu'an smiled when he saw the word "good".

He knew that the other person understood his "thank you".