Roommates with Wings

Chapter 1. Midnight Encounter

Life alone in Shanghai should be enjoyable—at least for someone like me who has sufficient financial security and a steady income. I don’t have to adhere to a strict work schedule and can leave work whenever I please. I have a small circle of close friends, and for me, that’s happiness and fulfillment.

I live on the edge of a bustling commercial district in a decent neighborhood. Although there are only a few high-rise buildings, the property management is excellent, so most of the residents here are financially well-off. Although I don’t consider myself one of them, I do prioritize spending money wisely, which allows me to be part of this community.

I never know what time I’ll leave my apartment each day, but I do know that I won’t return until late at night or even early in the morning. Every time I come back, I hardly ever encounter anyone—except for that one time when I met her.

Our first encounter was an ordinary one. As I stepped into the elevator and was about to close the door, she hurriedly called out from behind. With the quickest reflex, I pressed the button to open the door, giving her the chance to ride the elevator with me.

“Thank you,” she said politely. She was a courteous girl, probably due to her profession. Anyone could tell from her attire and the small suitcase she dragged behind her that she was a flight attendant—a profession that holds a certain allure for an ordinary guy like me, even though some might dismiss them as mere waitresses serving at a higher altitude.

I smiled and nodded, hoping to leave a good impression, even though I knew I might never get the chance to know her. But leaving a good impression on a beautiful woman has always been my style. Who knows, maybe one day one of these beauties might have a sudden change of heart, and that could be my chance. I often think this way, but so far, it’s remained nothing more than a fantasy.

The elevator stopped on the 15th floor, and from there, I rode up alone to my apartment on the 17th floor. Since that day, I’ve found myself hoping the elevator would stop on the 15th floor each time I ride it down, or that I’d hear that familiar voice behind me when I return home. We’ve shared the elevator many times, but we’ve never spoken.

Then one day, I saw her again, but this time she wasn’t alone. She was accompanied by a tall, handsome guy who, judging by his uniform, was also in the aviation industry. Whether he was a pilot or, like her, a flight attendant, I couldn’t tell due to my lack of “aviation knowledge.” However, I could clearly judge that their relationship was more than just casual, and physically, I wasn’t in the same league as him.

Just when I decided to give up on my fantasy about her, I saw her again.

“Hey, wake up! How can a beautiful woman like you randomly fall asleep on someone else’s bed?” I found her dozing on a bench in our community.

“Huh?” She glanced at me with a confused look. Even in the dim light, I could see her rosy cheeks and smell the alcohol on her—another beautiful woman who had clearly had too much to drink.

“Hey, at least give me some response, or I won’t be so polite,” I tried to get her to snap out of it, but she remained unresponsive. It seemed she was drunk enough for me to do whatever I wanted.

I wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass to display my gentlemanly behavior, so I helped her into the building.

“Where do you live?” Although I knew she lived on the 15th floor, I had no idea which apartment. She completely shifted her weight onto me, paying no attention to anything I was saying. In the elevator, I was at a loss, trying several times to wake her up, only for her to vomit the contents of her stomach all over both of our clothes during the few seconds she was awake.

With no other option, I took the beautiful woman up to my apartment on the 17th floor.

The next morning, as I lay asleep on the couch, I was jolted awake by the sound of a woman screaming from my bedroom. Moments later, a girl wearing my oversized T-shirt stood before me.

“What… what did you do to me?” She looked at me, furious and confused.

Still half-asleep, I shook my head in confusion. “I don’t remember doing anything…”

“What about the things you don’t remember?” she continued to press.

In response, I fell off the couch. How was I supposed to know about things I didn’t remember?

“You… you animal! How could you…?” She started throwing things at me without any concern for their weight or fragility. Thankfully, I had decent reflexes and managed to dodge most of them, though my handmade clay ashtray wasn’t so lucky.

A knock on the door saved me just in time. When I opened it, I was greeted by the kind face of Mrs. Wang, while the girl had disappeared somewhere.

“Xiao Ethan, how’s that young lady doing?” Mrs. Wang asked with a warm smile. Mrs. Wang is a lovely woman who helps me keep my apartment tidy. She’s actually a retired engineer who, by chance, became my part-time housekeeper. She doesn’t charge me for her services, as long as I help her grandson with his computer issues and teach him some computer skills. However, if she knew the reason we got along so well was that I often shared gaming tips and gave him good gear in games, things might turn out differently.

“Oh, she’s fine, just still asleep,” I replied, thinking this was the least troublesome answer.

“Really? Here are her clothes; I’ve already washed and dried them. Would you like me to help her change into them?” Mrs. Wang is indeed a very warm-hearted lady.

“No, I think she’s capable of dressing herself,” I said, forcing a somewhat awkward smile.

After Mrs. Wang left, the girl reappeared, staring at me intently, her pretty little mouth forming a pout.

“Are you… okay?” I cautiously moved closer, unsure when the murderous intent in her eyes might turn into action. She didn’t say anything, just kept staring at me.

“Um… here are your clothes,” I added cautiously, placing her clothes carefully on the couch.

Chapter 2. Imagined Reunion

That encounter didn’t bring our two parallel lines together, much less merge them. I continued my routine of staying out late and coming home in the early morning, still lost in the virtual world of online games and the occasional outings with real-life friends. My life didn’t change because of that incident—after all, such things aren’t enough to change my life. But another event did change my life, or more accurately, a single sentence from my boss did.

One late night, as I was deep in the midst of a heated battle in a game with my online brothers, I heard someone enter through the company’s main door. Our company uses a card-based door lock system, with each employee having their own card that also tracks attendance. Ordinary employees’ cards only allow access during working hours, becoming useless after hours, but senior employees like me have cards that work at any time.

However, when I saw the person’s face, I