Cecilia Sterling gave a wry smile. This new roommate, Blair, certainly didn’t seem easy to get along with.
At least, based on their first meeting, she was far more distant and aloof than Estelle Goodman had been when they first met.
But then the two of them noticed that the dorm, which had been empty over the National Day holiday, was now spotless. Even their own desks showed signs of having been wiped down.
They usually hired someone from a campus cleaners group to clean the dorm, but this time, it was clearly the work of their new roommate.
Before they could even express their shock, Blair Golding had returned. She stood at the door and suddenly spoke up. "I’m the one who removed the lock on the door. If you need me to pay for it, you can give me a bill. Or I can buy a new one to replace it. I moved in yesterday afternoon, and the professor only gave me the key to the mechanical lock. I didn’t know you’d added an extra one."
"It’s fine," Cecilia said. "If you were able to remove it, it proves the lock wasn’t very useful anyway."
Estelle Goodman nodded in agreement. Then, they heard Blair Golding add, "I wiped your desks without asking. If you mind, I’ll be more careful next time."
"Not at all, not at all! We were just about to look for someone from the campus cleaners group to clean up. We didn’t expect you to have cleaned the whole dorm so thoroughly by yourself. Thank you for your hard work."
Seemingly intimidated by the efficient, somewhat forceful nature ingrained in Blair Golding, Estelle Goodman’s speech became uncharacteristically cautious.
Then she quickly added, "We usually pay someone to clean the dorm. Since you did all this, we should pay you. We can’t let you do all that work for nothing."
Cecilia could tell that while Estelle’s words were sincere, there was still a hint of formal politeness to them.
Blair Golding, however, wasn’t polite in the slightest. "Sure. I’ll take care of cleaning the dorm from now on. Just pay me whatever you’d pay a professional cleaner."
Such a straightforward and unabashed personality truly stunned Estelle Goodman, who was used to the world of pretense and pleasantries common in high society.
’She agreed just like that?’
’Cecilia, on the other hand, saw nothing wrong with it. The dorm had three residents now, after all. If they kept hiring an outside cleaner, would the three of them have to take turns paying? And would Blair Golding even be willing to do that?’
’It was better to discuss and resolve internal matters among the three of them first. If Blair Golding was willing to earn the money, Cecilia had no objection.’
The two of them exchanged WhatsApp details with Blair Golding. Estelle Goodman transferred the payment for the cleaning to her: two cents.
"Should we start a group chat?" Estelle Goodman asked tentatively, subconsciously glancing at Blair Golding for her reaction.
She thought it would be more convenient for the three of them to communicate about dorm matters in a group.
Cecilia also looked at Blair Golding. Clearly, both of them felt the new roommate’s opinion was the most important.
Blair Golding was using an old, heavily worn phone with a cracked screen that she hadn’t bothered to replace. Yet she held it openly, showing not the slightest hint of insecurity.
She looked at them with that same unabashed expression and said, "A group chat is fine, but I probably won’t say much in it. Judging by your clothes and expenses, you’re both from wealthy families. I’m short on cash, so if you have any dorm activities, want to buy anything, or order takeout or bubble tea, just leave me out of it."


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