Chapter 68

Edward gently twisted the doorknob, and with a gentle push, the door opened, revealing the landlord's imposing silhouette framed in the doorway.

Looking at the landlord's smile, both hearts skipped a beat momentarily before exchanging dubious glances.

However, despite their uncertainty, they chose not to express their doubts openly. Instead, they maintained a polite facade, putting on smiles to hide the unease that brewed beneath the surface.

"Oh, it's the landlord. Please come in," Edward greeted warmly as he invited him inside, a smile gracing his face.

"Hehe, no need," the landlord chuckled, shaking his head, before adding, "I just dropped by to remind you about the electricity and water bills, due before the eighth of September."

"Oh, sure, sure. Thank you very much for the reminder." Edward put on a smile; however, deep inside, he was actually sneering.

The apartment building employed submeters to measure water and electricity consumption within each unit, unlike standard meters, and as a result, tenants did not pay to the electric utility and water service provider companies but rather directly to the landlord.

No wonder this guy came to remind them..

Shaking his head slightly, Edward exchanged a few more pleasantries with the landlord, ensuring the conversation remained amicable before bidding him farewell.

After that, Edward and Patricia returned to the apartment, locking the door before exhaling a sigh of relief.

"Damn, no wonder the tenants are calling him a demon. That smile is really annoying." Edward sighed, frustration bubbling beneath his breath. 

"Yeah.." Patricia nodded with a wry smile, also feeling annoyed at the landlord. "By the way, how much do you think you're going to pay?"

"Not sure, but probably mine won't exceed 2,000..." Edward calculated, his brows furrowed in thought.

Thinking that the electricity for each unit in the apartment building is metered through a submeter instead of a regular electric meter, the amount they pay is more than 20% higher than the average.

"T-that's a lot?"

"Not really; I often turned on the air conditioner whenever I was inside.. plus the computer, refrigerator, and various appliances were also consuming electricity, so I think it's not exaggerated."

"How about the water bills?"

"Not too much; I'm alone after all; probably only around 300 to 450?" Edward calculated in his mind and felt that his water bills would only be around that number.

"That's still a lot, and if you add all bills together—rent, water, electricity, and internet... D-doesn't that mean you're paying more than ₱6,500 monthly?"

"Yeah.. " Edward nodded slightly and felt that it wasn't too much compared to how much money he has, so he simply shrugged his shoulders and went to ask her. "How about you?"

"Oh, I don't have any appliances other than an electric fan and a TV," Patricia said, her gaze shifting to the ceiling as she mentally calculated her usage. "Most of the time, I'm at your place, and I don't use much water other than for showers... so I guess around 500 to 600?"

"Oh, don't you have an air conditioner in the apartment?"

"It's an old model," Patricia admitted, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Oh, it's not working anymore?"

"No, it's still working, but it makes a strange noise whenever I turn it on, and I'm afraid of ruining it, so I'd rather not use it." She fidgeted slightly as she remembered the air conditioner.

"Oh," Edward nodded in understanding, and the two talked for a while more before returning to the music room to resume their recording.

The recording progressed as usual, but unlike before, the process was much faster, and by around six in the afternoon, they concluded the day's recording session earlier than the previous week.

After organizing the clip they had, they carefully saved it and went to grab the bass guitars to begin another set of practice sessions.

As for Patricia, Edward originally wanted to give her a break after the recording session. However, she insisted on helping him with practice, and thinking that it wouldn't negatively affect him, he finally let her assist him.

Although Patricia lacked knowledge about the bass guitar and music in general, the experience they gained from the previous week had significantly improved their teamwork.

Even though her contribution was as simple as replaying YouTube tutorial videos and providing basic commentary, Edward found that practicing this way was much more efficient and simpler compared to practicing alone.

Time passed.

Around seven in the evening, after wrapping up their practice, the duo made their way to a nearby restaurant for dinner. After placing their order, they found a cozy table in the corner, and a while later, Honey came to chat with them.

"How are you? Are you still feeling unwell?" Patricia inquired.

"I'm a bit better now, but I still have a bit of a headache." Honey sighed helplessly.

"Then, why are you working when you're not feeling well?" Edward asked, concerned.

"I thought sitting on my bed and waiting to get better was so tedious and dull, so I begged my dad to allow me to continue my part-time job."

"Oh, I see..." Edward nodded, understanding her perspective.

Edward inquired more about her condition, and Honey reassured him that she was okay.

"Are you two dating?" Honey suddenly asked, her tone laced with suspicion.

Taken aback by her straightforward question, both he and Patricia exchanged nervous glances, uncertain about how to respond.

Patricia hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a reassuring smile, "We're not dating; we're just good friends."

The trio continued their conversation, laughing and sharing stories, creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere in their cozy corner of the restaurant.

Days passed.

The third day is Wednesday.

At two in the afternoon, after the class ended, they didn't start recording right away but headed to the landlord's office to settle their bills.

"Hahaha, and I thought you almost forgot it," the landlord chuckled, leaning back in his swivel chair as his eyes crinkled with amusement.

"Hehe, how is that possible? The landlord has already reminded us; how could we forget?" Edward laughed heartily, exchanging playful glances with Patricia.

"Oh, yes, hehe. I'm not talking about you guys. I'm talking about the other tenants," the landlord explained, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Did you know that many of them haven't been paying rent for months? Do you know how much I've lost because of them? However, that's fine with me. I'm such a nice person."

Edward maintained a polite smile on the surface, but deep inside, he couldn't help but snort softly, a subtle disbelief tugging at him.

As if he believed him.

Although it was indeed true that he didn't earn money when tenants didn't pay their rent, he couldn't believe the part where the landlord claimed to be covering their expenses.

The landlord can simply cut the tenants' access to electricity and water.

Why pay on their behalf instead?

To Edward, the landlord was more likely warning them not to make the same mistakes as those careless renters.

After some friendly chit-chat and a few exchanged pleasantries, Edward and Patricia bid farewell to the landlord. 

They headed back to their unit and began recording at around 2:50, continuing their session until four in the afternoon.

"And that's the last part," Edward sighed, a mix of relief and satisfaction washing over him. 

After three days of meticulous effort, the recording had finally concluded. 

Although it wasn't faster than before, the efficiency and overall process had improved significantly compared to when Edward used to do it alone.

The miscellaneous tasks that he used to handle alone could now be delegated to Patricia, affording him more time to focus on the quality and other aspects of the content.

"Should we also do the editing today?" Patricia inquired.

"Ah, no need." Edward shook his head, feeling a headache from all the work they had done. "Anyway, we already have four song covers in our stockpile, so we don't have to worry about not having any content to upload. I think we should rest a bit more."

"T-this..." Patricia hesitated.

"Why? Are you tired?"

"N-no, I just feel like I'm not doing enough," Patricia said in an uncertain tone.

"You don't think you're doing enough?"

"Y-yeah. From Monday to today, I've only assisted you with recording for four hours and had bass guitar practice for two hours... In total, I've only worked for 6 hours a day."

"Don't you also do my school homework?"

"That's different. On average, there's only one or two homework assignments a day, and I can easily finish them within an hour or even earlier, especially now that there's internet access... not to mention that sometimes there's no homework at all."

"..." Edward was momentarily at a loss for words as he looked at her guilt-ridden expression, trying to process what she had just said.

So... basically... She's telling him that she can finish both of their homework in just an hour or so, and it wasn't that hard.