Chapter 5

The plane landed in Melbourne right at midnight.

The customs officer flipped through my documents, asking some routine questions.

“Ms. Vivian, how long do you intend to stay in Australia?”

“Hello. I’ve received an offer from a company in Melbourne, and my work visa is all processed. I plan to work here for two years currently.”

Hearing my fluent English, the officer didn’t press me further, stamped my passport, and let me through.

I thanked her politely, collected my luggage, and left the airport.

I used my new phone to search for a hotel’s location and hailed a cab.

The driver was an Australian of Asian descent. Seeing my face, she immediately started chatting with me.

Hearing my native language in a foreign land filled me with warmth.

We chatted idly the whole way, and the driver, who was a bit older, gave me a lot of advice about living in Melbourne, all of which I carefully noted down.

When we reached the hotel, before parting ways, we even exchanged contact information.

The driver helped me carry my luggage into the elevator before leaving.

I used my room card to open the door. Seeing the clean and tidy room, the tension I had been holding onto finally eased.

I unpacked my things, went downstairs for dinner, then came back, washed up, and quickly fell asleep on the soft, large bed.

I slept soundly through the night.

The next afternoon at two, I woke up groggily.

Seeing the completely unfamiliar room, I still felt a little disoriented.

It took me about five minutes to finally realize I had left my homeland and arrived in a brand new country.

Melbourne was in the middle of summer, and the weather was hot.

I pulled out a few dresses, changed into one, went out for some lunch, then took a cab near the company, ready to check out the apartment I had booked earlier.

The landlord arrived on time and handed me the apartment keys.

After entering my new home, I walked around, noting down everything I needed to buy, then hired a cleaner to tidy the place.

In the evening, I returned to the apartment with my luggage and settled in.

Over the next few days, I bought many necessities, and the previously empty rooms slowly filled up.

While unpacking, I kept in touch with my roommate, who would be arriving in a few days.

Gradually, I adapted to local life.

With my excellent cooking skills and several schools nearby, and being quite young myself, I naturally blended into the international student community and became friends with two girls who lived nearby.

They took me shopping, introduced me to local restaurants, and showed me around the sights.

I worked at my company and spent my free time exploring with them, living a rather enjoyable life.

This morning, there was a commotion outside the door.

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I walked out of the bedroom and saw a girl in her early twenties pushing a suitcase, shyly greeting me.

“Hi, are you Vivian? I’m Chloe, your roommate.”

I remembered then that my roommate had mentioned a few days ago that she would be arriving in Melbourne today.

I quickly welcomed her, helping her with her luggage and showing her around the apartment.

In just one morning, the two of us, who had only chatted online, quickly became close. That afternoon, we even went grocery shopping together.

Chloe was still a student and would be starting classes in a few days. I personally cooked a spread and invited a few friends I had made earlier for a get-together.

After some time together, everyone’s relationships had noticeably grown closer.

### Chapter 1