林薇站在街口，看着前面那个挂着“出租”牌的小店，心里直打鼓。 пройти еще пару минут, she thought. Just a few more minutes, and then she will go knocking on that door. But then again, it might just be another scam. The thought made her stomach twist into a knot.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the alley. The air was thick with the scent of damp stone and something sweet, like ripe fruit. The alley was narrow, and the only light came from the tiny gap between the buildings on either side. She could hear the distant sound of traffic and the occasional shout from the street, but here, in the shadows, it felt like a whole other world.

林薇走到那家店门口，门口挂着一块牌子，上面用红色的油漆写着“出租”。店里面很暗，只有一盏昏黄的灯泡，投射出人在地上的影子。一个穿得花花绿绿的中年男人坐在柜台后面，手里正在打牌。看到林薇走进来，他停了下来，打了个哈欠。

“找什么？”他的声音懒洋洋的，带着一种说不出的调调。

林薇定了定神，鼓起勇气问道：“这里招租吗？”

男人眨了眨眼，露出一丝狡黠的笑容：“招租，招租。什么样的人？”

林薇心里有点紧张，但还是说：“我刚毕业，想找个便宜的地方住。”

男人哼了一声，把牌扔到桌上，站起来走到林薇面前：“便宜？这个城市里，没有便宜的地方。要住好，就得花更多的钱。”

林薇咬了咬嘴唇，知道再怎么说也没用。