The middle-aged men and women gathered nearby looked curiously at Lin Fan and his family as they got out of the car, their gazes as if they were observing something strange and unusual.
At that moment, the short, plump woman from the crowd suddenly stood up. After greeting the others, she quickly walked over to catch up with Lin Fan’s family.
“Shumei?” a tentative voice called out from behind Wang Shumei.
She turned around and saw the short, plump woman.
“Jin Ju, it’s you!”
Clearly, this woman named Jin Ju was acquainted with Lin Fan’s family.
“Shumei, it really is you! I thought I was mistaken,” Jin Ju said as she hurried over, slightly out of breath.
Then she asked cautiously, “I saw you getting out of a real estate agency car. Did you go buy a house?”
Hearing this, a trace of awkwardness appeared on Wang Shumei’s face. She knew very well that what she had bought was a haunted house.
Buying a house was normally a joyful occasion, something to share with friends and relatives. But buying a haunted house was something she couldn’t bring herself to talk about.
She had even reminded Lin Fan and the others earlier not to mention it to anyone, since it wasn’t something honorable.
Wang Shumei’s eyes flickered with hesitation, unsure how to respond.
At that moment, Jin Ju noticed her embarrassment and said smugly, “I already saw you getting out of that car just now. You bought the apartment in Building 12, Unit 502 at Jincheng Garden, didn’t you?”
Hearing this, Wang Shumei’s expression changed instantly. Just what she feared had come true.
She had already been extremely discreet about buying that property, yet somehow Jin Ju still found out.
With an embarrassed expression, Wang Shumei nodded.
Lin Fan frowned slightly as he looked at the woman in front of him. He knew her personality all too well… deep down, she loved comparing herself to others.
Since childhood, he and Jin Ju’s son had constantly been compared, whether it was academic performance, university admissions, or even their jobs after graduation.
More often than not, Lin Fan’s family had the upper hand, which had always left Jin Ju feeling resentful.
Now that she knew Lin Fan’s family had bought a haunted house, there was no way she would hold back her sarcasm.
Sure enough, as Lin Fan had expected, once Jin Ju confirmed the truth from Wang Shumei, the smile on her face became impossible to hide.
“I say, Shumei,” she began, “do you even know what kind of place you bought? Someone committed suicide in that apartment! Aren’t you afraid of bringing bad luck upon yourselves?”
As she spoke, she deliberately emphasized words like “suicide” and “bad luck,” her face full of exaggerated horror.
As expected, after hearing this, Wang Shumei’s expression darkened.
Lin Zhigao said with a gloomy face, “Jin Ju, what nonsense are you talking about? Bad luck? What era are we living in?”
Although he himself felt somewhat uncomfortable about buying the house, in front of others, he could only pretend not to care.
Jin Ju shot him a sideways glance but didn’t respond. Instead, she turned to Lin Fan and said, “Xiao Fan, I really have to say something to you. Your parents are older and may not understand these things, but you’re young. Shouldn’t you have investigated the property beforehand? In this regard, you’re not as sharp as my son.”
She continued proudly, “When he bought his place, the previous owner even left all the furniture behind!”
Lin Fan curled his lips slightly, a trace of mockery appearing on his face as he said, “Aunt Jin, are you talking about the apartment Xiaofeng bought in the eastern district earlier this year? If I remember correctly, less than three months after buying it, the price dropped by 100,000 yuan, didn’t it?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on Jin Ju’s face froze. The fat on her cheeks trembled slightly.
In recent years, housing prices in the Dragon Nation had fallen sharply. Her son had just bought that property at the beginning of the year, and soon after, prices began to decline. In just three months, the total value had dropped by 100,000 yuan.
Because of this, Jin Ju had been upset for more than half a year.
She had finally managed to forget about it, yet Lin Fan brought it up again. Her face flushed red and pale in turns as she retorted, “At least it’s better than your family buying a haunted house!”
Seeing her expression worsening, Wang Shumei quickly stepped forward, pulled Lin Fan aside, and said in a low voice, “Xiao Fan, how can you talk to Aunt Jin like that?”
Out of consideration for their long-standing neighborly relationship, Wang Shumei didn’t want things to escalate.
But Lin Fan didn’t care at all. Having lived a second life, he had no intention of accommodating others’ feelings. Since she had provoked him, he wouldn’t hold back. Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.
Besides, his parents wouldn’t be living here in the future anyway, so there was no need to give her any face.
Jin Ju was not someone to be trifled with either. Seeing Lin Fan expose her sore spot, she immediately grew sharp-tongued, saying sarcastically, “Lin Fan, if you don’t have enough money to buy a house, you can start with something smaller. I know that place is cheaper than the market price, but that doesn’t mean you should buy a haunted house just for a bargain. Who would even dare to live in a place like that?”
Lin Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and responded calmly, “That’s none of your concern. We didn’t spend your money, so why are you worrying so much?”
With that, he pulled his parents along and left.
He had no interest in wasting words with her. In any case, the residential complex would be demolished in just one month. Once the demolition happened, Jin Ju would realize how ridiculous her current behavior was.
If it weren’t for the fact that the demolition news hadn’t been officially announced yet, Lin Fan would have exposed it on the spot and humiliated her thoroughly.
Watching the backs of Lin Fan and his family as they walked away, Jin Ju let out a cold sneer and said, “Hmph, if you can’t afford a house, then don’t buy one! Buying a haunted house just to save face… how laughable!”
…
After purchasing the three properties, Lin Fan finally felt at ease.
Once everything was arranged, he took some time to treat his colleagues to a meal.
They all knew that Lin Fan had won the lottery and offered their congratulations.
After several rounds of drinks, Fu Ming leaned closer to Lin Fan and whispered, “Fan-ge, your wife came to the company looking for you before. I think I might have accidentally said something wrong at the time. Did it cause you any trouble?”
Lin Fan knew he was referring to Chen Yuanyuan finding out about his lottery winnings. He smiled and shook his head, indicating it was nothing.
Fu Ming nodded and downed a glass of alcohol.
Lin Fan noticed this and also realized that his colleagues seemed distracted today, as if each of them had something on their minds.
He asked, “What’s going on with everyone today? You all look like you’ve got something weighing on you.”