“What do you mean, hiring people to put on an act and kick you out?”
Shu Lingchen was completely bewildered. He had rushed over the moment he saw the messages.
“Auntie Chu, what are you talking about? Who kicked you out?”
Chu Mother snapped: “Who else but you!”
“Me? I didn’t do anything!”
Seeing Shu Lingchen’s innocent, confused expression, Chu Lian realized he was truly out of the loop and knew nothing about this.
She softened her voice, sounding delicate and aggrieved. “Achen, just now, a man claiming to be the owner of 1701 showed up with a property deed in his name. He brought a team and forced us out.”
“What?!” Shu Lingchen exclaimed. “The house is mine! How could anyone else have the deed? It must be some scammer!”
Chu Lian shook her head. “No. Mom called the police, and even they said the deed was real.”
“That’s impossible!” Shu Lingchen said firmly. “He must be a high-level fraudster. Is he still in 1701?!”
“Yes.”
“Achen, it was so scary earlier. That man brought so many people, all of them big and intimidating. Mom and I were terrified.”
Chu Lian stood in the breeze, her white dress fluttering. Her eyes were red, and her expression was fragile—the kind of look that easily triggers a man’s protective instincts.
“Don’t be afraid, Chuchu.” Shu Lingchen’s eyes burned with rage as he tightened his fists. “Fine. Someone actually has the nerve to scam me[1]? Auntie Chu, Chuchu, come up with me. I’ll handle this.”
The mother and daughter shared a delighted look. With Shu Lingchen backing them, their confidence returned instantly.
Chu Lian added, “Achen, the man said his name is Liu Tong.”
“Who?”
“Liu Tong. Tong as in ‘communication’.”
Shu Lingchen paused. That name… why did it sound familiar?
Meanwhile, Chu Lian was already calculating how to save face for today’s events. It was such rotten luck that this happened on the exact day she invited her classmates over. Once they got back into 1701, she’d have to quickly declare it a big misunderstanding. Her “Rich Young Lady” persona had to remain intact.
With these thoughts, the three arrived at the entrance of Yujing Garden.
Shu Lingchen swiped his card to enter. The Chu mother and daughter followed closely behind, only to be blocked by the security guard.
“You two cannot enter.”
Chu Mother was stunned. “Why not?!”
The guard, dressed in a crisp uniform and cap, glanced at them coldly. “You are not residents.”
Shu Lingchen turned around, his brow furrowing arrogantly. “I’m the owner. I’m bringing them in.”
The guard looked at Shu Lingchen, his voice remaining indifferent. “Apologies. Orders from above state that if you attempt to bring these two in, even you are not permitted entry.”
Shu Lingchen: “???”
The faces of the Chu mother and daughter turned pale. What did this mean? They were blacklisted from Yujing Garden?
“Above? Who is ‘above’?” Shu Lingchen demanded.
The guard remained silent.
“Fine! Then I’ll go in alone!” Shu Lingchen barked. He wanted to see exactly who was playing tricks. He turned to the women. “Auntie Chu, Chuchu, wait for me here. I’ll come back down to get you in a bit.”
There was no other choice. Chu Lian bit her lip. “Okay, Achen. Be careful, they have a lot of people.”
Shu Lingchen felt a warmth in his heart. Touched, he nodded. “I will.”
Sure enough, the moment Shu Lingchen proceeded alone, the guard stepped aside.
As soon as Shu Lingchen was out of earshot, Chu Mother spat toward the guard. “Snobbish dog! The first thing I do when I get back is file a complaint to get you fired!”
The guard didn’t even blink. He raised his hand to the radio on his shoulder and said expressionlessly:
“Team A, send two people over. Move these two ‘loiterers’ away from the entrance.”
Chu Mother was livid. “You!!”
Shu Lingchen stormed toward his building like a furious lion cub.
A middle-aged man was standing by the unit entrance, clearly waiting for someone. As Shu Lingchen approached, the man spoke:
“Lingchen.”
“Who are you—?” Shu Lingchen stopped and scrutinized the man’s face. After a moment, he recognized him in surprise. “Uncle Liu Tong?”
“Yes.”
Shu Lingchen remembered now. F1701 was indeed his house, but his name wasn’t on the deed yet. After Shu Shu “passed away,” Shu Lingchen inherited the property, but the title would only officially transfer to him once he turned eighteen. Until then, it was held in the name of a professional trustee. It was a measure to protect a minor’s inheritance.
When Shu Lingchen was around ten, this manager, Liu Tong, had met with him privately to explain the arrangement. Shu Lingchen had never mentioned this to the Chu family. When Chu Lian brought up the name “Liu Tong” earlier, it hadn’t clicked immediately.
Shu Lingchen frowned. “Uncle Liu, why did you kick Auntie Chu and Chu Lian out?”
Liu Tong simply said, “Follow me up first.”
Inside the elevator, Shu Lingchen watched suspiciously as Liu Tong pressed the button for the 16th floor. “Did you press the wrong one?”
“No,” Liu Tong replied. “The 16th floor is correct.”
Shu Lingchen figured Liu Tong was taking him to meet someone—perhaps the “person above” the guard had mentioned.
They stepped out of the elevator. The doors to the penthouse were open. Shu Lingchen was stunned by the glimpse of luxury inside; it was far more extravagant than his own home upstairs.
Wary and curious, he followed Liu Tong inside. A second later, his eyes widened, and he froze in his tracks. A single word escaped his lips:
“Mom—?!”
On the sofa, Shu Shu was comfortably scrolling through her phone while sipping coconut water. Hearing him, she looked up with a bright smile. “Hi, son.”
“How… why are you here?!” Of all the possibilities Shu Lingchen had imagined, seeing Shu Shu was not one of them.
“This is my house. If I’m not here, where should I be?”
Shu Lingchen scanned the living room, completely shocked. “This is your house?! Where did you get the money for this?” It was too opulent. Had she won the lottery with the money he gave her?
Shu Shu replied casually, “Oh, I found some time to rob a bank these past two days.”
Shu Lingchen: “…………”
Liu Tong stood by Shu Shu’s side. Shu Lingchen noticed the property deed on the coffee table, along with the boxes of game consoles, figurines, and Mao-tai scattered on the floor nearby.
He connected the dots. “Mom… you’re the one who had Auntie Chu and the others kicked out…?”
“Mm-hmm,” Shu Shu hummed.
“Huh? Why?” Shu Lingchen asked. “Where are they supposed to live now?”
“Wherever they want.”
Shu Shu continued, “They’ve lived off my house for so long for free. I haven’t even asked for rent, utilities, management fees, or damage costs. I only asked them to leave. Even the Mother of Sorrows would step down and let me take over the role of Saint at this point.”
“What? Did they expect to live in 1701 forever?”
Shu Lingchen mumbled, “Auntie Chu and Chuchu didn’t mean it that way. They were just staying temporarily…”
“Oh? A ‘temporary’ stay that lasted six or seven years? While they let you move out and rent a place?”
Shu Lingchen weakly clarified, “…Moving out to rent was my own idea.”
Shu Shu countered, “Regardless, 1701 is mine. Whether I take it back, who I let live there, and how I handle it is my right.”
This silenced Shu Lingchen; he knew she was right. The house belonged to his mother, and now that she was back, it naturally returned to her. But he was caught in a dilemma. How was he supposed to tell Auntie Chu and Chuchu?
Sensing her son’s conflict, Shu Shu thought for a moment and beckoned him over. “Want me to teach you how to handle it?”
[1] Ironically