The two of them rode in silence the rest of the way, finally arriving at Mr. Zhao’s place.
It was an old residential area—older even than the one they currently lived in.
Calling it a “community” was a stretch. It was more like a village: right next to the city, yet not really part of it.
Most of the houses were self-built one- or two-story homes, with a few old mud-brick houses mixed in.
Before they even entered the area, they could already see huge red characters painted on the walls: “To Be Demolished.”
“This place is getting torn down?” Song Yunfei exclaimed in surprise. “Demolition usually comes with housing compensation, right?”
Chu Jinhan surveyed the surroundings as well, then said thoughtfully, “Usually it’s either a replacement house or cash compensation—you choose one.”
“Oh, I see.” Song Yunfei didn’t know much about this, but since Mr. Zhao wanted to buy a place, he must have chosen cash.
If the house was going to be demolished, then this property would definitely be sold—it was just a question of from whom they’d buy it.
Thinking that far ahead instantly lifted her mood. She barely even felt how scorching the sun overhead was anymore.
When the call connected, Mr. Zhao told her to wait for him at the village entrance.
Song Yunfei agreed. After hanging up, she turned to Chu Jinhan.
“By the way, later I’ll take him to see the house. What about you?”
“Aren’t you bringing him back afterward?” Chu Jinhan replied calmly. “I’ll wait here for you.”
She thought about it and nodded—good idea. That way, when she came back, he could still give her a ride to the subway station.
Before long, Mr. Zhao came down. With him was a middle-aged woman and two children—a son and a daughter.
Song Yunfei froze.
The family of four froze too when they saw the little e-bike.
They had clearly assumed she’d be picking them up by car. No one had expected an electric scooter.
Awkward as it was, she still forced herself to step forward.
“Hello, Mr. Zhao. This must be Mrs. Zhao?”
Mr. Zhao looked displeased but nodded reluctantly.
Mrs. Zhao tugged at the corner of her mouth—barely a smile.
Keeping her polite smile in place, Song Yunfei said, “I’m really sorry—this is my fault for not communicating clearly in advance. Traffic in the city is terrible, and I didn’t want to waste your valuable time, so I rode over on an e-bike.”
The boy, about ten years old, spoke up.
“In this heat? Riding an e-bike?”
He pouted, clearly uninterested. “I don’t want to go anymore.”
Still smiling, Song Yunfei replied, “Yes, it is quite hot today. Though it wasn’t as bad earlier this morning. How about this—I’ll call a taxi for everyone. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“Today’s main focus is looking at the house. Transportation is a small matter—finding a place you really like is what matters most. Don’t you agree?”
It was obvious Mrs. Zhao was the one calling the shots. She sighed lightly.
“Alright then. We’ll wait.”
Seeing her soften, Song Yunfei immediately struck up conversation.
“Mrs. Zhao, you have such a refined air about you. Do you work at a bank?”
That bit of flattery landed perfectly. Mrs. Zhao visibly straightened her back.
Mr. Zhao chuckled beside her. “My wife is a fu si zhang.”
Song Yunfei was stunned.
“Vice mayor?! Oh—I’m so sorry, so sorry! I didn’t recognize Mayor Zhao at all.”
Mrs. Zhao burst out laughing.
“What ‘Mayor Zhao’? I’m a head nurse. A head nurse at a hospital.”
The compliment caught in Song Yunfei’s throat—she nearly bit her tongue.
No—Mr. Zhao’s accent was way too misleading.
“Young lady, your eyesight won’t do at all,” Mrs. Zhao teased. “Do I really look like some high-ranking official?”
As she spoke, she shot her husband an annoyed glare.
Mr. Zhao scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
“My fault, my fault. My pronunciation isn’t very standard.”
Song Yunfei laughed along, embarrassed but quick on her feet.
“Oh, you definitely look the part! The moment I saw you, I was completely overwhelmed by your presence. And after hearing Mr. Zhao say that, I didn’t doubt it for a second. Who would’ve thought you’re actually an angel in white?”
That round of flattery successfully lightened the mood. The earlier displeasure vanished without a trace.
Chu Jinhan stood quietly to the side, watching her smooth-talk her way through the situation. The look in his eyes was hard to read.
Not long after, the taxi arrived.
Song Yunfei courteously opened the doors for them. Once the family of four got in, she turned back to Chu Jinhan.
“You go with them first. I’ll ride.”
“Alright. Be careful on your own,” he said.
She nodded and followed them into the taxi.
Chu Jinhan got back on his e-bike and followed behind, but his little scooter couldn’t keep up with the car. Soon, they disappeared from each other’s sight.
As he rode through a narrow alley, he suddenly slowed to a stop.
He turned his head.
In the alley to his left stood a man blocking a woman’s path.
“Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?” the man demanded. “I already told you—my dad froze my card. I didn’t lie to you.”
“Don’t worry. Once my card’s unfrozen, I’ll buy ten apartments right away, okay?”
As he spoke, he reached out to wrap an arm around the woman’s shoulders.
“Come on, let’s go eat. Tonight I’ll take you to meet a few friends—introduce you to some big clients.”
The woman looked at him with disgust and swatted his hand away.
“Stop lying to me. I saw you at the car rental agency myself. Wu Wei, if you keep harassing me, I’m calling the police.”
Wu Wei clicked his tongue impatiently.
“Don’t you know that rental agency belongs to me? If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you there right now and show you the business license.”
The woman hesitated, clearly torn, staring at him with doubt.
Watching this scene, Chu Jinhan’s gaze turned subtly sharp. Without drawing attention, he got off his e-bike.
Well, well.
Enemies really did cross paths everywhere.
If Song Yunfei were here, she would immediately recognize them.
One was her coworker, Xiao Shuang.
The other was the man who had flirted with her earlier—from the Bentley.
Xiao Shuang hesitated.
“But my coworkers said—”
Wu Wei cut her off.
“Those coworkers of yours are just jealous as hell. Stop listening to those gossiping bitches. They can’t stand seeing you do well—they’d love nothing more than to break people up.”
“Now come with me to the dealership—ah!”
Before he could finish, a sudden force slammed into his backside. His entire body lurched forward toward Xiao Shuang.
She screamed and instinctively dodged to the side.
Wu Wei let out a miserable howl and crashed face-first onto the ground, eating dirt.
“Fuck—who was that?!”
He twisted around furiously and saw a man in a white shirt standing there, looking down at him.
The man was tall. His gaze was lowered.
Calm—utterly calm.
And utterly contemptuous.
That look, combined with the oppressive aura he gave off, stunned Wu Wei for a full two seconds.
“It’s you?!” Wu Wei recognized him at once, fury and shock exploding together. “You got a death wish?!”
Chu Jinhan walked toward him slowly, his expression flat.
“Caught up with you.”
“Caught your ass! I’m telling you—you’re done for!” Wu Wei cursed as he scrambled to his feet. “Do you even know who my dad is?”
The instant he stood up, Chu Jinhan lifted his leg and kicked straight at his knee.
Wu Wei screamed and collapsed back onto the ground.
Chu Jinhan took two more steps forward and planted his foot on the hand Wu Wei had been holding his phone with earlier.
Wu Wei howled in agony, struggling desperately, but his strength was nothing compared to this tall man’s—it was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
“Go on,” Chu Jinhan said coolly.
“Tell me—who’s your dad?”
Wu Wei choked, his mind blank. Before he could come up with an answer, another wave of searing pain shot through his hand, and he screamed again.
“Say it.”