"Two apartments, and if you factor in the four-million transfer fee Ye Chen asked for, it comes to twelve million in total. But those two apartments are easily worth fourteen million right now on the open market, not to mention how insanely popular this property is. Once there's a shortage and properties become impossible to get, they'll be worth well over fourteen million!"
"And you've been in business half your life? Can't you even figure out basic math like that?" the wealthy woman scolded her husband with fresh dissatisfaction.
Ye Chen remained completely unbothered.
He smiled and nodded, accepting the woman's arrangement.
"Manager Xu, I'd appreciate it if you could help us process the transfer!" Ye Chen said, looking at Xu Tong.
"Right, this way please!"
With a complex expression, Xu Tong shot Ye Chen a glance and, having no choice, led the way.
Twenty thousand had turned into four million in just three days.
This—this was unprecedented in the entire history of real estate speculation!
***
Due to the written agreement in black and white, Jinlin Mansion had no room to back out or start a dispute.
Very quickly, the transfer process for the deposit subscription contracts was completed.
The wealthy woman who traded with Ye Chen turned out to be quite decisive—far more so than her husband.
As soon as the transfer paperwork was finished, without even waiting for Ye Chen to ask, she took the initiative to offer to transfer the money to him via bank.
Four million, transferred directly to Ye Chen without a single flicker of pain in her eyes.
"Mr. Ye, shall I accompany you to Bauhinia Kindergarten now?"
Outside the Industrial and Commercial Bank, right next to the Land Rover, Zhang Jingshan stepped forward as Ye Chen walked out of the bank.
He hadn't yet had time to go make the final payment for those two apartments at Jinlin Mansion. Learning that Ye Chen was going to the bank with the wealthy woman to complete the transfer, he and Li Changfeng had driven the Land Rover over to follow them.
"No need, just drop me back at Jinlin Mansion. I'll head over with Principal Zhou shortly!" Ye Chen said.
"Alright, whatever you say!"
Back outside the sales office of Jinlin Mansion, Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng went inside to handle the purchase of the two apartments they had put deposits down on.
Of course, selling the deposit subscription contracts could have netted them a tidy profit. But the thought of having to track down buyers and slap a two-million-yuan markup on a mere ten-thousand-yuan deposit was just too shameless; they couldn't bring themselves to do it.
Outside the bustling, shaded canopy, Ye Chen dialed Zhou Xiaolan's number.
"Principal Zhou? It's Ye Chen. I'm right here where we met earlier. Would you be available to go back to the kindergarten with me now?"
"Alright, wait for me a moment, I'm coming right out!"
Less than two minutes later, Zhou Xiaolan walked out, her intellectual elegance apparent in every line.
"Mr. Ye, will you ride back in my car, or did you drive?" Zhou Xiaolan asked.
"I haven't bought a car yet," Ye Chen answered with complete, unblushing candor.
Zhou Xiaolan was momentarily stunned.
She simply couldn't get a read on this man anymore.
He had the money to buy property, yet he didn't even own a commuter car?
And Youyou's mother—who had claimed she couldn't afford Youyou's tuition—had always ridden a little electric scooter when dropping off and picking up the child. What on earth was the financial situation and structure of this family?
Still, she didn't dwell on it.
She nodded, then drove her little Honda Fit back to Bauhinia Kindergarten with Ye Chen.
Tuition for a single semester was twelve thousand.
That certainly wasn't cheap for a kindergarten. Paying for the remaining half of the semester came to six thousand. However, since Youyou hadn't attended for over a month, the school administration had decided to grant a partial reduction.
But Ye Chen refused, saying he wasn't short on that little bit.
Not only did he pay the remaining six thousand to cover the current term, but he paid for the upcoming semester as well, bringing the total to eighteen thousand.
"Since you brought a child into this world, you have a responsibility toward her. No matter how fierce the conflict between husband and wife gets in the future, don't make a mockery of a child's education and growth!" Zhou Xiaolan said as she saw Ye Chen out of the kindergarten.
Throughout the entire process, the impression Ye Chen gave her was worlds apart from the man she remembered.
It was as if the drunk who had caused a scene at the children's performance back on June 1st of last year had been completely replaced by a brand-new person.
Perhaps he had been fighting with Youyou's mother at the time, and had shown up reeking of lingering alcohol after a bout of heavy drinking. Zhou Xiaolan reasoned this way, perfectly excusing Ye Chen in her own mind.
"Yes, yes, Principal Zhou is quite right! I'll definitely reflect on myself properly!" Ye Chen chuckled dryly, nodding repeatedly.
"Alright, then. I won't see you out. Have a safe walk, Mr. Ye!" Zhou Xiaolan said.
"Ah, right. Could I also trouble Principal Zhou to let Youyou's mother know she can send Youyou back to school here?" Ye Chen asked.
"No problem, I'll call her in a bit!"
Waving goodbye to Zhou Xiaolan, Ye Chen walked toward the main road.
Just as he was about to flag down a taxi, his phone rang.
"High-achieving scholar, the hell, did you strike it rich?!"
"Huh?"
Hearing the familiar, gravelly voice on the other end, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Damn it, don't play dumb with me! My guys saw you go buy property at Jinlin Mansion. Tsk tsk, property prices there doubled overnight, and I hear today's opening price is at least thirty thousand per square meter. You little bastard had the nerve to go buy a house there—you're rolling in cash, huh? How about it, did you forget to pay back what you owe before going on a real estate shopping spree?"
It was Brother Biao, the man who had come to the rental apartment to collect the debt last time and whom Ye Chen had forced into granting a one-week extension by holding a piece of broken glass to his throat.
"What's the rush? We agreed on a week, and tomorrow is the deadline, isn't it? Besides, I was just about to bring the money over to you," Ye Chen said.
"Now that's what I call straightforward! Haha, you know our rules, right? Best bring it in cash!" The cold voice shifted into a hearty laugh.
"Got it!"
"Know the address? Need me to text you a pin?"
"No need. Anda Finance Company, right? I know where it is."
"Good enough. Make it quick, then—I'll brew some tea and await the great scholar's august presence!"
He hung up the phone.
Taking a deep breath, a glint of chilling coldness flashed in Ye Chen's eyes.
The money he owed, he would pay back—every single cent, principal and interest combined.
But this loan shark gang? He wasn't going to let them off the hook either.
Debt is a debt, and paying it is only natural. If it were just about his past life's unpaid debts, he wouldn't have a single word of complaint if they had killed him then.
But what they did—what they shouldn't have done—was drive his family to ruin in his past life!
If they hadn't called Chen Yinuo, why would Chen Yinuo have gone to see that bald executive?
And if she hadn't gone to see that bald executive, how could she have ended up taking Youyou down with her in a mutual destruction?
This score, Ye Chen was going to settle—and he was going to settle it to the death!
Even though his rebirth allowed him to avert that tragedy, this blood debt still had to be repaid!
***
At the Jinlin Mansion sales office, Zhang Jingshan briskly finished paying the full amount for the two apartments, then returned to the Land Rover with Li Changfeng.
"Old Zhang, do you think Ye Chen could be a major player?"
As Zhang Jingshan started the engine, Li Changfeng abruptly asked from the passenger seat.
"A major player? What makes you say that?" Taken aback by the question, Zhang Jingshan paused.
"He'd rather make a bit less money than owe us a favor. On top of that, he had the nerve to casually quote a two-million-yuan markup on a ten-thousand-yuan deposit—does that sound like a broke, desperate gambler to you? And I noticed earlier, when that middle-aged man accused him of extortion, not only was he totally calm, but his mere presence completely overwhelmed the guy. You have to remember, that guy is worth at least tens of millions, yet Ye Chen—the deadbeat gambler you described—put him in his place!" Li Changfeng said.
Zhang Jingshan scratched his head. "As much as I hate to believe it, based on everything I've dug up, he really was a bottom-feeding gambler through and through. Not just a gambler, but a drunk, and a spineless coward to boot! But the weird thing is, from the few times I've interacted with him, I can't see a single trace of that gambler, drunk, or coward in him anymore. I'm completely baffled myself!"
Li Changfeng fell silent for a brief moment.
Then he shook his head. "His past shouldn't serve as a reference anymore. We need to focus on the present and the future. The man could predict you were walking into a romantic disaster, could accurately forecast my car trouble, and was dead certain Jinlin Mansion's prices would skyrocket overnight. Just based on those points alone—not to mention the poise he displayed while dining at Champs-Élysées, or how he dominated that wealthy man just now—it's enough to prove he's far from ordinary. Stop obsessing over his past. Our focus should be looking forward. Jingshan, maybe we really need to manufacture an opportunity to get closer to him!"
At this, Zhang Jingshan stepped harder on the gas pedal.
After letting his mind race through a few possibilities, a grin spread across his face.
"Didn't he brush all those things off as mere intuition? We can test him again—see if he's really as miraculous as he seems!" Zhang Jingshan said.
"How?" Li Changfeng asked, curious.
"You'll see when the time comes!" Zhang Jingshan laughed mischievously, keeping him in suspense.
***
"Principal Zhou?"
At Huaxing Trading, Chen Yinuo—who had already reported to her post in the business cooperation group and familiarized herself with the work—answered the phone in sheer astonishment.
Why would the vice principal of Bauhinia Kindergarten be calling her?
"Youyou's mother, I wanted to let you know that you can send Youyou back to Bauhinia Kindergarten now. Her tuition has been paid, and the next semester's tuition has been taken care of as well!" Zhou Xiaolan said.
"What? Principal Zhou, did you make a mistake? How could Youyou's tuition be paid?"
Stunned, Chen Yinuo hurried toward the restroom.
"It was paid by Youyou's father!"
"Ye Chen? How did he know Youyou transferred schools?" Chen Yinuo was even more bewildered.
"Well, I happened to run into Mr. Ye, recognized him as Youyou's father, and mentioned it in passing. He said you two had a falling out so he didn't know about it, and then he came back to the kindergarten with me to pay the tuition. Youyou're mother, the child's tuition issue is settled. When it comes to educational environment and personal growth, those ordinary kindergartens outside simply can't compare to Bauhinia. You should send Youyou back to us tomorrow!"
After exchanging a dazed blur of polite pleasantries, Chen Yinuo hung up the phone still unable to process what had just happened.
That money-obsessed beast had paid Youyou's tuition?
And not just any amount—eighteen thousand all at once?
Had he forgotten about paying back his loan shark debts?
To Chen Yinuo, this was just as unbelievable as Ye Chen voluntarily coughing up a hundred thousand to settle Chen Yihao's dispute!
In that scumbag gambler's eyes, there was only himself; he only ever thought about saving his own skin. Wife and daughter were utterly disposable to him.
A man who would steal Youyou's New Year's lucky money—money meant for her tuition—just to gamble, a scumbag who screamed that sending their daughter to school was a waste of money, would actually shell out eighteen thousand yuan for tuition out of nowhere?
And this was while he owed over two hundred thousand, with loan sharks ready to hack him to death at any moment if he didn't pay up?
No, selfish, cowardly, spineless Ye Chen would never do such a thing!
Yet how else could she explain what Principal Zhou had just said on the phone?
After hesitating over and over, she dialed a phone number she hadn't called in a very long time.
***
Outside the bank, Ye Chen stood holding the black plastic bag stuffed with three hundred thousand yuan.
Just as he stepped out onto the street, his phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID display "Yinuo," his breathing instantly hitched.
"Yinuo?"
"Did you pay Youyou's tuition for this half-semester, and the next semester as well?"
Chen Yinuo's tone was as glacial as ever.
"Yes. I happened to run into Principal Zhou, and she told me Youyou wasn't at Bauhinia Kindergarten anymore. She said that because of money troubles, you had transferred her to another kindergarten, and that ordinary kindergartens outside couldn't compare to Bauhinia in terms of environment for Youyou's education and development. So I went back to the kindergarten with her and paid the tuition."
Before Ye Chen could finish, he pressed on, "Yinuo, this is about our child's education and growth after all. No matter how much you hate or despise me, you should have discussed it with—"
However, before Ye Chen could finish his sentence, Chen Yinuo cut him off.
"Ha! Discussed it with you? Ye Chen, how do you have the nerve to say that to me? How do you have the face to say that? Are you trying to blame me for transferring Youyou to some ordinary school?"
"I—"
Ye Chen wanted to explain.
But Chen Yinuo gave him zero opportunity.
"Isn't all of this your doing?! If you weren't a human scum and a degenerate, would I have had to transfer Youyou to some ordinary school? Do you think I don't know that Bauhinia Kindergarten is leagues ahead of those ordinary kindergartens? If I had even a shred of money left, do you think I'd let Youyou leave Bauhinia?!"
"It was you! You, you beast, you drove us mother and daughter to a dead end! I tried borrowing from other people, but the money I borrowed before to pay off your gambling debts hasn't even been repaid yet—do you think anyone would lend to me again? I couldn't borrow a cent, not a single penny! You stole my credit cards and maxed them out. You even used my ID card and phone to take out every single online loan available!"
"Not only did you ruin my credit rating, but I have to deal with debt collectors calling every few days. You've driven me to the edge of the abyss! Do you know what that feels like?! Forget Bauhinia Kindergarten—I almost couldn't even scrape together the thousand yuan for a regular kindergarten outside! The monthly rent, utilities, food and clothing for Youyou and me—"
At this, Chen Yinuo broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably.
She had always thought she was strong. She had thought she was already numb to all of it.
Yet saying it all out loud once more made her realize she was nothing more than a blade of grass—a pathetic, wretched blade of grass.
No, she wasn't even as fortunate as a blade of grass. At least grass had roots!
And she? She was a drifting duckweed, completely devoid of any destination or hope.
Floating wherever the current took her.
A husband who was a human scumbag.
A maternal family that met her with cold stares and contempt.
The crushing pressure of a mother and daughter surviving alone.
The relentless barrage of collection calls.
A ruined personal credit score.
Harassment and suppression from her superiors at work.
It had all squeezed the air right out of her lungs long ago.
Truly, if she hadn't couldn't bear to leave her daughter Youyou behind, she would have wanted to die—she would have welcomed a quick release from it all.
As her sobbing finally subsided, she wiped the tears from her face.
She didn't continue venting about her misery.
It was simple: complaining to a human scum and degenerate like him was entirely pointless.
"Hah!"
She regulated her breathing.
"Talking about those things has no meaning. Let's end it here! Biologically speaking, you are Youyou's father. Since you paid her tuition, I'll send her back to Bauhinia Kindergarten. But I don't want this to become an excuse for you to drag your feet on signing the divorce papers. If you have even a single shred of conscience left, I hope you'll sign them as soon as possible and give me and Youyou a release and a fresh start!"
Without giving Ye Chen a chance to respond, she abruptly cut the call.
In front of the mirror in the restroom, she pulled a tissue from her pocket to wipe away her tears, took out her portable cosmetic case, and used a cheap cushion puff to touch up the ugly tear tracks on her face.
After taking several deep breaths to steady her emotions, she forced a brave, smiling expression onto her face and walked out of the restroom.
Yet her scarred, battered heart was still twisting and aching with every step.
No matter how much it hurt, though, she had to fake strength, because she refused to let outsiders see her vulnerability.
Survival was exhausting; life was bitter.
Yet for Youyou's sake, she didn't have a single inch of leeway to allow herself to be weak.
***
Outside the bank, Ye Chen stood frozen in place, holding the phone that had already gone silent.
Like a statue carved in stone.
For a long time.
His tear ducts twitched uncontrollably.
Two lines of clear tears broke free and spilled from his eyes.
"I'm sorry..."
His dry throat convulsed as he whispered wretchedly.
He didn't call back.
Drawing a long, heavy breath to steady his emotions, he grabbed the black plastic bag containing the three hundred thousand yuan and walked toward a taxi idling by the curb.
Pulling open the door, he climbed inside.
"Driver, Anda Finance Company, please!"