There was no news from Xiao Feng’s side for the time being. After admonishing Xu Lan a few times, Bai Wu left, carrying Ka Daiwen with him. Xu Lan frowned at the situation inside the house. The landlady would be coming over soon, and he was unable to imagine the amount of scolding he would get or the total amount that would have to be paid.

Xu Lan was overcome with boredom, and in trying to relieve himself of it, he phoned Wang Meng and invited him out for a meal. Xiao Feng picked up the phone instead, but Wang Meng’s groaning could faintly be heard in the background. A shocked Xu Lan hung up immediately, turning his attention to the city’s unending hustle and bustle.

The days were longer during summertime, and the sun was still high in the west side of the sky. As Xu Lan was taking an aimless stroll, a small brochure was shoved into his hands. With the bright, clean walls of a skyscraper reflecting a garish amount of sunlight, Xu Lan squinted and lifted his hand up lazily to shield his eyes. His eyes were greeted with a cold, unfeeling, high-rise building that was created from the piling up of reinforced concrete. Three words were written on top of the building: ‘Zhao Real Estates’.

“Eh, how did I end up here?” he mumbles as his lips curled into a smile. He was coincidentally on the lookout for a new house. He walked in wondering if he would be able to get some discounts on the basis of having friendly relations with them.

The female sales agent gladly welcomed him once she saw him enter. She took another look at Xu Lan and she – along with her black, unpadded shoes – paused for a moment. Bai Wu was rushing and had no time to dress Xu Lan up. As a result, Xu Lan wore a white short-sleeved shirt that was stained yellow after numerous washes, a pair of flower print shorts, and a pair of flip-flops. In addition to his dark and suntanned skin, he also had an unkempt beard and since it had been a while since he last had a haircut, his undercut was fast approaching the style of an artist. Nonetheless, he walked with a swagger into the sales department of Zhao Real Estates.

“Hello sir, are you here to look at some houses?” The saleslady smiled in a very business-like manner and asked cordially. She looked similar to a certain lady from a certain country, who also had fake smiles.

“Mm, yes, looking for a house.” Before Xu Lan said anything else, the saleslady brought him to see their house models. Soon after, a big-bellied middle-aged man came in, accompanied by an elegant and beautiful woman. The saleslady immediately casted Xu Lan aside and hurried over to greet them.

Xu Lan simply rolled his eyes. If he wanted Bai Wu to be comfortable, he could neither buy a place that was upstairs nor one that was in the city center.

“Do you only have this kind?” Xu Lan pointed to a row of extremely small models. He twitched his mouth and asked, “Are there any bigger ones? Something with a garden maybe.”

“Err, we do, but are you sure you want to look at them?” the saleslady answered hesitantly. She thought that perhaps he was unfamiliar with the condition of the property market during the past few years.

“Mm, yes. It would be better if the house is a bit secluded and is all on its own. I prefer peace and quiet.” Xu Lan nodded affirmatively.

The saleslady brought him to see the villa district. All of them were detached European-style houses. Some villas had a garden, while others had a swimming pool; a few units even had both.

“How about this one?” Xu Lan stopped at one that had a garden at the back and a swimming pool on the roof. He posed the question while rubbing his chin.

“Darling, I wanna see this one.” A delicate finger with red nail polish pointed at the house in front of Xu Lan. She was leaning on the big-bellied middle-aged man when she made the remark.

“Yo, where did this peasant come from? You’re making a mistake, aren’t you? You, of all people, want to buy this house?” Despite her pretty face, her words were anything but. Xu Lan tch-ed upon hearing them.

“I, I want to buy it. I saw it first.” Xu Lan glanced quickly at them but could not be bothered by their actions.

“You wanna buy it? Do you have the money? You’re just a naïve peasant who just entered the city. Do you know how expensive this house is? You still wanna buy it?” The pretty lady replied mockingly. She found it amusing that a peasant was fighting over a house with her.

“I don’t know, actually. I just think this house is neat. So, this one will do.”

“What! YOU! Darling! I don’t care! I want this house!” She swung her lips and jiggled the middle-aged man’s arm in a tantrum.

“We fancy this one. You may look for another one. Kiss kiss, my darling, you can stop swinging my arm now.” From behind, the middle-aged man bit the woman’s ear and replied.

“Heh, I fancy this too. Well, everything’s on a first come, first serve basis right?? I was the first to say I wanted to see this house, wasn’t I?” Xu Lan retorted in disdain.

“F*ck your mother. I said I fancy it, so it’s mine! What dog a*s logic is that first come first serve nonsense. Customer service, bring us to see the house.” With a fierce-looking face, the man spat a few profanities and pushed Xu Lan away. He then called out to the saleslady.

“Er, this…this…” The saleslady looked awkwardly at Xu Lan and walked over to the man.

“I saw it first.”

“F*CK YOUR MOTHER!” The man was about to deliver a kick!

“STOP!”