"I honestly never imagined I'd live in a house like this in my lifetime," Wang Zhengdao murmured, gazing up at the luxuriously finished apartment complex.

Wang Zhuo merely smiled, knowing the real surprise was yet to come.

"Which floor? How big is it?" Wang Zhengdao asked.

"The top floor. You'll know the size when we get up there."

Several people were already waiting by the elevators. Just as the father and son approached, a middle-aged man stepped forward, his voice ringing with surprise, "Wang Zhengdao? You're... out?"

Wang Zhengdao paused for a moment, then broke into a smile and nodded. "I'm out. Long time no see."

Turning back, Wang Zhengdao introduced them. "This is my son, Wang Zhuo. This is Zhang Chengzhi, my high school classmate. Wang Zhuo, call him Uncle Zhang."

As Wang Zhuo was about to speak, Zhang Chengzhi cut in, "Wang Zhengdao, I think I'm older than you. Your son should be calling me Uncle Zhang."

After the initial pleasantries, Zhang Chengzhi sized Wang Zhengdao up and asked, "Zhengdao, I heard after you went to jail, the family sold the pharmacy? Now that you're out, what are your plans?"

Zhang Chengzhi's voice was loud, as if determined for everyone nearby to hear. The people waiting for the elevator glanced over, and Wang Zhuo couldn't help but frown.

"The pharmacy? I'm not doing that anymore," Wang Zhengdao managed an awkward smile.

"Where are you headed now?" Zhang Chengzhi clapped his hands together, answering his own question. "I know! You're here for the renovation work, right? I heard you guys who get released from prison all go through technical training. You can make a living with a trade, like being a mason or a plumber, right?"

Wang Zhengdao was about to speak, but the elevator arrived. Zhang Chengzhi preempted him again. "My place is on the eighth floor; I just finished renovating it a couple of days ago. Come on, I’ll take you up for a tour!"

The father and son exchanged a look, neither saying a word, and followed Zhang Chengzhi into the elevator.

Exiting on the eighth floor, Zhang Chengzhi gestured around. "This dual-elevator, four-unit design is something you only see in big cities. In our town, it's one of a kind, so the property management fees are steep. Most working-class families can't afford it."

With that, Zhang Chengzhi led the way, ushering them into his apartment.

"My place is one hundred and thirty square meters; it cost me over six hundred thousand, paid in full," Zhang Chengzhi boasted proudly. "Our company's been doing well these past few years; I got a bonus of a hundred thousand last year alone. If you hadn't gone to jail, and had saved up these past few years, you might have been able to afford a down payment by now."

Wang Zhengdao nodded with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He certainly picked up on the overt sense of superiority in his old classmate’s words. This friend was being thoroughly tactless.

"Take a look around!" Zhang Chengzhi waved his hand, laughing. "The renovation alone cost me one hundred and forty thousand. I plan to spend another sixty thousand on appliances to round it out to two hundred thousand! Not bad, huh?"

"It's certainly nice," Wang Zhengdao agreed.

"See this tile?" Zhang Chengzhi tapped his toe on the living room floor. "Each one of these costs over a hundred yuan. Just buying the tiles for these twenty square meters set me back over six thousand, and that doesn't even count the sand, cement, or labor costs—that's enough for our family to buy a whole set of cabinetry!"

When he said "our family," Wang Zhuo and his father both felt he meant "your family." That patronizing tone was grating.

Just then, the sound of a toilet flushing came from the bathroom. Zhang Chengzhi looked startled and walked over, calling out, "Wife, are you home?"

A woman inside murmured an affirmation, and soon emerged, sizing up Wang Zhuo and his father. "Chengzhi, who are these?"

"Oh!" Zhang Chengzhi said. "This is my high school classmate Wang Zhengdao, and his son, Wang Zhuo. They're doing some renovations in this building, so they came up to take a look!"

Upon hearing they were renovation workers, the warmth instantly left Zhang Chengzhi's wife's expression. She gave a perfunctory "Oh," and nodded at Wang Zhengdao.

Zhang Chengzhi then turned to Wang Zhengdao. "Zhengdao, this is my wife, Huang Meiyun. You haven't met her, have you? Get acquainted."

Wang Zhengdao smiled and nodded. Huang Meiyun, he thought, nice name, but the heavy makeup obscured her features. Despite his own reputation for being a libertine, Wang Zhengdao wouldn't spare a second glance for such a woman. Since Huang Meiyun showed no inclination to shake hands, he was happy to maintain the distance.

"Oh, that’s right," Huang Meiyun suddenly interjected. "Chengzhi, the water pipe on our shower head is leaking a little. What does your classmate do? Can he fix something like that?"

"Zhengdao, you must know how to do this, right? Can you lend a hand?" Zhang Chengzhi pulled a pack of Yuxi cigarettes from his pocket, flashing it, then pulled one out to tuck behind his ear. He slapped the remaining half-pack into Wang Zhengdao's hand. "These cost twenty-five a pack! I usually don't even let myself smoke them. I'm giving these all to you!"

Wang Zhuo watched coldly. This couple was treating his father and him like country bumpkins. They hadn't even offered a glass of water, let alone snacks or refreshments upon their arrival, and now they expected to rope in help using half a pack of cigarettes. They were disgustingly cheap.

Wang Zhengdao weighed the half-pack in his hand and said mildly, "Jinyuxi. I haven't tried this brand before, but I didn't bring my tools, so..."

Zhang Chengzhi let out a loud laugh. "No tools is fine! You’re working in this building, aren't you? Just have your son run back and get them!"

"He doesn't know where I keep them," Wang Zhengdao replied, casting a subtle glance at Wang Zhuo.

"Then let's go get them together!" Zhang Chengzhi pushed Wang Zhengdao toward the door. "Which floor is the client on?"

Wang Zhuo stated, "The top floor."

"The top floor?" Huang Meiyun, eager to be rid of Wang Zhuo—the 'little guest'—chimed in quickly. "Then I'll come with you to see it! I heard the layout on the top floor is over two hundred square meters. I haven't had a chance to look yet."

Wang Zhuo smoothly exited, followed by Huang Meiyun, who locked the door and hurried after them.

Stepping out of the elevator, Wang Zhengdao raised his hand and tossed the key to Wang Zhuo. "You go unlock it. I got sand in my shoe."

Wang Zhuo understood immediately. The sand in his father's shoe was a lie; the truth was he had no idea which door to open.

The top floor only housed two units, and the common area was significantly smaller than the floors below. It featured decorative rockeries and potted plants, giving it a private, rather than a common, feel provided by the property management. These were actually interest payments and bonuses that Ding Ren had seized when collecting debts. They weren't worth much to sell, and the company had no space to keep them, so Wang Zhuo had claimed them.

The day Qi Fei visited, he suggested that the properties in this complex had significant appreciation potential. Wang Zhuo found the logic sound and revisited the sales office. The saleswoman, hearing this young master wanted to spend more money, immediately recommended the unit across the hall.

"Knock the wall down between them, and you have a private villa of over four hundred square meters, complete with a huge sky garden—a kid could ride a bicycle in there!" The saleswoman's persuasion was immediately effective. Wang Zhuo signed the contract that very day.

...

Wang Zhuo opened the door. As Zhang Chengzhi and his wife stepped inside, they both paused in surprise.

"It's still a shell? And why is the layout a bit strange?" Zhang Chengzhi pointed to a space about ten square meters in front of them, asking Wang Zhengdao.

Wang Zhengdao hadn't even entered the unit and knew nothing about it. Wang Zhuo smiled. "This is called the vestibule. It's a transitional space between the indoor and outdoor areas. After renovation, it'll be a place to change shoes and hang coats."

Over ten square meters just for that? Zhang Chengzhi nodded dumbly, got nudged by his wife, and proceeded further inside.

This time, it was a vast space, easily forty to fifty square meters. Because it was the top floor, the ceiling height was very high, giving the room an expansive, grand feeling and leaving plenty of room for creative renovation.

Wang Zhengdao stepped into the main hall. Looking at the exit gift his son had prepared for him, his spirits suddenly soared, as if years of pent-up gloom had vanished in that instant.

Huang Meiyun surveyed the empty room. "Chengzhi, what does your classmate do? Is he a mason?"

Zhang Chengzhi finally remembered he didn't even know his old classmate's profession. He turned and asked with a smile, "Zhengdao, are you a mason?"

Wang Zhengdao smiled faintly. "I know a little bit of everything."

"Quite talented, then," Zhang Chengzhi chuckled, though the tone of his praise carried an undisguised layer of contempt.

Wang Zhuo and his father exchanged a look. It turned out this game of pretending to be weak while actually being strong was quite fun. They decided to let this arrogant jerk enjoy his superiority for a little while longer!

"Dad," Wang Zhuo walked up to a wall, beckoning his father. "How about we install a wine cabinet here and put in a tea table? What do you think?"

Wang Zhengdao walked over and shook his head. "A wine cabinet should be paired with a bar, shouldn't it? Or perhaps a tea cabinet would better match a tea table."

Wang Zhuo considered this. "Then a tea cabinet. And let's find a painter to do a Song Xia Wen Tongzi Tu [A classical painting motif: An Old Man Asking a Boy Under a Pine Tree] on the wall behind it."

These two poor devils still think this is their home? Hearing the father and son's conversation, Huang Meiyun snorted and nudged Zhang Chengzhi.

Zhang Chengzhi walked over to Wang Zhuo, speaking with a tone of earnest, unsolicited advice. "Young man, how the decoration turns out is the owner's business. It's pointless for you to dwell on this. You should focus on finding a higher-paying job and earning some steady money."

Wang Zhuo glanced at him, sneering inwardly but saying nothing. Today’s main character was Wang Zhengdao. It was best to let him deal with this clown himself.

Zhang Chengzhi turned back to Wang Zhengdao, laughing amiably. "That's the downside of having a son; you always have to worry about finding him a job and a wife. Look at my daughter—she found someone whose father is a bank manager. He’s already arranged a job for her at the bank: nine-to-five, weekends off, making over three thousand a month. They’re getting married during the National Day holiday. Don't you dare be stingy with the betrothal gift; you must come."

"Don't worry, I certainly will," Wang Zhengdao smiled and nodded, thinking: My son bought me a house this big; how could I possibly skimp on your paltry two hundred yuan gift?

As they spoke, the four of them reached the open-air terrace. Wang Zhuo pointed at the iron railing separating the two platforms. "Dad, the property management has stamped the papers. When do you think we can take this down?"

"The platform opposite belongs to the other unit, right? Did one person buy both top-floor units?" Huang Meiyun quickly asked.

"Yes," Wang Zhuo nodded with a smile. "The unit across the hall is the finished model unit. Aunt Huang, would you like to take a look?"

"Together, that's over four hundred square meters, right?" Zhang Chengzhi gasped. "If you combine them, it's practically a villa."

So there was an even bigger surprise waiting! Wang Zhengdao truly wanted to give his son a huge hug right then. "Let's go take a look!"