The first thing Daly Jun did upon returning to the room was rush to the bathroom for a cold shower. He felt he needed the clearest head possible to listen to the news Nana was about to share with him. Lu Qiaowei, upon returning to the room, immediately started preparing some hangover soup. Although everyone had been quite careful, they had drunk a bit too much due to the celebratory mood. If they hadn't restrained themselves at the end, they might have kept ordering more alcohol.

Drinking the sobering tea Lu Qiaowei brought, everyone teased the 'dunce' about his incredible luck in finding such a wonderful wife. "Weiwei, you're truly selling yourself short by settling for the dunce. Look how foolish and simple he is." Shi Man, remembering how infuriating it was that Zhu Lina’s supposed 'great fortune' hadn't materialized despite her buying several properties, started brainwashing the absent person again, completely forgetting that this very person had recently spent a considerable sum treating everyone to a meal.

"Exactly. Once we go abroad, you can look again. That guy, the dunce..." Wang Qiqi also chimed in, adding her two cents to Lu Qiaowei about what foreigners were like.

Han Tao tilted his ear, listening to someone singing happily in the bathroom, then glanced at Lu Qiaowei, who was fidgeting in front of the two women. He figured if the man kept showering like that, he’d walk out to yet another mess waiting for him to clean up. But would Han Tao go and remind him that his girlfriend was being ganged up on and needed her boyfriend's rescue? Absolutely not. Given the dunce’s astonishing luck, a little provocation was in order. "Nana, is there good news from over there?"

Zhu Lina put down the development plan in her hand and nodded. "I had lunch with people from the Construction Bureau today. They mentioned that a major developer has taken a liking to the area. Apparently, they plan to build a huge shopping plaza, and Daly Jun's shop is right across the street..."

"Of course, nothing is finalized yet. It's still uncertain exactly where it will be located; we have to wait for them to report back to their Hong Kong headquarters." Zhu Lina had actually been considering acquiring some land nearby today, but she knew that as soon as she learned about certain information, other developers would too. There was no way to discreetly buy up plots on the cheap. She hadn't expected the dunce to have such incredible luck, though whether this luck would actually pay off remained to be seen.

Wang Qiqi wasn't very familiar with the situation in the capital, so she wasn't at all sure about the good news Zhu Lina mentioned. However, if a large shopping plaza were truly built there, as long as the operation wasn't completely incompetent, it should do quite well, especially since the Hong Kong investor Zhu Lina mentioned had a very good track record before Wang Qiqi's rebirth. "How about we buy one too?" Although it felt like a gamble, Wang Qiqi figured it wouldn't result in a significant loss. But then she thought about the money she actually had on hand and felt it was somewhat unrealistic.

Shi Man wasn't surprised by Wang Qiqi's question, but Lu Qiaowei felt a jolt, though her concern was mostly for her boyfriend's shop. She hadn't expected Daly Jun’s luck to be so tremendous; he went for the big score right away.

"Forget it, let's just drop it," Han Tao finally objected after some thought. "We already have too much property domestically; let’s keep things lighter." The current situation was actually ideal; the pressure of loan repayments wasn't too high. But if they bought more, Han Tao worried that Qiqi would become overly anxious when she realized their funds were depleted, causing her entire demeanor to become agitated.

After Han Tao whispered his thoughts into Wang Qiqi’s ear, she expressed no dissatisfaction; her man was right. "Never mind, we might not actually cash in on this fortune." Han Tao’s meaning was clear: if the deal materialized, they could make a profit by selling quickly, but if the developer chose another plot of land, the financial strain would be immense.

Wang Qiqi and Han Tao decided to pass. Shi Man, after some consideration on the side, said, "I want to buy." Although it had a speculative nature, Shi Man thought, why keep so much money in the account? Her parents weren't going to invest in anything, and money sitting in the bank was a waste. "I've already figured out the financing. Won't the money Sister Yao Yao is giving us be in RMB? I think that amount will be enough to cover the loan." Even without great fortune, the rental income alone would be decent.

Wang Qiqi knew Shi Man’s background; she had already purchased several properties, and her parents had been leaders for so many years—they surely had money stashed away. "I happen to have the necessary documents. Why don't I help you look at properties tomorrow and charge a small consultation fee?" Wang Qiqi made a gesture indicating she wanted a favor with her fingers. "No need for a treat, though; the dunce already owes us two meals. We need to pace ourselves; we're heading back in a couple of days." The trip back was expected to involve more feasts and drinking. Especially since Han Tao had only made a brief visit to the Luo family during the New Year, causing them considerable dissatisfaction. Now Luo Hongjuan was coming to the capital for work, and upon hearing Han Tao was returning for some sort of hundred-day celebration, the Luo family insisted on gathering their relatives for a meal so the younger generation could bond properly. In Han Tao’s view, this was just attracting a bloodsucker, but since they had helped him and his mother in the past—albeit with ulterior motives—Han Tao wouldn't skip such a gathering otherwise.

Offer money? Shi Man looked disdainful. "What kind of relationship do we have that you'd offer money? That would hurt feelings." She paused. "We'll go look at the shops tomorrow morning and try to finalize things quickly." She intended to place the order swiftly while others were still hesitant. "How much deposit did the dunce put down?"

"Two hundred thousand." Han Tao had considered trying to dissuade him initially, but the shop really was quite good, and the owner looked so delighted. Han Tao couldn't really argue further. Besides, the dunce had said if the money wasn't spent today, it might not remain the Daly family's money anyway.

A deposit of two hundred thousand? Everyone present gasped, holding their breath. After a long moment, Wang Qiqi managed to utter, "Then how much does he plan to pay for the rest of the property?"

"Three hundred thousand, and the rest will be a loan."

"Oh, that’s not bad. If the other party backs out, he still gets two hundred thousand back." Wang Qiqi mused that this possibility wasn't very high; before the news was confirmed, who would be willing to fork over an extra two hundred thousand?

Daly Jun finally emerged from the bathroom, feeling refreshed after his long shower, only to find Lu Qiaowei alone in the living room. He looked around. "Hey, where did everyone go?" Wasn't there some major good news to announce? Why the delay? This was torturous! He peeked into the study—empty. Han Tao’s door was closed. "Did Han Tao go to sleep?"

Hearing Daly Jun’s voice, Han Tao grabbed a change of clothes and walked out of his room. "A man takes as long as a woman to shower. Nana had an urgent matter and left. Oh, and you still owe us a meal." Han Tao clapped Daly Jun on the shoulder, showing no intention of clarifying anything for him, and headed straight for the bathroom to shower himself.

Daly Jun conceded that his shower was long, but wasn't it because the alcohol odor on him was overpowering and uncomfortable? "Ah, dangling the bait like that—it's too cruel! Are they just going to let me sleep now?" Daly Jun thought these guys were really something; they ate his food and drank his drinks, and this was how they treated him. Hmph, he wouldn't let them off so easily next time. "The nerve, the nerve! I have to call Zhu Lina!" No matter what, he had to find out this fantastic news, or he wouldn't sleep a wink all night.

Daly Jun started moving toward the phone as soon as he declared this, but Lu Qiaowei quickly grabbed him. Before he could look confused and angry, she relayed the news Zhu Lina had shared. "Of course, this news isn't certain yet. It’s possible the developer might change their mind and opt for land elsewhere." This was what Zhu Lina had repeatedly stressed before leaving; after all, this was just preliminary discussion, and whether the deal would be struck was still an issue.

Daly Jun never expected his luck to be this good. If a large shopping plaza were truly built nearby, foot traffic would be guaranteed, and rental income would soar. "Good heavens, wife, I never thought I could be this lucky!" Such good fortune right before leaving—Daly Jun couldn't have imagined it.

Daly Jun kissed Lu Qiaowei a few times, then scooped her up and began spinning her around. This terrified Lu Qiaowei, who was completely unprepared, causing her to scream incessantly while slapping his shoulder. "Duncy, what madness is this? Put me down!"

"I feel dizzy," Lu Qiaowei thought. Even if he was ecstatic, he shouldn't be this overexcited.

Wang Qiqi, who had been sitting on the bed translating a manuscript, jumped up immediately at Lu Qiaowei’s scream to see what happened. Instead, she witnessed this scene. "I knew the dunce was crazy in the middle of the night! Even if you're about to strike it rich, there’s no need to freak us out like this," Wang Qiqi said sternly.

"Tell me about it." Han Tao rushed out after hastily finishing his shower, startled by the noise. Seeing the situation, he immediately lost his good humor. "Go crazy all you want, but then get back to work! We haven't started our work today. You bought a shop, you have loans to repay..." Han Tao had originally planned for everyone to rest well after a busy day, but seeing the dunce's manic state, he felt the man clearly didn't need any more rest.

Shop, shop, yes, yes, he still had things to do! Daly Jun dashed to the phone, grabbed the receiver, and excitedly instructed his parents over the line to come to the capital the very next day.

"I bet if it weren't so late, the dunce would have made his parents drive over overnight," Wang Qiqi watched the excited dunce talking to his parents about his windfall and thought, isn't this just rubbing it in? To be honest, Wang Qiqi had been interested in that shop too, but Song Yao felt the area was a bit small, so they hadn't closed the deal. If they had closed it, ah, such is fate! She figured Song Yao would be furious when she found out; few people could remain calm watching a stack of 'Mao Zedong heads' fly away right before their eyes.

Han Tao watched Daly Jun's antics for a moment, then walked into the study with a look of utter disdain for the man, ready to start working.

Three chapters today, the third one at ten in the evening. (To be continued.)