After a few steps, Li Yundong suddenly realized: Wait a minute, if I just bolted right now, wouldn't that be a sure sign of guilt? Running around with the little girl like the world was ending—if the building really did collapse, wouldn't everyone immediately suspect me?
Realizing this, Li Yundong yanked Su Chan’s hand and slowed his pace.
“Slow down, slow down…” Li Yundong lowered his voice to Su Chan. “Otherwise, everyone will know it was us.”
Su Chan wasn't stupid; she caught on immediately. She obediently nodded, clinging tightly to Li Yundong’s arm, though she kept glancing back every now and then.
Li Yundong was torn between laughter and tears. He tapped the top of the little girl’s head. “Idiot, could you be any denser? The way you’re acting is practically screaming: ‘I’m the one who brought this building down!’”
Su Chan covered her head, saying in a small voice, “I just wanted to know exactly when it would fall!”
Li Yundong laughed in exasperation. “Are you that eager for it to collapse?”
Su Chan nodded emphatically: “Mmm-hmm!”
Li Yundong couldn't help but look back too. From the outside, the colossal building still stood majestically in its original spot.
Li Yundong mumbled to himself: If such a massive tower actually fell and crushed me, what then? Wouldn't that be a tragedy?
The thought spurred him on. Li Yundong instinctively quickened his pace, pulling Su Chan along. It was as if a ghost were chasing them; their steps went from leisurely to increasingly fast, until they were practically sprinting again.
It wasn't until Li Yundong spotted the Sales Center that he immediately seized Su Chan and forced their pace to slow once more.
The two strolled past the center, affecting an air of complete nonchalance, and immediately noticed that the battle between the mistress and the other woman was still raging inside!
“These people really know how to create a scene,” Li Yundong muttered, breaking out in a cold sweat.
He took a glance and saw that both Li Congli and the other woman were slightly disheveled, their faces bruised with red and blue marks, clearly evidence of a fierce brawl.
Zheng Youming wasn't faring much better; his face was covered in scratches from fingernails, and his clothes were ripped in several places.
When Zheng Youming spotted Li Yundong and Su Chan emerging from the complex, he immediately forced a smile, saying brightly, “Ah, young man, finished viewing the apartment so soon? How was it? Nice place, right? If you’re ready to sign the contract and handle the paperwork, just look for…”
Li Yundong cut him off before he could finish, his smile chillingly sharp. “No need, Boss Zheng. We won’t be living here.”
Zheng Youming had been absolutely certain that Li Yundong and Su Chan would move in. He hadn't expected them to refuse!
His smile froze. Annoyed and humiliated, he boomed, “How can that be? Is the price too high? Or is there some other issue?”
Li Yundong sneered. “Actually, we just feel the building isn’t very good…”
Zheng Youming sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, slamming his palm repeatedly onto his chest with loud thuds. “Go ask around! You won't find better quality construction anywhere than in my buildings! They are absolutely top-tier…”
Before he could finish speaking, a deafening BOOM ripped through the air. In the Xin’an complex, a twenty-story building collapsed suddenly, precisely as if it had been demolished by controlled explosives!
The sound was like a bolt from the blue, a rolling thunderclap on flat ground. Everyone’s eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets, and the surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
Only a choking cloud of dust and debris rocketed skyward, churning and spreading.
Zheng Youming’s expression was priceless; it was as if he had been slapped hard across the face precisely at the peak of his proud declaration!
Zheng Youming’s eyes bulged so far out that Li Yundong half-expected them to drop onto the ground with a wet splat.
Li Yundong reacted quickly, pulling Su Chan along as they feigned panic, sprinting away while yelling, “The building fell! The building fell! Get away from here!” as if terrified the rest of humanity was unaware!
As they ran, they heard Zheng Youming let out a hysterical shriek from behind them: “This, this is impossible!”
Li Congli, the suspected mistress, let out a shrill burst of laughter. “Look at him, building high, look at him, building fall! Zheng Youming, Zheng Youming, this is retribution! Heavens, you’ve finally opened your eyes! Hahaha, evil deeds are rewarded with evil, good deeds with good. It’s just a matter of time! Zheng Youming, your time has come!”
Li Yundong dragged Su Chan, quickly escaping their scene of destruction. Li Congli’s voice gradually faded behind them.
Once they had run so far they could no longer see the Xin’an complex, they finally stopped, staring at each other, wide-eyed. After a moment, they both burst into suppressed laughter.
Li Yundong felt his heart hammering wildly, as if he’d committed a colossal crime—one that would warrant immediate execution without even a trial. Yet, he had thoroughly enjoyed committing that crime, and he felt ecstatic!
Su Chan felt the same way—a mixture of guilt, like a thief caught in the act, and an inexpressible thrill.
After a short period of quiet chuckling, they couldn't hold it in any longer and erupted into loud, unrestrained laughter, drawing stares from passersby.
After laughing for quite some time, Su Chan managed to compose herself, tugging Li Yundong’s hand as she whispered, “Yundong, are you sure this won’t cause trouble?”
Li Yundong also curbed his laughter, composing his face as he thought. “No, nobody was living in that building yet! I was doing humanity a favor; upholding justice on behalf of Heaven!”
The little girl giggled. “Good riddance! People like that are full of wickedness, utterly detestable!”
Li Yundong squeezed her hand, thinking to himself: What’s most detestable is that this guy tried to poach my girl! Hmph, dare to eye what’s mine, and I’ll bring your whole building down!
The thought relieved a great surge of frustration within him, leaving him indescribably satisfied. He burst into loud laughter again, waving his hand expansively. “Come on, let’s keep looking for an apartment! If we find any more trash like that, we’ll just blow those down too!”
Once they were far enough from the Xin’an complex, they could no longer hide their inner triumph or the expressions on their faces. They strode along as self-proclaimed chivalrous heroes, their eyebrows radiating confidence, as if they had accomplished something monumental.
Especially when Li Yundong and Su Chan occasionally locked eyes, they would exchange knowing chuckles that only the two of them understood.
Fortunately, while the subsequent apartments didn't quite satisfy Su Chan, their structural integrity wasn't as bizarrely suspect as the buildings constructed by Zheng Youming.
After browsing for a while, the pair headed straight for the Hongsheng New District, which Bai Xiaoyang had recommended.
Upon arriving at the Hongsheng New District, Su Chan’s eyes immediately lit up. In this complex stood a solitary high-rise, perhaps twenty stories tall, towering over the surrounding buildings, which were mostly five-story walk-ups. This single high-rise offered an expansive view, and the building’s orientation was perfect.
Su Chan eagerly tried to pull Li Yundong toward the apartments. Li Yundong smiled. “Silly girl, first we need to find an agent. Without an agent, how would you know which places are available and which aren’t?”
Saying that, Li Yundong led Su Chan to look for an agent. After making some inquiries, Li Yundong nearly choked. The rents here were astonishingly high. There were no one-bedroom, one-living-room units, not even two-bedroom, one-living-room units. There were only three-bedroom, two-living-room units, precisely on the top floor, meeting all of Su Chan’s requirements. The monthly rent alone was four thousand five hundred!
Li Yundong’s eyes glazed over. He muttered to himself: Four, four thousand five hundred? Are they robbing people? The monthly allowance my parents give me would be entirely eaten up by the rent! Wouldn't that mean we'd just be consuming our savings?
But once the agent showed him and Su Chan the top-floor unit, Li Yundong conceded that the four thousand five hundred didn’t seem entirely unwarranted.
The apartment’s furniture and decoration were almost brand new, and all necessary appliances were included. Li Yundong could essentially move in with just his bags. Not only did Su Chan love the lighting and layout, but Li Yundong was also very fond of the rich Chinese style of the décor.
The agent was sharp. Noticing there were only two of them, he surmised they might struggle with the rent for such a large apartment. He suggested, “If you feel tight on funds, you can move in first and then find roommates!”
Li Yundong had absolutely no desire to let anyone else disrupt his private world with Su Chan, and Su Chan even less wanted a third party intruding on the space she was cultivating with Li Yundong.
Su Chan stepped away from the agent and lightly hooked her finger around Li Yundong’s hand, pleading softly, “Yundong, can we take this place? Please?”
Li Yundong smiled and patted the little girl’s head. “Don’t worry. If you like it, even if it’s the moon in the sky, I’ll find a way to get it for you! You want this place, so this is the place!”
Li Yundong calculated quickly. Renting this apartment, including the deposit, would cost about thirty thousand upfront. He still had forty to fifty thousand left, enough to last a good while. Plus, summer vacation was coming up; he could get a job, and with the few thousand his parents sent monthly, he should be able to support himself and Su Chan.
Su Chan was overjoyed when Li Yundong agreed, throwing her arms tightly around him, beaming from ear to ear. “This is wonderful, truly wonderful!”
Li Yundong felt the softness and resilience of the little girl’s chest. Suppressing his desire and impulse, he smiled and pointed to his cheek. “Come on, give me a kiss!”
Su Chan glanced at the agent who was in another room and demurred, “No, someone’s here.”
Li Yundong hadn't really expected a kiss anyway. He laughed heartily. “Fine, when no one’s around, you can kiss me all you want!”
Su Chan giggled, her eyes bright with sly temptation. Her face flushed, and with a wiggle of her waist, she darted out, her two pigtails bouncing. “You’re annoying!”
Li Yundong felt a rush of heat from Su Chan’s flirtatious gaze. He thought it was a miracle, worthy of a Guinness World Record, that he had managed to restrain himself from behaving like a beast the night before!
After paying the deposit, a satisfied Li Yundong took the happy Su Chan back to the small hotel near the school to retrieve their luggage.
As they were leaving, Su Chan bounced ahead happily. Li Yundong, walking behind her, noticed a girl in a pink dress sitting under a pavilion in the complex garden, watching him.
Li Yundong’s gaze followed the girl’s. She appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen, radiating an indescribable ethereal grace. Her ponytail revealed a full, bright forehead, and her eyes sparkled sharply. From a distance, wherever her gaze fell, Li Yundong felt something substantial pressing against him.
When Li Yundong’s eyes met hers, it was like two speeding trucks colliding. They both flinched instantly and quickly looked away.
Li Yundong was privately startled: There’s a girl here with eyes that sharp? Who is she?
“Yundong, the car’s here!” Su Chan called from outside the complex, waving at Li Yundong. He finally broke his gaze and headed out.