Chapter 127: The Twin Mothers of the Spirit
Ever since moving out, all those aggravating troubles vanished from He Huanhuan’s life overnight.
The case involving Gu Chacha and Chen Jiarong had nothing to do with her anymore either.
By the time the case was finally closed, Gu Chacha was sentenced to five years in prison for aiding and abetting money laundering, along with a three-million-yuan fine.
Chen Jiarong, meanwhile, was sentenced to death for cross-border fraud and intentional homicide.
In the end, even Old Mr. Gu had been unable to suppress the matter involving Gu Chacha. The promotional campaigns she had paid for before finally produced explosive results.
A favored daughter of heaven, a wealthy heiress, an artist...
Imprisoned for money laundering—what a sensational headline.
The entire video-sharing internet exploded. Performances that had once drawn empty halls were dug up and reposted.
Only then did netizens belatedly understand. No wonder someone they had never even heard of had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. No wonder her concerts had come one after another, each more grandly publicized than the last.
So it had all been for money laundering!
My God! Rich people are really greedy! Her family was already one of the elite! How could they still do something like this?
The company’s stock price plummeted in a frenzy over the short term. But as time slowly passed and the incident faded from people’s memories, everything gradually returned to normal.
After staying in a hotel for a while, He Huanhuan threw herself wholeheartedly into the great undertaking of house hunting.
Gu Jingchen had told her that her brother would pay for the house. She could look to her heart’s content—whatever she liked, her brother would buy for her.
Well, then, what was there to say? The secondhand housing market, here she came!
After looking at house after house, the one that ultimately won her over was the large three-bedroom apartment she had viewed at the very beginning.
It was 130 square meters, with three spacious bedrooms and two big balconies. The natural light was so good she wouldn’t even need a fill light to perform hand-waving dances.
The only problem was that it was a little expensive: 2.5 million yuan, and the owner refused to lower the price by even a single cent.
The landlord had a terrible temper. When they tried to negotiate, he glared at them.
“Buy it if you want. If you don’t, then get lost!”
The layout and location of his place were excellent in every respect. Haggling? Absolutely impossible!
She had already decided to buy it outright, but somehow, Liang Ye found out about it. The guy immediately grew excited.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were buying a house? I could’ve helped you negotiate! This is what I’m best at!”
When he bought his small place, the landlord had also stubbornly insisted on 1.3 million yuan, refusing to lower it by a single penny.
But hadn’t Liang Ye still managed to haggle the price down by fifty thousand?
There was a strategy to bargaining when buying a house. Clearly, they had no idea what they were doing.
With great wisdom, he thumped his chest.
“Don’t rush into buying it. The real-estate market isn’t doing that well this year. I’ll come with you to look at it this weekend when I’m off work. I’ll help you knock two hundred thousand off the price!”
How could that landlord have the nerve to ask for 2.5 million for a 130-square-meter apartment?
Did he not know what an economic downturn was? Did he not know this was a buyer’s market?
When Saturday arrived, the house-hunting party gained three more members.
Han Mo, Liang Ye, and Gu Jinghan, who had nothing better to do, all showed up.
Gu Jinghan drove a luxury car worth nearly two million yuan. Han Mo drove the cheapest BYD Qin. Liang Ye rode an electric scooter...
The real-estate agent was completely baffled. How had those three even ended up becoming friends?
The agent had briefly dabbled in the online mental-health community before. With one glance at He Huanhuan and Qi Meili, he immediately sensed that familiar kind of vibe from the two of them.
He secretly gave her a thumbs-up in his heart. What a spiritual role model!
Even an old geezer can somehow land a luxury car and a handsome guy. Impressive!
She landed a luxury car and a handsome guy, yet she still didn’t kick out that poor, lovesick simp. What loyalty!
Especially after seeing He Huanhuan and Qi Meili get into the BYD, his eyes lit up.
No wonder she managed to snag such a high-quality older man! She had a strategy!
She deliberately passed up the luxury car for the BYD, creating a stark contrast. That way, the rich second-generation heir would be haunted by her memory and never forget her.
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
He couldn’t do that. If he didn’t ride in a luxury car today, he might never get another chance.
The agent eagerly sidled up to Gu Jinghan’s car. “Handsome, can I ride with you and give you directions?”
Gu Jinghan generously waved him in. “Sure, hop in!”
“Thanks, handsome!”
The cars drove into the residential compound. The landlord had already been waiting by the window.
When he saw the luxury car leading the way, his eyes lit up.
These buyers had money. Maybe he could finally sell the place today.
But behind the luxury car came a BYD?
What was going on?
Behind the BYD was an electric scooter, with Liang Ye sitting on it, wearing a stern expression.
The landlord immediately sensed trouble. They had brought two cars and still hadn’t been willing to give the agent a ride. These buyers were going to be difficult. This deal was in danger.
The guys had mistaken Liang Ye for the agent. And, to be fair, his demeanor did suit the role rather well.
The apartment was on the fifth floor. By the time they reached it, the landlord was already waiting at the door.
He sized up Gu Jinghan, then Han Mo. They were clearly wealthy men.
His gaze swept over He Huanhuan and Qi Meili next. Hmm. Two silly young girls.
What kind of combination was this?
He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Then he nodded at Liang Ye and the agent. “You’re here? You’ve already shown them the details of my apartment, right?”
Well, even after getting off the scooter, Brother Liang was still being treated as the agent.
The agent nodded. “We’ve gone over everything. We’re just here to take a look at the place in person.”
Liang Ye shot into the apartment and began inspecting it at top speed.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk... The floor tiles are scratched. No good, no good... Why didn’t you install concealed lighting? It’s not stylish enough... Why haven’t you knocked out the bay window in the bedroom? What a waste of space... The bathroom...”
In less than five minutes, he had found at least twenty things to criticize. The landlord’s face darkened until he finally shoved Liang Ye toward the door.
“What kind of agency do you work for? Do you even know how to do business? What’s wrong with my apartment? Get out, get out! I’m not selling through your agency anymore!”
Liang Ye tried his best to explain. “I’m not an agent! I’m here to buy the apartment! I—”
The landlord pushed him outside. “Buy my ass! I’m not selling to someone who’s just here to cause trouble! Get lost!”
The door slammed shut.
The landlord turned around and glared at He Huanhuan and the others. “You’re with him?”
He Huanhuan immediately shook her head. “I don’t know him. He forced his way into our group halfway here.”
Meili lowered her head and stared at the floor tiles. “Where are the scratches? He was deliberately nitpicking. What a terrible person!”
The four of them quietly looked around the apartment. It had only been bought five years ago and had barely been lived in, so it was still very well maintained.
Seeing how much He Huanhuan liked the place, Han Mo sincerely negotiated with the landlord.
“We’ll pay in full. Could you lower the price a little?”
To Han Mo, a difference of thirty or fifty thousand yuan was nothing. But He Huanhuan wanted to negotiate the price, and because he wanted to make her happy, he was willing to discuss that small sum at length with the landlord.
The landlord’s expression darkened. “Didn’t I already say I won’t lower the price? I won’t budge whether you’re paying in full or taking out a mortgage. I poured a tremendous amount of effort into renovating this place. I personally oversaw everything—the furnishings, the structural work, the plumbing, and the electrical. I’m not taking a single cent off!”
Han Mo nodded with a smile. “I can see that. But the house is priced ten percent above the market value in this area. It can’t be easy to sell at that price, can it?”
The property market had been extremely sluggish these past two years, with the economy in such poor shape.
As solidly as the house had been renovated, it was still priced two hundred thousand yuan higher than comparable homes of the same layout in the neighborhood. The truth was, it wouldn’t be easy to sell.