Luocheng City, Central Garden.
Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling stood before the gate of a villa, outside the beige courtyard wall, hung a wooden door plaque "Central Garden No.33, Peace and Joy."
Wang Huiling said mockingly, "When your brother first swapped houses, your sister-in-law would invite us over for barbecues three times a week. It was as if they were the only ones with a villa, as if she didn't have enough chances to show off!"
"Now you have a villa too, don't you?" Chen Shuo boasted. "Could you have moved into a villa if your man wasn't smart?"
Wang Huiling happily linked her arm through Chen Shuo's, "Look at how cocky you are!"
Chen Shuo used his fingerprint to open the door, and upon entering, they were greeted by the grand, high-ceiling living room and crystal chandelier, with genuine leather Italian sofas arranged within.
However, the most eye-catching thing on the coffee table in the living room was the combined black-and-white portraits of Chen Ji's parents, with fresh fruit laid out before them.
Wang Huiling cursed under her breath, "Why would they put the memorial portraits in the living room? Does Chen Ji have no manners, isn't it creepy? Even if he isn't bothered by it, won't it unsettle any guests who see it?"
With a loud clang, Chen Shuo carelessly threw the portrait into the trash can.
Originally, when he wanted to partner up for a big business, he had asked his big brother for four million, but his brother insisted he wasn't cut out for big business and only gave him two hundred thousand to start a small grocery store, treating him like a beggar.
Wang Huiling, sitting on the leather sofa, felt around the place with delight. Looking at the hundred-inch LCD TV across the room, she said in glee, "How nice would it be to watch dramas here? They really used to live like immortals."
"Who cares about watching TV? Hurry up and look upstairs for the property deed, and I remember they bought some gold too, find that as well."
Walking along the second floor corridor, they passed certificates proudly nailed to the wall for "Outstanding Student," "Luocheng City Go Tournament First Place Prize"—all awards of Chen Ji.
Seeing this, Wang Huiling scoffed, "Every time we visit, your sister-in-law has to drag us to the second floor for a tour. It wasn't enough for her to show off. Hurry up and throw them out, they're annoying."
Wang Huiling immediately began taking down the certificates and throwing them on the floor, unable to wait even a second longer.
Opening various bedroom doors, they found Chen Ji's bedroom stacked with books, mostly military science-related, along with detective, mystery, and espionage novels, as well as many specialized scientific publications.
On the desk, there was even an acceptance letter from the Army Foreign Language College.
Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling searched around the room and began to clear out and dispose of Chen Ji's family's belongings, as if the house would not truly belong to them until they erased all traces of its previous inhabitants.
Back in the living room, Chen Shuo scratched his thinning scalp, "Hey, where's the property deed, where did Chen Ji keep the real estate certificate?"
"Could he have guessed something and hidden the deed somewhere outside?"
"That's impossible; Old Liu said he still thinks we're acting in his best interest."
Wang Huiling quickly said, "We are indeed acting in his best interest. Ever since his parents passed away, he's been staying indoors all day, becoming a hermit. If this continues, there will definitely be issues; he's completely out of touch with society."
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Chen Shuo was taken aback, "It's so late, who could it be?"
He went to open the door, and outside stood a middle-aged man dressed in a black Tang suit, dark-skinned with a cropped buzz cut that made him look exceptionally formidable: "Where's Chen Ji?"
Chen Shuo suspiciously replied, "Chen Ji is not at home. If there's anything you need, tell me, I'm his uncle."
"Uncle?" The middle-aged man pushed past Chen Shuo and walked in, only then did Chen Shuo notice another person following behind him.
The newcomer's head was shiny bald, with a scar over ten centimeters long, like a centipede, stretching from the crown to the back of his skull.
"Who exactly are you?" Wang Huiling, frightened, backed away. "We're going to call the police!"
The middle-aged man looked around the room calmly, "Friends like to call me Brother Pao. I usually engage in the loan business. This is my little brother, Er Dao. Don't be afraid; Er Dao's scar makes him look fierce, but it was just an accident from falling at a construction site. His brain's not too good now, he's a bit off."
Brother Pao continued, "We're here because Chen Ji mortgaged this house. He called this afternoon and said he can't repay the money and told me to take the house."
"What?!" Wang Huiling was shocked. "Why would he mortgage this house, it's ours!"
"Oh?" Brother Pao calmly said, "The property certificate has Chen Ji's name on it, what does it have to do with you?"
"How much did he mortgage for?" Chen Shuo anxiously asked.
"Fifteen million," Brother Pao, sprawling majestically on the sofa, said, "We're very rule-abiding in our business, as long as the customer can repay the principal and interest, there's no problem. But now I've taken a liking to this house, you don't have to repay the money, the house is mine."
"No way!" Wang Huiling shrieked, "Chen Ji is now a mental patient. The mortgage contract he signed can't count."
This statement also reminded Chen Shuo, who urgently said, "Right, Chen Ji is a mental patient. We have his diagnosis here!"
Brother Pao frowned.
He glanced at the date on the diagnosis Chen Shuo was holding and laughed mockingly. Chen Ji had agreed to hand over the house tonight but came up with a diagnosis at the last minute, clearly trying to trick him. It was understandable to have no money to repay the debt, but to take him for a fool was too much: "So you were waiting here for me, huh? You two planned to set me up with the 'Immortal Trick,' didn't you? Get on your knees."
"What?" Chen Shuo almost thought he had misheard the last two words from the other party.
Er Dao: "Brother Pao, kneel where?"
"Kneel in front of me."
Before Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling could react, Er Dao dragged them in front of Brother Pao and kicked behind their knees, making them instantly kneel before Brother Pao.
Brother Pao bent down and stared at Chen Shuo: "I've been through all sorts of things in society all these years. What haven't I seen? You two think you can set me up with the 'Immortal Trick?' Break a finger first, then we can talk properly."
Er Dao: "Break which finger?"
"Index finger."
Er Dao: "Which joint?"
Brother Pao scratched his eyebrows, obviously frustrated, "The second joint, I guess."
The dialogue between the two was quite bizarre. Er Dao did everything by the book. Whatever Brother Pao told him to do, he would just do.
Er Dao's hand clenched Chen Shuo's index finger like iron tongs, and with a "crack," he precisely broke the second joint.
"Ah!" Chen Shuo cried out in pain.
"I'm going to call the police!" Wang Huiling yelled.
Brother Pao: "Er Dao, slap her."
"How hard?"
Brother Pao sneered, "Slap her until she sees her great-grandmother."
After pondering for two seconds, Er Dao swung a heavy slap, turning Wang Huiling's vision black.
After finishing the slap, Er Dao observed Wang Huiling's expression, then turned to Brother Pao and seriously said, "She must have seen her."
Brother Pao took the diagnosis from Chen Shuo's hand: "I'm a reasonable person when it comes to business. Since Chen Ji says he has no money to repay, then the house is mine. Normally, that would be the end of it. However, I really dislike being lied to. You set up a scheme to deceive me, so you should face the consequences of your deception."
"No, that's not right!" Chen Shuo slowly came back to his senses, "That's not right, not right at all! It wasn't us who set you up, it was Chen Ji who set you up. We've been deceived too!"
"Oh?"
Chen Shuo's finger throbbed painfully as cold sweat beaded on his forehead, "Chen Ji said he couldn't repay the money, so he arranged for you to seize the property. But as far as I know, his parents left him at least thirty million! So there's no way he's short of money, nor does he need to mortgage this house, and definitely cannot repay your money!"
This took Brother Pao by surprise, Chen Ji actually wasn't short of money?
As Chen Shuo analyzed the situation, his thoughts also cleared up: Chen Ji's performance in Qingshan Hospital that afternoon was all an act, just to provoke Brother Pao with the diagnosis, while Chen Ji himself would be safely hidden in the hospital.
Therefore, Chen Ji didn't choose any reputable bank but picked a ruthless figure from the underworld to take over the house!
Brother Pao mused, "Chen Ji? He seemed quite honest and shy to me. You're not trying to con me, are you?"
He recalled his own impression of Chen Ji. At the time of signing the contract, Chen Ji was particularly shy and reticent.
Could such a greenhouse student really have the cunning to play everyone?
Seeing Brother Pao's hesitation, Chen Shuo continued to explain, "Don't you see that he deceived me too? Up to now, I didn't even know he had signed a mortgage contract with you. Doesn't that prove something? And you want this house, right? He can repay you at any time. After you deal with me, he could just redeem the house, leaving you with just a bit of interest. He's playing you!"
Brother Pao smiled faintly, "According to what you're saying, I was used by a high school student?"
"He's not a high school student. He got into the Army Foreign Language School through a special admission process."
Brother Pao's eyebrows lifted, "That school doesn't just teach languages; the graduates are diplomats and military attachés stationed overseas... Interesting. Where is Chen Ji now?"
"He's in Qingshan Mental Hospital!"