Chapter 53

In a hurry, Ren Hua shyly climbed onto Song Haowen’s kang. Initially, she slept with her back to him, but after tossing and turning, she eventually wrapped her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder, and fell asleep in this position.

Song Haowen felt the softness and warmth of Ren Hua, as well as the faint fragrance of purity from her body. His body stiffened, and he didn’t dare to move. After counting countless sheep in his mind, he finally fell into a hazy sleep.

The next morning, when he woke up, he found that Ren Hua had already gotten up. She was sitting on a chair, braiding her hair, lost in thought. His arm, which had been pressed under her all night, was numb.

Seeing Song Haowen waking up, Ren Hua smiled apologetically, put down the braided hair, walked to his side, lightly kissed his forehead, and said, “Thank you!” Then, blushing, she continued, “I’ll go out for breakfast now. I’ll be back in an hour. Take care of your own breakfast. If someone sees me staying overnight at your place, it’ll be troublesome.”

Song Haowen initially wanted to invite her to breakfast together, but considering that it was already broad daylight, Wang Li and the others might come over at any time, he nodded in agreement.

Before leaving, Ren Hua reminded him, “Little brother, let’s forget about what happened last night. Don’t seek revenge against Yang Wei. His influence is enormous, and we’re no match for him.”

Song Haowen smiled. “I’m not the one seeking revenge. I’m afraid he won’t let me off.”

Ren Hua became nervous, her face slightly paling. “What should we do? Little brother, it’s my fault for not listening to Sister Hongyu. Now, it’s even affecting you.”

“It’s okay.” Song Haowen dressed himself nonchalantly. “Do you think I’d be afraid if he comes after me? If he doesn’t come, it’s his good fortune; if he does, I’ll make sure he regrets it!”

Ren Hua became anxious. “Little brother, listen to Sister, don’t provoke him again. Otherwise, the consequences could be unimaginable.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll listen to Sister. Don’t worry, I know my limits. I won’t mess with that scum anymore.” Song Haowen reassured her.

Still uneasy, Ren Hua repeatedly reminded him a few more times before finally leaving the room.

Song Haowen found some leftover buns in the house, added some brown sugar, and made himself a makeshift breakfast. Before long, Wang Li and Qian You arrived to start work.

They were both very industrious, one cleaning the yard, the other tidying up the shop. Although Song Haowen wanted to help, they insisted he stay out of it. Left alone, he sat at the repair desk, opened up a television set they received yesterday, and started testing it with a multimeter.

Just as he identified the faulty components and was about to start the repair, Zhu Hongyu walked in with a gloomy expression.

Song Haowen guessed that she must be angry about Ren Hua not returning home the previous night, so he didn’t try to console her. He hoped that Ren Hua would be the one to explain what happened last night.

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More than a quarter of an hour passed, and Ren Hua walked in with a bag of food from outside. She greeted Wang Li and Qian Youlai first, then came to Song Haowen and Zhu Hongyu, smiling, “Sis, are you here? I bought meat buns and steamed buns. Let’s all have some.” With that, she handed buns and steamed buns to Wang Li, Qian Youlai, and Song Haowen, and handed two buns to Zhu Hongyu.

Hongyu didn’t take the buns from Renhua. She stared into Renhua’s eyes and asked seriously, “What were you doing last night? Why didn’t you come back to the dorm? Who were you with at night?”

Qian Youlai and Wang Li, sensing trouble, hurriedly ran into the courtyard, not wanting to hear anything. Ren Hua glanced at Song Haowen. He pretended not to see her gaze, busying himself with fixing the TV.

Her face blushed slightly as she said, “We had dinner together… After eating, we went shopping with a few girls. It got late, and we didn’t want to go back, so we stayed at a hotel together.”

“Who are you trying to fool? Two girls from our class came back early last night. Don’t tell me you were with Yang Wei…”

“No, sis, don’t make wild guesses.”

“I’m not guessing. Then you didn’t stay alone at the hotel, did you? That’s really too much.”

Seeing that Ren Hua was struggling to come up with a story, Song Haowen walked over, closed the door, and whispered, “Sis, tell the truth. We can’t hide this for long anyway.”

Ren Hua’s face turned red and white alternately. After hesitating for a while and being urged by Zhu Hongyu, she had no choice but to briefly explain how Yang Wei had tried to intoxicate her, how Song Haowen had intervened, and how they ended up staying here.

However, she dared not disclose the details of taking medication, losing control, and sleeping with Song Haowen that night.

After hearing the story, Zhu Hongyu angrily said, “Renhua, you brainless fool! I knew you were trouble. If it weren’t for your luck in meeting little brother, you would have nowhere to cry today. Yang Wei, this beast, we can’t let him off.” She turned to Song Haowen and said, “Thank you. You practically saved Renhua’s life… You’re truly the savior arranged by fate for us sisters.”

Song Haowen quickly humbled himself, “Sis, you’re exaggerating. Anyone else would have stepped in when faced with such a situation.”

Ren Hua, holding back tears all night, finally couldn’t contain them anymore. Tears streamed down her face as she lay on the kang, like a child who had suffered a great injustice, shaking uncontrollably.

Zhu Hongyu, feeling some pity, comforted her while stroking her back.

At this moment, Qian Youlai was out for acquisitions, leaving only Wang Li in the living room. The living room and the bedroom were separated only by a door, and the sound insulation was not very good.

Although she couldn’t hear the conversation inside the room clearly, Wang Li sensed that the atmosphere seemed a bit unusual. Later, when she saw Ren Hua, with red eyes, following Zhu Hongyu out, she couldn’t help but feel worried.

Despite not being classmates with the three of them, they had developed a certain bond over time.

However, Wang Li was well-mannered. Since they didn’t mention anything, she wouldn’t inquire actively and focused on her own affairs.

After arranging for Zhu Hongyu to accompany Ren Hua for a walk to relax, Song Haowen felt that he couldn’t completely hide the situation from Wang Li and the others.

He casually mentioned that his sister had encountered a problematic male student on the street last night, got a bit scared, but fortunately, nothing serious happened and them if they could just pretend not to know about it, to avoid triggering any emotional distress for Ren Hua.

Wang Li nodded in agreement. “Haowen, I suddenly remembered something. I don’t know if you’re interested.”

“What is it?”

“Last night, Mom said someone wants to sell a house and asked her to find a buyer.”

Upon hearing that someone was selling a house, Song Haowen suddenly became interested. “Tell me more. What kind of house is it? Where is it located?”

“It’s a large quadrangle courtyard. It’s just a bit far from here, close to the East China Sea, and it’s considered downtown.”

“What’s the situation with the house? Why are they selling it?”

“Mom said the house is quite large, with four entrances, thirty to fifty rooms. Currently, there are over twenty tenants. The owners are an elderly couple with no children. They want to sell the house and move to a smaller place for retirement.”

Upon hearing about the tenants, images of the large courtyard immediately flashed in Song Haowen’s mind. He shook his head immediately, saying, “Such houses are too chaotic, not interesting.”

Wang Li, with her beautiful eyes fixed on Song Haowen, asked puzzledly, “Isn’t it good to have tenants? It can generate some income. Do you really plan to buy such a big house just to live alone? Or do you intend to keep it empty? Houses without residents for a long time aren’t good; furniture and the house itself will deteriorate.”

Wang Li’s words were like a wake-up call for Song Haowen. He thought, why did he want to buy a quadrangle courtyard? And why did he want to buy several? Was it really just for personal use? Even if he had numerous mansions, how many could he live in? Wasn’t it ultimately for investment, to sell and make a profit later? Since the initial purpose was for investment, why bother about who would use the house? Thinking this way, his mood suddenly brightened, and he laughed, “You’re right. As long as the house and belongings are not damaged, rent is paid on time, who cares who lives in the house?”

Wang Li also laughed. “That’s the right mindset. Even an emperor’s house isn’t all occupied by family members. You don’t have your own servants, nor so many distant relatives. Buying such a big house is for renting, don’t be stingy.”

“Alright, I won’t overthink it. Please ask your mom to arrange a time with the house owner, and we’ll go take a look. If it’s suitable, we’ll buy it.”

“Sure, I’ll ask when I get home at noon.”

In the afternoon, Song Haowen asked Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua to stay and manage the shop while he and Wang Li went to see the house.

They first went to Wang Li’s home and called her mother. Her mother, in her forties, looked younger than her actual age, with a graceful appearance and a warm demeanor. It’s no wonder Wang Li turned out so well – she inherited her mother’s excellent genes. After having a cup of tea at her house, the three of them took a taxi to the agreed-upon location to view the house.

When they got out of the taxi, Song Haowen saw a kind-looking elderly couple in their sixties standing at the entrance of Peach Blossom Alley, waiting for them. After introductions, the two elderly people led them to their home for a tour.

As soon as Song Haowen saw the grand gate of their quadrangle courtyard, he was shocked. It was a beautifully crafted gate, second only to the gates of royal palaces.

The gate was adorned with a couplet that read, “Honesty and kindness passed down through generations, poetry and books enlighten the world.” Outside the gate, there were even stone pillars symbolizing civil officials.

The old man explained that this house had a history of more than a hundred years, passed down from his ancestors. One of his ancestors had served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

The house had four sections, with a courtyard on each side, a garden, and the rear building in the fourth section was a two-story structure with a total floor area exceeding 1,500 square meters.

Upon entering the courtyard, Song Haowen could see that this house was much larger than the three-section house he had purchased previously. Except for the rear building, which was not rented out, all the other rooms were occupied.

However, the conditions here were much better than the large mixed courtyard. There were no messy constructions, the courtyard and garden were exceptionally clean, and the ancient trees, rockeries, and ponds were well-preserved.

There was also no loud noise, making it remarkably peaceful.

The valuable mahogany furniture and antique collections that used to be in the old house were all stored in the upper and lower floors of the rear building, where the two elderly people lived downstairs.

The entire four-section house had not been rented out to outsiders, giving it a spacious and elegant appearance. Through their conversation, Song Haowen learned that the owner of the house was surnamed Wang, a retired university teacher, and his wife was a retired primary school teacher.

After inspecting the house, Song Haowen was very satisfied. He asked about the price, and the old couple quoted forty-five thousand yuan. They agreed to leave behind all the mahogany furniture and antique collections in the rear building. If the deal was sealed, the elderly couple would also refund the remaining rent for a year.

After a brief negotiation, they settled on a price of forty-two thousand yuan. They signed a contract, paid a deposit, and scheduled the transfer procedures at the District Housing Administration on Monday afternoon. The remaining payment would be made on the spot.