Chapter 25: Unbelief

It was possible that Lin Xinran’s dad’s friend had spoken to An Lan, or maybe they thought the two interns wouldn’t be able to help much. Chen Jin and Lin Xinran, as interns, had a very relaxed month and received their salary for the previous month on the 2nd of December.

How to put it? Her feelings were a bit mixed. She now received a 200 yuan monthly settlement allowance, which was equal to her internship salary. This month, her third uncle collected the rent for her, which came to almost 5,000 yuan. The bank interest, averaged out monthly, also amounted to several tens of thousands. Compared to that, the 200 yuan from her internship salary seemed like very little.

But when compared to others at the company, where even full-time employees didn’t necessarily earn 200 yuan a month, it seemed like a lot.

Her third cousin, Chen Yongfei, finally got his driver’s license and drove home in a Xiali. When he heard Chen Jin had earned 200 yuan from her internship, he said he wanted to treat her to a 300 yuan per person buffet to celebrate.

Chen Jin: “…”

She suddenly felt like someone was belittling her job.

Not only had her third cousin bought a car, but her first and second cousins had also bought new cars. Cars seemed to have become like cabbages—buy one as soon as you think about it.

Chen Ting had successfully gotten a house near the West City Maternity and Children’s Hospital, and it wasn’t small, at a full 150 square meters. She even created a large walk-in closet. Once her new home was fully renovated, her commute to work would only take ten minutes by foot.

After the house assigned to her was fully transferred into her name, she called Chen Jin, saying, “I even saved on buying a car. Let’s have dinner sometime when you’re free. It’s on me.”

What a rare occasion.

Of course, Chen Jin planned to take full advantage of it. She immediately replied, “Sure! You’re the busiest, so just let me know when you have a break. Jia Jia, Miao Miao, and I must celebrate with you!”

Although they talked about having dinner, Chen Ting was often so busy at the hospital that her time off never lined up with anyone else’s, so the dinner plan kept getting pushed back.

Chen Jin’s life had become very routine now. On workdays, she left the house at 7:30 AM and was home by 5:30 PM. On her way home, she’d stop by the market to buy groceries, then cook a nice meal and watch TV while eating. Occasionally, Chen Jia would come over from school for a free meal. In the evening, Chen Jin would read for a while, thinking about how to write her thesis.

By the end of December, she had finally produced a rough draft of her thesis, but she knew it still needed several revisions. She feared that if she brought it to school in its current state, Professor Jiang would tear it apart.

The notice about the college hiring counselors still hadn’t been posted, but all the Chinese department teachers knew she was planning to apply for a counselor position.

When she had bought the small villa near NTU, she thought it would allow her to interact more with Professor Shen, which could help her make a good impression on Professor Jiang. She hoped this would help her with her graduation thesis and her chances of staying at the school. But she hadn’t had the chance to make an effort.

Professor Song, who lived next door, told her, “If you put in the effort, it will leave a mark. Your teachers can see your attitude toward learning.”

Chen Jin was grateful. Although she really didn’t like her major, she had always taken her studies seriously.

“Chen Jin, your internship runs until the last day of January. Over the next month, think carefully about whether you want to stay on and work here after graduation.” An Lan only asked about Chen Jin’s future plans, knowing Lin Xinran had already decided to continue her studies and wouldn’t stay with the company.

Reflecting on the last two months of her internship and the working conditions of full-time employees, Chen Jin felt this job wasn’t right for her. But she didn’t reject An Lan outright. “I’ll think about it when I get home. Thank you, Sister Lan.”

As Chen Jin and Lin Xinran walked downstairs together, Lin asked, “Do you really have to stay at the school and become a counselor?”

After learning that Chen Jin’s car was worth 200,000 yuan and that she owned a small villa near NTU, Lin Xinran couldn’t understand Chen Jin’s thinking. With all that money, why bother working? If it were her, she’d spend every day shopping for clothes!

“Not necessarily. I just think staying at the school is nice.” But when asked exactly what was nice about it, Chen Jin couldn’t really explain. Scratching her face, she added, “I don’t have many ambitions. I just want to find a job at a place that won’t go bankrupt, with minimal office politics. It’d be boring to stay at home every day with nothing to do.”

At least the school was a familiar environment, and the people she interacted with most would be university students.

To be honest, having a lot of money could also make life confusing sometimes.

But she couldn’t say that out loud—someone might try to rob her.

“True, people need to interact with others. Having a job helps you stay connected to society,” Lin Xinran remarked.

Just as they were about to leave the company, Lin Xinran spotted a man jogging toward them from behind and rolled her eyes, urging Chen Jin to leave quickly. “Jiang Pingyang is definitely coming to hitch a ride with you. Run, run!”

Without looking back, Chen Jin quickly said goodbye to Lin Xinran, jogged to the parking lot, grabbed her keys, got in the car, shut the door, started the engine, and drove off in one fluid motion, leaving only the shadow of her car for the man waving behind her.

This was another reason Chen Jin didn’t want to stay at Cheng Group. Someone had noticed she drove a Santana to and from work and spread the rumor that she was a rich young lady just there to experience life. After that, people started cozying up to her, and some even tried to pursue her.

She had explained countless times that she wasn’t some rich young lady, but her Santana made it hard for people to believe her. They just told her she didn’t need to hide it.

But she really wasn’t a rich young lady—just a sudden millionaire from a demolition project.

Other newly rich people might be easily swayed by romantic temptations, but Chen Jin always remembered her uncle’s words: she would never casually pick a man. All she could think was: Want a piece of my money? Not a chance!

During the New Year’s holiday, Chen Jin made a trip to Qiaoxi Village to check on the progress. She didn’t have a choice—her uncle insisted she go and see the results for herself. Her building was much larger than the other four, and once the renovations were complete, the 400-square-meter area would be walled off, turning it into a small residential community. The entire first floor was intended to be rented out as storefronts.

“Chen Jin, visiting your grandpa again?”

Chen Jin turned to see who was speaking without thinking. Oh, it was her third uncle. She curled her lip in disdain, “I’m here to check on my building,” not to visit the old man.

Uncle Liu lingered around for a while, finally unable to resist asking, “Isn’t the handover for the relocation apartments happening soon?”

“I don’t know. No one’s informed me yet.” Chen Jin glanced at him cautiously. Could he be eyeing those few apartments of hers?

These people really spent their days dreaming. She had no idea what was going on in their heads—did they think she was the type to let them take advantage of her?

“Heh heh,” Uncle Liu rubbed his hands together, “I heard you’ve got quite a few apartments. Are you planning to sell any?”

“No,” Chen Jin rejected him outright.

Uncle Liu was speechless. What was he going to say just now?

Ugh, whatever it was, it was no use saying it now. This stubborn girl didn’t even give him a chance to finish. He was hoping to buy one or two apartments from her at a low price, but she didn’t take the bait!

He wanted to keep talking, but Chen Jin had already turned and walked off in another direction.

Forget it, those relocation apartments weren’t that great anyway. Better to go buy something nice in the city center.

Uncle Liu could only comfort himself with this thought.

After New Year’s, the first semester of their senior year was coming to an end. Chen Jin and Lin Xinran both took three days off—they had to go back to school to submit the first drafts of their graduation theses and attend a class meeting.

Chen Jin’s draft barely passed but still needed revisions. Chen Lu’s thesis was harshly criticized, and Professor Jiang told her to rewrite it from scratch. As for Yang Qian, she didn’t even come—she was traveling abroad and wouldn’t be back for a while.

Chen Jin had initially thought that if she didn’t work, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself. But now, she felt that she could go out and have some fun! Forget about traveling abroad—her English was clumsy, and she was unfamiliar with foreign places, which made her nervous. However, visiting a few big cities within the country seemed doable.

After they had finished discussing their theses, Professor Jiang asked what they had been up to recently.

Chen Lu had been doing part-time work outside, tutoring high school students.

As they left the office, Chen Lu asked how much she was earning from her internship. Chen Jin answered honestly, and Chen Lu’s expression became complicated. After hesitating for a while, she asked, “Do you want to tutor as well? It may not be working in a big company, but it does pay well.”

Chen Jin thought about her previous experience trying to tutor her cousin, Chen Yongfei, and quickly waved her hand in refusal. “No, no, I’ll pass. This internship is fine for now.”

She was afraid that if she started tutoring, she’d lose her temper and end up resorting to physical discipline. In that case, the tutoring fees wouldn’t even be enough to cover the damages.

As they walked together for a while, Chen Lu added, “You shouldn’t have much trouble becoming a counselor. Even though someone mentioned pulling some strings, with Professor Jiang backing you up, you shouldn’t worry.”

“Who? Li Xingyi’s girlfriend said she’d pull strings to stop me from becoming a counselor? She told someone that? Do you think she’s out of her mind, saying things like that out loud?”

Chen Lu sighed helplessly. Was it really the time to focus on whether someone was thinking straight? “She didn’t say it herself. Song Jiajia came to our dorm and told Qin Xuemei.”

And she made sure to speak loudly enough so that they could all hear.

“No wonder,” Chen Jin sighed toward the sky. “Let her say whatever she wants. I’ve already made peace with it. If I really can’t become a counselor, then so be it. I’m a student at NTU; I won’t have trouble finding a job.”

Chen Lu thought: But didn’t you keep going on and on about wanting to stay at the school as a counselor? Everyone thought you had no other choice.

“Are you going back to the dorm?”

“No, I’m heading home. I’m going this way. See you!”

Chen Lu walked a little farther before realizing something was off. If Chen Jin was going home, why was she heading toward the west gate?

Chen Jin felt that she really shouldn’t have gone home today. What rotten luck, running into those two lunatics.

After saying goodbye to Chen Lu, she walked out through the west gate, stopped by a newly opened cake shop to buy two small cakes, and hummed a little tune as she zigzagged her way home.

Then, right in front of her house, she saw Li Xingyi, his parents, his girlfriend Bai Ling, and another middle-aged couple, who she guessed were Bai Ling’s parents.

Chen Jin frowned. What were these people doing at her door?

When Li Xingyi and Bai Ling saw her, they frowned too. What was Chen Jin doing here?

Li Xingyi suddenly remembered seeing Chen Jin driving a Santana at the school gate last time. He hadn’t paid attention to the license plate then, but now he saw there was a white Santana parked in front of this house. Could this be the home of one of Chen Jin’s relatives?

Li Xingyi’s mom also noticed Chen Jin. She knew who Chen Jin was, after all. Chen Jin had been in the same high school class as Li Xingyi, and she had good grades. When she had visited Li Xingyi at school, she had seen Chen Jin before. Later, when Li Xingyi told her he was dating Chen Jin, she had wanted to oppose it, but back then, Li Xingyi wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t until last year when he felt that dating Chen Jin was boring that she persuaded him to break up with her. She even introduced him to the daughter of a family friend, Bai Ling.

She didn’t like Chen Jin, thinking she wasn’t good enough for her son, but she wasn’t narcissistic enough to think that Chen Jin was following them. Her mind buzzed with guesses—did Chen Jin know someone around here?

Most of the small villas in this area were home to retired professors from NTU. The reason they were here was to introduce Li Xingyi and Bai Ling to a relative who lived here.

“Chen Jin, why did you follow us here?” Bai Ling glared at her.

“The road doesn’t belong to your family. I’ll walk however I want.” Chen Jin glanced at Bai Ling’s parents. They looked pretty normal—how could they have raised a fool like Bai Ling?

“Could you move aside? You’re blocking my door,” Chen Jin waved her hand dismissively. “Hurry up and leave.”

Li Xingyi glanced at the small villa behind him and then back at Chen Jin. “You’re saying this is your house? Or your uncle’s?”

“I’ve always said you have a hearing problem and should go to the hospital for a check-up, but you never believe me. I already said it’s my house, but you insisted it’s my uncle’s.” Chen Jin noticed that Li Xingyi’s parents, who always acted superior, were showing signs of impatience and almost wanted to laugh. Why are they still pretending at her doorstep?

“Move, move. If you keep blocking my door, I’ll go to the security office and get someone.”

“You say this is your house?” Bai Ling sneered, “This is Xingyi’s aunt’s house, with the surname Shen. You must be here working as a maid, huh? Just because you work here, you think this place is your home?”

Chen Jin frowned, pulled out her phone, and tapped on the keys. After a while, the call connected, and Chen Jin got straight to the point: “Professor Shen? This is Chen Jin. There’s a group of people at my door claiming that this house belongs to their cousin. I just wanted to check if they’re relatives of yours, or if they’ve made a mistake?”

“What’s the surname? Li? Oh, no, they’re not related? So this house belongs to your extended family? Got it. No worries, I just thought they were your relatives since they were blocking my door.”

After hanging up, Chen Jin raised an eyebrow. “I just called Professor Shen. Turns out this house was loaned to his extended family, but now I’ve bought it. I don’t know where your relatives are now, so maybe you should call and check. Now, please stop blocking my door.”

Ignoring their shocked, suspicious, and probing looks, Chen Jin stepped forward. Li’s mother instinctively moved aside. Chen Jin took out her key, opened the door, and then slammed it shut. She did the same when she reached the main door, completely shutting off their gaze.

She was just about to go upstairs to see their reactions when she suddenly heard Li’s mother call for Professor Song, so Chen Jin opened the main door again.

She came out holding a bottle of drink, sipping through a straw as she watched.

Professor Song and the housekeeper returned from grocery shopping and were surprised to see a group of people standing in front of Chen Jin’s house. They assumed they were Chen Jin’s relatives. Before she could say anything, one person greeted her, claiming to be a relative of the neighbors they’d met before.

However, Professor Song didn’t recall meeting them, and she hadn’t interacted much with the former neighbors.

“Are you here to visit your relatives or to see Xiao Jin?” Professor Song asked as she looked up and saw Chen Jin coming out of the house. “Xiao Jin, are these your relatives?”

Chen Jin replied brightly, “No, they’re relatives of the people who used to live in this building. Professor Shen said he doesn’t know them.”

At this point, both Li’s mother and Li Xingyi looked at Chen Jin, realizing the weight of her words. Could it be true that Chen Jin had really bought this building?

But how was that possible? Where would Chen Jin get the money to buy such an expensive building?

However, now wasn’t the time to dwell on these questions, as they had a purpose for coming here.

Li Xingyi and Bai Ling both managed to secure places for graduate school at their university, but not all research programs were the same. Everyone wanted to study under a promising professor, but professors only had two or three spots, or sometimes just one.

To ensure that both Li Xingyi and Bai Ling could study under a renowned professor, Li’s mother thought of their aunt’s neighbor, Professor Song. Although Professor Song had retired from the physics department at NTU, her influence was still strong. Several current professors at the university were her former students.

They weren’t sure what had happened to their aunt’s family, as they had never mentioned moving out. Even during casual outings for shopping or afternoon tea, their aunt had never hinted at anything unusual.

Moreover, the building hadn’t even belonged to their aunt’s family but to her husband’s cousin, and they had only been allowed to live there temporarily?

Now that their aunt was no longer there, it seemed impossible to use that connection to get closer to Professor Song.

However, Li’s parents, being seasoned businesspeople, smoothly explained that they had assumed their aunt still lived there and hadn’t realized they had moved. Changing the subject, they mentioned that both of their children were graduate students in the physics department at NTU and that they were hoping to discuss potential research directions with Professor Song.

Li Xingyi stepped forward and asked if he could consult Professor Song with some study-related questions.

Professor Song had a soft heart and always appreciated hardworking students. Since they were visiting family and decided to stop by, she invited them in, unaware that they had come specifically to see her.

She didn’t forget about Chen Jin and called out, “Xiao Jin, come over for lunch.”

Chen Jin glanced at Li Xingyi and Bai Ling, noticing their complex expressions. She didn’t want to sit at the same table as them, so she replied, “You have guests, Professor Song. I’ll just eat at home.”

Professor Song replied, “Alright, I’ll have Xiao He bring you some food later.”

“Thank you, Professor Song. Looks like I get to be lazy today,” Chen Jin replied with a smile and returned to her house.

Li’s parents exchanged glances, and in the end, only Li’s mother and Bai’s mother stayed to accompany Li Xingyi and Bai Ling while visiting Professor Song. When they tried to hand over the gifts they had brought, Professor Song stopped them, saying that if they insisted, she wouldn’t be able to allow the students to stay and discuss their studies.

Feeling awkward, Li’s and Bai’s fathers left with the gifts.

As they passed by Chen Jin’s small building, Li’s father instinctively took a closer look. He had met Chen Jin before and knew that his son had dated her for more than two years, though the breakup hadn’t been amicable.

He had even scolded his wife and son over it, saying that no matter whether the girl was wealthy or not, they should have handled the situation politely. Did they really think she’d cling to them? Instead, they had ended up losing the moral high ground.

He wasn’t sure what kind of luck this girl had, but somehow she had managed to buy a house near NTU, and she seemed to have a good relationship with Professor Song. He’d have to ask Li Xingyi more about this ex-girlfriend of his. What was her background, anyway?”

While visiting Professor Song’s house, Li Xingyi and Bai Ling were both somewhat distracted, preoccupied with thoughts of Chen Jin. Bai Ling couldn’t help but ask Professor Song, “Did Chen Jin really buy the small western-style house next door?”

Professor Song was surprised. “You know Xiao Jin?”

He then smiled and said, “She really did buy the house. Her relatives seldom come by; I thought you were some of her family visiting her. Oh, by the way, did you meet Xiao Jin at NTU?”

Li Xingyi awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Chen Jin and I are high school classmates.”

“Oh, you were classmates in high school! That means you’ve known each other for many years.” Professor Song was about to suggest that they should get together more often but noticed Li Xingyi’s unnatural expression. He thought that perhaps he and Chen Jin were not that close, so he dropped the subject.

Li’s mother had brought them over without planning to directly ask Professor Song to recommend a good mentor for them, as that would be too obvious and likely to be off-putting. They came to make themselves familiar with him, hoping to visit more in the future. After all, there were still more than six months until graduate school started; frequent visits would help strengthen their relationship.

It was Chen Jin’s appearance that made Li’s mother think of another approach. Once Li Xingyi and Bai Ling finished chatting with Professor Song, she spoke up and asked, “Both of these kids will be studying at NTU in the future. We had been thinking of buying a place nearby for them, but we haven’t found anything suitable. Professor Song, you know the area well; do you have any acquaintances who are selling a house?”

“I actually don’t know much, but you can ask my aunt later. She might know more.”

Feeling embarrassed to stay for a meal, Li’s mother and the others left after sitting for less than an hour. When Bai Ling stepped outside, she stared at Chen Jin’s house next door for a long time and then glanced at Li Xingyi.

She hoped that Li’s family had prepared him a small western-style house as well.

In fact, when Li Xingyi got home, the first thing he mentioned to his parents was the desire to buy a small western-style house near NTU as a future marital home.

However, as soon as he brought it up, his sister-in-law, who had been married for over half a year, lowered her head to look at the fruit plate on the table.

Li’s mother disapproved, saying, “Let’s talk about it later. Previously, we said we would buy a house near NTU for you, but you insisted on buying in Rose Garden, and we also bought a new car… Besides, those small western-style houses near NTU aren’t easy to come by. Even if you have the money, you might not have the connections. I think it would be better to buy a flat in the faculty housing area near NTU; you can just stay there occasionally during school.”

Li Xingyi understood the situation at home. Their company was medium-sized; his father and a few of his uncles started it. His father held a significant stake, but it wasn’t a one-man show. After the company’s profits were distributed, they needed to reinvest. In reality, the cash flow available to the family wasn’t particularly large.

Moreover, the family had already decided that most of the family business would go to his eldest brother; he only received a small dividend each year.

It was only after seeing Chen Jin today and realizing she could afford a small western-style house near NTU that he felt it was unreasonable, and his rationality slipped a bit.

In the past, a small house worth a million wasn’t out of reach. But now, the company was struggling; there were many competing firms, which diluted their market share, resulting in lower profits.

Otherwise, his family wouldn’t have specifically arranged for him and Bai Ling to be together. Apart from the fact that they were well-matched and shared common interests, the two companies were looking to cooperate, needing a solid bond.

But!

Why had Chen Jin suddenly become wealthy? Did her relatives get rich?

That was impossible; even if her relatives made a fortune, they were still just her relatives, not her parents.

As he pondered this question, his father asked, “What’s the background of that female classmate of yours? Did she really come from a rural area? What business does her family do?”

Li Xingyi frowned. He only knew that Chen Jin’s family lived in a rural area under the suburban district of South City. He knew they had houses for rent and an orchard, but beyond that, he didn’t know much. Could it be that growing fruit trees was very profitable now? That didn’t seem likely.

Unless Chen Jin won the lottery! Otherwise, he really couldn’t think of any other reason.

As Chen Jin, who was frequently mentioned, sneezed several times at home, she muttered, “Which lunatic is cursing me?”