Waking up early in the morning, Song Zhining checked out of the hotel, had a basket of steamed dumplings and a cup of soy milk by the roadside, then hailed a taxi to Sunshine Garden with her suitcase in tow.  

Sunshine Garden, spanning three phases, was designed with landscaped gardens, top-tier property management, and comprehensive security. In Shanghai, it was considered a lightly luxurious residential area.  

The prices were high, but the units sold out fast. Buying a ready-built home here was nearly impossible—only pre-sale properties were available.  

Thinking about how Unit 1508 would soon be hers, a smile bloomed on Song Zhining’s face.  

She approached the security booth and explained her purpose to the guard.  

The fifty-something-year-old guard’s eyes lit up when he heard she was the owner of Unit 1508.  

Unit 1508—he had heard of it. It was the crown jewel of Sunshine Garden, a sprawling luxury apartment rumored to be worth over 8 million yuan.  

He had only heard that it was bought long ago, but he never expected the owner to be such a young woman.  

The guard immediately picked up the phone and called the property management. After a brief exchange, he hung up.  

“Miss Song, please wait here and have a seat. The property management team is sending someone over right away to handle your move-in procedures.”  

“Alright.”  

Song Zhining sat with a cup of hot tea the guard had given her, waiting patiently, when suddenly a hulking figure appeared, blocking her view.  

“Song Zhining? It’s you? What are you doing here at Sunshine Garden?”  

The man standing before her—portly, ugly, and bald—was none other than Zhang Pu, her former manager who had tried to coerce her into sleeping with him.  

Song Zhining frowned, her expression darkening. What terrible luck, she thought, running into this guy here.  

Recalling how Zhang Pu had once promised her a 78-square-meter apartment in Sunshine Garden if she gave in to him, and seeing that he had come from inside the complex, she realized—so Zhang Pu lives here now?  

Zhang Pu seemed to have come to the same conclusion, his eyes gleaming with delight. “Zhining, have you come to your senses? Is that why you’re here at Sunshine Garden to look for me? I knew you’d agree eventually. Why were you so impulsive back then, little girl?”  

As he spoke, his lecherous eyes roamed over her, the lust in his gaze utterly revolting.  

Suppressing the faint churning in her stomach, Song Zhining replied coldly, “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not here for you.”  

Zhang Pu didn’t believe her. “If you’re not here for me, could you possibly be a homeowner here?”  

As if it were the funniest joke in the world, Zhang Pu burst into laughter.  

Song Zhining let out a soft scoff. “What if I really am a homeowner here?”  

“If you’re a homeowner here, I’ll kneel before you right here, right now. Of course, if you’re just renting, that doesn’t count. But if you can afford to buy even a 10-square-meter place here, I’ll kneel without a second thought.”  

No sooner had Zhang Pu finished his bold declaration than a man in his forties, dressed in a suit, walked in.

Zhang Pu immediately recognized the man as Xu Guang, the property manager of Sunshine Garden.  

“Manager Xu, what a coincidence running into you here.” Sunshine Garden was a high-end, lightly luxurious residential complex. Even the property staff here were no ordinary people, let alone Xu Guang, who Zhang Pu had heard was a relative of the developer, the Li Group.  

The Li Group! Compared to such a powerhouse, Zhang Pu, a mere manager at a small company, was nothing. Naturally, he wanted to curry favor, hoping for a chance to climb the social ladder.  

Unfortunately, despite Zhang Pu’s ingratiating smile, Xu Guang only gave him a slight nod before scanning the security room. His gaze finally settled on Song Zhining.  

“You must be Miss Song, the one the guard called about? The owner of Unit 1508?” Xu Guang asked.  

“Yes,” Song Zhining replied, standing up and pulling out the property deed, ID card, and other documents from her bag.  

“Do you need to verify these?”  

“Of course.”  

Xu Guang took them with both hands. When he saw the information on the property deed and confirmed that Song Zhining was indeed the owner of Unit 1508, his expression relaxed.  

Handing them back respectfully, his tone grew noticeably more deferential. “Miss Song, everything checks out. I’ll take you to the property management office now to complete the move-in procedures.”  

As he spoke, Xu Guang couldn’t help but speculate about Song Zhining’s relationship with the Li Group.  

The Li Group was a major corporation, primarily involved in real estate and pharmaceuticals—Sunshine Real Estate and Gengsheng Pharmaceuticals, respectively.  

Sunshine Garden in Shanghai was one of their developments. In all three phases of the project, the crown jewel units—the largest penthouses with private gardens—were reserved for the Li family. These units were either for the family’s own use or gifted to important associates.  

Sunshine Real Estate had built many high-end, lightly luxurious residential complexes across the country, and every property management team had been instructed to provide the highest level of service to whoever occupied these premium units.  

The Shanghai Sunshine Garden had been completed years ago, but Unit 1508, the crown jewel, had remained unoccupied—until today.  

Xu Guang had already verified that Song Zhining’s documents were genuine.  

In his mind, he speculated that she might be a relative of the Li family—or at the very least, the daughter of a well-connected elite family.  

As a distant, very distant relative of the Li family, how could Xu Guang not try to get on this young woman’s good side?  

Just as Xu Guang was about to escort Song Zhining inside, a shrill voice suddenly cut in—  

“How is this possible?! There’s no way she’s the owner of Unit 1508! Manager Xu, you must’ve made a mistake!”

The shrill voice startled Xu Guang, and his brows instantly furrowed as he glared at Zhang Pu with displeasure.  

“How is it not possible? Are you saying I’m either senile or blind?”  

Zhang Pu choked on his words. He was desperate to suck up to Xu Guang—how could he possibly think that? That would be outright insulting him!  

But… how could Song Zhining be the owner of Unit 1508?  

“Manager Xu, I’m just worried you might’ve been fooled by this little girl.”  

That was Unit 1508, after all. Anyone living in this community knew what it represented—an 8-million-yuan penthouse rumored to be reserved only for the Li family or their closest associates.  

Song Zhining? What right did she have? She was just some country girl so poor she couldn’t even afford her father’s medical bills!  

Xu Guang despised being questioned. Now, looking at Zhang Pu, he found the man not only ugly but also grating to the ears.  

With a cold expression, he snapped, “Whether I’ve been fooled or not is my business. Miss Song is the owner of Unit 1508.”  

Song Zhining smirked at Zhang Pu. “You heard Manager Xu, didn’t you? Weren’t you the one who said just now that if I were a homeowner here, you’d kneel on the spot?”  

“So… are you going to kneel now?”  

“No way, absolutely no way!”  

There was no chance Zhang Pu would actually kneel. In the end, he could only mutter incoherently and scurry away in embarrassment. Only after putting some distance between them did he suddenly snap back to reality.  

“I’ve got it! That little bitch Song Zhining must’ve been taken as a mistress!”  

That’s why someone would gift her an apartment in Sunshine Garden!  

Yes, that had to be it!  

“Tch, and here I thought she was all high and mighty. Turns out she just latched onto some rich guy.”  

Zhang Pu refused to believe that this apartment had been obtained through legitimate means.  

But even if his guess was right, he knew one thing for sure—Song Zhining was now someone he couldn’t afford to mess with.  

“Hmph! Being someone’s mistress won’t last forever. Just wait till the wife finds out—then we’ll see how you die, Song Zhining!” Filled with malice, Zhang Pu stormed off to work.