Free Web NovelChapter 289: Chapter 291: I Want to Have a Home
An Ning pointed to Yu the Elder behind her.
Yu the Elder immediately stepped forward. He reached his right hand into the front pocket of his jacket, pulled out a small, dark green booklet, and opened it.
"This is my work ID."
Yu the Elder’s quick cooperation impressed An Guoming, who was standing behind them.
’As expected, the older the ginger, the spicier it is. His reaction time is incredible,’ he thought.
The tough-looking man standing opposite An Ning and Yu the Elder stepped forward without hesitation. He took the ID from Yu the Elder’s hand and inspected it carefully.
"My apologies."
The man returned it with both hands, his manners impeccable.
Yu the Elder took back the ID and stepped back to stand behind An Ning. The master-servant dynamic was clear to anyone with eyes.
The tough man naturally understood. His gaze fell upon An Ning, a hint of suspicion in his eyes, but he made his decision nonetheless.
"Uncle Feng, see our guests out. The future owner of this house has been decided."
The man called Uncle Feng began to escort the other visitors out.
The prospective buyers, who still didn’t understand how they had lost, were already being shown the door. Naturally, some of them were unwilling to leave.
"What’s the meaning of this? Isn’t it supposed to go to the highest bidder? My offer is the highest so far!"
One man demanded an explanation from the tough man.
Before the tough man could speak, An Ning spoke up.
"What I wrote on my paper was ’five thousand yuan more than the highest offer.’ Isn’t that the highest price?"
An Ning’s words made the man who had spoken frown. ’Who would dare to write something like that?’
’Spending five thousand yuan as if it were fifty cents.’
The tough man also spoke up at the right moment. "It’s my house. I’ll sell it to whomever I please. If you have a problem with that, you can keep it to yourself."
His eyes, wide as bronze bells, stared at the others in the courtyard.
Seeing this, everyone obediently followed Uncle Feng out of the courtyard. If the deal wasn’t happening, it wasn’t happening. This man clearly wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
His forearms looked stronger than their thighs.
Once everyone had left, Uncle Feng, having seen them out, returned and stood quietly to one side of the courtyard. The boy had long since found a small stool and was watching the show with his legs crossed in an unseemly manner.
All he needed was a handful of sunflower seeds to complete the picture.
In the now-quiet courtyard, the tough man’s gaze first fell upon the boy.
The moment the boy felt his father’s gaze, he immediately uncrossed his legs.
He put them down so quickly that he had to brace himself against the ground with one hand, looking a bit awkward as he chuckled sheepishly.
"Dad, what’s up?"
"Cut the fucking crap and stand up!"
"You don’t know how to stand properly or sit properly."
The tough man hated the boy’s posture. As a soldier, he couldn’t stand to see it.
The boy stood up with a grin, trying his best to stand straight. But perhaps due to some innate rebelliousness, he still had the overall air of a lazy, good-for-nothing punk.
"Come here."
The boy obediently walked over and stood beside the tough man, smiling at An Ning across from them.
"Wow, big sister, you’re so rich!"
An Ning simply smiled without speaking, waiting for the tough man to begin.
"Is what you said true? Can you really help him improve his grades?"
"Of course it’s true. I have a way to help your son improve his grades."
The conversation between An Ning and the tough man made the boy, who hadn’t been paying attention, immediately straighten his posture.
"Wait, wait, how did I get dragged into this?"
The boy looked at An Ning with a wary expression and started trying to persuade his father. "Dad, I’m telling you, this is a scam."
"My brain just doesn’t work that way. My head hurts the moment I look at a book. I can’t study."
The boy sounded so genuinely distressed that his realistic performance almost fooled the tough man.
It wasn’t that the tough man was dead set on forcing his child to get good grades; he wasn’t that rigid.
As long as his son was a good person, whether he excelled in his studies depended on his own aptitude, not on something he could be forced into.
He had only lost his temper this time because the boy’s politics grade was just too low.
An Ning, who had just been called a scammer, didn’t get angry. She remained as calm and composed as ever.
"What I said is true. Whether you want to take a gamble is up to you. I’m still offering five thousand more than the highest bid for the house. Are you still selling?"
An Ning paused for a moment before continuing, "If you keep this house for yourself, it will probably increase in value in the future. You might regret selling it."
The tough man waved his hand dismissively. "The house isn’t important. I’ve got several of these things!"
"This one’s the smallest. What’s the point of keeping it if no one lives here?"
This was the first time someone had unintentionally flexed on her so hard. ’So this is what a low-key flex looks like,’ she thought.
She lamented inwardly that her own foundation was still too shallow; she didn’t even have the chance to show off if she wanted to.
She had completely forgotten about the time she went to sell a backpack full of gems.
While the tough man was thinking, the boy looked at An Ning, a hint of anxiety showing for the first time.
"Hey, big sister, why are you trying to trick my dad?!"
"I really am bad at this stuff. I can’t memorize anything. I’m just not cut out for studying."
"Dad, please, Dad, just let me go to the military camp with you."
The boy lowered his head, seeming to be ashamed and embarrassed.
He looked like a good kid who had tried his absolute best to study but still ended up disappointing his parents.
The tough man looked at his son, momentarily finding it hard to decide.
’Across from me is a stranger I’ve only met once, yet I’m hesitating, wondering if I should entrust my son to her?’
’I must be going crazy!’
Although An Ning couldn’t read facial expressions, she had her spiritual power to cheat with, allowing her to analyze everyone in real time.
"Your son is very smart. If I’m not mistaken, it’s not that he can’t do it—he’s controlling his scores."
"In other words, on every exam, he can get whatever score he wants. He might even arrange his scores into a specific pattern, just for fun."
"His ultimate goal in doing this, I guess, is to be able to stay by your side."
With every word An Ning spoke, a little more shock appeared in the boy’s eyes.
And that flicker of shock was precisely what his father caught.
"Is what she’s saying true?"
Although the boy loved to act, having his secret suddenly exposed in front of his own father made him reveal a flaw in his performance.
It was a flaw big enough for the tough man to seize upon.
"Xiao Shan... why would you do this? Do you have any idea how much I’ve worried about this?"
"Why did you...."
"Why? Why? What other reason could there be? You’re my dad! You’re my only family! If I don’t go to you, who else can I go to?!"
The boy broke down. Stubborn tears welled in his eyes as he bit his lip hard and sniffled forcefully.
"What’s so wrong with me joining the army?! I just want to be closer to you!"
"I don’t want to see you only once or twice a year! I want to find a home for myself, what’s wrong with that?!"
The boy’s accusations made the tough man’s upraised hand freeze in the air, unable to fall for a long time.
The tough man’s hand fell limply from the air, coming to rest on his son’s trembling head.
"I’m sorry. It’s my fault. It’s my fault."
At his father’s apology, the boy’s tears finally broke free, streaming down his face.
