「Early the next morning.」

Lin Chu drove Wang Zhefei out. He was set on buying a house and couldn’t wait another day. The ten-fold rebate was like a carrot dangling in front of him. A house worth ten million, with a ten-fold rebate, would instantly help him achieve a "small goal."

’How many meals would I have to eat, how much alcohol would I have to drink, to earn that much back?’

’It would take ages, even if I ate until I got high blood pressure and drank until my stomach bled.’

’Thank goodness for the biochemical crisis.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’It’s true what they say: people only reach their potential when they’re pushed.’

’I’d been wasting my days just eating and drinking, like a frog in slowly boiling water, and never seriously thought about developing new sources of income.’

’But now, everything was settled.’

Lin Chu had considered it. ’Buying a house for Wang Zhefei... the more I think about it, the more it feels like a pain in the ass. It makes me look like a huge sucker.’

’But on second thought, can you really put a price on a friendship between bros?’

’Although, maybe, but, perhaps... you can.’

’But then again, I could just treat it as an investment. Invest ten million to earn a hundred million. As for who gets the ten million, does that even matter?’

And with that, he reached a state of perfect clarity.

’Spend!’

’Fucking spend it!’

’It helps my bro live a better life, and I get a huge benefit out of it too. Why the hell wouldn’t I do it?!’

...

"So, here’s the deal. I looked at the agency listings, and they all require a commission—like two or three percent. That’s hundreds of thousands. Even one percent would be several months of my salary. So, I thought about it, found some for-sale-by-owner listings online, and researched the entire home-buying process. I figure we can just cut out the middleman and save on their cut. Sound good?"

From the passenger seat, Wang Zhefei had clearly switched into work mode, his tone completely serious.

Lin Chu rarely saw him looking so focused and was momentarily surprised.

"Damn, you really get things done... A top-tier workhorse, as expected. How did you find the for-sale-by-owner listings?"

Wang Zhefei grinned proudly. "You don’t need to worry about how. Let’s just say I used a few little technical tricks. The main battleground was Douban."

Uh.

Lin Chu understood immediately. Douban was still pretty useful in first-tier cities. Even though the website was in a state of terminal decline, its large user base meant it still had some traffic.

’Back when I was renting, I used Douban’s rental groups to save on agent fees, too. It took a lot of time to sift through posts and communicate, but a poor man’s time wasn’t worth much back then.’

"Alright, go ahead and set up the meetings. Besides, we have a lawyer. If we run into any trouble, I’ll just call him over."

In reality, you could handle the entire process of buying or selling a house yourself.

"That shouldn’t be necessary. Let’s go, I’ve already scheduled the meeting. Lin Chu, I’m asking you one more time: are you sure about this? You’re really going to put my name on the deed?"

he asked, his expression and tone completely serious.

They were stopped at a red light. Lin Chu turned to look at him, his gaze... suddenly taking on a "loving" quality as he stared intently.

The stare made Wang Zhefei’s skin crawl.

"Fuck! Stop! If you say one more stupid thing, I swear I’ll kill you right now!"

Lin Chu burst out laughing. "You idiot, why are you being so dramatic? We’re buying it. I seem to recall us saying something back when we graduated college... ’If one of us gets rich, he won’t forget the other’?"

"Well? I’m here to make good on that youthful promise."

"Talking big when you’re young is just youthful bravado. Actually delivering on that talk is what makes you a real badass. And me? I’m a fucking real badass. I’ve got both."

Wang Zhefei: "..."

He fell silent, then whipped his head around to stare out the window.

’That bastard!’

’Did he have to be so damn sentimental?!’

’Fuck, I almost started crying!’

...

「About half an hour later.」

The two arrived in the Overseas Chinese Town area, at a residential complex called Holiday Blue Bay. Wang Zhefei had already contacted the owner, who was waiting for them at the entrance to the parking garage. The complex had rather strict security; visitors couldn’t get in unless a resident escorted them.

At the entrance to the garage, Lin Chu saw the owner. He was a slender, scholarly-looking man of about fifty, with graying hair at his temples and black-framed glasses.

"Mr. Liu, hello! We’re here to see the apartment!"

Wang Zhefei called out with a smile, having rolled down his window.

Mr. Liu was visibly surprised to see the Lamborghini, but a smile quickly formed on his lips. A buyer with deep pockets meant a much higher chance of making a sale.

The current housing market was in a real slump. Even in Overseas Chinese Town, a core, price-resistant urban sector, prices had dropped considerably. Worse, there were listed prices but no actual buyers.

He had already dropped the price three times, and still, no one had made an offer.

"Yes, yes, of course. Drive on into the underground garage. It’s Building 3, unit 1602. Oh, right, here’s the key for the parking space lock. I have two spots, the eighth and ninth spaces to the left of the entrance."

he said with considerable enthusiasm, handing over the key for the parking lock.

After Lin Chu took it, the security guard raised the barrier, and he drove inside.

Wang Zhefei chuckled. "This guy seems pretty meticulous. I spoke with him last night. He’s in tech, but he got laid off and plans to sell the apartment and move back to his hometown. Fucking rough. Still, selling this place will be enough to make him financially independent."

Lin Chu smiled and added, "As long as he stays away from the stock market."

Wang Zhefei couldn’t help but laugh. "Fuck!"

...

The apartment was indeed quite nice. Though it was a resale, it had been very well "maintained." It was done in a minimalist style—it didn’t even have a TV—exuding a decluttered, spartan vibe. The only thing it lacked was the warmth of a home.

It was a three-bedroom, two-living-area unit, totaling 124 square meters, with an asking price of 8.8 million. That was nearly a million yuan cheaper than the listed price for similar units in the complex.

He was probably in a real hurry to sell.

He’d likely decided to slash the price in one go to get it done without any haggling.

"This building is already ten years old, so how does it still look so new?"

Lin Chu asked in disbelief as he looked around.

Mr. Liu let out a soft sigh. "I used to work in overseas technical support. I did that for more than a decade, traveling for over 300 days a year. I never married and don’t have any children, and I couldn’t be bothered to rent the place out. I pretty much only stayed here on the rare occasions I was back in the country. Now I’m selling it to free up some capital and retire."

Wang Zhefei chimed in with a laugh, "Sounds like my dream life."

Mr. Liu just gave a placid smile.

"You two can discuss the price. I’m going to look around a bit more," Lin Chu said casually.

Mr. Liu nodded with a smile. "Of course, please, look around. I’ve already packed up most of my things. The mortgage is paid off, and since this is my only property, the taxes will be low. I have the deed right here. If you decide to buy, we can transfer ownership immediately. The parking spaces are included as well."

Lin Chu nodded and wandered around. He saw that one of the bedrooms had been converted into a study and pushed the door open to enter.

On the desk lay a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone. ’This guy practices calligraphy,’ Lin Chu thought. A freshly written work was spread out on the desk. Looking at the characters, Lin Chu froze for a moment.

——A life of defiant pride has led to this day; across the four seas, no one shares this sunset with me.

Lin Chu had never been the artistic type, not even back in his school days, but he could feel the overwhelming loneliness and sorrow rushing out from those words. There was perhaps a hint of heroic spirit, but not much—mostly, it was the calm of resignation.

’A lifetime of pursuits had come to nothing. His career was unfinished, he had no happy family. After struggling for half his life, what did he have to show for it? And now, he was about to retire.’

Suddenly, Lin Chu recalled another detail. ’The guy bought two parking spots. Maybe he once imagined he’d get married, have a wife, and their family would need two cars, and thus, two spots.’

’But... a life of defiant pride has led to this day; across the four seas, no one shares this sunset with me.’

’There was no one to blame.’

’You walk the path you choose yourself.’

’You have to accept the outcome of the bets you make.’

...

...