I suggest you investigate; this person doesn't seem to be a first-time reborn individual.

8 PM, Strategic Development Department of Beilu City Investment Group.

Lin Feng, who should have been off work, was still sitting at his desk, reading an industry research report.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

"Speak," he said succinctly as he answered the phone.

"Brother Feng, I've been following him all day..." The person on the other end of the phone gave Lin Feng a detailed report of Lin Ran's day's itinerary.

Lin Feng listened attentively, repeatedly confirming details with the person on the other end of the phone.

"Got it, Lao Liu. I'll treat you to drinks another day."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Feng leaned back in his chair, his eyes slightly narrowed, and his fingertips tapped on the armrests.

Although Lin Feng never interfered with Lin Ran's decisions except for persuading him to start a business, this time he transferred 20 yuan to him in one go. Even if he lost it all, Lin Feng had to find out exactly where the money went.

The old town in the east of the city? A real estate agency? Lin Ran's intentions seemed not hard to guess.

But why buy a house?

Based on his understanding of Lin Ran, he knew that his younger brother would never be so young as to invest in real estate and hold it for the long term.

Moreover, based on Lin Feng's understanding of the real estate market, the old urban area in the east of the city has neither school districts nor transportation planning, and even the most basic commercial facilities are pitifully scarce.

The rental yield is ridiculously low, making it impossible to break even or appreciate in value. Any rational investor would not choose to buy property in that area.

unless……

Lin Feng's eyes flickered.

He turned on his computer and quickly flipped through recent policy briefings, draft urban plans, and even various inconspicuous bidding announcements.

No useful information was found.

Then, the internal website was opened, and several professional reports were brought up, including a population density map, a resource distribution map, and a transportation planning map.

He then pulled out a map of Beilu City and spread it on his desk. He took out a pen and drew a circle in the eastern part of the city, drawing a line from the city center to the east, stopping at the current terminus of Metro Line 2.

Finally, following the subway line, I took out a ruler and extended it in a straight line, eventually stopping at a point in the east of the city.

If Lin Ran were to see this, he would be surprised to discover that the spot where Lin Feng finally stopped was the location of the future "Eastern New District" subway station.

Demolition?

Lin Feng drew a big question mark on the map.

He returned to his chair, leaned back, and closed his eyes to think for a full ten minutes.

When I opened my eyes again, my eyes were clear again.

He took out his phone, dialed a number, and said with a bright smile:

"Mr. Chen, this is Xiao Lin. I hope I haven't disturbed you?"

"Nothing much, I just recently acquired a bottle of fine wine. You're an expert in this field, so I'd like to pay you a visit..."

"By the way, I remember your wife works at a bank, right? I happen to have a small business-related question..."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Feng put the map into the shredder to destroy the evidence. Only after seeing the paper completely shredded did he pack his things and leave the office.

As he left, he muttered to himself, "What qualifications do you have to get a loan from a high school graduate like me..."

May 1th, 10:00 AM.

Lin Ran walked out of the bank feeling refreshed, holding two thin loan contracts in one hand and waving to Manager Wu, the homeowner's agent who had been waiting for him, with the other.

The loan process went more smoothly than expected, and Lin Ran couldn't help but marvel at how efficient banks were in 2010.

"You...you are Mr. Lin Ran?"

Manager Wu, who came to greet him, looked at Lin Ran's youthful face and felt it was somewhat unreal.

Both homeowners are overseas, and they entrusted Manager Wu to handle all the purchase procedures on their behalf.

"Genuine product, no doubt about it." Lin Ran smiled, seemingly oblivious to Manager Wu's shock.

"The loan has been approved. The two contracts cover a total loan of 450,000 yuan. The subsequent procedures will proceed as we discussed over the phone."

"Okay...okay, no problem."

Manager Wu took the documents from Lin Ran and left, filled with disbelief.

Holy crap, a high school student buying a house? Is inflation that bad these days?

Only then did Wang Zihao snap out of his daze, his eyes glazed over.

He swallowed hard. "Brother Ran, how much do I have to pay back each month on a loan of 450,000?"

"A ten-year mortgage would cost about 5,300 yuan per month."

"Five...five thousand three???" Wang Zihao's voice sounded like he had split his throat.

They're all high school students. He's still figuring out whether to fold origami cranes or five-pointed stars for Sun Yan, while Lin Ran has already bought a house.

Who the hell could stand this?

The key point is that Lin Ran is too bold. Putting aside where the down payment came from, who the hell would dare to take on a loan of more than 400,000 yuan at this age?

"Brother Ran, you're under way too much pressure!"

"What if... I mean, what if you can't earn this much money in the future?"

Lin Ran patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

"Ah-Hao, do you know what leverage is?"

Wang Zihao shook his head blankly.

"It's about using a small amount of money to leverage a large amount of capital. The down payment of 200,000 is the fulcrum, and the loan of 450,000 is the leverage."

"As for the pressure?"

He paused, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit one for himself, and then lit one for Wang Zihao. His voice came through the swirling smoke:

"Sometimes you have to be tough on yourself."

"If you don't push yourself..."

"You never know how much potential Lin Da has."

Lin Ran's first step in his plan was complete, and everything seemed to be progressing according to plan.

Just then.

"Lin Ran!—"

A suppressed shout, accompanied by hurried footsteps, shattered the silence.

Huang Lingyue practically rushed up to him, her chest heaving slightly, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, and her wet hair plastered to her face, clearly indicating that she had run all the way.

"How long are you going to keep avoiding me?" Her voice was filled with grievance and anxiety, as well as a hint of anger at being ignored.

Since Lin Ran replied to her message last time, she has sent him many more messages in the past few days, but has not received a reply from him again.

Today is the last day the college application system will close, and there is still no news from Lin Ran.

She felt things were getting out of control, so she went to Wang Zihao and, through a combination of coercion and enticement, obtained Lin Ran's schedule for the day.

Lin Ran glanced at the skinny, dark-skinned guy beside him. Wang Zihao, feeling guilty, turned his head and began to examine the stone lions at the bank entrance.

"I'm not avoiding you," Lin Ran said calmly. "I'm just living my own life."

"Where did you apply for university?"

Huang Lingyue stepped forward, grabbed Lin Ran's arm tightly, as if afraid that Lin Ran would run away.

Which school did you apply to? What's your major?

She asked Lin Ran again, unwilling to give up, her voice trembling slightly without her even realizing it.

Lin Ran frowned, removed her hand from his grasp with a less-than-gentle movement, and took a step back to maintain some distance from her.

"What does this have to do with you?" His question was direct, even somewhat cold.

"Of course it concerns me!" Huang Lingyue's voice suddenly rose, her eyes instantly turning red. "We both agreed to go to the same university!"

Lin Ran was taken aback, then suddenly remembered the "1" she had replied to on QQ, and rubbed her temples in annoyance.

He really didn't want to have anything to do with Huang Lingyue in the future. If the two of them got together, the result would only be that they hurt each other.

But when faced with this stubborn girl in front of him, her eyes red and swollen, who just wanted to be with him, he found it hard to say anything truly hurtful.

After all, at this moment, apart from directly expressing her feelings for Lin Ran, she hadn't done anything wrong.

Lin Ran sighed deeply.

"Huang Lingyue".

He called her by her full name and said calmly, "That was just what you thought was an agreement. I never explicitly promised you anything."

He walked past her, went straight down the steps, and paused slightly as he brushed past her.

"Choose the school you truly want to attend, and stop living in your imagination."

There was a hint of determination in his words.

After Lin Ran finished speaking, he didn't linger or turn back, and strode away.

Huang Lingyue stood frozen in place, staring intently at Lin Ran's departing figure, her nails digging deep into her palms, her lips almost bleeding from being bitten.

Wang Zihao stood there awkwardly, looking at Lin Ran who had walked away. He wanted to comfort her, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know how to start.

Finally, he sighed, cast a sympathetic look at Huang Lingyue, and turned to chase after Lin Ran in the direction he had left.

"Brother Ran, wait for me!"

Wang Zihao, panting, caught up with Lin Ran, whose pace had slowed, and carefully observed his expression.

"Brother Ran, you're not angry with me, are you?"

Wang Zihao scratched his head. The reason Huang Lingyue was able to find this place was obviously because he had leaked Lin Ran's whereabouts.

Lin Ran shook his head and didn't say anything.

Seeing that Lin Ran didn't seem angry, Wang Zihao hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering him:

"Brother Ran, there's something I don't understand..."