Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Bai Jian stared at the black and gold car key in Chen Tingting's hand, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably twice.

The shield emblem on it reflected the midday sun, stinging his eyes.

"Oh……"

Bai Jianqian chuckled, his voice terribly dry: "Xiao Li, that's not fair of you."

"My cousin knows you care about your image, but I understand that you're young."

"But this lighter looks pretty realistic! Like the kind you get for 9.9 yuan with free shipping on Pinduoduo?"

As Bai Jian spoke, he didn't forget to save face for himself:

"I was having dinner with some big bosses once, and there was one of these things on the table. It looked like a car key, but when I pressed it, hey, it shot up a flame."

"Like I said, just fool your cousin. He won't be jealous. Don't fool yourself too."

Bai Li leaned against the glass door of the building materials store, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Too lazy to explain, he simply gestured with his chin towards Chen Tingting.

"Go ahead and try to light the car door with my lighter."

Chen Tingting had long disliked this idiot cousin. She rolled her eyes, looking at him as if he were mentally challenged.

She turned around, and after taking only a few steps, pressed the unlock button.

"drop--"

A crisp electronic sound rang out clearly on the street.

Immediately afterwards, the headlights of the sleek Panamera parked on the side of the road flashed twice.

The side mirrors unfold automatically, emitting a slight mechanical clicking sound.

This sound was even louder than when Bai Jian was told to get lost by President Li earlier; it was like a thunderclap in his head.

Bai Jian's smile cracked.

He didn't believe it.

I absolutely do not believe it.

Bai Jian seemed possessed, stiffly moving his feet, step by step, to the Panamera.

He first pressed his face against the car window and looked inside.

If it's a rented car, there will definitely be signs of use inside, or a QR code sticker from the rental company.

But this car... is too new.

So new it's despair-inducing.

The original plastic seal on the dial wasn't completely removed yet.

The central control screen is as smooth as a mirror, without even a fingerprint.

The leather on the seats hadn't even been creased by my bottom yet.

This is definitely a brand new car!

Bai Jian's prized BMW 3 Series was a second-hand accident car he bought for 50,000 yuan. He had to take good care of it, fearing that it might break down on the road one day.

Compared to the car in front of him, his beat-up BMW was practically industrial junk.

"This...how is this possible..."

Bai Jian's hands were shaking.

This feeling is awful.

Chen Tingting opened the car door and took a bottle of water.

But Bai Jian noticed something else.

"What's that red booklet?!" Bai Jian asked, sticking his head out like a turtle's head as Chen Tingting opened the car door.

That red notebook, with large gold lettering.

It gleams in the sunlight.

Bai Jian stood by the car door, his eyes fixed on the notebook.

"show me!"

Although Bai Jian had roughly guessed it, he refused to believe it and went into the Panamera to pick up the red booklet.

It must have been made by someone who forged the document!

Or it could be one of those unknown small-scale properties, costing around 200,000 yuan per unit!

He turned to the first page with trembling hands.

Rights holder: Bai Li.

Location: No. 001, Area A, Yunding Tiangong, Ping County.

Property type: Detached villa.

Building area: 860 square meters.

"Clatter".

Bai Jian's hand went limp, and the property certificate fell to the ground.

He felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he plopped down on the ground, not caring whether the ground was dirty or not.

Heavenly Palace on the Clouds...

Villa No. 1...

That was a legend in the entire Ping County, a place that ordinary people like them wouldn't even dare to dream of.

It's said that the security guards in that residential area are all retired special forces soldiers, and the dogs there eat imported dog food.

The people living inside, even though he was illegally detained by Bai Jian, he still managed to get a breeding subsidy for the homeowner.

Among them, Number One is a myth within a myth.

And this kid... is actually the owner of Villa Number One?!

"you……"

Bai Jian raised his head, his face contorted with extreme jealousy and shock.

"Did you go rob a bank?!"

Bai Li scoffed, "Robbing a bank isn't as fast as making money now."

"How is this possible! How could you possibly afford a house like this?!" Bai Jian's voice became sharp and shrill, like a rooster whose tail had been stepped on.

This is worse than killing him!

Looking at Bai Li's calm expression, Bai Jian felt like he had wasted the last thirty years of his life.

He acted like a grandson to others for a few hundred thousand yuan in construction fees, but his cousin already owns a villa that costs tens of millions of yuan?

Is there any justice left in this world?

"Aaaaaah! I don't believe it! It's fake! It's all fake!"

Bai Jian clutched his hair, feeling so devastated that he wanted to roll on the ground.

Compared to Bai Jian's madness, the three energetic young women next to him presented a completely different picture.

Lin Xiaoshuang picked up the property certificate from the ground, carefully patted off the dirt, and then stared wide-eyed.

"Wow... Big brother..."

Although Lin Xiaoshuang was uneducated, the name "Yunding Tiangong" was a well-known name in Ping County, and even elementary school students knew that important people lived there.

"So, big brother, you really did buy a house..."

Li Jiaxin also came over, looked at the "001" and couldn't help but swallow.

She only knew that her older brother was rich and drove luxury cars, but she never imagined he was this rich.

This level of financial power was beyond the comprehension of these street-smart girls.

"Then...then why did you buy so much furniture just now...?" Chen Tingting's mind worked quickly, and she immediately realized what was going on.

Bai Li walked over, took the property certificate from Lin Xiao's hands, and casually stuffed it into his trench coat pocket.

"This villa is fully furnished, but there are still some areas that can be improved."

"The things we just bought are for moving inside. As for the renovation of the two rooms..."

"That's the girls' room prepared for you."

Bai Li looked at the three dumbfounded girls and said calmly:

"The house is too big; it's too uncomfortable for one person to live in. Since you've come with me, I can't let you stay in Home Inns or Hanting hotels forever, can I?"

"You can tell the designer how you want to decorate, whether it's pink, purple, or black, whatever makes you happy."

Upon hearing this, the three girls all held their breath for a second.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Xiaoshuang let out a scream and pounced on Bai Li, clinging to him like an octopus.

"Long live the big brother!!"

"I'm going to live in a big villa! I'm going to post about it on social media! I'm going to make all those bitches who used to look down on me furious!"

Although Chen Tingting and Li Jiaxin weren't quite that dramatic, they exchanged a glance and both saw the ecstasy and emotion in each other's eyes.

For girls like them, drifting at the bottom of society, the allure of a stable, luxurious room of their own is like a nuclear bomb.

It's not just about money.

This is a sense of belonging.

It's because my older brother truly cares about them and treats them like family.

"Big brother, I can be a fire truck tonight!" Lin Xiaoshuang exclaimed excitedly, her face flushed. "An ambulance is fine too! A police car is fine too! I can change tunes!"

"puff……"

Bai Li almost choked on his saliva. When did this girl learn so many skills?

At this moment, Bai Jian, who had been sitting on the ground, finally recovered.

He looked at Bai Li, who was surrounded by beautiful women and full of vigor, then at the brand-new Panamera, and then at his own beat-up BMW that still needed gearbox repairs.

My mental state completely collapsed.

It's really collapsed.

That jealousy felt like a million ants gnawing at his heart.

He got up, grabbed Bai Li's sleeve, his eyes red and his voice even sounding like he was about to cry.

"Xiao Li... tell me the truth, can we return this car?"

Bai Li looked at him like he was crazy: "Why would I return something I just bought?"

"Listen to my advice!"

Bai Jian gritted his teeth, spitting as he spoke, his face radiating a sincere "for your own good" attitude:

"First of all, if you drive this car back to the village, three of those old men will hang themselves, and two will take poison."

"Secondly, this car is such a gas guzzler! Seriously! 98-octane gasoline is so expensive these days! I'm trying to save you money!"

"And this car is expensive to maintain, and even more expensive to repair! Even a small scratch can cost tens of thousands!"

"Your apartment... the property management fees must be ridiculously high! That's practically a heavenly palace on the mountaintop!"

"Sell it quickly! Seriously! Sell the car, sell the house too!"

Bai Jian gripped Bai Li's sleeve tightly, as if grasping at the last straw.

He felt he would really die tonight if Bai Li didn't agree.

"Xiao Li, don't be like this. It makes your cousin feel bad!"

"My cousin has a heart condition; he can't handle this kind of shock!"

"If you don't sell... I'm afraid I'll hang myself at home tonight!"

By the end, Bai Jian was practically wailing.

That deep-seated pain, that ugliness of being unable to bear seeing others succeed, was on full display at this moment.

Looking at his comical cousin, Bai Li suddenly felt rather bored.

He gently brushed Bai Jian's hand away and straightened his cuffs.

"Hang yourself at home?"

Bai Li smiled, his eyes devoid of warmth, filled only with a condescending indifference.

"Then remember to pick a sturdy rope."

"After all, funerals are quite expensive, so let's not cause trouble for your uncle and aunt."

"Alright, I still need to pick out what I was looking at. You wait for your boss, Mr. Li, to come out."

After saying that, Bai Li turned and went back into the shop, leaving Bai Jian with eyes that were so red they looked like a rabbit's.

"Bai Li, you deserve to die!!!"

"I'll hang myself in front of your house tonight and drive down the price of the Cloud Top Palace!"

A fierce roar echoed throughout the entire building materials street.