Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

Lin Yanzhou didn't look at Qin Li, nor at the bald man, nor even respond to their conversation. He simply turned back to the saleswoman in the black suit, his tone as indifferent as if discussing the weather: "Is the apartment on the third floor of building twelve still available?"

The saleswoman nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, sir, would you like to take a look?"

"Look," Lin Yanzhou said, "I'm looking for my friend; he's going to buy it."

"Friends?" Qin Li scoffed from behind. "Your poor friend Haozi? Dressed like that to buy a house? Lin Yanzhou, you're really joking."

The bald man chuckled softly, but in the quiet sales office, everyone heard him clearly.

"Let's go, Lili, let them take their time looking around. Let's go check out the model room over there." He put his arm around Qin Li's shoulder and deliberately walked past Lin Yanzhou and Haozi, taking slow steps. When he passed Haozi, he even glanced at the factory logo on his work clothes and slightly curled his lips.

Just as he took his third step with Qin Li in his arms, Lin Yanzhou spoke.

His voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet sales office, every word was clear: "The apartment on the third floor of building number twelve, a little over 100 square meters? How much is it for full payment?"

The saleswoman quickly flipped through the price list: "106 square meters, 9,200 yuan per square meter, minimum discount for the total price—980,000 yuan. If you pay in full, we'll include an attached apartment and an underground parking space."

"Full payment," Lin Yanzhou said. "Buy it today. Pay in full and put it in his name."

Haozi suddenly grabbed his arm, his voice extremely low: "Yanzhou, are you crazy? Nine hundred and eighty thousand! Put my name on it? I thought you bought it for Xiaozhou."

"Don't rush." ​​Lin Yanzhou glanced at him, then raised his voice slightly, just enough for Qin Li, who was walking towards the door, and the bald man beside him to hear, "Haozi, I'll buy this apartment for you. It's fully furnished with a parking space, and I'll pay for it in full. When the child transfers to a school in the city, he can live here. The Experimental Elementary School is right outside, and the No. 1 Middle School is just two streets away."

Qin Li, who was walking towards the door, suddenly stopped in her tracks, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

The bald man also stopped and turned around. His expression was extremely interesting—the smile on his lips hadn't completely disappeared when suspicion and shock surged in his eyes at the same time, along with a hint of embarrassment at being outshone in public. Several expressions switched back and forth on his slightly chubby face, finally settling into an unnatural stiffness.

Qin Li stood there for two or three seconds, then turned around and looked Lin Yanzhou up and down as if she were seeing him for the first time. Her gaze moved from his face to his body, then from his body to the bank card in his hand. Her lips moved, and her voice carried a sharp suspicion: "Ninety-eight thousand in full? Where did you get the money? Do you think I don't know how much you earn in a month? Don't try to put on a show."

The bald man next to her also snapped out of his daze, gave a dry laugh, and said with a hint of sour skepticism, "Brother, you can't even be polite about bragging. This is a sales office; you have to pay with real money, not just talk."

As he spoke, he subconsciously rubbed his gold watch again, but the confidence in that gesture was noticeably less than before, and the watch's luster appeared somewhat cheap under the fluorescent light.

Lin Yanzhou finally turned his head and looked at Qin Li directly. His gaze was as calm as a still lake, without smugness, anger, or any of the intense emotions she expected. He simply looked at her calmly with the eyes of someone looking at a stranger.

"Didn't you ask me where the money came from?" Lin Yanzhou's voice was neither loud nor soft, each word clearly echoing in the quiet sales office. "I have nothing to do with you anymore. You live your life, I'll live mine. I don't need to report to you where my money came from."

Qin Li's face turned pale instantly. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but Lin Yanzhou had already turned his head away, not giving her another glance.

The sales office was so quiet you could hear the hum of the air conditioner vents. The young woman behind the receptionist had her mouth slightly open, her eyes sparkling, and her pen hovered in mid-air, seemingly forgetting to write. The male customer in the jacket next to the counter had a "this trip was worth it" expression on his face, and even moved two steps closer to get a better look.

Qin Li stood there, her face alternating between pale and flushed. The bald man beside her urged in a low voice, "Let's go, let's look at the other model rooms." He reached out and tugged at her arm, but Qin Li didn't move—her gaze was fixed on Lin Yanzhou's back, as if trying to find some flaw in him. But Lin Yanzhou didn't even turn his head.

"Help my friend with the paperwork." Lin Yanzhou handed the bank card to the saleswoman. "Full payment, property registration in his name—Jing Hao."

The saleswoman took the card with both hands, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Okay, okay! Sir, please wait a moment, I'll go prepare the contract right away!" As she turned around, she clearly quickened her pace, her high heels clicking loudly on the marble floor.

Haozi stood beside the sand table, his blue overalls particularly striking. His lips moved, his voice hoarse: "Yanzhou, this is too..."

"This house isn't expensive," Lin Yanzhou interrupted him, patting his shoulder. "Ninety-eight hundred thousand isn't much to me right now. Putting aside our relationship, just considering how you've helped me for twenty years, it's worth that much. And that's not all; there are more surprises for you to come."

Haozi lowered his head, his shoulders in blue overalls trembling slightly. He quickly raised his head again and wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his rough fingers: "You fucking... how am I supposed to clean this up today?"

"Then treat me to a bowl of ramen, with an egg."

Haozi burst out laughing, then sniffed hard: "Okay, add two more."

Qin Li stood there, her face pale. The bald man beside her tugged at her arm twice and whispered, "Let's go, let's go, don't look anymore." He half-pulled, half-dragged her toward the door, but she turned back to look again at the door—Lin Yanzhou was signing the contract, and Haozi was standing next to him, holding a bunch of brand-new keys in his hand, his head down, rubbing the teeth marks on the keys with his thumb.

Qin Li's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes swirling with an emotion she couldn't quite describe. She remembered the time of their divorce, when she pointed at Lin Yanzhou's nose and said, "This is how your life will be." She remembered the silent look in his eyes as he stood at the door of their rented apartment watching her leave. She remembered how she had complained about his salary, his job, and the construction sites he was always on.