Chapter 18: The Two People with Naturally Clashing Destinies

Mrs. Jing found herself outnumbered. Her adversary, Director Yu Caini, was clearly well-prepared, employing a dual strategy of feigning pitiableness and leveraging her authority. "For now, let’s not sell. I need to discuss it with my husband," Mrs. Jing said. Under pressure from her superiors, she decided to avoid a direct confrontation for the time being; refusing outright would mean risking her job. An official one level higher can crush you; moreover, Yu Caini had powerful backers. "Think about it, Su Lanzi. Property prices are dropping sharply. You never know, in a couple of days, even downtown properties might stop trading," said a bald, potbellied middle-aged man, blowing smoke rings that filled the room with haze. He was Section Chief Liu Ke Yuan. In the apocalypse, property and cars had lost their value, and Jing Shu hadn’t planned on selling at an exorbitant price just to scam someone. But when people showed up at her doorstep clearly intending to take advantage, Jing Shu felt it necessary to teach them a lesson. She logged into a secondary account on 58.com and began orchestrating a scenario where two supposed buyers were fighting over the property. After setting things up, Jing Shu rushed forward to greet them one by one. "Uncles, Aunts, hello. I am Su Lanzi’s daughter, Jing Shu." Mentally noting who had come, she added, "I’m really sorry, but I’ve already scheduled two buyers to view the house soon. They’ve offered 1.39 million. My dad said we’ll sell to whoever offers the highest price." As she spoke, she showed everyone the chat records: one buyer needed to transfer schools, and the other needed to enroll; both desperately needed a house with a downtown household registration! Mrs. Jing exhaled in relief, discreetly giving Jing Shu a thumbs-up. How has my child grown up so fast and become so clever? "Besides, Uncle Liu is right," Jing Shu continued. "If the property market crashes in a few days, wouldn’t that be unfair to Aunt Yu? My mom would have good intentions, but it would end up badly for Aunt Yu." Liu Keyuan was stunned. Usually, people try to devalue an item to lower the price, don’t they? Why on earth would someone talk down their own property like this? Yu Caini glared at Liu Keyuan. This oaf, can’t he even bargain properly? "Don’t be ridiculous, child. A school district property in downtown collapsing? That would only happen if it were the end of the world! It doesn’t matter who buys the house, does it? You might as well sell it to your Auntie. We can negotiate the price," Yu Caini said, her urgency evident. She had previously held the upper hand, but now she was suddenly on the defensive. Jing Shu steadfastly maintained that she couldn’t put Aunt Yu in a bad position. She added that her dad had already made appointments with the other buyers and couldn’t just cancel on them. They would have to wait for those people to arrive before deciding who to sell to. Yu Caini was fuming but felt powerless. Her attempts to signal Mrs. Jing with her eyes were useless. She was afraid the other potential buyers would indeed drive up the price. What good is pulling rank now? Even if I settle scores later, what good will that do now? Yu Caini seethed internally, making a mental note of this slight. "Lan Zhi, I promise, even if the market crashes, it won’t affect you two. Don’t listen to your daughter," Yu Caini declared. "I’ll offer 1.395 million right now! That’s 5,000 more than them! Lan Zhi, I’ll transfer the deposit to you immediately, and we can handle the property transfer tomorrow. Quick, tell those other two not to come." And so, the apartment they had initially planned to sell for 1.3 million went for 1.395 million. It was hard to say if this was a high or low price. If demand for such properties increased during this period, the price could go even higher; if demand fell, it would have to be lowered. Jing Shu simply needed the funds to purchase more supplies. She didn’t mind getting a bit more money from people who tried to use their power to take advantage of others. Whether she made enemies or not was of no concern to her. The next day, Yu Caini and Mrs. Jing went to handle the paperwork. It took them two full days to complete everything. The contract stipulated that from December 1st, the apartment would officially belong to Yu Caini. Jing Shu’s family had a little over ten days to move out. Aside from the old furniture they were leaving behind, they only had miscellaneous items, clothes, and other personal belongings to move. Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) and Mrs. Jing decided to do the moving in their last few days there. The apartment and two cars were sold. After paying taxes, the remaining 1.36 million yuan was with Jing Shu. The Jing family’s financial crisis was temporarily averted. That night, the three of them held a family meeting. "After you pay the amount specified in the contract, you’ll have 860,000 yuan left," Mrs. Jing calculated. "Give 100,000 to your Uncle, 200,000 to your grandma, and 300,000 to your three aunts. The rest should be enough for your startup capital, right?" Jing Shu shook her head. "The initial investment is large. I need to buy a lot of raw materials and cover other costs. Give me another month, and it should be about right." Are you kidding? With this money, I’ll buy as many supplies as possible. Who would even think of paying it back now? After the apocalypse, repaying favors with food will be far more valuable than with money. Besides, she wanted to show gratitude to the relatives who had lent her money. Those who had truly helped her couldn’t be left to suffer in the apocalypse. In a way, by borrowing their money, I was helping them avoid losing it all in the coming calamity! "You’ve suddenly grown up so much these past few days," Mrs. Jing said. "Not only do you have your own opinions and ideas, but you always have convincing reasons for them. I trust you not to waste money, but you must keep a record of every expenditure. I’ll want to check the accounts at any time." Mrs. Jing felt that in just a short month, her daughter had become so decisive, almost ’authoritarian,’ always possessing an unshakeable confidence. "The day after tomorrow, I’ll go get Grandma and Grandpa. They’ll stay with us for a while to help me. With their skills, this venture is practically guaranteed to succeed." Mrs. Jing remarked, "You seem to have thought of everything." The pickling skills of Grandma Jing and Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s grandfather) were indeed indispensable. Jing Shu needed their help to stockpile semi-finished food, and she absolutely would not let them die again as they had in her previous life. As for them all living together permanently in the future, that’s unlikely. Mrs. Jing glared fiercely at Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father). "When your father comes, don’t you dare anger him again! If he scolds you, don’t talk back." Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) looked helpless. "If he scolds me and I stay silent, he says I’m too quiet, like you couldn’t beat a peep out of me. If I respond, he accuses me of talking back. If I ignore him, he gets even angrier and says I’m disrespecting him. If I just keep quiet and listen to his lectures, he says I’m just putting on an act. What am I supposed to do?" Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) truly felt desperate. Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) and Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s grandfather) probably had a natural incompatibility. Being together meant constant arguing, each frustrating the other tremendously, unable to tolerate anything the other did. Yet, when they were apart for a few days, they would miss each other terribly after a phone call. Perhaps this is just a case of ’the deeper the love, the harsher the criticism’? "Regarding Old Sun," Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) said, "I need to own up to you both. Through these recent events, I’ve finally seen him for who he truly is. He’s deliberately avoiding repaying me. Since he doesn’t consider me a friend, I no longer consider him one either! I’m prepared to take legal action to get my money back." Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) had valued this friendship highly and had given Uncle Sun many chances. In his previous life, there hadn’t been such financial pressure. But in this life, driven to desperation by money, Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) felt betrayed every time he urgently needed funds. Uncle Sun bought a luxury car for his son and a diamond ring for his wife, but when the repayment date arrived, his entire family would dodge Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) for days, refusing to answer calls. True friends don’t behave like that! Even if he was a bit of a pushover, Mr. Jing (Jing Shu’s father) was deeply hurt. He even felt some hatred toward Old Sun. What on earth did I ever do to Old Sun to make him treat me like this? Legal action? No, no, no, that’s letting them off too easily! Jing Shu thought. My grudge against them isn’t just about this. I will avenge everything from my past life, one debt at a time! Jing Shu had been deliberately creating situations to make her father face setbacks, all to force him to see Uncle Sun’s true colors. I couldn’t just eliminate Uncle Sun right off the bat, could I? Now things are set. I don’t have to hold back anymore. Soon, Dad will see Uncle Sun’s even darker side.