Lin Chu drove steadily, glancing at the real estate agent in the passenger seat. "Are there any new developments available? Downtown."

’Used homes are convenient, but it feels a little like I’m picking up someone’s leftovers.’

’But that’s just how the market is in Peng City. The city itself is too small, and all the developable land was built on long ago. For new housing, unless it’s part of an urban village redevelopment project, you have to look in areas far from the city center.’

She paused for a moment, her mind racing, before giving a wry smile. "I don’t think so. They’re all in the suburbs."

"Then forget it. Don’t worry about it."

Lin Chu said casually.

’I used to think buying a house was stupid. It’s not even freehold, just a seventy-year lease, and you’re not free. If your upstairs neighbor decides to renovate, you’re guaranteed to be tortured by the sound of drills for months on end.’

’Renting is better. If you don’t like a place, you can move whenever you want.’

’Of course, the main reason back then was that I couldn’t afford one. There was definitely a bit of a "sour grapes" mentality involved.’

’Things are completely different now, of course.’

’If I want to buy something, I just buy it.’

’But in my heart, it’s not a "home," just a house.’

’I don’t seem to have any expectations for what a "home" should be anymore. That whole "wife, kids, and a warm hearth" lifestyle just isn’t for me.’

’Freedom.’

’What is freedom?’

’Letting go of everything is freedom.’

The car window rolled down, and Lin Chu enjoyed the pleasant sensation of the wind on his face.

As they neared Swan Castle, Lin Chu suddenly got a call from Li Kai. "Brother Chu, I’ve got everything arranged for chartering the plane. They gave me a quote. It’s an international flight, billed hourly at 120,000 yuan per hour, and the clock starts the moment they dispatch the aircraft."

"I asked them to estimate the total cost for a round trip to Bohe Island. They came back with a final price of 4.2 million. That includes transport to and from the airport; we don’t have to manage anything else."

Two days had passed since this was brought up.

Li Kai paused, then added, "How about we just buy commercial airline tickets instead? This is too expensive. It’s overkill."

’He felt that when Lin Chu had suggested chartering a plane, it was mainly to flex his wealth and impress a girl.’

’Now that he’s already got the damn girl, what’s the point of wasting all this money?’

"It’s not overkill at all. The price is fine. Just confirm the time with them, and we’ll be ready to go."

Lin Chu said in a calm voice.

’Inwardly, he thought... it’s actually pretty cheap.’

’Only 4.2 million?’

’But he wasn’t about to do something as absurd as trying to bargain the price up.’

’4.2 million it is, then. Besides, he’d get a rebate on it.’

Li Kai replied, "Alright, I’ll confirm it then. They’ll send a representative to meet with you in person to coordinate. When are you available?"

Lin Chu said, "They don’t need to see me. You handle the coordination. I’ll just pay the bill."

At that moment, Lin Chu instinctively wondered if there was such a thing as a kickback in a "project" like this.

’But it wasn’t important.’

’He truly had an "as-long-as-I’m-happy" mindset now, and he couldn’t be bothered to think about these things that were "neither urgent, nor important, nor remotely interesting."’

’As long as it wasn’t too outrageous, it was a win-win for everyone. He’d just consider it the price of keeping good people around.’

’If it got too outrageous, he’d just find someone else.’

’Filter, don’t fix.’

After hanging up, Lin Chu focused on driving.

The female agent suddenly smiled and asked, "Sir, I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of getting your name? My name is..."

Lin Chu glanced at her. "You don’t need to introduce yourself. This is a one-time transaction. You do your job, you get your commission, and our connection ends there. My surname is Lin."

’...’ she thought. ’Well, then.’

’This tycoon really is something else,’ she thought. ’So detached.’

’It’s like I’m just an NPC to him.’

’But...’

’A 36 million yuan house... even at a 1.5% commission, that’s still 540,000 yuan.’

’From a single deal.’

’Forget being treated like an NPC, for that kind of money, she could be treated like... well, even something much worse wouldn’t be totally unacceptable.’

...

Upon reaching the single-family home section of Swan Castle, she made another call. The security guard granted them passage, and they drove into the complex.

It was an area where pedestrians and vehicles were separated. The environment was truly excellent—an oasis of calm in the bustling city, a one-of-a-kind luxury property.

Just outside the complex, a short distance away, lay the bustling mortal world of towering skyscrapers.

But back inside, there were lush green trees, glistening water, and one could even hear the sound of cicadas.

Lin Chu soon caught sight of the house. It was a typical single-family home, an end unit with an unconventional layout. The building itself was a standard square shape, but it had encroached on a significant amount of the public green space, which was now filled with a large, vibrant flower garden in a riot of colors.

"Hello, Ms. Tang. I’m the agent here to show the house to a client. This is Mr. Lin."

The agent said with a smile to the woman standing inside the black iron gate.

Lin Chu glanced over. He saw a woman in her forties who carried herself with the air of a wealthy socialite. She wore a bright red dress and exquisite makeup. Her face seemed vaguely familiar, but her makeup was so flawless it was hard to be sure—it gave him a sense of face-blindness. ’Could she be a celebrity?’ he wondered.

"Hello. Please, come in."

Ms. Tang’s voice was gentle, and she projected the dignified aura of a wealthy family’s matriarch. Her expression was impeccable, betraying no real emotion.

Lin Chu entered and gave her a smiling nod.

"The house is all ready. Please, come in."

She said with a smile, making an inviting gesture.

The agent took out a pair of disposable shoe covers. She was about to hand them to Lin Chu but, after a moment’s thought, squatted down herself. "Mr. Lin, if you’ll just lift your foot, I can help you with this."

Lin Chu glanced at her, then extended his foot.

’She’s the one insisting on doing this, living by the motto "the customer is always right." What was he supposed to do?’

They went inside and looked through all three floors. The house was empty of furniture, as it had all been moved out, but the permanent fixtures were in good condition. The color scheme was predominantly white, with none of the yellowing that comes with age.

Moreover, a peculiar fragrance permeated the entire house, especially the first and second floors. It was very faint, but still noticeable.

"What’s your reason for selling?"

Lin Chu asked out of curiosity. He was always interested in the stories behind things. It reminded him of when he’d bought his last house from Mr. Liu, the man who was "alone to face the sunset," and how he’d glimpsed a slice of another person’s life in their story.

Ms. Tang smiled faintly. "Liquidating assets for cash."

It was a very official-sounding reason, and Lin Chu didn’t press the matter. Instead, he asked, "I’ve noticed a fragrance in the house. May I ask what it is?"

"It’s a unique aroma formed from the mixture of medicinal herbs and tea. This house was previously used for storage, you could say. It held a collection of valuable medicinal ingredients and aged teas from famous mountains. The scent is quite pleasant; in the summer, mosquitoes don’t even fly inside."

’A storage house?’

Lin Chu glanced at her and pursed his lips. ’Well, that’s a new one.’

’A house can have that kind of "stat" attached to it? What the hell?’

’Rich people are so damn extravagant.’

"Are you in that line of business?"

Lin Chu asked casually.

She replied in her gentle voice, "Not as a business, no. It’s just a personal hobby. I kept collecting and collecting, and it just got to be too much. Is this something you’re interested in as well, Mr. Lin?"

Lin Chu smiled and nodded. "Yes, I work with intangible cultural heritage and high-end traditional Chinese luxury goods."

Hearing this, her interest was genuinely piqued. She smiled and said, "That’s wonderful. Perhaps we can connect and exchange notes in the future. I’ve collected many rare things over the years, enough to fill several auctions, really. I’ve been thinking of selling off a portion of the collection, if possible."

’Lin Chu got the distinct impression that she was currently very strapped for cash.’

’But she maintained an air of exceptional composure.’

’Maybe that was another trait of the wealthy.’

"Alright. May I get your contact information, then?"

"I’m quite satisfied with the house. If everything checks out, I’ll buy it. I’ll need to have my lawyer look into it first, though. I trust you have no objections?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A flicker of emotion crossed Ms. Tang’s eyes and she pressed her lips together for a moment. "Of course. That’s no problem at all."

She took out her phone, and they added each other on WeChat. She accepted his request immediately.

The atmosphere in the room gradually became relaxed and pleasant.

The agent’s eyes curved into smiling crescents.

’It’s a done deal. It’s really happening.’

’A huge commission is in the bag!’

At this point, she barely dared to speak, terrified she might say the wrong thing and inadvertently ruin the deal.

"Alright, let’s leave it at that for now," Lin Chu said with a smile. "I’ll call my lawyer, though it might take him some time to get here. In the meantime, shall we go take a look at your collection?"

’He never expected buying a house would lead to an opportunity like this.’

Ms. Tang hesitated for a moment before smiling. "The items are in a warehouse that’s still being organized. Perhaps in a couple of days? I can send you a partial inventory list to look at in the meantime."

"Deal."

She sent him an image.

Lin Chu glanced at it, and his expression flickered with interest.

Ginseng, Antler, ejiao, seahorse, cordyceps, dendrobium, musk, peach resin, bird’s nest.

Angong Niuhuang Wan, Pien Tze Huang, badger oil.

Various aged teas: Lao Ban Zhang, Iceland Old Village, Man Song.

Looking at the list, Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh. "Sister Tang, may I ask where you’re from?"

She answered softly, "I’m from Yang City. I used to be a doctor, which is why I’m fond of collecting these things. They are all authentic, rare medicinal ingredients that I gathered from their native regions all across the country. Many of them are excellent items that are impossible to find on the market today."

Lin Chu: "..."

’Now this was a truly wealthy person.’

’Using a thirty-million-plus yuan mansion as a "warehouse" just to stockpile things.’

’And stockpiling such rare treasures, no less.’

’In any case, people from Guangdong Province were always willing to spend extravagantly on anything edible, without the slightest hesitation.’

’He had to admit, seeing these things made his own heart flutter.’

’These were truly things that money couldn’t always buy.’

’Even if he stockpiled them and had no immediate use for them, just owning them would feel incredible.’

’And who knows, what if he needed them one day?’

...

...