What Are You Doing Here?
What Are You Doing Here?
"I signed a deal with Luo Tian," Shi Ailin replied.
Shi Yen was slightly stunned. "Really?" she asked astonished. "I didn't think you'd do that for me."
Shi Ailin smiled warmly. "Hm. I'm done holding a grudge against him. I want to move on and do what's best for our business."
Shi Yen grinned proudly. "That's great to hear. Speaking of business, I need you to go somewhere with me."
"Where?" Shi Ailin questioned.
Shi Yen didn't answer. But she explained on the way to her car.
"I found this property for sale. The estate and land need extensive work, but there's so much potential for it. The location makes the house extremely valuable, and it's been in the market for too long. The owner is asking for a reasonable price, but he has rejected many people who sought to purchase it. But if we can buy the house, demolish it and build it anew, then it'd be a great investment."
"And I am coming because?" Shi Ailin questioned.
"The owner is an old man who's very sentimental towards this house. I need someone that radiates the warmth that I don't have to stay by my side while I convince him to sell it to us," Shi Yen replied with a smile that didn't meet her eyes.
"All right," Shi Ailin reluctantly agreed.
They then arrived at an eight-acre land that contained dying grass, wilted flowers, and a crumbling mansion with moss-covered walls and deteriorating wood. The house was enormous, but it didn't cover 1/2 of the land. It appeared to be something straight out of a creepy film, but Shi Yen looked at it as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
An old man walked down the field, unoccupied by anything but mud and dry grass. He wore a gentle expression as he approached them wearing overalls and rain boots. He then shook their hands.
"Hello, Mr. Pan," Shi Yen greeted with a warm-enough smile.
"Hello, Miss Shi Yen and Miss Shi Ailin. I am waiting for two others to join this house tour."
Shi Yen narrowed her eyes slightly. She thought it'd be a private house tour, not knowing others were invited. But she kept her cool, waiting as a Black Bugatti arrived at the makeshift driveway.
Mr. Pan then hastily greeted Yuan Shun, welcoming him more enthusiastically than when he greeted them. Shi Yen's eyes went wide and wild when she also saw Fang Qi by his side.
The three then walked over towards them. Yuan Shun wore black sunglasses that covered his eyes entirely. When he saw her, he removed them and gave her a wide grin.
Shi Yen glared at him, but she tried not to show it around, Mr. Pan. The owner then began the house tour, and Shi Yen stepped to Yuan Shun's side as Shi Ailin and Fang Qi trailed behind them.
"What are you doing here?" she questioned low.
Yuan Shun didn't look at her. He looked ahead and said flatly, "I'm interested in this property."
As they followed Mr. Pan, Shi Yen stepped so close to Yuan Shun that their bodies pressed against each other; it was only, so the others didn't hear what they were talking about.
"You're only interested because I want this," she snapped, whispering harshly.
Yuan Shun gave her a sly side-eyed glance. He held her stare. "Really, Yen. It's like you know me so well."
"I don't know you," she seethed.
Yuan Shun broadened his grin. "We can fix that," he said with an erotic charm to his tone.
Mr. Pan waited for them to catch up. He then began to ask each of the questions, wondering about their job occupations and why they wanted to buy the property. Shi Yen managed to answer with a sweetness she was not used to expressing.
She heard Yuan Shun chuckle at her side, and she elbowed him to keep quiet.
By the end of the tour, Mr. Pan turned to them and said, "It was very nice speaking to such young people who are passionate about buying the estate. I can tell you that you two really care about this house. It means so much to me since I don't have any family to pass this onto. But I do have one special request."
Both Yuan Shun and Shi Yen perked their ears, listening.
"I don't want the house demolished," Mr. Pan said. "You can make the renovations. But I don't want the entire house torn apart. It was here since the end of the Qing Dynasty. There's a history behind these walls, and I don't want it to vanish."
Yuan Shun and Shi Yen looked at each other, almost if they had the same idea. They then said simultaneously, "I wouldn't demolish it."
The owner smiled. "That's good to know."
"Mr. Pan, I would do anything to transform the house while keeping the history this estate offers," Shi Yen promised and meant it. She initially did want to demolish it, but she saw the house differently now, through the perspective of Mr. Pan, and she didn't want to disappoint him.
The owner smiled.
Yuan Shun straightened. His expression was soft, opposite from his typical devilish charm. He looked so gentle, vulnerable. "Mr. Pan. This estate reminds me of what a home could be,"—he gestured around the land—"It only needs a garden to adorn the house."
"That's a great idea," said the owner. He then creased his brows. "I'm torn between choosing."
"May I make a suggestion?" budded in Fang Qi.
Both Shi Yen and Yuan Shun snapped their heads to face him, icy eyes filled with warning.
The owner nodded, listening.
"Why not give the estate to both of them?"
Shi Yen and Yuan Shun's eyes widened.
"That's not possible," said Shi Yen, "We can't share it."
"Hm," Fang Qi said as if he was thinking long and hard about it. "You can split it. The land is wide enough to build another estate. You should think about the full potential of it."
Shi Yen stepped towards Fang Qi, teeth barred, "I'd rather forfeit this opportunity than to share with Yuan Shun."
Yuan Shun scoffed. "You'd rather lose to me?" he taunted. "I didn't expect Shi Yen to give up. It's a shame you don't put up a good challenge."
Shi Yen glared at him. She then grinned, eyes narrowed. She turned to Mr. Pan. "You know I would be all right with co-signing the deal with Mr. Yuan."
"You know each other?" Mr. Pan questioned.
Shi Yen tried not to scowl. "He's an acquaintance," she said. But the owner eyed them curiously as if it seemed to be more than just that.
"All right," he said, taking out the contract for them to sign. Written delicately, under Shi Yen's name was Yuan Shun. It seemed odd, but she'd make it clear that this was solely for business.
The owner then gave them two sets of keys, leaving them behind.
"To be clear," Shi Yen said to Yuan Shun coldly when the owner left. "This house is mine."
Yuan Shun arched a brow.
Shi Yen continued, "Fang Qi said you could build another estate. So, build a new one or keep the grass."
Yuan Shun smiled mischievously as if he had a trick up his sleeve, but she was typically good at detecting them. However, with Yuan Shun, it seems she could never anticipate his next move, and she didn't know how to feel about it.