Early the next morning.
Leonard Chu and Hank Chu, exhausted from staying up all night, looked dazed as they stepped out of the guard room and stretched. Just then, a Mercedes sped up to the entrance.
Leonard Chu eyed the Mercedes warily.
Evan Lin stood quietly behind them, watching. When he saw Harvey Yang get out of the car, his expression remained calm.
"It's you. What do you want?" Leonard Chu naturally recognized Harvey Yang.
As a successful entrepreneur, Harvey Yang often appeared on local Whitewood County TV and in the newspapers.
Seeing Harvey Yang show up in person made Leonard Chu visibly nervous.
"Ah, well, I'm here on behalf of Yang Real Estate to apologize. Here's what we're thinking: for the demolition, you'll get one square meter of resettlement apartment for every square meter taken, and if you want to buy extra space, it'll be at half the market price. How does that sound?" Harvey Yang plastered on a smile and walked over.
He'd been scared out of his wits by those three female spirits last night and hadn't dared close his eyes. Especially after hearing from the suited underling that Scarface had been swallowed whole by one of the spirits, he was desperate to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
He still didn't fully understand what was going on, but compared to making more money, he was far more worried about his own life.
Hearing Harvey Yang's offer, Leonard Chu gave him an odd look, sizing him up. He was surprised, but even more cautious: "You're not trying to pull any tricks?"
"No tricks, really! I've brought the contracts. Can you act as the residents' representative? If not, could you help me contact everyone? Let's get the contracts signed today!"
At Harvey Yang's signal, the suited underling—his face swollen like a pig's head and sporting two dark circles—hurried over and handed out the contracts.
Leonard Chu flipped through the contract. He'd been suspicious at first, but the more he read, the more excited he became. There were no traps at all, and the terms were genuinely generous.
"Wait a moment, I'll go call everyone over." After nodding to Harvey Yang, Leonard hurried off to gather the residents.
Soon, all the residents were called out one by one.
Some of them read the contract themselves; the older folks who couldn't understand it asked the younger ones. Once they figured it out, their faces lit up with excitement.
Evan Lin watched the neighbors' reactions and sighed inwardly. For ordinary people, escaping hardship was truly difficult.
Harvey Yang, meanwhile, wasn't paying attention to the excited residents. After exchanging a few words with the suited underling, he followed the man's gaze over to Evan Lin, hesitated, then walked over with a forced smile: "So, little brother, are you satisfied with this outcome?"
Harvey Yang sized up Evan Lin, not daring to act rashly.
From what the suited underling had said, Harvey Yang knew that the female spirits had appeared while this boy was present last night. Combined with the fact that Evan Lin had single-handedly beaten the entire demolition crew, Harvey couldn't believe these things weren't somehow connected to him.
"Mm." Evan Lin didn't even look at him, just nodded coolly. "At least you know what's good for you."
Harvey Yang froze at the words. It was the first time anyone had spoken to him like that, but he didn't dare lose his temper. His eyes flashed with resentment, but he quickly adjusted his tone: "Sorry for any offense before. Please forgive me."
"Depends on how you behave." Evan Lin finished speaking and didn't bother with him anymore.
Just then, Evan Lin spotted Joy Zheng's happy face in the crowd and felt a wave of emotion.
Harvey Yang quickly began arranging for the contracts to be signed. Overall, the process went smoothly.
On the avenue in front of the shantytown, workers started cleaning up the wreckage of the car that had exploded last night. The accident was officially classified as 'unintentional.' Harvey Yang didn't pursue the matter or call the police.
Once the contracts were signed, Harvey Yang and the suited underling left immediately, afraid that staying any longer might put their lives at risk.
On the drive back, the suited underling glanced in the rearview mirror at Harvey Yang sitting in the back seat. "Boss Yang, should we just let this go?"
Harvey Yang's face was dark as he took a deep breath. "Let's wait and see. This deal is a huge loss. If I can find an expert to exorcise the ghosts, then everything changes!"
Thinking of the three female spirits from last night still made Harvey Yang shudder. Now that he had calmed down, the thought of the contract he just signed made his heart bleed.
The suited underling kept quiet and just focused on driving.
Evan Lin went home. At lunchtime, Joy Zheng made a few extra dishes and seemed to be in a great mood.
"I really never thought the developer would be so reasonable this time. Once the contract is signed and we get the new apartment, it'll be yours for when you get married in the future."
"Or, if you ever leave Whitewood County, you can sell the apartment and use it as a down payment for a place elsewhere. Once that's settled, I'll have one less thing to worry about and can finally relax."
Joy Zheng smiled gently as she picked up food for Evan Lin, chatting happily the whole time.
"Mom, actually, I've already bought you a place. It should be ready in a few days. When it's done, you can move in—it's in a much better environment," Evan Lin couldn't help but say.
Joy Zheng tapped Evan Lin on the head with her chopsticks. "What nonsense are you talking about? An apartment is so expensive—where would you get the money?"
"Hurry up and eat. I think living here is perfectly fine. You shouldn't worry so much about making money or put too much pressure on yourself. Focus on your studies first. I know you want to give me a better life, but honestly, I don't have big demands. Just make sure you plan your own future well."
Hearing this, Evan Lin wisely kept quiet. He decided not to argue—he'd just give her the keys when the time came and save himself a lot of explaining.
After lunch, Hank Chu originally wanted to hang out online with Evan Lin and Ken Feng, but with everything that had happened, his mom dragged him off to his aunt's place to share the good news. Ken Feng's dad also had something planned for him—supposedly some dinner that night.
With no invitations, Evan Lin just lay on his bed at home, staring at the ceiling and letting his mind go blank, too lazy to think about anything.
A little after four, Selina Shi called Evan Lin. In her usual bossy tone, she reminded him about the cross-county dinner at six at the Whitewood County Party Committee Guesthouse, and hung up before he could even reply.
Evan Lin shook his head. He hadn't planned on going, but since he had nothing else to do, he got up, stretched, and decided to check it out.
By a little after five...
At the entrance to the Whitewood County Party Committee Guesthouse, quite a few people were already waiting.
Among them were Ivy Deng, looking as nonchalant as ever, and her father Victor Deng. Ken Feng and his father were also there, waiting for something.
Soon, more cars began arriving from the distance.