Chapter 139: Zhoushan House Buying Diary

"It's late at night—why are all three of you girls still out?"

Qin Yun ordered a few skewers of grilled meat and sat down directly across from them.

Chu Xin felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this, but Jiang Chujì and Su Wenjing had no such reservations—they spoke up one after another, explaining the whole story.

Qin Yun couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Nowadays, do boys really pursue girls so crudely? No charm, no strategy—just blurt out a confession right away?"

"Exactly," Jiang Chujì complained. "Wang Liang used to seem so straightforward, but drunk, he's like this? Lucky Chu Xin already turned him down—otherwise, he'd keep pestering her nonstop."

"We thought since we were classmates, it wouldn't go that far," Su Wenjing said, sipping her bubble tea, indignant. "Turns out it's this disgusting. Honestly, you shouldn't date in college—you never know the real person underneath."

"Enough about me," Chu Xin waved her hand. "Today's meal is on me. Brother Qin, thank you—if it weren't for you, we'd still be seething with anger. Here, I toast you—just drink your beverage."

Qin Yun smiled and clinked his cup against hers.

He felt a certain fate with Chu Xin—their first meeting was at the Beijing flag-raising ceremony, the second by Xihu, and today was the third.

Among strangers, three encounters are enough to forge a friendship.

"By the way, Brother Qin, aren't you in Beijing? How come you're in Hangzhou today?"

Qin Yun said, "After the livestream ended, I dropped someone off in Hangzhou. Tomorrow I'm heading back home, then resuming my nationwide journey in a few days."

"Oh," Chu Xin's eyes sparkled with envy. "Brother Qin, I feel your life is truly living—doing what you love while still managing life."

Qin Yun chuckled wryly: "What's there to envy? Everyone has their own role. Working for a company is one way to earn money; running a breakfast stall is another; writing novels is another; livestreaming is another too."

"I know, I just envy your freedom."

"Hahaha, let me tell you," Qin Yun shared his workplace insights from the past few years. "Working for a company is one way to earn money; opening a breakfast stall is another; writing novels is another; livestreaming is another too."

"In this era, don't let a 9-to-5 job trap you in earning money. Broaden your thinking, expand your horizons—don't limit yourself to the path laid out before you. Life is short; try different kinds of work and find what suits you best."

The three nodded, half-understanding, but still remembered.

Yet Qin Yun knew people couldn't easily break free from their routines—those who hadn't experienced it could never truly understand.

Like in student days: nine out of ten people, after entering society, regret not studying harder back then. Those with associate degrees think they'd be better off if they'd just pushed harder to get a bachelor's. Those with bachelor's think they could've made it into a 211 or 985 if they'd tried harder.

Life is like this—spent year after year in a cycle of regrets, but time never stops for anyone.

After eating their fill, the clock showed nine-thirty.

Chu Xin said, "Brother Qin, it's late—we should go."

Qin Yun nodded. "I'll drive you back to campus. It's so late—no need for you to take a taxi."

The three girls were delighted.

Though families of art students weren't poor, students still saved where they could—taxi fare from here to campus was over fifty or sixty yuan.

"Wow—this car is so high-end."

The three girls got into the Mercedes, their eyes changing instantly.

The leather exuded that new-car scent; the interior clearly cost a fortune.

Once they were seated, Qin Yun set the navigation toward the South Mountain campus of the Art Academy. Meanwhile, some people at the barbecue stall sighed about the decline of morals—damn, three beautiful girls were about to be ruined—sigh…

…

The next morning, Qin Yun left a message for Su Huan, then drove onto the highway, racing nonstop—less than three hours later, he passed the toll station and entered the East-West Expressway.

At nine a. m., his car arrived at the Zhoushan Fishery Dormitory Community.

After parking, he found his mother had already left for work. He sent Su Huan a message confirming his safe arrival, then懒得出去, lay down at home.

Lying on the sofa, he scrolled through property listings on his app and immediately felt what a fourth-tier city like Zhoushan was truly like.

Average price: 12,000 yuan per square meter. Excluding projects by Greentown and Sunac, the average dropped even lower—below 10,000 yuan.

A hundred-square-meter apartment cost less than a million yuan.

In contrast, Greentown and Sunac developments rarely dipped below 20,000 yuan; new projects hovered around 27,000 yuan. Compared to others, these projects offered far superior quality and location.

Though they carried a premium, overall they were still a good deal.

In Zhoushan, most developments were still delivered as bare shells, but major developers like Greentown and Sunac had long switched to fully finished interiors. Though the finish cost was bundled into the price, the quality of the finishes was genuinely excellent.

Qin Yun wanted comfort and convenience—move-in ready. After weighing everything, choosing a project from these established developers was truly suitable.

But he couldn't decide this himself—he had to discuss it with his mother.

If he surprised her directly, knowing her nature, the surprise would turn into shock—she'd slap him dead. He'd learned that since childhood.

With lunch still far off, he decided to ride his bike and inspect a few nearby developments in person.

…

Hu Fen got off work, parked her electric scooter, and noticed a brand-new Mercedes parked beside her building—she glanced at it twice.

"That car looks luxurious—must've cost a fortune."

Then, as she opened the door, she saw a full table of dishes already laid out.

Hu Fen stared at the dishes—each one fragrant, colorful, and appetizing—her expression odd.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You little rascal—did you order these from some fancy restaurant?"

She knew Qin Yun's cooking skills—she'd tasted them before, and they'd never been this good.

Not Qin Yun, not even she herself could achieve this level.

Just smelling the aroma made her stomach rumble.

Good kid—he must've ordered from a top-tier restaurant.

Qin Yun sighed helplessly: "Mom, I cooked these. I recently had an epiphany—my culinary skills skyrocketed."

"Epiphany? You're kidding me," Hu Fen didn't believe it. "Don't think I don't read novels." She walked into the kitchen, saw one dish still uncooked, and said, "Then cook one right now."

Qin Yun said nothing and immediately got to work.

As he moved, Hu Fen's expression grew even stranger—this fluid, seamless technique—had my son been training at Xindongfang Cooking School?

"How's that, Mom? Now do you believe me?" Qin Yun said, thoroughly pleased.

Hu Fen pondered long and hard, unable to fathom how someone could improve their cooking skills to this degree in such a short time.

After a long pause, she finally blurted out: "Who are you? Did an ancient imperial chef reincarnate inside my son?"

"..."

"Mom, watch fewer tomato novels."

Qin Yun was exasperated. Is your job really that idle? How did a fantasy like this—clearly ripped from a tomato novel—ever crawl out of your fifty-year-old brain?

After dinner, while his mother washed the dishes, Qin Yun leaned against the glass door and said: "Mom, how long has our house been here?"

"Mm, over twenty years. We just renovated the exterior last year. Why? Are you thinking of buying a house?"

A mother knows her child best—she guessed immediately.

"Yeah, I'm thinking of switching to a bigger one, something more convenient for travel."

"Fine," Hu Fen nodded. "You can afford it now, so of course I support you buying a house. But since you probably won't settle down here in Zhoushan anyway, no need to get one too big."

"Why wouldn't I settle down here? I'm divorced now—where else am I supposed to go?"

Qin Yun exclaimed.

Hu Fen glanced at him. "Hangzhou is pretty nice too."

"Uh..."

Mom, are you hinting at something? No—wait, are you dropping a subtle hint?!

"Mom, let's get serious. Tomorrow, let's go take a look together. Mostly, we need to see if you like it—you're the one who'll be living there."

"Alright, I'll follow your lead. But if you're seriously considering settling in Zhoushan, you might as well get a bigger one—something around 140 or 150 square meters would be perfect."

The next day, when Qin Yun opened the door of the Mercedes S680, Hu Fen was stunned.

"Son... you're not seriously planning to let me drive... this car, are you?"

Qin Yun smiled inwardly but kept his expression calm. "Yeah, this one. A friend gave it to me. I kept one in Hangzhou for company use—gave it to Su Huan. This one I don't need, so I'm giving it to you."

He stepped aside and gestured. "Mom, why don't you try it out first?"

"No no no no... no thanks!" Hu Fen waved her hands frantically. "You little rascal, this is way too expensive! Do you think my salary can even cover the fuel? Aren't you afraid I'll scratch it or dent it?"

"Haha, Mom, what are you worried about? No matter how fancy, it's still just a car for transportation. Drive it all you want—I'll fill up your fuel card with money."

"Our general manager drives a BMW 5 Series. If I show up to work in this, it'll be too flashy. Forget it, forget it—you take it back."

"Mom, one live stream of mine earns enough to buy a car like this, so don't worry about it," Qin Yun chuckled reassuringly. "Besides, cars are made to be driven. If neither you nor I drive it, it'll just sit there and rust—then the loss will be even greater."

Hu Fen hesitated.

"I'll take you around for the next couple days until you're comfortable driving. Then we'll decide."

First stop: Green City · Future Community, Linhai Tian Avenue, just five kilometers from Zhoushan Fishery Dormitory.

The car pulled into the temporary parking lot outside the residential complex. As soon as they stepped through the main gate, a sales consultant rushed over.

"Sir, Madam, welcome to Green City · Future Community. Do you have a dedicated sales consultant? If not, I can give you a full introduction."

Qin Yun nodded. Yesterday, when he came alone, no one had been so eager—he'd just trailed behind a group, listening passively.

"Thanks then. Let's start with an overview—please tell us about it."

"Sure thing, sir. May I ask your name? I'm Huang Chao—you can call me Xiao Huang."

Huang Chao had spotted Qin Yun's car right away. A customer driving a luxury vehicle like this? Of course he'd be extra enthusiastic.

"I'm Qin. This is my mother—Hu. We're buying mainly for her to live in."

Huang Chao's eyes lit up—he became three times more enthusiastic.

Along with the tour, he offered tea and snacks, addressing Hu Fen as "Auntie" over and over, making her beam with delight.

"Auntie, Brother Qin, talking isn't as good as seeing in person. You need to walk through the model units to truly understand."

The smallest unit in this future community is 82 square meters; the largest is 168. Except for the small units, all homes over 100 square meters are designed as four-bedroom layouts.

As a result, units under 120 square meters feel cramped in every room.

"Son, Green City's prices are steep. This Future Community is 25,000 per square meter—ten thousand more than the neighborhood next door."

Leaving Future Community, Hu Fen was speechless.

One unit would cost nearly three million. But sitting in the car, she thought: this car alone costs over four million. My goodness—I'm sitting on top of a house!

Suddenly, three million didn't seem so much anymore.

Afterward, the two visited Rongchuang · Haitian Yun Di and Green City Haiyue Lanting, marking down their preferred floor plans before heading home.

Buying a house is a major decision—it can't be settled as quickly as buying vegetables.

No matter how wildly the sales consultant talked, promising instant deals and "you'll regret it if you don't buy now," Hu Fen remained calm.

If I decide and then change my mind? So what? I'm not forced to buy.

Qin Yun stayed in Zhoushan for a full week. Every time his mother had free time, he took her out for drives.

After several days, though Hu Fen still drove cautiously, her skills had become very smooth—it was just a matter of time and practice now.

He had topped up her fuel card with thirty thousand yuan—enough for her to drive for years.

As for the house, they ultimately chose a 153-square-meter unit in Future Community—north-south oriented, bright and airy, and most importantly, a low-rise villa, not a high-rise. Even if the elevator broke, walking up a few flights didn't matter.

Three million eight hundred thousand yuan vanished in one payment—Qin Yun felt nothing. That money had been rotting in his account; now it finally had purpose.

Just as he was preparing to head to Qinghai, another phone call shattered his plans.

A young fan, imitating him, went live-streaming in the wilderness at Mount Qixing in Zhangjiajie—and went missing.