Chapter 259: Intelligence

"Here we are. This is the place." Lao Fei pointed to a courtyard house ahead.

The place was quiet, not directly facing the street, surrounded by similar Western-style houses, but this one was larger, with two rare cherry trees planted in the yard, and the house itself appeared better maintained.

Perhaps because it had been passed down as ancestral property, cared for more carefully.

Wei Ming said: "Uncle Fei, we came here suddenly to see the house. Why don't you go in first and let them know? If they're not convenient, we'll come back another day."

Lao Fei glanced at Wei Ming in surprise—he hadn't expected this second-generation heir to be so considerate. He nodded and went inside.

Then Wei Ming quickly briefed Sister Xue.

"Say later that you bought the house."

"Why?" Gong Ying asked, puzzled.

Wei Ming reused his old tactic: "I already own two houses in Beijing. If I buy another, people might take notice—it'd look bad. So this one needs to be under your name."

Gong Ying's heart pounded. Her first reaction was refusal: "How can that be? This house is so expensive."

A Western-style house for around thirty thousand—her monthly salary was under a hundred yuan. She'd have to work until retirement to earn that.

Wei Ming sighed: "What else can we do? We can't put it under Lao Fei's name. Sister, you don't want me accused of capitalist restoration, do you?"

Gong Ying still had political sensitivity. She knew such things weren't impossible—if the wind shifted, owning so many houses could be dangerous.

But this was a house—a mansion. They weren't even married yet, and he wanted to put it under her name. Even if it was just a proxy holding, all the paperwork would be in her name—legally, it was hers.

Even though they'd already been intimate, Gong Ying still thought Xiao Wei was too bold—but mostly, she felt the sweet, moving warmth of being trusted by her lover.

Wei Ming gently wrapped his arm around Sister Xue and pouted: "Please? Just this once?"

Gong Ying reluctantly agreed. As he said, they couldn't put it under Lao Fei's name.

Seeing her nod, Wei Ming exhaled in relief—but also felt guilty toward Lin Jie. After all, this old Western-style house was far more expensive than the forty-square-meter apartment in Tuanjiehu.

Sigh. I'll think of a way to balance it out later.

Lao Fei was inside a long time before coming out. He told Wei Ming: "Mr. Wei, please go in. Mrs. Bai originally planned to tell her sons and grandsons today, but since you came early, she told them ahead of time. They all agreed—and now they're all sharpening their knives, ready to haggle you down hard."

Wei Ming smiled: "I'm not in a rush. If this deal falls through, we'll look elsewhere."

Lao Fei's heart sank—so now I'd have to make more trips? I must push hard to close this deal today.

As he thought, Wei Ming added: "One more thing—today, it's Miss Gong who's buying the house. Don't mess up the story, Uncle."

"Huh?" Lao Fei froze.

"Who's downstairs?" In Bai Mingzhu's bedroom, she and her high school classmate were listening to a Cantonese pop cassette when they heard movement below. She told her cousin, Bai Lao Liu, to go find out.

"Nothing. Just Grandma's friend, A Zhi. Don't bother with this—we can't even understand it. Let me tell you about Fudan instead." He spoke with a hint of pride.

Bai Lao Liu had good grades—he got into Fudan in 1978. But his cousin Mingzhu and Mingzhu's classmate Lizhi didn't do well academically.

Mingzhu had failed the college entrance exam this year and was now retaking it. Lizhi had given up on college entirely, living off her father's support in Hong Kong—a jobless youth.

Yet this jobless youth was, in the eyes of the Fudan top student Bai Lao Liu, a stunning beauty. He'd asked his cousin to invite her over under the pretense of music appreciation, to create opportunities for closer contact.

Though Lizhi was beautiful but dim-witted, she knew Bai Lao Liu's intentions. She thought it wouldn't hurt to get to know him—if her father couldn't get her to Hong Kong, dating Bai Lao Liu might be a decent option.

He wasn't handsome, but he was a Fudan student—graduation meant official cadre status. And his family owned this massive old Western-style house. Even if many lived there, Lao Liu was the eldest son's child—he might inherit it someday.

So she pretended to listen patiently as Bai Lao Liu talked about college life, though she didn't care at all.

As they spoke, Bai Baoshi, Mingzhu's younger brother, entered. The Bai family had thirty-five members—Mingzhu, a grown woman, still shared a room with her eight-year-old brother.

"Sis, Big Brother Liu—Grandma says we're selling the house!"

Bai Mingzhu: "What?!"

Lizhi also jumped up in shock.

Bai Lao Liu frantically signaled Baoshi to stop talking—he knew this house was a major plus in Lizhi's eyes.

But now that plus might vanish—Grandma, Father, and both Uncles had already agreed. He had no say. When he got a job later, he'd still be waiting in line for a unit housing allocation.

But Baoshi talked too fast—he explained everything quickly.

"Three people came downstairs to buy the house. They're inspecting it now. They might come up any minute."

Bai Baizhu snapped: "Where will we live if they buy it?!"

Bai Lao Liu added: "Probably just bluffing. Who could afford this house?"

Lizhi agreed—it was such a huge estate. How much could it cost?

Bai Baizhu ordered: "Baoshi, keep watching downstairs."

Meanwhile, Wei Ming and Gong Ying had met Mrs. Bai and her three sons and daughters-in-law.

When Lao Fei pointed to Gong Ying and said, "This is Miss Gong who wants to buy," the entire Bai family froze.

She was so young—and beautiful!

Suddenly, the third son stared at Gong Ying excitedly: "Liu Fang? Aren't you Liu Fang from the movie?!"

He turned to his second sister-in-law: "Didn't we watch that movie yesterday? The female lead in 'Good Things Take Time'—Gong Ying."

The second sister-in-law nodded, remembering. She hadn't expected the buyer to be a movie star.

Gong Ying, having starred in three films, calmly admitted: "Yes, it's me. But I'm buying on behalf of someone else. I have an elderly aunt overseas who wants to return to her homeland. She asked me to find an old Western-style house."

It was the story they'd just agreed on outside—the more plausible version.

Mrs. Bai said: "Then take a look. Two floors, originally six rooms, but with so many people, we've divided it into over a dozen. Still, the house is clean."

Mrs. Bai had deep affection for this home. At over seventy, she'd lived here fifty years, cherishing every flower, every brick, every tile. She kept everything orderly, radiating the refined elegance of old Shanghai.

But she knew the family could no longer stay together. It was time to split up. When she mentioned it, each son and daughter-in-law agreed without hesitation.

Wei Ming and Gong Ying began inspecting the house, checking every room.

The living room was fine, but the bedrooms—except for Mrs. Bai's, which was neat—were a mess. Especially since the family had a newborn, the place was chaotic.

After finishing the first floor, they headed upstairs. Baoshi immediately ran up to report to his sister Baizhu.

"Big Brother Liu, Sis—the buyer's a woman. Very beautiful. And she's a movie star!"

Lizhi asked eagerly: "Is it Zhang Yu?"

Zhang Yu was the hottest star in Shanghai now—in her view, such fame meant fast money.

Baoshi shook his head: "Not Zhang Yu. It's… Gong Ying."

Bai Lao Liu perked up immediately. He hadn't seen 'Good Things Take Time,' but male classmates had described the female lead as an otherworldly beauty.

He instantly forgot about Lizhi and went downstairs to see for himself—just as Wei Ming and Gong Ying were being escorted up by the Bai family.

Bai Baizhu and Lizhi also glanced out the window—but their focus was on Wei Ming, who stood 183 cm tall with six-pack abs. What an aura of wealth!

The second floor had a terrace—perfect for tea, sunbathing, reading—but they didn't check the bedrooms, just circled and went back down.

Bai Lao Liu lingered a while, then returned. Gong Ying was indeed beautiful, but thinking of Lizhi's figure, he decided to give Lizhi a chance—for the sake of future children not going hungry.

Yet Lizhi suspected: "Is it really Gong Ying buying? Or is it the man beside her?"

Bai Baizhu added: "Yeah, I think he asked more questions. He has such a noble air."

Bai Lao Liu snorted: "I asked. It's Gong Ying's overseas relative who wants to return home, so she's helping. The man has nothing to do with it."

"Then who is he? What's his relationship to Gong Ying?" her cousin asked.

"How should I know? Maybe he's just a real estate agent."

Back downstairs, Wei Ming felt the house had no major flaws—it was worth buying. Now came price negotiation.

Mrs. Bai and her three sons and two married grandsons conferred, then settled on a number.

"Thirty-five thousand."

Wei Ming smiled. It was per person—thirty-five family members, a thousand yuan each.

A thousand yuan per person wouldn't buy a house in Shanghai—but you could stay with your in-laws, or in a unit dorm. This sum could carry them until they got housing from their workplace. For the elderly, it could cover rent for life.

But Gong Ying refused: "Too expensive. My aunt didn't give me that much. We'll keep looking."

She spoke with a look of helpless regret, rising to leave.

Wei Ming thought Sister Xue's acting had improved dramatically—she was clearly destined for future stardom.

Seeing no one tried to stop them, Wei Ming walked out with Sister Xue—only Lao Fei panicked.

"Old sister, you're being unreasonable! Even a one-year-old gets a thousand? A new bride too? And some girls are dating—they'll marry soon! Do they get a thousand too?"

Not only Lao Fei was helping—there was a traitor inside the Bai family.

The third son was a movie fan—originally an admirer of Chen Chong, he'd climbed over the wall to become a Zhang Yu fan after watching 'Lushan Love.'

After watching 'Good Things Take Time' yesterday, he became a devoted Gong Ying fan—and swore never to climb another wall. He'd only ever love Gong Ying.

So the third son said: "Mother, Uncle Fei's right. This price won't be accepted."

The second son said: "Third brother, what are you saying? They have overseas connections—they won't lack money."

The eldest daughter-in-law added: "Exactly! Why didn't we have overseas connections? Were we stupid to stay?"

She laughed as she spoke.

Mrs. Bai disliked hearing this. She snorted: "If everyone insists on holding out, then let's stop for today. We'll wait and see."

Hearing this, the family grew uneasy. In this era, a ten-thousand-yuan household was front-page news. Few could afford thirty thousand at once. Even with thirty-five people, their total savings were under ten thousand—they couldn't bear to let this golden goose fly.

So while Wei Ming and Gong Ying hadn't gone far, the third son called them back on behalf of the family.

At that moment, Lizhi upstairs saw Wei Ming and Gong Ying leaving and hurried down to say goodbye, eager to get a closer look at the wealthy.

She bumped into them as they turned back.

Wei Ming was immediately drawn to her figure. Though winter had come and she wore thick clothes, her exaggerated S-curve was unmistakable—this woman had extraordinary natural gifts.

Still, he only thought she had a good body. Her face was merely above average. He didn't recognize her as the famous Second-Generation Jie Sao.

The Bai family gave their second offer.

"Thirty-two thousand."

Three thousand less—but Gong Ying still thought it high. She countered: "Twenty-five thousand."

Twenty-five thousand was unacceptable. Wei Ming then took over negotiations. Lao Fei joined in. The Bai family upstairs and downstairs all emerged, and opinions became chaotic again.

Wei Ming cut to the chase: "Two hundred and eighty thousand. If you accept, the property goes to Miss Gong; if not, we can only express our regret—this house has been altered too drastically. Elderly Shanghai residents naturally want the original character preserved, so restoring it would cost a fortune. We hope you understand."

He then signaled Gong Yuandong to leave, and said to Lao Fei: "Uncle, if it's settled, please let us know."

Two hundred and eighty thousand—that's enough to buy a two- or even three-court sihe academy in Yanjing.

After leaving, Wei Ming and Gong Yuandong truly departed. Lao Fei stayed behind to do more work, even offering to help them find a rental apartment for free, just for those three points.

Because of this house, Wei Ming and Xue Jie hadn't spent proper time together in days. Now Wei Ming invited Xue Jie back to the guesthouse for a visit.

"Just visiting, not doing, right?" Xue Jie teased.

Seeing her lively expression, Wei Ming longed to take her right there.

"What if I really want to do it?"

Xue Jie: "I'll help you another way. Better not do it—the noise would be too loud."

Too quiet and he wasn't satisfied; too loud and the whole guesthouse would know—he was a public figure, after all, and had to mind his reputation.

"Xue Jie, do you know Director Li Hanxiang?" Wei Ming asked after returning to the room.

Xue Jie shook her head. She watched few internal films, or she'd surely know—Director Li's many erotic masterpieces had already been critically admired by some.

Wei Ming: "When I was in Yanjing, I met him. He collects things. Recently he acquired an illustrated edition of 'Jin Ping'—I glanced at it, and there's a technique called..."

But Xiao Wei said ancients did this too: "Society progresses—we can't be more conservative than our ancestors."

Half an hour later, Wei Ming dropped Xue Jie off at Shangyingchang and agreed that if there was news about the house, he'd call Xie Dao to help him find Xue Jie.

"Director Xie is shooting 'The Legend of Mount Tianyun.' You'd better call the Shangyingchang guesthouse."

"Oh, I see~"

Who knew Director Xie had so much energy—right after finishing post-production on 'The Herdsman,' he immediately plunged into shooting 'The Legend of Mount Tianyun.'

Wei Ming and Gong Yuandong both slept well today, but the Bai family couldn't sleep at all—selling ancestral property was a major matter.

Price was one thing, but how to divide it also needed a formal plan.

The next day, as Wei Ming was writing his script and felt his progress slowing, Lao Fei came directly to the guesthouse looking for him.

"Wei Ming, famous writer and poet, wrote 'The Herdsman,' 'The Children of the Sheepfold,' and 'On the Fields of Hope,' 'The Same Song,' right?"

After chatting with a young female attendant, Lao Fei learned Wei Ming's background—even though he cared nothing for literature, he'd heard the name.

Wei Ming didn't mind. A celebrity of his caliber couldn't hide his glow.

"I'm a writer, but the price won't budge. This is it."

"What if it's two hundred and eighty-eight thousand? Just eight hundred more," Lao Fei asked.

Wei Ming: "They agreed?"

"They held an all-night meeting and decided."

Wei Ming found the price acceptable: "Fine. I'll notify Miss Gong. We'll handle the paperwork tonight or tomorrow."

Lao Fei was surprised: "So Miss Gong is really buying the house?"

He'd always assumed Wei Ming was using Gong Yuandong as a front—that Wei Ming himself was the real buyer.

Wei Ming laughed: "Of course it's her. Oh, her overseas auntie. I don't have that kind of money."

At noon, Wei Ming called Shangyingchang. Gong Yuandong never returned to the guesthouse at noon, but today she waited specifically for his call, and they confirmed they'd meet that evening to sign.

Lao Fei would handle the paperwork.

Besides, Wei Ming had already bought three houses—he had plenty of experience.

That day, Wei Ming received a letter from Yanjing—written by his mother.

The content was odd: she described two films she'd watched, 'Good Things Take Time' and 'The Traitor.' She didn't summarize the plots, but raved about the female lead of the first and the third female role of the second.

Confirmed—she knew about his relationship with them, but her kind heart didn't expose it.

From her careful, tentative tone, she seemed nervous, yet with a hint of anticipation.

At the end of the letter, she casually added: "Today, when I mailed this, I received a letter from your father. His work on the set is completely finished—he says he'll be home soon, and hopes you'll return soon too, for a family reunion."

Wei Ming sighed. Until he sorted out his two sisters' affairs, he'd have to keep shuttling back and forth—and luckily, script revisions gave him a perfectly legitimate excuse.

That night, Wei Ming and Xue Jie went again to Huating Road and signed the contract at the Bai family's old mansion—all signed by Gong Yuandong.

She also signed her name for the Bai family's third son.

After the property office notarized everything, payment would follow. As a public figure, Gong Yuandong carried some credibility.

For the next two days, Wei Ming was busy with this matter, and his account dropped by thirty thousand.

Of that, twenty-eight thousand eight hundred went to the house purchase; Lao Fei's commission was rounded up to nine hundred; the rest covered miscellaneous expenses to speed up the process.

The house payment wasn't settled in full—twenty thousand was paid upfront; the remaining eight thousand eight hundred would go to the Bai matriarch only after they'd fully moved out. This process could take as little as a week, or as long as Chang Ze Yamei.

Uh—two months was also possible, depending on how fast Lao Fei found them a place.

Yet just after the house deal was settled, Wei Ming told Xue Jie: "I'm leaving for a few days."

"Huh?"

Wei Ming: "The script's nearly done, but I'm not satisfied with some rural SuBei details. I plan to go to SuBei, observe, and polish it further."

Gong Yuandong admired Wei Ming's seriousness—he'd previously pestered her to explain Shanghai dialects and slang to use in the male lead's mother and new bride, to heighten their sharpness.

"You must be careful," Xue Jie said, then crouched down. He was leaving—might as well grant him this one wish.

Wei Ming let out a long cry: "Oh, good sister!"

Not a single word of the draft had been changed, yet he was going out to gather material for another work. Luckily, he hadn't taken the 'Shouhuo' subsidy—otherwise he'd be too ashamed to ask. But he'd keep his room—he'd return quickly.

SuBei refers to northern Jiangsu, including the five prefecture-level cities: Xuzhou, Lianyungang, Suqian, Huai'an, and Yancheng.

Currently, it's divided into three regions: Suqian still belongs to Huai'an, now called Huaiyin Region; Lianyungang is a provincial-level city.

Though these places, like Wei Ming's hometown, were poor, each had its own kind of poverty.

Wei Ming took a bus, first arriving in Yancheng—felt it wasn't poor enough—then continued north.

Lianshui County—apparently famous for producing mathematicians.

Then he reached Guannan—seemed to be Jiangsu's economic benchmark.

But he didn't stay anywhere—just passed through briefly.

Finally, his destination: Suqian. The script's female lead lived here. In his past life, Wei Ming had dated a girl from Suqian, so he had some familiarity with its language and customs.

Backpack on his back, walking through the fields, he saw roadside lupines entering their withering phase, took a photo, and hummed 'Luganhua' with a light heart~

(End of Chapter)