Chapter 88: Women Who Are Easy to Handle and Women Who Are a Pain

"Son, your dad and I watched the drama you filmed—you did well, but you barely showed up, died right after appearing."

Yu Yanli sighed: "Don’t rush, I’ll have more scenes later."

"That’s good."

His mother Zhang Hong asked: "How’s the house hunting going? I’ll transfer you the money soon."

"Almost done. I’ll take some photos and have Xiao Zhi or Xiao Xin download them for you at the internet cafe."

"Alright, I’ll send you the money in a couple days."

Zhang Hong trusted her son completely, and lately, their braised meat business had boomed, greatly increasing their income and shifting her mindset slightly.

After chatting a bit longer, they hung up. Yu Yanli scrolled through the earlier property-related [Monthly Intelligence].

His family could chip in over 200,000, he’d add another 200,000—totaling 500,000 to buy a house outright would be stressful, but just for a down payment, he could afford two or three.

If investing in property, Yu Yanli would pay only the down payment, then use rent-to-cover-mortgage schemes to buy as many houses as possible with minimal cash outlay and maximize profit.

But Yu Yanli’s property strategy wasn’t just about investment—it was mainly about securing a backup plan, so he prioritized stability.

Right now, his funds were insufficient, so he’d only pay down payments; later, when he had more money, he wouldn’t necessarily pay off every house in full, but at least a significant portion.

Otherwise, if all his properties were mortgaged and he owed the bank a fortune, with no cash to repay, he’d lose them all—end up with nothing.

After selecting several decent apartments, Yu Yanli called his old contact, real estate agent Xiao Zheng, to handle the legwork and coordination; once negotiations were settled, Yu Yanli would directly view and sign the contracts.

Yu Yanli didn’t hide his home-buying plans from Lin Jiachuan; he left the follow-up details to Lin and Xiao Zheng.

Lin Jiachuan felt a pang of envy at Yu Yanli’s home purchase.

He knew Yu Yanli had earned a lot, but the money felt abstract, too vast for Lin to grasp concretely.

Buying a house, however, meant officially settling in Beijing—finally having his own little nest in the city, a milestone of immense significance for northern drifters like them.

Yu Yanli sensed Lin Jiachuan’s mood, patted his shoulder, and encouraged him gently.

"Work hard. Your salary and bonuses aren’t small. I’ll help you earn some side income too—within two years, I guarantee you’ll buy a house in Beijing."

Yu Yanli wasn’t just feeding Lin Jiachuan empty promises—he truly believed it.

If you want the horse to run, feed it enough hay!

To those close to him, he never shortchanged them. A single house? It might not even take two years.

"Alright."

Lin Jiachuan, fired up by Yu Yanli’s words, immediately jumped up to wash his car—but Yu Yanli stopped him.

"Wash it later. I need the car today."

"Fine."

Lin Jiachuan nodded casually, but Yu Yanli added another line.

"If anyone asks where I went today, say I took you out to celebrate your birthday—we drank, sang karaoke with Yiwei and Songwen, then stayed overnight at Jimen."

"Huh…"

Lin Jiachuan looked uneasy. Yu Yanli added softly: "Two years to buy a house."

"Mission accomplished!"

Lin Jiachuan snapped to attention, saluted, his face brimming with loyalty and righteousness.

————

Beijing, Zhiqiang South Garden

The storm had passed. Yu Yanli leaned on the bed, smoking. Huang Shengyi rested against his chest, her cheeks still flushed, voice tinged with resentment.

"I haven’t heard from you in half a month—did you forget about me?"

"How could I?"

Yu Yanli wrapped his arm around her smooth, fair shoulder: "I’ve been swamped—company negotiations, can’t leave."

"I don’t think it’s just the company keeping you busy."

Huang Shengyi stared intently at Yu Yanli: "I saw Senior Dong Xuan on campus."

"Oh."

Yu Yanli’s expression didn’t change: "And?"

"She’s been in good spirits lately, and doesn’t seem to live on campus anymore—heard she moved out and’s cohabiting with her boyfriend."

"Oh."

Yu Yanli remained noncommittal: "That’s good."

Huang Shengyi gritted her teeth: "Don’t you want to know who her boyfriend is?"

Yu Yanli shook his head: "No."

"She’s your ex-girlfriend."

"That’s all in the past."

Huang Shengyi finally snapped, sat up, and demanded: "Have you been staying with her this whole time?"

Yu Yanli crushed his cigarette and nodded: "Yeah."

"Did you get back together?"

"No."

Huang Shengyi was confused: "If you didn’t reconcile, why are you living together?"

Yu Yanli looked at her in puzzlement: "We’re not even boyfriend and girlfriend, yet we sleep in the same bed."

Huang Shengyi: "…"

You make perfect sense—I have no rebuttal.

Still, though slightly annoyed, Huang Shengyi felt more joy at Yu Yanli’s words.

He hadn’t reconciled with Dong Xuan—so she wasn’t the other woman. Most crucially, she still had a chance to become his girlfriend before that Dong woman.

Thinking this, her eyes sparkled—until Yu Yanli tapped her forehead sharply.

"Behave. Don’t go near her."

Huang Shengyi pouted, convinced Yu Yanli favored Dong Xuan. Seeing her expression, Yu Yanli softened slightly—he’d noticed she’d been well-behaved lately.

"I’m currently working on a new project—I’ll save you a good role."

Huang Shengyi was surprised: "Really?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Yu Yanli considered the projects and scripts he was reviewing—allocating a role to Huang Shengyi wasn’t difficult.

But this couldn’t be delayed indefinitely. He needed to offer some small rewards to keep her satisfied.

"Didn’t you say you wanted a dress but thought it was too expensive? How much was it?"

"Actually, I could do without it."

Huang Shengyi felt awkward bringing up money, hesitating. Yu Yanli chuckled and patted her butt: "Stop being coy. Tell me."

As long as she obeyed and didn’t cause trouble, spending money was nothing to Yu Yanli now.

During their time together, he’d already spent tens of thousands on her—sporadically, but steadily.

Though not a fortune, it was significant for Huang Shengyi, whose family wasn’t wealthy and who, as a student, had limited living expenses.

The occasional “pocket money” he gave her had let her taste the benefits of wealth, elevating her daily comforts in clothing, food, housing, and transport.

Even though she knew Yu Yanli was entangled with Dong Xuan, she hadn’t caused a scene—not only because her position was awkward and she lacked leverage, but also due to the financial ties binding her.

"Eight hundred."

Huang Shengyi whispered the price. Yu Yanli pulled a small stack of cash from his handbag.

"Aren’t you saying your roommate’s birthday is coming? Buy her a nice gift—it’ll boost your reputation."

"Senior, you’re so good."

Huang Shengyi kissed him happily. Yu Yanli returned two light pecks.

Then he gripped her head and slowly guided it downward. She struggled slightly, but couldn’t resist his firmness—she submitted, and began to sing.

Moments later, Yu Yanli closed his eyes in contentment—he found this one thing about Huang Shengyi quite agreeable.

She took the money, lived comfortably, and he didn’t have to worry.

Dong Xuan, by contrast, refused money unless given a solid reason. Even gifts required elaborate excuses.

Last time Yu Yanli took Dong Xuan shopping at Guomao, she refused this, complained that was too expensive, picked only a few pairs of underwear he liked, and he had to force her to take two pairs of shoes.

Then she used her salary from Snow Goddess Dragon to buy him a several-thousand-yuan suit for business occasions.

Such women were the most troublesome!

Yu Yanli truly regretted not cutting ties decisively with Dong Xuan earlier—now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Though he wasn’t even sure he’d have had the courage to break up with her back then, without the system’s boost…

(End of Chapter)