After dinner, Yan Dongjun took the three of them—Su Qing, Cheng Beilin, and Cheng Beize—to a hotel. He booked two rooms: one for Su Qing and Cheng Beilin, and a separate one for Cheng Beize.
Yan Dongjun didn’t leave right away; instead, he followed Cheng Beize to his room.
"Is Su Qing from Xiangcheng, like you guys?" Yan Dongjun asked Cheng Beize quietly.
"No, she’s not," Cheng Beize said. "She’s from the Northeast."
"The Northeast?" Yan Dongjun asked, a little curious. "Xiangcheng is a long way from the Northeast. How did you all et? Are you close?"
"We t in Yun Province. Beilin and Su Qing really hit it off and beca friends. You see, Beilin has been staying at Su Qing’s place for a while, and I just went to bring her ho. It just so happened that Su Qing was coming to Beijing to buy a house, so we all ca together." Cheng Beize and Yan Dongjun were good friends, so there was nothing to hide.
"Yun Province? She went to Yun Province, too?" Yan Dongjun asked, a little surprised.
At this, Cheng Beize felt Yan Dongjun was paying a little too much attention to Su Qing. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Don’t tell you’re... into Su Qing..."
Cheng Beize suspected Yan Dongjun might have a crush on Su Qing, and he looked at him in surprise.
"Nah, no," Yan Dongjun said. "I just think she looks familiar, like I’ve seen her sowhere before, but I can’t quite recall where."
"Oh." Cheng Beize let out a small, inexplicable sigh of relief. He then said, "She transferred trains in Beijing on her way to Yun Province. Maybe you saw her by chance then."
Yan Dongjun thought for a mont and said, "That’s possible."
However, he asked again, "Are you familiar with Su Qing’s family?"
"I think she’s an orphan. She’s separated from her uncles and their families and lives on her own." To be honest, Cheng Beize didn’t know the details of her situation all that well. All he knew was that Su Qing was living by herself now.
"An orphan," Yan Dongjun murmured softly upon hearing this.
"What’s wrong?" Cheng Beize felt that Yan Dongjun’s reaction was still a little off.
"It’s nothing," Yan Dongjun said with a smile. "I just have this strong feeling of familiarity with her. I guess so people just look alike, and that’s why I feel this way."
"You haven’t really fallen for the girl, have you?" Cheng Beize asked, looking at Yan Dongjun.
"What are you talking about?" Yan Dongjun punched Cheng Beize’s shoulder. "I only just t her today. How can you even talk about falling for soone? Don’t you go around saying that, or she’ll think I have improper intentions. And don’t you dare tell Su Qing what I said, you hear?"
Yan Dongjun was genuinely afraid Cheng Beize would blab about it later. It would be so awkward when they t again.
"Alright, alright. You should head back. Rember to co pick us up early tomorrow," Cheng Beize said with a laugh.
"Got it, my young master." Yan Dongjun teased Cheng Beize with a smile and then headed ho.
「The night passed uneventfully.」
The next day, Yan Dongjun ca to pick up Su Qing and the others, and they headed to Changle Alley first.
On the way, Yan Dongjun said, "I spoke with the owners of both houses yesterday. They’ll both be ho today. However, the owner of the one in Xilin Alley has to go out for sothing this morning, so we’ll go to the one in Changle Alley first."
"Okay, no problem. Thank you, Mr. Yan," Su Qing said with a smile. "We’re troubling you today."
"Don’t be so formal." Yan Dongjun glanced at Su Qing in the rearview mirror. "Beize and I are best buddies, and you’re a good friend of his sister’s. If you don’t mind, just call Brother Yan. We’re friends now too. Beize is far away in Xiangcheng, so if you ever run into any trouble in Beijing, co find . I’ll help in any way I can, no questions asked."
"Okay. Thank you, Brother Yan," Su Qing said with a smile.
"Hehe, don’t ntion it."
As they talked, the car quickly arrived at Changle Alley. Yan Dongjun parked outside the alley and led the three of them inside, soon arriving in front of a small, two-courtyard house.
Su Qing took a mont to observe the surroundings. Changle Alley was more or less in the center of Beijing. The location was, frankly, excellent. It was obvious that in twenty or thirty years, a courtyard house here would be a pri piece of real estate you couldn’t buy even if you had the money.
Therefore, she was determined to get this courtyard house today.
The courtyard house was in a good spot—the fifth house on the left after entering Changle Alley. Just as Yan Dongjun was about to knock, they heard an angry voice from inside the courtyard: "Go, go, go! Get out of here! Even if I can’t sell this house, I’d never let your family move in! Scram!"
"Second Uncle, I’m your own nephew, you know!" a sowhat arrogant man’s voice retorted. "I’m part of the Ma Family too. My family has nowhere to live, yet you’d rather sell the house than help out your own flesh and blood. Do you have any conscience at all?"
"Scram! You have the nerve to ask if I have a conscience? Why don’t you and your family ask yourselves that!" the angry man’s voice rang out again. "If it weren’t for your family, would I have suffered for all these years? Besides, didn’t you all cut ties with already? So why are you shalessly crawling back now, trying to live in my house? Where do you get the nerve?"
"Second Uncle, you’re my own uncle! You can’t just stand by and watch be holess, can you?"
"Your father has a house. If you need a place to live, go to your father!" the angry man continued. "Go on, get out!"
Then, with a CLANG, the main gate of the courtyard house was thrown open. A man in his thirties was shoved out of the courtyard by a man in his fifties or sixties. The older man had graying hair and a slightly stooped back.
The man in his thirties was pushed out so hard he lost his footing and stumbled toward Cheng Beilin. Seeing this, Su Qing quickly pulled Cheng Beilin aside. Unable to stop himself, the man fell flat on the ground with a painful "Oof!"
"Ah, you all... I’m so sorry." Seeing that he had almost hurt soone, the older man looked embarrassed and quickly apologized.
"Uncle Ma," Yan Dongjun said with a smile to the older man. "My surna is Yan. I contacted you yesterday about seeing the house. Do you rember?"
"Ah, yes, yes, I rember! Please, co in." Upon hearing this, Uncle Ma quickly invited Su Qing and the others into the courtyard. "The house is a bit old, but I’ve already cleaned it up."
The man who had fallen also heard Yan Dongjun. The mont he realized they were there to see the house, he beca furious. Forgetting to even get up, he yelled at Su Qing and the others, "This is a house of the Ma Family! It’s not for sale, not for sale! All of you, get lost!"
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