CHAPTER 380: CHAPTER 370: TIME TO SELL

"Have you ever considered having a second child? Just having a daughter might not be enough for elderly care."

While their wives were waiting in a long queue for the restroom, Xiao Yu and Qin Guanglin didn’t wander off, but squatted beside the tiger enclosure chatting while plucking at the grass.

Qin Guanglin smiled and shook his head, "What era are we in? Still practicing the old belief of relying on children for elderly care? Aren’t you worried they’ll pull the plug on you?"

"Hey, he wouldn’t dare!"

Xiao Yu glanced at his son, Little Xiaoyu, who stared back with wide, clueless eyes, not understanding what they were talking about.

"Having one daughter is enough. Why have more? It’s exhausting enough as it is."

"You’re tired? I don’t dare have a second child. I seriously can’t afford it, but you could probably handle four or five more." Xiao Yu snorted—comparisons between people really couldn’t be made. He still struggled to make ends meet while Qin Guanglin was already living a comfortable life.

Envy wasn’t an option.

"Think I’m raising pigs? Three or four..." Qin Guanglin laughed and cursed, "I’ll just have one. Wouldn’t it be better to save the money for raising a son and use it for retirement? Besides, if I had a son, he might not even be as wealthy as me in the future."

"That’s the wrong mindset. You still need someone to take care of you, otherwise, you’ll end up lying in your filth, stinking up the place with no one to clean up after you." Xiao Yu smirked, "You don’t know how to enjoy life, just how to make money.... What good does donating do? By then, no one will eagerly care for you. How about this, donate to me and let this stinky kid take care of you too..."

"No, I’m afraid he’ll pull the plug on me."

Qin Guanglin quickly raised his hand in refusal, "I’m not waiting for them to take care of me. When it’s time for a nursing home, why not just go? Sitting there every day being looked after isn’t that better than being at home?"

"Is it really that the wealthier you are, the more detached you become?"

Xiao Yu smacked his lips. People not only differed in constitution but their thoughts too were vastly different.

"What does it have to do with being wealthy... Besides, I’m not even wealthy, a lousy car worth a couple hundred thousand, a small three-bedroom apartment, that’s nothing."

Qin Guanglin never felt wealthy, nor had he ever lacked money. It was only a bit tight when buying the house and car, but he considered himself moderately well-off. Apart from the expenses for raising his daughter, he didn’t have much need for money, and could afford it whenever something did come up.

"I can never be a wealthy person. Wealthy people drive luxury cars to Luo City Restaurant for wine and steak dinners, then spend their evenings at concerts in the music hall with their wives and kids, or attend galas and banquets in suits and gowns. Even going on regular trips, escaping to Hainan for a vacation when it’s too cold or hot— What do you do after work?"

Xiao Yu, listening intently, replied stunned, "I... I lull my son to sleep, eat dinner, watch TV, then go to sleep."

"Right! Same here... I’m not working now, and spending my days painting at home isn’t much different from going to work. After dinner, I slouch on the sofa, picking at my toes while watching TV until it’s time to sleep." Qin Guanglin slapped his thigh, "Look, we’re the same, except I might have a couple more pieces of meat than you at dinner. How does that make me wealthy?"

"You put it like that... it actually makes a lot of sense." Xiao Yu rubbed his chin, feeling something was a bit off, but thinking about it, it seemed correct.

How much money one had didn’t change the fact that life was lived in a similarly mundane manner—it was merely a question of having an extra piece of meat on the dining table. In a few decades, everyone would turn to dust, nothing left.

"I guess I work harder, so he has it easier." Xiao Yu turned to look at his son, figuring out what felt wrong. Life wasn’t just about him but also his child’s future.

"Let the next generation handle their own lives, if they have everything and just lie around enjoying it, isn’t that a wasted life?" Qin Guanglin sat on the ground, stretching his neck to look at his daughter in the stroller. Although he said that, he still hoped she would have a good life.

A few minor hurdles were normal; just avoiding major ups and downs was fine. An ordinary life was not too bad.

"That’s true, besides you do eat a couple more pieces of meat every night—getting that fat and still thinking of meat, like raising a pig..." Xiao Yu shifted forward and poked his belly, "Time to butcher."

"Get lost."

"Hehe, I thought you were going to train to be as tough as Wen, muscles stretching your shirt, but in just a year, you’ve gotten so fat. Really impressive... Hey, haven’t seen him in a long time, not sure how he’s doing now."

"I haven’t seen him either... Should be doing quite well." Qin Guanglin looked up into the distance, sighing softly.

"Sighing? Did something happen to him?"

"Don’t know, just thinking... he used to work at Chen Rui’s company too, even earlier than me, working under Chen Rui. If he hadn’t left, he’d be a veteran there now."

Qin Guanglin was somewhat emotional, "He would definitely be a part of the management team, such a pity..."

"Pity nothing. Maybe he’s living better than if he’d stayed."

"Maybe so, they’re back, getting ready to take pictures."

I saw two women holding cell phones coming from afar, planning to take no fewer than a dozen family photos right here.

...

...

Sun Wen was not doing as well as they thought.

He couldn’t count how many times he had sneaked into the apartment complex, pressing the doorbell and banging on Xu Wei’s door, but no one ever responded inside.

Although he knew Xu Wei might have moved away, he couldn’t bring himself to believe it; by his calculations, her twins should have been born soon. He had specifically looked into it—twins often came prematurely.

The twins...

Sun Wen sat at the stairwell entrance, staring spellbound at Xu Wei’s door.

A soft ding from the opposite elevator door followed by voices and footsteps made him abruptly look up, a flush of anxiety crossing his face as he gazed in that direction.

There were only two apartments here besides Xu Wei’s. The other residents had a very regular schedule, and it wasn’t time for them to be off work now.

Sun Wen clenched his fists, held his breath, and peeked outside. In sight was a young man in a suit, standing at Xu Wei’s door with a couple in their forties searching for keys.

"This apartment is fully furnished, it was lavishly decorated initially. The owner is usually abroad, which is why they’re considering selling... Take a look, you can remodel if you wish, or just move in as it is."

The young man in the suit opened the door and led the two inside, then turned to find a burly man standing at the doorway, pausing to say, "Sir, might I help you...?"

"Where’s Xu Wei?"

"Excuse me?"

The three people inside looked somewhat baffled.

"The owner of this apartment... where is she?"

"Oh, Miss Xu has entrusted me to sell this place. If you’re a friend, you might want to call her," the young man cautiously suggested while signaling the clients to first check the bedroom area.

The person before him appeared somewhat off—greasy hair, unkempt beard, eyes somewhat sunken—not fitting into this neighborhood at all.

"She’s changed her number, didn’t have time to tell me," Sun Wen offered a lame excuse, stepping forward to extend his hand to the young man, "Give me her contact."

"I don’t have Miss Xu’s contact details; I would need to go to the office since this property is worth... I’m just a runner."

As the youth came closer, seeing the bloodshot eyes of the man before him, he discreetly pulled out his phone, "Why don’t you come back with me to the office? Since you’re a friend of the client, I can help you get in touch."

From the moment this person revealed his identity, Sun Wen’s heart sank gradually. Xu Wei had indeed left—gone not just from here, but from Luo City.

Taking their two children, vanishing from his world without leaving a trace.

Now even the apartment was being sold by someone else.

"I can take you back to the office..." the young man observed Sun Wen’s expression, casually slipping his phone into a folder, unlocking it to search for the property management number.

Sun Wen didn’t speak again, his outstretched hand falling to his side, slowly turning to survey the room. The familiar place now appeared somewhat alien to him.

No longer Xu Wei’s dwelling, their last bit of connection vanished.

Ignoring the young man’s gaze, he pursed his lips, turned, and left, pressing the elevator button. His mind flashed back to the first time Xu Wei had brought him here, drunk.

It was in this very elevator that he wore the suit Xu Wei had given him, his pocket holding the hot-stamped business card she placed there—it was the start of everything.

Cluelessly reaching the ground floor, the sunlight was slightly glaring. Sun Wen squinted and raised his hand to shield his eyes, turning for one last look at the building.

For Xu Wei, the children were truly a blessings; he was just a delivery man, helping fate deliver the kids into her hands.

Everything had gone wrong, from the time he graduated up to now. Sun Wen realized he hadn’t gotten a single thing right.