"You're on your own, kid!"
Xiao Bailong patted the bespectacled man on the shoulder and left with his entourage.
"Brother-in-law, have you gotten yourself into big trouble?"
The bald man's expression was grave. "It's all my fault!"
"You admit it's your fault!" The bespectacled man suddenly turned and kicked him. "I told you to keep a low profile, but you wouldn't listen. Now you regret it!"
The bald man dared not speak. He was a mere small-time gangster before. If not for the bespectacled man's help, he wouldn't have achieved anything. Now that he had implicated the bespectacled man, how could he live with himself?
After leaving the restaurant, Lu Fan touched Lin Ke'er's arm. "Were you hurt in the restaurant?"
"No!" Lin Ke quickly shook her head, then asked in confusion, "Brother Lu Fan, I don't understand. Why is it that every time there's danger, someone steps in to resolve it for you? Who exactly are you?"
"Actually, I know the leader of the Azure Dragon Gate, so helping out with this small matter isn't a problem!" Lu Fan deflected with a vague explanation.
Although Lin Ke didn't believe him, she knew Lu Fan didn't want to tell her, so she didn't press further.
"By the way, let's hurry back!" Lu Fan chuckled. "We're moving today!"
"Moving?" Lin Ke'er looked puzzled.
"That's right, moving into a new house!" Lu Fan said mysteriously.
Shen Tianlong had given him a villa, and it was perfect for them to move in. The houses in the commoner's village were too run-down, and Granny Guihua was getting old. Moving to a better place would put Lu Fan's mind at ease.
Upon returning to the commoner's village, Lu Fan informed everyone of the plan. Granny Guihua looked at him with doubt. "Xiao Fan, although house prices in Qingzhou aren't expensive, a villa still costs a lot of money. Where did you get so much money?"
"Granny, this villa belongs to a friend, and he asked me to look after it for him. He was worried it would be eerie if no one lived there, so I thought we should move in," Lu Fan said with a smile.
"That might not be right!" Granny Guihua shook her head. She was used to hardship and found it difficult to adapt to such a sudden change.
"There's nothing wrong with it. My friend is going abroad for three to five years, and the house will be empty anyway!" Lu Fan winked at Lin Ke. "Besides, Lin Ke is about to start working. Living in the city will be very beneficial for him."
Lin Ke nodded awkwardly.
After repeated pleas, Granny Guihua finally agreed.
Not long after, the few of them arrived outside the villa complex of Tianfu Courtyard.
Looking at the magnificent villas, Lin Ke gasped, "Are we going to live here from now on?"
"That's right, we'll be living here from now on!" Lu Fan nodded. "My friend and I have opened a company, and you, Xiao Ke, will be working soon too. Granny won't have to sell osmanthus cakes anymore."
"Yes, yes!" Lin Ke'er quickly nodded. "Granny has worked hard all these years; she can enjoy her life now."
"Selling osmanthus cakes is my old trade. Even if you all become successful, I won't abandon this old business!" Granny Guihua said stubbornly.
Lu Fan and Lin Ke exchanged glances, showing their helplessness. Since Granny Guihua had spoken, they naturally had to respect her wishes.
"What are you guys doing here? Go find scrap metal somewhere else. This is no place for you!"
Just then, a voice rang out, and a man in a suit walked over, holding an electric baton.
Lu Fan's eyebrows furrowed. With Granny Guihua present, he couldn't afford to get angry. He said softly, "We are residents here."
"Residents?" The man in the suit glanced at them. "People like you, residents?"
Lin Ke'er's face turned red. Having been raised by Granny Guihua without parental love, she was filled with inferiority. The man's words made her feel even more vulnerable.
"Xiao Fan, did you make a mistake?" Granny Guihua whispered. Even she found it hard to believe that someone would entrust such a fine villa to Lu Fan for safekeeping.
"No mistake!"
Lu Fan smiled and turned to the man. "This is the key to Tianfu Villa. Could it be fake?"
"Tianfu Villa?" The man was not surprised but laughed heartily. "If you produced some other key, I might believe you, but Tianfu Villa? You're aiming a little too high, kid!"
"Could it be that keys can be faked?" Lu Fan's expression turned displeased. This man in a suit holding an electric baton was likely a security guard for the villa complex, but his attitude was truly unacceptable.
"You think you can trick people by just showing a random key?" The man in the suit sneered. "If you don't leave, don't blame me for getting rough!"
Lu Fan's expression was grim. If Granny Guihua weren't there, he would have acted long ago.
"What's going on?" a middle-aged man arrived.
"Manager, I'm just telling these scrap collectors to leave!" the man in the suit said with a smile.
"I am a resident of Tianfu Villa, and this key is proof!" Lu Fan produced the key, simultaneously expressing his dissatisfaction. "Your service attitude here is truly poor!"
"Tianfu Villa?" The middle-aged man looked slightly confused. 'This is Elder Shen's residence. Where did this young brother get the key?'
"Of course, it was a gift from Shen Tianlong. If you don't believe me, feel free to ask!" Lu Fan said unhappily.
The middle-aged man dared not be careless and quickly made a phone call.
The man in the suit, however, sneered, "Tianfu Villa represents authority in Qingzhou. Do you think you're qualified to live here?"
Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man shouted, "Shut up!"
The man in the suit was stunned, only to see the middle-aged man respectfully say, "Mr. Lu, it is our service attitude that was lacking. We will definitely improve it in the future!"
"What, have you found out?" Lu Fan said coldly. "Can we go in now?"
"Yes, of course!" The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, daring not to offend him in the slightest.
"Manager, this..." The man in the suit looked astonished.
Slap...
The middle-aged man slapped him. "You ignorant fool! Mr. Lu is a good friend of Elder Shen; how could you possibly offend him? You don't need to come in tomorrow!"
The man in the suit stood there, looking wronged. Finding a job was difficult these days, and he had pulled many strings to get hired as a security guard.
"Manager, please give me another chance! I'll never judge people by their appearance again!" the man in the suit pleaded.
The middle-aged man did not reply. He turned and left. Offending others might not have mattered, but offending a friend of Elder Shen was something they could not afford.
Upon reaching the villa, Lin Ke'er's face was filled with joy. She had never seen such a luxurious residence before.
"Brother Lu Fan, I want to sleep in that room with the dolls; it's so pretty!"
"No problem!" Lu Fan chuckled. "Sleep in whichever room you like; there are plenty of rooms anyway!"
"Thank you, Brother Lu Fan!" Lin Ke'er said excitedly and kissed Lu Fan on the cheek.
Lu Fan was taken aback, his face instantly flushing red. He had never been this close to anyone before.
"Brother Lu Fan, your face is red!" Lin Ke'er teased. "Are you perhaps in love with me?"
"You little rascal, aren't you blushing too?" Lu Fan rolled his eyes.