Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 391 - 391 386 Demolition

Chapter 391: Chapter 386 Demolition Chapter 391: Chapter 386 Demolition When Liu Wenhui escorted Qi Lihong to the old, run-down apartment they had bought within the Third Ring, the two were surprised to see a demolition notice posted on the wall at the entrance of the complex.

When he had initially purchased the property, Jiang Yan estimated that demolition would take place in five years, as this complex appeared to be the best among all the dilapidated ones they had seen – it was comparatively younger, so he figured it would last another five or six years at least.

Five or six years indeed; it didn’t even last one.

Liu Wenhui immediately called Jiang Yan, laughing heartily as he relayed the good news, and finally added, “Man, Jiang, even you can be off the mark sometimes, huh? If I’d known, I would’ve bought in this complex too.”

Because of the estimate at the time, Jiang Yan didn’t choose this complex and went for another old, run-down place right across the street.

Liu Wenhui initially also wanted to buy there but couldn’t find anything suitable. After weighing the pros and cons, he chose a third-floor apartment here – not too big, but with decent renovations, so he decided to gift it to Qi Lihong right after seeing it.

To his surprise, this gift turned out to be well chosen as it became the earliest to be slated for demolition among all the properties they had purchased.

Once inside, he put down his belongings, excitedly kissed Qi Lihong, and then turned to head out to inquire about the compensation and requirements for the demolition.

Actually, the demolition office had tried to reach Qi Lihong by phone a few days earlier, but she had turned her phone off and missed the call.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yan happened to be with Jing Junyang when he got the call and shared the news with him.

Jing Junyang chuckled, “Can’t tell if it’s this guy’s luck or Qi Lihong’s, thinking it’d be the last to be demolished and it turns out to be the first – damn, talk about dumb luck.”

However, the areas they had all chosen were fairly similar; with Qi Lihong’s complex starting demolition, theirs wouldn’t take too long either.

“When it comes to demolition, you can choose between a house and money. What are you planning to choose?” Jing Junyang asked.

“As for the houses, I’ll look at the location; if it’s good, I’ll keep a few.”

Jing Junyang had the same plan in mind.

After finishing the discussion about this matter, they turned to talking business. It had already been a year since the company was founded, expanding from the initial five members to now twenty. Thankfully, Jing Junyang was ambitious and had rented a three-story office building with a thirty-year lease from the start.

Looking at this rate of growth, the company would definitely expand next year.

Before the new year, he was planning to hold a company year-end party, their first since the company’s establishment, and Jing Junyang took it seriously, so he had specifically asked Jiang Yan to join him in planning it out today.

Just as they were discussing it, Jing Junyang’s phone suddenly rang with a ‘ding-a-ling’. He picked it up to see the caller ID and frowned slightly.

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Yan got up, saying, “Should I step out first, until you…”

“No need, sit down.”

As he spoke, Jing Junyang pressed the answer button and asked in a particularly brusque tone, “What’s up?”

“… You need to come home for this year’s family New Year’s Eve dinner; grandpa said no one should be absent.”

“I’ll visit grandpa in advance, but I’ll skip the New Year’s Eve dinner.”

“Jing Junyang, you remember your surname is Jing, right?”

“Oh, I thought you’d forgotten my last name,” scoffed Jing Junyang, his lips twisting into a mocking smile. “Don’t you have both a son and a daughter? You still remember who I am?”

“…”

Hearing no reply from the other end, Jing Junyang swiftly and neatly hung up the phone.

He brought his hand to his face, rubbing his tense features. Taking a few deep breaths, he regained his composure before looking up to resume discussing business with Jiang Yan.

After Jiang Yan left, Jing Junyang’s phone rang again, but this time it wasn’t his father calling; it was his aunt.

His aunt had a very close relationship with his mother. Due to his father’s affairs and illegitimate children, she had almost broken ties with his father. Not only that, she had conducted a thorough investigation of the company, kicking out the woman’s brother and cousins, making a scene with grandpa, consequently ruining what had been a softening stance towards allowing the illegitimate children into the family registry.

Last year during New Year’s, when his father took his illegitimate children to the ancestral home for the New Year’s Eve dinner, Jing Junyang was supposed to go. Already halfway there by car, his cousin from his aunt’s side called to inform him who was there, prompting him to immediately turn back to his grandmother’s house.

Regardless, Jing Junyang wouldn’t allow his grandfather to lose face. He had his cousin hand the phone to grandpa, telling him he would come to pay his respects the next morning.

And why cancel plans for the New Year’s Eve dinner when everything was agreed upon? The reason didn’t need explaining.

Though grandpa didn’t send the siblings away, they didn’t receive a warm welcome either. The dinner ended awkwardly until Jing Junyang visited early the next day, bringing a semblance of a smile to grandpa’s face again.

Although both were his grandsons, how could the illegitimate child compare to the eldest grandson who had grown up under his care?

The difference in importance was clear to grandpa.

This had happened last New Year’s. Perhaps to avoid the same situation this year, Jing Junyang’s father planned to notify him in advance and coax him not to rebel, for after all, they were his brother and sister.

But before any of this advice was voiced, Jing Junyang’s terse response triggered his father’s anger. Jing Junyang’s father wanted to scold him loudly; if his son continued to be so obstinate, he wouldn’t leave him a single cent of his fortune in the future.

But these words weren’t spoken either, because Jing Junyang had hung up the phone.

While Jing Junyang’s father was still seething, Jing Junyang had already answered the call from his aunt—

“Auntie.”

“Yangyang, did you know your uncle will be returning home for the New Year’s?”

Jing Junyang slapped his forehead, “My sister told me last month, but I’ve been so busy recently I forgot about it. Auntie, did uncle say when he’ll arrive?”

Jing Junyang’s uncle was a politician in Southern Province. His cousin, Jing Huiqi, was three years his senior. A decade ago, she and her mother were involved in a car accident. Protected by her mother, Jing Huiqi emerged unscathed, but her mother did not survive.

Since the tragedy occurred right before her eyes, it left a deep scar on sixteen-year-old Jing Huiqi, leading to sleepless nights and a near mental breakdown. It was Jing Junyang’s mother who stayed with her every day and took her overseas for psychological treatment. It took half a year for her to return to normalcy and go back to school.

Afterward, she enrolled in a military academy in her father’s province of residence, and naturally entered the military after graduation. Due to the nature of her work, she hasn’t returned home since completing her studies. However, Jing Huiqi often calls Jing Junyang’s mother – in her heart, her aunt is closer than her own mother.

“Tomorrow at noon, Huiqi will come with him. Do you want to join me in picking them up?”

After saying this, Jing Junyang’s aunt laughed and added, “I hear your company is shaping up nicely. If you’re too busy to leave, it’s fine to come over for dinner instead. Neither your uncle nor your cousin are outsiders. They won’t mind.”