The crowd immediately erupted into an uproar. This is what true extravagance looks like!
At this moment, that Maserati piled high with flowers, when compared to this globally limited-edition Ferrari, was nothing more than a child's toy.
Zhu Zhihua's face had turned as red as a pig's liver. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how this good-for-nothing could afford such an expensive car.
Moreover, this good-for-nothing was being far too generous.I'm afraid that even if you look around the world, there are very few men who would be willing to give a woman such an expensive sports car as a gift.
"Thank you." Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment, then took the keys.
"Kiss her! Kiss her!"
The onlookers began to chant in unison, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch.
Jiang Yan's hands tightened suddenly, her knuckles turning white. She was afraid that Lin Yu would actually do it. She wanted to refuse, but she was his wife, and he had the right to do so.
"You wish," Lin Yu said, unaffected by the crowd'scheer. He smiled and took Jiang Yan's hand. "A beautiful wife like this, I'll save the kisses for when we're at home alone!"
This time, Jiang Yan didn't pull away. She looked up at Lin Yu, a faint sense of gratitude welling up in her heart.
"She's my wife, He Jiarong's wife," Lin Yu announced in a loud voice, teasing. "We're very much in love. Even though she's as beautiful as a fairy, none of you stand a chance!" For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if he almost believed it himself.
"Especially certain people with syphilis," he added, casting a cold glance at Zhu Zhihua. "You can forget about harboring any delusions."
Zhu Zhihua's expression changed instantly. "Who are you calling a syphilis patient?!" he roared angrily.
"You," Lin Yu replied calmly. "You just got over syphilis a week ago, and now you're out trolling for women again. Have you no shame?"
"Bullshit! When the hell did I ever have syphilis?!" Zhu Zhihua's face flushed with rage. He used his anger toconcealment his guilt, because Lin Yu was telling the truth—he had indeed had syphilis, and he had only recovered a week prior.
"Then roll up your sleeves and pant legs for everyone to see," Lin Yu challenged confidently. "The scars from the rashes caused by syphilis should still be there. If I'm right, you apologize to my wife and then get lost. If I'm wrong, I'll let you do whatever you want to me. How about that?"
"You're a lunatic! Spouting nonsense!"
Zhu Zhihua cursed as he stepped back, an involuntary look of fear, even terror, appearing on his face. How could he possibly know such a private thing about him?
"He Jiarong, you wait! I won't let you get away with this!"
Having retreated to his Maserati, Zhu Zhihua threw down a threat before climbing into the car and speeding off in disgrace.
"Good riddance!" someone shouted after him. "A scumbag like that who sleeps around will end up with AIDS sooner or later!"
"Exactly! Who does he think he is, showing off with that piece of junk!"
The onlookers hurled insults at Zhu Zhihua's departing car. The luxury vehicle they had admired earlier was now dismissed as a piece of junk.
No wonder—the limited-edition Ferrari was simply too dazzling.
The crowd gathered around the Ferrari, taking photos nonstop, and Lin Yu graciously didn't stop them.
Only when they'd had their fill did the crowd reluctantly disperse.
Once they were alone, Lin Yu smiled at Jiang Yan. "Want to take it for a spin by the beach?"
It was the first time he'd ever owned or even seen such an expensive sports car, and as a man, he couldn't help feeling a little excited.
To his surprise, Jiang Yan thrust the keys back into his hand. "The show's over," she said coldly. "Hurry up and return the car to whoever you borrowed it from."
With that, she turned and walked back toward the clinic.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Lin Yu was confused.
Jiang Yan stopped, turning back to give him a disdainful look. "What do I mean? Have you gotten addicted to putting on a show? Even if seeing someone give me a car upset you, there was no need to rent one to show off! Don't you feel guilty driving someone else's car? You've probably emptied out all your savings, haven't you? Have you even considered that if you damage such an expensive car, you'll never be able to pay for it?"
Jiang Yan's rapid-fire questions left Lin Yu speechless.
"You can be vain," she added coldly, "but I wish your vanity was based on your own abilities!"
With that, she turned and walked into the clinic without another word.
Lin Yu was at a loss for words, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. He wanted to tell Jiang Yan that the car was really his, but considering He Jiarong's reputation as a useless loser, it would sound like a tall tale.
Lin Yu thought it over and decided to keep the truth from her for the time being. But looking at the luxury car, he was faced with a dilemma—he couldn't drive it home, so where could he put it?
Lin Yu and his mother lived in an old, openresidential community with no parking spaces. Cars were parked haphazardly under the buildings, mostly affordable Chinese makes like Geely and Changan, which their owners didn't mind leaving out in the wind and rain.
Leaving a car like this there would be nothing short of mistreatment.
After thinking it over, Lin Yu decided to ask a college classmate for help.
There was a wealthy second-generation classmate in his dorm whose family was in the jewelry business, named Shen Yuxuan. He was a good guy, always treating their dorm to meals, and was a total sports car enthusiast with no fewer than ten in his garage. Lin Yu felt he could trust Shen Yuxuan to keep the car.
Finding Shen Yuxuan's WeChat in their old class group, Lin Yu added him using He Jiarong's identity, saying he was a friend of Lin Yu's who had a sports car he wanted Shen to check out and test-drive.
Upon hearing he was a friend of Lin Yu's, Shen Yuxuan agreed without hesitation, and they arranged to meet on Haiwan Road in the suburbs, a wide, sparsely populated stretch perfect for test-driving.
"I'll leave the food here. I'm going to return the car," Lin Yu told Jiang Yan before getting into his Ferrari and driving off.
Lin Yu had gotten his driver's license in college, but with no car at home, he wasn't very practiced.
He never could have imagined his first car would be a supercar like this. It took him a while to figure out how everything worked, and he didn't dare drive fast, inching his way toward Haiwan Road.
Pedestrians and other vehicles stared as they passed, with people taking photos every now and then. This only made Lin Yu more nervous, and he drove even slower.
Finally, a pedestrian who had overtaken him countless times lost his temper, flipping him off and shouting, "Show-off!"
When Lin Yu arrived at Haiwan Road, Shen Yuxuan had already smoked half a pack of cigarettes. He'd been a bit annoyed, but his eyes lit up as soon as he saw Lin Yu's car.
"Nice! You managed to get your hands on this one? Impressive."
After Lin Yu got out, Shen Yuxuan didn't even bother greeting him, instead circling the car three times.
Lin Yu handed him the keys, smiling. "Want to take it for a spin?"
Shen Yuxuan was slightly taken aback, immediately developing a better impression of Lin Yu. Letting a stranger test-drive such a car on first meeting—how generous!
Shen Yuxuan didn't hesitate. He took the car for a spin and returned raving about it, unable to hide his admiration.
"You seem to like it," Lin Yu said. "You can keep it for a while. I don't have a place to put it anyway."
Lin Yu's words nearly made Shen Yuxuan's jaw drop. They'd exchanged fewer than three sentences since meeting, and he was willing to trust him with the car?
This was more than generosity—it was outright boldness!
"I've got to be friends with a guy like you!" Shen Yuxuan exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. "Don't worry, I'll keep it in perfect condition!" This He Jiarong's straightforwardness reminded him of Lin Yu.
To Shen Yuxuan, they were meeting for the first time, but to Lin Yu, it was a reunion with an old friend. He wanted to chat with Shen Yuxuan about the past, but he couldn't.
Shen Yuxuan treated Lin Yu to lunch, and they got to know each other a bit in He Jiarong's persona.
"Brother Shen, how have things been with your career and life lately?"
From the moment they'd met, Lin Yu had noticed a faint dark aura around Shen Yuxuan's forehead, indicating bad luck recently, and possibly even an impending violent incident.
"Same old, same old," Shen Yuxuan replied with a hint of resignation. "I'm learning to take over some of my dad's work." His dream was to be a top surgeon, but his father insisted he take over the family business.
Lin Yu smiled and didn't press further. As they left the restaurant, he spotted a corner store nearby. Telling Shen Yuxuan to wait, he went in and spent twenty yuan on a jade Guanyin pendant, then infused it with a protection spell before handing it to Shen Yuxuan. "A small gift for our first meeting. For good luck."
Lin Yu's heart ached as he gave it away—that twenty yuan was money he'd borrowed from the nurse at the clinic to buy slippers. He was tempted to ask Shen Yuxuan for it back but couldn't bring himself to.
"Thanks," Shen Yuxuan said, taking it and, when Lin Yu wasn't looking, tossing it into the glove compartment.
It wasn't that he looked down on Lin Yu; it was just that their store sold jade Guanyin pendants worth thousands or tens of thousands. There was really no need to keep such a glass imitation.
After helping Shen Yuxuan take the car back to his garage, Lin Yu left. Before he went, Shen Yuxuan said he'd get him an access card to his neighborhood so he could come drive the car anytime.
The next day was the weekend. Lin Yu went early to help his mother make and sell steamed buns. After they finished, mother and son didn't sit down to eat until after one o'clock.
After the meal, Lin Yu was supposed to go treat Wei Gongxun's wife as agreed.
But halfway through their meal, his mother-in-law Li Suqin called, her voice urgent. "Jiarong, where are you? What are you doing?"
"Eating, Mom," he replied.
"Oh no, how can you still be eating? Hurry over! Your father and Yan'er are in an argument with someone!" Li Suqin said anxiously.
"Mom, don't worry. I'm on my way right away."
Lin Yu told his mother, put down his chopsticks, and hurried to the location Li Suqin had given.
The place Li Suqin mentioned was on Antique Street, not far from Qin Xiulan's bun shop, so Lin Yu ran over directly.
When he arrived, Lin Yu was about to ask someone where Baoyuan Pavilion was when he saw a crowd gathered in front of a store further down the street, with a sign reading "Baoyuan Pavilion" hanging above.
Lin Yu immediately ran over, pushing through the crowd to get inside.
Inside, he saw Jiang Yan and his father-in-law. Jiang Jingren's face was red, his whole body trembling with anger as he held a scroll painting, arguing with a chubby man. "This is definitely not the one I picked out earlier! This is a fake! You swapped it on me!"
The chubby man was presumably the store owner. Unlike Jiang Jingren, he looked calm. "Old sir, we can eat careless words, but we can't speak careless words. This painting is the one you picked out earlier. Even if it's a fake, you only have yourself to blame for not seeing it."
"You're talking nonsense! The one I picked was clearly an authentic work!"
Jiang Jingren was so angry he broke into a violent coughing fit.
"Dad, calm down," Jiang Yan said, comforting him while pressuring the store owner. "If it really comes to it, we can call the police."
"Call the police? Go ahead and try," the store owner replied confidently. "Let's see who they arrest. I'll tell them you're here causing a disturbance!" His older brother was the captain of the criminal police team at the local police station, and in this line of work, you needed connections.
"You crooked businessman! Shameless!" Jiang Jingren clutched his chest in anger.
Afraid his father-in-law would have a heart attack, Lin Yu quickly stepped forward. "Dad, don't worry. Let me take a look at the painting first."
"Why are you here?" Jiang Yan was surprised to see Lin Yu.
"You? What would you know about it?!" Jiang Jingren, unable to vent his anger on the store owner, directed it at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu didn't get angry. He took the painting from Jiang Jingren, laid it out on the table, and examined it.
It was an ancient painting, over a meter long when unrolled and about half a meter wide, a common ink landscape. The painting style wasrustic, grand yet delicate, with a sparse composition, elegant and free yet with a profound serenity. A seal in seal script in the lower right corner was somewhat blurred.
The signature was Gu Kaizhi, but from the painting style, it appeared to be a later imitation. "Boss, how much did you sell this to my father for?"
In Lin Yu's eyes, the painting had no aura, making it practically worthless—probably not even worth ten thousand yuan.
"Even if it is a fake, he has only himself to blame for not recognizing it," the store owner said, his face darkening. "Fifty thousand, and I'm not giving back a cent!"
"Tsk tsk, my father-in-law sure is willing to spend," Lin Yu thought to himself.
He knew Jiang Jingren liked collecting antiques and paintings, but he hadn't realized he was willing to spend so much on them.
Lin Yu nodded and smiled. "Fifty thousand. That price is actually reasonable."
"What did you say?!" Jiang Jingren was so shocked he nearly spat out blood.
The store owner's face lit up, and he clapped his hands. "Young man, you know your stuff!"
The onlookers snickered. There were always plenty of pretenders in the antique street who acted like experts without knowing anything.
"I said it's reasonable, but it's still a bit expensive," Lin Yu said, looking up and pointing to a somewhat cluttered shelf near the door. "I hope you can throw in some small items as extras."
"No problem! Young man, take whatever you like from there!" The store owner's eyes lit up, thinking he'd encountered a fool. The items on that shelf were all defective goods, the most expensive not exceeding a thousand yuan. Even if Lin Yu took them all, he'd still make a killing.