Chapter 476: This is Not Acting!
"Acting?"
Gu Jie was taken aback. "President Yu, I don’t quite understand."
Peng Qin said, "What’s not to understand? Didn’t Tao Shiyu defend Lin Mu yesterday? She even deliberately gave him money. See? Now she’s shown up to get the money back."
"Ah, so you’re saying Lin Mu and the others planned this all out beforehand?" Gu Jie exclaimed.
"What else could it be?" Peng Qin sneered. "I knew it was strange when Tao Shiyu randomly gave Lin Mu money yesterday. She was obviously putting on a show for us."
"Sigh. I never thought our classmates would turn out like this. It’s truly disappointing," Tang Man said, shaking her head slightly with a hint of disappointment on her face.
"Come on, let’s go look at the apartments," Yu Fei said, pulling Tang Man toward the sales office.
Gu Jie’s eyes darted around for a moment before she walked over to Tao Shiyu. "Tao Shiyu, are you here to buy an apartment too?"
She knew perfectly well that Tao Shiyu couldn’t afford one, which was precisely why she asked. Her only goal was to mock her. Ever since their school days, Gu Jie had been jealous of Tao Shiyu. Tao Shiyu was pretty and a good student, while Gu Jie was the exact opposite, so their teachers had always used her as a bad example. This had left Gu Jie holding a grudge for years. After graduating from college, Gu Jie found a job at a company. Although her salary wasn’t high, she still made four to five thousand a month. This was undoubtedly a more respectable position than Tao Shiyu’s, who had been reduced to working as a dishwasher, a fact which gave Gu Jie a strong sense of superiority whenever she was around her.
"I... I’m just looking."
Seeing Gu Jie, Tao Shiyu’s expression became somewhat strained. Lin Mu had actually been the one to call and ask her to come over, but she had no idea why.
"Oh, just looking?" Gu Jie said sarcastically. "Take a look around. Is this the kind of place you can just waltz into?"
Pointing at the other prospective buyers, Gu Jie continued, "Look at them. What they spend on a single meal is more than your entire annual salary. You should leave before you embarrass yourself further."
Tao Shiyu’s head dropped, and she anxiously clutched her clothes, looking deeply uncomfortable.
Seeing her reaction, the mockery on Gu Jie’s face grew even thicker. What she hadn’t told anyone was that she had already been fired and didn’t even have a stable job anymore.
"Miss Tao, the event is about to begin. Please come over here," a voice called out.
Just then, Zhou Juan from the sales office came over and began to lead Tao Shiyu away.
"An event?" Gu Jie looked puzzled and hurried after them. "What kind of event?"
Zhou Juan explained, "It’s the sales event for Coiling Dragon Bay. Miss Tao is the emcee we’ve invited."
"Her? An emcee?" Gu Jie stared at Tao Shiyu in disbelief, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke.
Even Tao Shiyu herself was stunned.
"Yes," Zhou Juan said. "Alright, Miss Tao, we’re running out of time. President Lin said he’ll explain everything later. Let’s go get your makeup done and change your clothes first."
As Tao Shiyu was whisked away in a state of confusion, Gu Jie was left feeling even more baffled.
"Hmph. Go on, put on your little act," she muttered. "Let’s see how long you can keep it up!"
「In the Sales Office」
"My dear, which one do you like? Just tell me," Yu Fei said with a confident smile, strolling past the various property displays with Tang Man. He had made a lot of money in recent years and even owned a villa. Buying an apartment here at Coiling Dragon Bay was completely stress-free for him.
"Yu Fei, I..."
Before Tang Man could finish, Wen Xiaojuan, who was standing beside them, chimed in enviously, "President Yu, you’re so generous! Buying such a wonderful apartment just like that."
Yu Fei laughed heartily, his face filled with pride. "Well, I’m going to marry Xiao Man, so buying her a home is the right thing to do, isn’t it?"
"And what’s more," he declared proudly, "I’m going to put the apartment in Xiao Man’s name."
His words immediately made several women in the vicinity turn to look, while Tang Man was moved beyond words.
After looking for a little while longer, Tang Man pointed to a rather nice apartment. "Let’s choose this one, then," she said, a hint of happiness in her eyes. A man was buying an apartment just for her and was even going to put her name on the deed. She felt like the happiest woman in the world.
"Alright, this is the one," Yu Fei agreed. But just as he was about to say more, his eyes lit up as he saw someone walk through the door. "Isn’t that Lin Mu? I can’t believe he actually dared to show up!"
Peng Qin and the others also spotted Lin Mu. He was still in his plain, casual clothes, looking as unremarkable as ever.
Hmph. Just watch me expose him! Peng Qin thought with a cold smile as he walked toward Lin Mu.
"Well, well, if it isn’t our old classmate, Lin Mu. What brings you here? Looking to buy an apartment?" At that moment, his disdain for him grew even stronger.
What’s gotten into Peng Qin? Lin Mu wondered, startled. How dare he keep targeting me?
"Him? Buy an apartment? Don’t be ridiculous!" Gu Jie sneered. "Lin Mu, I never would have guessed. You’ve put on quite a show. We were almost fooled!"
"A show?" Lin Mu asked, slightly taken aback. "What show am I putting on?"
"Old classmate, why keep up the pretense?" Gu Jie said with a scornful look. "Do you really think we’re that easy to fool? If you drop the act, we can still be classmates."
Lin Mu waved his hand dismissively. "No, thanks. You’re all way out of my league."
"It’s good that you know your place!" Gu Jie said with a look of theatrical disappointment. "Lin Mu, it’s not my place to criticize, but you really should try to be a more honest person."
"Him? Honest?" Yu Fei couldn’t help but laugh. "Lin Mu, no offense, but I really didn’t expect you to be this kind of person."
Lin Mu shook his head and was about to explain when the sales manager stepped onto the stage with a microphone. "Thank you all for coming. I’m happy to announce that you will now witness the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Coiling Dragon Bay." Although the development had already begun sales, the formal ceremony hadn’t been held yet.
The sales manager continued, "And now, please welcome our emcees to the stage!"
As he finished speaking, three women in cheongsams gracefully walked onto the stage. Both their beauty and their figures instantly captivated the audience.
"They’re gorgeous! All three of them are prettier than movie stars!"
"Wait... aren’t the two in front Song Wenrou and Ye Tong? And the last one is... Tao Shiyu?"
Yu Fei and his friends exchanged shocked glances. The Tao Shiyu standing before them was completely different from the one they had seen earlier. A form-fitting cheongsam accentuated her slender figure, and a touch of light makeup made her look radiant and captivating. Most importantly, against the backdrop specially arranged by the sales office, the three women looked as if they had stepped out of a painting, instantly capturing everyone’s gaze.
Their appearance was met with a roar of approval and a wave of thunderous applause.
"Now," the sales manager said with a faint smile, "let’s give a warm round of applause to welcome our President Lin to the stage to say a few words!"
A collective hush fell over the crowd. President Lin of Coiling Dragon Bay was famously mysterious, as elusive as a divine dragon whose head is seen but never its tail. Very few people had ever seen his true face.
"Who exactly is this President Lin?"
"I have no idea. All I know is his surname is Lin. I don’t know his full name."
Just as the crowd’s curiosity peaked, Yu Fei and the others watched in astonishment as Lin Mu began walking toward the stage.
Yu Fei’s expression changed, and he moved to pull Lin Mu back. "Lin Mu, what do you think you’re doing? Get back here right now!"
This idiot is going to ruin everything! he thought frantically. They weren’t calling for him!
Lin Mu turned around and smiled. "What am I doing? You’ll find out in a moment."
As soon as Lin Mu set foot on the stage, the sales manager beamed and announced, "This is him! This is the President of Coiling Dragon Bay, President Lin! Please, a round of applause!"
As applause filled the room, Yu Fei and his friends gaped, their faces etched with utter disbelief.
Lin Mu was actually the owner of Coiling Dragon Bay!
This wasn’t an act, and it certainly wasn’t just for show.