Chapter 45: Pretending to Be Wealthy?

“Hmph! What a country bumpkin—no wonder he was played for a fool by that woman, Chen Yanzi. Serves him right!”
“If you don’t disappear from my sight in ten minutes, I’ll teach you a lesson about life!”
Lin Fan said nothing. He left the sales hall, found He Hongyu’s number, and made a call.
The call was quickly answered.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Lin. Is there anything I can help you with?”
He Hongyu’s tone remained as respectful as ever, tinged with excitement. Lin Fan had come to him so soon; it seemed likely that he would rely on him more and more in the future. The more Lin Fan valued him, the more attention he would receive from Wang Jianguo.
“I came to Longquan Manor today to buy a house and ran into two very shortsighted people…”
With that, Lin Fan told He Hongyu the names of Zhao Xinshu and Shen Yue.
…
When Lin Fan reentered the hall, Zhao Xinshu was already seething with anger.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Disappear from my sight right now, or I’ll expose you online and ruin you socially!”
“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance as an old classmate. If you bow your head and apologize—call me ‘brother’—maybe I’ll even introduce you to a job. Ha!”
Zhao Xinshu was simply toying with Lin Fan, never intending to help him find a job—just treating him like a dog for his own amusement.
After he finished, Lin Fan spoke slowly and deliberately, “Zhao Xinshu, you shouldn’t be so arrogant. There are always people in this world who possess unimaginable wealth and power—they simply prefer to keep a low profile and don’t flaunt it.”
“Hmph! You talk as if you’re rich. Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to lecture me?”
Zhao Xinshu shouted, half enraged and half humiliated.
“Everyone, come take a look. This is the most useless classmate I had in college. He worked four jobs a day just to please a gold-digger, only to be looked down on and kicked aside! And now he’s here pretending to be some wealthy man…”
Zhao Xinshu even recounted all manner of Lin Fan’s past embarrassments, and the crowd eyed him with open disdain.
“This guy is disgusting. He worked himself to the bone as a bootlicker, and still got thrown out in the end. What a joke!”
“In this world, the poor are destined to stay poor. There’s a reason poor people are poor. If I were Mr. Zhao, I’d have kicked him out long ago!”
“That Miao Tiantian is an idiot too. She treats everyone like a god, but hasn’t sold a single house. What a waste of effort…”
A few sales agents pointed at Lin Fan without restraint, their words dripping with sarcasm.

Lin Fan ignored them completely and turned to Miao Tiantian, who stood in the corner, lost in thought.
“Miss, could you bring me a bottle of water?”
At that, Shen Yue barked sharply, “Miao Tiantian! If you dare give him water, I’ll fire you on the spot!”
“How many times do I have to tell you—don’t treat everyone like they’re a god. Do you think you’re some kind of angel? You’d even smile at beggars. You make me sick with your fake kindness!”
Miao Tiantian’s eyes reddened at the scolding. She turned to Lin Fan and bowed.
“I’m sorry, sir, please forgive me. I need this job. Without it, I can’t earn a living…”
“I was testing you. Are you in need of money?”
Lin Fan’s tone was calm and poised.
He had asked for water on purpose, to see if her kindness was genuine or just a performance. In other words, he wanted to know whether Miao Tiantian was sincere or a scheming opportunist.
The truth was, she really was the naïve and kind girl others claimed she was.
Miao Tiantian hesitated, unsure how to respond.
“You’re beautiful, and your manners and bearing are different from the others. Did something happen at home, so you’re working multiple jobs, just like me?”
Lin Fan read the exhaustion and anxiety on her face, which reminded him of himself in the past.
If Miao Tiantian had been the type to use her job as a stepping stone to social climbing, he wouldn’t have cared.
“How did you know?”
Now it was Miao Tiantian’s turn to look at him in astonishment, wondering how this stranger seemed to know her situation.
“The fatigue in your eyes isn’t something you can fake. You treat people so well—were you once a hostess or a model?”
Lin Fan regarded her thoughtfully, eyes bright with curiosity.
“I just graduated from the Academy of Media. My family did run into some trouble, and since my cousin is the deputy manager here, I took this part-time job. But Manager Shen is terribly jealous of me. She picks on me and scolds me at every turn… To be honest, I’m thinking about quitting. I’d be better off as a livestreamer.”
Miao Tiantian, feeling a certain kinship, couldn’t help but share her grievances.
“You’re a streamer as well?”
Lin Fan smacked his forehead, nearly forgetting.
“I happen to own a media company. Would you be interested in becoming a top streamer at my company? You could team up with another superstar there!”

Lin Fan’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
He’d almost forgotten about his own streamer company. He just wanted to do a good deed and help her find a new job.
He hadn’t expected her to be a streamer already—it was a perfect fit for Chuan Shi Media.
“Your company?”
Miao Tiantian looked at him, bewildered. She couldn’t believe that this ordinary-looking man, derided by Zhao Xinshu as a fraud, actually owned a streaming company.
Zhao Xinshu, overhearing their conversation, couldn’t help but interrupt.
“Lin Fan, can you stop being so disgusting? Take a look at yourself! A streaming company? You can’t even come up with the down payment for a house, and you claim to run a company?”
“Your cons are getting more and more lowbrow. And Miao Tiantian, you’re just too naïve! I advise you to turn yourself in, Lin Fan—who knows how many people you’ve duped already…”
“Zhao Xinshu, you’re too full of yourself!” Lin Fan’s eyes were sharp as knives, glaring at him with shame and anger.
Seeing this, Zhao Xinshu grew even more enraged.
“Who do you think you are? Bootlicker! Scumbag! Loser! Fraud! Selfish and ill-tempered—am I wrong?”
“Your ten minutes are almost up. If you don’t get lost, I’ll record you and post it online! You want to go up against me? You’re nothing!”
He pulled out his phone, ready to record Lin Fan causing a scene.
Just then, two men in suits entered, followed by several security guards.
At the front was a man in his early forties, tall and imposing, exuding authority without effort.
Beside him was a refined-looking man in glasses, whose features bore a resemblance to Miao Tiantian.
“Mr. Wang!”
Everyone greeted the older man with deference.
He strode straight to Lin Fan, giving him a once-over.
Before he could speak, Shen Yue suddenly darted forward.
“Mr. Wang! I apologize for the disturbance—this person came out of nowhere and caused all this trouble…”