As soon as the news got out that Mu Yue was looking to buy a top-tier manor, even more people wanted to get in her good graces. Unfortunately, Mu Yue was never one for socializing, and rarely made public appearances.
It wasn't hard for people to dig up that she was studying at University A, but University A was no ordinary school. On top of that, no one knew her temperament well, so showing up uninvited on campus would most likely only make her dislike them.
They clearly had a perfect chance to build a connection with this young heiress, but some people just threw that opportunity away. At that moment, Chairman Chen of Hengyuan was seething with rage — not at Mu Yue, of course, but at his useless son.
He had heard a while back that his son had some sort of falling out with Mu Yue, but this would have been the perfect chance to smooth things over. Didn't his son always brag about how good he was at charming girls? He wasn't getting any younger, and with Mu Yue's exceptional background, she was easily one of the most desirable matches in A City's entire social circle. If things could have worked out between them, how great would that have been?
Setting that personal matter aside, his son couldn't even handle serious business properly. A multi-hundred-million-yuan order, for heaven's sake, and he messed it up right from the start. Even with all the assets his business had built up, he couldn't afford to let his son keep acting that recklessly!
Chairman Chen had been completely confused about what went wrong at first, but one day, when an old friend of his kept looking away and sighing repeatedly, he slowly uncovered the whole truth. That old friend was clearly enjoying the drama, but he put on a show of feeling sorry for Chairman Chen, patting him on the shoulder and saying in a consoling tone, "Old Chen, listen to me, times have changed. We don't have to be old-fashioned stick-in-the-muds. Don't get too worked up over what Chen Yong did."
"How am I supposed to not get worked up?" At first, Chairman Chen thought his friend was talking about the failed manor deal, but as they talked more, he realized something was off. After pressing for more details, he learned that that good-for-nothing son of his had a crush on Wei Xuan — a man! Even if Wei Xuan was undeniably talented in business, he was still a man.
Chairman Chen was so furious he could have burst into flames on the spot, and he wanted nothing more than to rush home and beat his son to death. But after that peak of rage, he calmed down surprisingly fast. That son of his was a lost cause.
Liking men wasn't the worst of it, but now everyone in their social circle knew about it. No one would ever be willing to marry their daughter to a man like that, so he would never be able to bring any valuable business alliances to the family through marriage. Not to mention how incompetent he was — anyone could see how useless he was after the way he messed up the deal with Mu Yue.
His son couldn't be counted on to take over the group in the future at all. It was clearly time to groom a new heir. As for his son? If he wanted to laze around all day chasing after Wei Xuan, then he could do exactly that. As long as he didn't starve, Chairman Chen didn't care what he did.
Chen Yong had been a little scared at first, mostly of his father. The old man had been lecturing him nonstop for a whole day, and Chen Yong had expected he would have to put up with that mood for quite a while longer. But he hadn't panicked over it — he had already asked Wei Xuan for advice, and since the manor hadn't been sold yet, he could find more partnerships to make up for the losses, and even use new media to turn the family's manor into a popular tourist spot for internet celebrities. And he was the only son of the Chen family, no matter how mad his father was, he would get over it eventually.
But that sense of security completely shattered when his father, without a single heads-up, removed him from all his positions in the group and immediately handed those roles over to a new young man. What was worse, that young man personally taunted him, revealing that he was Chen Yong's half-brother born out of wedlock.
Shit! That was just an illegitimate child!
To make matters even worse, someone had spilled the beans, and now everyone in the circle knew Chen Yong had a secret crush on Wei Xuan. Chen Yong was completely swamped, running around in a mess and looking utterly pathetic, and he soon became the biggest laughingstock of the entire social scene. All his so-called "brothers" turned out to be fair-weather friends. The second he lost his position as heir, they all dropped him like a hot potato, acting like all the old times had never even happened.
What hurt the most though was Wei Xuan's attitude. It wasn't even coldness — it was outright disgust.
Unfortunately, Mu Yue didn't get to see that scene in person. The systems only managed to capture some footage of it through the internet, and none of the audio was clear enough to make out their exact conversations. But there was no doubt that the two had completely fallen out.
As for why Wei Xuan reacted that way, it was exactly what any straight man would do. I treated you like a brother, and you were secretly thinking of getting in my bed. Every time he looked back on all the times Chen Yong had gotten close to him in the past, the thought that Chen Yong might have had all sorts of inappropriate thoughts back then made him feel sick to his stomach.
Mu Yue clicked her tongue and shook her head. The relationship between the male lead and his childhood friend in the original novel was so fragile, it was barely even standing.
After she finished enjoying the drama, Mu Yue got back to looking for her dream manor.
The third manor was quite a distance from the city center, but like the others, it had its own helipad. Its building was a classic European-style castle, just like the ones in movies, with a huge rose garden, an artificial swan lake on the grounds, and a unique feature — a hedge maze made entirely out of greenery.
Mu Yue had no idea if this merged world had any horror movies set in old castles, but after she stepped inside to tour the place, her mind kept replaying scenes from exactly those kinds of horror films. Especially that last hedge maze — Mu Yue just couldn't see the fun in it. What was even the point of that thing? You could wander around in there for ages and not find the way out. What if you suddenly needed to use the bathroom halfway through? The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.
This castle didn't appeal to Mu Yue in the slightest. Of course, she could tear all those things down and hire people to redesign the whole place from scratch, but the maze and the other features took up way too much space, and they were all right within the view of the main building. If she moved in, she wouldn't get to enjoy any nice scenery, and she'd have to listen to construction noise every single day. That didn't sound fun at all.
The owner of the manor seemed desperate to sell. As he walked Mu Yue out the door, he kept lowering the price on his own, but even when he brought it down to 450 million yuan, Mu Yue still wasn't interested.
As Mu Yue sat in her car driving away, she looked in the rearview mirror and saw the hostess smacking the host on the shoulder over and over, and she could faintly hear her yelling, "I told you not to build that stupid maze! I told you not to build that stupid maze!" It was obvious even they knew how useless that thing was.
For the fourth and fifth manors, Xi Xi had also arranged viewings. Neither of the owners was home in person — instead, professional agents were there to show her around.
These two manors were the ones that really stole Mu Yue's heart, and she couldn't make up her mind between them.
Both of them were designed in traditional Chinese style. One was a mountain villa, and the other was a classical garden.
They had arranged to visit the mountain villa first.
The mountain villa covered a very impressive area, around 7,000 square meters, which was roughly 10 mu, about the same size as all the previous manors. Its architectural style was completely different from the ones she had seen before. This mountain villa had its own private hot spring, and right nearby there was also a hot spring resort hotel. According to the agent, that resort hotel was also owned by the same person who owned the mountain villa.
The estate is mostly dotted with maple trees, and the vast expanse of fully crimson maple forest hits you the moment you lay eyes on it, filling you with a powerful, breathtaking awe. The small maple-framed views around the hot spring pools are also exquisitely charming. On top of that, the estate boasts a horse ranch, and right next to it a martial arts training ground. The original manor owner has a private collection of unsharpened cold weapons, all of which can be thrown in as extra perks for Mu Yue.
The private helipad that Mu Yue has been longing for is right here at this estate too. What's more, the grounds are also equipped with hot air balloons and all kinds of paragliding gear. The client explained that the family who owned the main residence has already moved abroad, and they have no plans to return to China any time soon, which is why they are putting the entire estate up for sale.
The main building is a distinctly modern take on traditional Chinese architecture, spanning a generous area of roughly 3,000 square meters. Unlike the stuffy, overly austere feel of a purely classical Chinese residence, this space is bright, flooded with natural light, and fitted with every amenity you could possibly wish for. There is even an indoor hot spring, designed in a style that reminds Mu Yue of the upscale hot spring club she once visited in City H, every detail polished and stunning.
Mu Yue is genuinely quite smitten with this property, but she decides to view the last remaining option first before making up her mind which one to buy.
The final garden estate is the smallest of the five properties, sitting on a land area of only 5,269 square meters, noticeably smaller than the other several properties that all clock in at over 7,000 square meters. But its location is by far the best of the bunch, situated right in the heart of the city, a feature that is incredibly rare to come by.
Beyond its prime location, the garden landscapes left Mu Yue awestruck at first glance. The classic Chinese garden style is designed to offer shifting, delightful views at every turn, laid out with winding paths and carefully arranged vistas. This particular estate follows a double cross-axis layout, with four distinct seasonal courtyards, so Mu Yue can fully enjoy the changing, beautiful scenery the garden offers as the months go by.
According to the client who is acting as the seller's representative, all the plants here were transplanted as fully mature, full-canopy specimens, the potted works are all ancient stumps cultivated over many years, and the grounds also feature a five-tier vertical greening system. Mu Yue did not quite follow that last detail, but the lush, vibrant scenery spread out across the garden made it easy enough to grasp how special it is. This is a perk that none of the previous four properties can match.
Beyond the plant life, there is also a man-made lake, perfectly harmonized with the surrounding landscape architecture. There is no need to even step outside the grounds; a casual walk around the garden after every meal is enough to lift one's mood and soothe the mind. The main residence here feels more traditionally styled than the mountain estate, but its color palette and natural lighting do not come off as rigidly "ancient" as Mu Yue had expected. It is a thoughtful, well-balanced fusion of creative design and everyday practicality.
The main living quarters are just as spacious, comfortable, and smart-home enabled, with all the modern intelligent features seamlessly integrated with the classic, timeless charm of the property.
Right next to the main building are staff quarters, and this is not the only set of such amenities. Every staff residence Mu Yue has toured so far is finished to a standard that most ordinary people could only ever dream of. The popular online meme that goes "I'd happily live in the nanny's room" is no joke at estates like these. You would actually have to pass layers of strict interviews and assessments just to qualify for the chance to work and live on such a property.
Mu Yue is extremely fond of this garden estate too. If she picks this one, she can move in immediately without having to make a single renovation. The family that originally owned it did not move abroad as immigrants. The heir of this generation went to ruin after getting addicted to gambling, and this garden estate is the last asset they have left.
The family is in urgent need of a large sum of cash, and they require full one-time payment for the property. If not for that condition, there is no way anyone could get a property in this prime location at this price point. Its scarcity makes it far more competitive than all the other properties. If the family had not demanded full one-time payment, this garden estate would have been snapped up by a buyer long ago. Mu Yue even asked Rich Cat to appraise the property, and sure enough, under normal market circumstances, this estate would be worth 800 million yuan. If Mu Yue buys it now, she is getting an absolute steal.
Mu Yue hesitates for a moment, mainly because this garden estate does not come with the private helipad she has been so eager to have. But since it is located right in the city, transportation is nowhere near as inconvenient as it is in the mountainous suburbs, so a helipad is not really a necessity after all.
It does not take long before Mu Yue has a sudden epiphany. Why force herself to pick just one? She has Rich Cat backing her up, after all.
She will take this garden estate first, and buy the mountain villa later once she has more funds! If she loves both, then she can just have both.
