Chapter 328: Landlord and Swindler

Chapter 328: Chapter 328: Landlord and Swindler

Song Mingzhu was dressed simply, and her handbag was probably not even worth a fraction of the other woman’s.

But after all the ups and downs she had been through, she had long since become indifferent to wealth and glory.

Now, looking at the aggressive woman decked out in Hermès, Song Mingzhu gave a faint smile. "It’s Lily, isn’t it? It has been a long time."

He Lili was the daughter of an elite family from the capital, and she had always looked down on Song Mingzhu for being an adopted daughter.

Seeing Song Mingzhu in such a wretched state now only fueled her sense of superiority. "Heh, Song Mingzhu, it’s not my place to say, but back in the day, the elders in our circle all said you were a model of a high-society lady. They even told me to learn from your ’virtue.’ Ha! What good is virtue? Look at the state you’re in. I feel so sorry for you."

Song Mingzhu was speechless.

’So He Lili has been holding a grudge about that all these years.’

She just smiled and said nothing.

’We’re not the same kind of people. There’s no point in saying too much.’

But He Lili’s gaze shifted to Qin Tianxuan and Sisi. "The great ’high-society lady’... finally married a commoner to make ends meet? Forget it. For the sake of our past friendship, I’ll help you find a job."

As she spoke, she pointed toward Cloud Peak Courtyard. "My fiancé, Young Master Liang, just bought the most luxurious villa here, Cloud Peak Courtyard 001. I’m just bringing some friends over to celebrate. Why don’t you stay and be our cleaner? I’ll even pay you a decent wage."

He Lili just couldn’t let Song Mingzhu off the hook.

In the past, Song Mingzhu had been the girl everyone in their circle praised. The elders were always complimenting her for being well-read and well-mannered, which made He Lili feel like she was losing face.

Now, circumstances had proven that she was the true darling of fortune.

’An adopted daughter is just an adopted daughter. She can be kicked out at any time.’

Seeing He Lili’s arrogant demeanor, especially how she kept repeating "Cloud Peak 001," Song Mingzhu and Qin Tianxuan exchanged a look and nearly burst out laughing.

He Lili’s friends were all rolling their eyes.

"Lily, is this the Eldest Miss Song you were talking about?"

"Tch, some ’Eldest Miss.’ She was kicked out long ago."

"The Song Family isn’t even a real prestigious family, just new money. How can they compare to Lily’s family of scholars?"

"Exactly, so why are we wasting our time with this washed-up woman?"

"Isn’t it because Lily wants to ’help’ her?"

As they spoke, they all covered their mouths to snicker.

They could all see what He Lili was up to, so they chimed in with sarcastic, backhanded comments.

One of the men pushed up his glasses and said pretentiously, "As a renowned doctor from the capital, I’d say this child looks a bit malnourished. Perhaps they can’t even afford to eat properly?"

"Who knows? Just look at her clothes, and that bag... I’m dying. You call that a bag?"

"Don’t say that. Not many people can afford Hermès, you know."

"Who says? Mine’s Hermès, too."

Meanwhile, He Lili was already on the phone with her fiancé, calling him "darling" over and over.

She spoke loudly, saying, "...found someone to do the cleaning. I’m bringing her over for an ’interview’ right now."

The more Song Mingzhu listened, the more pointless it all seemed, and she turned to leave.

Just then, Sisi tugged on her arm. "Mommy, I think I left my workbook inside. Can we go back and get it?"

Song Mingzhu sighed in resignation. "Alright, then."

He Lili hung up the phone and scoffed at Song Mingzhu. "Let’s go. It’s a blessing for you to even have the chance to clean Cloud Peak Courtyard."

So the group of wealthy men and women walked ahead while Qin Tianxuan and Song Mingzhu followed behind, entering Cloud Peak Courtyard together.

The villas here each had their own garden, and Cloud Peak 001 was located in the most scenic spot to the west, right next to an artificial lake, and it also had the largest yard.

He Lili’s fiancé, the great Young Master Liang Haodong, was standing at the entrance holding a bouquet of bright red roses, looking smug.

He Lili rushed forward, bag in hand, and smothered him with kisses, calling him "darling." After a while of being lovey-dovey, she finally pointed at Song Mingzhu. "There. This is the cleaner I found. The former Eldest Miss Song. From now on, walking the dog, cooking, and mopping the floors—that’ll all be her job."

Young Master Liang Haodong turned to look, and he instantly froze.

’What... what the hell is going on?’

’Isn’t that the owner of the house, the lady who rented it to me?’

"M-Mrs. Landlord?!" Liang Haodong stammered.

Landlord?!

The ears of every wealthy man and woman in the group perked up. Once they heard clearly, they were collectively petrified.

He Lili froze on the spot, then shrieked, "Landlord? What-what do you mean? This house isn’t yours? Don’t tell me it belongs to her, to Song Mingzhu?!"

Song Mingzhu said nothing, but Sisi pouted. "This house has always been ours. We just rented it to you. Why did you say it was yours? I’m just a kid and don’t know any better, but are all adults this vain?"

Damn.

That line was devastating. A direct hit that annihilated He Lili!

Qin Tianxuan looked at Sisi with new admiration and gave her a thumbs-up. ’Well said!’

He Lili’s face turned green. She just stood there like an idiot.

Liang Haodong’s face was beet red, and he clutched the keys, speechless for a long moment.

"You bastard! You used a rented house to lie to me!" He Lili exploded, grabbing Liang Haodong and starting to fight him.

Humiliated and enraged, Liang Haodong shot back, "Damn it, if you hadn’t been so desperate to show off, demanding Cloud Peak Courtyard before you’d sleep with me, would I have had to go to all this trouble?"

The two of them began tearing into each other right then and there.

Among He Lili’s friends, the man with the glasses spoke up again, frowning. "Something feels off. Cloud Peak Courtyard, especially number 001, requires an application to move in. This Song Mingzhu doesn’t have the qualifications! She doesn’t deserve it!"

He Lili and Liang Haodong both stopped fighting and turned to stare at Song Mingzhu. "That’s right, how did you buy this place?"

Wait! He Lili’s eyes suddenly widened. "Song Mingzhu, are you a liar? Is this house really yours or not?!"

The man with the glasses had already taken out his phone and dialed a number. "I’m familiar with the person in charge of Galaxy Apartments. I’ll just make a call and find out."

The call went through, and he quickly got his answer.

The man with glasses sneered. "I’ve got it figured out. Cloud Peak 001 was bought by the Marquis of the God of Wealth Hall. Do you know who the Marquis is? He’s the God of Wealth of Da Xia! I knew something was off!"

He Lili was instantly re-energized. "Aha! So, Song Mingzhu, you’ve stooped to being a con artist now, have you? Everyone, block her! Don’t let her get away!"

Liang Haodong’s spirits also lifted, and he immediately pulled out his phone. "I know Minister Zhao from the God of Wealth Hall. I’ll have Minister Zhao come deal with this!"

Zhao Tianxiong, one of the twelve deputy ministers of the God of Wealth Hall’s Tianhai Branch, was a close buddy of Liang Haodong.

The group menacingly blocked the door, repeatedly calling her a fraud.

Just then, the person in charge of Galaxy Apartments and Minister Zhao from the God of Wealth Hall appeared together at the main gate.

Both bigwigs had grim expressions. "Someone actually dares to use the Marquis’s house for a scam? Do they have a death wish?!"