Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

The saleswoman, Wu Lei, knocked on the finance manager's office door. A few seconds later, a woman hurried out.

Wu Lei's expression stiffened. It was her colleague, her clothes disheveled and her face flushed. Anyone could see what had just happened inside. Wu Lei had been in that position before. After all, working in sales sometimes meant sacrificing certain things.

Without saying much, Wu Lei entered the office. At the desk sat a short, portly middle-aged man who glanced at her impatiently.

Aware that she had interrupted something, Wu Lei braced herself and said, "Manager, there's someone outside looking at a house. He didn't ask about the floor plan or price before tossing me a card. Can you check how much money is on it?"

The portly man snapped, "Give me the card. And next time, use your head. Can't you read the room?"

Wu Lei forced an awkward smile. "Got it, Manager. I'll be more careful next time."

The man snorted, took the card, and curiously swiped it through the POS machine, only for it to show an "unreadable" error.

He was taken aback, and so was Wu Lei. The next second, the man burst out angrily, "Wu Lei, are you messing with me? This damn thing is a useless card! From what you said, I thought it belonged to some big shot. Tell that guy to take his card and get lost!"

Wu Lei nodded quickly, cursing Zhao Dong under her breath as she took the card and prepared to leave.

Just then, the portly man frowned and said, "Wait!"

Wu Lei stopped immediately. "What is it, Manager?"

"Unreadable could mean it's a useless card, or it could mean the authorization level is too high. Leave the card with me. I'll ask someone about it."

This manager was named Wang Dahai. He was a shrewd man, and with so many years in the workplace, he possessed the necessary caution. It was just a matter of asking a simple question, after all.

Hearing this, Wu Lei left the card behind. Wang Dahai, still frowning, asked, "Right, how is this person dressed? Does he look wealthy?"

Wu Lei said scornfully, "Like a country bumpkin. He came with his parents, who look like rural laborers. They only managed to scrape together two hundred thousand from a few passbooks."

Wang Dahai sneered. "So any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come here to look at houses now. You can go. I'll ask about this card, but nine times out of ten, it's a fraud."

"Understood, Manager!"

Wu Lei left, seething with frustration. She'd gained nothing from this, only an earful from Wang Dahai. Thinking back to Zhao Dong's confident demeanor, she ground her teeth. That bastard, putting on airs without a penny to his name. Utterly shameless!

Fuming, she walked back to the lobby. Ding Lan saw her and raised an eyebrow, equally curious about the result.

Could Zhao Dong really afford to buy a house here? If so... does that mean he's wealthy now, with financial power? A complex emotion flickered in Ding Lan's eyes. If Zhao Dong has really made it, then my breaking up with him... wasn't that the dumbest thing in the world?

As Wu Lei approached, Zhao Dong smiled and was about to speak, but she pointed a finger at his nose and started screaming, "You shameless bastard! I've never met anyone as shameless as you! You can tell such blatant lies without even blushing!"

Everyone, including Ding Lan, was stunned.

Zhao Dong frowned. "Why are you cursing at me?"

"I'm cursing you, so what! Don't you deserve to be cursed for showing off and acting like a big shot? I wish I could curse you to death!" Wu Lei looked at Zhao Dong with undisguised disgust.

Zhao Dong furrowed his brow. "How was I showing off? Didn't I give you the card?"

Wu Lei scoffed. "You still have the nerve to mention that card? It's completely useless! I even got chewed out by my boss because of you. What rotten luck!"

Zhao Dong's eyebrows knitted together tightly. "Useless? How is that possible?"

Zhang Shaowen burst out laughing from the side. "Zhao Dong, you really thought pulling out a useless card to show off meant you had money? If you're poor, just admit it. It's one thing to be poor, but a man needs some dignity. You can't be this shameless!"

Ding Lan sighed softly. "Zhao Dong, you need to be realistic. Even if you can't afford it now, you can just work hard for the future. There's no need to do absurd things just to save face. It isn't necessary."

Zhao Dong's mouth twitched. He cursed silently. Damn it, is Han Qingtian messing with me? That can't be right. Han Qingtian is the head of the Han Family, one of the four major families in East Sea. His family has countless businesses and assets worth tens of billions. Surely he wouldn't screw me over?

Beside him, Zhang Cuimei sighed inwardly. She took Zhao Dong's hand and said gently, "Son, let's go. We can't afford this place. We can look somewhere else. The houses here aren't for people like us. Ding Lan is right. It's okay to be poor, but we must have our dignity."

Zhang Cuimei recognized Ding Lan; she had met Zhao Dong's parents years ago.

Zhao Dong held onto his mother. "Mom, if I say we can afford it, we can. Let's just wait a minute."

Then, he turned to Wu Lei. "Where's my card?"

Wu Lei said coldly, "The manager took it to find out where you got this fake. If it turns out you're running scams and cheating people, you'll be on your way to jail today. Just you wait!"

"Fine," Zhao Dong said calmly. "I'll wait here."

Nearby, Zhang Shaowen stared at Zhao Dong with a smirk. "Zhao Dong, don't forget our bet. You've lost. Kneel, call me Grandpa, and slap yourself ten times. Then we can forget about you trying to act tough today."

Zhao Dong said indifferently, "They took the card to check, didn't they? The results aren't back yet. It won't hurt to wait."

Zhang Shaowen shrugged. "Still refusing to face reality, huh? Fine, we'll wait a little longer."

Ding Lan shook her head gently, a trace of disappointment in her eyes. Zhao Dong, oh, Zhao Dong. You weren't like this three years ago. Why have you become one of those men full of hot air?

Zhang Shaowen ignored Zhao Dong and turned to Wu Lei with a grin. "Miss, we're also here to look at houses. Could you recommend one suitable for a newlywed couple?"

Seeing that Zhang Shaowen seemed to have money, Wu Lei immediately produced the floor plans with a beaming smile. "Sir, as it happens, we have a layout that's perfect for a marital home. It's around two hundred square meters. Take a look, it's very suitable!"

Zhang Shaowen chuckled. "It looks nice. How much per square meter? What's the total price for a unit?"

"It's thirty-three thousand per square meter, but we can offer you a discount. After the discount, it will be around six million two hundred thousand. If you like it, you can pay today, and the keys will be ready in a few months."

Zhang Shaowen's mouth twitched. His budget was five million at the absolute most, and he only had two million in his account. He couldn't scrape together any more. He gritted his teeth and asked, "How much is the down payment?"

Wu Lei smiled charmingly. "Our minimum down payment is forty percent, so the minimum is two million five hundred thousand."

Zhang Shaowen's lip twitched again. He glanced at Ding Lan and forced a laugh. "Well, I'll just take a look for now. I need to think about it."

"Of course, sir."

Wu Lei responded enthusiastically, then shot a disgusted look at Zhao Dong. "What are you still standing here for? If you can't afford a house, go wait outside. Show some sense."

Zhao Dong's eyes narrowed. "I hope you won't regret those words," he said coldly.

"Regret? What could a country bumpkin like you possibly do to make me regret anything? You can't even afford a single house, so who do you think you are? How dare you threaten me? Just wait until the manager gets here. He'll take care of you!" Wu Lei rolled her eyes and ignored him completely.

Ding Lan looked at Zhao Dong and suddenly said, "Zhao Dong, you should probably go. You'll be in trouble when they get back."

Zhao Dong glanced at her. "I haven't caused any trouble. Why would I be in trouble?"

Ding Lan frowned at him and said no more.

Meanwhile, Wang Dahai emerged from the director's office, his face a mask of shock and disbelief. He had just inquired about the card. It was a special-grade card from the Han Family!

This entire real estate development was a Han Family project, and the director, Han Guofeng, was a scion of the family.

When Han Guofeng saw the card, he was petrified. No more than three people in all of East Sea possessed such a card. He immediately called Han Qingtian and pulled up the security footage, instantly learning Zhao Dong's identity.

Seeing Wu Lei humiliating Zhao Dong and his family on the monitor, Han Guofeng was so furious he wanted to tear her to shreds. That woman is courting death!

Han Qingtian had immediately given the order: satisfy all of Zhao Dong's requests. However, since Zhao Dong had arrived unannounced, it was clear he didn't want to be conspicuous. Therefore, Han Guofeng was forbidden from approaching Zhao Dong to curry favor, lest he annoy him. Wang Dahai was simply to fulfill all of Zhao Dong's demands discreetly.

Wang Dahai was also terrified. This was a man whom even the head of the Han Family treated with such reverence! And his own subordinate had offended him!

Wang Dahai felt as if his world was collapsing. He rushed out of his office and hurried toward the lobby, itching to give Wu Lei a thrashing on the spot.

Soon, Wang Dahai arrived at the lobby. When Wu Lei saw him, she shot a taunting sneer at Zhao Dong. "You poor bastard, you're done for! Our manager is here, and he definitely won't let you off easy!"

As Wang Dahai came to a stop before them, Wu Lei put on a fawning smile. "Manager, you're here! It's this bastard, he's here to cause trouble—"

"Trouble, my ass!" Wang Dahai roared. He didn't let her finish, swinging his hand across her face. SMACK