Chapter 20

On a bright and breezy afternoon in early July, the Housing Acquisition Department of the Construction Bureau called Kane Brook. They had agreed to his proposed compensation terms and invited him to sign the contract immediately, hoping he would set an example for other homeowners.

Why?

Because too many people were getting greedy—so much so that they had started banding together, each demanding a higher price than the last.

The demolition team had spent three days negotiating without any success. Everyone believed that the longer they dragged it out, the more they could get, and whoever signed first would surely be at a disadvantage.

By contrast, Kane's straightforward asking price suddenly seemed quite reasonable.

After a brief meeting, the acquisition department decided that since the homeowners were uniting to raise prices, the best strategy was to break them apart from within. Simply put, as long as someone signed first, others would soon follow.

Thus, Kane became the breakthrough point to encourage early signings.

Once the contract was signed, Kane received a total compensation of 4.79 million RMB, along with four resettlement apartments—two in the newly developed Royal Bay district and two in Scenic Garden, across from Sage Lake.

From the perspective of 2008, neither of these locations seemed ideal. The new district had just been built, and supporting facilities were still lacking—in short, it was desolate.

But by 2010, a high-speed rail station had been constructed opposite Royal Bay, the city's top high school had relocated to the south of Sage Lake, and the municipal government had shifted northward. Property prices skyrocketed overnight.

Still, Kane didn't dare tell his parents about his real estate windfall. He couldn't explain it properly.

Anyway, his parents had no worries about food or money and were in good health. There was no rush to let them know—he'd tell them later when the time was right.

On July 13, in an effort to entice more residents to sign, the demolition office processed Kane's compensation payment in under three working days.

On July 15, he successfully completed his university application, choosing to major in finance at Greenbrook University.

On July 16, Kane went to the bank and transferred 2.73 million yuan, repaying the money he had borrowed from Nancy Foster. As a gesture of gratitude, he took her to the hot spring resort in the eastern suburbs for a day of relaxation.

The steamy, secluded hot spring pools sat atop a cliff, overlooking the towering mountains.

Soaking in the steamy water, Nancy's fair cheeks were flushed pink from the heat. In one hand, she held a soda; in the other, a piece of osmanthus cake. Her gaze drifted lazily toward the distant mountains—pure bliss.

The swimsuit she wore was one Kane had picked for her. It wasn't one of those revealing bikinis but a modest two-piece—a white spaghetti-strap top paired with a skirt.

When buying it, Kane had thought it was conservative enough. But he had still underestimated the sheer allure of Nancy's figure.

Her long, slender legs were as dazzlingly white as fresh-fallen snow, her tiny waist delicate and smooth, and her flat stomach showed a faint hint of abs.

Completely at ease around Kane, the naturally clueless girl stretched comfortably, unknowingly flaunting a mesmerizing combination of innocence and allure. She had no idea just how tempting she looked—or that the guy across from her couldn't take his eyes off her.

"A big bird just flew past."

"Mm-hmm. Big and white."

Nancy slowly turned her head, a hint of confusion in her gaze. "But the bird that literally just flew by was black."

Kane wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. "You know, sometimes you can't judge things by their appearance. You have to look past the surface to see their pure, white essence."

"?"

Nancy glanced down at her chest. "Are you staring at my boobs?"

Even when caught red-handed, Kane remained utterly unfazed. "You're overthinking it! Damn it, I'm a noble, upright gentleman!"

"Then can you stop rubbing my foot? You're pressing too hard—it's starting to hurt."

"That's because this pool is too small. I'm afraid if you move too much, you might kick me."

Kane rattled off his 'gentlemanly' excuses without missing a beat. Still, he discreetly let go of Nancy's soft, fair little foot and turned his gaze toward the mountains, pretending to admire the scenery.

"Splash—"

Nancy Foster stood up from the hot spring pool, leaning over the edge with her petite backside slightly raised as she reached for a bag of pepper-salt crisps just out of her grasp.

Kane Brook was sitting nearby—so close that, for a moment, he swore he could feel the heat radiating from her skin. Was he imagining it? Either way, this was too much for any man to handle.

"I'm done soaking. Gonna take a shower."

He climbed out of the pool, handed her the crisps, and slipped into the shower room.

As the icy water cascaded down his back, Kane felt as if even his thirty-eight-year-old soul was trembling. At the same time, he couldn't help but berate himself—was it really appropriate for a thirty-eight-year-old man to be thirsting after the body of an eighteen-year-old airheaded girl? Where was his dignity?

Men really were all the same. No matter how old they got, they still fell for young girls.

Outside, hearing the steady stream of water from the shower, Nancy glanced down at her chest, wrinkled her delicate nose, then tore open the bag of crisps and popped a piece into her mouth, crunching loudly.

Hmph. That guy definitely liked looking at boobs. And playing with feet.

After showering, the two left the hot spring hotel and took a sightseeing car to the town's commercial street, hoping to grab a bite to eat.

But when they checked the prices, Kane nearly thought he'd misheard—58 yuan for a roasted chicken?!

This was 2008. A whole roasted chicken for 58 yuan? If he had known, he would've bought discount chickens from the zoo and grilled them here himself. No one could outdo a tourist attraction when it came to price gouging.

But…

Nancy was practically drooling as she stared at the golden, crispy chickens roasting in the oven.

Kane chuckled. He had never seen someone so eager for roasted chicken before. Resigning himself to fate, he pulled out his wallet and handed over 58 yuan.

After all, the 1.7 million yuan he had just earned was all thanks to Nancy. She was his little rich queen—if she wanted the moon, he'd have to find a way to fetch it. That was just basic gratitude.

Still… was she really the daughter of a wealthy family? Why did it seem like she wanted to eat everything in sight, as if she couldn't even walk past food without stopping?

"You've never had roasted chicken before?"

Nancy wiped the corner of her mouth, her gaze remaining cool and composed. "Mother says a true socialite should never be ruled by desire. That way, she won't have weaknesses."