Chapter 21: The Little Thing's Gratitude Turns to Revenge

For the next several days, Vivian couldn't shake off a feeling of unease.

She also regretted a little—felt that the 300,000 she gave Daniel was too cheap for him!

Mostly, it was because, after smashing up Daniel's house, although it had been satisfying, she now had to consider the consequences.

When she went to the Smith family before, Evelyn had played her part in helping her create a scene, and even though they had tried to play dirty, the surveillance footage caught everything.

Vivian had suspected that she and Gloria were worried that if they called the cops, they wouldn't gain anything from the situation, and it would be embarrassing to air their family's dirty laundry. So, it ended quietly.

But when it came to Daniel's home, the situation was different.

First, Daniel had taken her in and let her stay for two days. Second, they had no real connection.

To outsiders, it would look like she was repaying kindness with harm.

If Daniel called the police, Vivian could easily find herself sitting in a cell on charges of property damage.

So, in a moment of quick thinking, she had sent him a check.

What was the worst that could happen after smashing things up?

She had compensated him!

Even if a detective came to investigate, there would be no way to pin anything on her. And besides, she had even thrown in a little insult by calling it her "service fee" to Daniel.

The 300,000, she told herself, was like paying for a visit to a "duck."

That was the only way she could soothe her conscience.

After leaving the Xi Mansion, she had spent the next few days thinking about it, finally deciding to visit Jadeite Lane and gather some information.

The first shop at the entrance of Jadeite Lane was a fruit shop. It was bustling with customers, and business seemed to be thriving.

From a distance, Vivian cheerfully called out, "Auntie He, are you busy?"

Hearing her, a woman in her sixties, neatly dressed, turned around and smiled widely when she saw Vivian. "Little vivi, you're here!"

"Come in, come in!" she called, waving her hand.

This fruit shop had been bought by Vivian several years ago and then rented to Auntie He to run her business. When the Pruitt family went bankrupt, Vivian had lived alone in Jadeite Lane for a while and had been neighbors with Auntie He, knowing each other well.

Auntie He had also taken care of her back then.

Even as other shops in Jadeite Lane raised their rents and transfer fees, Vivian had kept the original contract price for her, and she never asked for a deposit.

"Auntie He, what's going on?" Vivian asked, noticing the hesitance in her voice.

Auntie He fidgeted with her hands, looking troubled. "I was planning to come and talk to you after finishing this, but since you're here now, I won't beat around the bush."

She rubbed her hands nervously and handed Vivian a shiny red apple. "It's washed, try it, it's very sweet."

Vivian took it, took a bite, and smiled. "It's really sweet."

Seeing Vivian smile, Auntie He took a deep breath and braved the words.

"Little vivi, I was thinking… I want to extend the lease for another five years…"

She knew this request might be a bit much, but the location was great, and the business was really good here. Other shop owners renewed their leases every year, with rent increases each time. But with Vivian, she had never raised the rent, keeping the original deal.

"Extend the lease?" Vivian was taken aback.

Her voice lifted in surprise, wondering if she had heard wrong.

Auntie He seemed to have anticipated this reaction, her face full of awkwardness. "If five years seems too long, three years is fine, three years works too…"

"Little vivi, you're so kind and beautiful, if you don't want to extend it, I won't blame you…"

"You must've come here for this, right? After all, once they repair it, the rent will probably skyrocket, who wouldn't want more money?"

Vivian was increasingly confused.

"Auntie He, what are you talking about? Isn't this place about to be demolished? How long will it take to rebuild?"

Her voice grew more emotional. "Maybe the place we're standing on right now will soon be home to towering skyscrapers."

All the beautiful memories here would be wiped away.

Auntie He scratched her head, looking puzzled. "Little vivi, are you mistaken? This place isn't being demolished, it's just being renovated and expanded."

"?"

Vivian's mind raced. She grabbed Auntie He's sleeve. "Are you sure?"

For years, except for the property title in her name, all the notifications had been sent to Auntie He's phone. She had no idea what was really happening here.

"Is this really true? Look at this."

A copy of an official document was handed to Vivian, and she saw the words "Old Town Renovation Plan" clearly written on it.

Her eyes flicked across the lines, each word feeling like it was leaping off the page.

"Jadeite Lane is a representative architectural style of Lumina City's ancient town. Its necessary ancient charm and aesthetics should be preserved. The process of modern urban development and the preservation of the ancient town's culture should proceed simultaneously."

Vivian's eyes welled up as a thought flashed through her mind—too quickly for her to grasp.

"Auntie He, what does this mean?"

She could understand the document, but she needed someone to confirm it was real.

"It's real, Little vivi. This came from the development committee three days ago. The street office notified us that Jadeite Lane will gradually be renovated, but the businesses will remain open."

Auntie He rubbed her head, adding, "I don't understand all those official terms, but the general idea is that after the renovation, this place will become a 5A-level tourist attraction."

"Little vivi, look at this place—beautiful mountains, clear waters—much more appealing than those ancient cities in the southwest, and there's no altitude sickness here!"

Vivian read the document over and over again, almost memorizing it.

So, from the beginning, Jadeite Lane wasn't being demolished.

It was being preserved and renovated with more time and effort dedicated to maintaining its charm.

She hadn't noticed before, but scaffolding had already started to go up in some areas.

If they were demolishing, they would have brought in bulldozers!

She didn't care who owned Jadeite Lane now—what mattered to her was whether it was going to be preserved, truly loved and cared for.

Gloria wouldn't care. She had already said she sold it to AW.Inc..

And Ethan's family, driven by profit, would never take on such a thankless task.

So the only person who could possibly be behind this was...