After the security guards took the person away, Zhou Luming slammed the door shut and locked it. Leaning against the door, he said to Xu Yan, "Boss, your little assistant is ready. Please get to work."
Chapter 83
===================
Xu Yan has encountered all sorts of people from different backgrounds, with varying statuses and financial resources. When there are few people in the audience, she will focus her gaze on an inconspicuous little corner. When there are many people, she treats them like potatoes.
She is face-blind to some extent because there are just too many unimportant people for her to remember.
"Then I will begin reading the will," Xu Yan announced, and then finished reading the will in her calm and clear voice. The contents of the will were no different from those left in the will repository; the old house and bank savings were left to Aunt Lin, while Old Liu and his siblings received nothing.
Lin's expression gradually relaxed and brightened. After patiently serving Old Man Liu for so long, she finally received the reward she wanted. Although the house was dilapidated now, it would soon be demolished, and the compensation and resettlement housing would allow her to obtain urban residency, settle down in Haishi, and become a true city dweller.
Aunt Lin felt gratified; after working hard for half her life, her wish had finally come true.
“Although the will states that the property will be left to Aunt Lin, however—” Xu Yan said at this moment, “you cannot transfer the property.”
"Why can't the title be transferred? It was clearly said that it would be left to me, so why can't it be transferred?" Aunt Lin shouted excitedly.
Xu Yan said, "Because the deceased can only be allocated property that belongs to him, and the property written in the will is not actually owned by him alone, but jointly by the husband and wife. According to the Inheritance Law, a portion of the house should first be allocated to the wife."
“But his wife is dead, so who can inherit the property?” Aunt Lin asked.
“It will be divided among his wife’s heirs.” Xu Yan drew a diagram on the whiteboard in the conference room. “There are two paths of inheritance. One path centers on the heir, Mr. Liu, and the other centers on his wife. On the Mr. Liu’s side, you are the designated heir in the will, so you will own part of the property. On the other side, the inheritance is centered on Mr. Liu’s wife. Since she did not leave a will, her property will be divided among her legal heirs—Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu, and his siblings.”
Aunt Lin was completely confused. "What nonsense are you talking about? I don't understand."
Xu Yan frowned and explained to the heirs that distributing the estate was part of her job. So she patiently marked a number on the property again – “100%”.
"Assuming the deceased's estate is 100%, at the beginning of the inheritance, the old man and his wife each own 50% of the property. Lin's wife can get the old man's 50%, while the old man, Lao Liu, and their siblings can get the wife's 50% share. Now that the old man has passed away, you can get a total of 50% plus the 25% inherited later, totaling 75%. Lao Liu and the others can get the 25% from their mother."
Mrs. Lin was confused. "You mean I can only get 75% ownership of the house?"
"Yes, that's roughly the ratio, but we'll need to calculate it more precisely later," Xu Yan replied.
"I disagree! The will clearly states that the house is for me, so why are you asking them to get 25% out of nowhere? You must have taken their bribes to protect them!" Aunt Lin shouted, pointing at Xu Yan's nose.
Zhou Luming silently stood in front of Xu Yan. In her opinion, if Aunt Lin acted impulsively, she might do anything. Xu Yan was such a gentle and weak person, she didn't know how to deal with thugs and ruffians.
"The will has been read. If you have any questions or do not accept the arrangements in the will, feel free to file a lawsuit in court." After saying this, Xu Yan turned to leave.
However, Aunt Lin wasn't going to let her go. "Stop right there! You're not leaving until things are explained!"
"Have you made enough of a scene?" Old Liu interrupted at this moment. "You heard the contents of the will. My father did indeed leave all his property to you, and he did everything you said. What more do you want? Being too greedy will bring retribution! Since this 25% of the inheritance is legally ours, we're taking it. No matter how much you make a scene, it won't change anything!"
"Of course you're smug! You all abandoned the old man who had suffered a stroke, leaving me to take care of him alone. Do you know how hard it was for me to serve him? I finally had a glimmer of hope, and the old man knew how good I was, so he made a will bequeathing the house to me. Now you ungrateful wretches want to take a portion of it! Where is justice?!" Mrs. Lin sobbed. Although there was a door between them, those outside could hear her heart-wrenching cries.
She wanted to make a big scene, a terrible mess, to gain public sympathy and force Lao Liu and Xu Yan to admit their mistake!
Old Liu watched coldly as she sat on the ground throwing a tantrum. "We can do without what the old man left behind, but we will cherish even a needle that my mother left behind."
Aunt Lin was stunned and looked up at Old Liu.
Old Liu snorted, "My mother raised all of us siblings single-handedly. During the hardest times, we even rummaged through garbage cans for food. What did the old man do while we were starving? He only knew how to go out to play mahjong and cards, and when he lost, he would take it out on us. In our hearts, there is only our mother, not our father."
"The old man knew we wouldn't take care of him, so he used the house to tie you down and make you take care of him. We don't care about that kind of thing, but what about you? Did you take good care of him? You moved him to sleep in the living room, and when he fell in the middle of the night, no one knew until the morning when they found him and took him to the hospital, but by then it was too late. The old man suffered in the hospital for so long, did you even visit him or take care of him? Didn't you neglect him after making your will, and even hope he would die soon so you could inherit the house?"
Aunt Lin's lips moved slightly, and she murmured, "I didn't mean that."
Old Liu's gaze was icy. "You know what you're thinking. Anyway, we've already said this much. We don't want a single penny of the old man's things, but we will do our best to get what belongs to my mother."
Before leaving, he said to Xu Yan, "Ms. Xu, thank you for your hard work today."
Xu Yan said, "You're welcome, this is my job."
Old Liu then said, "Miss Xu, Miss Zhou, do you have time? I have something to say to you." He paused, then hesitated before saying, "This matter concerns Miss Zhou."
Xu Yan and Zhou Luming exchanged a glance, and Zhou Luming said, "I know a place nearby that's suitable for discussing business. Let's go there and talk."
They abandoned Lin's wife and her son, heading straight to the place Zhou Luming had mentioned—a bar. Xu Yan and Lao Liu were both surprised; they said they wanted to discuss business, so why had they chosen such a noisy place?
Zhou Luming went to the bar counter as if he knew the way well. Since it was still early, it wasn't open to the public yet. Relaxing music was playing around, and a handsome young man was mixing drinks at the bar.
"What would you like to drink? It's on me," Zhou Luming said.
"A glass of lemonade." Xu Yan glanced at Zhou Luming. "Do you come here often?"
“I’ve been here before and thought it was pretty good, so I come here to check it out whenever I have free time—” Zhou Luming glanced at Xu Yan out of the corner of his eye, a smile playing on his lips as he leaned close to her ear and said, “The bartender isn’t as good-looking as you. I come here simply because it’s a quiet place away from the hustle and bustle, and the noise level is high enough that it’s not easy for people to eavesdrop.”
Xu Yan felt a warm breath brush against her ear. "Cough."
Old Liu rarely comes to bars; the glitz and glamour of youth clashes with his down-to-earth nature. But he doesn't have time to adjust to this awkwardness. He says, "Miss Zhou, someone paid me to monitor you. But rest assured, I only send him messages when you leave and return; I don't say anything else."
Zhou Luming rested his chin on his hand and turned his head to look at Lao Liu through Xu Yan in the middle. "Oh? Who asked you to report your whereabouts? Do you know him?"
Old Liu shook his head. "When he came to see me, he pretended to be a customer, gave me a business card, and said that there would be a generous reward for contacting him. Later, because my younger brother and sister had an accident and urgently needed money, I contacted him. On the phone, he asked me to keep an eye on when you left and when you came back. He didn't ask me to do anything else. I didn't think there was any problem, so I did as he instructed."
Old Liu took out an old non-smartphone and said, "We usually use this phone to communicate. You can check the call and message records. I'm not lying."
Xu Yan took the phone and looked through the records. Sure enough, just as Lao Liu had said, there were only the times of entry and exit.
However, the time they came and went was enough to expose their whereabouts. Later, Lao Liu went undercover in Shanhai Catering to become Zhou Luming's agent, and he knew Zhou Luming's whereabouts very well.
Zhou Luming's lack of vigilance towards him may have inadvertently revealed her location, leading to her being followed and targeted.
Old Liu scratched the back of his head, feeling full of guilt. "I'm sorry, Miss Xu, Miss Zhou, I will never do such a thing again."
Xu Yan said, "You don't need to refuse that person's job. I need you to do us a favor."
Old Liu asked, "What kind of help?"
After confirming that no one was eavesdropping, Xu Yan lowered his voice and spoke a few words to Lao Liu.
After hearing this, Lao Liu readily agreed.
Zhou Luming listened from the side and unknowingly finished a cocktail. When she was about to ask the bartender to make her another one, Xu Yan stopped her. Xu Yan grabbed her wrist and said, "Be careful not to get drunk."
Zhou Luming squinted and said, "I'm not that easy to get drunk."
"You still can't drink anymore, listen to me," Xu Yan said gently, not at all stern.
Zhou Luming smiled and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
As they were leaving, Xu Yan said to Lao Liu, "I suggest you investigate your father's financial situation, especially his debts."
Old Liu was taken aback. "How does debt affect inheritance?"
Xu Yan said, "The heir needs to inherit all the estate and debts. If you want to take the estate, you must clear the debts. Your father often gambles and plays mahjong outside, and he has not had a stable income for many years. There is a high possibility that he has debts. Therefore, you should investigate the debt situation. I guess the current value of the old house may not be enough to cover the debts."
Old Liu pondered for a moment, "If I want to get the house, I have to pay off the debt first?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Miss Xu." Old Liu bowed to Xu Yan.
Xu Yan said, "You're welcome." She and Zhou Luming went out to wait for a designated driver.
Zhou Luming and Xu Yan stood side by side. "Xu Yan, why are you talking to Lao Liu about the debt? If the investigation reveals that the debt is more than the value of the house, will they all give up their inheritance?"
"Old Liu wants that house."
"Why?" Zhou Luming didn't understand.
"Because that's where they lived with their mother. The house holds so many memories for them. It's the legacy their mother left them, and the memories inside are priceless."
"But wasn't it said that the area was going to be demolished?"
"These things can be preserved through technological means before demolition, so that we have a basis for remembering them in the future," Xu Yan said. "Thanks to modern technology, some things can be preserved as a legacy of memories."
====================
Volume Six: Birthday Party
====================
Chapter 84
===================
In the dimly lit room, filled with the smell of paint, only the blue screen light of the laptop on the table remained lit. The phone beside the computer vibrated. Picking it up to check the text message, she saw it was a tip from someone she'd bribed: Zhou Luming had gone out, and Xu Yan wasn't with her.
Her slender eyes narrowed slightly. Xu Yan wasn't with her? Was there something else going on?
He took out his other phone and sent a message: Are you free to have lunch together today?
The other party quickly replied: I have a meeting today and can't accompany you.
Holding her two phones for a moment, she put on her glasses and opened an Excel document on her computer, finding the schedule. Today was the Zhou Group's departmental meeting, and Zhou Luming would be attending, but Xu Yan wasn't with her.
Still feeling uneasy, I grabbed my car keys and headed out.
They drove incredibly fast, afraid of being too late. They stopped on the side of the road near the Zhou Group headquarters, hesitating whether to rush in.
But would he make his move here? There are so many people watching over the Zhou Group headquarters, and it's a commercial center nearby with lots of people coming and going. Zhou Luming should be relatively safe, right?
The safer a place seems, the more likely people are to let their guard down. Like the explosion at the golf club entrance, he silently brought Zhou Luming to his side, almost sending Zhou Luming flying. Luckily, Xu Yan was cautious and quick-witted; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Perhaps the girl who called herself S was lurking nearby, waiting for Zhou Luming to walk right into her trap.
With his hand on the steering wheel, the parking attendant in a vest, who was in charge of collecting parking fees, came over and knocked on the window.
"Miss, do you need to park?" he asked.
"Okay, then let's make the parking fee payable."
"It's 30 yuan per hour," the cashier kindly reminded her.
"good."
She remained seated in the car, hands gripping the steering wheel, scanning the people coming and going from the Zhou Group headquarters building through her sunglasses. She wanted to find S, and although she knew that searching by sight alone was somewhat reliant on luck, her luck had always been pretty good.
Coming from a remote rural area, becoming a fashion darling, and establishing her own design studio, her journey has been remarkably smooth. But she knows that without financial assistance, she wouldn't be where she is today.
She tapped her long, slender fingers lightly on the steering wheel a few times, but couldn't resist entering the group's headquarters.
"Miss Scarlett, what brings you here?" The security guard recognized her and asked with a smile.
"I'm here to see Chairman Xu."
"Chairman Xu has arrived and is in a meeting. You can wait in his office." The security guard swiped his card to open the elevator door for her and led her to a higher floor. However, she was not given permission to enter Xu Lang's office. Usually, it was fine if Xu Lang was in his office, but if he wasn't, she could only wait patiently in the meeting room outside his office.