THE REJECT SYSTEM

CHAPTER 5

"Security, come and take this guy out of here," Su Rong shouted.

The security guards quickly tried to restrain Lingtian. He was about to beat them all down when the sharp click of heels echoed across the floor.

"And who dares touch my boyfriend?"

Xie Wuchen appeared, dressed like the rich heiress she was. Lingtian had known the Xie family was wealthy, but using his Eye of the God to scan her outfit, he realized each piece she wore was worth a fortune.

"Xie Wuchen, you don't get to twist things here. Lingtian is my ex-boyfriend, and I just dumped him. You don't get to lie for his sake," Su Wanqing snorted.

"Tell me — why would he stalk you or try to take advantage of you, when a beauty like me is chasing him and he still hasn't accepted me?" Xie Wuchen asked with a smug smile.

She didn't actually know what had happened, but she could tell the security were there for Lingtian. She crossed the room briskly and looped her arm through his, leaning into him affectionately.

Su Wanqing felt like she'd swallowed a fly. Compared to Xie Wuchen's beauty, she was just average.

"Why would he stalk her, indeed."

"Yeah, she doesn't even compare to someone chasing after him."

"Right — that girl's a literal goddess."

"And that aunt — I bet she was trying to frame him."

"Why would he try to take advantage of such an average old woman?"

Su Wanqing could barely contain her anger; she nearly burst open on the spot.

"If he wasn't stalking me, why was he even here?"

"Do you own this building?" Lingtian asked, thoroughly exhausted.

"We came to buy a villa. Are you an attendant here?"

"You? Came to buy a villa?" Su Wanqing snorted, looking at him smugly. "You can't even afford the doghouse on one of these properties."

Xie Wuchen glanced at Lingtian, and when she saw no change in his expression, she gritted her teeth.

"Do you think I can't afford a villa here?" Xie Wuchen asked, looking at Su Wanqing with open provocation.

"If it's Miss Xie Wuchen, of course she can afford it — but this nobody has no business here," Su Rong quickly cut in. She knew they couldn't pin the assault on Lingtian, but they could still paint him as a loser in front of Xie Wuchen.

"That's true. I dated him for a year — he could barely afford his meals, let alone a villa," Su Wanqing chimed in with newfound confidence.

"Weren't you paying attention yesterday?" Lingtian asked, amused.

Su Wanqing's face went pale as she remembered — this man was worth at least two hundred million yuan.

"Where's the manager?" Xie Wuchen called out.

The manager hurried over immediately.

"I want two of your villas — the best, and the second best."

Sweat trickled down the manager's forehead. "That would be thirty million yuan, sir."

"Swipe the card," Lingtian said.

Xie Wuchen didn't fully understand what he meant, but she realized in that moment that she trusted him completely.

The manager rushed off to prepare the documents.

"Sir, here are your documents — but there may be some issues down the line."

"What issues?" Lingtian asked.

"There might be a temporary purchasing ban since you've just bought several properties at once. It should last about a year."

"That's not a problem," Lingtian said, brushing it off as he took the documents and left with Xie Wuchen.

"Where did you get that kind of money, and what happened last night?" Xie Wuchen switched straight into interrogation mode the moment they got into her car.

Before Lingtian could answer, his phone rang. He remembered his old phone had no credit left, but he pulled it out and answered anyway. It was Old Man Meng.

"Lingtian, my good friend," Old Man Meng's voice rang out.

"Old Man Meng, what can I do for you?"

"Lingtian, you need to come to Meng headquarters for the signing today — or have you forgotten?"

"I'll be there shortly," Lingtian said, glancing at Xie Wuchen. Catching his meaning, she turned the car around and headed for Meng's headquarters.

Xie Wuchen dropped him off, since she had something to attend to at home.

"You owe me an explanation tomorrow at school. Don't forget," Xie Wuchen said as she drove off.

Lingtian entered the headquarters and went straight to the receptionist.

"Can you tell me where Old Man Meng is?" Lingtian asked the receptionist, Li Wan.

Li Wan looked him over with pure disgust. "Are gold diggers getting this desperate nowadays? You don't even dress up before coming to find a client," she sneered.

"I'm not looking for a client. I'm here for Old Man Meng," Lingtian repeated.

"You think you're worthy of seeing the chairman? Are you dreaming?" Li Wan snapped.

"I really do know the chairman. He asked me to come here."

"If you know the chairman, then I'm the Queen of England," Li Wan said, looking at him as if he were ridiculous.

Lingtian's phone rang again.

"Old Man Meng, I'm downstairs already. Can you send someone to get me?" Lingtian asked.

"Don't worry, just stay there. Secretary Yang will come escort you."

Lingtian was about to put the phone back in his pocket when Li Wan, who had already worked herself into a rage, snatched it from his hand and slammed it onto the floor.

"Is that how you scam people? I'm calling security on you."

She grabbed the front-desk phone and called security. Within minutes, Lingtian was surrounded.

"Beat him up and throw him out," Li Wan shouted.

The security guards closed in, batons raised, ready to strike.

A moment later, they were all on the ground, groaning and clutching various parts of their bodies in pain.

"You're in real trouble now — you dare fight inside Meng headquarters!" Li Wan shouted.

The private elevator doors opened, and Secretary Yang stepped out. As if seeing her lifeline, Li Wan rushed to his side, batting her eyes as she approached.

"You have to get justice for me. This gold digger was using Old Man Meng's name to scam people. I called security, and he just beat them all up," she said, pointing at Lingtian.

Secretary Yang walked straight past her to Lingtian.

"Old Man Meng is waiting for you on the top floor. The contracts are ready."

Secretary Yang escorted him upstairs, while Li Wan tried to shrink out of sight, watching them head for the private elevator. She prayed silently that Lingtian wouldn't notice her.

"Your reception staff here is truly... eye-opening, Secretary Yang," Lingtian remarked, glancing at Li Wan as she desperately tried to hide.

"You're fired," Secretary Yang said immediately.

In Old Man Meng's office, the old man was already chattering excitedly about how many necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other pieces of jewelry he could produce from the stones they'd acquired.

"Lingtian, I've been thinking — twenty percent profit is a bit too small. How about thirty percent instead?" Old Man Meng asked eagerly.

"No, twenty is fine," Lingtian said with a smile.

It was clear the old man genuinely loved stones and was quite fond of them.

"How about you become our chief specialist, then? You'd help us find stones, we'd purchase them, and you'd collect a thirty percent profit share," Old Man Meng proposed.

Lingtian smiled. The old man really was cunning, trying to secure his loyalty to Meng headquarters. But given everything Meng had already done for him, it wasn't an unreasonable task.

"Okay," Lingtian agreed.

"Good. We can sign the contract today."

Secretary Yang stepped out to add the new clauses and returned within minutes. The contract was signed, and Lingtian left soon after.

He considered stopping at a restaurant to eat, but decided to head home first to help his mother pack — they could eat out together before moving into their new home.

Lingtian entered his house only to find it empty, everything in chaos.

He was about to head to the police station when he remembered Iron Head's parting words.

"Golden Pavilion," he said through gritted teeth.