"You ask me how deep I am, and you have how many points…"

Zhang Fan carried a bag of fruits and vegetables, wine, humming a little tune, and strode towards the rental house.

Today is the one-year anniversary of him and You Lürong, Zhang Fan specially took leave to come back early, planning to make a sumptuous dinner, as a surprise.

However, before he could even pull his key from his pocket, the rickety little iron gate swung open from the inside.

Lù Róng, with a spring breeze on her face, was carrying a suitcase and arm-in-arm with a man, laughing and chatting as they were about to walk out.

"Rongrong, you all..."

Zhang Fan suddenly felt as if five thunderbolts had struck him, his mind went blank, and the fruits and vegetables in his hand scattered on the ground.

He recognized the man with a face full of acne, Wang Yaohui!

Wang Yaohui is his colleague and used to be an employee of Jinshi Real Estate Agency. This guy is good at dealing with people, his performance has always been very good. He worked at Jinshi for two years and was quite appreciated by the boss.

Just recently, the guy leveraged his accumulated network of contacts to poach two-thirds of Jinxiu's veteran employees, establishing his own turf and becoming a mini-boss. A large number of clients also followed their sales representatives to his place.

He left, almost draining the splendor of his accomplishments; it was a loss to the extreme.

Zhang Fan had thought that once he left the company, there would be no more chance for them to get together. He never expected this to happen.

"Lü Rong, give me an explanation..."

Zhang Fan's corner twitched non-stop.

This year, he treated his diet like a grandson carefully serving Lu Rong, wishing to offer his heart and lungs. Unexpectedly, this is how it turned out.

"Explanation? Hmph." A sneer played across Lü Rong's face.

"Come on, do you really think I'll spend my life with a poor dog from the countryside? Don't even look at your own behavior!"

"See that? HuiHui just bought me this LV, over 30 thousand! You wouldn't even be able to afford it if you didn't eat or drink for a year."

Lü Rong spoke, tossing her shoulder bag over to Zhang Fan and swinging it in front of him.

"Huihui, let me tell you, Zhang Fan isn't a penniless loser. He's also incompetent. It's been over a year, and he hasn't even managed to do what I can with one finger."

"Really?" Wang Yahui's face broke into a "I see" smile. "I said, Zhang Fan, I thought you just weren't good at selling houses, but I didn't expect you wouldn't be good at this either. As a man, I'm truly saddened for you."

"What's the point of living if you're such a waste? If I were you, I'd just head straight for a brick wall."

Wang Yaohui's hand was firmly on Lv Rong's arm, and he said in a mean voice with a mocking smile.

"Wang Maz! Lü Biǎo... I remember this, one day, I..."

Zhang Fan's eyes were filled with , his teeth chattering from being clenched, and his fists were balled so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

"I'm your grandpa! You stinking piece of trash, are you still here pretending? I've disliked you for a long time!"

Wang YaoHui suddenly attacked, landing a heavy blow.

He was a master of taekwondo, tall and strong. Zhang Fan was no match for him and immediately got beaten up.

"Alright, alright, Huige, don't waste our time on this trash. The movie is about to start."

Looking at her live-in "boyfriend" being beaten, Lü Rong showed no sympathy whatsoever. It seemed like the man on the ground wasn't even as valuable as a stray cat or dog in her eyes.

"Hey hey, baby, I almost forgot if you hadn't said anything." Wang Yahui kicked Zhang Fan aside with one foot, cupped Lü Rong's face and gave her a hard kiss. Then he turned his head and looked down at the man on the ground with the air of a victor.

"Waste, let me tell you another good news, Jinshiu swallowed a bunch of bad contracts and is about to go bankrupt."

"If you kneel down and beg me, perhaps I'll spare you a bowl of rice out of respect for Rongrong. Otherwise, just wait to eat shit with that wretched bitch Li Mengmei!"

Wang Yaohui proudly stuck his middle finger at Zhang Fan and laughed with Lu Rong before walking away.

"You dogs, wait for me!"

Zhang Fan's fists pounded relentlessly against the cold floor, his heart consumed by rage. He swore, that one day he would make those dogs pay and trample them under his feet!

Zhang Fan was an orphan who, since childhood, had followed his grandfather Zhang Banxian, earning a living by fortune-telling and physiognomy. Ten years ago, his grandfather came to Jiangzhou to do business, asking him to stay at home, but he never heard from him again after that separation.

My only relative has disappeared, now even my friends have betrayed me, and the luxurious company I've been living in is about to go bankrupt!

The hardships of the past were like arrows piercing his heart, causing him unimaginable pain, tears unable to flow freely.

"Damn you, treacherous heavens! Why must I spend my entire life alone and helpless, being bullied by everyone? I refuse to accept this!"

Zhang Fan's right hand, full of blood, clenched the jade pendant in his mouth, venting his inner anguish.

Water silently seeped into the jade pendant. The originally unremarkable jade pendant suddenly emitted a golden glow in an instant. Zhang Fan only felt a burning sensation in his right hand, as if it were on fire. Countless golden characters flew through his mind like snowflakes.

Then, his eyes went black and he fainted onto the bed.

……

"You are my little apple!"

Counterfeit phone's dual speakers blare out a jarring ringtone that hurts the ears.

Zhang Fan slowly opened his eyes, feeling a splitting headache. After calming down, he found that his mind was inexplicably filled with things like feng shui and esotericism. They all came from an old, yellowed book on qimen, its cover adorned with four shimmering golden characters: "Yang Gong Lu".

"The Records of Yang Family?"

Zhang Fan was delighted.

Although Grandpa Zhang Banshen had never taught him any feng shui or qimen techniques, Zhang Fan, having grown up immersed in these stories, was quite knowledgeable about the strange and esoteric.

The is a classic text on geomancy and Feng Shui passed down from Yang Jun Song, the founder of Tang Dynasty geomancy. When it comes to Yang Gong, anyone who has ever looked at a Chinese almanac knows there is a Yang Gong忌日 (Yang Gong's unlucky day), which was set by Yang Jun Song himself.

"To inquire about matters, consult Yuan Tiangang; for geomancy, Yang Jiupin." Yang Junsong was the national teacher during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. He was well-versed in astronomy, geography, feng shui, Qimen Dunjia, and traditional Chinese medicine.

Zhang Fan didn't bother answering the phone. He held his breath and concentrated, trying to search through his memory of ancient books.

Indeed, ancient books should be contemplated.

The record describes Yang's later years traveling among the common people, using methods of healing and disaster relief, feng shui, acupuncture, and Traditional Chinese Medicine to help those in need. His knowledge was profound and mysterious.

Zhang Fan is fairly knowledgeable, he can probably understand the gist of it. However, if he wants to thoroughly comprehend it, he's afraid he'll need a lifetime!

Feng shui is often ridiculed and avoided by ordinary people, considered a pseudoscience or even a lowbrow practice. But Zhang Fan had personally witnessed his grandfather's divination, exorcism, and burial rituals, which were incredibly effective. Even the town head and county magistrate treated him with utmost respect!

"Grandpa, you often said that the five flaws of Qimen and the three deficiencies make it difficult to end well. You didn't teach me about Qimen, were you afraid of harming me?"

But actually, you don't want the ancestral things to be lost. That's why you passed the jade pendant down to me. It's all up to fate, right?

"Don't worry, when I've mastered the Yang Gong Secret Art, I will definitely find you, and we'll be reunited as a family!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! Those who have bullied and humiliated me, I will definitely trample them all under my feet. In this lifetime, I will surely become the best among men, not betraying the grace given to me by heaven!"

Zhang Fan clenched his fists, swearing silently to himself. The dryness on his cheek, left by the tears, was washed away, leaving two streaks. He wiped them fiercely with his sleeve, as if erasing not only the tears, but also his former self.

You are my little apple, how could you ever be too many…

The ringtone rang again. Zhang Fan jumped.

Looking out the window, it was already morning of the second day. Yesterday, the boss said he would go with him to do business.

I grabbed my phone and answered. On the other end was my boss, Li Mengmei, her voice weary: "Zhang Fan, if you want to jump ship too, don't hide from me. Just tell me directly. I'm downstairs at your apartment right now."

"No, no, Mr. Li, wait for me, I'll be right down!"

Zhang Fan used the fastest speed to wash his face, changed into a clean shirt, and dashed downstairs.

Li Mengmei stood silently by the flower bed, her arms crossed. Her delicate oval face had a touch of sadness that tugged at one's heart.

She is two years older than Zhang Fan, just twenty-five years old. She has slightly curly chestnut hair, a white lace bodice that reaches her knees, with a crisscross neckline that accentuates her slender waist. Her legs are long and fair, complemented by black high heels. Her curves are breathtakingly alluring, further enhanced by her subtle makeup, which is both seductive and professional.

At this moment, a gentle breeze caresses without regard for the anxious heart, greedily kissing the long hair.

"Zhang Fan, are you also planning to go with Wang Yaohui and enjoy the good food and drink?" Li Mengmei's tone was low, her eyes had almost no color, she didn't even notice Zhang Fan's strangeness.

"Mr. Li, you shouldn't say that. It was you who took me in back then. Forget about being a person; even if I were a dog, I wouldn't run away at this time," Zhang Fan showed his two rows of neat white teeth, just like when he first came to the city, his smile still carried the same innocence and purity.

"Well, let's go. Liu from the branch loves antiques. As long as he agrees to give us a loan, Jinxiu will be saved. The antique market is probably bustling right now, maybe we can catch some good deals."

Li Mengmei's words were full of helplessness. When had it gotten to this point, where a leading company like Jinshi Real Estate Agency would stoop to kissing up to these small-timers just because of a few loans?

Wang Yaohui's knife was ruthless. He took not only the clients and employees but also all the good property data with him. Before leaving, he even purchased several properties in the company's name. These properties were all "problem houses," either infamous for having someone die there or riddled with obvious problems that made them impossible to sell.

Facing the deadline, Li Mengmei was in a desperate situation with a hole of over two million yuan. Where could she possibly find that much money? If she didn't pay, Jinxiu would collapse, and she herself might face imprisonment.

These days, Li Mengmei has been asking people for loans, but to no avail. The world is cold and uncaring. Fortunately, there's a business dinner at the Lishun Hotel tonight, and she heard that Liu, the manager of the Lizhong Branch, will be attending. Li Mengmei decided to play her cards right and take one last gamble!

"Li Jie, Jinxiu is my home, and I will never let it fall." Zhang Fan looked firm and said with conviction.

He will never forget the time he came to Jiangzhou City from his mountain village looking for his grandfather. He was all alone, with no money and not even enough to buy a ticket home.

Dear friends, the new book is published, I hope everyone can support it a lot. Qimen Xiangshi Group: 527043289 (There will be face-to-face meetings, add Qimen to come and gossip together!)

He hadn't eaten or drunk anything for three whole days and nights, he almost fainted on the street. It was Li Mengmei, a kind and beautiful woman, who took him in. She taught him how to look at houses and run business. Although he is honest and awkward, with no achievements so far, Li Mengmei has never blamed him. She pays him every penny of his monthly salary, basically supporting this half-useless good-for-nothing.

Zhang Fan is a man of conscience. Now that there's the Yang Gonglu, Yang Gong can save the world with this method. He doesn't believe he can't even save a small embroidered intermediary.

"Silly boy…"

Looking at Zhang Fan's profile, Li Mengmei felt a strange warmth in her heart.

(Editor in charge：novel meaning)