Chapter 56: A Villa Falling from the Sky

  Sitting in her white X6, Lin Yin was dumbfounded. She was just one gate away from getting home, ready to enjoy days free from recording, rehearsals, TV shows, and endless commercials—days to simply spend peacefully with her parents. But right at the critical moment, someone recognized her.

  This made no sense. She was wearing makeup, driving an ordinary car, had sunglasses on, and even told her agent to spread the word that she’d gone to the Maldives for vacation. How did anyone still recognize her?

  Nobody had recognized her at the airport earlier either. Now, driving behind a windshield, someone still managed to spot her? That guy was unreal. No, not unreal—a damn bastard!

  As the crowd of reporters swarmed in, she panicked even more. What the hell—were they waiting here just for her?

  Through the rearview mirror, she quickly spotted the one who recognized her. His face looked vaguely familiar, probably someone from Meining University, though she couldn’t recall his name.

  In that instant, she hated him to death!

  Meanwhile, the culprit behind all this chaos, Zhang Yang, was gleefully rubbing his hands together as he pushed through the crowd and pulled out his phone to call Qiao Xier. “Senior, it’s done!”

  Half an hour later, wearing sunglasses, the radiant Qiao Xier was driving her flashy R8 at full speed along the ring road. With a harmless smile, she turned to Zhang Yang and asked, “So you’re saying Lin Yin got totally screwed because of you?”

  “Senior, don’t make it sound so bad. I only did it to save you.” Thinking about Lin Yin’s panicked face, Zhang Yang felt a twinge of guilt. Goddess, forgive me—this was all for humanity’s future. Amen. With her experience in the entertainment industry, dealing with a few paparazzi should be no problem, right?

  “If you hadn’t dragged me into this, would I be in this mess? Hmph!” Qiao Xier was driving at top speed, the wind slicing past her ears like icy blades.

  “Huh, this isn’t the direction to Meining University,” Zhang Yang suddenly noticed. The car was heading away from campus and straight toward the suburbs.

  “No kidding. You think I’d go back to Meining just to die?”

  Zhang Yang grinned, gripping the handle inside the car. “Then where are we going?”

  “Your house.”

  “My house? What do you mean?”

  “You’ll see when we get there,” Qiao Xier said without turning her head.

  The car sped ahead, passing through an undersea tunnel, and after another ten minutes, Qiao Xier finally slowed down. The vehicle turned off the six-lane highway onto a two-lane mountain road. After a few more minutes, a secluded coastal area came into view—lush and green even in mid-autumn, a tranquil paradise between mountain and sea.

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  “There’s such a beautiful place in Meining?” Zhang Yang couldn’t help but exclaim. After decades of development, nearly every inch of Meining’s land had been urbanized—even the outskirts. To find such a pristine spot this close to the city was incredible. He noticed a modern five-story villa standing amid the trees on an open stretch of land.

  The road they were on led directly to that villa—it was clearly their destination.

  Sure enough, within two minutes, Qiao Xier parked the car in front of the villa. She deftly pulled out a remote control and pressed a button. The villa’s electronic gates slowly opened.

  “We’re here.” Driving the R8 onto the villa’s green lawn, Qiao Xier stopped the car, turned, tossed the remote control to Zhang Yang, and said, “From now on, this is your home.”

  “Huh?” Zhang Yang’s mouth dropped open. This villa was his?

  What did that even mean?

  Just looking at the location—nestled between the mountains and the sea, only five or six minutes from the main city avenue—this was like a piece of paradise. The building’s footprint alone was at least two hundred square meters. A place like this would easily cost tens of millions.

  “What’s with the look? Don’t act so surprised. The value of your Super Anti-Cancer Cell isn’t something a single villa can match. Even if they gave you the entire mountain, it wouldn’t be overpaying.” Qiao Xier walked toward the gate in her canvas shoes. The door was made of reinforced stainless steel, far sturdier than an ordinary home security door, and even had a fingerprint keypad instead of a regular lock.

  Moving with practiced ease, Qiao Xier tapped in a few numbers, then said, “Come here. Enter your fingerprints. The password is xxxxx. From now on, you can unlock the door using either your prints or the code. Anyone else trying to enter will need both.”

  Zhang Yang followed her instructions obediently. When the door opened automatically, he noticed that the steel plating was at least two centimeters thick—definitely bulletproof.

  Inside, the decor wasn’t overly luxurious—modern and tasteful instead. The first floor was a spacious living room: ceramic tiles, pale green walls, frameless art, a fabric sofa, and a 50-inch LED TV. To the side was a gym fully equipped with a treadmill, strength machines, and a massage chair.

  Next to the gym was a small bar, beside that a kitchen, and even a foot massage room.

  “Originally, this land was supposed to have thirty villas built on it, but then the financial crisis hit, and the developer ran off with the money. Only this model villa was completed. The government later reassigned the land to Meining University for a new campus, but construction ended up happening on the next hill over, leaving this one idle. Lucky you—it’s yours now.”

  Qiao Xier led him upstairs while explaining. The second floor was simple—eight bedrooms, three bathrooms, and two studies. The third and fourth floors were similar. The fifth, however, was purely for entertainment, featuring a VIP karaoke lounge, a viewing balcony, and a small 3D theater.

  “The top floor has a helipad—it can handle a fifteen-ton medium helicopter.” Qiao Xier pointed upward casually. “That’s about it. In a few days, I’ll take you to the talent market to hire a couple of maids to cook and clean. Then my mission’s complete… well, except I’ll need to crash here for a while until things cool down.”

  “Wait, did you just say this villa is mine?” Zhang Yang finally snapped out of it. A villa falling from the sky—was this a dream?

  Qiao Xier shrugged. “Got a problem with that? Didn’t Professor Shangguan say he’d get you a place? Well, here it is. It’s better than leaving it abandoned. Oh, and for your info—the garrison base is right over that mountain, so security’s solid. The only downside? The nearest supermarket’s a bit far, and you can’t drive.”

  “Even if it’s mine, I can’t live here. I still have classes.”

  “Classes? Oh, right, I forgot to mention.” Qiao Xier led him to the balcony and tapped the clear floor-to-ceiling glass. “Bulletproof glass. See that? That’s Meining City across the bay. It’s only a five-minute speedboat ride.”

  “Bulletproof glass? What is this, the president’s vacation home?” Zhang Yang followed her slender finger and saw the city skyline glittering just across the water.

  “So you expect me to take a boat to class every day?” he asked suspiciously.

  “Of course not. Don’t forget, Meining University’s new Medical School research center is just eight minutes away. Until the Nanxing One reagent is complete, dear Zhang Yang, you’ll have to endure living here for now.”

  “So this villa really will belong to me?”

  “We’ll get the property certificate for you the day after tomorrow. How’s that for sincerity?”

  “Heh, so if I invite a few friends to live here, no one’s going to stop me, right?”

  Hearing that, Qiao Xier turned around, giving him a knowing smile. “Of course not. Even if you wanted to keep a few dozen women here, no one would care. So go ahead and bring your little Lulu to live your sweet couple life… Oh, but I’ll be staying here too for a while. Don’t worry, though—the soundproofing is excellent.”

  She checked her watch. “Time’s almost up. Professor Ding, Professor Zheng, and the other members of the ‘Dragonborn’ project should already be at the Targeted Drug Research Center. In thirty days, Nanxing One must be ready. We don’t have much time.”

  “They came too? I thought they were meeting with Academician Hao and Dr. Hill today to discuss the Dragonborn project in depth?”

  “The real discussion happened yesterday. Today’s just the formal announcement. Only Professor Shangguan needs to be there. Don’t forget, time is short… I still can’t believe I agreed to your insane plan—to complete an anti-cancer drug reagent in one month. This is nuts. I must’ve lost my mind,” Qiao Xier grumbled.

  With that, she gave Zhang Yang a glance and walked downstairs.

  Her tall figure somehow carried a faint trace of loneliness.

  “Joyce!” Zhang Yang called her English name.

  Qiao Xier slowed her steps, turned her head slightly, and asked, “What is it?”