Chapter 595: Unexpected Encounters over Renovation

Had I known better, I wouldn’t have followed Vice President Xiao.

Lu Xin thought to himself—he’s a man of principles, but Vice President Xiao’s enthusiasm for renovating his house made him compromise for the moment. Now that the house can’t be renovated, he finds it hard to back out, so he ended up attending the dinner…

You really think dining with these rich folks is something to boast about…

Different social classes mean there’s no common language. One wrong word or mistake could end in ridicule.

Wearing that concern on his sleeve, events unfolded exactly as Lu Xin had predicted.

Apart from Vice President Xiao, there were another five or six people—all supposedly his friends. They looked well-acquainted; the eldest was in his forties while the youngest, barely 17 or 18, resembled a freshly graduated high school student.

They were all dressed to the nines, driving flashy cars. But as people…

…they were just far too uptight.

……

Among the group, Lu Xin only recognized Gao Yan; they merely nodded to each other before taking their seats.

Lu Xin resolved to learn by observing, imitating others’ actions so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself.

Unexpectedly, the group seemed even more nervous than he was. Once he sat down, silence reigned as everyone exchanged wide-eyed glances and lowered their heads in deference.

…How is any of this supposed to be fun?

…If you’re all so stiff, who am I supposed to learn from?

……

Sensing the oppressive atmosphere, Vice President Xiao quickly took charge, introducing Lu Xin to his friends—naming him as the son of such-and-such, the heir to a certain group. With each introduction, Lu Xin reciprocated with handshakes or nods.

In response, his friends eagerly shook his hand, nodded, and discreetly sized him up with a mix of awe and curiosity.

The vibe was as unyielding as wet clay—no spark of warmth could be kindled.

With barely any conversation as the dishes arrived, Vice President Xiao, seeing the lack of chatter, shot his friends a look, cleared his throat, and said, “Little Lu’s identity is confidential. I’m known for keeping my mouth shut, so out of all the inquiries, I only revealed a handful. Now that we’ve finally got him here, you all know what to do.”

The group exchanged uncertain looks until someone finally mustered the courage to ask.

“Mr. Lu, we hear that you are a…”

An elder, dignified man leaned forward and quietly asked, “An official ghostcatcher?”

“Hm?”

Lu Xin gave him a sidelong glance—he saw the man’s body shudder noticeably.

“There’s no such thing as a ghostcatcher,”

Lu Xin replied kindly, “There are no ghosts in this world—didn’t you know?”

“I get it, I get it…”

They nodded repeatedly, acting as if they were experts, adding, “No ghosts exist; it’s just… that pollution, right?”

Lu Xin didn’t object to that explanation.

According to the rules of the Cleanup Department, all matters related to special pollution must remain confidential to avoid public panic. Once someone’s aware, there’s no requirement to apprehend or silence them.

Besides, in Qinggang, transparency about special pollution cases has gradually increased.

Take Xiao Yuan, for example. After his special pollution incident, not only wasn’t the memory erased, he even boasted about it among his friends—clearly, such behavior is tolerated in Qinggang.

“So it really is true…”

Hearing this, the group wore expressions of subdued fear: “No wonder the threshold for entering Main City is rising…”

“Only the Main City has such specialized personnel on guard…”

……

They looked at each other as if they’d just confirmed a monumental event.

Some wore expressions of sheer terror, others appeared cautious, and a few even showed hints of excitement.

Then the youngest at the table—a friend who seemed to have the surname Meng—stretched his neck and whispered, “Brother Lu, listen, something bizarre happened at our school recently. It’s definitely a case of this kind of pollution…”

“Hm?”

Instantly, Lu Xin tensed as he looked toward the 17- or 18-year-old boy.

As a professional in handling special pollution, he was particularly sensitive to such matters.

“At our school, there’s a stunning girl who always wears a white dress and sports a ponytail—her figure is truly remarkable…”

The teenager continued earnestly, his eyes nearly sparkling as he described her.

Lu Xin frowned, “No need for lavish details—just get to the point.”

“Oh, right,” the boy conceded.

He went on, “She’s got countless admirers at school, including me. I mean, look at me—handsome and clever with my dear old man’s money. I was a big shot until she spurned me, rejected not only me but also the best guy and even the top teacher’s son in our class—she’s all about academics!”

“Don’t you think that might be due to pollution?”

……

“?”

After a moment of silence, Lu Xin turned to Vice President Xiao, asking, “Aren’t high school romances these days not considered early flings?”

“You useless kid, just wait until your sister hears about this…” Vice President Xiao fumed, his anger nearly tangible.

Embarrassed and livid, Vice President Xiao stood abruptly, almost ready to strike.

“I already graduated high school…”

The boy, caught between fear and defiance, fell silent under the weight of Vice President Xiao’s admonishment.

Yet his comment had opened the floodgates for the others.

A man in his forties quickly picked up the conversation, saying,

“Kid’s too young to understand the true meaning of pollution—of remaining untainted…”

“But I do have an important matter that needs Mr. Lu’s analysis.”

“Not long ago, I bought a villa in West City, and every midnight I hear a woman crying in one of the rooms…”

……

Listening to this, Lu Xin’s frown deepened—he was getting serious.

Another person interjected hurriedly, “I experienced something odd at my construction site near a graveyard…”

“Let me speak—I’m in dire straits. Master Lu, help me out. I once offended a fortune teller who cursed me to lose three decades of good fortune. I’ve lost several projects since and I just can’t hold on…”

“And I—I keep having nightmares of being attacked by ghosts every night…”

“Master Lu, I’ve been suffering from back pain. I can’t sleep at night, and even my bedroom prowess isn’t what it used to be…”

“Master Lu, could you read my palm?”

……

“What on earth is all this nonsense…?”

All the spark of interest Lu Xin had just moments ago promptly fizzled away.

It then hit him: this was why Vice President Xiao had been so insistent on getting him to attend this dinner. They’d gathered a slew of problems just for him.

They genuinely believed they were facing a special pollution case and wanted him to fix it?

But honestly, these issues sounded far-fetched…

Especially the request to read someone’s palm—couldn’t they show some respect for his expertise?

After all, he was the captain of the Single Soldier team and a Level 6 Special Talent in Qinggang. None of this petty nonsense…

He couldn’t help but cast a resentful glance at Vice President Xiao.

Embarrassed, Vice President Xiao looked down; clearly, he hadn’t expected that the terrifying details they’d described earlier would now sound so ludicrous in Lu Xin’s presence.

“Ding-ding…”

Just as everyone was caught up in the chatter and Lu Xin found it hard to depart, his phone suddenly rang.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Xin stood up, pointed at his phone, and stepped outside.

On the line, Han Bing’s voice came through, “Mr. Lone Soldier, I’ve already reported the renovation issue.”

“Mr. Su personally approved it—our Qinggang Cleanup Department will handle your renovation.”

……

“Mr. Su?”

Lu Xin was mildly taken aback—renovating a house shouldn’t involve consulting several Qinggang gentlemen.

“Yes.”

Han Bing’s tone was light and even joyful. After a brief pause, he added, “Also, Professor Bai mentioned that since you’re a Level 6 Special Talent in Qinggang, most of the renovation cost will be covered by Qinggang.”

“We’ll reimburse ninety percent.”

“In other words, labor is free; you only need to pay for ten percent of the cost.”

……

“There really is such a deal?”

Lu Xin’s mood instantly lifted.

He had planned to pay out of his own pocket, but now he was saving a fortune.

Ninety percent effectively meant it was all covered.

“Yes, our Qinggang Cleanup Department has always been generous with employee benefits.”

Han Bing chuckled and continued, “I’ve crunched the numbers. From your checklist, if we exclude labor and transportation costs, you’ll only need to pay…”

He paused, then announced the figure, “37,824,651…”

“You can round off the trivial amount—say 37,824,000.”

……

“Oh… oh…”

Lu Xin almost automatically agreed, then suddenly raised his voice, “Wait, how much did you say?”

……

Ten minutes later, when Lu Xin returned, he felt as if he were walking on clouds.

It all felt unreal.

This was all too surreal.

He just wanted to renovate his house—why did it suddenly feel like he was buying the entire world?

Could Qinggang be extorting him?

That thought was quickly dismissed. He trusted Han Bing and the crew at the Qinggang Cleanup Department.

After all, they wouldn’t dream of scheming over a few bucks.

So, was it his mom’s doing?

Why did she always choose such extravagant materials?

Even sealing a house in gold shouldn’t be this pricey, right?

Recalling Han Bing’s remark about the renovation fee being slashed to a tenth, then his bank savings, pending mission payments, and the unopened red packets in his drawer, despair began to set in.

Exhausted—utterly exhausted…

Women… why do they spend so much?

I really don’t feel like renovating anymore…

But the kicker is, he couldn’t reach his mom—and he had promised her he’d renovate just as she wanted.

A deep weariness clouded his eyes, as if tiny black particles were trembling within them…

…Yet, soon his mood rebounded; he knew he couldn’t afford to be angry.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of complete exhaustion.

……

“Little Lu, what… what’s wrong?”

Around the table, Vice President Xiao and his clique anxiously looked at Lu Xin.

They had all heard the sudden lift in his voice during the call; his pale, dazed expression betrayed the severity of his distress.

“Uh…”

At Vice President Xiao’s prompting, Lu Xin slowly regained his composure, scanning the group before brightening up.

“It seems you all mentioned experiencing some strange incidents, right?”

Leaning forward with his fingers interlaced, he said slowly, “For Vice President Xiao’s sake, I’ll take a look.”

The group gasped in unison, their faces lighting up with hopeful excitement.

“But…”

Lu Xin’s tone turned firm as he clarified, “If I take on private gigs, I charge a fee…”