45: Chapter 45 A Stranger Hides in the House? Uncovering His Identity and Clearing Up the Misunderstanding

Li Wei immediately blocked Lin Chen’s path, clenching his fists until his knuckles cracked. He glared at the stranger who had suddenly appeared in the room, his sense of alertness at its peak. Lin Chen also tensed up instantly, shifting his steps slightly to lean half-hidden behind Li Wei. His gaze was locked onto the other party, and his hand quietly reached for the phone in his pocket, his fingertip resting on the screen, ready to trigger the AI at any moment.

The man was sitting by the wooden table in the inner room; he had been obscured by a pile of cardboard boxes, so the two hadn't noticed him when they entered. Seeing Li Wei’s aggressive stance, he slowly stood up. He wasn't particularly tall, but he had a stocky build. He wore faded overalls and a grey cloth top, his face expressionless and his eyes full of vigilance as he stared fixedly at Lin Chen and Li Wei. The aura around him carried a sense of someone who was not to be messed with.

The house was a typical old building in the Slum District, extremely simple. A set of wooden tables and stools with peeling paint sat in the middle of the room, and several bundled cardboard boxes leaned against the corner, likely the belongings The Homeowner sister had prepared for her move. The furniture in the room all carried a sense of age, with the edges of the tables and chairs worn to a shine. The floor was swept clean, and even the dust on the windowsills had been wiped away completely. It was clear that The Homeowner was someone who loved cleanliness, which formed a sharp contrast with the dilapidated and messy surroundings.

“Who are you?” The man spoke first, his voice hoarse and laced with heavy vigilance. His gaze swept over Lin Chen and Li Wei before finally landing on The Homeowner sister. “Sis, why are you just letting outsiders in? Don't you know this area is very messy?”

The Homeowner sister looked helpless and stepped forward to pull the man’s arm. “Ajie, don't be so aggressive. They are here to buy the house; they sincerely want to purchase this place of mine.”

“Buying the house?” The man named Ajie shook off his sister's hand, his brow furrowing even deeper. He took a step forward, stopping less than two meters away from Lin Chen and Li Wei. His tone instantly turned cold, carrying a hint of a threat. “I don't care what you're here for, stay away from my sister! You young outsiders just want to swindle people in our Slum District. You want to trick my sister out of her house? I'm telling you, not a chance! Don't you dare lie to my sister, or I won't let you off!”

Li Wei immediately flared up, stepping forward and stiffening his neck to retort, “How are you talking? Our Brother Chen is sincerely here to buy the house, signing the agreement and settling the payment on the spot. Who are we tricking? Don't go snapping at people without rhyme or reason!”

“Li Wei, don't be impulsive.” Lin Chen raised his hand to press on Li Wei’s shoulder, gently pulling him back a bit. His face remained expressionless, but his eyes were very calm as he looked at Ajie without the slightest hint of panic. “My friend, I know you're worried about your sister being scammed. If it were me, I would be the same way. I can understand that.”

With that, Lin Chen’s fingertip quickly tapped the phone screen, discreetly triggering the AI. In the next second, a pale blue AI pop-up window appeared in his field of vision, with lines of information refreshing rapidly: Name: Tom Jefferson; Identity: The Homeowner Mary Jefferson's biological younger brother; Occupation: The Pier porter; No criminal record, no bad credit history; recently took leave to accompany his sister out of concern she might be scammed while selling the house; no abnormal associated persons.

Seeing the information provided by the AI, Lin Chen’s hanging heart instantly settled. He knew this man wasn't a villain; as expected, he was just anxious to protect his sister.

Ajie didn't expect Lin Chen to say that and was stunned for a moment. His brow still hadn't relaxed, but his tone softened slightly, though he remained wary. “Understand? You people who want to buy houses talk a good game, but who knows what shady business you're hiding behind your backs. It's not like only one or two of The Homeowner in this area have been scammed.”

“I know quite a few of The Homeowner in the Slum District have been scammed by black-hearted agents, so it's normal for you to have concerns.” Lin Chen released his hand from Li Wei’s shoulder and took a step forward. He pulled several sheets of paper from his pocket—the purchase agreement template he had prepared in advance, along with a copy of his identification—and held them out to Ajie. “Look, this is a formal purchase agreement template. Everything is written clearly on it: the house price, payment method, and transfer of property rights. Every clause is crystal clear with no hidden terms. I'm buying your sister's house, signing the agreement on the spot, and settling in cash on the spot—not a penny less. Your sister said the property rights documents are complete; once we sign the agreement, we can go handle the transfer immediately. All procedures will go through formal channels, and you can follow us through the entire process.”

Ajie stared at the paper Lin Chen held out but didn't take it immediately. He just sized Lin Chen up with a suspicious gaze and then looked at Li Wei beside him. Li Wei felt uncomfortable under his stare and snorted, but he didn't say anything more, simply maintaining his defensive posture to protect Lin Chen’s side.

“We’re sincerely buying the house and will absolutely not play any tricks.” Li Wei held it in for a long time before finally adding a sentence. His tone was still stiff, but the fire from before was gone from his eyes, replaced by sincerity. “Brother Chen has always been straightforward and is a man of his word. If he promises something, he’ll definitely do it. He won't be like those black-hearted fellows who take advantage of people in the Slum District.”

The Homeowner sister also chimed in to support them, pulling Ajie’s arm and taking the agreement to stuff it into his hand. “Ajie, look at it. I’ve been chatting with them for a long time; they really want to buy the house, and the price they offered is fair. I’m in a hurry to move to the South to find my daughter, and keeping this house is useless. If I can sell it for a good price, I can leave with peace of mind.”

Ajie gripped the agreement and looked it over carefully, his finger tracing the clauses on the paper as he read word by word, for fear of missing any traps. Lin Chen and Li Wei just stood to the side and waited without rushing him. Lin Chen’s face remained calm throughout, while Li Wei occasionally glanced at Ajie and then at the sister, afraid something might go wrong.

This agreement template had been prepared by Lin Chen based on the AI’s suggestions; the clauses were clear and contained no traps, following the official home-buying process in California. After looking it over for a long time, Ajie couldn't find any problems. His brow gradually unfurled a bit, but he was still somewhat uneasy. He looked up at Lin Chen. “Is the price really three thousand eight hundred? Settled in cash on the spot? Who pays the transfer fees?”

“Three thousand eight hundred, not a penny less, settled in cash on the spot.” Lin Chen nodded, his tone certain. “The transfer fees will be covered by my side; your sister won't have to spend a cent. Moreover, I can pay half as a deposit first, given right after we sign the agreement. Once the transfer procedures are completed, I’ll pay the remaining half. That way, both you and your sister can feel at ease.”

At those words, more than half of the wariness in Ajie’s eyes dissipated. What he worried about most was the money not being paid in full and the trouble of the transfer; Lin Chen’s words spoke directly to his heart. He looked down at the agreement again, remained silent for a few seconds, then raised his hand to scratch his head. A trace of embarrassment appeared on his face, and his tone softened. “Sorry, I was too impulsive just now. It’s mainly because I’ve been hearing about people scamming home sellers lately. My sister is here alone, and I’m really not at ease.”

“It’s fine; anyone would be the same way.” Lin Chen smiled and took back the agreement Ajie handed him. “It’s understandable. After all, buying or selling a house is no small matter; it’s better to be cautious.”

Ajie relaxed his shoulders and completely let down his guard. He walked to his sister's side and patted her arm. “Sis, since you think it's fine, then I won't object. Anyway, as long as the process is formal and the money is paid in full, it’s fine.”

The Homeowner sister breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face as she looked at Lin Chen. “See, everything is fine now. Ajie was just being too careful, afraid I’d get the short end of the stick.”

Lin Chen nodded. Just as he was about to finalize the time to sign the agreement tomorrow with the sister, Ajie suddenly looked at Li Wei with a hint of familiarity in his eyes. He frowned and thought for a few seconds before suddenly speaking, “Hey, why do you look a bit familiar? I think I’ve seen you somewhere.”

Li Wei was stunned for a moment. He sized Ajie up and also found him somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where they had met. He scratched his head. “Me? You’ve seen me?”

“Yeah, right here in the Slum District. A while back when I was coming home from work, I saw you helping an old lady fix a bicycle at the street entrance. Was that you?” Ajie asked.

Li Wei slapped his forehead and remembered instantly. He nodded with a smile. “It was me, it was me. That old lady's bike chain had fallen off, so I lent a hand to fix it. I didn't expect you to see that.”

“Exactly! I even thought back then that this young man was quite warm-hearted.” Ajie laughed, and the look in his eyes as he watched Lin Chen and Li Wei gained a bit more friendliness. “It seems I thought too much. You really are sincerely buying the house, not like those black-hearted fellows.”

Lin Chen watched the two of them chat, and a smile also curled onto his lips. Now there were completely no issues; this house was secured. Not only that, but because of a small thing Li Wei had done, the other party had completely let down his guard, which was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

He immediately settled with Mary that they would sign the agreement right here in this room at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. He would bring the cash and the formal agreement. Ajie also thumped his chest and guaranteed that he would follow the entire process tomorrow to ensure everything was fine.

With the matter settled, Lin Chen and Li Wei didn't stay long. They said their goodbyes to Mary and Ajie and then turned to walk out of the house. Before they left, Ajie even warmly waved at Li Wei, telling him to come by the street entrance to chat when he had time.

The two of them walked out of the door and along the dilapidated street toward where their car was parked. Li Wei was still talking to Lin Chen about what had just happened, his face full of pride. “Brother Chen, I didn't expect that offering a helping hand on a whim last time would serve this purpose. This coincidence is really something.”

Lin Chen nodded with a smile and was about to say something when the phone in his pocket suddenly rang. The ringtone was urgent. He pulled out his phone and saw it was a call from Uncle Zhao. He pressed the answer button, and as soon as he put the phone to his ear, he heard Uncle Zhao’s urgent voice coming through, laced with heavy panic.

Uncle Zhao called, his tone urgent.