He's not like he used to be when he was young, so bold and adventurous. It's true that as you get older, your heart grows old too.

Chen Hong didn't tell him her true thoughts, only saying that he didn't need to worry about it anymore, and since she had already come to Jinan, she would take over the matter.

Back at the hotel that evening, Chen Hong took out her phone book and started contacting her old friends. To deal with these people, she first had to find out their backgrounds and relationships.

Otherwise, pulling up a radish would bring up a whole lot more mud; making too much noise and exposing oneself to the public for the sake of this house would violate one's principle of keeping a low profile.

Chen Hong first dialed the phone number of her father's old friend, a section chief of a public security bureau. "Hello, Uncle Liu, this is Chen Hong. How have you been doing these past few years?"

Oh, you're welcome. I live near the sea now, and those dried seafood products are local specialties. They're not expensive here. Just give me a call if you want some in the future.

I'd like to ask you about something. Do you know Liu Xiping from the Land and Resources Bureau? Okay, could you check that for me? I'll wait for your reply. Okay, goodbye, Uncle.

"Hey, Uncle Wang, how are you doing? You're almost retired, aren't you? You should visit Rongcheng. My family has just built a small hotel; the facilities are pretty good."

Yes, yes, the key is being able to eat fresh seafood. I'll take you out to sea to go fishing later. Oh, and when you retire, you can come and stay there permanently. My house is very spacious.

Okay, okay, Uncle, I called this time to ask you about Duan Moumou. It's nothing serious. Didn't I buy a school district house last year?

His relatives sent a message asking me to pass it on to him. I just wanted to find out the situation and not be fooled by someone pretending to be powerful. No need for you to contact him, okay, okay, I'll wait for your news.

After hanging up the phone with the director of the Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Chen Hong thought for a moment and then dialed the phone of a friend at the Provincial Hospital.

"Hey, Brother Liu, are you still busy? Sigh, it's only been a few years and you've become an attending physician. You're not the delicate college student you used to be."

I'm fine, everything's fine, I'm not going to the hospital.

Inviting me to your home is fine, but what good thing could happen at your workplace? Oh, I just wanted to ask you something. You have a colleague whose girlfriend's surname is Liu, and she works at the Land and Resources Bureau.

Yes, yes, it's her. Do you know anything about her family? Oh, they're divorced? Oh, this has caused quite a stir!

A government official, and he's a mistress? Oh, okay, I see.

Hey, nothing much, it's just that someone has taken a liking to the house I bought, and I need to find out if we can afford to mess with them.

Yes, yes, it's okay. If you have time to go to Rongcheng, be sure to contact me. I'll take you out to sea for fishing, and you can eat your fill of seafood. Don't forget to bring your sister-in-law and niece too.

Okay, okay, goodbye!

Chen Hong made three phone calls and basically got the whole story straight. It turned out that Liu and Duan from the municipal party committee had been lovers for over ten years.

As a result, Ms. Liu divorced her husband, and it is said that her only child was the product of his infidelity.

This woman is greedy. As an ordinary rural woman, she already owns four houses and two cars.

Seeing Chen Hong's house, she even wanted to buy it. She was attracted by the school district; the surrounding primary schools and kindergartens have excellent facilities.

It is said that her son is only two years old, and she plans to buy Chen Hong's house and move in so that her child can attend kindergarten, primary school and junior high school here.

But she acted too late; there were no more properties available. So she set her sights on Chen Hong, an "outsider" who was all she could find but no one.

Chen Hong planted flowers in her space at night while thinking of a solution. She wasn't too concerned about whether or not to sell the house.

At current prices, this house would only cost around 700,000 yuan, which is a small amount compared to her current assets.

But Chen Hong couldn't swallow her anger at being bullied for no reason.

How can we find a way to resolve this? Should we use a diplomatic approach or a more forceful one?

What about Wen? She should meet with Liu directly and politely refuse her.

Furthermore, with Uncle Wang from the Civil Affairs Bureau putting in a good word for her lover, Duan, she believed they wouldn't act forcefully or disrespect Uncle Wang.

What about Wu? Using her affair with Duan as leverage to threaten her is too troublesome; it can't be done in a day or two.

Besides, if the Duan family has powerful connections, it could cause trouble for Uncle Wang.

Chen Hong considered several contingency plans for both approaches, but couldn't make up her mind about any of them.

Chen Hong only learned about Liu's character today from other people's words; she hasn't met him yet.

She decided to meet her tomorrow, and after seeing the details of the conversation, she would figure out a solution.

If the other party were to use a softer approach, offering to buy her house at its current value, Chen Hong would be willing to let her have it.

I won't be staying in Jinan for long, so there's no need to get involved in this matter again.

If the other party is unreasonable and tries to force her, then Chen Hong will have to apologize.