Chapter 40 Chapter 40 The Disgusting New Neighbor
"Aunt Bao, why is it a bit noisy outside?" Lin Anran got up and had breakfast. It was always quiet outside the villa. Not many people would make a noise and disturb others in the villa area. Every house had a garden with green plants and the sound insulation effect was very good. But today was different. She could hear some noises in the house. It must be very noisy outside.
Aunt Bao explained, "Ms. Lin, the original owner of the villa to your right has sold it, and the new owners are moving. They are a pair of twin siblings."
Lin Anran paused: "Twin brother and sister?" What a coincidence.
Aunt Bao: "Yes, I happened to see them when I passed by the villa next door on my way to work. They don't look alike at all. I heard they are overseas Chinese businessmen who returned from abroad to invest and do business. They brought more than a dozen domestic workers to the villa with them, and they have so much luggage that they're still taking a long time to finish moving."
More than a dozen people? Lin Anran's eyes widened slightly. No wonder there was so much noise outside. More than a dozen housekeepers? That was a lot of people. Did a villa really need so many housekeepers? Perhaps she had a different mindset from the wealthy, or perhaps the owner had too much money to spend, and the wages of a dozen housekeepers were just a small fortune.
Lin Anran only had a general understanding of the neighbors' situation, but she didn't care. Each detached villa was very large. As long as she didn't take the initiative to contact the neighbors or try to build good relationships with them, the neighbors generally wouldn't affect her. She didn't need to care whether the neighbors were easy to get along with or not.
But Lin Anran didn't expect that she had no intention of dealing with the neighbors, but they took the initiative to visit her first. The first person to come was not the two owners of the villa on the right, but their housekeeper.
Seeing the butler next door in a tight-fitting suit, Lin Anran immediately thought of Uncle Wang. Both of them gave her the impression of being professional butlers, but Lin Anran felt that Uncle Wang was better. "Is there something wrong?"
The housekeeper, who introduced himself as Carson and was a white man, politely addressed Lin Anran in standard Mandarin: "Hello, ma'am, I'm here on behalf of my young lady and young master to bring you a visiting card. They sincerely hope you will accept it."
Lin Anran asked, "Oh, Butler Carson, will all the owners of the villa area receive this visiting card?"
Butler Carson: "Yes, ma'am."
Lin Anran was puzzled. "Your young lady and young master sent visiting cards to all the owners of Mingyuan. Do they plan to visit them all?"
"Yes, ma'am, this is family etiquette," said Butler Carson.
Weird family rituals.
Lin Anran muttered to herself, she accepted the visiting card and glanced at the visiting time written on it, tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock. After all, they would be neighbors from now on, so it would be okay to meet each other.
"I agree. I'll prepare afternoon tea." After Lin Anran moved into Mingyuan Villa, she only went to Cheng's house for dinner and did not have much contact with other villa owners. If she met them while walking on the road, she would stop and say hello, and that was all. It was impossible for her to visit every household like the twin brother and sister next door, and it would be a time-consuming and labor-intensive method to send invitations. Mingyuan Villa did not have a rule that the new owner had to visit all owners after moving in.
"Thank you very much, ma'am," Butler Carson nodded with a smile. "The young lady and the young master will surely be very happy when they know you agree."
Lin Anran smiled and watched Butler Carson say goodbye and continue to deliver the visiting card to the next house. It was time for her to practice driving today. She walked to the door of the villa and got in the car that came to pick her up. Riding past the villa on the right, she saw that the neighbor's housekeeping staff were still busy, but she didn't see the two twin siblings who owned the house.
Ten minutes to three in the afternoon of the next day, Lin Anran received two neighbors who came to visit him at home. The twins were just as Aunt Bao said. The sister and brother did not look alike at all, but the girl was beautiful and the boy was handsome. Standing in front of Lin Anran, they were still quite eye-catching.
"Hi, Miss Lin, nice to meet you. We will be neighbors from now on. I'm Xue Ya and he is my brother Xue Kai. I hope we didn't disturb you by visiting you today?" Xue Ya looked at Lin Anran with a smile.
The moment Xue Kai saw Lin Anran, his eyes suddenly lit up. Regardless of the fact that his sister Xue Ya had already introduced him, he walked up enthusiastically and said, "Hello, Miss Lin, I'm Xue Kai. You are so beautiful, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen!" He opened his arms, wanting to hug Lin Anran.
"Stand still!" Lin Anran frowned and dodged, scolding with a cold face. Although Xue Kai was praising her beauty, she didn't like his sudden hug. She hated the way he looked at her even more. It made her feel like she was being targeted. She said coldly, "You two are well-informed. I don't think I need to introduce myself to you."
"Xue Kai!" Xue Ya held Xue Kai and said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, Miss Lin, Xue Kai offended you. I apologize to you on his behalf. Xue Kai, please apologize to Miss Lin quickly."
Xue Kai was pulled back to consciousness and looked at Lin Anran with a guilty look on his face: "Ms. Lin, I'm really sorry, but as soon as I saw you... please forgive my offense."
Lin Anran stood at the door of the villa, motionless, forcing a fake smile as he said, "I also want to apologize to both of you. Actually, I accidentally knocked over the afternoon tea prepared at home today. It's too late to make it now, so I'm afraid I can't entertain you. I can only regretfully ask you to leave."
Even though Xue Kai apologized to her, the guilt and apology on his face seemed fake. Lin Anran still felt uncomfortable, even disgusted. After all, he was born into a wealthy family, so what did he want? It was inevitable that such a rich kid would be arrogant.
However, Lin Anran had no reason to tolerate the arrogance of the Xue siblings. She didn't want the Xue siblings to step into her villa. Of course, she had the right to refuse them entry. Who cared what they would think?
Lin Anran was not happy, and no one could force her to be happy. She sold the Clivia to get this villa, not to suffer grievances in the villa, but to live here to enjoy herself.
Xue Ya and Xue Kai's expressions changed instantly.
Seeing their sullen faces, Lin Anran's mood instantly brightened. A genuine smile appeared on her face: "So, please go back, there will be a chance next time." Next time? There would be no next time. She rejected Xue Kai, and by extension, Xue Ya.
Lin Anran felt that Xue Ya must have practiced their family etiquette very seriously, because Xue Ya's expression quickly returned to normal and she was even able to smile at her.
Xue Ya said apologetically, "Ms. Lin, I'm truly sorry that my brother made you feel uncomfortable. Actually, hugging is a very common etiquette abroad... I'm sorry, please forgive me. I absolutely did not mean to offend you. I'll have Butler Carson deliver an apology gift later. Please accept it, Miss Lin."
Lin Anran forced a fake smile. "It depends on whether I'm in a good mood by then. You can definitely understand. You don't want to put yourself in a difficult position, and neither do I. And Miss Xue, in China, you should have shaken hands with me, especially this Mr. Xue, instead of suddenly hugging me. Do you really understand etiquette?"
Lin Anran didn't say a single dirty word the whole time, but her words once again successfully made Xue Ya and Xue Kai's faces turn ugly. Xue Kai wanted to speak many times, but was stopped by Xue Ya. Lin Anran was happy that she didn't have to look at the man who only thought with his lower body.
In the end, Lin Anran didn't even let the Xue siblings enter the villa.
"Ms. Lin, are you okay?" Aunt Bao looked at Lin Anran nervously.
"It's okay, Aunt Bao, just leave the things here and you can clean up together in the evening." For the sake of the Xue siblings, Lin Anran specially paid Aunt Bao to stay overtime at noon. The refreshments were so well prepared that she couldn't waste them. She ate them by herself and enjoyed the afternoon tea time alone. It was so wonderful.
"Okay." Aunt Bao breathed a sigh of relief, took off her apron and left.
After Lin Anran finished a piece of delicious cake, she looked thoughtful. No wonder the rich would rather hire their own housekeepers and nannies. She was taught another lesson today. All the employees of Mingyuan Property did provide great service. As an owner who enjoyed many conveniences, she could speak up to prove it. But she had overlooked an important premise before, that is, all owners of Mingyuan villas can enjoy such convenient and high-quality services. If Mingyuan Property wants to continue to operate, it cannot offend any owner.
The Xue siblings seemed to be from a prominent family, and all of Aunt Bao's little moves were seen by Lin Anran. It was not that Aunt Bao favored the Xue family, but that Aunt Bao did not want to offend the Xue family, after all, it was her, the boss, who paid Aunt Bao's salary.
Aunt Bao had mentioned to her before that she had a new neighbor, but the news was very general. Before Xue Ya introduced herself, Lin Anran didn't know the person's surname was Xue. Of course, Lin Anran didn't care whether the surname was Xue or Xue before. If Lin Anran had known what kind of people the Xue siblings were, she would never have accepted the visiting card sent by the housekeeper Carson yesterday, and she could have avoided meeting Xue Kai, that disgusting man, today and saved her eyes from harm.
Fortunately, she had not planned to ask Mingyuan Property to provide her with bodyguard services, and fortunately she chose to ask Zhou Heyuan for help.
Thinking of Zhou Heyuan, Lin Anran felt a little better. For the first time, she wanted an "Uncle Wang" so that she wouldn't have to worry about anything. If she wanted to know about the Xue family's background, she could just ask. But the reality was - she didn't have enough money.
A multi-millionaire woman is really not rich enough!
When she saw Uncle Wang the next day, Lin Anran looked at him with particularly eager eyes. She sighed deeply: "Uncle Wang, you are truly the most versatile housekeeper I have ever met!"
Uncle Wang smiled when he heard that. "I'm glad to hear you say that. This is a very high evaluation for me. Thank you, Miss Lin."
"Hey? Uncle Wang, you should still call me Xiao Lin?" Lin Anran felt a little awkward when Uncle Wang called her "Miss Lin".
Uncle Wang said, "Ms. Lin, you are not my subordinate now. The previous address is inappropriate."
Seeing Uncle Wang's insistence, Lin Anran had no choice but to say, "Okay, it's just a name anyway. Uncle Wang, how long will it take us to get to the security company?"
Uncle Wang: "There's still half an hour left."
Lin Anran and Uncle Wang went to select bodyguards. Before returning to the original owner's hometown, Lin Village, Lin Anran had to take the two hired bodyguards to adapt for two days and get familiar with them so that she wouldn't have to take the train with two strangers. It was also to let the two bodyguards adapt to the rhythm of her short-term employer.
The security company Uncle Wang brought her to was very powerful. Although they were all bodyguards, they were also divided into different levels. Lin Anran looked at the price list, starting from the highest level bodyguard. Hiss! The most powerful bodyguard's daily salary was what she earned as a nanny in a month!
When she saw the bodyguard's skills, it seemed natural. Driving and repairing cars were skills every bodyguard had, and fighting ability was a must. The more expensive the bodyguard, the stronger their fighting ability. Look at what was written above: one against twenty, precise woodcang techniques, and all kinds of grappling and fighting techniques... She didn't even blink, and exclaimed, "How amazing!"
Lin Anran immediately said, "Uncle Wang, I want the most expensive one! Ten days for now." Two days for each other to adapt, and the remaining eight days for going back and forth to the original owner's hometown to transfer the household registration. It's just right, and it doesn't matter if the time is extended.
She is rich and can afford two of the most expensive bodyguards to protect her. Lin Anran cherishes her life very much. Although she doesn't know why her soul was exchanged with the original owner, the fact that she was lucky enough to travel through time once does not mean that she will have good luck a second time, so she must protect her life well.
There are many candidates for Lin Anran to choose from in the security company. Lin Anran guessed that Zhou Heyuan must have given special instructions to Uncle Wang, otherwise she could not just pick the most expensive bodyguard in the security company. She remembered this kindness and would definitely return the favor if she had the chance. Only when there is give and take can the relationship last.
In the end, Lin Anran picked two people who looked pleasing to the eye, a man and a woman, both of whom were retired soldiers. The man was called Li Ming and the woman was called Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan, in particular, looked heroic and very cool. Lin Anran liked this cool and handsome older sister.
Zhang Yan and Li Ming called Lin Anran boss as soon as they opened their mouths. Lin Anran hurriedly said, "Just call me by my name, and I will call you by your names too, Zhang Yan, Li Ming. Later, I will take you back to my hometown to do some business. To outsiders, you are my friends. It is more appropriate for you to call me by my name, otherwise it will probably cause some trouble." She said very directly.
Zhang Yan and Li Ming did not try to find out their employer's secrets, but simply nodded in agreement.
When we went back, Uncle Wang was still driving, but there were two more bodyguards in the car.
"Uncle Wang, I'm really sorry to bother you today. Later on, I'll have to trouble you and Uncle Ding to help me take care of the garden." Lin Anran felt very embarrassed, but she really couldn't find anyone suitable to help her take care of the orchids and aloe vera in Shenzhen. The twins were busy working and attending night school, so she couldn't disturb Yu Jing's review. As for Mingyuan Property, that was even more impossible. She believed in Mingyuan Property, but not completely.
Uncle Wang said, "Don't worry, Miss Lin. Mr. Zhou agreed to let Lao Ding and I earn some extra money. We can't miss this rare opportunity. Besides, Miss Lin, you're trusting Mr. Zhou by handing over the villa and garden to him. He must be very happy."
Lin Anran pursed her lips and smiled. Uncle Wang's words were too light. With Uncle Wang's high salary, there was no need for him to earn extra money. Uncle Ding was even more devoted to taking care of the flowers and plants in Zhou Heyuan's villa.
Without this opportunity, she would never have thought that she would trust Zhou Heyuan so much. In this world, the person she trusted most was Zhou Heyuan. It was very strange, but when she wanted to find someone to help her take care of the orchids and aloe vera, the first person that came to her mind was Zhou Heyuan, and only Zhou Heyuan.
And Zhou Heyuan is indeed a person who is easy to convince.
So that day Lin Anran took the initiative to call Zhou Heyuan, who was far away in the north, to ask him for help. As a result, Zhou Heyuan said that he could fly back to Shenzhen immediately, which scared Lin Anran. It took a lot of persuasion to convince him. Even though Zhou Heyuan said he was safe, Lin Anran still felt that it was better to be cautious. The north was still very chaotic. What if Zhou Heyuan changed his itinerary and something happened?
Lin Anran didn't dare to gamble.
Zhou Heyuan could only settle for the next best thing and hand the matter over to the omnipotent Uncle Wang again. Lin Anran actually felt a little embarrassed when she saw Uncle Wang today. She felt that Uncle Wang had become a housekeeper who was doing things for her. Ahem...
Lin Anran quietly clenched her fists. She wanted to make money, and even more money, so that she could treat her "Uncle Wang"!
There are many empty rooms in Lin Anran's villa. Zhang Yan and Li Ming each chose one to live in. Lin Anran got along with them quite harmoniously, mainly because Zhang Yan and Li Ming had low requirements and usually had a low presence, which did not affect Lin Anran's daily schedule.
Cheng Dacai learned that Lin Anran would be returning to his hometown for a while, so he went to visit him and asked, "Boss Lin, what will happen to the orchids you have in your villa when you return home?"
"I have asked someone to take care of it for me." Lin Anran said with a smile.
Cheng Dacai breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. How many days do you plan to be back? There are still two days until the birthday party for Lu Chuanwang. Don't you plan to wait a few more days? By then, news about the sky-high price of Clivia will surely be all over Hong Kong, and it might even get back to Shenzhen. Don't you want to know what will happen? Don't you want to know if the Clivia can bloom on Lu Chuanwang's birthday? Maybe Miss Lu Honghui will want to contact you..."
Lin Anran was stunned: "I forgot."
Cheng Dacai: “…”
"Haha, it's okay. Boss Cheng, you're just in time. I remember now," Lin Anran thought for a moment and said, "I've already sold the Clivia. The excitement is all Miss Lu and Captain Lu's business, not my business. Even if someone comes to me to buy orchids, I don't have any orchids to sell. I'm leaving for my hometown tomorrow and won't change my schedule."
Cheng Dacai looked deeply at the calm and composed Lin Anran, then sighed, "Boss Lin, why do I feel like I'm even more excited than you are? I really wish today was the 80th birthday party for Lu Chuanwang."
Lin Anran didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I find it strange too. Boss Cheng, you care more about the follow-up of Clivia than I do."
Cheng Dacai knew that this was the gap between him and Lin Anran. Lin Anran had a unique orchid-growing technique, and this alone made him invincible, but he was different. There were too many people like him who acted as orchid middlemen, and someone could replace him at any time. Moreover, he was more ambitious than Lin Anran because he wanted to make his business bigger and stronger, so he would only be more nervous and more expectant than Lin Anran.
"Boss Lin, I will keep an eye on the news from Hong Kong at all times. Do you need me to tell you when the time comes?" Cheng Dacai asked.
Lin Anran shook her head. "Don't bother. I'll know when I get back." After a pause, she suddenly asked, "By the way, Boss Cheng, have the Xue siblings who just moved into Mingyuan come to visit you?"
"Yes, I received a visiting invitation from the Xue family before. Boss Lin, I heard some rumors that you had some unpleasantness with the Xue family?" Cheng Dacai asked.
Lin Anran said frankly: "Indeed, I sent them back the day they came to my house and didn't even let them in."
Cheng Dacai understood clearly: "It's because of Xue Kai, right?"
"What did he do again?" Lin Anran changed his sitting position and looked at Cheng Dacai curiously.
Cheng Dacai: "The Xue siblings have been very popular since they moved into Mingyuan. After sending the visiting cards, they made plans to play ball and swim with the young people in Mingyuan today, and to go to Xiangmi Lake Racecourse to watch horse racing tomorrow. I heard that they are now planning to go to Hong Kong to watch real horse racing. There are also rumors that the Xue siblings are going to Hong Kong to attend the 80th birthday party of Lu Shipping King. Now everyone is saying that the Xue family is very powerful. Many people in the villa want to get close to the Xue siblings, especially the young girls around Xue Kai. There were even fights today because of jealousy. My wife said that Xue Kai is well-dressed, but he is a beast in heat..."
"Puff!" Lin Anran's expression went haywire for a second before she burst into laughter again. "Sister Zeng is absolutely right! Sister Zeng has a keen eye."
Cheng Dacai glanced at Lin Anran and said, "Boss Lin, you probably haven't heard that some people in Mingyuan are saying that you are arrogant and look down on others."
"Ah, I do despise Xue Kai, very much." Lin Anran smiled sweetly. He hated her, so what could they do to her? Could the Xue siblings stop her from selling orchids? But her Clivia had already been bought by Lu Honghui, the Hong Kong shipping tycoon's family. Could they be any worse than the Xue family, rumored to be so influential?
Cheng Dacai thought of the Phalaenopsis and Clivia that Lin Anran had sold, and smiled with relief: "I was worrying too much, Boss Lin."
"No, thank you for considering me, Boss Cheng," Lin Anran said happily, "What are the Xue siblings planning to do when they return to China? Do they plan to start a business?"
"What the Xue siblings said to the outside world was that their family sent them back to inspect the domestic market. They decided whether to invest after the inspection. In order to establish a relationship with them, many people said that they wanted to invest and do business with them. I heard that even the bank contacted them, but the Xue siblings refused. They said that there is no rush to invest and they are not short of money. They must first inspect the market. Once the market can make them money, they will consider investing with everyone. But not everyone can invest with them. They will look at qualifications and other things at that time." Cheng Dacai explained in detail.
Lin Anran: "Wow, that sounds impressive. So, who is the Xue family behind the Xue siblings?"
Cheng Dacai shook his head. "I don't know, but they must be from a very important background. The Xue siblings are extremely generous. They buy villas worth over a million yuan at will, and spend money to treat people to high-end entertainment venues. They also employ so many domestic staff, and that butler Carson, who obviously graduated from the Yingguo Butler Academy, is not something that ordinary wealthy people can afford."
Lin Anran curled his lips: "Mysterious."
Cheng Dacai: "Boss Lin, sometimes being secretive makes people feel powerful."
Lin Anran shook his head: "I don't understand, and I don't want to understand."
Especially, it has nothing to do with her.
"Boss Cheng, you and Sister Zeng want to take advantage of the Xue siblings?"
Cheng Dacai was very honest: "I had some thoughts before, after all, the opportunity is too rare, but my wife said that Xue Kai is not like a human being, and Xue Ya looks gentle and amiable on the surface, but is actually arrogant. Xue Ya seems willing to take everyone with her, but she looks down on us who run small businesses. I listen to my wife."
Lin Anran: "Boss Cheng, let's not talk about your flower stall for now. Sister Zeng's factory is quite big, right?"
"Right? How is my wife's factory small? But people used to see large factories with thousands of employees. Now, most of the people surrounding the Xue siblings are small business owners. The Xue siblings are indeed indifferent. They are more enthusiastic about those big business owners, but those big bosses are also watching."
"An Ran, butler Carson from the villa next door wants to see you." Zhang Yan suddenly walked in and said.
Lin Anran raised his eyebrows: "Did you say anything?"
Zhang Yan: "He said his young lady and young master are having a party at home tonight, and he came to give you an invitation. He also said that if you don't want to go, he hopes you can accept the small apology gift his young lady has carefully prepared for you, because the party might disturb you."
The Xue siblings are indeed very capable.
Lin Anran immediately said: "No, I won't go. I'll accept the gift, Zhang Yan, thank you." As long as it wasn't given by Xue Kai, she would be willing to accept it as a gift for being disturbed.
"Okay." Zhang Yan turned and walked out.
"The Xue family is going to hold a banquet?" Cheng Dacai frowned.
Lin Anran: "Boss Cheng, you may be going home. Maybe the invitation has already been sent to your house."
Cheng Dacai: "I do have to go back, Boss Lin, I wish you a safe journey."
Lin Anran: "Thank you."
Lin Anran received the right gift. Before it got dark, the Xue family villa was already very noisy. All kinds of laughter, screams and roars were heard at Lin Anran's house. Fortunately, closing the doors and windows was enough to block out all the noise, and his sleep was not affected at all.
The next morning, after having breakfast, Lin Anran took her packed suitcase, and accompanied by her two bodyguards, Zhang Yan and Li Ming, she got into the property management car and set off - her destination was Lin Village.
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