Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Even the best soundproofing couldn’t withstand an argument like that.

Each of them was louder than the last, and none of them were arguing to make a point. It was purely a contest of who could shout the loudest and who could say the ugliest things.

At first, they at least tried to maintain some dignity. By the end, they didn’t even bother pretending.

My maternal uncle said, “He’s my sister’s son, so of course he should come with me. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re scheming. As for my sister and her husband’s compensation money, none of you are getting a single cent!”

Naturally, my eldest paternal uncle refused to back down. “Your sister married into our Lin family, so she was one of us. Xuzhou is part of the Lin family. What’s wrong with me taking care of him? If you ask me, you’re the ones after the compensation money!”

“…”

I knew exactly what kind of people these relatives were. When my parents were alive, they leeched off their elder sister and younger brother. If I didn’t have money on me now, I would definitely be nothing but a burden in their eyes.

Suddenly, someone pounded on the front door with a thunderous bang.

The force was so great it felt like they might break right through it.

The people inside could no longer keep arguing. My eldest uncle cursed under his breath as he went to open the door. “Which blind bastard is-”

The moment the door opened, his voice cut off.

I looked past the others in the room and saw the young man standing outside.

He was dressed entirely in black. Tall and powerfully built, he wore a tight short-sleeved shirt that showed off his hulking frame, the lines of his muscles clearly defined.

There was also a large tattoo covering his right arm.

At that moment, he stood at my doorway with an impatient expression, his eyes dark and cold.

My eldest uncle, who had been so arrogant a second ago, faltered under the man’s stare. “Who… who are you looking for?”

The man spoke, his voice low but clearly edged with anger. “Are you done making noise?”

After giving that warning and receiving my eldest uncle’s promise, the man opened the door next to ours with a hostile expression and went inside.

I froze for a moment.

The house right beside ours had been empty for a long time. The previous neighbors had moved away after their child got into college, and they’d been trying to sell the place ever since.

From the looks of it, it had finally been sold.

That tattooed guy was my new neighbor.

After the door shut, my eldest uncle and aunt finally seemed to come back to their senses.

“Xuzhou, how do you have such a scary neighbor?” my eldest aunt complained.

I glanced at my younger aunt, who was holding my hand and wiping away tears, then looked at the others in the room-my younger maternal uncle, his wife, my aunt’s husband, my eldest uncle, my eldest aunt, and my older cousin.

My parents had supported their siblings for more than twenty years, yet they had still never made anything of them. And now, with a huge sum of money in my possession, I looked even more like a prize in their eyes.

“Eldest Uncle. Younger Uncle. Younger Aunt.” I called them one by one, doing my best to keep my voice calm. “I’m already seventeen. I can take care of myself. Please go home.”

“How can that be okay?” Their expressions changed all at once, and then they started talking over one another, filling my ears with all sorts of words about how this was for my own good.

I remained unmoved and gave them their eviction notice. “I’m not used to having other people in the house.”

“Xuzhou, what do you mean? Are you trying to drive your eldest uncle away?”

“Your parents are gone. We’re your closest family now!”

“…”

A bunch of people who were afraid of spending money, who hadn’t even shown up at my parents’ funeral until the very end-what kind of family were they?

“My place can’t fit this many people,” I said, folding my arms as I looked at my eldest uncle. “Eldest Uncle, didn’t you say I should transfer all the money to you, and you’d give it back when I got married and had children? I’m almost an adult. Maybe I’ll get a partner soon. If you move in, I’ll have to make you move out when I get married. That would be so troublesome…”

Before I could finish, my maternal uncle let out a howl. “What? You Lin bastard, you told Xuzhou to transfer the money to you? Have you no shame? You want to use that money to buy your son a house and a wife, don’t you?”

They started arguing again, but this time, their voices were noticeably lower.