Chapter 235: Warm-Hearted Neighbors

An Nan chose the house right next door to Chu Peipei and the others.

It was also three stories high, with a similar overall size and layout as the one next door, though the interior decor was a bit different. The house was fairly clean, with all the furniture covered in dust sheets, and—thankfully—no messy corpses lying around.

It must have been vacant even before the disaster hit.

An Nan walked through the house, upstairs and down, growing more and more satisfied the longer she looked. She especially liked the large fireplace in the first-floor living room—when the extreme cold came, it would be perfect for warmth.

She carefully checked every room to make sure there were no cameras, listening devices, or anything suspicious. Only then did she take out a new lock from her storage space and replace the front door lock with her own.

That was her way of declaring the house had a new owner.

Only then did she leave.

Back at the villa next door, Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an had already finished cleaning up Mr. Hu’s body.

An Nan handed them a set of locks as well.

“Use this for now, just to be safe. We can tidy up properly after we’ve moved all our stuff in.”

Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an nodded and took the locks.

The weather was hot, and after all that work, the three of them were drenched in sweat. Since the air conditioning in the house wasn’t working yet, they locked up and walked along the main road to where their car was parked.

They were just about to get in and enjoy some AC when a familiar voice called out.

“Savior! What are you doing here?”

An Nan turned her head toward the voice and saw Gu Zhiyu’s assistant, Long Cong’an, waving at her from the yard of the second villa down.

It had been a long time since they last met, and Long Cong’an looked noticeably thinner. An Nan only recognized him because of the way he addressed her.

“Long Cong’an?”

Just a couple of days ago, she’d eaten the vegetables he’d sent via Gu Zhiyu, and now here he was in person. An Nan was in a good mood as she walked over.

Long Cong’an greeted her with a big smile. “Savior! Long time no see!”

Then he looked past her. “Chu Peipei! Zhao Ping’an! Long time no see!”

Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei smiled and waved back.

Chu Peipei glanced at his arm, which still bore a scar from the robbery last time.

“Healing up well, I see. There’s a scar, but it doesn’t look like it’s affecting you at all.”

Long Cong’an nodded. “Yeah, thanks to you guys showing up when you did.

I’d just gotten back from outside and happened to glance out from the yard—and there you all were! What a coincidence. What brings you here?”

An Nan replied, “We’re planning to move here. Came to look for a house.”

Long Cong’an was momentarily surprised, then broke into a grin.

“That’s great! We’ll be neighbors and can look out for each other! But how come you came in person?”

He scratched his head. “I don’t think Mr. Gu knows about this, does he? He didn’t mention it today. If you’d just said the word, I could’ve helped you find a place. There are plenty of empty houses in this villa community.”

An Nan smiled politely. “I couldn’t trouble you with that.”

But Long Cong’an waved it off, acting like they were old friends. “It’s no trouble at all! You’re Mr. Gu’s lady, which makes you my boss’s wife—helping you is part of my job!”

An Nan blushed bright red.

What “lady,” what “boss’s wife”...

Long Cong’an sure said it naturally.

She quickly changed the subject. “You just went out with Gu Zhiyu to run errands, right?”

Long Cong’an nodded. “Yeah. Mr. Gu’s already home now.”

He paused, then clarified, “I mean, at your place.”

Ever since Mr. Gu fell in love, his fancy villa had been left empty. Now he spent every day at Maple Grove Residence, practically glued to An Nan’s side.

Thinking of this, Long Cong’an sighed, “If Mr. Gu finds out you’re planning to move here, he’ll be over the moon.”

An Nan just smiled, saying nothing.

At that moment, a gentle, beautiful woman came out of the villa. “Honey, why are you still outside?”

Long Cong’an waved her over. “Wife! I ran into some friends.”

He introduced everyone, “This is Mr. Gu’s girlfriend, Miss An Nan. And these two are Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei—the ones I told you about. They saved my life.”

Then he turned to An Nan and her friends. “This is my wife, Li Shihan.”

Li Shihan’s eyes lit up. “You’re An Nan?”

She stepped forward and took An Nan’s hand, looking her up and down.

“You’re so pretty!”

An Nan was a bit taken aback by her enthusiasm. “You... know me?”

Li Shihan nodded excitedly. “I’ve finally met you in person!”

Well, “know” might be a stretch, but I’ve heard plenty about your love story!

Long Cong’an cleared his throat, signaling his wife to tone it down.

Li Shihan shifted her attention. “Zhao Ping’an, Chu Peipei, nice to meet you! Thank you for saving my husband!”

Then she warmly invited them, “Don’t just stand out here, come inside! I picked a bunch of fresh veggies today—I’ll whip up a simple meal and we can eat and chat!”

An Nan glanced up at the sky and politely declined.

“No need, it’s getting late. We should head home.”

Li Shihan frowned. “But...”

Long Cong’an quickly chimed in, “Yeah, honey, the sun’s about to set. It’s not safe for them to be out after dark.”

He thought for a moment, then added, “They’re just here to check out the house today. Once they move into the villa community, we’ll have plenty of chances to eat together.”

Li Shihan’s eyes lit up. “You’re moving in? That’s wonderful! I’ve been wishing for some friends to chat with around here.”

She and Long Cong’an weren’t locals—they’d only moved in after the disaster. The other neighbors, especially that An Xiaobei from the An family, were always looking down their noses and making snide, exclusionary remarks.

Knowing An Nan and her friends would be moving in, she was genuinely happy.

She said, “Alright then. When you’re moving, if you need any help, just let me know!”

An Nan had a good impression of Long Cong’an’s wife. “Thank you, we will.”

Li Shihan waved it off with a smile. “No need to thank me.”

Then she gave An Nan a knowing, almost aunt-like grin. “Mr. Gu’s probably waiting for you at home, right? You’d better hurry back! Young couples, you know how it is...”

An Nan shot her a surprised look.

How did this gentle, elegant woman suddenly start grinning so mischievously?

Long Cong’an leaned in and whispered to his wife, “Honey, they haven’t left yet—save the gossip for later.”

Li Shihan quickly composed herself, returning to her gentle, demure demeanor.

“I just meant, you should get home early—don’t keep your family waiting. Drive safe, okay?”

The three exchanged glances, said their goodbyes to the couple, and drove off.

On the way, Chu Peipei was clearly in a great mood.

She was happy with the house, happy with the neighbors, and happy with the whole environment.

“Nannan, Ping’an, I’m actually looking forward to living here now.”

An Nan smiled as she drove. “No need to wait—we’ll move in tomorrow.”

Chu Peipei was surprised. “So soon?”

Zhao Ping’an chimed in, “Since we’ve already picked out the place, the sooner we move, the better.”"