I Became an All-round Artist

The next day, at 8 AM.

Lin Yuan left the house without having breakfast. His mission this time: to buy a house!

In his bank account was the payment from last month's royalties for his novel Prince of Tennis, totaling ¥1.25 million after taxes. Including the earnings from several of his songs, he now had a total of ¥2 million. The main income from the songs came from last month's hit, Easily Combustible and Explosive, along with an additional ¥200,000 from his short story The Gift of the Magi.

Technically, this ¥200,000 wasn't supposed to arrive until next month, but Lin Yuan wanted to have more funds for his house purchase, so he requested an advance from Silver Blue Publishing. The publishing house, happy with their collaboration, readily agreed, and the money had already been transferred. Now, Lin Yuan had about ¥2.2 million in hand, and his desire to buy a house could no longer be contained.

In fact, Lin Yuan had been thinking about buying a house as soon as he returned home. The house his family currently lived in was too simple and inconvenient.

Take the living space, for instance. The two-bedroom apartment was small. It was fine when it was just his mother living there alone, but during the New Year, when the whole family returned, the space became incredibly cramped with four people.

What could they do?

Lin Yuan, being the only son, had one room to himself, while the master bedroom had to be divided into two makeshift rooms. His sisters shared one bed in one part of the room, while their mother occupied the other part. The lack of soundproofing and the limited space made living uncomfortable, especially when they had to take turns using the bathroom and shower. Although no one complained, it was clear that they were all struggling with the cramped conditions.

Now that Lin Yuan had the means, why should they continue to live in such a small space?

Moreover, the old house was lacking in many ways, from the outdated décor and furniture to the limited nearby facilities and poor transportation. Even if his mother were living there alone, it would still be tough on her.

Buying a new house had become a necessity.

Before setting out to buy a house, Lin Yuan had done some research online and found that ¥2 million was more than enough to buy a great house in Yun City. After all, Yun City was a small, unremarkable city in Qinzhou. He had worried unnecessarily about not having enough money.

Of course, Lin Yuan had also considered bringing his mother to live with him in Su City, but when he subtly suggested it last night, she refused. She wasn’t ready to leave her hometown, where she had lived for many years.

Since that was the case, Lin Yuan decided to take his time. Besides, he couldn't afford a house in Su City just yet. For now, it made sense to get his mother a better place to live in Yun City.

With this in mind, Lin Yuan finally arrived at the sales center by bus. After grabbing some breakfast at a nearby shop, he walked inside.

"Good morning, sir," greeted a young real estate agent enthusiastically. "I’m Xiao Mu, a property consultant. May I ask your name? Are you here to buy a house?"

Lin Yuan nodded. "Yes, my name is Lin."

Xiao Mu smiled and asked, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lin. What price range are you looking at?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yuan replied, "Around ¥2 million, but not much more than that."

Xiao Mu was momentarily surprised. Lin Yuan looked so young, almost like a student, yet he was asking about houses priced at ¥2 million. Nevertheless, Xiao Mu stayed professional and introduced several properties within that price range.

"Can I see this one?" Lin Yuan asked, showing interest in a house priced at ¥2.1 million, which was within his budget.

"Of course," Xiao Mu responded immediately. "We have the keys to that property. I can take you there right away. Please wait a moment while I grab them."

...

While Xiao Mu went to get the keys, one of his colleagues whispered, "Xiao Mu, don’t put too much effort into this client. He’s probably just browsing and won’t buy."

Xiao Mu looked confused. "Why do you think so?"

His colleague, adopting an experienced tone, glanced at Lin Yuan waiting outside and chuckled. "In this business, you have to observe closely. Every client who walks in, I study them. This one came by bus, and his clothes aren’t expensive. But the biggest giveaway? I saw him haggling over the price of breakfast earlier, asking the vendor if they could give him a discount. Have you ever seen someone bargain over breakfast?"

"But the breakfast shop next door is really overpriced," Xiao Mu said sympathetically. "A bowl of ramen costs ¥20! That’s ridiculous. At the shop near my apartment, the same bowl costs only ¥11, and they give you plenty of beef. I never eat breakfast around here."

His colleague was speechless.

Soon after, Xiao Mu returned with the keys, and he took Lin Yuan to one of Yun City’s most prestigious residential complexes—Longjiang Garden.

"Longjiang Garden is quite well-known here in Yun City!" Xiao Mu said with a smile. "Back when I was delivering food, I had to register at the gate every time. The property management is very strict, and the environment inside the community is beautiful, perfect for living."

After a few minutes, they arrived at the ninth floor of Building 28.

Inside the apartment, Lin Yuan found the décor tasteful, with a modern Chinese style that was elegant yet not overly traditional. The furniture was new and complete.

"As you can see, although it’s a second-hand house, no one has ever lived here," Xiao Mu explained. "The owner is a biology professor who bought the house intending to settle down, so he prepared everything. However, he was transferred to Chuzhou for work, so now he’s selling this place to buy a new one there."

Lin Yuan stepped onto the balcony. The view was excellent, with plenty of greenery and fresh air. Nodding in satisfaction, he said, "It’s nice, but..."

"What’s the issue?" Xiao Mu asked, sensing that Lin Yuan might not be fully convinced.

"Can I move in right away?" Lin Yuan asked.

Xiao Mu was momentarily stunned. "Are you planning to buy this place?"

Lin Yuan nodded. "Yes, I like it. I’ll take this one."

Lin Yuan nodded, "Yes, it feels just right. I'll go with this one."

Xiao Mu was pleasantly surprised, but then hesitated, "The bank loan will need to go through some processes. The seller might wait until the bank releases the funds..."

"I’ll pay in full," Lin Yuan interrupted.

Lin Yuan wasn’t much of a business person. He didn’t understand investment strategies or inflation. His natural frugal mindset told him that bank loan interest rates were high, and paying upfront would save him a lot in the long run.

"What?" Xiao Mu’s mouth dropped open.

But a moment later, he contained his excitement and said, "Please wait here. I'll call the seller right away!"

The call connected quickly. After a brief conversation, Xiao Mu smiled and said, "The seller was hesitant at first, but once they heard you're paying in full, they immediately agreed to your request to move in right away. Now, we just need to head back to the office to sign the contract, and the seller will also come by to finalize the deal."

"Sounds good," Lin Yuan nodded.

With Lin Yuan in tow, Xiao Mu returned to the office. A colleague smiled and teased, "So, I was right, wasn't I?"

Xiao Mu gave his colleague a puzzled look, "Actually, my client is about to sign the contract. He might even move in tonight since he's paying in full, which made the seller very cooperative."

"Huh?" The colleague was stunned. "He bought it? And paid in full?"

Was this the legendary case of the wealthiest being the most low-key?

By this time, Xiao Mu had already left, and Lin Yuan proceeded to meet with the seller. They signed the purchase contract, and Lin Yuan transferred the funds that same day.

"Once you've bought the house, I suggest changing the locks," Xiao Mu advised with a smile. "It’s something most people do after buying a property. Also, there are a few small procedures left to complete. Either you or a family member will need to make a few trips, but I’ll be here to help throughout the process."

Lin Yuan nodded, "Alright, thanks for the help."

In addition to the house, Lin Yuan paid around ¥30,000 in taxes and agency fees, leaving him with less than ¥100,000 in his account. Still, he felt content. He immediately called his sister.

"Where have you been all morning?" his sister asked. "What’s going on?"

"Can you bring Mom and Xiaoyao over? I’m at Longjiang Garden," Lin Yuan replied.

He hadn’t told his family that he was out buying a house. It wasn’t that he wanted to surprise them. He was more worried they would try to stop him from spending the money, urging him to save it for medical bills instead.

"What for? Did something happen?" his sister asked, concerned.

"Just come over," Lin Yuan said, leaving it as a mystery.

Half an hour later, his mom, sister, and younger sister arrived at Longjiang Garden, where Lin Yuan was waiting for them at the entrance.

"Why did you call us here?" Lin Xuan asked suspiciously. "I thought something was wrong."

"Yeah, you scared me," their mom said, still looking worried.

Xiaoyao, his younger sister, grumbled, "I was in the middle of studying."

Lin Yuan smiled, "You can study here."

"What do you mean?" Xiaoyao asked, confused.

"I bought a house here," Lin Yuan said, finally revealing the reason for their visit. He led his puzzled family inside the new home and, imitating the agent’s style, gave them a tour: "It’s 140 square meters, four bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms face south. The layout is spacious, with a quiet study and a wide balcony offering a great view..."

But Lin Yuan soon realized no one was listening to him. He turned to see his family standing still, staring at him with mixed emotions. They weren’t as excited as he had imagined.

Lin Yuan quickly understood why. Smiling, he said, "I went to the hospital for another check-up recently. The doctor said there’s no major issue with my health. As long as I keep taking my medication regularly, I’m on the road to a full recovery!"

"What?" his mom asked, her voice trembling.

"Really?" his sister added, eyes wide.

After a brief pause, tears welled up in everyone's eyes. His mother rushed forward, crying and laughing as she held Lin Yuan, "You’re not lying to me, are you?"

"I’m not," Lin Yuan said, smiling. "If you don’t believe me, I’ll go to the hospital with you for another check-up."

"Let’s go right now!" his mother insisted, pulling him towards the door.

Lin Yuan could only chuckle and agree to go, just to put their minds at ease. He already knew from the system that the doctors wouldn’t find any issues because his body was indeed recovering.

Sure enough, after a round of tests at the hospital, it was confirmed that while Lin Yuan was still weaker than average, his previous terminal illness was gradually healing.

"This is wonderful!" his mom cried as she hugged him tightly. His sister and Xiaoyao quietly wiped away their own tears. Even though no one spoke of it often, Lin Yuan's illness had always weighed heavily on the family.

Lin Yuan felt a pang of sadness, but managed a smile, "Let’s go home."

"Which home?" his mother asked.

"Obviously the new one," Lin Yuan laughed.

"And what about the old house?" she asked again.

"If you like it, we can keep it as a memento. You can visit it whenever you want... But from now on, we’re living in the new house," Lin Yuan replied with a smile.

"Alright," they all agreed in unison. It was only then that the family could truly enjoy the joy of buying the new house, knowing that Lin Yuan’s recovery meant it wasn’t just a way to settle them before his time ran out.

A new house. A new beginning. A new life.

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