A short while later—
As the Shanduo couple signed the contract, Xi Shenlian remained quiet.
Using portable devices, the lawyers swiftly completed the property transfer on the spot.
Because of the enormous transaction amount, March Bank called in to confirm—but overall, everything went smoothly.
Forty-five billion yen.
Transferred directly to the Shanduo couple.
Of course, taxes would have to be paid.
But that had nothing to do with Xi Shenlian.
Once everything was done, he was about to leave.
But just before he turned away, Ms. Shanduo hesitated, then took a step forward and asked:
"...I know this may be presumptuous, but..."
"Lord Xi Shen, may I ask—why did you pay such a high price for that apartment?"
Her question—
Drew not only her husband's attention, but also that of the lawyers, and even the chefs in the restaurant.
Forty-five billion yen—what did it mean?
Even though this world boasted a larger population and greater economic output than Xi Shenlian's previous one, and even though the rich here were far wealthier—
That kind of money…
Was still a staggering amount.
Large corporations with thriving operations would scrutinize every yen of such a sum.
Thrown into the outside world, it would incite thousands of desperate men to fight to the death.
In terms of cash value—
At 2 grams per 10,000-yen note, the sheer weight of it could crush dozens of average people to death.
Even if you hired a ten-man robbery crew and let them run for their lives, they wouldn't be able to haul that much cash without a truck.
So no one present could understand why Xi Shenlian would spend such an astronomical amount on an ordinary apartment—a 29-fold premium.
With that kind of money, you could buy a super-luxury tower!
And yet, facing her question—
And everyone's curiosity—
Xi Shenlian didn't dodge or deflect.
He simply opened his right hand, spreading his pale palm, and calmly replied:
"There's really nothing to hide."
"The reason I bought that place…"
"Was simply because I wanted to tear it down."
At that moment—
The room went silent.
Everyone froze.
"?"
They stared blankly at him, not quite able to process what he meant.
Xi Shenlian continued, his voice calm and steady as he looked at Ms. Shanduo:
"You know very well that my past life… was a failure. Not even average."
"I was born with certain problems—things that constantly haunted me. Hallucinations. Delusions. I would do inexplicable things, and slowly became a complete outsider in the eyes of others…"
"Those were… not good memories."
"But now, I've changed."
"I've left that stage of life behind. I've walked out of the years of torment and confusion… and stepped into a brand new chapter."
"But the past still exists. The memories don't just vanish."
"So I want to destroy those pieces of the past."
"And that apartment—was one of them."
"In that tiny room, I spent two years wandering in a fog of uncertainty and self-doubt. I tried, I worked hard—but still ended up with nothing. Couldn't even afford food. Barely scraped together rent, just to avoid sleeping on the streets…"
After speaking—
He looked down at his pale, outstretched palm. White and smooth—not at all like the hand of someone who'd done hard labor.
Then he gently lowered it beneath his chin and added:
"That's really all there is to it."
"I just want to erase some bad memories."
He said it plainly but with genuine seriousness:
"Maybe you won't understand."
"But you can think of it as me being willful—doing something just because I want to."
"It's not for profit. Not for some lofty goal. Just pure willfulness."
To be honest—
Xi Shenlian didn't resent Ms. Shanduo.
He even respected her.
Because in the past two years, she'd never raised the rent. Never harassed him for late payments. Never looked down on him for his struggles.
So—
He didn't mind talking to her.
Didn't mind giving her a little kindness.
Like buying her apartment at a sky-high price, ensuring she'd be financially stable for the rest of her life.
But… that was it.
He didn't need her to understand him.
He didn't need her to become a friend or confidante.
Chances were, they wouldn't see each other again.
Maybe—
Today would be their last meeting.
That was the extent of their connection.
At that moment—
After listening to his explanation, Ms. Shanduo fell silent.
Because Xi Shenlian's reasoning…
Was beyond anything she could comprehend.
Spending tens of billions of yen—just for something like this?
It baffled her.
Even confused her deeply.
And yet—
Looking at the calm sincerity in his eyes, seeing how he wasn't joking or bluffing…
In the end, all she could do was sigh softly and walk away.
Now—
She no longer had the home she'd lived in for years.
She had lost the large apartment her parents had passed down to her.
All that remained were tens of billions of yen, reeking of money, as a kind of cold comfort.
For a moment—
She felt like the autumn wind had swept through her life.
Bitter. Disorienting.
And painful.
Once she was gone—
Xi Shenlian glanced down at the signed paperwork, then casually looked away.
As if it were nothing but a worthless piece of scrap paper.
Then, turning to the lead lawyer, he said calmly:
"Next—have someone clear out the remaining tenants in that apartment building."
"Give each of them ten times the standard compensation."
"I'd like this done by the end of today."
"Tomorrow morning, I'm arranging for the building to be demolished."
"And during this period, your legal fees can be counted at ten times your usual rate—as payment for the extra errands."
Whether it was one yen, a hundred million yen, or ten billion—
It no longer made any difference to Xi Shenlian.
So—
If he wanted something done fast, he didn't mind giving people a little extra incentive.
And upon hearing that their fees would be multiplied tenfold—
The lawyers were visibly stunned, but immediately fired up with motivation:
"Understood! We'll get it done right away!"
Of course—
The real reason they were so obedient was because they were trying to please Xi Shenlian.
After all, they had arrived ten minutes earlier than the Shanduo couple—
And had seen with their own eyes how Xi Shenlian ate.
His eating speed, the sheer amount of food—
It was beyond human.
They had already guessed something about his identity—
And didn't dare offend him in the slightest.