Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

The salesperson nodded without any change in expression, and Yang Jiyan didn't mind. After all, once they had a rough idea of your background, they could recommend properties accordingly—otherwise they'd talk your ear off for ages and, if you didn't buy, they'd have wasted their breath.

"Yang Ce, it's so pretty here!" Chen Shutang was instantly captivated by the landscaping inside Huasong Wenyuan. Pointing at the model, she said, "Look, there's even a pond!"

"Mm. If you like it, let's buy one." Yang Ce was flush with cash now and did not care in the least about such small sums; the money he had pried from the drug lord was more than he could ever spend.

Hearing Yang Juehuan's words, the saleswoman's eyes lit up. Seeing that a deal might be within reach, she grew warm and attentive. "Sir, miss, if you're satisfied, why don't we go and look at the actual property?"

"It's already been built?" Yang Puqi was surprised. He knew that many developers these days put up a model first while the real construction lagged behind; usually it took half a year to a year after residents moved in before the landscaping within the compound was fully completed.

"Yes. Everything here only goes on sale once construction is finished. This is a high-end residential district—we strive for customer satisfaction," the saleswoman said.

"So what layouts do you have, and how much per square meter?" Yang Yanchuan asked.

"We have many layouts: small studio apartments of just over thirty square meters, two-bedroom units of over sixty, three-bedroom units of over ninety, as well as duplexes. In addition, there are small villas with private gardens and garages. Sir, have a look and see what layout you need. Prices range from ten thousand to fifty thousand." the saleswoman explained.

"Mengyan, what do you think we should buy?" Yang Ce turned to Chen Shutang. "This sort of thing—you should be the one to decide."

"Mm." Chen Shutang smiled happily and, every inch the lady of the house, stood before the model of the showroom and began to look it over. That Yang Ce let her make the decision showed how much he valued her—how could Chen Shutang not be happy?

"I think the duplex is quite nice." After looking for a while, Chen Shutang asked, "How much per square meter is the duplex?"

"Duplexes are generally on the fifth and sixth floors, with a loft thrown in—in effect a three-level duplex, very luxuriously designed. The total area is around three hundred and fifty square meters, at seven million five hundred thousand per unit," the saleswoman said.

"Ah? Seven million five hundred thousand? That's so expensive!" Chen Shutang clicked her tongue, then shook her head. "It's a bit too much. We're just students from Songjiang Engineering University nearby—buying something decent is enough."

Hearing Chen Shutang's words, the saleswoman showed no sign of contempt or displeasure. Instead she smiled and said, "In that case, why not consider a small studio apartment? This layout is much like a hotel room. The young men and women starting businesses over at the computer market all love this kind of arrangement. It's selling very well right now, and the price is reasonable—only about three hundred thousand per unit."

"Mengyan, price isn't the issue. What matters is that we live comfortably. And there's Jiajia too—she needs to rest and recover here, so I think the environment matters a great deal." Yang Hengye said, "The duplex is nice, but wouldn't it be even better to buy a private villa?"

From Yang Juehuan's words the saleswoman knew that this man was the real money behind the pair; the girl beside him probably did not come from a well-off family, which was why she had hesitated. The good thing was that she had found herself a wealthy boyfriend—even the saleswoman rather envied Chen Shutang her good fortune. So she said, "Heh heh, sir, miss, how about we first go and look at the actual houses, and then decide whether to buy?"

"That works too." Seeing that Yang Ce did not care about the price of the house, Chen Shutang was somewhat swayed—after all, a villa was much better than a duplex.

To be continued.

687. An Old Classmate

"This way, please. We have an eco-friendly car to take you there," the saleswoman said, walking ahead.

The so-called eco-friendly car was the sort of battery-powered vehicle that ran without gasoline—well suited to the property management of a residential compound.

Yang Ce and Chen Shutang followed the saleswoman toward the entrance, and coming the other way was a man—clearly another salesman—talking a blue streak to a middle-aged man beside him.

"Li Dagang!" Yang Ce cried, looking at the man with some delight.

"Yang Ce!" Li Dagang raised his head, and joy spread across his face at the sight of Yang Shuoxuan.

"Xiao Li, a friend of yours?" the salesman who had been attending Yang Juehuan asked Li Dagang with a smile.

"Yeah, a good buddy from high school." Li Dagang said, "Brother Zhang, my client here—could you take him over for me? He wants to buy commercial space. I want to catch up with my buddy."

"Sure." The salesman called Brother Zhang nodded in agreement, walked over to take Li Dagang's place, and continued explaining things to the middle-aged man.

In fact, Li Dagang and Brother Zhang had simply made a swap. Even without the swap, since Yang Ce knew Li Dagang, Brother Zhang could not very well have kept handling the client—after all, they all worked in the same place and would see each other constantly. One could not ruin a colleague's relationship over a bit of commission.

What was more, the middle-aged man wanted to buy commercial space, and once the deal went through, the commission would be no smaller than that on a villa. So he gladly agreed to Li Dagang's request.

"Brother Yang, what brings you here?" Li Dagang asked, somewhat puzzled. In his view, Yang Juehuan's family circumstances were much the same as his own—there was no way he would be buying a house in such an expensive place.

"I came with my girlfriend to look at houses. Let me introduce you—Chen Shutang, also from our high school, in my class," Yang Ce said.

"I've heard of you for a long time, of course." Li Dagang chuckled. "The beauty queen of our senior year—how could I not know her?"

"Beauty queen? That's just what people made up," Chen Shutang said, a little embarrassed, her face flushing red.

"Anyway, Li Dagang, what about you? How did you end up selling houses?" Yang Ce asked, looking at Li Dagang's attire with a strange expression.

"With my grades, there was no way I'd get into university." Li Dagang said, "Didn't you talk me out of it back then, Brother Yang? I took your advice and stopped thinking about retaking the college entrance exam and all that. After high school I went straight out into society and applied to be a sales consultant at this real estate company. I never expected that after a few months I'd fall in love with the job. The pay's decent, and I can still send a little home every month."

"Well, well—I never would have guessed. A sports jock like you turning into a salesman. I remember your mouth wasn't nearly this smooth back then." Yang Yuting nodded; knowing that Li Dagang now had no worries about food or clothing made him quite happy.

"People are forced into it," Li Dagang said. But no sooner had he spoken than he felt a little embarrassed—the phrase was far too ambiguous. If it were only Yang Juehuan present it would not have mattered, but Chen Shutang was there too, so he had to mind his words. "In this line of work, if you're not quick with your tongue, how can you get by?"

"True enough." Yang Ce did not read anything into it. "So how much can you make a month now?"

"Thirty-something thousand, heh heh. A bit more than that kid Xu Peng." Li Dagang said, "Oh, right—the other day Xu Peng was saying we three should get together sometime. It's been ages since we drank at the food stalls behind the school."