After dinner, Yang Tao and Su Qing drove their respective cars and, following Duan Xifeng's directions, arrived in front of an office building.
Duan Xifeng said, "Looks like it hasn't been rented out yet. This place used to be a sales center for the real estate project, and once the apartments were sold out, they put it up for lease. Even though there aren't many office buildings in this immediate area, surrounding housing prices are quite high, and the people living here have considerable purchasing power. Let's go, I've already contacted the person in charge, let's head inside and take a look."
"The place looks nice, brother-in-law. What's the rent here?"
"Five million a year, with water and electricity at standard commercial rates. If you like it, I can help you negotiate three months of rent-free time as a decoration grace period."
"Alright, let's go inside and check it out."
He Wenjie and Duan Xifeng walked ahead to inspect the property, while Yang Tao and Su Qing followed behind, slowly strolling along with Xue Sumei. As she walked, Xue Sumei sighed and said, "Five million just for rent in a single year? That's way too expensive. Taozi, do you have any idea how much Wenjie makes a month trading stocks?"
"Mom, I'm not entirely sure either, but he showed me last time—he made over thirty million in the Hong Kong stock market just last month."
"How much? Over thirty million? Oh my goodness, that much?! Taozi, you better keep your eyes open. Are you sure he's not a scammer?"
"Mom, what are you talking about? What does your daughter have that would make anyone want to scam her, especially with him buying all these watches and bracelets?"
"That's true. Given how generous he is with his money, he doesn't really look like a scammer. If he made over thirty million, his capital must be in the hundreds of millions. Listen to me, Taozi, you've got to hold on tight to a catch like him. Don't let those women out there snatch him away."
"Mom, Wenjie isn't that kind of person."
"Mom knows, but you can't stop people from throwing themselves at him. Taozi, Mom originally thought this kid would have at most ten million in assets, which would make him a decent match for you, but being worth hundreds of millions at such a young age makes me a little worried you won't be able to handle him."
"Mom, don't worry. I'm not a kid anymore; I know what I'm doing."
"That's right, Auntie. Taozi isn't a child anymore, she knows what she's doing."
As they were talking, He Wenjie and Duan Xifeng finished their walkthrough and headed back.
"How did it look?"
"Pretty good, though we still need to look at a few more places to compare. Auntie, let's head back and talk."
Back at home, Duan Xifeng asked, "Well? Did you like it?"
"I think it's great. Five million for the main building, plus six million total including the two separate buildings on either side. The main building can be used for the club, and the two smaller separated areas can be used for something else, like a yoga studio or a small shop."
"Got it. Then I'll help you negotiate the price further."
"Sorry to trouble you, brother-in-law. Later you can give me an account number, and I'll wire you two hundred thousand first. If that's not enough, I'll send more. Please put in the effort to help me make this happen."
"Understood, I know what you mean. With you saying that, it'll be much easier for me to operate."
"Wait a minute, how come I don't get what the two of you are talking about? You have to butter people up just to rent a place? Besides, didn't you two just say you haven't even finalized it?"
"Auntie, what Wenjie said earlier was meant for the people on the other side. In business, who ever lays all their cards on the table the moment they meet? The property rights belong to the developer, and they've commissioned the property management company to lease it out. If you grease the wheels with the person in charge, even if they can't lower the rent, getting an extra two months of renovation buffer period more than makes up for the money spent. Plus, once the management company takes the money, dealing with them later on will be much smoother."
"Ah, I get it now. You young people are something else. I had no idea what you two were talking about."
"Auntie, it's not just you. If Xifeng hadn't explained it, I wouldn't have understood either. Did you get it, Taozi?"
"I didn't get it either. These two usually look so honest and upright, but the moment business is involved, they're as slick as monkeys."
"That's a good thing. How else are they supposed to make money if they aren't smart? As long as he treats you well at home, that's all that matters."
Everyone had an exceptionally pleasant day and didn't return to their respective homes until after dinner.
On the way back, Yang Tao was driving with He Wenjie, who was about seventy percent intoxicated in the passenger seat. "Taozi, how was my performance today? Was your mother satisfied?"
"Satisfied, extremely satisfied. Right now she wishes you were her son and turned me into her daughter-in-law."
"Since I performed so well, shouldn't you show a little appreciation?"
"What kind of appreciation do you want?"
"You already know what I want." As he spoke, he placed his hand on Yang Tao's thigh.
"Stop messing around, I'm driving. Be a good boy and wait until we get home."
"You promised."
"Yes, I did."
After finally soothing the intoxicated He Wenjie, Yang Tao let out a sigh of relief and could finally focus on driving. Yet deep down, she felt a quiet flutter of excitement. She discovered that an intoxicated He Wenjie had a completely different side to him, and she actually rather liked these little romantic moods.
Soon the car arrived home, and Yang Tao helped He Wenjie upstairs. As soon as they stepped inside, He Wenjie started groping her all over. While trying to fend him off, Yang Tao said, "Go take a shower first. You reek of alcohol."
"Let's shower together."
"Who wants to shower with you?"
"You promised me a reward in the car. It's too late to regret it now." With that, he pulled Yang Tao into the bathroom. Along the way, their clothes were scattered across the floor.
They spent over an hour in the bathroom before coming out—heaven knows how much water was wasted. By the end, Yang Tao didn't even have the strength to walk, so He Wenjie carried her back to the bed. Soon, a passionate symphony began to play.
With Duan Xifeng's help, the storefront matter was quickly settled. The rent was ultimately reduced to 5.3 million a year, with a ten-year lease signed upfront and a five percent rent increase each year starting after the second year. They were also granted a five-month renovation grace period—an unexpectedly large discount that He Wenjie hadn't anticipated. Upon receiving the news, he transferred another three hundred thousand to Duan Xifeng's card. First, he figured the previous two hundred thousand might not cover Duan Xifeng's expenses, suspecting Xifeng had also spent quite a bit of his own personal capital and favors; second, he wanted to express his sincere gratitude to Duan Xifeng.
The moment Duan Xifeng received the notification, he called him. "Brother, what is the meaning of this?"
"Brother-in-law, you managed to negotiate such a huge discount for me, so you definitely spent some of your own money to make it happen. I know you wanted to help me save a bit, but I can't let you out of pocket either. It's just a small token of appreciation, I hope you don't mind that it's not more. And don't refuse it—I'm going to need your help again in the future, and if you don't take this, I won't have the face to ask you for favors. We're close family, so I won't beat around the bush with you. Please keep an eye on things with the property management side moving forward."
"Alright, since you put it that way, I won't stand on ceremony. Let's go grab a meal at Qī Xīng's place some other day, I'll bring two bottles of good wine."
"Deal. You make the arrangements, I'll follow your lead."
Once the property was rented, He Wenjie began arranging the renovations. The main building was to be converted into a fitness club, while the two-story storefront on the left was prepared as a bridal boutique. This was a gift he was preparing for Yang Tao. He calculated that by the time the renovations were finished, Yang Tao would not only have quit her job, but she would also have realized the severe limitations of her own competitiveness during upcoming job interviews. At that exact moment of maximum disappointment, revealing the bridal boutique to her—along with another secret gift he was preparing—would undoubtedly make her devotion to him absolute.