Chapter 185: Settling Down and Buying Property-Is That Sincere Enough?

Xiang Xiaotian lowered her head, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles under her father’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Brother Zhang… why isn’t Brother Zhang here yet?” she thought silently.

Who knew how much time passed before Xiang Detao checked the time. “In any case, this is not something you get to negotiate. If you insist on going against the family, then the few bank cards you have will be suspended first.”

“Ah?” Xiang Xiaotian immediately looked at her mother as if asking for help.

“Tiantian, at the very least, meet him once first. We can talk about the rest later,” Dong Yaru said with a sigh.

“But… but I…” Xiang Xiaotian grew anxious.

In the midst of her panic, she looked outside and suddenly her eyes lit up.

“He’s here. My boyfriend is here.”

Under her parents’ astonished gazes, Xiang Xiaotian stood up and waved excitedly into the distance.

In the distance, a tall figure walked straight toward them. It was Zhang Yang.

“Sorry, I’m late.” The moment Zhang Yang walked over, Xiang Xiaotian immediately hooked her arm around his.

“Not late, not late at all.” Xiang Xiaotian smiled brightly as she pulled Zhang Yang down to sit, then introduced him with obvious pride. “Dad, Mom, this is my boyfriend, Zhang Yang.”

“Hello, Uncle and Auntie,” Zhang Yang greeted them with a smile.

Across from him, Xiang Detao looked at the young man who had just sat down, his eyes immediately turning uncertain.

Those features, that bearing, and that composure… what a dazzling young man. Was this really his daughter’s boyfriend?

“Hello, young man. Have some tea.” He nodded as he spoke.

“Little Zhang, come, come, Auntie will pour you some tea.” Xiang Xiaotian’s mother, on the other hand, was surprised and delighted. She stood up and poured Zhang Yang some water.

“By the way, did you come back specially to accompany Xiaotian this time?”

“Thank you, Auntie.” Zhang Yang took the teacup. “More or less, though I also happened to have some personal matters to handle in Hangzhou.”

His demeanor was relaxed and natural. He was polite and courteous, but without the caution and humility of someone meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time.

After all, they weren’t really his future in-laws. Besides, even if they were, given his current status and strength, there was naturally no need for him to act overly careful, as if he had to listen obediently to every word they said.

“Is your career based in Shanghai? What do you mainly do?” Xiang Detao asked while drinking tea.

“I have a few businesses of my own. I do a bit of investing, and I also own some properties and collect rent,” Zhang Yang said briefly, though every word was true.

He had an investment company, a commercial street, a mixed-use office tower, and now this five-star hotel. Broadly speaking, didn’t that amount to having businesses, investments, and collecting rent on the side?

“Young people should try not to aim too high. It’s better to be more practical,” Xiang Detao suddenly said in a lukewarm tone. “I was young once too. I know at your age, people care a lot about appearances, but there’s really no need.”

“Dad, why don’t you believe me? Zhang Yang’s Cullinan is still parked outside,” Xiang Xiaotian immediately said anxiously.

Hearing the word Cullinan, Xiang Detao lifted his head, but he wasn’t surprised. He knew his daughter was in the Rolls-Royce club. Weren’t those young rich second-generation members all driving Rolls-Royces on average anyway?

Not far away, someone in a hotel uniform came running over and bent down to speak softly.

“Chairman Xiang, President Li has arrived.”

“Mm, I know. I’ll go right away.” Xiang Detao responded, then looked at Zhang Yang in front of him. “Little Zhang, excuse me for a moment. As for you and Xiaotian, we’ll talk about it later.”

He stood up, straightened the tailored suit he was wearing, and walked off directly.

Zhang Yang sipped his tea and showed no reaction.

He had already said what needed to be said. As for anxiously trying to prove himself, that was beneath him and unnecessary. He wasn’t a three-year-old child.

“Little Zhang, sorry about that. Your uncle really does have a lot to handle at the hotel, so please don’t take offense,” Xiang Xiaotian’s mother said kindly from the side.

“I understand. With such a large hotel, Uncle must be very busy every day,” Zhang Yang said while drinking tea, his arm once again being hugged by Xiang Xiaotian.

“Mom, at least try to persuade Dad. I definitely am not meeting that childhood fiancé,” Xiang Xiaotian said unhappily. “Dad really doesn’t understand Zhang Yang at all. Zhang Yang is genuinely outstanding.”

“Well…” Dong Yaru hesitated again. “Little Zhang, Auntie wants to tell you something honestly.”

“Auntie, go ahead,” Zhang Yang said.

“My thoughts are actually very simple. As long as Xiaotian likes him, that’s fine. Family background and conditions aren’t really that important. You know, our family has some assets too,” Dong Yaru said.

Zhang Yang nodded and kept listening.

“As for the full story behind this matter, I believe Xiaotian has already told you. Her father’s meaning is actually very simple. To put it plainly, he wants a family that is well-matched and well-known to ours. You should understand what Auntie means, right?” Dong Yaru looked at Zhang Yang as she spoke.

“I understand.” Zhang Yang nodded.

To put it bluntly, Xiang Xiaotian’s childhood fiancé not only came from a family of similar standing, but more importantly, there was also the relationship between the two families spanning several generations.

Compared side by side, which side would be favored? There was no need to ask.

“Well then, how about-” Zhang Yang was just about to say something when suddenly his arm tightened.

“Zhang Yang.” Xiang Xiaotian pleaded softly from beside him.

Looking at Xiang Xiaotian’s eyes, Zhang Yang’s heart softened for no reason.

Forget it.

“Auntie, thank you for telling me all this. But since I’m already here, I definitely won’t retreat just because of a few words,” Zhang Yang said with a smile.

“Good.” Dong Yaru smiled, her eyes full of approval. “But just talking isn’t enough. Even if Auntie believes you, Xiaotian’s father won’t be so easy to convince.”

“Just talking?” Zhang Yang shook his head with a smile. “Auntie, I heard from Xiaotian that you and Uncle mainly live in Hangzhou. I’m planning to buy a place in Hangzhou too, so I can settle down here and make it more convenient for Xiaotian to come back in the future.”

Since he was already planning to buy property in Hangzhou anyway, he might as well use it now as a way to help Xiang Xiaotian.

According to what her parents said, what they needed was reliability, trustworthiness, sincerity, and an attitude. Then if he directly bought property in Hangzhou, that should count as sincerity enough, right?

“Zhang… Brother Zhang, you…” Xiang Xiaotian stared blankly at Zhang Yang, her heart suddenly filling with warmth.

To help her, Zhang Yang had said he would buy a home in Hangzhou, and he would actually do it.

Clearly, he didn’t need to buy one.

“Little Zhang, you want to buy a house in Hangzhou and settle down here?” Dong Yaru was genuinely surprised. “Are you serious, not just acting on impulse?”

She hadn’t expected that this young man would show such sincerity just to express his attitude, saying he would buy a house in Hangzhou and actually doing it. This wasn’t one or two small amounts of money. To buy a decent place in a good location with a reasonable size would cost at least several million.

“Auntie, of course I’m not acting on impulse,” Zhang Yang said. “I’m serious.”

“Good, good. Little Zhang, if your determination is really that strong, then I’ll talk to Xiaotian’s father,” Dong Yaru said in an extremely gentle tone. “What era is this? Our family naturally doesn’t need to rely on arranged marriage alliances.”

“Thank you, Auntie.” Zhang Yang glanced at Xiang Xiaotian beside him and secretly blinked at her.

Xiang Xiaotian pressed her lips together and happily leaned closer to Zhang Yang.

“Little Zhang, have you decided where to buy yet? Do you want Auntie to help you reference a few places, or ask around for you?” Dong Yaru asked with concern.

“That won’t be necessary. How about you come along with us, Auntie? If I need anything, I’ll ask you then,” Zhang Yang said.

There were too many properties all over Hangzhou. He wasn’t going to spend much effort studying which area had what location advantages or how complete the facilities were. Based on his rough understanding from earlier, he would just buy the expensive ones.

Expensive always had its reasons.

“That works too.” Dong Yaru nodded.

A moment later, Xiang Xiaotian and her mother got into the Cullinan together.

Dong Yaru was a genuine wealthy lady, so she naturally wasn’t particularly shocked by a Cullinan. She didn’t even ask about it. Instead, the topic stayed entirely on houses.

“Little Zhang, sounds like you already have a target?”

“A few. I’ll go look first,” Zhang Yang said casually. “By the way, Auntie, since your family lives in Wulin No. 1, do you have any neighbors who are selling their apartments?”

“Wulin No. 1? You want to buy in Wulin No. 1?” Dong Yaru was truly shocked. “What exactly is your budget?”

Their family themselves owned property in Wulin No. 1, so they naturally knew their community’s housing prices better than anyone and were especially sensitive to them. They knew very clearly whose home had been sold and to whom.

According to the information they knew from the first half of the year, the few completed transactions had ranged from thirty to forty million at the low end, and sixty to seventy million at the high end.

This Little Zhang was opening his mouth and directly asking to look at Wulin No. 1 properties.

Then his financial strength really needed to be seriously reassessed.

“The budget… hard to say. It mainly depends on the house. If the house is good enough, spending a bit more or less doesn’t really matter,” Zhang Yang said.

He had a budget of 150 million.

Within that range, finding a house that completely satisfied him shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

Dong Yaru repeatedly mulled over Zhang Yang’s words. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Recently I really haven’t heard of anyone planning to sell. How about this-I’ll ask in the owners’ group for you?”

“Alright, then thank you, Auntie.” Zhang Yang nodded and glanced at the time.

If they went to an agent at this hour, it would take up half the day. They might as well go first to the place he liked most, Greentown Peach Blossom Spring.

Coincidentally, he had already asked in advance.

There were still two traditional courtyard mansions available in There were still two traditional courtyard mansions available in Peach Blossom Spring Xijin Garden, so they could go take a look.

South foothills of Phoenix Mountain, Yuhang District.

Zhang Yang drove the Cullinan slowly toward the entire Peach Blossom Spring project.

The entire Peach Blossom Spring project covered about 1.8 square kilometers (~0.7 square miles), with real mountains and real water, making it one of the lowest-density villa communities in the country.

“Little Zhang, this is Peach Blossom Spring, right? A hotel owner in our circle lives here, and I once came to his house for a meal,” Dong Yaru said while looking outside. “You… are interested in this place?”

“I’ve always wanted to take a look here,” Zhang Yang said simply.

Dong Yaru nodded, then looked at her phone again.

On the phone, Xiang Xiaotian’s father was sending her messages, saying many things… things that weren’t very pleasant to hear, and were rather harsh.

“I’ll talk to you when I get back,” she replied.

If this Little Zhang really bought a house in Hangzhou, then he truly deserved serious consideration.

It wasn’t just about the sincerity he had shown, but the deeper level of financial strength behind it.

The car stopped outside the villa district.

Outside the sales center, Zhang Yang called the contact he had reached out to in advance.

A moment later, a young saleswoman came running out of the sales center to greet them.

“Are you Mr. Zhang?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Zhang Yang got out of the car and looked at the saleswoman, whose features were gentle and graceful.

“Hello, Mr. Zhang. I’m Wen Ting, the one who contacted you earlier. This is my business card.” Wen Ting smiled as she handed it over. “You wanted to look at our traditional courtyard homes, right?”

“That’s right. You said on the phone there are two left. Show me both,” Zhang Yang said.

Xiang Xiaotian stepped forward and gently hooked her arm around Zhang Yang’s, acting very intimately.

“Traditional courtyard homes?” Dong Yaru froze for a moment, completely stunned.

It wasn’t like she didn’t know about this place.

The huge Peach Blossom Spring project had three phases in total and planned several hundred villas, with total prices ranging from tens of millions to several tens of millions.

But in the entire Peach Blossom Spring project, there were only fifty traditional courtyard homes.

Those courtyard homes occupied several hectares (~several acres) of land each, with building areas often reaching eight or nine hundred square meters (~8,611–9,688 sq ft). The total price was definitely in the range of tens of millions… even over a hundred million for some of them.

And now, this Little Zhang had specifically asked to see the traditional courtyard homes?

Was he really just taking a look, or…?

She followed closely behind, and suddenly many thoughts began swirling in her mind.

A moment later, Zhang Yang and his group strolled through the Peach Blossom Spring Xijin Garden project under the guidance of the saleswoman Wen Ting.

All around them were pink bricks and black tiles, giving the area an antique elegance.

Wen Ting stood nearby, softly explaining the details of the place as they walked.

“By the way, is the development concept here based on Tao Yuanming’s Peach Blossom Spring?” Zhang Yang asked casually as the thought occurred to him.

“Yes, Mr. Zhang.” Wen Ting smiled and recited aloud, “Suddenly one encounters a grove of peach blossoms, stretching along both banks for hundreds of steps, with no other trees among them. The fragrant grass is fresh and beautiful, and fallen petals scatter in profusion…”

Listening to Wen Ting’s rhythmic voice and looking around at the carved beams and painted rafters, the pavilions, flower terraces, winding corridors, and curved railings, Zhang Yang truly felt a sense of understated antiquity that contained deep luxury.

“So that’s how it is. If it’s called a luxury residence, it really needs a concept behind it,” Zhang Yang thought to himself.

They walked and paused along the way, passing through traditional streets and alleys and going by one residence after another. Finally, they stopped in front of the ancient-style entrance gate of a particular courtyard.

“How big is this one?” Zhang Yang glanced at the pair of stone guardian lions standing at the gate.

“Mr. Zhang, this one sits on about 0.2 hectares (~0.49 acres) of land. The above-ground building area is over seven hundred square meters (~7,535 sq ft), with more than five hundred square meters (~5,382 sq ft) underground. The usable area totals about fifteen hundred square meters (~16,146 sq ft),” Wen Ting recited the information about the residence fluently.

“And the price?” Zhang Yang asked again.

“More than ninety million.”

Zhang Yang nodded, showing little reaction.

But beside him, Xiang Xiaotian and behind her Xiang Xiaotian’s mother, Dong Yaru, both looked shocked.

Especially Dong Yaru.

A house worth nearly one hundred million!

Although their family owned houses worth tens of millions in Hangzhou and also in Shanghai, the reality was that when they bought them back then, the prices had not yet reached the current level.

Moreover, their family had pooled their entire family’s resources to buy their properties. But now?

This Little Zhang had casually come over to take a look, and the houses he was looking at were already close to one hundred million.

Even though he hadn’t bought one yet.