Chapter 88: At Least a Thin Foundation

Inside the branch’s signing room, Zhang Yang and Luo Xinyu sat facing each other.

Luo Xinyu removed her sunglasses and placed them on the table. The Aston Martin keys were casually set beside them, exuding an aura of wealth.

The few agents nearby didn’t dare make a sound.

Zhang Yang found the high-cold, heiress aura of Luo Xinyu somewhat amusing, considering she had come down to selling a property…

“These are the contracts. Please review them,” Pei Xiaoru said, her excitement barely contained as she placed the property transaction documents in front of them.

The transaction amount, naturally, was 110 million yuan.

To reach this price, Zhang Yang had gone through a lot of haggling-cutting ten million yuan off would not have been easy.

“If there are no issues…” Pei Xiaoru tried to steady her excitement, watching the two.

Luo Xinyu let out a soft hm and picked up the pen, signing quickly.

Zhang Yang skimmed the contract, found no issues, and also picked up the pen to sign.

With all three parties present, witnessed by the agents, the 300-plus-square-meter (~3,229+ sq ft) COFCO Seaview No. 1 property, valued at over a hundred million, officially changed hands.

Of course, the real excitement came afterward.

The agents were focused on the commission, while both parties still had to go to the property transaction center for escrow, title transfer, and to receive the red property certificate.

At least with the contract signed, the deal was basically secured-no surprises.

The branch manager exhaled in relief but didn’t immediately announce the news to the company group chat. He had to wait until the commission was in the bank.

“This… the commission, for you two.” The manager rubbed his hands nervously.

“Just handle it according to the rules,” Zhang Yang said, being straightforward because of their old classmate connection.

Naturally, commissions for luxury properties wouldn’t follow the standard full-percentage formula. The agents understood, and the discount was applied in one go.

Luo Xinyu wasn’t lacking either; she casually arranged for the commission to be transferred to the agent’s account.

Everyone at the branch wore expressions of excitement.

Selling a property worth over a hundred million was incredibly rare-scarce supply, hard-to-find capable buyers-and every successful transaction became a case study within the company.

As for techniques this time? None to speak of.

Everyone just stared at Pei Xiaoru with envy.

Pei Xiaoru’s heart raced as she watched the commission transfer being arranged, finally allowing herself to relax.

She had dreamed of selling a luxury mansion as a real estate agent for so long, and now, that dream had suddenly come true.

The commission she would receive was staggering-maybe not enough to last three years extravagantly, but certainly more than enough for a year.

Her phone kept ringing.

It was her cousin calling.

Pei Xiaoru hurried outside to answer. On the line, her cousin’s voice sounded hesitant.

“Xiaoru, the house you mentioned… did you sign the contract?”

“Signed. Commission received too,” Pei Xiaoru replied with a smile, showing no attempt to hide it.

“So… how much did you get?” her cousin probed.

“Enough to easily cover a down payment on a house,” Pei Xiaoru replied casually, hearing her cousin suck in a sharp breath.

“So, cousin, you don’t need to arrange dates for me anymore. Really, I’m not thinking about it.”

“I understand, I understand. I just wanted to ask… the client who bought the hundred-million-yuan mansion from you… and you?” her cousin asked.

“Him…” Pei Xiaoru glanced back at the office.

Inside, the tall, handsome figure was surrounded by staff, exuding an aura of wealth that could handle hundreds of millions casually-completely breathtaking.

He was her old classmate, yet someone she could only admire from afar.

“He’s my classmate,” Pei Xiaoru said softly into the phone.

“A classmate! Why didn’t you say so earlier? And this house… I admit you made money, but don’t lose sight of the gold mountain right next to you. Shouldn’t you think a bit more?” her cousin lectured.

Pei Xiaoru was momentarily speechless. How could she respond? For the first time, she felt slightly ashamed.

With the contract signed, it was Zhang Yang’s turn to pay.

After saving for so long, he now had to part with over twenty million yuan. Fortunately, recent cashback bonuses kept his liquid funds above ten million.

In return, he would own the COFCO Seaview No. 1, a dream for countless people, seemingly unattainable from birth.

The two cars drove one after the other, Zhang Yang in the Cullinan and Luo Xinyu following in the Aston Martin, heading to the nearest property transaction center for the transfer.

In the Cullinan, Pei Xiaoru sat in the passenger seat, unusually shy today, unlike her usual confident self.

Zhang Yang glanced at her side profile-her nose, fair chin, slightly trembling eyelashes, and tightly clasped hands.

“You seem a little off… didn’t you get the commission?” he asked curiously.

“I’m not off,” Pei Xiaoru said quietly, brushing her hair back, though her words contradicted her heart.

“Not off? Really?” Zhang Yang shook his head.

At the red light, seeing her poised posture, he playfully pinched her fair cheek.

By instinct, she blushed crimson.

“What are you doing?” she asked, slightly embarrassed.

“Not allowed to pinch?” Zhang Yang chuckled and kept driving.

Pei Xiaoru fell silent but eventually mustered the courage to look at his handsome profile.

“Uh…”

“What is it?” Zhang Yang glanced at her.

“After you bought the house, we… we’re still just classmates, right?” Her heart raced.

“Why wouldn’t we be? Buying a house doesn’t mean cutting ties,” Zhang Yang said, winking.

“No other kind of relationship?” Pei Xiaoru’s heart pounded.

“Other than classmates… what relationship could we have?” Zhang Yang asked, baffled.

Pei Xiaoru was too frustrated to answer.

At the property center, before getting out, she saw Zhang Yang take a call.

The phone’s conversation was clear. The girl on the line sounded sweet, Zhang Yang gentle-Pei Xiaoru went silent.

It was Bei Wei on the call, having lunch early as usual.

“Busy as always, don’t forget to eat,” Bei Wei said.

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Yang replied, then noticed Pei Xiaoru had already exited the car.

“You’re his girlfriend?” she asked, forcing a smile.

“Mm, let’s go. If we wait longer, she’ll finish work,” Zhang Yang said.

“Got it. I’ll handle it properly,” Pei Xiaoru nodded, keeping a slight distance unconsciously.

Behind them, Luo Xinyu walked past, exuding her usual heiress aura.

Inside the property center, the process went smoothly-signing, escrow, title transfer, and collecting the red certificate.

After the procedures, the COFCO Seaview No. 1 officially belonged to Zhang Yang. The former owner, Miss Luo, only needed to receive the payment from the escrow account.

Holding the red certificate in his hand, Zhang Yang felt a mix of emotions.

A light red book-so many people’s ultimate dream.

From a small town to luxury cars and mansions, what did he rely on? Slight luck and 99% effort.

“I, Zhang Yang, fully deserve everything I have now!” he thought, feeling grounded-effort always felt different from luck.

“Let’s go. I’ll move out in the next couple of days and call you when it’s ready,” Miss Luo said, waving gracefully and leaving.

“Pei Xiaoru, let me take you back,” Zhang Yang said, as if it were routine.

She hesitated. “Ah? You go ahead, I… I can go back myself.”

“Stop being fussy,” Zhang Yang said, pulling her gently along.

Inside the Cullinan, as he buckled up, Zhang Yang asked, “Are you going back to the office? I bet everyone’s waiting to celebrate, right?”

“Celebrate? Yeah, probably share experiences. There’s bound to be a company meeting too,” Pei Xiaoru nodded.

“You seem a little unhappy,” Zhang Yang observed.

“I’m not,” she said, looking out the window, lying to herself. “The guy I liked already has a girlfriend. All the so-called flirting was just me imagining things.”

“Who?” Zhang Yang asked knowingly. “I’ll check him out. Isn’t that a scumbag?”

She turned to see Zhang Yang’s close gaze and could no longer maintain her composure. She wasn’t naturally quiet, after all.

“You knew and still asked! You had me so enchanted, now you’re pulling me back to reality.”

She lightly tapped him, only to be pulled into his arms.

“What are you doing?” she asked, blinking weakly.

“I treat you as a classmate, and you want to date me?” Zhang Yang said. “Do you think you deserve a punishment?”

“What punishment?” Pei Xiaoru’s heart thumped wildly as she stammered.

“Find a place, and I’ll explain everything to you,” Zhang Yang said.

In the afternoon, inside a hotel, Zhang Yang left Pei Xiaoru, still half-asleep and dazed, alone in the hotel room while he stepped out, feeling refreshed.

Wealth and desire often go hand in hand, and humans are contradictory beings.

He couldn’t quite judge himself-if he were to praise himself, it might simply be that he acted according to his own will, unwilling to be bound by rules.

Having handled the most important task of the day, the afternoon was reserved for following the next mission step by step.

The branch was gradually running smoothly; daily transactions were stable, and word of mouth was spreading. Bei Wei had truly stepped into the role of a small boss at the branch.

Zhang Yang repeatedly emphasized to Bei Wei that she didn’t need to handle everything personally.

If more hands were needed, he would hire them; he could no longer bear seeing Bei Wei busy in the branch every day.

He also considered that after the duck promotion craze settled, he could rearrange Bei Wei’s schedule-flower shop, café, bookstore-not for profit, just letting her enjoy life peacefully. How nice would that be?

After leaving the hotel, Zhang Yang headed straight to the Wild Shark Fighting Gym for his daily hardcore training.

Ten days of Sanda intensive training, ten days of Saitama-style conditioning-what kind of person he would become afterward, even Zhang Yang couldn’t quite say.

The entire afternoon was filled with soreness, exhaustion, and pain.

Along with teaching him endurance, it drove home a painful truth: no one succeeds casually.

Even having a system was no exception.

By evening, exhausted from both midday activities and afternoon training, Zhang Yang slumped in the car, not even willing to move a finger.

Just then, Luo Xinyu’s call came through.

“I’ve mostly finished packing. Let me know when you’re free to come over and handle the handover, or tonight works too-I’m not used to staying in someone else’s place.”

She spoke in a businesslike tone.

“Tonight won’t work. Tomorrow morning,” Zhang Yang replied without hesitation, rejecting the evening handover.

Silence lingered for two seconds before a light laugh came through.

“You’re so timid. You think I’m going to eat you?” Luo Xinyu’s usually aloof tone briefly softened.

Feeling utterly drained, unable to lift even a finger, Zhang Yang’s mind was clearer and more determined than ever, with unprecedented self-control.

“I’m not going tonight. If tomorrow morning doesn’t work, we’ll set another time.”

“Fine, tomorrow morning it is,” Luo Xinyu hummed softly and ended the call.

Zhang Yang rolled down the window and drove home.

Tonight, he planned to do nothing, just rest as soon as possible.

The next morning, Zhang Yang woke up early as usual, heading to the Wild Shark Gym for his special training and Saitama conditioning.

After showering and resting, Luo Xinyu sent a message: the apartment was fully prepared.

“Almost ready. Come over.”

“Got it.” Zhang Yang’s expression brightened instantly.

Finally, the COFCO Seaview No. 1 apartment would be officially his. Excitement surged.

Like unboxing a new phone, even an ordinary person would feel thrilled. For Zhang Yang, owning a hundred-million-yuan flat for the first time naturally stirred strong emotions.

It was only human.

“Bro, what’s got you so happy?” A coach, noticing Zhang Yang’s expression, approached with a wide smile, trying to make small talk.

After a few days of interaction, he understood this was no ordinary person-Zhang Yang drove a nearly ten-million-yuan Cullinan. Naturally, the coach wanted to curry favor.

“Something great happened,” Zhang Yang said.

“Haha, surely some girl confessed to you again! You’re rich and handsome; there must be countless girls chasing you!” the coach praised.

Zhang Yang shook his head, smiling, and walked out.

At the underground garage of COFCO Seaview No. 1, he parked the Cullinan in the apartment’s designated space, with Luo Xinyu’s Aston Martin nearby.

“Two spots-one for the Bentley, one for the Cullinan. The Cayenne can stay at the other apartment for occasional use,” Zhang Yang said, closing the Cullinan’s door and heading toward the elevators.

In the corridor of the three-elevator, two-unit-per-floor building, Luo Xinyu’s home-or rather, Zhang Yang’s new apartment-had its door open. Several cleaners were tidying up, mostly finishing up.

“All clean, officially handed over to you,” Luo Xinyu said, giving him the keys.

Other matters, like utilities and property management, would be handled later-no rush.

“Thanks.” Zhang Yang took the keys without hesitation; after all, he had paid for them.

“Take good care of this apartment. Every detail, every item, reflects the effort I put in,” Luo Xinyu said, switching from business to sentiment.

“If you ever consider selling it, give me first priority.”

“Will you be able to afford it then?” Zhang Yang asked directly.

“You’ll see,” Luo Xinyu smiled, looking into the apartment. “Come on, check out your new home.”

With cleaners still inside, Zhang Yang didn’t hesitate and stepped in.

Inside the 300-plus-square-meter apartment, everything was pristine. No personal items remained, just expensive furniture, decor, and appliances-as if freshly moved in.

The expansive balcony overlooked the century-old Bund and the vast cityscape of Shanghai.

Standing there, Zhang Yang felt completely different from before.

Now, the apartment fully belonged to him. For the first time, he could enjoy the river view as the owner, feeling the freedom of simply watching the clouds drift by.

“See its value now?” Luo Xinyu asked.

Zhang Yang smiled silently.

Too much talking might show ignorance; better to keep this awe to himself.

Here, he finally understood the true scale of Shanghai, what it meant to stand tall and see far, to feel the aura of wealth.

Before, despite cashback bonuses and luxury cars, he lacked a solid foundation.

Now, with property in Shanghai, that foundation was firmly in place.

Humble as he put it, Zhang Yang could now be said to have a slight fortune, a modest foundation.

Others brag about cars and houses in Shanghai. When Zhang Yang said it, it was understated to the core.

Everyone might have cars and houses, but were they the same?

“All right, take your time getting familiar with it. I should go,” Luo Xinyu said, lightly brushing her hair. “Aren’t you going to see me out?”

“I’ll walk you out,” Zhang Yang said, heading to the door.

Before entering the elevator, Luo Xinyu looked back. “The wine’s left for you. Don’t waste it-I asked my dad; it was expensive.”

“Got it. The elevator’s open; what are you waiting for?” Zhang Yang said.

Luo Xinyu stepped in on her heels.

Moments later, the massive apartment was empty, leaving Zhang Yang alone.

He walked through it-everything was spotless, polished, and gleaming, as if brand new.

The wine cabinet still held the bottles, including the one from that night.

“Expensive? How expensive?” Zhang Yang muttered, pouring a glass and heading to the balcony, savoring the river view.

Back in the living room, he closed the curtains and turned on the 100-inch high-end TV, enjoying the sharp, immersive picture quality.

Only then did he sigh in satisfaction.

This apartment was truly a good purchase.

Several massive suites, a dining room spacious enough for any gathering, a balcony suitable for running-everything matched the imagined ideal of a home.

At this moment, he wanted to share his joy.

“Since I’ve moved in, might as well celebrate,” Zhang Yang muttered, checking his phone to contact Bei Wei and have some fun while sharing the news.

It was noon, peak business hours at the branch.

When he called, he learned that Bei Tianfu would fly from Rong City to Shanghai in the afternoon.

He was unusually serious about opening a branch in Shanghai.

“Afternoon flight. Bei Jiajia said she’ll pick up her dad,” Bei Wei told Zhang Yang.

“Bei uncle is coming to Shanghai? Why didn’t anyone tell me? I’ll handle it,” Zhang Yang said with a laugh. Perfect timing-he could host a simple housewarming dinner at his new home.

He called to arrange a high-end dinner at home for the evening, then left for the branch.

Calling Bei Tianfu his elder wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t the point.

The point was that Bei Tianfu was also his business partner, the true headquarters of Shudu Spicy Roast Duck.

Future Shanghai franchise matters-training, materials, countless details-still needed coordination with Bei Tianfu. His arrival in Shanghai meant mutual benefits.

Outside the Shudu Spicy Roast Duck branch, Zhang Yang parked and immediately saw Bei Jiajia and Bei Wei inside.

“Handsome Zhang!” Bei Jiajia waved energetically from afar.

“Bei uncle’s coming to Shanghai? Why didn’t you tell me? What time is the flight? I’ll go pick him up with you,” Zhang Yang said, smiling.

“No need, Zhang handsome, just a small matter,” Bei Jiajia laughed. “I’ll pick him up, and we’ll have dinner together tonight.”

“I’ll handle it,” Zhang Yang said, waving his hand decisively.