148: Chapter 148 Let's make some deals.

When the four words "iPartment" reached his ears, Zhao Yang finally fished that dark-skinned traffic policeman out of his memory.

It was exactly the one who appeared in the first episode of "iPartment". Back then, Lu Zhanbo had just returned to the country, and Lin Wanyu had run away from a wedding. The two happened to meet and caught a tractor to head to the city. The tractor broke down halfway, and they flagged down a Mercedes-Benz to help tow it. The Mercedes driver was drunk driving and speeding all the way; the one handling the violation was this traffic policeman.

Zhao Yang tapped his forehead. No wonder he couldn't remember for the life of him; it turned out to be this guy.

"Brother, are you listening? You don't agree with this name?"

Zhao Yang snapped back to reality: "The name is great. I was just thinking if we should add another line: 'Couples move in, rent is halved, and all utilities are free'."

"Aha! We're on the same page! Since you're so generous, brother, it's settled! There's a wedding today, so I'll go announce the news right away to make the tenants happy. Are you coming to the wedding?"

"It's not very convenient; I'm still working." Zhao Yang smiled. What a coincidence. In the summer of 2007, the story of "iPartment" had just begun. Ah, youth.

"That's a pity. I only got this number after asking the property management. My name is A Jiong. Let's exchange contact info and get together some other day."

"Sure."

Hanging up the phone, the corners of Zhao Yang's mouth curled up slightly. He hadn't expected to become the landlord of iPartment. The laughter from Rooms 3601 and 3602 had accompanied so many people through their best years.

He gently tapped the table, muttering to himself: "Over at iPartment, couples get half rent and free utilities, with laughter filling the air all day. Over at 'dwelling narrowness', Su Chun and his wife are huddled in an old, tube-shaped building, isolated, dark, and full of trivial disputes. How about... I try to see if I can mix things up? It seems Su Chun and Guo Haiping also lived in Yangpu in the show."

Thinking of this, Zhao Yang picked up his phone, found Guo Haizao's number, and dialed it.

At this moment, Guo Haizao was sitting dejectedly at her workstation processing reports. Compared to the original drama, her life now was even more oppressive. Because Xiao Bei, her original first-love boyfriend in the show, had been scouted by Meimei to Tomorrow Culture as a male artist before meeting her, and was now an A-list male star.

By this time, even if Xiao Bei met Haizao again, there would likely be no spark. However, perhaps due to aesthetic habit, Haizao was now a fan of the actor Xiao Bei, and the photo on her phone case was a still of Xiao Bei.

In the original drama, she should have been sharing a rental with Xiao Bei at this time, living a relatively sweet life. But now, without Xiao Bei by her side, she was sharing a rental with a female colleague named Su Tan.

This morning, Manager Chen Sifu ordered her to accompany a big shot to dinner tonight and even specified her clothes—a blue, tight-fitting OL uniform, which must be paired with black silk stockings and high heels.

When she put this on, Su Tan made a fuss nearby, saying she looked gorgeous. Haizao, however, always felt it was weird; no matter how she looked at it, this outfit didn't look like what a respectable woman would wear, especially that skirt—it was so tight and short that she was constantly worried about the hem riding up, and her hands were subconsciously tugging it down.

Wearing such clothes to accompany clients for drinks made Haizao feel truly afraid. But the boss had spoken; if she didn't go without a valid reason, she would be reassigned. The so-called reassignment was naturally being stuffed into a worse position.

But if she really went tonight, Haizao was almost certain she would be taken advantage of in countless ways, and might even end up like the female protagonists in those stories she'd heard, encountering some terrible fate.

While she was worrying, the phone rang. She stared at the name "Zhao Yang" on the screen, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

This was a client she had in reserve; she had even sent him a "Dragon Boat Festival Greetings" message during the festival, but he hadn't replied. She didn't expect him to actually take the initiative to call now.

She quickly pressed the answer button: "Hello, Mr. Zhao Yang."

"Young Miss Guo Haizao, hello. When we first met, were your sister and brother-in-law looking at houses?"

"Ah? Yes, how did you know?" Haizao asked.

"I saw your sister holding quite a few flyers."

"Oh..." Haizao asked tentatively, "Do you have a house you want to sell?"

"No, that's not it. They're renting right now, aren't they?"

Haizao was even more puzzled: "Yes, they're renting. Why are you asking this?"

"I have a house available for rent in Wenhua Jiayuan."

"Ah?" Haizao subconsciously grimaced. "But they've already settled in, and the rent in Wenhua Jiayuan is quite expensive."

"It's like this... Apartment Building No. 3 in Wenhua Jiayuan has been renamed iPartment. That building targets couples, including young married couples, and has a promotion: 'rent is halved, and all utilities are free'."

"There's such a good deal? Mr. Zhao, is your house in Building No. 3?"

"Yes. However, not all the houses in that building are mine, but the whole building follows this policy. If your sister and brother-in-law think it's suitable, they can move. Renting is renting anywhere, and this way they can save money."

Haizao was a bit dazed and asked cautiously, "Mr. Zhao Yang, I'm quite curious, why is there such a discount?"

"Because many young couples in that building went from meeting to falling in love and then getting married. So we owners discussed it and decided to just call it iPartment. Couples move in, rent is halved, and utilities are free—just consider it as earning some Karma."

"Then... if I had a boyfriend, could I enjoy it too?"

"Yes, don't you have one?"

Haizao blushed: "No, I'm sharing a rental with a colleague."

"Why don't you go take a look too? Find a guy around your age to pretend to be a couple, and you can get the discount just the same."

Haizao was stunned: "Ah? Mr. Zhao, aren't you an owner? Why are you giving such advice?"

"Once this news gets out, people will definitely come to take advantage like that. It also counts as playing matchmaker and earning Karma."

Haizao bit her lip. This rich man, Zhao Yang, had a character much better than her boss. Her eyes suddenly darted around, and she said, "Mr. Zhao, thank you for telling me this good news. I want to go take a look with my sister and the others after work. Is it convenient for you?"

"Sure, I live in Wenhua Jiayuan. Call me when you get to the gate."

"Then... at 6:30, is that convenient for you?"

"Okay, I'll wait for your call."

Haizao put down her phone, took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and then quickly walked to the door of Manager Chen Sifu's office and knocked.

Manager Chen Sifu had just hung up a call and looked at her with a frown: "Haizao? Why aren't you preparing for tonight's drinking session? What are you doing here?"

"Manager Chen, I can't go to the drinking session anymore."

Manager Chen Sifu's face darkened: "What do you mean? Do you think your current job is too easy?"

"Manager Chen, listen to my explanation. A wealthy man has asked me to see a house, and I don't dare to refuse."

Manager Chen Sifu was taken aback: "A wealthy man? What wealthy man? What does he do?"

Haizao shook her head: "I'm not sure either. Anyway, he's not very old and looks quite rich."

Manager Chen Sifu curled his lip disdainfully: "I say, Haizao, you're not just making up an excuse to go on a date with some young guy and spinning this story to lie to me, are you?"

"I'm really not lying to you," Haizao said. "That wealthy man drives a phaeton, and his leather shoes are the same brand as yours, though the leather seems a bit better. I checked the watch on his hand online; it's 830,000 yuan. He asked me to go see a house, and I really don't dare to turn him down. If you really don't believe me, I'll give you his number and you can help me refuse."