149: Chapter 149 The Allure of Half Rent and Free Utilities

Seeing Guo Haizao's calm and unhurried appearance, Manager Chen Sifu ultimately didn't dare to make the call. He pondered for a moment and suddenly smiled, "Guo Haizao, I didn't realize you were so capable. Can you tell me how you two met?"

Haizao didn't hide anything and answered frankly, "That day, my sister and I were browsing at the Hongdou Flagship Store, and we happened to run into that boss looking at cars. He found it too crowded and didn't go inside the showroom. Seeing that I had been inside for quite a while, he asked me about the craftsmanship and interior. That's how we met."

Hearing this, Manager Chen Sifu mused that many wealthy people indeed have many quirks. And a wealthy person with such quirks who drove such an understated car was either a super-rich tycoon or someone with a terrifying background. If Haizao could establish a connection, it would count as a resource for the company. He nodded and said, "Fine, you can leave work on time today. Have Su Tan come over for a moment."

"Okay, Manager Chen." Haizao breathed a sigh of relief, returned to her workstation, and leaned toward Su Tan's ear to whisper, "The boss wants you to go over. He probably wants you to accompany a client to dinner tonight in my place. If you don't want to go, you can pretend you're on your period."

Su Tan was a bit incredulous. "Haizao, why aren't you going yourself for such a good opportunity?"

"My sister and brother-in-law have something urgent and asked me to go over, so I have no choice. Do you want to go?"

Su Tan patted Haizao's shoulder. "Don't you know? The person Manager Chen is inviting is a big shot. You're giving up a chance to meet a big shot?"

"If you want it, it's yours. I really have things to do."

"You really are my good sister!"

After Su Tan finished speaking, she stood up and walked toward Manager Chen Sifu's office with high spirits.

Haizao watched her back and suddenly remembered what Manager Chen Sifu had said—if you're unwilling to go, there are plenty of people who want to.

It was indeed true.

...

Afterward, Haizao dialed Hai Ping's number and told her about the situation.

As soon as Hai Ping heard "half rent and free utilities," she immediately perked up. One of the main reasons she was anxious to buy a house was that living in the old building was too suffocating; the rent wasn't much cheaper, and she was constantly bickering with neighbors over utility bills. She was truly fed up.

After work, the three met up, had a quick meal, and hurried to Wenhua Jiayuan.

Standing at the main entrance, Su Chun looked at the towering apartment buildings and the spacious gardens inside, his expression peculiar. "Hai Ping, why didn't we rent a place here? The environment in this community is so good. If we lived here, we wouldn't be in such a hurry to buy a house."

Hai Ping gave him a sidelong glance. "Do you have any idea how expensive the rent is here? If Haizao hadn't told me the rent was half off, I would have walked around this place instead of through it."

At that moment, an "oversized volkswagen passat" stopped beside the three of them.

The car window rolled down, revealing Zhao Yang's handsome face. "Hello, you three. Get in, we'll head straight inside."

Haizao knew the value of this car and felt a bit constrained. "How about we just walk in and meet you inside?"

Zhao Yang waved his hand. "It's fine, come on up. There's stuff in the front passenger seat, so you three can just sit in the back."

"Then... we're really sorry for the trouble."

After saying that, Haizao pulled the door open and sat in the back row. Su Chun and Hai Ping followed her in.

Sitting in the spacious back seat of the phaeton, Su Chun couldn't help but touch the back of the seat, muttering to himself that it really was incomparable to a volkswagen passat.

Hai Ping stepped on his foot and reminded him in a low voice, "Don't touch things randomly."

Su Chun gave a sheepish laugh and said to Zhao Yang, "Mr. Zhao, your car is really spacious."

Zhao Yang smiled. "It's alright. Have you all eaten?"

"We've eaten," the three replied almost simultaneously.

For some reason, they felt a sense of pressure as soon as they saw Zhao Yang. The young man before them didn't look very old, but within that composure was an indescribable majesty.

The car drove into the underground garage and parked in a space. Zhao Yang said, "In a moment, we'll go through my house to see the apartment; it's just a few steps away."

The three of them were a bit puzzled.

Didn't the underground garage lead to the elevator? Why did they have to go through his house? Shouldn't they go through the hallway?

But soon, they understood.

The door next to the parking space wasn't an elevator door, but the basement door of a townhouse.

Zhao Yang's home was actually a townhouse within Wenhua Jiayuan.

Zhao Yang brought the three to the first-floor living room and smiled. "Make yourselves at home. I'm usually alone and quite busy with work, so I rarely come back. I don't even have hot water ready. Please wait a moment while I brew some tea for you."

After saying that, he turned and went into the kitchen.

Haizao and the other two stood in the living room, looking at the luxurious home decor throughout the house, none of them daring to move.

In fact, from the moment they entered the door, they had been dazed.

Su Chun and Hai Ping had gone through countless hardships for a house of their own, but here, they found that Zhao Yang owned such a large house all by himself.

Haizao suddenly realized something and quickly took off her shoes, whispering, "None of us changed our shoes."

"Ah?" Hai Ping also quickly took hers off. "We've dirtied his floor."

Su Chun stood where he was, a bit conflicted, and whispered, "My feet smell, what should I do?"

Hai Ping frowned. "You're such a hassle."

At that moment, Zhao Yang walked out of the kitchen. Seeing the three of them like this, he smiled slightly. "No need to change shoes. Look, I didn't change mine either. Please put them back on. Sit down, don't be formal. It's rare for people to visit this house."

Hai Ping and Haizao put their shoes back on, and the three sat somewhat constrainedly on the large leather sofa.

Zhao Yang took out several cans of different brands of drinks from the refrigerator and placed them on the coffee table. "Here, have something to quench your thirst. The water will boil in a moment; if you want tea, please wait a bit."

At this moment, Zhao Yang seemed like a polite aristocrat. Hai Ping and the others became even more constrained; besides responding with polite pleasantries, they didn't know what to say.

Zhao Yang took out a box of cigarettes and handed one to Su Chun. "Do you smoke?"

Su Chun shook his head. "Sorry, I don't."

Haizao glanced at the cigarette box and pursed her lips.

These cigarettes were something Manager Chen Sifu only used as gifts and couldn't bear to smoke himself, let alone bring them out so casually to entertain people. Clearly, Zhao Yang's financial strength was much greater than Manager Chen Sifu's.

Haizao said cautiously, "Mr. Zhao Yang, my sister and her husband want to know how the rent for the house here is actually calculated."

"Wait a moment." Zhao Yang reached out and flipped through the stack of flyers under the coffee table, pulling one out and handing it over. "This is the rental advertisement for Wenhua Jiayuan; the prices listed are the original prices. If a couple moves in, the price is halved."

Hai Ping took a look, and her heart couldn't help but skip a beat. The original price was indeed high, but after being halved, the price was much lower—only slightly higher than where they were currently living. Su Chun's heart also throbbed; this community looked much better than the dilapidated place they lived in.

"Mr. Zhao, if the two of us only rent one room, how is it calculated?" Hai Ping asked.

"It's half the price of one room." Zhao Yang smiled. "If you each rent a room, it's also half price for each. After all, couples who move in might not necessarily stay in the same room. Currently, only 3102 on the first floor and 3501 on the fifth floor are vacant. If you accept this price, we can go take a look today."

At that moment, the water boiled, and Zhao Yang went to the kitchen to brew tea.

The three of them looked at each other and began whispering in low voices.

"Sister, Brother-in-law, what do you think?"

...