56: Chapter 56 3.6 million
The two finished their breakfast in silence.
Back in the room, Lin Wan changed her shoes and sat down on the sofa by the window.
Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling window, spreading a warm glow across her knees.
She picked up her phone and began browsing the materials for the afternoon's Moot Court, her fingers sliding slowly across the screen.
Jiang Chen sat at the foot of the bed, showing no sign of being in a hurry to leave.
The room was very quiet, save for the occasional sound of pages turning and the distant whistle of a boat from the river outside.
After reading for about thirty minutes, Lin Wan looked up, her gaze falling on Jiang Chen.
He was lying on the sofa, scrolling through videos.
"Didn't you say you had things to do this morning?" she asked.
"No rush."
"I still need to prepare some more materials on my end," Lin Wan said, setting her phone aside. "If you're busy, you can just drop me off first."
"Okay."
Lin Wan stood up, bent over to pick up her bag from the sofa, and checked to make sure she hadn't left her phone behind.
Jiang Chen also rose from the edge of the bed, casually draping his jacket over his arm.
The two of them walked out of the room one after the other.
The carpet in the hallway was thick, making no sound when stepped upon.
They took the elevator downstairs and checked out; the bellhop had already driven the car over.
Getting into the car, Jiang Chen started the engine and drove out of the hotel driveway.
The atmosphere inside the car was a bit different from the morning.
In the morning, having just emerged from that night, there was still a lingering subtle something between them that made one's ears burn.
Now, that feeling had slowly settled, turning into a quieter, more natural way of being together.
As the car turned onto Xuefu Road and passed the row of street-side shops, Jiang Chen's gaze swept over them again, but he didn't slow down, driving straight toward Jiangcheng University.
As they neared the main gate, Lin Wan pointed to the roadside. "Just stop here. I'll walk in. You go ahead and take care of your business."
Jiang Chen pulled the car over to the curb.
Lin Wan unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to look at him.
He noticed her gaze and turned his head.
She leaned over and lightly pressed a kiss onto his lips.
The movement was quick but natural, like a farewell that had been performed many times before.
"Don't forget, three o'clock this afternoon," she said softly.
Jiang Chen looked at her, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. "I won't forget."
Lin Wan nodded, pushed open the car door, and got out.
She bent down to take one more look inside the car, waved at him, then closed the door and turned toward the school gate.
After a few steps, she heard the sound of the car window rolling down behind her, but she didn't look back, only slowing her pace slightly.
Sitting in the car, Jiang Chen watched her enter the school gate, her figure disappearing under the shade of the plane trees.
He rolled up the window, started the car, turned the steering wheel to the left, and drove along Xuefu Road toward the north gate.
From the main gate to the north gate was only a three or four-minute drive; he had traveled this road countless times.
In less than five minutes, he saw the row of shops.
He parked the car in a roadside space and got out.
The volcanic gray body of the car gleamed coldly in the sunlight, looking somewhat out of place on this old street.
Jiang Chen didn't care. He stood by the car and looked over the row of shops from beginning to end.
At No. 127 was a print shop, its rolling shutter half-open, with the hum of a photocopier coming from inside.
At No. 128 was a milk tea shop, where a girl with a ponytail was putting pearls into a cup.
At No. 129 was a convenience store with several cardboard boxes full of drinks at the entrance and a handwritten notice posted next to the rolling shutter.
"Shop for sale, contact by phone if interested," followed by a string of phone numbers. The edges of the paper were curled, and the tape holding it in place had turned yellow.
The storefronts weren't large, about forty or fifty square meters, but they had an excellent location directly facing the north gate of Jiangcheng University; students had to pass through here to enter or exit.
The morning rush hour had just passed, and the flow of people on the street had decreased significantly, but there were still three or four students queuing at the milk tea shop, and people were going in and out of the convenience store's checkout counter.
He walked along the sidewalk, his gaze lingering for a moment on each shop's sign, rolling shutter, and even the cracks in the corners of the walls.
When he reached No. 129, he stopped and entered the phone number from the notice into his phone.
The phone rang three times before being answered.
"Hello?" a slightly raspy, elderly male voice answered.
"Hello, I saw the for-sale notice at the No. 129 convenience store. Are all ten shops yours?"
"Yes, yes, they're all mine. Ten units in a row, from No. 127 to 136."
The other person's voice suddenly rose, filled with eagerness. "Are you looking to buy the shops?"
"Yes, I'm planning to do some business around here recently and want to find a suitable location to open a shop. Your location is good, facing the school's north gate; the foot traffic should be decent."
"You bet!"
Boss Chen's voice became even more eager. "I've been on this street for twenty-three years, and I know it better than anyone. Students pass through here coming and going; there's a constant stream of people all day long. If you're opening a shop, you can't go wrong choosing this spot."
"I'd like to take a look first. Is it convenient for you now?"
"Convenient, very convenient! I'm nearby and can be there in five minutes. Just wait at the entrance of No. 129."
Jiang Chen hung up and waited at the convenience store entrance.
He checked the time.
Ten-fifteen.
In less than five minutes, a man in his fifties walked over quickly. He was wearing a jacket, had graying hair, and deep-set eyes, looking as if he hadn't slept well for several days.
"Hello, hello. My surname is Chen."
He hurried over, wiped his hands on his clothes, and extended his hand.
Jiang Chen shook it and found his palms rough and his knuckles large—the hands of someone who had worked for half a lifetime.
"My surname is Jiang."
Boss Chen sized him up, his gaze pausing for a moment on his young face.
He then glanced at the volcanic gray panamera behind him. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but it was quickly masked by eagerness.
"What kind of shop do you plan to open, Mr. Jiang?" he asked tentatively.
"A coffee shop."
Jiang Chen said casually, "There are many students here, so coffee should be easy to sell."
"A coffee shop is great! Students love coffee. Look over there..."
Boss Chen pointed to a nearby cafe. "That place has always done good business. If you open one, it'll definitely be better than theirs."
Jiang Chen smiled but didn't respond.
"Come on, let me show you the shops first."
Boss Chen rubbed his hands, took out his keys, and started opening the doors one by one, beginning with No. 127.
Jiang Chen went inside every single one.
Looking at all ten took nearly thirty minutes.
By the time they came out of the last one, a fine layer of sweat had formed on Boss Chen's forehead, but the smile on his face never wavered.
Standing at the entrance of the No. 129 convenience store, Jiang Chen asked, "Boss Chen, how do you plan to sell them?"
Boss Chen hesitated before saying, "400,000 for a single unit. If you take all ten as a package—3.9 million. If you're only opening one coffee shop, Mr. Jiang, one unit is actually enough; you don't need to take them all."
"I want to do something on a larger scale," Jiang Chen said. "If I take all ten, I can plan other types of businesses besides the coffee shop. How much cheaper can you make the package?"
Boss Chen was silent for a while, his lips pressed into a thin line.
His hand unconsciously fiddled with his keychain, a movement that betrayed his anxiety.
He finally spoke, his voice a bit lower than before, and his smile faded slightly.
"Mr. Jiang, I won't hide it from you. My son lost money speculating on real estate in Shenzhen, and the hole is quite large. I'm in urgent need of money right now."
"If it weren't for having no other choice, I wouldn't sell these ten shops. I've been on Xuefu Road for twenty-three years, watching these shops support my whole family day by day..."
His voice choked up, and he paused.
"3.8 million! 3.8 million for the ten units. I can't go any lower."
Jiang Chen looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds.
"3.6 million," he said. "If that works, full payment, cleared within three days."
Boss Chen was stunned for a moment, his lips moving as if he were doing the math.
There was a 200,000 difference between 3.6 million and 3.8 million, but full payment within a week meant he could get the money immediately to fill his son's hole.
No more waiting, no more worrying, no more tossing and turning every night, unable to sleep.
He lowered his head, looking at his hands that had fiddled with keychains for twenty-three years, and was silent for a long time.
"Okay."
He looked up, his voice much lower than before, but there was a sense of finality and exhaustion in his tone.
"3.6 million it is! Mr. Jiang, you're a straightforward man."
"We'll sign the contract today, and I'll pay the deposit today."
Jiang Chen said, "Get the Property Ownership Certificate, Land Use Certificate, and all relevant materials ready, and we'll go straight through the formalities."
Boss Chen nodded. "No problem."