42: Chapter 42 First Encounter with Bai Lu

The car sped across the Shenjiang Bay Bridge, and after passing two more intersections, it arrived at the entrance of the Shenjiangwan Community's underground garage.

Qin Yi raised an eyebrow. He had thought he would need to stop and register, as this was his first time here and the property management might not have his license plate information on file.

Unexpectedly, the moment his car approached, the garage gate lifted automatically.

Qin Yi felt a slight stir in his heart. He lightly stepped on the gas, and the car slowly drove in.

After a brief thought, he understood the reason—Bai Lu, the property manager of Shenjiangwan Community, must have entered his license plate number into the System in advance.

As for how Bai Lu knew it, Manager Zhang Bo of the Wanhao Car Dealership must have told her.

Such thoughtful and meticulous service made Qin Yi feel a slight sense of goodwill toward her.

...

However, although Qin Yi had successfully entered the garage, he didn't know where the parking spaces for Building 7 were located.

Qin Yi didn't want to wander around the garage like a headless fly.

So, while slowing down, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Bai Lu's number.

The phone rang only once before it was picked up.

Before Qin Yi could speak, a respectful yet somewhat mature, 'big sister' type female voice came through the phone.

“Hello, Mr. Qin. I am Bai Lu, the property manager of Shenjiangwan Community. How can I help you?”

Usually, Bai Lu would have finished work and gone home long ago. But today was different; to receive a VIP like Qin Yi, she had exceptionally worked overtime and had been waiting in the office.

If Qin Yi hadn't returned tonight, Bai Lu was prepared to just make do for the night in her office.

Qin Yi stepped on the brakes and replied, “Hello, Manager Bai. I've just entered the community garage, but I'm not sure where the parking spaces for Building 7 are.”

On the other end of the line, Bai Lu's voice immediately became tense: “Ah, Mr. Qin, you've already arrived at the community... Please wait a moment, I'll head over right now!”

Qin Yi smiled slightly and added, “Yeah, I just drove into the garage. Oh, while you're coming over, bring the keys to the top floor apartment so I don't have to go find you to get them later.”

“Alright, Mr. Qin, I'll be right there!” When Bai Lu said this, her tone was full of respect and enthusiasm. Even through the phone, both Qin Yi and Xu Qian could feel it.

After hanging up, Xu Qian, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at Qin Yi with a slightly surprised gaze.

She hesitated for a moment but couldn't help asking the doubt in her heart: “Young Master Qin, do you really live here? But I feel like you're quite unfamiliar with this place... and why are your house keys with the property manager?”

Qin Yi gave a light cough and smiled awkwardly, explaining, “I do live here. However, your feeling isn't wrong. This is indeed my first time here. I've been living in the school dorms before. Since I've delayed my graduation by a year, my previous dorm was taken back by the school, and new dorms won't be reassigned until school starts in September. So, I just bought a few units here to live in temporarily.”

“Uh... I see...” Xu Qian nodded, her gaze looking around through the car window.

Suddenly, Xu Qian saw a familiar car and pointed ahead to the side, reminding him, “Hey, Young Master Qin, isn't that cullinan BB edition parked up ahead? And that one looks like a Koenigsegg One:1! Over there should be the parking spaces for Building 7...”

Hearing Xu Qian's reminder, Qin Yi looked in the direction her slender finger was pointing. He saw several brand-new cars parked neatly ahead—the ones he had just acquired that afternoon.

The corners of Qin Yi's mouth curled up slightly as he said with a smile, “Haha, you've got quite a good eye.”

Immediately after, he stepped on the gas, and the car drove smoothly toward that parking area.

Qin Yi parked in a random empty spot. After getting out, he glanced around and thought to himself: 'Anyway, all these parking spaces are mine, it's the same wherever I park.'

At this moment, a rapid 'clack, clack, clack...' of high heels hitting the ground was heard. Bai Lu, dressed in an OL suit, came trotting toward them.

Her face carried an apologetic look, and there was a slight sweat on her forehead, clearly showing she had rushed over without stopping.

“You must be Bai Lu, Manager Bai, right?” Qin Yi smiled and waved to her.

Bai Lu quickly stopped, bowed slightly, and responded respectfully, “Hello, Mr. Qin. I am Bai Lu, the property manager of Shenjiangwan Community. I am very sorry for keeping you waiting.”

While speaking, Bai Lu's gaze turned to Xu Qian standing beside Qin Yi. She nodded slightly and said, “This beautiful Young Miss must be Mr. Qin's girlfriend?”

Hearing this, a flash of awkwardness crossed Xu Qian's face, but she didn't deny it.

Actually, she was quite conflicted; she wasn't sure if she counted as Young Master Qin's girlfriend right now...

If she said yes, she didn't seem to know much about Young Master Qin; but if she said no, the two of them had already done *that* in the car just now.

...

Qin Yi didn't mind these things. He opened the front trunk, looked at the shopping bags filled to the brim, and said to Bai Lu quite familiarly, “Since you're here, help us carry them up. By the way, did you bring the keys to the top floor apartment?”

“I brought them, I brought them...” Bai Lu responded quickly, stepping forward to help move things out of the car.

Qin Yi also picked up a few bags, and the two of them quickly moved all the shopping bags out.

Xu Qian wanted to help, but Qin Yi waved his hand lightly, indicating she didn't need to lift a finger.

“Alright, let's go, Manager Bai. Take me to see my apartment...”

“Certainly, Mr. Qin. Please follow me...”

After Bai Lu finished speaking, she led the way toward the entrance of Building 7's second basement floor.

Qin Yi carried shopping bags in one hand and held Xu Qian's hand with the other, following behind Bai Lu.

On the way, Bai Lu introduced the parking area of Building 7 and the overall situation of the community to Qin Yi.

When Qin Yi asked about the community's occupancy rate, Bai Lu replied, “Except for Building 7, the occupancy rate of the other six buildings is basically at eighty percent. Among them, tenants account for about twenty percent.”

“Uh... what about Building 7?” Xu Qian, standing aside, was a bit puzzled. she didn't understand why Building 7 was being excluded separately.

Bai Lu was a bit surprised, thinking to herself, 'Aren't you Mr. Qin's girlfriend? Building 7 was bought by Mr. Qin alone; didn't he tell you about this?'

So, Bai Lu didn't answer immediately but glanced at Qin Yi, asking with her eyes whether she should tell the truth.

Qin Yi didn't intend to hide it, so he nodded lightly.

Having received Qin Yi's permission, Bai Lu explained with a smile, “Because Building 7 is currently owned personally by Mr. Qin.”

Hearing this, Xu Qian's eyes widened in shock.

She tightened her grip on Qin Yi's arm and asked in disbelief, “Young Master Qin, when you said you bought a few units earlier, did you mean this entire building?”

Qin Yi coughed lightly and laughed, “Hehe, don't be so excited. I was just afraid of scaring you...”

While speaking, Qin Yi looked at Bai Lu again and continued, “Oh, right... Manager Bai, I almost forgot something. Unit 1701 on the 17th floor, I sold it to a friend this afternoon. Take a note of it and remember to remind me later; the title transfer procedures haven't been handled yet.”

“1701? That should be the 248-square-meter layout with 4 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, and 3 bathrooms, right? May I ask how much Mr. Qin sold it for?” Bai Lu asked with some curiosity.

After saying it, Bai Lu felt it was somewhat inappropriate and added, “I'm sorry. Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Qin. It's a professional habit; the question just slipped out. Our community's current average price is around 250,000 per square meter. Building 7 is the crown jewel of the community with the best location and layouts, so the unit price should be even higher. I was worried Mr. Qin sold it too cheaply.”

“Haha, it's fine. The buyer is my friend. He was originally going to give 66 million, but I rounded it down for him and only asked for 60 million...” Qin Yi said nonchalantly.

Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Bai Lu's eyes. That was six million, not six hundred bucks! Who 'rounds down' like that!

However, thinking about how this man could buy an entire building in full, Bai Lu felt relieved and thought to herself: 'True, if he can buy a building worth seven or eight billion, he wouldn't care about six or seven million...'

Bai Lu complimented with a smile, “Mr. Qin is truly good to his friends.”

While talking, the three of them had already entered the elevator.

...

The elevator doors slowly closed with a slight 'humming' sound, isolating the outside bustle.

Since Building 7 was now personally owned by Qin Yi, no one else would get on midway except for the three of them.

Bai Lu lightly swiped the access card, and the elevator indicator quickly settled on the 33rd floor. The entire process didn't require manual pressing, which was extremely convenient.

However, in this spacious elevator, it was so quiet that only the sound of the elevator running remained. Bai Lu felt it was necessary to break the silence.

She cleared her throat softly and introduced with a smile, “Mr. Qin, our Building 7 is divided into two units, A and B, with a total of 33 floors. Floors 1 to 18 are what we call the 'Exquisite Series,' with moderate sizes ranging from 180 to 260 square meters. Each unit has four elevators serving two households, with a total of 72 households. Floors 19 to 32 are what we call the 'Luxury Series,' with areas exceeding 400 square meters, two elevators serving one household, offering noble privacy, with a total of 28 households.”

“As for the top floor, the 33rd floor, it's a massive penthouse where units A and B are combined. You can enter from either unit. Each unit has four elevators that go directly to the 33rd floor. The area is nearly 900 square meters, making it the largest layout in the entire community. Moreover, the view is excellent; you can see the Shenjiang River directly.”

Bai Lu's voice echoed in the elevator. Her finger slid lightly across the elevator wall as if she were sketching the layout of every floor.

Qin Yi listened quietly. Following Bai Lu's introduction, it was as if he could penetrate the elevator's steel shell and see the life scenes of every household...

Xu Qian stood to the side, silently calculating in her heart.

She had worked as a real estate agent for a while before and had some understanding of the value of such high-end properties.

At an average price of 250,000 per square meter, a 900-square-meter penthouse would have a total price as high as 225 million.

Initially calculating this price, she was truly taken aback. But thinking about Young Master Qin's feat of splurging 3.7 billion at the car dealership today, she felt that such a property was merely a drop in the bucket for him.

...

The elevator was very fast. Before long, the indicator jumped to the 33rd floor.

The elevator doors slowly opened, and a gust of fresh air greeted them, mixed with the unique moist scent of the Shenjiang River.

Naturally, the owner's front door had to be opened by the owner himself.

Bai Lu respectfully handed the keys to Qin Yi while taking the shopping bags from his hands.

Qin Yi took the keys, his fingers lightly stroking them, feeling their texture and temperature. At the same time, a flash of anticipation and excitement crossed his eyes.