"Alright, Mr. Long."
Zhou Zemin hastily hung up the phone and immediately contacted Old Tang from Datang Real Estate.
"Hello, Old Tang. I am Zhou Zemin, Chairman of Shengshi Group. Can you stop selling the remaining villas at Xiangshan Tanfu? I have a friend who plans to view the villas tomorrow!" Zhou Zemin stated his purpose directly.
Old Tang chuckled and readily agreed, "It's a small matter. Your friend is my friend. When he comes tomorrow, I promise him the most favorable price!"
"Good," Zhou Zemin nodded with satisfaction.
Afterward, Old Tang tried to probe the identity of Zhou Zemin's friend, but the latter skillfully avoided his questions. However, the more he tried to conceal, the more cautious Old Tang became. He immediately gave instructions that night to suspend the external sales of all villas at Xiangshan Tanfu. After some thought, he felt it was still insufficient. Zhou Zemin's solemn request suggested that his friend's identity was worth considering, so he decided to personally visit tomorrow.
...
Chen Fan slung his backpack over his shoulder and rode his electric bike back to the hotel.
The night passed uneventfully.
Early the next morning.
Chen Fan, on his little electric scooter, arrived at the Xiangshan Tanfu sales office. Han Shuying had originally offered him her luxury car for transportation, but to avoid attracting the attention of various factions, he had declined her kind offer. Moreover, he was accustomed to riding his electric bike these past years. It offered freedom and convenience.
After parking his electric bike, he leisurely walked into the Xiangshan Tanfu sales office. Xiangshan Tanfu was the most luxurious residential area in Hangjiang, bar none. Those who could afford to buy property here were either extremely wealthy or influential. Consequently, the sales office of Xiangshan Tanfu was also exquisitely decorated. The first thing that caught the eye was a long red carpet, stretching from the outdoors into the sales office, exuding utmost luxury.
Stepping onto the soft red carpet and entering the sales office, one was met with a dazzling, opulent spectacle. A person might even feel hesitant to tread here. However, for Chen Fan, this was commonplace. He had visited the Buckingham Palace, which was ten times more luxurious, several times. What was this in comparison?
Yet, his arrival did not draw any attention. He was simply dressed too shabbily! He didn't look like a wealthy boss coming to buy a house at all. Furthermore, it wasn't just him; other prospective buyers in the sales office were also receiving varying degrees of neglect! All the staff were busy, some cleaning, some setting up the venue. They were all working with the tension and order of preparing for the arrival of a major figure.
How could they pay attention to a casually dressed Chen Fan? It would have been good enough if they hadn't kicked him out. It wasn't until Chen Fan stood by the sand table for a while that a heavily made-up saleswoman, under her supervisor's arrangement, reluctantly approached him.
"Buying a house?" the saleswoman asked indifferently, pursing her lips while touching up her makeup with a small mirror. She had already decided to get rid of Chen Fan as quickly as possible. People like him would only waste her time. If it were any other day, she might have exchanged a few words with him, but today was different. The company's higher-ups had mentioned that Old Tang would be visiting today, and she didn't want to leave a bad impression.
Facing the saleswoman's indifferent inquiry, Chen Fan gave a faint "Mm." He was already accustomed to such attitudes.
*Heh.*
Dressed in cheap clothes, what could he afford? In the eyes of the saleswoman, people were already categorized. A buyer like Chen Fan had likely saved for over a decade just to afford the down payment for a small unit.
She said impatiently, "All the small unit properties are sold out."
Chen Fan pondered for a moment and then said, "Then villas, perhaps!"
Villas?
*Heh.*
What an exaggeration! The saleswoman glanced at Chen Fan again. A poor, country bumpkin, whose entire outfit probably cost less than two hundred yuan, was claiming to want to buy a villa? It was utterly laughable!
The saleswoman couldn't help but scoff, "Sir, all our villas are designed by internationally renowned master designers. Even a single villa is not cheap."
"Mhm, and then?" Chen Fan asked calmly.
*And then you can't afford it!*
The saleswoman really wanted to say that, but due to her professionalism, she held back and shook her head, "In short, villas are very expensive." She was already losing patience. She had encountered many such cheapskates who only inquired about prices and never bought. What was most infuriating was that some of these cheapskates would pretend to be able to afford it and leave with flimsy excuses. Clearly, in her eyes, Chen Fan was one of them. Inquiring about the price of villas while riding an electric bike? It was a complete waste of her time. Moreover, the company's higher-ups had already announced that all villas at Xiangshan Tanfu were temporarily halted for external sales.
"How expensive is 'very expensive'?" Chen Fan pressed.
"The cheapest one is eight million!" The saleswoman initially intended to tell Chen Fan that villas were not for sale today but then thought it might be amusing to watch this poor fellow make a fool of himself.
"Eight million?" Chen Fan smiled slightly. He had thought the top-ranked villas in Hangjiang would be much more sophisticated. Turns out, they were practically given away. He then asked, "And the most expensive one?"
*Do you even have the right to inquire about the most expensive one?* The saleswoman cursed inwardly. This poor bumpkin had gotten addicted to pretending! The cheapest villas were already exorbitant, and he still wanted to know about the most expensive one? Wasn't he just toying with her?
The saleswoman glanced at her watch, no longer in the mood to chat with Chen Fan. She snorted, "I can't be bothered with you." With that, she turned and stood aside, leaving Chen Fan ignored.
Chen Fan shook his head helplessly. Was clothing really that important? He could see the saleswoman's intention; she considered him an ordinary person and therefore a cheapskate who inquired about prices without the means to buy. But who was he? His combined glories were enough to make all the top figures in China tremble! Did he need clothing to accentuate his status?
Chen Fan waved at the saleswoman, who was still reapplying her makeup. "Is this the attitude of the largest real estate company in Hangjiang?"
"What's wrong with my attitude?" The saleswoman immediately bristled, hands on her hips, glaring at Chen Fan. "Don't think I don't know your purpose here! You just want to save face, I've seen plenty of people like you. But I still want to advise you, it's okay if you can't afford a villa, but don't pretend to be someone you're not; it's disgusting."
Looking at the electric bike parked at the corner of the wall, the saleswoman's disdain grew. With his background, how dare he inquire about the price of a villa?
Chen Fan shook his head in exasperation, looking at the saleswoman like she was an idiot. Not earning tens of thousands, or even millions, in commission, wasn't she an idiot? He was about to find another saleswoman and place an order for the most expensive villa.
However, at that moment, a middle-aged man in a suit suddenly shouted.
"They're here, they're here! Everyone, be alert!"
"Quick, quick, line up properly!"
Upon hearing this, the sales office staff immediately put down their work and rushed to the entrance, forming two lines to welcome an important figure.
"Hey, hey, hey, who is that? How did they let such a person in?"
"Quick, someone, get him out!"
"Don't let him offend Old Tang!" The middle-aged man shouted, pointing at Chen Fan.