Zhong Xia Xia didn't immediately respond. Li Shi opened her WeChat Moments and found nothing but real estate information.
He focused on the properties for sale, all of which were residential properties in nearby communities.
"I'm looking to buy a villa or a large duplex. Maybe I should find an agent who specializes in these properties,"
Li Shi remembered the agent from his previous rental experience - Zhong Xia Xia.
"I'll ask her."
After a while, Zhong Xia Xia texted back: "Boss Li, it's been a while. Can I assist you with something?"
Too lazy to type, Li Shi sent a voice message: "I'm thinking about buying a property. Do you have any good recommendations? Send over some listings for me."
Zhong Xia Xia responded quickly, also with a voice message: "Yes, of course! Boss Li, what type of property are you looking for and what size?"
"Something spacious, preferably at least four bedrooms. But I'm also open to duplexes or villas."
"Alright, Boss Li, please wait. I'll send you some property info."
She spoke very quickly, clearly excited about the business opportunity that had come to her door.
Soon, she sent over five property listings.
Two three-bedroom properties, and three four-bedroom ones.
Li Shi ignored the three-bedroom properties and looked at the three four-bedroom ones but wasn't satisfied.
"The property-purchasing restrictions in Tan Zhou are pretty strict. I'm not a local resident, so I only have a quota for one property. Might as well buy a big one and live comfortably."
"Also, considering my plan of building an image as a mysterious top-level collector, purchasing a luxury residence is part of that investment."
Once he'd made up his mind, he sent a voice message to Zhong Xia Xia, "Do you have any duplexes or villas that would be considered top-tier?"
Upon hearing the message from Li Shi, Zhong Xia Xia was taken aback.
She remembered him as a steady income earning white-collar worker who, with some family support, shouldn't have a problem affording a large-size mortgage in Tan Zhou, where property prices are relatively low.
Most of the company's clients are like that.
So she was really proactive about it.
But when it came to duplexes and villas, she had initially dismissed these out of hand. But now, he was directly asking about them.
And he even directly mentioned "top-tier luxury houses".
Could it be that she had misjudged him? Was he a rich "second generation" hiding his wealth?
She suddenly got excited. This Boss Li was her exclusive client. According to company rules, if she could sell him a luxury house, she could get forty percent of the agency fee!
Based on a 10 million property, the agency fee would be two percent, which is 200,000. She could pocket 80,000!
One deal like this would cover her performance target for half a year.
But… could he really afford it?
Zhong Xia Xia didn't hesitate. No matter what, she had to give it a try.
After pondering for a while, she replied via text: "Boss Li, do you want to buy a top-tier luxury house? Our company is one of the top real estate agencies in Tan Zhou. We have listings of all the luxury houses in the city. Are you free tomorrow? If it's convenient for you, I can bring the materials and have a face-to-face discussion."
She decided to secure the client first and then start searching for properties from the company's listings right away.
As long as you can sell it, the company doesn't care who does it. All property consultants can sell any property. After the deal is closed, part of the agency fee will go to colleagues who uploaded and maintained the listings.
Li Shi had been studying at home for over a month, only occasionally going out for a workout and meals. It was like he was in seclusion. Now that he had over 30 million in his account, he was ready to take action. If he hadn't seen any properties he liked, he wouldn't waste time meeting up—until an image of Zhong Xia Xia's fresh face flashed through his mind.
He laughed and thought that he should balance work and rest a bit.
So he decided to meet her the next day.
"I'm very busy. You'd better send over some listings first. If possible, we can take a look at them tomorrow."
"Alright, Boss Li. But I'm currently with a client. Can it wait until a bit later?" Zhong Xia Xia lied.
"Okay."
After ending the conversation with Zhong Xia Xia, Li Shi thought that besides buying a property, he should also think about buying a car.
Unfamiliar with cars, he asked Li Gui Ming on WeChat.
"Nissan Sylphy or Toyota Corolla. Both of these cars have good value for money and are worth considering," Li Gui Ming replied quickly, recommending two vehicles. However, after searching online, Li Shi decided to pick one out himself.
He continued his search: 'what kind of car does a low-key tycoon usually drive?'
The answers were varied.
After browsing and reading various car reviews, he finally decided to buy a Volvo xc90.
Four reasons: One, the price is moderate; Two, many netizens say the safety performance of this car is very good; Three, the appearance is decent, not ugly, and durable; Four, it's readily available.
The last point was learned from the Pacific Auto Forum, where he connected with a Volvo 4S store in Tan Zhou. They had the car model in stock and a promotional deal in place, so the car was available for immediate pick-up.
In the evening, Li Shi spent two hours reading "Selected Annotations of Chinese Literature." After finishing the "Mid-July in West Lake" by Zhang Dai of the Ming Dynasty, images of the Ming Dynasty West Lake scene seemed to be appearing in his mind: buildings and boats floating, people coming and going, faint sounds of musical instruments... Lost in the deep historical context, he gradually felt at peace. After finishing this chapter, he closed the book and went to sleep, dreamless.
The next morning, Li Shi got up early, jogged for twenty minutes in a nearby park, took a shower, then hailed a cab to the 4S store next to the Provincial Mansion in the New Heaven District. He purchased a black Volvo xc90, deluxe five-seater version for a total of 592,000.
After buying the car, he paid an additional fee for the store's staff to help him get the license plate. Due to having prepared all the necessary documents in advance, he was able to drive his new car with a temporary license plate back to the Qi Yang Community by noon.
After parking in the underground garage, the first thing he did was to rent a parking space from property management.
With the car purchase making up the biggest expenditure, he felt like mentioning it to his mother. But afraid of showing signs of sudden prosperity, and causing his mother to worry, he held back.
"Take it slow. After a few more times bragging about it and giving more financial support, by October, I will go back for a visit."
A little past one in the afternoon.
Li Shi drove to the "Green Pepper and Pork Slices" restaurant, secured a private room, and sent the address to Zhong Xia Xia over WeChat.
"Boss Li, I'm on my way."
By the time Li Shi had finished ordering, Zhong Xia Xia had arrived.
She was dressed in a red and white striped short-sleeve shirt paired with ripped jeans, which looked refreshed and revealed her slim silhouette that swayed like willow branches in the wind. Li Shi couldn't help but admire her for a little longer, murmuring to himself that he didn't expect such youthful and fresh-looking girl to be so well-endowed.
At least a C-cup, right?