The middle-aged couple was stunned.Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng were also dumbfounded.What was going on?Unable to pay the tuition fees?This...How much could the tuition fees possibly be?"Sorry, Principal Zhou, you're right. It's indeed wrong of us as parents. Yoyo's mom might really be struggling financially. And because she's upset with me, she didn't tell me about it, so I had no idea!" Ye Chen hurriedly said.He truly didn't know about this.But even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared or done anything about it before.After all, in his former state of being a drunken gambler barely alive, nothing else besides alcohol and gambling mattered to him.Hearing Zhou Xiaolan's words now, a deep sense of guilt and remorse surged in his heart.This time, it was guilt for Yoyo, remorse for Yoyo.Because if Zhou Xiaolan hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have known, even if he had lived to the age of eighty-nine in his previous life, that something like this had happened to Yoyo.Seeing Ye Chen's sincere and remorseful attitude, completely different from the man he was last June, Zhou Xiaolan was a little dazed.She had even prepared herself for Ye Chen to lose his temper, ready to have a big argument with him.But she didn't expect him to be so reasonable?"Disagreements between couples are normal, but how many parents turn their children's education and growth into a joke because of them?" Zhou Xiaolan's tone softened."You're absolutely right, Principal Zhou!" Ye Chen nodded repeatedly."I should also apologize to you. I acted impulsively just now. Please don't take it to heart," Zhou Xiaolan said."Principal Zhou, you're being too kind. I should thank you for your care and concern for Yoyo," Ye Chen replied. "If you don't mind, could you spare some time to accompany me to settle the tuition fees later?""No problem. I came out today just to accompany a friend. I can return anytime. Just let me know when you're ready," Zhou Xiaolan said.At first, Ye Chen thought Zhou Xiaolan might be buying a house for herself. If that were the case, he might have offered her the deposit reservation contract at a low price.But upon hearing that she wasn't buying the house for herself, Ye Chen felt there was no need to mention the contract.After exchanging WeChat contacts and phone numbers, Ye Chen continued to head toward the sales office."Mr. Ye, I have friends who can connect you with some prestigious private schools. If you're interested, I can help Yoyo transfer to one," Li Changfeng offered as they walked."No need! People should know their limits. We're not at the level of the wealthy yet. Throwing a child into those elite schools all of a sudden might not be a good thing. If she gets bullied or humiliated there and ends up with self-esteem issues, it'll be a bigger problem to fix!" Ye Chen shook his head.Li Changfeng awkwardly nodded, unable to deny the logic in Ye Chen's words.At the Sales OfficeWhen Ye Chen entered, he immediately spotted Xu Tong, who was busy beyond measure."Manager Xu, busy as always!" Ye Chen greeted with a smile."Ah, Mr. Ye, it's you!"The moment Xu Tong saw Ye Chen and Zhang Jingshan, his face immediately fell.Three days ago, these two had reserved two apartments for 200,000 yuan.Who would have thought that within three short days, a government policy would suddenly make Jinlin Mansion the hottest, most sought-after, and golden real estate in the market!Normally, with a deposit, the developer would only need to compensate double the amount in case of withdrawal.However, due to the lack of interest during the initial opening, a series of fixed agreements had been signed with them.Because of this, no changes could now be made.For what should have been properties priced at 40,000-50,000 yuan per square meter, they now had to sell to these two for just 20,000-30,000 yuan.The difference in price for the four apartments meant a loss of at least 12 million yuan."Manager Xu, what's the current price of the apartments I reserved earlier?" Ye Chen asked with a smile."Four... 48,000 yuan per square meter!" Xu Tong gritted his teeth, his face turning beet red."Oh, 48,000. According to our reservation agreement, anything over 8,000 yuan per square meter is discounted by 50%. That would be 20,000 yuan per square meter, plus the original 8,000, making it 28,000 yuan per square meter, right?" Ye Chen said.The 48,000 yuan price surprised him.In his past life, he had only heard of a fivefold increase but hadn't bothered to verify the exact prices.It seemed that being part of the "king unit" had caused the price to rise sixfold this time.But that was good—he could increase the asking price for his deposit contract."Mm," Xu Tong reluctantly hummed in agreement.Ye Chen smiled and turned to the middle-aged couple. "Sir, ma'am, this deposit reservation contract—2 million yuan. What do you think?""2 million?"Xu Tong's eyes widened.What the heck...He reserved the units with 100,000 yuan and was now asking for 2 million?A 20-fold return in just three days?"This... 2 million? A 100,000 yuan deposit contract, and you're asking for 2 million? Isn't that a bit outrageous?" The middle-aged man's expression changed dramatically.He thought it would be at most 500,000 to 600,000 yuan, or 1 million at the most.Now the asking price was 2 million right off the bat?"Outrageous? These apartments are priced at 48,000 yuan per square meter. With this reservation contract, you can get them for just 28,000 yuan per square meter! What would've cost you nearly 7 million yuan total can be yours for 4 million. I'm asking for a 2 million transfer fee, and that's too much? Even with the transfer fee, the total cost is only 6 million yuan. Not only do you avoid the uncertainty of the lottery system and the risk of getting less desirable units, but you also save almost 1 million yuan. And you're calling that outrageous?"Although Ye Chen understood this was a natural reaction, he deliberately put on a stern expression.Initially, he thought the prices might be 30,000-40,000 yuan per square meter and planned to sell the contract for around 1 million.Now, with the price at 48,000 yuan, asking for 2 million was completely reasonable.The middle-aged man was stunned."If you think it's too expensive, feel free to keep waiting in line. Someone else will take it if you don't. There's always someone who'll see the value in this!" Ye Chen said."No, Mr. Ye, please don't listen to him! It's not expensive at all—2 million, right? I'll take it! In fact, I'll take both contracts! 4 million for both. Please transfer them to us!"While the middle-aged man hesitated, the woman beside him became anxious, as if afraid Ye Chen would change his mind.Two contracts, with Ye Chen's 4 million transfer fee, would total 12 million yuan. Yet the actual value of the two apartments was already 14 million yuan in the current market, not to mention the added demand would only drive prices higher."You've been in business for half your life, and you can't even figure out this simple math?" The wealthy woman chided her husband.Ye Chen wasn't bothered.With a smile, he nodded in agreement with the wealthy woman."Manager Xu, please assist us with the transfer procedures," Ye Chen said to Xu Tong."Alright, this way, please!"After glancing at Ye Chen with a complicated expression, Xu Tong had no choice but to lead the way.200,000 yuan turned into 4 million in just three days.This... this had to be a record-breaking deal in the history of real estate speculation!