"Director Zhuo, I'm not trying to pull a fast one on you. The price should be based on the actual sale. According to your math, I'm the one who overpaid. The actual transaction price was only 4,260 yuan, but I calculated it at 4,900. I'm the one taking a huge loss here!" Yi Anguo said, feigning ignorance.
"Let me do the math. That means I've overpaid you by 1,300 yuan per square meter. For a 100-square-meter apartment, that's 130,000 yuan. If we just round things out for 1,000 apartments, that comes to 13 million yuan. Director Zhuo, when can you transfer that to me?" Yi Anguo said this with a completely straight face, looking utterly serious.
"It'd be more like it if I asked you for 8.6 million! And you still want another 13 million from me? You're really trying to screw me over!" Zhuo Weidong scoffed.
"It was only off by 86 yuan per square meter, and you have the nerve to squabble over that? Back then, I was actually thinking of asking you to drop it another 260 yuan and sell it to me for 4,000 per square meter."
At this point, Yi Anguo dropped the act. He knew there was no point pretending anymore; they had seen right through him.
"That's impossible. We need to make a profit. We can't work for free, can we!" Zhuo Weidong said, shaking his head.
"How could you be working for free? You guys in real estate development are all making a killing, absolutely rolling in it."
Yi Anguo didn't believe him for a second. How could anyone in real estate fail to make money? Especially in this era.
"Just the other day, I saw another new development in the same central district selling for just over 3,000 yuan per square meter at their opening. You're selling for over 4,000 and claiming you could lose money? Are you kidding me!" Yi Anguo continued.
"Different locations have different land acquisition prices, not to mention varying construction costs. You have a bare-bones apartment versus a fully furnished one, a presale unit versus a finished property. You can't just lump them all together," Ou Xiaolong explained with a smile.
"It's not that we're selling at a loss, but a discount this large means we're earning a lot less. And in business, earning less is the same as losing money."
"Why are you explaining so much to him? He wouldn't understand. Has he ever even done business before?" Ren Xingsheng said mockingly.
"Alright! No one is born a businessman. Everyone starts out knowing nothing. The more you experience, the more you understand," Zhuo Weidong quickly interjected.
Yi Anguo could sense that this man, Ren Xingsheng, seemed to dislike him and look down on him.
However, he wasn't angry. Whatever. I'll just avoid him in the future and not do any business with him. Problem solved.
The man named Ou Xiaolong, on the other hand, had a great attitude and was very friendly toward him.
After that, they all made small talk. Since Yi Anguo wasn't familiar with any of them, he mostly listened, only speaking when spoken to directly.
After dinner, the group went to the hotel's KTV nightclub to continue drinking and singing. Every man had a DJ Princess sitting beside him as a drinking companion, and Yi Anguo was no exception.
The other three DJ Princesses were wild and great at livening things up. They were also masters at drinking games with dice.
However, the DJ Princess Yi Anguo chose was timid and reserved. She was quiet, demure, and couldn't loosen up at all. She didn't even know how to play dice, and she'd start coughing after a single drink, her face immediately turning beet red.
When Yi Anguo put his arm around her, he clearly felt her body tense up.
When his hand slipped inside her clothes, he saw tears welling up in her eyes.
Yi Anguo couldn't help but ask, "Are you new to this line of work? Is someone forcing you, or are you doing this of your own free will?"
"No one's forcing me. I chose to do this. Today's my first day, and you're my first client, so I'm a little nervous. I'm sorry," the innocent-looking DJ Princess whispered.
"Ah, so that's how it is. No wonder you don't seem like you belong in this business at all," Yi Anguo said, a wave of understanding washing over him.
"If you don't like it and don't want to be in this line of work, then why are you doing it?"
"My grandfather is sick and needs a lot of money for his treatment. My father died in a car accident when I was very young, and my mother remarried later. I was raised by my grandparents," the DJ Princess said.
"I used to work in an electronics factory in the industrial zone. I worked overtime every single day and only made a little over seven hundred yuan a month. But my grandfather's surgery costs tens of thousands of yuan. I had no other choice but to do this. They said I could make ten or even twenty thousand a month here. I want to earn the money for my grandfather's surgery as fast as I can."
"If your grandfather finds out you earned money for his treatment this way, he'll be heartbroken. He'd probably rather die on the spot," Yi Anguo said, shaking his head.
Hearing Yi Anguo's words, the DJ Princess's tears flowed even more freely.
"What's wrong? Yi Anguo, you're being a bit rough, aren't you? Don't you know how to be gentle with the ladies? You've gone and made the poor girl cry," Ren Xingsheng said with a loud laugh.
As he spoke, he walked over and sat down on the other side of the DJ Princess, reaching out to grope her.
Seeing this, Yi Anguo immediately pulled the DJ Princess into his own arms. "What are you doing? You've got your own."
"You! What are you so protective for? She's just a DJ Princess. I can touch yours, you can touch mine! It's not like she's your wife, off-limits to everyone else!" Ren Xingsheng retorted, clearly annoyed.
"Don't take it so seriously, it's not a big deal. After we leave, she'll just have to accompany other clients anyway. Are you going to take her home and provide for her?"
"That's for later. Right now, at least, she's with me," Yi Anguo shot back.
"Alright, we're all out to have a good time. Why argue over a DJ Princess?" Zhuo Weidong said hastily.
"Ren Xingsheng, seriously. If you want more, just call for them. It's not like you can't afford the tip money."
"Brother Zhuo! What would I do with so many DJ Princesses? I just saw he made her cry and wanted to show some concern, see what was going on," Ren Xingsheng explained.
"I'm sorry, I was crying over my own affairs. It has nothing to do with this gentleman. He didn't make me cry. He was actually being kind, trying to advise and comfort me," the DJ Princess quickly stood up to defend Yi Anguo.
Everyone continued to drink, sing, and play dice. When it grew late, the party broke up.
At the hotel entrance, the men got into their luxury cars and left. The other three not only had luxury cars but also private drivers. Only Yi Anguo had arrived by taxi.
None of the four men paid to take a DJ Princess out for the night. After watching the other three leave, Yi Anguo's thoughts returned to the DJ Princess, and a bitter taste filled his mouth.
A pure and beautiful girl in the bloom of her youth… Once she steps into this line of work, her life from now on will be completely changed, utterly corrupted.
Yi Anguo turned and walked back into the hotel. He found the DJ Princess, who was standing in a lineup with other girls, waiting to be chosen by guests from a private room.
An ugly man in his fifties with white hair chose her. The moment she walked over, the man grabbed her in a hug. He leaned in as if to kiss her while his other hand shot out to grope her rear, causing the terrified DJ Princess to cry out in shock!
"Stop!" Yi Anguo stepped forward and shouted.
"Let's go! You're coming with me!" Yi Anguo said, grabbing the DJ Princess by the arm.
"Hold on! What's the meaning of this, kid? I picked this DJ Princess first!" the older man said, displeased.
"You're not suited for this job. Come with me. I'll give you the money for your grandfather's surgery!" Yi Anguo whispered quickly in the DJ Princess's ear.