Seeing him agree, Ni Bingyan breathed a sigh of relief and laid out her next requirement:
"I want a pre-owned house that comes with furniture, something with nice renovations. I need to move in before dawn. When you get there, video call me so I can take a good look. If I like it, you'll immediately bring a contract of intent to Number 6 Xishui Bay for me to sign! As soon as the sun is up, we'll process the paperwork with the full payment."
The young agent was stunned!
If it weren't for his professional ethics and the fear of burning bridges, he would have posted on Weibo with the hashtags #RichWomanInXishuiBayBuysAVillaAndMovesInOvernight!# and #CrazyThingsRichPeopleDoYouCantEvenImagine!...#
The news was juicy enough to get anyone's imagination running wild!
'Looks like no amount of money can hold on to love,' he thought.
Along with a pang of envy, the young agent also felt a little smug.
He might be poor, but he and his wife were deeply in love. They had already registered their marriage and were planning the wedding for the end of the year. By next year, he might even be a father!
'If I work hard for another two years and save up for a down payment, maybe we'll be able to have a little home of our own!'
Feeling a warm glow inside, the young agent swatted a mosquito fat with blood on his arm and pushed open the gate to Number 32 Yayuan.
The young agent lived in this area. Considering the time of night and all of Ni Bingyan's conditions, he had immediately picked out this house as the one that best fit her requirements.
Just as Ni Bingyan was letting the movers in, she received a video call request from the agent.
While watching the staff pack her things, she glanced past Aunt Li's anxious face and turned away to answer the call.
She needed to keep her eyes wide open and choose a home she truly liked.
The yard was brightly lit. The exquisite, two-story, red-brick house looked incredibly cozy at a glance. The front yard had a grapevine laden with fruit and a flowerbed bursting with color. A small bluestone path led to the backyard on one side and the front door on the other.
As the agent walked toward the backyard, plots of a vegetable garden partitioned by red bricks came into view.
It was July, and the fruits and vegetables in the garden were flourishing, a delightful sight to behold.
The yard was enclosed by a high wall—half brick, half iron fence—that was covered in all sorts of climbing plants.
The red bougainvillea in the corner was in full bloom. The roses in the backyard had already withered, but she imagined the house would be fragrant and beautiful again late next spring.
The night was hazy, so she could only make out the general layout. The finer details would have to wait.
Just from the yard alone, it was truly a dream house.
"There's no underground garage here. The parking space is in the backyard. I'm not sure if you mind that."
It was already the middle of the night. After showing half the property, the rich lady on the other end of the call still sounded unimpressed. He figured she was used to mansions and probably looked down on this slightly rustic, country-style house. The agent's initial excitement faded. Annoyed by mosquito bites and feeling sleepy, he started getting careless with his words, even pointing out the house's flaws.
Without an underground garage, the usable area of the yard was smaller, and the house's storage space was also reduced. Parking the car in the yard exposed it to the elements, causing it to depreciate faster. Many people cared a great deal about that.
Normally, he probably wouldn't have brought it up on his own.
"It's fine. Let's see the inside."
"Okay, please wait a moment while I find the key."
The young agent had always been a hard worker, eager to save enough money for a house sooner. The fact that he was the only one willing to make this trip while others weren't was proof enough.
'Even if the wealthy woman doesn't sign with me this time, if I maintain a good relationship, maybe she'll come to me next time she wants to buy or sell a house, right?'
'Who's to say?'
While searching for the key and walking to the back door, the agent began to tell her the story of the house:
"The old lady was in her eighties. She had tons of children and grandchildren, and they were all filial. They wanted to take her in so she could enjoy her golden years, but she refused. She said she and her husband had lived here for twenty or thirty years and had grown attached to the place!
"But alas, old age catches up to you! You have to admit defeat. It rained a while back, and she fell in the yard. She ended up fracturing her pelvis. They rushed her to the hospital and tried to save her for several days, but she didn't make it in the end.
"Now this house is left behind. With so many children and grandchildren, it's hard to divide. But it would be a shame to let it fall into ruin year after year. So they decided to just sell it and split the money. I don't know if that makes them pragmatic or just a bunch of unfilial descendants..."
He yawned as he finished his long spiel, then realized he'd accidentally bad-mouthed the owners again and gave an embarrassed laugh.
"The old lady didn't pass away in the house, so you don't need to worry about any taboos. Both she and her husband lived long lives—the feng shui here is great! This community is several decades old, so it's on the older side, but the quality of this house... I'm not just bragging, but a lot of new developments can't even compare..."
As he spoke, he opened the back door and switched on the lights inside.
The quality of the house was indeed excellent. The more she saw, the more satisfied she became.
"Miss Ni, I was wondering if you'd like to see a few more places? I know several others that might just meet your requirements..."
The young agent wanted to make one last push to close the deal, but to his surprise, the calm voice on the other end of the line spoke again: "Bring the contract. I'll take this one."
Tears instantly welled up in the young agent's eyes, all sleepiness gone!
'A house worth nearly twenty million!!'
'How much will the commission be?!'
'Come morning, I'll be famous in all the real estate circles in the capital!'
'I don't have to wait two years! As soon as next month's salary comes in, we'll have our little home!'
'My kid won't have to go back to our hometown for household registration. We can enter the lottery for public schools here. I'll be able to sleep more soundly at night, and we won't have to worry about the landlord suddenly selling the place and forcing us to move out in a hurry...'
'People with crooked minds might run into ghosts in the middle of the night, but people who work hard might run into a rich lady looking to buy a house!'
'SOB... It's true! My wife was right! Every day I work hard really puts my mind at ease!'
Seeing how emotional he was, Ni Bingyan no longer hid her own delight. She smiled and reminded him, "Don't rush on your way here. Take your time. Safety first."
Having bought a house she liked, her heart was also at ease.