บท 147: Two Lifetime Dream

On the third day of returning home, Su Qing had no classes.

After two days of preparation, Gao Shen finally set his goal and took Su Qing straight to the sales office of a high-end community south of the Summer Palace.

Standing at the entrance of the sales office, even Su Qing seemed a little uneasy.

"The wish you mentioned you had for many years was to buy a house?" Su Qing's eyes were filled with disbelief.

Gao Shen was very satisfied with the reaction he created and nodded with a smile. "Are you surprised? Are you shocked?"

"Do you know that the house prices here are very expensive? This is practically the most expensive area in the capital." Su Qing asked angrily.

In her opinion, was this even necessary?

"I know, it used to be 12,000 yuan per square meter, and the recent opening price was 15,000 yuan. This is for a regular unit and a duplex. If it's a townhouse, it's more than 20,000 yuan per square meter." Gao Shen had done his homework.

"Then why are you still looking?" Su Qing gave him a look that clearly said, 'I'm truly baffled by you.' "You know what? Everyone is saying now that the housing prices in the capital are inflated, and over 10,000 yuan is already very outrageous. It won't be long before they collapse. Do you even have any investment sense?"

Not to mention, Su Qing's background was in economics and management; both her undergraduate and graduate studies were in this field. Initially, her father suggested she study this so she could work as an accountant in their family business back home.

Now, her father probably couldn't afford to hire her.

Gao Shen was aware of the current public opinion. It was true that countless people were complaining about the high housing prices, but he could only smile inwardly.

This was one of the drawbacks of being a traveler—he knew too much.

He really wanted to tell Su Qing that if you had the money, you should buy a house as soon as possible.

Does over 10,000 yuan per square meter sound expensive?

It's okay; in a few years, you'll see that over 10,000 yuan per square meter is a bargain price!

Even in the outer suburbs of his home county, the prices had crossed 10,000 yuan.

Before he crossed over, he regretted it more than once. Why did he listen to the nonsense of so-called financial experts and analysts online and repeatedly missed the best time to buy a house, watching helplessly as the prices soared step by step?

Now, of course, he wasn't going to buy a house out of sheer revenge consumption, because he had better investment options.

However, he still wanted to fulfill a dream from his past life.

Why did he choose this high-end property south of the Summer Palace?

He wasn't very clear about other locations, but he had once seen an auction where a house here sold for an unprecedented 70 million yuan, despite not being in ideal condition. At that time, he also heard a friend's analysis: the school district and facilities here are the best.

So, buying here seemed like a sure bet!

"Listen to me, are you interested in buying or not?" Gao Shen urged.

Su Qing rolled her eyes angrily. "I have no money."

"That's okay, I'll lend you some."

"I'm a student; I can't afford a mortgage." Su Qing retorted angrily.

"Who do you think you're looking down on? Why would I buy a house and still need a loan?" After saying that, Gao Shen burst out laughing.

So rich!

No wonder so many people want to be wealthy; it's so much fun and feels so good!

Su Qing was even more surprised. "No, are you planning to pay in full?"

"Exactly," Gao Shen replied matter-of-factly with a smile. "If you want to buy, I'll help you pay in full, put your name on it, and you can pay me back later when you earn money."

Su Qing was genuinely stunned this time. She knew Gao Shen was serious.

"Are you crazy, buying a house like this?" Su Qing was a bit annoyed.

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me, do you want to buy it or not?"

Su Qing stared at him deeply and replied fiercely, "No, I don't want to buy it."

Gao Shen knew she was lying.

In his past memories, she had indeed thought about buying a house, but the price was just too high.

Not to mention, the accommodation at her school was quite average, and many people rented their own places.

But Gao Shen didn't say more and walked straight into the sales office.

…

This was indeed the most high-end residential area within the Fourth Ring Road of the capital, with the highest positioning and the most comprehensive facilities.

To the north, across a road, was the Summer Palace. The community was set to offer the best kindergartens, primary schools, and middle schools, as well as large shopping centers. It was also close to prestigious universities.

There were four phases in total, each an independent community. The second and third phases were currently on sale.

What Gao Shen liked most was the duplex in the first phase, which covered nearly 400 square meters in total. The apartment layout was excellent and perfect, and there were a total of 120 houses in the community. It was pedestrian-friendly, with each unit having an underground garage and exclusive parking space. The property management was also top-notch, truly making it a desirable place to live.

More importantly, the first phase had already been handed over; it was a ready-built house.

After Gao Shen and Su Qing were shown around by the sales staff, they were very satisfied. Even Su Qing, who had initially tried to stop Gao Shen, felt that if the house prices did not collapse, this would be the most ideal place to live in the capital.

"Are you sure this phase is completely sold out?" Gao Shen asked the property manager standing at the entrance of the first-phase community.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gao, but it is indeed sold out. There isn't a single unit left," the manager replied politely, recognizing Gao Shen immediately.

Gao Shen shook his head regretfully, muttering inwardly, *Damn, isn't this always your sales tactic?*

Isn't it always the case when you walk into a sales office—they claim everything is sold out?

In reality, they always hold back the best units on the most desirable floors.

"To be honest, I don't like the second and third phases. I like the first phase the most. I prefer to buy a completed house, and I really like this layout. I'm looking to buy a unit here, but…"

Before Gao Shen could finish, Su Qing quickly guessed what he was trying to do and interrupted, "Forget it. Listen to me, buy in Xicheng. It's much cheaper than here."

"Miss Su, Xicheng consists of old houses," the manager chuckled.

"But it has a subway, the best school districts, and everything is convenient. The price is also cheaper than here," Su Qing replied calmly.

"It's a matter of choice. Usually, those who come to buy a house here already have a home in the city center."

"Well, I heard that if you buy a unit in Xicheng first, you can come here later and buy a second-hand unit. Are you afraid you won't be able to buy a house with cash?"

Cash?

The manager was visibly tempted.

Buying a home with cash always has advantages, no matter the time or market conditions.

"Mr. Gao, are you considering paying the full amount?"

"Of course," Gao Shen affirmed, feeling the thrill of acting like a local tycoon.

"Well then…" The manager hesitated, as if contemplating a difficult decision. "Actually, we have reserved a few units for our VIP clients. If you're willing to pay the full amount, I think I might be able to convince the higher-ups to release one. But the price…"

Before the manager could finish, Su Qing interjected, "You sold the first phase for just over 12,000 yuan per square meter, right?"

"That was last year's price," the manager clarified. "Now the market is bullish, and you know, before the Olympics, the subway line at the entrance to the community will be completed."

"But that's still two years away," Su Qing countered. "Besides, the entire property market is not very stable now, and we are paying in full. You can't hike the price by several million."

Gao Shen watched with amusement as Su Qing, who had earlier tried to dissuade him from buying a house, now took charge of bargaining and negotiating on his behalf.

It was like old times; she was still the sharp-minded negotiator she had always been.

"Alright, give us last year's price," Gao Shen said. "I want a unit in the east building. If you can do that, we'll sign the contract right now and make the payment immediately."

Although he was in a city full of affluent people, the manager seemed taken aback by Gao Shen's straightforwardness.

It felt like Gao Shen was making a demand, not a request.

Could it be that he knew some insider information that even the developers didn't know?

…

Sure enough, the manager quickly "persuaded" the leadership to release one of the reserved east-facing duplex units, which had been held back for a major client.

This led to a fierce negotiation over the price.

In the end, Su Qing, taking the lead, managed to secure the large duplex unit for Gao Shen, at a full payment price of 13,000 yuan per square meter.

The total cost? 5.2 million yuan!

If Su Qing hadn't already seen that Gao Shen had such an amount in his account, she wouldn't have dared to negotiate with such confidence. Now, even though the deal was closed, she was in shock—and quite worried.

What if house prices did fall?

Gao Shen was never worried about prices falling. On the contrary, he seemed to see his property value multiplying tenfold in the future.

What made him even happier was that he had finally realized a dream that spanned two lifetimes: owning a home in the capital!

And not just any home, but a large, luxurious one!

The feeling was exhilarating.

By the time the paperwork was completed and they left the sales office, Gao Shen was grinning from ear to ear, his face practically radiating the word "satisfaction."

On the other hand, Su Qing had never been part of such a massive financial decision. Even though she was well-versed in economics and could calculate in the tens of millions with ease, she had never handled this much money before.

She was nervous about spending it all at once.

"Aren't you worried that house prices might drop?" Su Qing asked, still puzzled.

Gao Shen smiled, trying to reassure her, "Don't worry. In a few years, if you look back and see that house prices in the capital have fallen back to 13,000 yuan per square meter, the whole country will be celebrating."

Su Qing was unsure of how to respond. This time, meeting Gao Shen, she felt like he was completely different from before—like a new person altogether.

"Alright, on to the next stop," Gao Shen announced.

"Next stop?"

"Yes, let's go buy a unit near your school," Gao Shen replied with a smug grin.

"I said I don't want to buy one," Su Qing insisted."I'm not forcing you to buy," Gao Shen chuckled. "I'll buy it and rent it to you. Free of charge."Su Qing looked at him, stunned.

"Is that even a thing?" "Of course!" Gao Shen laughed. "It's called having a backup plan. And besides, I'm just investing in prime real estate." "But didn't you just say you only had a bit over five million in your account?" Su Qing questioned, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Yeah, but I still have another account in Hong Kong, with some funds saved up there. No problem buying another property. Plus, I'm planning to buy a house in my hometown too. My parents have been nagging me about getting a house and finding a wife. You know how it is—no house, no girl," Gao Shen explained with a wink.

"You know, I'm already twenty-five, and I'm not getting any younger. Do you remember that classmate Jingou from our elementary school? His kid's already in elementary school. And Cuihua? She's on her second child. I feel like I need to step up my game, or I'll be left in the dust," he joked.

Hearing his humorous take on things, Su Qing couldn't help but burst into laughter. Her laughter was so genuine and bright that it seemed to make the air around them lighter. Gao Shen glanced at her, joining in her laughter.

"You know," he said with a grin, "you should smile more often. You're beautiful, but you're always so cold and distant, no wonder guys are scared to approach you. "Su Qing's laughter faded, replaced by her usual calm demeanor. "Mind your own business," she replied, rolling her eyes at him.