Chapter 914: Shiqing, We’re Neighbors Again! (2)

Xiaoyanzi wiped away her sweat. She often followed real estate news, so of course she’d heard of this new development.

Located on the border between Upper City District and Binjiang District, not only was it a first-line river-view project, it was backed by a major developer, with a famous foreign designer hired for the job. The apartment design and community environment were both excellent; there were parks, schools, supermarkets, a five-star hotel nearby, and transportation was very convenient. No surprise it had become one of the undisputed “king of buildings,” and naturally the price was sky-high.

Although it hadn’t officially opened for sale yet, Qianjiang Waterfront Mansion had long been hyping itself up everywhere with massive advertising. Phase I of the community was almost finished and was being used as a selling point to attract customers.

Not long after it opened for viewing, Xiaoyanzi rushed over to take a look.

Back then, her impression of this development could be summed up in three words—tall, classy, and fancy!

It was the kind of property you’d fall in love with at first sight, but could only look at from afar, completely out of reach.

Her target price range was around eight to nine thousand per square meter; this kind of high-end project was already way beyond her budget.

“Yeah, it is a bit pricey. I happen to know the big boss of Qianjiang Waterfront Mansion. We even had dinner together not long ago. I asked him about it then—starting price is at least 10,888, and the best river-view units go for 12,888. Regular clients basically can’t bargain at all; they might even have to queue up and draw lots! But if I want one, he can give me a buddy price at an 88% discount, let me reserve in advance, and I can even pick the layout—but it’s limited to two units.”

Su Zelin said casually.

To him, that price was really no big deal. If he were buying for himself, he wouldn’t even need to cash in this favor. He mainly had to consider that his good bro here was pretty strapped for cash.

“Seriously? An 88% discount?” Xiaoyanzi’s eyes lit up instantly. “Su Zelin, you mean you can pull out two units and give one of them to us?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean!”

Su Zelin nodded.

“Eighty-eight percent… let me calculate how much that is!”

Xiaoyanzi pulled out her phone, opened the calculator and tapped away for a bit, quickly getting the result.

“9,581 per square!”

Their original budget cap was nine thousand, but adding a few hundred more to get into a top-tier bargain like Qianjiang Waterfront Mansion—how could she not be tempted?

“I think you should be calculating the 12,888 river-view units. After the discount it’s just a bit over 11,300, and the view is worlds apart.”

Su Zelin offered his suggestion.

“A bit over 11,300… Easy for you to say, Su Zelin. It’s not like we’re some filthy rich tycoons!”

Xiaoyanzi was completely speechless.

“You have to understand, property keeps appreciating. The more expensive you buy now, the higher it’ll go later. Let me put it this way: in another ten-plus years, apartments in Qianjiang Waterfront Mansion will very likely exceed 100,000 per square. What you’re paying extra now will look ridiculously trivial by then!”

Su Zelin shrugged.

“Over 100,000 per square? No way!”

Lu Haoran and Xiaoyanzi both sucked in a breath of cold air. They couldn’t believe what he was saying.

That was an astronomical figure. If that really happened, a single apartment would be worth over ten million!

Su Zelin dared to speak so firmly because he actually knew how this “king of buildings” would perform in the future—it would become one of those second-hand projects trading in the 100,000-per-square range.

The slacker continued patiently analyzing for the two of them: “Even if you go for a 150-square layout, that’s only about 1.7 million total. With a 20% down payment, you’re looking at 340,000. I figure the money you’ve saved plus what your families can chip in should about cover it. If it still falls short, I can lend you some. As for the mortgage, the monthly payment is around seven thousand. Just your income alone is more than enough to cover that. It won’t be any pressure at all!”

A monthly mortgage of seven thousand would be quite tough for an average fresh grad, but with the lucrative tutoring class path that Su Zelin had pointed out, the couple’s monthly income had already broken the 20,000 mark, so there was no risk of them defaulting.

Besides, buying property anytime in the first decade of the 21st century was a good investment; you could sell anytime and at least break even, probably with a profit.

“Exactly, Xiaoyanzi, you’re a high-income earner now. You should aim a little higher.”

Qin Shiqing also did her best to egg her bestie on.

After some discussion, Xiaoyanzi and Lu Haoran raised their budget from nine thousand to over eleven thousand. This was no small move; it completely disrupted their original plan. But both of them felt they couldn’t pass up this chance. After all, this project would be insanely popular—other people had to queue up and draw lots, while with Su Zelin they didn’t even need to line up and could still get a discount.

Even if they couldn’t afford the 12,888 river-view units, the 10,888 ones discounted down to about 9,500 per square were still a solid choice.

“Alright, Su Zelin, can we view the apartments? We want to take a look first!”

“Sure, how about after work tomorrow?”

“OK, tomorrow it is!”

The next evening after work, Su Zelin and Qin Shiqing headed straight for Qianjiang Waterfront Mansion.

It hadn’t officially opened yet, but the sales office was already crowded with people coming to inquire and view. The outside parking lot was almost entirely full of high-end cars—the cheapest were Passats and Accords, plenty of them were imports. Even Su Zelin’s Audi A6 only counted as mid-to-upper tier among them.

People with average incomes didn’t even dare consider this kind of property.

After waiting about twenty minutes, Lu Haoran and Xiaoyanzi arrived as well.

Su Zelin pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Before long, a middle-aged man in a suit walked over. He was the sales manager for the project, specifically assigned by the big boss to receive Su Zelin.

“Hello, President Su, I’m Li Beixiong, the sales manager at Qianjiang Waterfront Mansion!”

He was slightly surprised when he saw Su Zelin.

The big boss had already told him what kind of guest he’d be receiving today; he just hadn’t expected him to be this young.

“Hello, President Li.”

Su Zelin reached out and shook his hand. “Thanks for taking the trouble.”

“No trouble at all, it’s what I should do!”

Li Beixiong said with a flattering smile.

New Era’s reputation in Lin’an was simply too loud; calling it “rising like the sun” wasn’t even an exaggeration. Its current momentum even overshadowed Ah Li.

They were both called “President,” but as a sales manager he was on a completely different level. This guy could stand shoulder to shoulder with his own big boss—they weren’t in the same league at all.

After a few pleasantries, he invited Su Zelin and Qin Shiqing to sit down and poured them two glasses of water. He gave a brief introduction about Qianjiang Waterfront Mansion; Qin Shiqing listened with great interest, while the slacker didn’t really care. If he didn’t have to wait for Lu Haoran and Xiaoyanzi, he’d have gone straight to see the apartments.

About fifteen minutes later, his good bro and his wife arrived at the sales office, so Li Beixiong led them all out to view the units.

Xiaoyanzi and Lu Haoran had actually visited once before, but back then they could only check out the community construction; the show units weren’t open yet.

They looked at the 10,888 units first, and the two of them were already very satisfied.

It really lived up to its “famous foreign designer” label—the layout was very smart, with great natural light and cross-ventilation, and the interior space was used as efficiently as possible.

But once they moved on to the 12,888 river-view units, that saying instantly came true—no comparison, no harm.

The feeling of joy when you stood there looking out at the wide expanse of the Qiantang River was on a completely different level.

This was the irresistible allure of a killer river-view apartment!

Xiaoyanzi practically made up her mind on the spot—they had to grit their teeth and go for the river-view!

Besides, as Su Zelin had said, this place might hit over 100,000 per square in the future.

Even if they didn’t dare dream of a six-figure price, there had to be a shot at three or fifty thousand, right?

The couple didn’t even bother going home to discuss it. They decided on the spot and immediately paid a 20,000 yuan deposit, afraid someone else would snatch it if they were a step late.

To be honest, talking it over wouldn’t have changed much anyway, because the honest guy always listened to Xiaoyanzi. As long as his wife liked it, it was fine.

Seeing them make up their minds, Su Zelin sealed his own deal as well. He’d had a few target projects in mind, but this “king of buildings” really was the best fit.

After leaving the sales office, Xiaoyanzi was in a great mood. “Hehe, Shiqing, we’re going to be neighbors again in the future! And I really have to thank you, Su Zelin, for recommending such a great development and saving us such a huge chunk of money. Tonight, dinner’s on me!”

She’d booked a 150-square layout; after the discount they paid nearly 200,000 less. Xiaoyanzi was over the moon and couldn’t help sighing over how valuable Su Zelin’s connections were.

“So, what do you guys want to eat? Anything’s fine, don’t try to save me money!”

Xiaoyanzi said generously.

“How about paper-grilled BBQ? Haven’t had that in ages!”

“BBQ it is, gogogo!”