Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

"Thirty-something thousand is not bad at all. Getting together, of course, no problem—you set the time and just let me know." Yang Yuting nodded; he too rather missed the life of those days.

"So-so. But Brother Yang, seems like you've struck it rich! Coming here to look at houses—anyone buying property here is no ordinary spender!" Li Dagang said in surprise.

"I started a company with Zhang Bin. It's doing all right, I suppose." Yang Ce patted Li Dagang on the shoulder. "I'll tell you all about it when we get the chance. Any interest in joining my company?"

"That's just a word from you, isn't it?" Li Dagang said without a moment's hesitation, not even considering whether the pay there would be as good as what he had now.

"That's the spirit, good brother." Yang Ce nodded in approval. With friends like this, Yang Ce was well content.

"But let me get the ugly truth out first—if I quit, I'll have no source of income," Li Dagang said. "If I come work for you, you can skip the wages, but you've got to feed me."

"Ha!" Yang Xutang burst out laughing. "Don't worry, you won't starve."

Li Dagang laughed too, as if they were back in high school—drinking together, skipping class together, sizing up pretty girls together, and dreaming of the future.

Ever since he had consolidated the Wangshi Century Xiongfeng Group, Yang Duo had been planning to open another real estate company. After all, real estate was a high-profit industry too.

When the time came, he could move Li Dagang over and give him a position like sales department manager.

"Let's go look at some houses," Li Dagang said. "If you want to buy, I'll file a report for you and get you an internal price."

"What, no commission?" Yang Hengye asked.

"Brother Yang, aren't you making fun of me? Whose money can't I earn? How could I earn yours?" Li Dagang said, displeased.

"Just joking. The internal price is a must." Yang Ce didn't lack money, but friendship and money were two separate things.

"The eco-car just left. Let's wait a bit, until those two people looking at houses up ahead come back." Li Dagang glanced at the eco-car parking spot by the gate.

"Is it far?" Yang Yanchuan asked.

"Not far, about ten minutes. But in this freezing weather, who'd want to walk?" Li Dagang said.

"Then let's go. I'll drive over," Yang Yanzhou said.

"You have a car?" Li Dagang's eyes went wide. "Brother Yang, you really have to sit me down and tell me all about it one of these days. Looks like you've really struck it rich."

"No problem." As he spoke, Yang Yanzhou pressed the remote in his hand. The lights of a BMW X5 flashed and it beeped twice.

"A BMW?" This time Li Dagang's jaw dropped. "I can't take it. This is too shocking."

"That's enough out of you." Yang Xu'nai shook his head. "Don't tell me you've never seen a client driving a BMW while selling houses."

"Seen it, sure, but this is different, isn't it?" Li Dagang said. "I never thought you'd be doing this well. I've made up my mind, Brother Yang—from now on I'm with you."

"Weren't you already with me back in school?" Yang Ce said with disdain.

"Heh heh." Li Dagang gave a dry laugh. "Boss, just say the word—when do I quit?"

"Hold off a bit. Let me plan things out. In the meantime, learn all you can about property marketing," Yang Yanzhou said.

"You're going to open a real estate sales company?" Li Dagang wasn't stupid; he had roughly guessed Yang Juehuan's intention.

Yang Yongjin nodded noncommittally. "Something like that." In truth, Yang Ce wanted to open a real estate company; as for the sales side, he would simply handle that himself along the way.

In the real estate industry these days, the developer, the sales company, and the property management were usually three separate companies. But Yang Ce had money now, so there was no harm in integrating them all together.

"I understand." Li Dagang nodded. "I'll study hard."

"Which way?" Yang Ce started the car and asked Li Dagang.

"Straight ahead, turn left, and go in through the gate of that big compound," Li Dagang said.

Yang Ce drove toward the gate along the route Li Dagang described, but at the entrance the security guard stopped them. Without a vehicle pass for the community, no one was allowed in freely.

However, once Li Dagang poked his head out, the guard let them through.

"Where's the villa area?" Yang ShuoXuan had no intention of buying one of those small units; he was going to get it right in one go.

"A villa?" Li Dagang was startled. "No way. You want to buy a villa?"

"Yes. Let's go take a look," Yang Yuting nodded.

"I'm impressed. Looks like you really have the means now, boss." Li Dagang had originally agreed to work for Yang Ce purely out of friendship between buddies, with no other interests mixed in. Even if Yang Juehuan's company had been small, Li Dagang wouldn't have minded.

But now Li Dagang understood that Yang Juehuan's company was surely enormous. To say he was going to help out was, rather, to say that Yang Ce was giving him a hand up.

Thinking of this, Li Dagang could not help but feel deeply grateful to Yang Ce.

"A villa usually runs over ten million. I can apply for an internal price for you—ten percent off," Li Dagang introduced with a serious expression.

"Not bad. That saves over a million just like that." Yang Hengye said, "Seems I'll have to find a way to make it up to you later. Honestly, if you sold this villa at the normal price, how much commission would you get?"

"There are only ten villas in total here. They're extremely high-end residences. From the day sales opened until now, I'd guess you're the first buyer," Li Dagang said.

To be continued

688. The House-Buying Storm

"How much commission I'd get, I don't know either. But whatever it is, I definitely can't take a commission off you, boss." Li Dagang shook his head. "As for any bonus you want to give me later, that's entirely up to you, boss."

Yang XuTang laughed. "Fine, no problem at all. How could I treat you poorly when you come work for me?"

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the villa area. This place was a separate zone, some distance from the residential area, guarded by its own security. Unless you were a resident of the villa area, you couldn't just walk in.

You could say the security and environment here were excellent—quiet and peaceful, especially suited for a patient like Zhou Yanning to live in. Yang Ce had barely looked around before he took a liking to the place.

Though Chen Shutang said nothing, Yang Ce could tell from her eyes that she liked it here very much.

"So, not bad, is it?" Li Dagang asked.

"Yes, it's decent. But how come not a single one has sold?" Yang Ce was curious. By all logic, houses like these shouldn't be left over.

"This is a high-end residential area, no mistake, and most of the people who can afford to buy here are wealthy. But we're in the north, not the south. The high-tech industry here is profitable, sure, but it's nowhere near as developed as down south, so incomes here only rank as middling. That's why these overly luxurious villas just won't sell. It's also why the developer originally built only ten of them." Li Dagang knew the local home-buying demographic well, so he spoke with complete authority. "Plenty of people come to look at the villas, but not that many can actually afford them."

"So that's it. I thought there was something wrong with the house." Yang Ce joked.

"Don't worry, boss. We're the ones selling these houses. If there were any problems with a property, the developer would tip us off in advance," Li Dagang said. "Our information is the most reliable."