Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 170 Slowly but also very slowly

The houses owned by Renheng were considered a symbol of second-tier luxury residences in later generations.

The key is to acquire land in a good location.

The third phase of Renheng Riverside Garden, completed in 03, is located in Lujiazui, adjacent to the three major industrial parks. The view of the Huangpu River outside the window is so beautiful that locals can't help but exclaim how wonderful it is.

Unfortunately, it was too popular and has already sold out. Since the Wenzhou real estate speculators came to Shanghai, the hoarding of houses has become very serious. Even if you want to buy a bare-bones second-hand house, no one will sell.

Xin Mengzhen's company is in Pudong, so the two of them spent a day exploring Pudong.

Two young people took a taxi to look at houses, but were warmly received along the way.

The next morning, we arrived at Renheng Riverside City, which was selling like hotcakes.

Not far from Lujiazui, in what will later become the Lianyang area, the opening price was exactly 10,000.

Phase 1, 15th floor.

"Since you two both work in finance, you've come to the right place. Many fund managers buy houses here, and this is the only large-sized ready-built house in Phase 1. It was offered to us by someone who asked us to return it. You're really lucky. Our boss is bringing some friends to see it this afternoon. If you're interested, it would be best to sign a contract."

The saleswoman had exquisite makeup, a generous smile, and an elegant voice; her income must be quite high.

Chen Xuebing didn't believe she would actually sell the house her boss's friend wanted to see, but he was convinced it was in high demand.

Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to raise the price so high.

“11,800 yuan, that’s such a big price increase… and 176 square meters, isn’t that too big? Do you have any smaller units?” Xin Mengzhen quietly tugged at Chen Xuebing’s sleeve, giving him a coded signal.

Too expensive, leave quickly.

With 207 million, you could buy a nice little villa in Liwan District.

"Really, there aren't any left. Smaller units are even more scarce, and ready-built apartments in Shanghai are very expensive. However, our second phase of units is currently on pre-sale. If you're interested, I can take you to see them," the saleswoman said politely with a smile.

She might not have this much patience if a typical young person came to look at a house.

But judging from the girl's stunning appearance alone, she couldn't help but have a feeling:
This guy must be capable.

She had served many wealthy clients, some even bringing movie stars to buy houses, but this girl, with her light makeup and a black suit, was the most beautiful she had ever seen.

However, she was a little disappointed that the girl complained about the price.

Chen Xuebing noticed the saleswoman's subtle expression and waved his hand.

"Forget it, with a usable floor area ratio of 78%, it's actually less than 140 square meters. Any smaller and it would be unbearable to look at. Let's take this one."

"Huh?" Xin Mengzhen and the saleswoman exclaimed in unison.

Chen Xuebing glanced at his watch, then turned to Xin Mengzhen and smiled, “You’ve been looking all day. Don’t you have a meeting at 2 PM? I think this is the best one. The master bedroom is quite large, and the master bathroom can fit a bathtub. It’s also close to your company, and it’s a ready-built house. Don’t hesitate.”

Xin Mengzhen really wanted to say that it was only 10 a.m. and there was no rush, but seeing Chen Xuebing's determined expression, she turned her head and began to look around at the surrounding environment.

Facing southwest, with a vertical layout, the room has good ventilation and natural light. The surrounding greenery is lovely, and the kitchen is large enough to accommodate a wide variety of fine tableware. The outdoor balcony can hold a washing machine.
She had always valued independence, yet she found herself fantasizing about doing laundry and cooking for a man.

The magic of home is truly wondrous.

She smiled slightly, nodded, and decided to call her father to borrow money for the down payment.

We can pay off the rest of the mortgage gradually.

Chen Xuebing, however, was the first to pick up his phone and go to the balcony. He spoke with a Chongqing accent, which had a slightly obsequious tone.

"Hey, Brother Ma, I need to talk to you about something. Do you have 60 yuan? Can I borrow it?"

"Don't hit the company, hit my account, brother, I'll buy a house."

"Have it."

"Hey, Uncle, do you have a lot of cash on your card? Can I borrow it for a bit?"

"So much? Has the final payment for your Yuzhong project arrived?"

"You're so cunning, aren't you? Fine, I won't ask for 200 million! Just transfer me 100 million! If I'd known, I wouldn't have borrowed from Huo Xiaowen."

"It's a private matter. Don't worry about it."

In just two minutes, Chen Xuebing borrowed 160 million yuan.

"What do you need so much money for?" Xin Mengzhen asked, frowning.

Chen Xuebing chuckled: "I asked around, and if we're not married, the house needs to be registered in both our names, and getting a loan is quite troublesome. How about we go get a marriage certificate now?"

Xin Mengzhen gently bit her lower lip.

She originally planned to borrow 30 yuan from her father to buy a house. If Chen Xuebing didn't have enough money, she could borrow 50 yuan. But if it was a full payment of 200 million yuan, she would have to pay at least 100 million yuan.

The company belongs to her grandfather, and he also manages the money. She has just started university, and if she wants her father to lend her 100 million yuan, she will probably have to go home and explain.

"Don't tell your family yet. I haven't even visited them. If your dad comes to Shanghai to hunt me down, I won't be able to handle it. Don't worry, I'm here." Chen Xuebing gently patted Xin Mengzhen's back.

In reality, he could earn 200 million in a single day during a bull market, but he didn't want to make it sound too easy.

Knowing that his cash flow was tight, Xin Mengzhen knew that the bull market hadn't arrived yet, so "going all out" at this time would show enough sincerity.

Xin Mengzhen's greatest strength is that she doesn't overthink things; once she makes a decision, she doesn't consider the consequences.

The stock market is currently very volatile; if he really lost money...
When her younger brother was born, she overheard her parents talking about how they would prepare a substantial dowry for her.

She made a certain decision.

"Ah."

The future homeowner nodded, and the saleswoman breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "Ms. Xin, your boyfriend is so good to you."

Chen Xuebing put his arm around Xin Mengzhen, but his smile gradually faded when he looked at the pretty saleswoman.

"The house deal is settled. I won't take up any more of your time. You need to give me a satisfactory discount. I'll give you half an hour to talk to your manager. If we can reach a deal that satisfies me, I'll transfer the money immediately."

In the spacious and grand sales hall, the saleswoman glanced at Chen Xuebing, revealed a strange smile, and then handed the contract document bag to Xin Mengzhen with both hands.

"This is the contract, Ms. Xin, please keep it safe. Mr. Chen, please come with me for a moment. After you pay the public maintenance fund, I will issue you an invoice. The filing process will take about a week. Once we call you, you can come to the property management office to pick up the keys and start renovations."

"Okay." Chen Xuebing left with the saleswoman.

Xin Mengzhen remained where she was, still somewhat dazed, holding the file folder.

She didn't know what kind of spell Chen Xuebing had cast on her, but suddenly they bought a house together.

But I'm also very happy.

I once dreamed of having my own home, probably after graduation.

Now, suddenly it exists.

Even when Ms. Liu, the saleswoman, asked if she wanted to arrange a fireworks ceremony and take a photo, she actually considered agreeing to capture this wonderful moment.

She thought that Chen Xuebing had said he would confess his feelings in his own house, and now that he had bought a house, perhaps this would be the time to officially establish their relationship.

But Chen Xuebing refused.

Yeah, he hasn't confessed yet.

Okay, it's pretty awkward to confess here. He's very chauvinistic, so let's leave him be for now.

At the latest, let's wait until the house is renovated.

Give him some time.

The waiting period felt long, and the girl's desire to share her excitement grew stronger. After thinking it over, she took her phone, walked to the water feature outside the door, and made a call.

"Sister Huixiang, I have some good news for you." The voice on the other end was lazy: "Go ahead, Fudan alumnus, did you get a company bonus or a school scholarship? Tell me and give me a real shock."

Xin Mengzhen laughed: "I just enrolled, what scholarship do I need?"

"Okay, okay, it's good that you didn't take it. Otherwise, I, a poor student from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, wouldn't be worthy of being your friend. What's the good news? Tell me."

"I bought a house, Renheng Riverside City, 176 square meters."

Xin Meng really showed off by unleashing her full potential.

They started shouting and yelling over there.

"Holy crap, Pudong? It must be expensive! Your dad's been so good to you, buying you such a big house right after you started college? Damn, I'm going to call my dad!"

"No, Chen Xuebing bought it, and my name is on the contract."

There was silence.

"Is that kid really that capable? Is it cash or a loan? Let me tell you, you're a rich heiress, don't be fooled by these little favors. Besides, a contract and a property certificate are two different things. Without the certificate, everything is fake. You haven't seen or experienced anything yet, don't get too carried away, protect yourself!"

Xin Mengzhen sighed. She called Lin Huixiang because she didn't want to hear such words again.

“I bought it in full, and don’t always talk about him like that. He’s smart and hardworking. I haven’t told you yet, but he’s made a lot of money recently. I just don’t want you to judge him like that.”

As she spoke, she opened the file folder, pulled out the contract, and looked at it, as if trying to prove something.

Upon reviewing the results...

"Hmm? Sister Huixiang?"

"what happened?"

Xin Mengzhen asked instinctively, "The contract only has my name on it."

After another moment of silence, Lin Huixiang on the other end of the phone understood what was going on and snorted, "This kid, at least he's sincere!"

After a while, the person on the other end said angrily, "What a romantic gesture! Trying to trick you out of your life with just a house? You're really something! Tell him I'm treating him to dinner this afternoon!"

"Hey, did you hear me? I'm packing my bags right now, I'll come pick you up this afternoon!"

While Lin Huixiang was speaking, Xin Mengzhen was stunned.

She tried to find the contract that Chen Xuebing had signed, but instead found a plain white envelope at the bottom of the document bag.

Upon opening, you'll find a clean and crisp line of text.

----------

Chen Xuebing to: Mengzhen

There are many mushy things I can't say out loud, so I can only write you a letter.

The letter is titled:
Slowly, yet leisurely.

Take your time, I will always love you.

I'm so lucky that we appeared in each other's lives and became important people to each other, people we can't live without and don't want to leave. Although I'm not a warm-hearted person, and I have my bad temper and moments of misunderstanding, I hope that in your eyes, I'm still the best one.

We might gradually lose interest and feel tired of each other, discovering many of each other's flaws. But what is "love"? Love is when time removes all the barriers, I still find you adorable, and I still want to stay by your side without hesitation.

May we both enjoy the exhilarating novelty and withstand the test of time. To me, you don't need to be perfect or work hard; you just need to be yourself.

I will love you slowly and for a long time, again and again, because slowly is also a long time.

----------

Xin Mengzhen covered her beautiful nose, her half-exposed eyes glistening with tears.

"Hello, hello, did you hear me?" someone kept saying on the other end of the phone.

"Ah, I have something to do at work this afternoon, I'll talk to you later."

She hurriedly hung up the phone, wiped her eyes, and turned to walk into the lobby.

...

Chen Xuebing was chatting and laughing with the sales manager on the reception sofa in the lobby while waiting for the finance department to issue the invoice when he saw Xin Mengzhen walking towards him with a captivating smile, and he waved to her.

The manager was taken aback when the salesperson told him that the girl who made this extravagant young man spend two million to buy a house was very beautiful, but when he saw it for himself, he was still stunned.

With a touch of makeup and her ponytail draped over her chest, Xin Mengzhen shed her girlish naiveté and, like a shining star entering the night, captivated everyone with her smile.

"Mr. Chen, your girlfriend is really beautiful..."

Before the manager could finish his compliment, Xingchen approached, and to everyone's astonishment, bent down and wrapped her arms around the lucky young man's neck, pressing her pale red lips to his.

Chen Xuebing's eyes widened.

The silence in the entire hall was deafening.

If inner thoughts had a physical form, they would be a chorus of "Holy crap!"

They kissed for several seconds, and then the hall fell silent for a few seconds.

Only after they parted did Xin Mengzhen say with a faint smile, "Be my boyfriend."

Chen Xuebing's letter left Xin Mengzhen stunned for a few seconds, and Chen Xuebing himself was also stunned for a few seconds.

He had never seen Xin Mengzhen so domineering.

To be precise, he had never seen a woman with such an overwhelming aura of dominance.

To be honest, the soldier was a bit reserved about this kind of thing.

In that instant, he felt as if he had been stripped naked and was being watched by others, and he felt a strange mix of pitifulness and fear.

It's like being patronized by a prostitute.

"If you're too shy to say it, then I'll say it. I'm confessing my feelings."

Xin Mengzhen was also holding on, but seeing that Chen Xuebing didn't speak, she tried to hide her panic and reminded him.

Chen Xuebing looked around, then met Xin Mengzhen's gaze and nodded.

"it is good."

A round of applause erupted from the crowd.

Such a beautiful girl proposing to them in public is probably a scene they've never witnessed before in their lives.

Such a passionate kiss would only make an ordinary girl frown and feel it's indecent.

But when it was this girl, everyone's first reaction was to look around for the camera, wondering if they were on the set of a movie.

The applause gradually grew thunderous.

Chen Xuebing finally realized the extent of the favor he had received from the beautiful woman, got up, hugged Xin Mengzhen, and kissed her on the forehead.

"I will love you forever."

At that moment, there really was a television camera not far away.

Originally, the cameraman was invited to film a hot sales scene where a real estate company had hired dozens of people to line up next to the house model. Unexpectedly, he encountered an even hotter scene. The cameraman with a keen sense of smell immediately turned around and filmed it.

"Recently, after a 42% drop in prices, Shanghai Greentown's stock in the Pudong Dongcheng area of ​​our city has rebounded. Meanwhile, the first phase of Renheng Riverside City opened at a high price of 10,000 yuan per square meter, attracting a large number of buyers. A couple even embraced happily after purchasing their apartment..."

(End of this chapter)