I am a Big Player
Chapter 238 - 236, Unserious Buyer (Second Update)_1

Chapter 238: 236, Unserious Buyer (Second Update)_1

The real estate consultant showed him a set, which was the mansion of a prince from the Qing Dynasty, located in Liu Hai Alley.

Liu Hai Alley lies right beside the central axis of the Capital, covering an area of 1740 square meters, with a built-up area of 729 square meters. It consists of three courtyards and retains the original layout of the Courtyard House.

The grade of the front gate is a Guangliang Gate, which is second only to the gates of royal mansions. The door is flanked by a pair of drum-shaped stone blocks, which traditionally only officials of the second rank or higher were entitled to.

Upon entering the gate, one faces a screen wall, and just beyond the wall is the first courtyard in the west section; through a green passageway made by trellises of grapevines, one reaches the Droopy Flower Gate of the second courtyard. To the left of this passageway is a tall walnut tree and the entrance to a cellar beneath.

To the right of the passageway is a row of Chinese roses and several peony bushes, with two pomegranate trees near the corner of the yard.

Stepping through the Droopy Flower Gate, one enters the second courtyard, with the main hall that doubles as the master’s bedroom to the north. The colonnades on the three other sides have been rebuilt, and the center of the yard is divided by a cross-shaped walkway into small flower gardens.

Beneath the main hall are two flower gardens, each with a persimmon tree, and the other two gardens are filled with rose bushes. There is a door from the main hall leading directly to the third courtyard.

The main hall occupies a significant area, effectively spanning the eastern and western courtyards. Hence there is a small path that bypasses the main hall and leads directly from the third courtyard in the rear to the second courtyard in the west. The west courtyard holds jujube trees, persimmons, crabapples, and a large cluster of honeysuckles, as well as a revamped koi pond.

In the front courtyard of the east section, there’s a toon tree, with the traditional Moon Door located right next to the entrance screen wall.

What satisfied Ren He most was the abundance of plant life here—walnuts, jujubes, persimmons, toon trees, pomegranates, grapes—it all sounded delicious...

The courtyard is fairly square, with 24 rooms on the north side, 6 on the east, 4 on the west, and 8 on the south.

There’s enough space at the entrance for parking and turning cars, and it could also be converted into a garage.

Moreover, the location of Liu Hai Alley is really great. It’s not far to the east to Shichahai, and just a short distance south along Desheng Gate Street is No.4 Middle School—an enviably convenient location with a nice atmosphere. Honestly, Ren He was really tempted!

And unlike those newly built imitation antique houses, this Courtyard House really is an antique residence.

Ren He asked seriously, "All these trees still bear fruit, right?"

He asked because he didn’t know much about plants; some were just for ornamental purposes, like ornamental peach trees where you could only look but not eat. Ren He was concerned about such possibilities...

The real estate consultant smiled and said, "They all bear fruit."

"Could it be a bit cheaper?" Ren He asked while looking through the brochure.

However, this question made the beautiful real estate consultant’s heart flutter slightly. She had accompanied many customers who only looked but never asked, but to her, that was just part of the job. Whether the clients bought or not was their own business.

Selling a Courtyard House was not easy because it’s very difficult to find customer leads for something that costs tens of millions of yuan—who do you find to buy such a thing?

But this time, Ren He’s inquiry about the price and his evident interest made her realize that this seemingly not-too-wealthy young man could very well be serious about purchasing this courtyard!

When Ren He entered, she had subconsciously noted that he had not arrived by car. This was in contrast to the middle-aged man next to him, who had arrived in a car worth upwards of 800,000 yuan; his intentions to buy a residence worth tens of millions seemed credible.

Ren He casually asked, "Skip the usual spiel about the lowest price and all that fluff; I’m serious about buying, so be straight with me. If you can’t make the decision yourself, just fetch the boss for me. You’ll still get your commission."

"Please wait a moment. I do need to get the boss to discuss this with you," the real estate consultant excused herself before contacting the boss because, after all, she really couldn’t handle a business deal in the tens of millions on her own.

It wasn’t long before a portly man rushed in from outside. Upon spotting Ren He sitting there, he hurried over with a beaming smile and extended his hand for a shake: "Hello, hello, I’m Cui Qiang. I heard you’re interested in buying the house in Liu Hai Alley?"

"Cut me a deal, how about 23.5 million?" Ren He haggled. When he was young, Mrs. Ren taught him that you have to be thick-skinned and ruthless when bargaining—slash the price in half right off the bat, ask for the moon to pay dirt cheap...

Cui Qiang’s chubby face quivered. Selling houses for years, he had never seen anyone start off bargaining for a house like this...

He chuckled, "You don’t pull any punches, do you? You’ve practically chopped my neck off. Let’s not beat around the bush. For a house worth 47 million, we’ll cover the 3% deed tax for you. How does that sound?"

"24.5 million," Ren He stated.

Cui Qiang was quite taken aback. Who taught him this bargaining trick? Could you really negotiate the price of a commodity valued in millions like this? He stuttered slightly.

"You see, we paid over 24.5 million just to acquire this property, and we’ve spent a few million on renovations. You can’t expect us to lose money on this deal, can you? So here’s the deal, a flat rate—45 million!"

"25.5 million," Ren He said calmly.

The middle-aged uncle who had been eavesdropping on their conversation all this while couldn’t help but snort. He could tell this young man spoke with confidence, clearly holding enough money to buy the house, but his method of haggling was just too entertaining—he was quite the character.

Cui Qiang couldn’t laugh any longer. He complained in his heavy Beijing accent, "My ancestor, you can’t just chop prices like that. I’m trying to discuss numbers with you, and you seem to be playing around with me. If you’re really interested, let’s say 44.98 million—I’ll even take off another 20,000 for you. Otherwise, we can’t continue this, I still have a family to feed."

Ren He wasn’t really about to haggle relentlessly. He laughed and said, "Alright, 44.98 it is. Don’t play poor with me; someone who is holding so many courtyard houses isn’t just anybody, right?"

Ultimately, Ren He acquired the prince’s mansion from the Qing Dynasty at the price of 44.98 million, truly establishing his stronghold in the Capital!

Cui Qiang personally took Ren He to the Courtyard House to have a look and to hand over the keys. He watched as Ren He saw the large walnut tree at the entrance, laden with walnuts, and couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear. The jujube and persimmon trees in the courtyard had also ripened.

Cui Qiang hadn’t understood what Ren He’s criteria were for choosing the house, but at the moment, he felt like Ren He was buying a fruit orchard rather than a Courtyard House...

This guy didn’t seem like your typical buyer...

In his mind, Cui Qiang speculated about Ren He’s identity and background. The man definitely had money, readily purchasing a property worth over four million, but it seemed implausible that he was the CEO of some enterprise. Rather, it seemed quite likely that he was the grandson of some notable figure. Ren—whose family did he belong to?

Little could Cui Qiang imagine that, right from the start, his guesses were off the mark. Every penny Ren He spent was indeed earned by himself, and his Qinghe Games had become the new darling of the gaming industry. In the past month, whenever there was a gaming exhibition, Qinghe Games was an essential invitee.

The enterprises under Ren He’s name had truly risen!

...

As usual, time for a meal...