Chapter 4: Buying a House
Gu Wanrong currently lived in a government-provided subsidized housing unit – a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment with a net area of 53 square meters. The previous “Gu Wanrong” had lived there for five years; the apartment was cluttered and cramped, and the house itself was old and worn.
In addition, many people in the neighborhood knew Gu Wanrong, and they would often point and whisper about her being unlucky or bringing misfortune. Gu Wanrong decided to move.
After putting some cat food in Nai Cha’s bowl and changing her water, she went out and took a taxi to a reliable real estate agency she had found on her phone that morning, planning to buy a house and change her living situation.
Gu Wanrong’s birthday in the solar calendar had already passed, but her lunar birthday had not yet arrived. She discussed with the system to change the 100x rebate for her birthday to her lunar birthday so she could use it to buy a house.
The day of Gu Wanrong’s lunar birthday, the first day of the seventh lunar month, arrived – the day of the 100x rebate.
Gu Wanrong got out of the taxi and entered the real estate agency; a wave of coolness greeted her; the air conditioning was blasting inside.
There were quite a few people inside. She played with her phone uncomfortably, waiting for a while until an agent became available and approached her.
“Hello, ma’am. Are you here to buy or rent a house? Or do you need other services?” Hu Yue approached, subtly observing Gu Wanrong. She looked like a student, dressed simply; she must be here to rent.
However, her professional training was impeccable; she would always smile and serve clients.
“Hello, I want to buy a fully furnished house. It needs to be large, have a dedicated pet room, a walk-in closet, convenient transportation, and be close to a shopping district and a veterinary clinic.”
Gu Wanrong’s current apartment was cluttered with belongings. After bringing Nai Cha home, she had bought so many things for her that there was no space left, and everything was piled up in the living room.
Hu Yue was shocked. Had she misjudged her?
The girl still looked like a student; at such a young age, she could buy a house on her own.
She quickly regained her composure, smiling warmly as she led Gu Wanrong to the reception area.
“Ma’am, you can call me Xiao Hu. What’s your name?” Hu Yue led Gu Wanrong to a seat in the reception area, picking up a tablet, filtering options, and asking questions.
“My surname is Gu. I’m younger than you; you can call me Sister Hu.” Gu Wanrong said clearly. She had never bought a house before and was also a social phobe, so she felt a little dazed and uncomfortable sitting in the reception area.
Hu Yue clearly noticed Gu Wanrong’s nervousness and showed her some of the properties she had filtered, bringing a glass of water to the table in front of her.
“Miss Gu, these two are 180 square meters and 190 square meters, located in the Anxin District and meet your requirements; this one is in the Beisha District, 195 square meters; and this one’s certificate says 160 square meters, but the developer is giving away a loft and a balcony, adding up to about 200 square meters.” Hu Yue introduced them one by one.
“Are there any newer ones, ones that just need a little tidying up before moving in?” Gu Wanrong looked at the first few houses; they looked old in the pictures; she wanted to buy a newer one.
“We do have some, but they’ll be more expensive.” Hu Yue immediately pulled up listings she hadn’t initially planned to show Gu Wanrong.
She had assumed that even if this girl had the money to buy a house, her budget wouldn’t be very high, so she hadn’t introduced the better, more expensive listings. Yet, she didn’t even like the ones she had shown, and she sounded quite confident. She’d misjudged her again.
I wonder if she can really afford the high-quality listings I’m now showing her. Don’t let me introduce them and then she goes back to the previous ones, wasting my breath; I hope not.
Gu Wanrong didn’t notice Hu Yue’s internal monologue; she was carefully looking at the listings.
The newly introduced properties were much better quality than the previous batch.
Gu Wanrong selected a townhouse and a duplex and decided to view them in person with Hu Yue.
The townhouse was quite nice, but it was a little far from the shopping district and the hospital; people living there all had private cars. She hadn’t gotten her driver’s license yet after her transmigration, making it inconvenient to travel there.
The duplex was in the Xinshan District; although not in the city center, it had convenient access to subways and buses, and the shopping area was not far from the apartment complex.
After adopting Nai Cha, living on a high floor without sealed windows meant having to keep the windows closed for a long time. This duplex had a new air ventilation system, so not being able to open the windows for ventilation wouldn’t be a problem.
After viewing them, Gu Wanrong chose the duplex in Yunjiang Yaju.
Back at the agency, Hu Yue brought out the contract for Gu Wanrong to sign. “Miss Gu, the landlord has fully entrusted this property transaction to our agency. I’ll calculate the price for you now.”
“The location and floor of this property are among the best in the area, and it’s fully furnished with high-quality materials and furniture. The price is ¥21,500 per square meter. We’ll calculate the area based on the 230 square meters in the property deed. Including all other fees and processing, the total is ¥,” Hu Yue calculated on her calculator while talking to Gu Wanrong.
This price was within Gu Wanrong’s budget.
After signing the contract, Hu Yue cautiously asked, “How would you like to pay?”
She hadn’t expected this deal to actually go through; over five million yuan; this young girl had made the decision in just one afternoon. Hu Yue became even more respectful, her heart filled with joy.
“Can I pay by card?” Gu Wanrong took out the Huaxia Bank black gold card given by the system from her crossbody bag. “Let’s do it in two payments; ¥3 million and then ¥2.1 million.”
When Gu Wanrong took out the black gold card, the eyes of those around them turned towards her.
A black gold card! This small town could see a black gold card.
Gu Wanrong sensitively noticed the numerous gazes directed at her; she shifted her weight on the sofa, moving her body, already facing away from everyone, closer to a nearby potted plant to conceal herself, avoiding the eyes of everyone except Hu Yue.
Hu Yue’s eyes lit up when she saw the black gold card. Every time she thought this unremarkable girl couldn’t be any more impressive, she’d immediately change her mind.
This was a black gold card; only the billionaires of the National Billionaire Club had Huaxia Bank’s black gold cards. I need to cling to this golden goose.
“Miss Gu, have a good day. Let me know if you need anything.” Hu Yue watched Gu Wanrong get into a taxi, waving her right hand holding her phone, as if suggesting that they had added contact information and she could be contacted for further needs.
“Yueyue, what was the background of the person with the black gold card?”
“Sister Yue, you had great luck today.”
When she returned to the agency, her colleagues gathered around her, inquiring about Gu Wanrong. Hu Yue didn’t reveal a single word.
Just as she was getting impatient, the manager came in from outside, sending her colleagues away and calling her into his office. “Xiao Hu, don’t tell anyone about Miss Gu today. She came so discreetly; Anxin Real Estate must maintain confidentiality for her and not damage our reputation.”
“Manager, I’m tight-lipped; I didn’t say a word.”
Back home, Hu Yue reflected on the afternoon’s events.
She never expected to sell a house so smoothly, and it was bought by the golden goose she had found. It seems I should always maintain enthusiastic service for any potential client.
“【Huaxia Bank】Bao Fu transferred ¥(¥510 million) to your account ending in 6688. Please check.”
After leaving the agency, sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Gu Wanrong didn’t notice Hu Yue’s more attentive attitude after signing the contract and paying. Her attention was fixed on the text message from the system.
Just ten days after transmigrating, she already owned a large house she would have never been able to afford in her past life, even after a lifetime of work; and five million in her bank account.
[Rebate amount has exceeded ¥5 million. System blind box opened.]
[System blind box is loading.]
Back home, Gu Wanrong excitedly hugged Nai Cha, kissing her left and right, jumping and skipping around.
At home, alone, Gu Wanrong’s social anxiety had completely vanished.
Nai Cha: This woman is crazy again…
[System blind box loading complete.]
“System, do you have a user guide for this blind box? If so, show it to me.” Back in her bedroom, the system blind box had finished loading. Gu Wanrong decided to see how to use it.
[Blind Box User Guide]
According to the blind box user guide, blind boxes are much more expensive than shopping credits in the mall. The first ten are considered a newbie gift pack; every ¥5 million in rebates earns one blind box draw. After ten draws, the exchange rate reverts to normal: one blind box draw for every ¥50 million in rebates.
Today, Gu Wanrong received a rebate of ¥510 million, earning 19 blind box draws.