The residential complex had a really nice atmosphere, to be honest. The landscaping was particularly well done, and the brick paths were washed spotlessly clean.
He had just finished parking when a man in a suit, who looked to be about his age, walked over to Xiao Ran. The man greeted him warmly, "Hey, man. You made it."
Then, he glanced at the girl standing beside Xiao Ran and exclaimed in mock surprise, "This must be your wife, right? She’s absolutely beautiful. And that figure... amazing."
These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a salesperson who wasn’t a sweet-talker, especially in real estate or car sales. They’re so incredibly attentive it makes you feel too embarrassed to walk away without buying something.
Still, while his tone was a bit over the top, his praise for Yan Xici was genuine.
Xiao Ran was speechless. ’Why does everyone this morning assume Yan Xici and I are a couple? Can’t they tell she’s younger than me?’
’And what the hell was that "amazing figure" comment about?’
"She’s my little sister. She’s still young."
After explaining, he subconsciously glanced at Yan Xici’s stockings. ’Okay, they do look pretty good,’ he thought. ’But she’s not wearing them again!’
’A young girl like her has no business wearing things like that.’
’I’m ripping them up the moment we get home!’
Perhaps because the ice had been broken by the first misunderstanding, the girl was no longer as shy and flustered as she had been moments ago.
She simply lowered her head, still a little bashful, and trailed obediently behind Xiao Ran.
The young sales agent would have never guessed the two of them weren’t a couple. He quickly flashed an apologetic smile. "My apologies, sir, I got it wrong. Your sister is truly beautiful, though. You can tell you’re family just by looking at you."
That comment made Xiao Ran chuckle. ’Do we really look alike?’
He couldn’t be bothered to explain, though. The guy was a stranger, after all; there was no need.
The apartment Xiao Ran was interested in was on the ground floor, just to the left of the building’s entrance. The three of them walked through its open door.
The apartment’s layout was excellent: three bedrooms, two living/dining areas, one bathroom, and it even came with a small yard. The interior design was even more impressive. The gray marble floors looked immaculate, and there was no dropped ceiling. This design choice made the rooms feel taller and more spacious.
It featured a bathroom with a separate wet and dry area and an open-concept kitchen. The entire design could be summed up in a single word: minimalist.
It was a design style Xiao Ran quite liked.
After a full tour, he couldn’t find a single thing he disliked about it.
He nodded at the young sales agent. "It looks just like it did in the pictures. It’s great."
Yan Xici, beside him, was like a curious kitten, her head darting around as she took everything in.
She wandered from one room to the next, peeking into each one.
Just like Xiao Ran, the more she saw of the place, the more she liked it!
"Sir, I’ll be straight with you. This is a model home, designed specifically as a showcase for potential buyers. To create the best possible impression, we hired a designer from Morning Star. It’s a good thing we got them when we did, though. We could never afford a designer that expensive now."
He wasn’t lying. The renovations and design for this apartment had cost nearly 300,000 yuan.
Furthermore, the designer, Lin Yuan, had since become famous, and his fees had skyrocketed. Now, you couldn’t hire him even if you had the money.
Xiao Ran nodded. ’No wonder,’ he thought. ’So it was designed by someone from Morning Star.’ Their company’s renovation work was known for being exceptionally honest and high-quality. Xiao Ran had wanted to hire them for his previous apartment, but he simply didn’t have the funds, so he had to drop the idea.
’I can’t believe the apartment I picked out this time was actually one of their designs. It feels like fate.’
Glancing at the girl beside him, who was still looking around curiously, Xiao Ran asked, "What do you think?"
’She is a shareholder in this house, after all,’ he mused. ’I have to ask for the esteemed shareholder’s opinion.’
The girl nodded earnestly, her eyes clearly showing how pleased she was with the apartment.
She had just been exploring one of the bedrooms. The closets and storage were all so thoughtfully designed. Plus, it was much, much larger than the small attic she was currently living in. Moving here would be a quantum leap in her quality of life.
But if she had to pick her favorite feature, it would be the small yard off the patio.
The girl pointed outside. "I think it’s wonderful. Brother, can I plant flowers there?"
A love for flowers is probably in every girl’s nature, and Yan Xici was no exception.
In just a few short minutes, she had already planned out what she was going to plant and where!
Seeing that his "esteemed shareholder" liked it too, Xiao Ran turned decisively to the sales agent. "Alright, then. Let’s sign the contract now. I’ll be financing it."
Xiao Ran wasn’t one to procrastinate. Besides, he genuinely loved the design, and the apartment’s layout and orientation were perfect. There was nothing to agonize over.
The young sales agent stared at Xiao Ran, a look of astonishment on his face. "Sir, you don’t want to look around a bit more?"
The pleasant surprise came so quickly it felt a little unreal.
Housing prices in Shanghai were no joke. Most buyers, even for an unfurnished shell, would look a place over again and again. Then they’d repeatedly ask for a discount or some other perk. Sometimes it was exhausting for the agents.
But this man had made up his mind in a little over ten minutes and wanted to sign the contract right away. A client like that was a rare find indeed.
He had a gut feeling this man was some kind of undercover millionaire—the type who didn’t need to worry about money.
Xiao Ran shook his head. "No need to look anymore. This is the one. I recall the down payment is 3.2 million, correct?"
"Yes, sir, that’s correct. Tell you what, give me one moment. I’ll put in a request for you and try to get two years of property management fees waived!" As soon as he finished speaking, the sales agent pulled out his phone and dialed his manager.
He remembered a policy like that existed, so he wanted to try and get the deal for Xiao Ran.
After all, the client was being so decisive; it was only right for him to return the favor.
’It’s not my house, anyway,’ he thought. ’Whatever discounts I can arrange, I should. If he thinks I’m a good agent, who’s to say he won’t come back to me for his next purchase?’
’That’s how you build a base of high-quality clients. You make things easy for others, and in turn, things become easy for you.’
With that thought, the young sales agent smiled and stepped outside to make the call.
With the stranger gone, the girl seemed much more at ease. She grabbed Xiao Ran’s arm and, without a word, pulled him toward the small yard.
The yard was about ten square meters in size. The girl excitedly pointed to an empty patch on the left and asked with a dead-serious expression, "Here... can I put a hanging chair here?"
She’d always loved the hanging chairs she saw in videos.
Unfortunately, she’d never had the chance to sit in one, much less buy one.
But this time was different. Her brother-in-law had bought a new house, and there was a perfect spot for one. She wanted a hanging chair of her own.
That way, she could sit in it at night and gaze at the stars.
As the girl spoke, her voice was filled with an excitement she couldn’t hide, and her bright, dewy eyes shone with longing.
It made Xiao Ran feel like he’d be letting her down if he didn’t buy one for her.
He nodded. "Alright. For the sake of my esteemed shareholder, I’ll grant your request."
Overjoyed at getting his permission, the girl clapped her hands and jumped in the air. "Brother, you’re the best, best brother in the whole wide world!"