Chapter 742 - 257: I give this act 99 points, one more and you might get cocky

Hearing Liang Jingjing’s words, Qi Siyu’s eyes widened, and she quickly reached out to tug on her clothes. "Jingjing, don’t talk nonsense."

After telling her off, she turned to Li Yuan with an apologetic expression, afraid he might misunderstand. "Li Yuan, please don’t get the wrong idea. Jingjing just has no filter."

Liang Jingjing opened her mouth, wanting to say more, but when she saw Qi Siyu’s fierce glare, she swallowed her words. Pouting, she muttered in a nearly inaudible voice, "Talk about ditching a friend for a guy. She just got with Li Yuan last night, and today she’s already taking his side..."

Li Yuan watched Qi Siyu’s nervous expression with a calm gaze before suddenly breaking into a smile.

Although he didn’t have deep feelings for this sexy, mature woman, Qi Siyu—it was purely his possessiveness at play. But since she had given him her first time, she was now naturally one of his "potential girlfriends" to be well taken care of. Otherwise, why would she keep following him? Save herself for him? Just because he was handsome, in good shape, and a playboy? Their first encounter could be explained away as "mutual attraction," but going forward, unless they cut off all contact, he had to give her some kind of answer. He still had a streak of old-fashioned male chauvinism; even in this two-player game, Qi Siyu had gotten her pleasure too, so it wasn’t as if she had lost out much...

Li Yuan asked, "The apartment you two are living in now, you’re renting it, right?"

Qi Siyu nodded. "Yes, Jingjing and I are splitting the rent."

Liang Jingjing winced at the thought of the rent and chimed in, "The rent in Modu is ridiculously expensive. The apartment we’re renting has two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom, and it costs 2,800 yuan a month. We each pay 1,400, which is nearly half of our salaries."

Li Yuan was quite familiar with the trends in Modu’s housing and rental prices. An apartment like the one Qi Siyu and Liang Jingjing were renting, roughly 90 square meters, would be worth about 1 million yuan at most on the current market. The annual rental income was just over 30,000 yuan, meaning it would take thirty years to recoup the investment through rent alone.

And this was only 2008. In a few more years, the property value in Qi Siyu’s residential complex would skyrocket by eight or nine times, costing several million to purchase. The pace of rent increases, however, would clearly not keep up with the surge in housing prices. Therefore, excluding the need for property appreciation or school district access for children, it was often more cost-effective to rent than to buy.

Li Yuan smiled, looked at Qi Siyu, and said, "Mrs. Qi, do you have your landlord’s phone number?"

"Why do you want the landlord’s number?" Qi Siyu asked, looking at Li Yuan in surprise.

Li Yuan replied casually, "Just give it to me."

Before Qi Siyu could ask any more questions, Liang Jingjing had already taken out her phone and rattled off the contact information. "Li Yuan, the landlord’s name is Yang Jinming, and his number is 18765..."

Li Yuan jotted down the number and, under the astonished gazes of the two women, dialed Yang Jinming directly. The call connected quickly. Li Yuan pressed the speaker button so both teachers could hear the conversation.

A middle-aged man’s voice came from the other end. "Hello, who is this?"

Li Yuan answered calmly, "Mr. Yang, I’d like to ask if your property at Ziyu Mansion, apartment 20-2603, is for sale?"

Yang Jinming paused for a moment before asking, "Are you a real estate agent?"

Li Yuan chuckled. Making calls like this really does make you sound like an agent.

"No, I’m looking to buy a home. I learned that you have a property available and wanted to see if you had any intention of selling."

Hearing that Li Yuan was a potential buyer and not an agent, Yang Jinming sounded somewhat surprised.

He remembered renting that apartment to two young women. That wasn’t an issue, though. His funds were currently tied up in the stock market, and he was already planning to sell a property for some liquid cash. However, Modu’s real estate market was sluggish, and even after listing it, he had received very few inquiries.

Yang Jinming asked, "Are you serious about buying?"

Li Yuan nodded. "Yes. Mr. Yang, name your price. If it’s reasonable, I’ll take it."

Yang Jinming hesitated again. After a moment, he cautiously named a price he thought was fair. "Let’s make it a round 1 million. If you agree, I’ll sell."

Across from Li Yuan, Qi Siyu and Liang Jingjing’s eyes went wide. They held their breath, watching as he discussed the purchase with the landlord. When they heard the 1-million-yuan asking price, Qi Siyu felt an overwhelming urge to interject.

That price wasn’t just not cheap; it was on the expensive side. The building was only two or three years old. The original price, plus renovations, would have been 800,000 to 900,000 yuan at most. Asking for 1 million was already an outrageous sum.

But before she could say anything, she heard Li Yuan’s brisk reply.

"One million, correct? Alright, I’ll take it."

Hearing Li Yuan agree so readily, it was Yang Jinming’s turn to be astonished.

"Um... Sir, I didn’t catch your name. Are you sure you don’t want to think it over?"

Li Yuan gave a faint smile. "My surname is Li. I think one million is a perfectly good price. I like it, so I’m buying it."

Yang Jinming sounded slightly bewildered. "Ahem, Mr. Li, you certainly are forthright."

Li Yuan cut straight to the point. "Mr. Yang, are you free today? We could meet. I’m at a Western restaurant near The Bund."

Yang Jinming hadn’t expected Li Yuan to be so decisive and efficient. He felt a bit out of his depth and even began to wonder if this was some kind of scam.