Yuan Mountain Villa

They set a time, and Zhang Hao got up to get dressed. "Mifeng, I'll go take care of it now. Is there anything else you need?" Even he found it strange that he treated the computer like a person. Just two trades had been enough to win him over completely.

Hurry up and take care of it! The sooner, the better!

So, over the next half month, Zhang Hao opened five securities accounts and an options trading account. Of course, he didn't understand any of it. The only thing he knew how to do was check the balance. In just half a month, Mifeng's trading had sent his funds soaring to more than twenty million.

At the end of the month, Zhang Hao stared at his account, unable to believe his eyes.

Ninety million!

And that was after subtracting his original capital. In other words, he'd made nearly thirty million in a single month!

It was terrifying. Zhang Hao had no idea how he'd gotten through the month. Every day, he watched his account balance skyrocket and had no idea what to do.

In just one month, Zhang Hao felt he'd achieved financial freedom. Thirty million! As an ordinary person, he'd never known you could make money like this.

The world had gone crazy!

Every day, Zhang Hao wondered how he should spend his money. Unfortunately, he had no concept of spending. He'd grown up frugal and had no idea how to splurge. He'd always believed that having enough to eat and get by was all that mattered; there was no need for extravagance or waste. He always smoked Zhongnanhai cigarettes, drank at most two ounces of baijiu or half a bottle of red wine, and two beers were enough to make him dizzy. He had other hobbies, too, like painting the occasional oil painting. He wasn't very good, but he enjoyed it. He also liked to play the guitar now and then. None of these hobbies counted as extravagant, nor could they be.

As for work, Zhang Hao hadn't taken a single design job that month. After finishing the projects he'd already accepted, he no longer wanted to take on any more work. These days, his greatest pleasure was opening his account, watching his money soar, and chatting idly with Mifeng. It had become the thing he enjoyed most.

Zhang Hao felt as if he were making money lying down. Every day, he opened his account and started counting the zeroes. Watching his funds grow at breakneck speed was so thrilling that he was truly becoming addicted.

His funds doubled again soon after. In less than ten trading days, they had doubled to more than two hundred million!

As his money grew at a crazy pace, the account managers at various securities firms began frantically sucking up to him. They called every day to check in, a world apart from the lukewarm service he'd received before.

More than two hundred million, with over sixty million of it belonging to Zhang Hao. As time passed, he started to grow numb to it.

By the time his funds had soared to more than five hundred million, less than two months had passed. Most of the gains had come from his futures accounts. That day, Zhang Hao stared at the computer screen, gripped by a deep sense of unease. There was just too much money—more than five hundred million! It was starting to feel like a hot potato. Even though it had been earned legally, the sum was simply too large.

Zhang Hao muttered to himself, "So much money... How am I supposed to spend it?"

A line of text appeared on the screen, accompanied by a series of clicks.

Step two... spend money!

Holy crap!

Zhang Hao still remembered the plan Mifeng had displayed at the beginning. Step one had been to make money. Now there was actually a second step: spend it.

A moment later, an image appeared on the screen.

Yuan Mountain Villa!

Zhang Hao knew the villa complex well. It wasn't far from where he lived and was undoubtedly one of the best villa communities in Ning City. The prices were steep, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Zhang Hao had never considered buying a villa. "Yuan Mountain Villa... My God, how much does one of those cost?" He had no idea what villas were worth; he'd never paid attention to their prices.

Eighty-six million! The best detached villa in the complex, and it hadn't been sold yet!

Then two more words appeared on the screen.

Cheap!

Zhang Hao stared at the screen, at a loss for words. Since when was more than eighty million considered cheap?

Go buy it!

Zhang Hao did the math. Of his five hundred million, he owned thirty percent, which came to about a hundred and fifty million. He could afford it. "All right, all right. I'll go buy it!"

As if it knew what Zhang Hao was thinking, another line of text appeared on the screen.

We'll all chip in for this one. Same as before: I pay seven, you pay three!

Huh?

Zhang Hao was stunned. How was that supposed to work? If he bought the villa, he'd be the one living there, not Mifeng. He didn't even know what the other person looked like.

Given Zhang Hao's personality, he didn't like taking advantage of anyone. "You won't be living there, so let me pay my share."

Quit nagging!

Stop wasting time and go buy it!

Zhang Hao was at a loss for words. Then money from his investment account was transferred to his bank account, adding eighty-six million to his bank card.

It was summer, and Zhang Hao went out wearing a pair of loose shorts and a blue T-shirt. With his phone in hand, he took his ID and bank card, slipped on a pair of slippers, and shuffled out the door.

The weather wasn't too hot. A morning rain had washed away the summer heat, and the hoarse cicadas in the trees made it clear that the hottest part of summer had arrived.

He ambled along the short route. He hadn't felt like calling a taxi, so he strolled all the way to the sales office at Yuan Mountain Villa.

The sales office was nearly deserted. Only two prospective buyers were there, while the other six or seven saleswomen stood around listlessly. When Zhang Hao pushed the door open, a blast of cool air greeted him. The whole showroom was refreshingly cool and comfortable.

The saleswomen all looked at Zhang Hao. Then almost everyone turned away. With their years of experience, they could tell at a glance that he was either here to wander around or to mooch off the air-conditioning.

Indeed, Zhang Hao was incredibly inconspicuous. With his loose shorts and a pair of slippers dragging along as he shuffled in, looking slovenly and lazy, he didn't seem like someone who had come to buy a house at all.

Zhang Hao glanced around, then beckoned to them. "I'm buying a house!"

At those words, the two people examining the model turned to look at him. A trace of amusement crossed both their faces. This guy was something else. He hadn't even said he wanted to look at the houses; he'd just announced that he was buying one! Did he think he was buying vegetables?

The saleswomen couldn't ignore Zhang Hao after he'd spoken. A woman in her thirties who looked like a manager immediately came over, wearing a professional smile.

"Hello!"

Zhang Hao nodded. "Hello. I'm buying a house." He couldn't be bothered to say more. He knew exactly which villa he wanted.

The client manager looked a little surprised. She'd never met a customer like this before. "May I show you around Yuan Mountain Villa...?"

"No need. I want to buy Building Number One, villa A!"

The client manager was startled. She stammered, "That... That's the finest villa in the Yuan Mountain Villa complex. It's also the show home..."

Zhang Hao frowned. "Can't I buy it?"