109. Chapter 109: Purity of Heart and Few Desires is False

In the morning, within the Purple Garden No. 1 Villa Complex.

Zhang Yang met this female designer named Lin Jingmin.

As her name suggests, this woman, whose title is Design Director of Jade Villa Design Company, has an intellectual beauty and a very professional demeanor, possessing a unique designer's aura.

Upon seeing Zhang Yang, she proactively extended her slender, fair hand.

"Hello Mr. Zhang, I'm Lin Jingmin. I just heard that the prime building has been sold, and I was just thinking of recommending myself to you. I didn't expect to meet you today."

Lin Jingmin smiled with confidence and composure.

"Hello, you said you have a few works here, is it convenient for you to see them?" Zhang Yang asked directly.

"Yes, yes, I have one that I'm currently renovating and it's almost finished." Lin Jingmin looked at Zhang Yang and asked, "How about I take you there now?"

"Okay." Zhang Yang nodded.

The two walked through the villa area and eventually came to a townhouse.

"This house has a modern, light luxury style. The owners are a family of five. The actual usable area is 450 square meters, and the total budget is within four million," Lin Jingmin explained as they walked.

Zhang Yang listened silently.

Within four million?

Is his understanding flawed, or is he simply having preconceived notions?

That apartment in COFCO Seaview No. 1, with a usable area of less than 300 square meters, reportedly cost over ten million yuan to renovate, with a budget of tens of thousands per square meter.

The apartment in Lakeville Regency, although only a little over 100 square meters, cost more than 2 million yuan to renovate, with a budget of 20,000 yuan per square meter.

How come this house in front of me, 450 square meters, has a budget of less than four million?

Is that possible?

Although he had doubts in his heart, he did not show them. Instead, he followed Lin Jingmin inside to see the interior design of the townhouse.

Although I was somewhat mentally prepared.

But when Zhang Yang actually saw the results, he was still quite surprised.

The courtyard features a rockery, fish pond, and lush vegetation. Inside, the interior boasts a light luxury style with a five-step Italian-style curved staircase. The entire house is clad in large areas of dark wood veneer, complemented by natural marble and glossy stone slabs.

"All the interior and exterior furnishings are from top-tier brands; you can see the quality for yourself."

Lin Jingmin was quite pragmatic. She didn't talk about any decorating concepts or styles. Instead, she directly told Zhang Yang how the finished product would look with a budget of under four million yuan for this size, and what brands of materials were used.

It's packed with useful information; at least it sounds like it's good value for money.

"Yes, it's pretty good," Zhang Yang said politely.

For a renovation of 450 square meters for under four million, there won't be any overly luxurious brands, such as kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures that cost hundreds of thousands. However, as Lin Jingmin said, they are all top-tier brands, and they are all top-of-the-line products with very high-quality materials.

That's all.

As Lin Jingmin explained, she kept observing Zhang Yang's expression, trying to glean some useful information.

But she was disappointed.

This handsome homeowner just watched from beginning to end, his expression calm, without any other reaction.

"Mr. Zhang, what are your thoughts on interior design style?" she asked with a smile.

"I don't have any particular ideas, as long as it works well, it's fine," Zhang Yang said casually.

"So, are you satisfied with my design and the overall effect?" Lin Jingmin asked directly.

Zhang Yang smiled, said nothing, and walked towards the door first.

Lin Jingmin paused for a second behind him, then followed closely, her expression remaining confident.

Zhang Yang did not leave; he was still standing outside the door.

"By the way, do you have any projects with a higher budget? Yours is nice, but... it's lacking something, you know?"

Standing next to Zhang Yang, Lin Jingmin was pondering how to further close the deal when she heard this and was taken aback.

"That's roughly the budget. What's yours?" she asked tentatively. "How about we go take a look at your villa first?"

Talking without doing anything can make closing a deal difficult, but being there in person and explaining things to the homeowner in their villa can be much more effective.

"Okay, let's go to my villa then." Zhang Yang nodded.

A moment later, Zhang Yang and Lin Jingmin arrived at his detached villa.

A usable space of 700 square meters is spacious enough.

Standing beside Zhang Yang, Lin Jingmin vividly explained her ideas and concepts.

"Mr. Zhang, you could easily build a rockery and even add a pavilion in this garden location."

"For the color scheme of your home, you can use dark brown, which is warmer than black, white, and gray, and more sophisticated than cream."

"You can turn the basement into a home theater or a gym. You're in such great shape, you must work out regularly, right?"

She tried her best to describe a wonderful idea to Zhang Yang.

However, Zhang Yang remained unmoved. The reason was that she simply couldn't understand Zhang Yang's needs and positioning.

"Ms. Lin, it's like this, my renovation budget for this building is fifteen million. You can't just say it, but you don't have any concrete examples to compare it with, which makes me..."

Zhang Yang said with a hint of regret.

"You... you wait? Fifteen million?" Lin Jingmin's usually confident and aloof face instantly lost its composure.

"Yeah, I think I'll look at some other ones." Zhang Yang said.

Putting everything else aside, if we're going to let him choose this company, at the very least, we need to show him our capabilities, right? How do we demonstrate those capabilities? Shouldn't we at least present similar case studies?

He looked towards the door, as if he wanted to leave first.

Lin Jingmin immediately felt extremely anxious.

"Mr. Zhang, please wait, please give me another chance." She stepped forward, disregarding everything else, and grabbed Zhang Yang's arm.

In the past, if she couldn't close the deal, she would have been anxious, but not this flustered; at least she would have had the patience to negotiate with the client.

But right in front of them is a 15 million yuan order! If they put it out there, which renovation company wouldn't scramble for it?

How could she dare to pull or tug at it?

"No, don't do it!" Zhang Yang said, amused.

"Mr. Zhang, please give me a chance to produce renderings. I promise I won't let you down!" Lin Jingmin's usually serene face was now filled with urgency.

"Sure, I didn't say I wouldn't give you the chance," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"No, what I mean is, you... you don't have to rush..." Lin Jingmin said a little embarrassedly.

Zhang Yang understood; this meant he shouldn't look at the other companies yet.

"I didn't have much time to waste this time I came back," Zhang Yang said after a moment's thought.

"Mr. Zhang, you're here so soon." Lin Jingmin then realized that she seemed to be holding Mr. Zhang's arm too tightly, almost touching his chest, and immediately blushed and quietly let go.

Considering Lin Jingmin's sincerity, Zhang Yang finally nodded in agreement.

Lin Jingmin went out of the villa first to wait, and he walked around the villa again.

As he left the villa, he seemed to hear voices at the door.

"Jingmin, why didn't you accept the gift I gave you last time? Why did you return it?"

It was a man's voice.

As Zhang Yang walked out, he happened to see a figure standing in front of Lin Jingmin, saying something.

From a distance, he looks somewhat familiar.

As he stepped forward, Zhang Yang immediately recognized him.

Isn't this Meng Baihan's brother?

He vaguely remembered that Meng Baihan's older brother's name was Meng Mingfeng?

"Mr. Zhang." When Lin Jingmin saw Zhang Yang coming over, she didn't even bother to talk to Meng Mingfeng; her attention was immediately focused on Zhang Yang.

Meng Mingfeng was taken aback and recognized Zhang Yang as well.

He looked at Zhang Yang, then at Lin Jingmin, his expression somewhat uncertain and doubtful.

"Mr. Zhang, I just ran into a friend of mine and we chatted briefly," Lin Jingmin explained. "Mr. Zhang, shall I see you out together?"

"No need, you guys chat. I'll go back by myself," Zhang Yang said as he walked out.

"Mr. Zhang, let me see you off." Lin Jingmin jogged to catch up with Zhang Yang.

Standing there, Meng Mingfeng stared blankly at the two figures disappearing into the distance, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.

On the way to pick up the car, Zhang Yang and Lin Jingmin chatted for a few minutes.

"That guy just now, it seemed like he was pursuing you? You haven't accepted the gift yet?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.

"Him... I'm actually a slow starter. I told him I only wanted to be friends for now, but he didn't see it that way. He's too hasty." Lin Jingmin shook her head gently. "The more he's like this, the more resistant I feel inside."

"Slow to warm up?" Zhang Yang blinked.

"What? Mr. Zhang, don't you believe I'm slow to warm up?" Lin Jingmin asked, looking at Zhang Yang.

"Sure, I just suddenly thought of something," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "When girls say they're slow to warm up, it's mostly because they don't have feelings for the other person. If it were someone else, they might be incredibly passionate."

"That makes sense," Lin Jingmin blinked gently. "If it were Mr. Zhang asking me out like this, I definitely wouldn't have done it."

Zhang Yang stopped walking, and so did Lin Jingmin.

The two exchanged a glance.

Looking at that serene and indifferent face, Zhang Yang suddenly became very curious about what she would be like if she were passionate.

"How about we have dinner together tonight?" Zhang Yang asked.

"Okay, Mr. Zhang." Lin Jingmin smiled sweetly, her previous aloofness vanishing completely in an instant.

Outside the villa area, Zhang Yang got into his Cayenne and drove off first.

Lin Jingmin turned around and saw Meng Mingfeng rushing up to her.

"Jingmin, that person just now..."

He knew, of course, that was his sister's classmate, but he was concerned about something else right now.

"My client." Lin Jingmin's expression returned to its usual coldness.

"A client?" Meng Mingfeng muttered to himself.

"Yes, that detached house was sold, and Mr. Zhang is the owner," Lin Jingmin replied, then asked with some confusion, "Why are you asking this? Your renovation company can't possibly handle a job like this, can it?"

"Yes, I can't accept it." Meng Mingfeng's face was burning hot.

The embarrassing and regrettable thing wasn't about the deal itself; after all, given his company's capabilities, they were never going to get such a deal in the first place.

What's embarrassing for him is that he was blind to the situation and still tried to put on an act in front of others.

"Do you know how much their budget is?" Lin Jingmin continued.

"Huh? How much?" Meng Mingfeng belatedly looked up. "Several million?"

"A few million? It's fifteen million!" Lin Jingmin said with a light laugh.

"What! Fifteen million?" Meng Mingfeng stared blankly at Lin Jingmin. "You landed this deal?"

He was also in the renovation business, so he knew exactly how much Lin Jingmin could earn if she landed such a deal.

Commissions, kickbacks, and all that's added up—enough to buy a house.

"Not yet, I'm done, I'm leaving now." Lin Jingmin chatted with Meng Mingfeng for a few minutes, her mind completely elsewhere.

She also planned to go back to the company early to hand over her duties, and then go back early to do her makeup so she could prepare for dinner that evening.

"Wait a minute." Meng Mingfeng quickly called out to Lin Jingmin, "Jingmin, are you free tonight? I... I'd like to invite you to dinner tonight."

"No need," Lin Jingmin waved lightly and left without looking back.

··

In the afternoon, Zhang Yang returned to his empty home alone.

Zhang Zhaohai and his wife are still in the shop. They finished their work at noon and then it was already evening, so they had no time to go home and rest. They are taking a short break in the shop now.

Zhang Yang lay on the bed, took a short nap, and casually took out his phone.

In the high school classmates' group chat on the phone, people started posting photos from the school anniversary celebration.

"I went to sign in today and ran into our class teacher, Mr. Qin."

"Did you recognize me?"

"What a pity, no, I did see Teacher Meng."

Zhang Yang was slightly puzzled. Teacher Meng?

How come he doesn't remember having a teacher named Meng in high school?

Then, after looking at the messages in the group, I realized that they were talking about Meng Baihan, who stayed on to teach at the university after graduation.

A moment later, a photo appeared in the group chat.

Out of curiosity, Zhang Yang clicked on the photo and found it was a picture of Meng Baihan giving a speech on stage.

She was wearing a well-fitting long dress, her long hair flowing, and she exuded elegance. In the photo, the students and teachers below the stage all looked up, their eyes glued to her.

"Teacher Meng is getting a lot of discussion on Baidu Tieba; everyone says she's the most beautiful teacher in our school."

"Where's Teacher Meng? Teacher Meng, would you like to offer your opinion?"

The discussion in the group was quite heated.

However, Meng Baihan has not shown up yet, presumably he has class at the moment.

Zhang Yang watched them discuss for a while, and the discussion gradually subsided. After all, not everyone is like him, not having to work and having plenty of leisure time every day.

"How about we go for a walk around the school this afternoon?"

He was just acting on a whim; after all, he hadn't returned to his alma mater even once since graduating many years ago, so he decided to go back and join in the fun.

There's no need for signing in or anything like that. He doesn't consider himself an outstanding graduate; he just wanted to wander around and reminisce about his student days.

Around two or three in the afternoon, Zhang Yang left home and drove straight to his former high school.

Outside my alma mater, people came and went, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhang Yang found a place to park his car and strolled inside.

Walking through his former alma mater, looking at the younger students in their school uniforms and their youthful faces, Zhang Yang couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

Time flies, and standing here again after many years, I really feel a sense of disorientation, as if time has crossed over.

"Are you a graduating senior? Sign in here." A vibrant high school girl in the distance looked over and waved.