Hillside Villa

Not long after the car got onto the highway, Ming Jiu received a call from Sister Bai.

Ming Rong answered it, turned on the speakerphone, and thoughtfully held up the phone for her.

"Sister Bai, did you find a suitable house?"

There was a hint of excitement in Sister Bai's voice, the kind that came with a deal about to close.

"I found some. Since you're in a hurry, I'll send you the details first."

Ming Jiu relaxed—she knew she'd been right to go to Sister Bai. Women really were efficient at work.

"I am a little pressed for time. I'd like to move in before the Spring Festival. I'm driving right now—could you tell me about the properties first?"

Sister Bai said, "There are actually quite a few listings. Several new developments opened near the scenic area a few years ago, and there are plenty of unfinished new homes, but fully renovated ones are harder to find. Right now, there are three options."

"One is a newly built home with developer-provided full renovation. The building has twenty-five floors, and the apartment is on the tenth. It's a little small, with an actual area of 110 square meters, but the price is very affordable—practically the lowest in the surrounding communities. The occupancy rate is a bit low, though."

"The second is a resale home. The renovation is good, and it comes with furniture. Once you bring in appliances, you can pretty much move straight in. It's 134 square meters, also in a twenty-five-story building, on the eighteenth floor."

"The last one is in a villa district—a hillside vacation villa. It's a detached unit with three floors above ground and one underground. The building area is 120 square meters, while the usable area is 368 square meters. It also comes with a fifty-five-square-meter front yard and a twenty-square-meter backyard."

"It's a resale listing, but it might as well be new. The owner never lived in it after renovating it, and they're already abroad now. They're eager to sell, so the price is quite reasonable."

"But personally, I recommend the second one. The floor isn't as good, but the surrounding amenities are complete, making daily life much more convenient. The villa district is a little too remote. Even buying groceries would be inconvenient."

"I'm at Yunjing Scenic Area right now. If you need, I can take videos of the properties and send them to you first."

Ming Jiu hurriedly said, "No need. Can I view them directly? I'll come find you now. Please wait for me for a little while, Sister Bai."

System sis, navigation!

A light screen appeared before Ming Jiu. From her current location to Yunjing Scenic Area, it would take just over an hour by car.

"Sure," Sister Bai said. "Which property would you like to see first?"

Without hesitation, Ming Jiu chose the villa.

"Then let's meet at the entrance to the vacation villa district, okay? I'll send you the location."

The system directly pulled the information from Ming Jiu's phone, and the navigation route changed accordingly. The villa really was remote. Since it was built on the mountain, they would also have to drive along a winding mountain road for a while.

System: [The elevation is very safe.]

Ming Jiu couldn't help curling her lips. If nothing unexpected happened, this villa would be hers.

She had to thank the old man. The more than fifteen million he had left her would not only cover the cost of buying the villa, but leave her with quite a bit extra.

At 8:10, Ming Jiu successfully met up with Sister Bai.

The moment Ming Jiu saw her, she gave her a thumbs-up.

"Sister Bai's work efficiency is unbeatable."

Sister Bai smiled, fine lines appearing at the corners of her eyes. She looked especially reliable.

"Shall we walk in? We can take a look at the community environment while we're at it."

Ming Jiu took Ming Rong's hand and entered the villa district. The guard at the gate was an elderly man who did not so much as glance at the visitors. Other than the streetlights, the entire community was almost completely dark.

As they walked, Sister Bai introduced the community facilities—which was to say, there were barely any.

The villa district had originally included a gym, a swimming pool, and an indoor sports arena. Now, there were only the venues, with no businesses operating in them. The property management office was still stubbornly holding on, but it only had a few staff members.

"When it launched, it was marketed as vacation villas. Once construction was completed, housing prices happened to start falling, and the economic situation hasn't been good these past few years either. Honestly, if this place didn't perfectly meet your requirements, I truly wouldn't recommend buying a home here."

"Basically no one lives here year-round. There are nannies living in a few of those large villas over there, but for shopping and everything else, you have to go down the mountain. It's especially inconvenient."

Sister Bai honestly listed the villa district's shortcomings one by one, but the more Ming Jiu listened, the more tempted she became.

It was indeed desolate now, but once the safe zone was established, this place would be completely different.

"Still, the landscaping and environment are truly excellent. There aren't many people in winter, but it might be livelier in summer. Some owners may come back to escape the heat, though more than half the homes in the entire villa district still haven't been sold..."

As she spoke, Sister Bai took out her tablet and showed Ming Jiu the photos. Viewing a house at night came with many limitations, but Ming Jiu did not care.

The villa's exterior was a darker shade of beige. The photos had probably been taken in midsummer. The beige vacation villa, surrounded by lush green trees, was truly beautiful.

Every villa had a strong sense of design, with almost no duplicate exteriors. Ming Jiu had the system scan them, and the structural integrity and building materials were both entirely up to standard.

Ming Jiu could barely suppress her smile—this was a great place.

System sis, you should still have the information from the previous safe zone, right? Give me a comparison map. I want to know what lines up with what.

System: [Understood, Host.]

Less than two minutes later, Ming Jiu looked at the light screen before her. On one side was a map of Cloudview Mountain in present-day City B; on the other was a map of the future safe zone created by the system.

Ming Jiu narrowed her eyes slightly.

Who said this place was bad? It was simply perfect.

Zuo Junhao had been incredibly impressive in her previous life, yet even he had not gotten to live in this villa district. He had only lived in housing newly built in the safe zone after the natural disasters.

And that house had cost countless supplies.

This felt great.

The villa Sister Bai showed her was the smallest layout in the entire villa district, and Ming Jiu was also very satisfied with its interior renovation.

Other than a small storage room, the entire underground floor was parking space. It had enough room for both her SUV and all-terrain vehicle.

The three aboveground floors were exquisitely decorated, with a touch of retro Nanyang style that gave the place real character. The custom-built storage throughout the house was also very thoughtfully designed.

Since no one had ever lived there, the house was empty and would need furniture, appliances, and soft furnishings—but none of that was a problem.

The owner had bought the villa for over seven million. Now that housing prices had fallen sharply, even factoring in the renovation, the owner was asking six million.

"There's still room to negotiate," Sister Bai said. "I think five and a half million won't be a problem. The owner is in Country M now, and I can discuss the price with them tonight."

"But have you really thought it through? Are you sure you don't want to look at the other options?"

Ming Jiu had no desire whatsoever to see the other two properties and made her decision on the spot.

"I've decided. I can sign the contract right now and transfer the deposit to you first."

Sister Bai lowered her head to look for the contract on her tablet, but she could not resist asking one more question.

"Why does Miss Ming insist on choosing a house here? I don't mean anything by it. I'm just curious."

Ming Jiu actually had a foolproof answer ready, and Ming Rong happened to be upstairs looking at the rooms on the second floor.

"You've seen my sister's condition, Sister Bai. She wasn't born unable to speak. Something happened, and she developed aphasia."

"The environment here is good and suitable for recuperation. It's also close to the city, and she needs to see a psychologist regularly."

That reason was indeed flawless. In any case, Sister Bai believed it.

"She'll definitely get better."

Ming Jiu nodded. "Thank you."

The two agreed to formally sign the contract the next morning. Only then did Ming Jiu drive Ming Rong back to their hotel in the city.