Buying a House

"Oh? Did you have some good idea?" Xie Tian and Chen Jiayao both looked at Xue Chen with interest.

Xue Chen smiled and pointed at the computer screen. "Our products focused on being trendy. Everyone knew that people on Fragrant Island pursued trends. As long as we came up with a sales plan, we could make a splash with our advertising. There were plenty of rich people on Fragrant Island."

"I previously contacted the overseas factory. They had already upgraded the VCD configuration, and we could launch it together with a complete home appliance package. But we needed to set a quota for them and make people feel like they would lose out if they didn't buy these things."

"Hungry marketing?" Qin Zhou said, then immediately caught on. "That really is an excellent strategy. If we promoted it that way, the results would definitely be even better than the original version!"

"That's right." Xue Chen nodded slightly. "That's why I said this was our opportunity."

"In the future, we would have even more advanced products, and we would launch new ones then as well."

"You weren't afraid we'd cut you out after revealing so many plans?" Qin Zhou asked teasingly.

"Since I could say it in front of you, I naturally valued your character. If I truly judged someone wrong, everyone had times when they were blind." Xue Chen smiled. The meaning behind his words was obvious. In his impression, Qin Zhou was a formidable man, but also a proud one.

Qin Zhou smiled. "You really think highly of me. But I won't let you down."

Having just attended a family dinner that rivaled a palace intrigue drama, Fu Hengzhou received the information his assistant had uncovered. "That's all?"

A-Cheng replied, "Yes, that's all the information available. He went to Macau a month ago. Apparently, he only put down five hundred thousand in chips at the time, yet took nearly eighty million out of the casino."

"This Xue Chen is quite interesting." Fu Hengzhou spoke indifferently. "Keep investigating his background."

"Yes, boss."

"Also, send all the information on this person to my email." Fu Hengzhou added.

"Yes, boss!" A-Cheng nodded. "Oh, and the Second Madam has been getting very close to Sir Hunter's wife recently."

"Heh, that woman really can't stand being lonely." Fu Hengzhou smiled. "It seems her nerve is getting bigger and bigger. Did she really think the old man had grown senile?"

After saying that, Fu Hengzhou looked out the window again. Outside, night had fallen. The city lights had just come on, and the city remained prosperous and noisy.

"It's time to deal with this properly." Fu Hengzhou murmured.

"Yes." A-Cheng nodded and withdrew.

Fu Hengzhou picked up his phone and dialed a number. It was answered quickly, and a tender, coquettish voice came through. "Darling, what can I do for you?"

"Stop disgusting me, damn it. Did you do what I told you to do?" Fu Hengzhou said disdainfully.

"Sure enough, old flames are like faded flowers." The coquettish voice instantly became that of a young man. "I already sent people over, but we were a step too late. That Horst had already transferred the technology in his hands to someone else. He revealed that the call had come from Fragrant Island. Why don't you investigate whose handiwork it was?"

"It seemed you had gotten old," Fu Hengzhou mocked. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so slow to act."

"Fu Hengzhou, the key was that Horst was stubborn as a bull. I offered him three times the price, but he didn't even give a damn," the young man cried indignantly.

"Heh..."

Buying a House

"Old Xue, I checked out the house you asked me to look into. It's in Mid-Levels. The villa isn't large, but the view is superb. Don't worry, the price is definitely not high. This villa will absolutely bring you a profit." As Fang Jisheng spoke, he handed over a document.

Xue Chen took it and looked it over. He discovered that it was a villa of a full thousand square meters. It also came with three cars, a garden, and a lawn. The price was indeed quite low, though it was still an astronomical figure for ordinary people.

"Why would the owner be willing to sell?" Housing prices on Fragrant Island had not yet reached the heights they would in later years, but anyone with an eye for it could tell that in a few years, this house would be impossible to buy no matter how much money one had.

"Isn't it because of the stock market? The seller is a Malaysian Chinese businessman. He didn't get out in time during this round of stock investments, and ended up losing more than half his fortune," Fang Jisheng explained.

"This Malaysian Chinese man was truly foolish. Fortunately, he had put part of what he earned over the past few years into other investments. Though his losses were severe now, he could still make up for them elsewhere."

"Still, I thought this house was a good deal. The price might not be that cheap, but the house and land were permanent. Even if housing prices fell in the future, the land could still be used for something else."

"Fine. We'll buy it at his price of thirty million US dollars. But you have to keep a close eye on it for me," Xue Chen said.

"No problem." Fang Jisheng patted his chest in assurance. "Don't worry. He's quite trustworthy."

"However, I don't have a local Fragrant Island ID card, so I'm not sure..." Xue Chen said hesitantly.

Fang Jisheng smiled. "I thought it was something serious. It's just an ID card. A small matter like that won't stump me. Those rules are really only meant for illegal immigrants."

"Mm, all right. Then I'll have to trouble you." Xue Chen asked, "Oh, right. Are there any other houses elsewhere that need to be sold?"

Fang Jisheng sized him up. "You're serious? Quite a few people have gone bust playing the stock market lately, and there are plenty selling luxury homes. If you still want more, I'll keep an eye out for you."

"All right, you two are done talking about houses, right? Old Xue, it's my old man's birthday tonight. He always thought I was fooling around, but when I threw my money onto the table this time, he didn't say a word.

"But the old man is sharp too. He told me to invite you, my strategist, along as well. Come on, thank you for pulling this wastrel back on track." Xie Tian hooked an arm around Xue Chen's shoulder and made an exaggeratedly funny face.