Sprawling river-view apartments

"Director Liu, they aren't here to buy a home. They're just my friends," Gu Manxiang's timid voice came from behind Director Liu.

Liu Wenbin turned around and frowned. "These are your friends?"

"Yes. Sorry, Director Liu," Gu Manxiang said apologetically, shrinking her neck.

Liu Wenbin frowned and said to Gu Manxiang in a low voice, "There's nothing wrong with inviting your friends over, but you can't let people who have nothing to do with our business take up company resources. They're only visiting, yet you had security escort them with umbrellas. Company resources aren't meant to be wasted like that."

His stern words had Gu Manxiang nodding repeatedly in apology. "Yes, Director Liu. This was an accident. I forgot to tell my friend to let me come get her."

"Hmph. I'll let it slide this time. Write a self-criticism after work. If it happens again, your pay will be docked." With that, Liu Wenbin turned and walked past Li Rui and the others without expression, heading out of the sales hall.

Once Liu Wenbin had left, Gu Manxiang patted her chest. Seeing her good friend looking at her, she stuck out her tongue, stepped forward, and took both of Li Xiaoshuang's hands. "That's our director. He has such a rotten temper. He's really scary. But let me tell you a secret-he's bald. His hair is fake! Hahaha!" She covered her mouth and burst out laughing.

Hearing that, Li Xiaoshuang also covered her mouth and chuckled.

After they had laughed for a while, Gu Manxiang asked Li Xiaoshuang, "Shuangshuang, is he your younger brother?" Gu Manxiang was Li Xiaoshuang's high school classmate. She had met Zhang Huaiyuan before, but she had never seen the man behind him holding Yiyi, so she guessed that he was Li Xiaoshuang's younger brother.

"Yes. Let me introduce you. This is my younger brother, Li Rui. My husband and daughter don't need introductions, do they?" Li Xiaoshuang said with a warm smile.

"Hello, I'm Li Rui."

"Hello, I'm Gu Manxiang."

After their brief introductions, Gu Manxiang led everyone to the sofa seating area, where they sat down, and poured them tea.

Meanwhile, after walking out of the sales hall, Liu Wenbin spotted the two Land Rover Range Rovers in the parking lot and narrowed his eyes. He knew all the cars the sales office employees drove. None of them had cars this nice-Range Rovers worth 1.3 million yuan, and two of them at that.

Yet there were no other customers in the sales office. What was going on? He waved over the security guard at the entrance and asked, "Who do those two cars belong to?"

"Director Liu, those two cars belong to the group that just went inside. They even brought four bodyguards, all burly men nearly two meters tall, with arms thicker than my thighs."

Hearing the guard's reply, Liu Wenbin turned and headed back inside.

"Shuangshuang, once I get off work this afternoon, let me treat you all to a meal. We haven't seen each other in so long."

"A meal sounds good, but it has to be my treat. Oh, right, here's the fifty thousand yuan I owe you." As she spoke, Li Xiaoshuang took five bundles of banknotes, each worth ten thousand yuan, from her handbag and placed them on the table.

"Ah, Shuangshuang, you're serious? How much did Yiyi's treatment cost? Do you still have money to pay me back? I'm not in any hurry to use the money anyway. You don't need to rush to repay me." As she spoke, Gu Manxiang pushed the fifty thousand yuan back.

"Manxiang, just take it. I really don't lack money now. My younger brother's a real tycoon these days. He gave me five million yuan and said it was New Year's money for Yiyi. Yiyi's treatment only cost 1.2 million in total." As she spoke, she turned her head to glance at Li Rui.

"Shuangshuang, you're getting more outrageous by the minute. Your brother only graduated three years ago. What kind of work could earn him that much money?"

Before Li Xiaoshuang could reply, Li Rui spoke up. "My sister's telling the truth. I've been lucky these past few years and made some money. Please take it. Thank you for helping my sister."

"Auntie Manxiang, my uncle has lots and lots of money! He has lots of pretty cars, and he bought really big lobsters and crabs for me to eat!" Yiyi said in her sweet little voice from Li Rui's arms.

Although she could not understand exactly what the adults were talking about, she did have some concept of money. She knew her uncle had a lot of money. When he had come to the hospital to pick her up that day, he had brought lots of cars.

"Well... all right." Only after hearing Yiyi's words did Gu Manxiang accept the fifty thousand yuan, still half doubtful. After all, children probably would not lie, would they? Had her good friend's younger brother really struck it rich? Then perhaps her friend's claim that her brother wanted to buy a home was true too?

Just as Gu Manxiang wanted to ask but felt too embarrassed, Li Xiaoshuang spoke first.

"Manxiang, my brother wants to buy a home. Why don't you show us what you have?"

"Shuangshuang, you really want to buy a home?"

Li Xiaoshuang did not answer, merely nodding.

Only then was Gu Manxiang truly certain that her good friend had indeed brought her brother here to buy a home.

Just as she stood to lead Li Rui and the others over to the scale model to look at the properties, Liu Wenbin hurried up beside them.

"Xiao Gu, your friends came to visit, and this is the tea you served them? What about the Longjing? Here, take your friends to look at the properties first. I'll personally brew you a pot of Longjing," Liu Wenbin said with a beaming smile. He had overheard them from behind just now: these people really were here to buy a home. Anyone buying a home was king, and naturally, a king deserved better treatment.

Seeing Liu Wenbin's complete change in attitude, Gu Manxiang rolled her eyes with her back to him, inwardly amusing Li Xiaoshuang and the others.

Everyone walked over to the scale model, and Gu Manxiang began her introduction. "Xiang River Loulan covers five hundred thousand square meters. The high-rises occupy one hundred thousand square meters, and the villas occupy four hundred thousand. There are sixteen high-rise buildings in total, with an average price of thirty-eight thousand yuan per square meter. They're all fully finished. The smallest units are ninety-nine square meters. There are also one-hundred-forty-one- and one-hundred-sixty-eight-square-meter units, and the largest floor plan is two hundred and forty square meters. Shuangshuang, which floor plan would you consider?"

"Even the smallest would cost nearly four million yuan for one apartment. The largest must be close to ten million, right?" Li Xiaoshuang asked Gu Manxiang.

"Yes. How about a ninety-nine-square-meter unit? Although those aren't directly on the riverfront, the amenities are still quite good. Both the primary and middle schools are top-tier schools in Star City." Afraid that her good friend's brother could not afford one and would be left unable to save face, Gu Manxiang recommended the smallest, cheapest floor plan.

"Which floor plans have a river view?" Li Rui asked.

"The units directly on the riverfront are mostly the larger floor plans-the one-hundred-sixty-eight- and two-hundred-forty-square-meter ones. There are thirty-three floors in total, and floors twenty through thirty-two have the best river views," Gu Manxiang explained truthfully.

"Then I'll take two two-hundred-forty-square-meter units on the twenty-fifth floor. Are there any left?"

"Ah... yes, yes!" Gu Manxiang exclaimed, then answered instinctively. Afterward, she looked toward Li Xiaoshuang again, seeking confirmation from her good friend.

"Xiao Rui, why are you buying two?" She was not at all surprised that her younger brother wanted to buy a sprawling apartment worth ten million yuan. After all, he had already spent several hundred million on cars.

"One each for us, of course."

"No, that won't do. I don't have that much money."

"Sis, with the relationship we have? This apartment is my gift to you. If I weren't worried that a villa would require hiring lots of servants and you might not be used to it, I'd have wanted to buy you a villa. Still, these sprawling apartments are pretty good too, and the views are lovely. You know your brother isn't short of money now."

"Well... all right." Thinking of the tens of billions her younger brother had earned, Li Xiaoshuang agreed and did not refuse again.

Beside them, even after hearing her good friend's confirmation, Gu Manxiang still found it hard to believe. Two apartments at ten million yuan each-that was twenty million yuan.

At that thought, she moved closer to Li Xiaoshuang, nudged her with her shoulder, and asked quietly, "Shuangshuang, is this really happening? That's twenty million yuan!"