Reborn as a landlord in Shanghai

Chapter 38 Finding Li Mingyue for a drink

"It's time to go home, Xiao Li, Xiao Yuan, Xiao Zhang. Let's go."

At a financial company in Lujiazui, it was just past 5:30 PM when employees began to leave work one after another.

Li Mingyue walked out of the company with her colleagues, and then stood at the company entrance. She declined her colleagues' invitation to dinner and headed towards the subway station alone.

Actually, Li Mingyue still wanted to get together with her colleagues, as it would easily strengthen the bond between them, but her finances simply wouldn't allow it.

Five days ago, it was the birthday of the mother of the head of her department. After paying 1500 yuan, Li Mingyue only had about 20 yuan in her pocket for the first three days. She used the money sparingly, eating only one meal a day at noon. After three days of this, she had no money left.

It's fair to say that if the bus pass weren't a monthly pass, I wouldn't even have the money to buy a subway ticket to go back now; I'm in dire straits.

Otherwise, Li Mingyue wouldn't have been keeping a close eye on the finance department today, demanding that they transfer the money to Mao Xiaoyu.

After all, it was agreed that as long as the money arrived, there would be a 1% rebate. Therefore, as long as the money arrived today, Mao Xiaoyu would naturally bring 5000 yuan to me tonight, and my life would be much easier from then on.

Actually, if things followed the trajectory of her previous life, Li Mingyue would have started borrowing money from her colleagues two days ago. Later, in order to earn more money, well, she joined the circle of high-leverage mortgages, and eventually got herself into trouble.

However, because of Mao Xiaoyu, Li Mingyue was given hope, which allowed her to hold on for three days with only twenty-odd yuan, all in order to get the 5000 yuan rebate that Mao Xiaoyu had promised.

After all, Li Mingyue, being a young person, also has a sense of pride. If possible, no one would like to borrow money from their colleagues for meals. After all, Li Mingyue is a high-income professional earning tens of thousands of yuan. If someone like her can't even pull out a few dozen yuan from their pocket, wouldn't they be laughed at?

Fortunately, the loan has now been approved, and all that's left is for Mao Xiaoyu to fulfill his promise. Thinking of this, Li Mingyue, who was sitting on the crowded subway, felt much more relaxed.

Because the signal on the subway is not very good, and there is no signal at some underground stations, the signal is best at each station. Therefore, it is impossible to make a phone call on the subway. In the end, Li Mingyue sent a message to Mao Xiaoyu, telling him that she would be home in about half an hour.

When Li Mingyue got off the subway, her cell phone signal returned to normal. At that moment, she received a message from Mao Xiaoyu, who told her that he had bought some cooked food and would come over to have a drink with her later.

The thought of drinking made Li Mingyue really crave alcohol. She'd been broke for the past two or three days and couldn't even afford to drink. Every morning she ate breakfast at home, and in the evening she'd just get some plain rice. Her mouth was practically watering at the thought. Looks like tonight she'd have to have a good meal and some drinks.

Thinking of this, Li Mingyue walked home much faster than usual.

…………

After withdrawing the money from the bank, Mao Xiaoyu rushed home. When she arrived at her father's neighborhood, she bought some cooked food, liquor, and beer.

As for the barbershop, Mao Xiaoyu didn't go. Mainly, she was afraid of the trouble. She knew that if she went to her parents' place, they would definitely ask all sorts of questions, and in the end, she might not even be released. Since that was the case, she might as well finish her drinks with Li Mingyue first.

Mao Xiaoyu was actually starting to find living with her parents a bit of a hassle. It wasn't that she disliked them, but rather that the commute took too long, and sometimes she wouldn't get back until eight or nine o'clock at night.

Moreover, as things got more and more complicated, there were some things Mao Xiaoyu didn't want her parents to see, such as those loan documents. She had to keep these things safe and couldn't just leave them lying around, but if she brought them back, her parents would easily see them.

In addition, the more time they spend together, the easier it is to expose their true colors. Mao Xiaoyu plans to move out when she has more houses in the future.

After all, some people know that their houses will be demolished in two or three months. If they rent them out, they will eventually have to ask the other party to move out. If the other party refuses to move out, they will have to pay extra money in the end, and they will end up losing money renting them out.

Since that's the case, it's better not to rent it. Mao Xiaoyu was always afraid of trouble, so she had already decided not to rent the house that was going to be demolished.

With so many empty houses in the end, Mao Xiaoyu planned to move in herself. After all, it was summer now, so she didn't need blankets. All she needed was a mat, a mosquito net, and an electric fan. If any of the houses had air conditioning, that would be even better, as it would make summer much more comfortable.

…………

After buying her things, Mao Xiaoyu arrived at the residential complex where Li Mingyue lived. She didn't linger downstairs but went straight upstairs with her things. When she arrived at the door of Li Mingyue's apartment, she knocked, but no one answered.

Mao Xiaoyu knew that Li Mingyue probably hadn't returned yet, but she figured she'd be back soon, so she didn't leave and decided to wait at the door.

…………

Just as Mao Xiaoyu was waiting, her phone rang again. She took it out and saw that it was Guo Xiaoyan calling again.

In response, Mao Xiaoyu answered the phone directly.

"Hey, Xiaoyu... We've almost finished negotiating, but we haven't been able to negotiate the price down much... They don't agree to any further discounts, since this price is already very low by market standards... So, can you confirm whether you can complete the transaction tomorrow?" After the call connected, Guo Xiaoyan said a lot of things.

"No problem, of course the transaction can proceed. Have they prepared all the necessary documents? Once they're ready, we can go to the housing authority tomorrow to complete the transaction and sign the contract there as well."

Now that she had 50 yuan in hand, Mao Xiaoyu was extremely confident. "Why not make a deal? Buying it is the same as making a profit."

"Okay, I'll make an appointment with them. If not, we can meet at the Housing Management Bureau at 9 a.m. tomorrow," Guo Xiaoyan said.

"Okay, by the way, do they require payment in one lump sum or in two installments?" Mao Xiaoyu asked.

"They require payment in two installments. We'll pay 30% tomorrow, and the remaining 70% within three days of receiving the property certificate. Their house is about 56 square meters, and at 3700 yuan per square meter, the total price is 207,200 yuan. Tomorrow we only need to pay 30%, which is 62,160 yuan. We just need to transfer the money to them after we leave the housing management office. The remaining amount will be transferred to their account within three days of receiving the property certificate," Guo Xiaoyan said.

"Okay, I understand. Let's meet at the Yangpu District Housing Management Bureau at 9:00 AM tomorrow." Mao Xiaoyu said to Guo Xiaoyan after seeing Li Mingyue return, and then hung up the phone.

Next, Mao Xiaoyu put away her phone and politely greeted Li Mingyue. After Li Mingyue opened the door, the two of them carried the wine inside.

Once inside, Li Mingyue started cooking dinner, while Mao Xiaoyu, without any hesitation, opened each cooked dish and placed them on the table. She also went to the kitchen to get two pairs of chopsticks, her movements fluid and natural, just like at home.

There was nothing Mao Xiaoyu could do; she was already used to it. In her previous life, the two had a good relationship. When Li Mingyue was arrested at the end of 2007, she was still living here. In addition, the two were considered friends, so Mao Xiaoyu often came over to drink with Li Mingyue. She was very familiar with this house.

In 2008, Li Mingyue was sentenced to prison. Mao Xiaoyu felt that staying in her own barbershop was meaningless, so she went out and opened a barbershop with another friend.

…………

"I see you know my house quite well, even better than I do myself," Li Mingyue teased Mao Xiaoyu after she finished cooking dinner and saw that Mao Xiaoyu had done all the rest.

"You know what, I feel like we're really destined to meet, Lao Li... That's why I didn't look for anyone else, I just asked you, Lao Li, to do this... And for at least the next two or three years, we'll be in a cooperative relationship. Our relationship will be better than family, even if we're not family." Mao Xiaoyu said boastfully as she sat down.

Hearing Mao Xiaoyu's words, Li Mingyue was startled, but her expression remained unchanged. Instead, she calmly asked, "What? Xiao Mao, are you planning to quit after two or three years?"

"Go for it! Why not? Ordinary people like us don't have connections, so we can't do big business. We can only buy some houses to rent out. But I believe that after two or three years, I should have made a lot of money. When that time comes, I won't be so aggressive. I'll focus on stability."

After all, although housing prices are expected to rise in the long term, it would be troublesome if they suddenly dropped or plummeted one day. You have to understand that since the government allowed houses to be sold on the market, they are essentially commodities. As commodities, they can rise or fall, so there is still a risk involved.

Of course, prices won't fall in the next two years, which is why I dared to invest in a house. But in a couple of years, I'll have to reassess the situation. After all, times are changing, and society is evolving. Who knows whether house prices will rise or fall by then?

If prices rise, that's fine. But if things go wrong, I'd rather borrow less and hold onto a bunch of properties with low repayment pressure. That way, I won't be too aggressive and ruin my good situation.

"Besides, I don't have many goals. If I can earn 100 million yuan in 20 years, then I can retire. By then, I'll pay off my mortgage and just collect rent every day, living my own little life." Mao Xiaoyu said, half-jokingly, while opening a bottle of wine.

"You still dare to dream of a hundred million? Do you even know how much a hundred million is?" Li Mingyue asked in astonishment.

"How much? One house costs 500,000, so 100 houses would be 50 million, and 200 houses would only be 100 million. How much can 200 houses be? Four, I guess. There are so many houses in Shanghai, why shouldn't I have my four houses?" Mao Xiaoyu said with a magnanimous expression.

"You actually dare to think that way?" Li Mingyue gave a thumbs up, pretending to admire him.

"If a person has no dreams, what's the difference between them and a salted fish? Just like you, Li Mingyue, old man Li, don't you have any dreams either? Don't you want to own your villa, your house, your car, and your woman in Shanghai?" Mao Xiaoyu said seductively.

Hearing Mao Xiaoyu's tempting words, Li Mingyue naturally wanted to have it; otherwise, she wouldn't be troubled. So, upon hearing Mao Xiaoyu's words, her expression changed instantly, and she picked up the wine on the table and took a big gulp.

"Since you want it, then cooperate with me. I guarantee that, while I can't promise anything else, I can at least guarantee you can earn one or two million a year. Of course, you'll have to lend me one hundred million, but I won't make things difficult for you. At least I'll have assets for you to use as collateral. As long as we cooperate well, the road ahead will be smooth sailing." Mao Xiaoyu knew what the other party was thinking from her actions, so she started to keep painting a rosy picture for Li Mingyue.

"If it's really as you say, then it's a win-win situation for us. However, the appraised value of some houses can't be too high. After all, if the appraised value is always higher than the market price, it's easy for me to run into problems in the long run," Li Mingyue said with some concern.

"I know, I won't put you in a difficult position. How could I possibly ask you to give me a high valuation for every single one of my properties? Let me tell you, I opened a real estate agency specifically to negotiate prices with landlords and drive down the prices. As long as I lower the price, I can get you to appraise it, and you can give me the market value. That way, things will be normal on your end, and I can just borrow a little less on my end. This way, we can both do this business steadily and responsibly," Mao Xiaoyu said reassuringly.

"Okay, that's better. But your house loan is for a one-year term. After a year, you'll need to repay the principal and interest. You need to calculate the dates carefully. Even if you find bridge financing, you need to calculate the timeframe. After all, I'm helping you with the new loan, and I might not be that accurate in this regard. Sometimes various problems might arise, and even I can't avoid them," Li Mingyue said with concern.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. In the second half of the year, I will sell my houses on the market through my real estate agency by raising the price. It won't be much, just enough to make me 10,000 to 20,000 yuan per house. I'll just sell them off."

Even if I only earn three or five thousand, I'll sell them off. If I have too many houses, I can make money as long as I sell them. If I can't sell some houses, that's okay too. I'll keep them and get a second loan from you to resell them. I believe that by then, I shouldn't have too many houses left." Mao Xiaoyu pretended to talk about what she was going to do in the second half of the year, which was a way to reassure Li Mingyue.

"That's good that you know what's going on." Hearing Mao Xiaoyu's plan, Li Mingyue felt much more at ease.