Chapter 25: Taking Advantage?

On the North China Road, there was a newly opened real estate development called Fragrant Pavilion Residence, which had been relentlessly advertised in the newspapers for a whole month. After retrieving his car, Chu Dong made a trip to the bank, withdrew all his savings, and headed straight there.

Fragrant Pavilion Residence had an opening price of 5,500 yuan per square meter. Despite the extensive advertising campaign, the sales office remained deserted. The price itself was not high—almost on par with existing properties in the area. Yet, buyers were scarce; fewer than ten units had been sold so far. Zhao Fan, the head of Tianxiang Real Estate, the company developing the site, was so anxious that he was on the verge of losing what little hair remained on his head.

No matter how much he raged at his marketing and design teams, nothing seemed to help. If the apartments wouldn’t sell, no amount of shouting would change that. This morning, he had come to the sales office for a round of inspection. The staff, cowed by his presence, hardly dared to speak, and he, in turn, sat in sulky silence on the sofa, eyes closed as if resting.

Chu Dong parked his car with ease at the entrance of the sales office. Dressed in crisp white casual clothes, tall and composed, he walked in with an air of calm.

His entrance seemed to slice through the tense, stagnant air inside. The salesgirls, who had been suffocating under the boss’s watchful eye, brightened at the sight of a customer and hurried to greet him.

“Good morning, sir. Are you here to look at apartments?” The pretty salesgirl’s smile was tinged with nervous stiffness, perhaps from too much pressure.

“Yes. Could you give me some information?” Chu Dong smiled gently, his radiant face instantly putting her at ease.

“Of course, please follow me.” She led him to the panoramic model of Fragrant Pavilion Residence, and began her introduction, point by point. “Our development consists of three high-rise buildings. The design ensures a higher usable floor area than other mid-rise buildings, and the staggered orientation means that even the ground floor gets plenty of natural light. The surrounding area has well-developed educational and commercial facilities. The price is also very low—almost the same as older buildings in this district—while the potential for appreciation is huge. As a new development in Gan District, this is a very cost-effective choice.”

“Can you tell me why your price is so low? Don’t say it’s for public benefit—I’ve never met a developer who doesn’t want to make money.” Chu Dong nodded as she finished, circling the model before suddenly looking up to ask.

“Well… I…” The salesgirl was clearly unprepared for this question and was left stammering.

“Maybe it’s because we’ve kept a low profile with our promotion. By saving money on advertising, we’re able to keep prices down and boost sales…” After a long pause, she finally managed to come up with a reason she could say out loud.

“That’s not right,” Chu Dong said, shaking his finger. “Since the start of last month, Fragrant Pavilion Residence has run nearly two months of consecutive ads in the Evening News. Few could match that level of promotion. So that explanation doesn’t hold water.”

“This…” The salesgirl, already nervous, now went completely blank. If she performed poorly in front of the boss, she might not need to come to work tomorrow.

“Heh, is your manager here?” Chu Dong noticed her cheeks had turned so red they looked almost wet, and he smiled, shifting her attention.

“Our manager? Oh, he, he…” She glanced around but saw that the manager had slipped away, not daring to face the boss who was sitting right there. Zhao Fan had already opened his eyes, but she dared not invite him over, growing so anxious she nearly stamped her foot.

“If you have something to discuss, speak with me,” Zhao Fan said, fixing Chu Dong with a steady gaze, unsure whether this young man was here to buy or just to stir up trouble. No matter how the salesgirl performed, he would never criticize his staff in front of outsiders; his temper might be fiery, but he had that much self-control.

“Oh?” Chu Dong raised his eyebrows. “So you’re the one in charge. May I have a word with you?”

Zhao Fan couldn’t figure out Chu Dong’s intentions, but gestured for him to sit opposite. “If you have something to say, just say it. No need to beat around the bush.”

Sitting down across from Zhao Fan with a relaxed air, Chu Dong lit a cigarette and blew out a light smoke ring. “Are you the one who makes the decisions here?”

“Of course.”

“Good. That makes things easier.” Chu Dong hadn’t expected to run into the boss himself. Flicking his ash into the crystal tray on the coffee table, he asked, “How long do you plan to take to sell out these apartments?”

“What are you getting at?” Zhao Fan frowned, a little lost.

“It’s obvious to anyone that sales here are poor. Let’s set aside the reasons for now. I just want to know if you’d like to offload these apartments quickly.”

Chu Dong spoke quietly, but to Zhao Fan, his words were like thunder. Zhao Fan hadn’t been at Tianxiang very long. Since the old man retired, this had been his first development. Wanting to prove himself, he pressed ahead with the project despite tight finances. Now, at over forty, he’d run headlong into a market slump. Three months after launch, only a handful of units had sold. Not only was his reputation at stake, but the heavy loans weighed on him like a mountain. At first, he’d thought this project was a goldmine, destined to bring in a fortune, but now it felt like a hot potato—if it failed or collapsed, it could drag down the reputation of all their developments and make him Tianxiang’s scapegoat. Hearing Chu Dong’s question, Zhao Fan instantly knew he wasn’t a typical buyer, but an insider. His wariness faded.

“Who the hell wouldn’t want to sell?” Zhao Fan snatched up his own cigarette from the table, but as he bit down on it, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at Chu Dong. “You’re not here on someone else’s orders to laugh at my misery, are you?”

“You’re overthinking it. I have nothing to do with anyone else. I’m just here to see if I can make a little money for myself.” Chu Dong smiled calmly.

“I haven’t made any money myself, and you think you can? You’ve come to the wrong place.” Zhao Fan, heavyset, leaned back into the sofa, blowing a thick cloud of smoke.

“That depends on how you look at it. If you’re willing to let me take over the sales, I guarantee you’ll make a profit.” Chu Dong’s tone was steady, unfazed by Zhao Fan’s dismissive posture.

“Hand it over to you? At a discount, is that it? Are you going to tell me to leave a little profit for myself? If you want a bargain, just say so—don’t dance around it!” Zhao Fan suddenly erupted. He’d already had more than one person suggest taking over the project, but always at embarrassingly low prices. They’d talk about leaving him a profit, but it was barely enough to cover the interest on his loans. No wonder he was angry—he practically pointed at Chu Dong’s nose, barely stopping short of throwing him out.