Chapter 69

Mr. Lao Zhang sighed and said, “I only found out later that they had moved. I heard that for a while, creditors of Ah Ju’s family almost came every day to demand payment. These people were relatives and friends of her deceased husband. Unfortunately, once the person is gone, so is the support. Worried that she wouldn’t be able to repay the debts in the future or might remarry to avoid them, they kept demanding payment. Her maternal family had an average financial situation and was unable to help. In the end, they had no choice but to sell the house to settle the debts.”

“The house was sold. So, where are the mother and daughter living now? Ah Mei is still sick.” Song Haowen expressed concern.

“I heard that the two of them left Beijing and went to the south. They say the climate there is suitable for Ah Mei’s treatment of lung disease.”

“The south? Which south?”

“It seems to be the newly approved economic zone, Pengcheng.”

“Oh, it’s that place.” Song Haowen felt a slight relief in his heart. “That’s a place full of hope. I hope the mother and daughter can persevere and stand up from there.”

After bidding farewell to Mr. Lao Zhang, Song Haowen returned to the business store. After greeting everyone, he poured himself a cup of tea. Before he could take a sip, Su Yan rushed into the store, grabbed Song Haowen, and pulled him away.

Song Haowen was startled, thinking something had happened, and followed her outside. Upon looking, he saw a taxi parked at the entrance of the business store, the one she had just taken.

“Auntie, what’s the rush?” Song Haowen was puzzled.

“Hehe, get in the car first, I’ll tell you on the way.” Su Yan pushed Song Haowen into the back seat, took the front passenger seat herself, and told the driver, “Drive.” Watching the car start moving, she then said to him, “I’ve set my eyes on an office building in the city center, and I want to rent a few rooms for a music studio. I’d like your advice.”

“Come on. Auntie, I thought it was something serious. Since you’ve decided, why not just go ahead and finalize it?”

“But you’re also one of the shareholders of the music studio. For such a big matter, how can I not get your approval?”

“But there’s no need to be in such a hurry, right?”

“You don’t know. I’ve confirmed a meeting time with the head of the company, but because I couldn’t find a taxi, I’m a bit delayed, which is why I’m in such a hurry to drag you along. I was too rushed just now and didn’t have time to explain, sorry.” Su Yan turned around and patted Song Haowen’s hand resting on the back of the seat.

Song Haowen understood the situation and laughed, “Auntie, don’t worry. Nowadays, it’s not easy to rent office space. If we’re a bit late, they won’t blame us.”

Su Yan nodded. “I know that. But I feel that since we’ve set a time, we should try to stick to it as much as possible.”

Hearing this, Song Haowen’s heart tightened, feeling a sudden respect.

Upon reaching the destination, Song Haowen felt that Su Yan had chosen a fantastic place.Top of Form

This is a standalone building in a company courtyard located in the city center, with red walls, gray tiles, and ivy climbing on the mountain wall. It is surrounded by a small courtyard with a fence and walls on the east and south sides, separating it from other areas in the courtyard.

There is a considerable open space in front and behind the building, with tall holly trees surrounding it. The building has four floors, each with eight rooms, a staircase, and shared bathrooms on the second, third, and fourth floors.

The small courtyard where the building is located is at the southeast corner of the large courtyard, with a small river outside the east wall and a bustling street outside the south wall. The main entrance of the courtyard faces south. Song Haowen can tell that this building was originally the company’s office space.

They were received by a chubby man in his thirties, with a large flat-top hairstyle, looking like a leader. Su Yan introduced to Song Haowen that all seven or eight buildings in the entire courtyard belong to the City Foreign Trade Company, and he is the office director of the foreign trade company, surnamed Yu.

Director Yu explained to Su Yan and Song Haowen that the company had built a new office building, leaving the original office building vacant. They planned to rent out this building, either in its entirety or by floor and room.

Su Yan said to Song Haowen, “I think the environment here is good, quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, suitable for our music activities. If you think it’s good too, we can rent a few rooms or even an entire floor.”

Song Haowen shook his head and said, “If we only rent one floor, the tenants on the other floors might complain about our noise in the future. After all, we are different from regular units; we need to rehearse.”

Su Yan looked at Song Haowen. “So, what do you mean? Rent or not?”

Song Haowen smiled slightly and said calmly, “If we rent, it’s best to rent the whole building.” He turned to Director Yu and said, “However, renting can be troublesome—having to pay rent and sign contracts every year. If your company is willing, I’d like to buy this building.”

Director Yu was surprised. “Young man, are you serious? Buying a building is no small sum.”

Su Yan was also taken aback. “Xiao Song, how could you think of buying a building? Once you buy it, it will be difficult to sell in the future if you change your mind.”

Song Haowen knew that in twenty or thirty years, the land value here would be hundreds of times what it is now. Being able to buy this building, even if it’s demolished in the future, the compensation would be astronomical. Confidently, he said, “Buying it is what I have in mind.”

Director Yu hesitated. “Young man, you’re not kidding, right? Buying a building is a big deal.”

Su Yan also hesitated. “Xiao Song, I can decide on renting, but buying a building? I need to discuss it with Nana and her dad.”

Song Haowen generously said, “Auntie, there’s no need to discuss this. I’ll buy the building personally and then provide it to the music studio for free.”

Su Yan disagreed. “How can I let you take such a big loss? If you really buy it, the music studio will pay you rent.”

“No problem Auntie. Director Yu, what do you think? Can we finalize this?”

“It’s hard for me to say. young man, you really want to buy the building, you should come with me to meet our company’s General Manager, Manager Ma, and see what he says.”

Song Haowen agreed, so he and Su Yan followed Director Yu towards the central part of the compound, heading to a newly built twelve-story office building.

The three of them entered the magnificent new building and took the elevator to the ninth floor, where the General Manager’s office was located. The office was spacious, about two hundred square meters, with marble floors, rosewood desks and chairs, and floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a panoramic view of the city in the distance.

Manager Ma, in his fifties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, appeared refined and courteous. When he heard that Song Haowen wanted to buy the old office building, he was initially surprised, then somewhat incredulously asked, “Do you really want to buy a building? It will cost tens of thousands. Can you afford it?”

Song Haowen affirmed, “Manager Ma, since I want to buy it, I definitely have the means.”

Manager Ma, still puzzled, asked, “I’d like to understand. What do you want to do by buying a building? You can’t turn it into a shopping mall or a factory here.”

Su Yan explained, “We want to use it as a music studio.”

“Oh? A music studio? You want to take the entire building? How many employees do you have? The total area of this building is over a thousand square meters.” Manager Ma still found it hard to believe.

“For now, we won’t be using so many rooms. I’m thinking ahead for the expansion of the music studio in the future,” confidently said Song Haowen.

“I see.” Manager Ma hesitated for a moment. “The office building and the courtyard with an area of over two thousand square meters are connected. If you can afford a hundred thousand, I’ll sell you the office building and the courtyard. No need for you to report taxes.”

Su Yan immediately expressed that it was too expensive. “Manager Ma, this old office building with a courtyard is worth at most thirty to forty thousand. Your quote is too high. Can you lower it a bit?”

“No, I can’t,” Manager Ma said decisively. “This is collective property and cannot be sold cheaply. Otherwise, the collective interests will be compromised, and I won’t be able to explain it to the higher authorities.”

Even though Song Haowen knew that the other party was asking for a sky-high price, he understood the future value of this building. In thirty years, this centrally located building and courtyard would be worth at least ten billion.

To prevent any regrets, he didn’t engage in much negotiation and agreed on the spot. Manager Ma had initially wanted to propose a high price, expecting the other party to back down, but he hadn’t anticipated that they would accept.

Now he found himself in a difficult position. If he agreed, there might be consequences; if he didn’t, he feared being accused of going back on his word.

In a dilemma, he had Director Yu call several vice-managers from the company to explain the situation and seek their opinions.

Upon hearing that Song Haowen wanted to buy the building, the vice-managers couldn’t believe it. In this day and age, who could come up with ten thousand yuan at once? Let alone a hundred thousand. Even these high-ranking vice-managers couldn’t produce such a sum of money.

However, deep down, they all disagreed with selling the Original office building because the money from the sale wouldn’t benefit their company; it would have to be turned over to the national treasury.

If they rented it out, the rent could go into the company’s coffers, available for their use. Though not a substantial amount, it was better than nothing.

But when they thought about Song Haowen boldly claiming he wanted to buy the office building, they couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

They simply couldn’t believe that this young man could come up with such a huge amount. So, they jokingly suggested that if Song Haowen could raise a hundred thousand before the end of the afternoon, they wouldn’t object to selling the Building Office to him.

Song Haowen knew he had to seize the opportunity. Without hesitation, he quickly finalized the deal and had them sign a written agreement.

Once Manager Ma and the vice-managers had signed on the document, Song Haowen asked their company to send a cash accountant to accompany him to the nearest bank.

Manager Ma and the vice-managers, not believing that he could withdraw a hundred thousand, followed him to the nearby bank branch to witness the withdrawal.

Su Yan strongly disapproved of Song Haowen’s decision to buy the building, especially at more than double the price. She thought it was an impulsive move, making a loss in the deal.

However, seeing Song Haowen’s determined attitude, she refrained from dissuading him further, considering that he wasn’t short of money. She observed the company executives accompanying Song Haowen out of the courtyard, feeling that these executives were underestimating him.

Worried that they might regret it later, she also accompanied everyone to the bank.

When Song Haowen actually withdrew a hundred thousand in cash and handed it over to the company accountant, the company executives were dumbfounded, and their jaws dropped.

Regretting their decision, they couldn’t deny the signed contract with clear signatures. Agreeing to it left them feeling cheated, making them uneasy and regretful.