After successfully sending out this batch of ‘trial’ samples, Lu Nan thought to herself: Although this cooperation happened more than two months earlier than in my previous life, I am confident that Brother Xu will become my business partner. Compared to last time, our cooperative relationship has already changed. At least this time, I am no longer stuck with the initial capital and forced to act as the other party’s agent for a short period before having to give up this resource. 

This time, the initiative is in my hands. I will make sure to handle the cooperation details and agreements with great care. 

The six bottles of wine were shipped, and the transportation and customs clearance would take about a week. Once the goods reached Xu Chengzhi’s hands, it would be his time to shine. 

For Lu Nan, everything is now set. The partner has been confirmed, the project is clear, and the method of cooperation is being negotiated, with results expected soon. 

Everything was in place—except for the capital. 

And where is the capital? Of course, it’s in the stock market. 

Ever since the end of the National holiday, a certain media stock had been soaring, rising higher and higher. 

Before, Lu Nan simply threw the money into the stock market and left it, only checking on it occasionally. But by now, she was paying more attention, checking it every day. 

By Friday, she did the math: her total investment of 350,000 yuan, made in several installments, had grown to a market value of just over 2.3 million yuan—a gain of more than 550%. 

Greed leads to downfall. 

Lu Nan knew that her investment success was more due to luck than skill, and she had no confidence in selling at the peak. It was better to cash out and secure the profits. 

She had already decided to sell her stocks in batches over the next few working days. 

After about four working days, she finally made 2,258,634.93 yuan, almost 2.26 million. 

Although the stock continued to rise for a few more days after she sold, Lu Nan didn’t feel regretful at all. 

Because soon after, that very stock plummeted, turning completely red. 

This showed that the stock market carries risks, and investments should be made with caution. 

If someone were to ask Lu Nan how it felt to become a millionaire, she would likely answer very calmly: “Thanks for asking. I’m happy, but it’s limited. I don’t even know if this money is enough to buy half of Mr. Yang’s villa—it’s hardly something to be proud of.” 

After her bank balance suddenly hit seven figures, she started receiving multiple text messages from her bank: 

“The interest rates for large deposits are as follows…” 

“Here are our recommended stable investment options…” 

It wasn’t just messages; there were calls too. 

It was pretty annoying. Lu Nan thought it might be a good idea to spend the money sooner. 

Over two million is enough to buy a small apartment in the downtown area of Hailin City with full payment. 

But doing that would have a low return on investment. 

This shows how much people’s thoughts can change over time. 

Four months ago, Lu Nan thought about slacking off at work, but now she has been promoted and given a raise. 

Regarding buying property, Lu Nan originally planned to use this money as a down payment for several properties. 

She calculated the monthly mortgage payments and intended to cover them with rental income while waiting for the properties to be redeveloped. 

In the suburban areas of Hailing City, two million is enough to serve as the down payment for at least 3 or 4 older, small-sized apartments. 

However, considering the various changes since her rebirth, Lu Nan felt that the available funds were limited. The properties that would be redeveloped in the future were a must-buy. As for what to do after buying them—why not be bolder? 

*** 

Taking advantage of her rebirth, she marked several locations on the map of Hailin City, all of which would be demolished within the next three to five years. 

After comparing the options, she finally chose an old community called Lily Garden, located five kilometers from the CBD toward the suburbs. The buildings were about 20 years old, and the average price for second-hand houses was roughly around 10,000 yuan per square meter. 

Locals from the old town considered this area the “countryside.” Even though the terminal station of the under-construction Metro Line 1 was nearby, the subway wouldn’t be operational for another two years. Right now, the only buses that ran here were intercity buses—so wasn’t it still the countryside? 

To save time and avoid unnecessary hassle, Lu Nan found a clean and stylish real estate agency near Lily Garden. 

The agent who greeted her didn’t treat her with any less respect due to her youth. He warmly welcomed Lu Nan and asked her about her preferences regarding the layout, floor, budget, and other requirements. 

Lu Nan said, “I prefer small units.” 

The agent nodded and understood. He sifted through the listings and jotted down a few suitable properties: “Miss Lu, do you have time now? I can take you to see the properties.” 

It was Saturday, and Lu Nan checked her phone: it wasn’t even 10 AM yet. 

“No problem, let’s go.” 

After viewing seven or eight apartments, Lu Nan took notes on each one, including the floor, unit number, size, layout, and price, and has a few favorites in mind. 

Of course, she didn’t want to appear too eager in front of the agent. Around 2 PM, she said goodbye to the agent and told him she needed more time to think about it. 

Buying a house was a big deal, and nearly all clients who visited real estate agencies took their time. The agent only offered typical phrases like “the house is great” and “the price is negotiable.” 

On the taxi ride back to her office, Lu Nan looked at the properties she had circled in her notebook and thought to herself: Before buying, I still need to get the household registration book. 

For some special reasons, Lu Nan’s household registration was with her grandparents (maternal grandparents). Her grandfather was the previous head of the household, but he passed away a few years ago, and now her grandmother kept the household book. 

Since her mother was still in a phase of silent treatment and uncooperative, Lu Nan called her aunt, asking her to pick up the household registration book from her grandmother and send it to her by express mail. 

Her aunt naturally asked why Lu Nan suddenly needed it. 

Lu Nan already had an excuse prepared. She explained that her father had transferred money to her recently, and she had decided on a car model and needed the household book for the paperwork. 

Her aunt did remember that a few months ago, her sister (Lu Nan’s mother) had mentioned this, though she didn’t understand what documents were required for buying a car. So, she quickly sent the household registration book to Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan received the package on Sunday afternoon. 

On Sunday afternoon, she received a follow-up call from the agent. 

Willing to discuss further, Lu Nan agreed to visit the agent’s office again on Monday afternoon. 

On Monday morning, after checking in at Feixiang and finishing her work for the day, Lu Nan went straight to Lily Garden. 

When she arrived at the agency, Lu Nan didn’t waste time. She directly asked to see the properties she was most interested in again. 

Once she had seen enough, it would be time to discuss the price. 

Bargaining was always one of Lu Nan’s strengths. She had selected three 80-square-meter, three-bedroom apartments, each with a ground-floor “storage room.” Of course, the storage room wasn’t part of the property rights, only for use (the old community didn’t have shared areas, the stated square footage was the actual living space). 

She stated directly that she could pay in full for two units and would take out a mortgage for the third. She asked the agent to negotiate a better deal for her. 

This was a big deal! 

The agent was stunned: he had thought that this young woman was planning to take out a mortgage for just one small unit, but she was buying three! Three! A major client! 

The agent, who had already been enthusiastic due to Lu Nan’s appearance, was now even more motivated. He patted his chest and promised to negotiate a fair price for her. 

As they say, professionals do their jobs well. Within three days, the agent had successfully secured the price Lu Nan wanted. 

The three units were identical in layout, just located in different buildings, with only minor differences in size that didn’t matter much. 

The total cost for the two full payment apartments was 1.68 million yuan, and for the mortgage one, the down payment was 260,000 yuan with a loan of 600,000 yuan. 

With this arrangement, her monthly mortgage payment would be around 3,500 yuan. Meanwhile, the combined rent from the three apartments would be roughly 3,700 yuan, covering the mortgage with a little extra to spare. 

There were also taxes totaling 100,000 yuan, plus an agency fee of 25,000 yuan (the agency charged a 1% fee from both the buyer and the seller; Lu Nan originally needed to pay 25,400 yuan, but she managed to negotiate a discount of 400 yuan). 

The agency fee was reasonable. For Lu Nan, the agent helped her save time on selecting properties, investigating whether they had mortgages, legal disputes, tenants, or pending rental contracts with landlords. The money spent was well worth it. 

After a swipe of her card, out of 2,258,634.93 yuan, she was left with 194,000 yuan. 

On top of that, her salary account showed over 6,000 yuan from her September salary (her position as business supervisor started in October). 

The card she used to pay her tuition fees during her school days was now receiving “extra income.” At the beginning of October, she had also received 5,000 yuan in manuscript fees. 

In total, Lu Nan had about 205,000 yuan on hand. 

Not long after, thanks to the agent’s diligent work, Lu Nan received the property certificates for her three properties and officially became a homeowner. 

However, this was just the beginning of her plan. After lunch, Lu Nan took the documents and property certificates to the bank and applied for a mortgage loan on the two fully paid properties. 

The reason for this was as follows: 

First, if Lu Nan buys a house with the usual down payment and mortgage method, the down payment for the second property and beyond would be higher than 30%. 

Second, since Lu Nan didn’t have a public housing fund, the interest rate for a commercial loan was high at 5.8% per year, while the interest rate for a mortgage loan was only 3.8% annually. 

Third, obtaining this liquidity was also to ensure that her “transformation” plan could proceed more smoothly. 

Lu Nan completed the mortgage procedures, and if everything goes smoothly, the funds should be released by Monday or Tuesday. 

With a 30% discount on the valuation of the two properties, she could receive over 1.1 million. 

In other words, after this series of operations, Lu Nan now had three properties under her name (two mortgaged, one under a loan) and over 1.3 million in cash. 

If she wanted to, she could continue buying properties this way—covering the down payment for another two or three units wouldn’t be an issue. Of course, this takes advantage of policy loopholes, but setting compliance aside, as long as Lu Nan could maintain her cash flow (meaning she would need to keep working and earning money to cover the mortgages), in two to three years, she would undoubtedly earn the title of “property queen.” 

But… was this really what she wanted? 

Thinking back to a few months ago when she just wanted to take it easy and relax, Lu Nan lowered her head and smiled. No, this wasn’t what she wanted. Compared to coasting through life, the sense of achievement her work gave her was truly unparalleled. 

*** 

On Saturday, Lu Nan’s aunt casually mentioned the household registration book to Lu Nan’s mother. 

Her aunt didn’t understand, but Lu Nan’s mother had handled a lot of business in her husband’s company—she knew. 

A household registration book wasn’t necessary for buying a car outright, only for purchasing one on installment. 

“That heartless daughter of mine… Could she have actually taken my words to heart? Did she set her sights on an expensive car, and since her father refused to send more money, she foolishly took out a loan?” 

When it came to money, Lu Nan’s mother couldn’t sit still. She called Lu Nan at noon. 

Seeing the caller ID, Lu Nan thought to herself, This call came a day later than expected. Auntie must have been busy, or maybe Mom hasn’t been going out much lately. 

“Hello, Mom.” Lu Nan didn’t let the phone ring for too long, avoiding unnecessary complications. 

After answering, her tone remained polite and respectful. 

It had been over twenty days since they last spoke. Hearing her daughter’s voice so suddenly, Lu Nan’s mother felt momentarily disoriented. 

She had thought her stubborn daughter might ignore the call or reply with something like, I’m busy, I’ll call back tonight. But unexpectedly, Lu Nan answered. 

And after picking up, she spoke as usual, as if the past three weeks without any calls from her mother hadn’t affected her in the slightest. 

For a moment, Lu Nan’s mother was at a loss for words. 

Lu Nan remained patient and repeated, “Mom, is something wrong?”