Chapter Seventy-Eight: Each with Their Own Schemes

After several jin of liquor had been consumed, the atmosphere at the table grew noticeably more animated. Even Diao Hongyi and Fu Xingwang appeared much more enthusiastic, their faces alight with warmth.

“Mr. Zhao,” Fu Xingwang said, raising his glass, his promises tumbling out one after another, “if you’re looking to buy shops or properties, you can’t go wrong coming to us. I won’t speak for anything else, but when it comes to price, I assure you we’ll give you the best deal.”

Jia Xiangcheng, who earlier had run his mouth without restraint, had now grown quiet, letting Fu Xingwang make his assurances to Zhao Fan. Occasionally, Diao Hongyi would chime in as well, keeping the mood harmonious and lively.

Caught up in this congenial atmosphere, Zhao Fan made his own promise: as long as the properties were priced right, he would seriously consider buying them.

“I may not have much else, but money isn’t a problem for me,” Zhao Fan said, playing at drunkenness. Emboldened by the alcohol, he spoke freely, sharing his intentions and promises until both sides were in high spirits.

The dinner concluded with Fu Xingwang leaving in high spirits, grinning from ear to ear. Diao Hongyi lagged behind a few steps, stroking his beard and beaming with satisfaction. After seeing them off, Zhao Fan turned to find Jia Xiangcheng standing nearby, his brow furrowed and his expression grave, which caused Zhao Fan to raise an eyebrow.

“Why the long face, Mr. Jia?” Zhao Fan asked.

Jia Xiangcheng coughed a few times. “Mr. Zhao, may I ask why you’re buying real estate?”

“My elder brother is in business,” Zhao Fan replied with a wry smile. “He’s worried that if he rents, others might get jealous—so, well…”

Jia Xiangcheng chuckled in understanding. “I see your concern, Mr. Zhao, but I don’t have many properties in the locations you want, so I’m afraid I can’t be of much help.”

“You’re too modest, Mr. Jia. Just being here today is already a great help to me.”

Jia Xiangcheng shook his head with a bitter smile. “Please don’t try to console me, Mr. Zhao. I really can’t help you with the properties, but I do have a word of advice for you.”

“Please, go ahead.”

No sooner had Zhao Fan finished speaking than Jia Xiangcheng glanced warily over his shoulder. Finding this odd, Zhao Fan leaned in as Jia Xiangcheng lowered his voice.

“Be careful of that Xu An,” Jia Xiangcheng warned. “He’s not a good man. Also, Diao Hongyi and Fu Xingwang are family—they’re notorious for working together to cheat people. The properties they sell are always shoddily built. If you want something for the long term, you’d better investigate the companies here in Yangcheng yourself.”

Just as Jia Xiangcheng finished, Xu An appeared behind them. Jia Xiangcheng immediately retreated a few steps, feigning nonchalance as he greeted Zhao Fan before leaving.

“Xu An, it seems Diao Hongyi and Fu Xingwang don’t think much of you,” Zhao Fan remarked deliberately.

Xu An’s attention shifted at once. “They never have,” he said flatly.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“What else could it be? Back where I used to work, I stole business from them. I was the one in charge at the time, so both sides grew fiercely competitive. Frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t beat me up tonight.”

“If things were that tense, you still managed to get them to show up. That’s impressive.”

Xu An gave a dismissive wave. “We’re all businessmen—there’s no such thing as eternal grudges. As long as there’s enough profit, even if I’d dug up their ancestors’ graves, they’d still come smiling.”

Zhao Fan couldn’t help but be struck by the truth in those words. He glanced up at the sky. “It’s getting late. Time to head home.”

“Yeah, alright.”

Zhao Fan hailed a taxi, intending to go to Yilan Residence, but every driver refused when he gave the address.

“That place is too far. If I go out there this late, there’ll be no passengers on the way back. Sorry.”

“Yilan Residence? People who live out there still need to take taxis? Don’t they all have their own cars? No way, I’m not going.”

One after another, the drivers turned him down, leaving Zhao Fan no choice but to return to his previous neighborhood. Not wanting his parents to worry, he called them while still in the car.

Just as he arrived at the entrance to the complex, he saw Zhao Haitian coming from the side.

“Big brother, what are you doing here?” Zhao Fan asked.

Zhao Haitian looked back reflexively. “Huh? It’s too far out there, no taxis, so I came back.”

The brothers exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.

“We really need to buy a car,” Zhao Fan said.

“Do you even know how to drive?” Zhao Haitian asked.

“I can learn. You’re not busy recently, right? Why not take this opportunity to get a license?”

Zhao Haitian pondered, thinking it was a good idea. “I’ll go sign up tomorrow, then.”

Zhao Fan clapped him on the shoulder. “Let me know when you do.”

The two parted ways, Zhao Fan heading home while Zhao Haitian went to his rented apartment.

The night passed.

The next day, Zhao Fan accompanied Zhao Haitian to pay the driving school fee. Zhao Haitian stayed on to begin his lessons, while Zhao Fan went off to take care of the property matters.

After several days, Zhao Fan finally settled on a property for Zhao Haitian. It was neither from Diao Hongyi, nor Fu Xingwang, nor from Jia Xiangcheng, but rather from the Bai family.

Although Zhao Fan didn’t get along with the Bai family, he had to admit their buildings were superior when it came to buying a property.

With the shop decided, Zhao Fan turned his attention to renovations, working diligently to have everything ready before August arrived.

Although the experimental elementary school was on summer break, there were still students from the fifth and sixth grades attending supplementary classes. During this period, Zhao Haitian, thanks to his remarkable memory, managed to obtain his driver’s license in short order, and Zhao Fan immediately bought him a car worth several tens of thousands of yuan.

It wasn’t expensive, and Zhao Fan made it clear that the money for the car was a loan, as was the money for the shop—the debt would have to be repaid in the future.

Only then did Zhao Haitian agree, drawing up an IOU to formalize the debt, carefully noting how much he owed Zhao Fan for both the shop and the car.

From then on, Zhao Haitian began driving back and forth every day.

As Zhao Fan expected, Zhao Haitian’s student convenience store near the elementary school became wildly popular. During school arrival and dismissal times, business was so brisk he barely had time to catch his breath.

Zhao Fan kept an eye on things for a few days to ensure his brother could handle the workload without any mishaps. Once satisfied, he turned his attention elsewhere.

After all, he still held the Bai family’s land—he needed to build a shopping mall there, and there was no time to lose.

For this, Zhao Fan visited his old renovation company and sought out their boss, Shi Wenxuan, to ask whether they could provide a design.

He described in detail the appearance of the shopping mall as he remembered from his previous life.

“A design drawing won’t be a problem,” Shi Wenxuan said. “But with your requirements, it’ll take us some time.”

“How long, roughly?”

“A month,” Shi Wenxuan estimated cautiously.

A month wasn’t long for producing a mall design, but Zhao Fan didn’t want a single mistake.

“I’m not in a rush,” Zhao Fan said, stroking his chin. “But the design must be safe. Also, I have another question.”

“Go ahead.”

Shi Wenxuan perked up—the reputation of his company was on the line. If they did well, business would be plentiful in the future.

“Does your company have a reliable construction team?”

Shi Wenxuan was momentarily taken aback. “You mean, you want us to handle the actual construction too?”

Zhao Fan raised an eyebrow. “You have your own construction crew?”

“Yes, we do. We don’t just do design work; we have our own builders as well.”

“Renovation and actual construction are different beasts. Can your company really handle both?”