C18 [i Am Annoyed That I Am Being Targeted for No Reason!]!

Liu Teng might not be a tycoon, but he's certainly well-funded, boasting over a million yuan in capital.

Ma Hao, too, is a tenant, but he's had to share a lease with several others on a 200-square-meter space, partitioning it into four smaller storefronts.

"Exactly!" exclaimed another tenant, incredulous. They'd heard of people buying shops, but buying an entire street? That seemed like a joke at Hee Meng's expense.

Concerned for the youthful and attractive Hee Meng, the tenants began to voice their worries, fearing she might be duped.

"Manager Hee, there are plenty of scammers out there preying on young women. Keep your eyes peeled!"

"You're spot on, Old Wang. When I was his age, I was still grinding away at a job!"

"Aren't you afraid your tongue will catch the wind? An entire street, over a hundred shops, and you want to buy them all? I doubt you could afford even half!"

No. 6, seizing the moment as the tenants chimed in, eagerly stoked the fire. He was aware of Liu Teng's affection for Hee Meng and saw this as an opportunity to curry favor, which might come in handy for future loan requests.

"Mengmeng, you've just graduated. The real world isn't like school; it's full of con artists. Don't fall for someone's tricks! Watch out for his 'shop-buying' dinner invitation, and then..."

"Let's get rid of the scammer!" Ma Hao, ready to take action, rolled up his sleeves.

Hee Meng, meanwhile, was flustered. Though she doubted Gao Chi's ability to purchase a whole street, he was still her client, and any altercation would surely land her in hot water with her company.

Gao Chi's intentions mattered little to her. If he was indeed using the shop purchase as a pretext to approach her, as Liu Teng suggested, she was no fool. She could simply turn him down. After all, what was there to fear in broad daylight?

So she quickly interjected, "Brother Hao, you all go back to your work! Things aren't as you imagine. Mr. Gao is only interested in buying a few shops."

"Buying a shop? This kid?"

Brother Hao scrutinized him with a look of contempt.

"If this kid can actually afford it, I, Liu Teng, will walk on my hands!" Liu Teng sneered at Gao Chi with equal disdain.

Lately, Gao Chi had been singled out several times due to his plain attire.

This time was even more absurd. What business was it of theirs whether he could afford it or not?

They were all chirping away as if they owned the commercial street themselves.

Enough was enough!

Fed up, he turned his back on the crowd and addressed Hee Meng, "Let's get down to brass tacks. What's the total price?"

Hee Meng was momentarily dazed. In such a scenario, if Gao Chi were a fraud, he surely wouldn't be asking her to keep quoting prices.

But with Gao Chi's insistence, she quickly got to work on the calculations.

It wasn't much of a task, really. The developers had already set the prices when they tasked her company with the rentals and sales. All she had to do was tack on the company's commission and a few other necessary fees, and the total was quickly tallied.

"Mr. Gao, there are one hundred and twenty-five storefronts on the first floor of Mingqiao Street, with three already sold, leaving one hundred and twenty-two available. The second floor has fifty-one shops, the third floor has nineteen, and there are three hundred and ninety-seven parking spaces on the sub-second level..."

"The grand total comes to twenty-nine billion, six hundred and thirty million, five hundred thousand yuan..."

Hee Meng rattled off the figures and looked up at Gao Chi.

The bystanders were taken aback, having known it would be costly but not nearly three billion yuan costly.

"Hiss..."

"Goodness, I did some rough math earlier and thought it would top out at maybe ten billion, but thirty billion? That's staggering."

"Heh, I'm curious to see how this kid's going to play it out now!"

"Go on, buy it!" Ma Hao taunted Gao Chi with a sneer, "If you manage to buy it, I'll live stream myself eating crap!"

...

Gao Chi couldn't be bothered with their antics. He simply said to Hee Meng, "First, reach out to the owners of the three sold shops and see if they're interested in selling!"

Hee Meng hadn't anticipated Gao Chi maintaining his composure at this late stage, and she found herself oddly eager to see what would happen next.

If he actually went through with the purchase, twenty-nine billion...

How much would my commission be?

"Manager Hee! Is something the matter?" Gao Chi, noticing Hee Meng's lack of response, prompted her gently.

"Ah? Oh! Yes, yes, I'll make the call right now." Snapping out of her reverie, Hee Meng felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment for having zoned out.

She retrieved her phone and, rifling through the Bridge Street files, located the numbers for the three property owners and dialed them up.

"Hello, Mr. Yu?"

...

Gao Chi casually stood to the side, hands in his pockets, patiently waiting as Hee Meng reached out to the trio of landlords.

Just then, his own phone began to ring. Pulling it out, he saw it was Zhang Lei calling. That's when he remembered he had bought seven cars and had asked Zhang Lei to deliver them to his villa.

Answering the call, Zhang Lei's voice came through, "Gao Chi, haven't you made it home yet? I've brought the cars, but the security won't let me through!"

Gao Chi felt a twinge of frustration. He had headed straight to Joyful Family Real Estate Agency after purchasing the cars and had completely forgotten to notify the villa's security.

"Oh, my apologies, I forgot! Just give me a moment, I'll call the guards right now and have them open the gate for you!" He glanced at the time and sighed; it was nearly seven in the evening, yet it felt as bright as midday. No wonder Zhang Lei and his team had already arrived with the cars.

Having recently moved into the villa, Gao Chi hadn't had the chance to change the gate's code, so the property management still had access.

Zhang Lei, hearing Gao Chi's response, was momentarily at a loss for words. He had just spent a fortune on cars, and Gao Chi had already let it slip his mind, which felt somewhat insulting.

After the call ended, Gao Chi promptly contacted the property management to grant access and requested their assistance in receiving the cars.

Once he had notified the villa's property management, Gao Chi rang Zhang Lei back. As soon as the call connected, Zhang Lei reported, "All set, they've let me in. I'll leave the cars in your yard for now, and you can move them into the garage later."

"Sure thing!" Gao Chi responded, "I've been swamped these last couple of days. Once I'm free, I'll get in touch, and we'll grab a drink together!"

"Heh, I'll get to play the big shot then!" Zhang Lei was ever the carefree one, seemingly oblivious to the growing gap between him and Gao Chi, his demeanor and actions unchanged from the old days.

This, in turn, made Gao Chi feel a sense of warmth and familiarity.

As he ended the call, Hee Meng had just wrapped up her conversation with the three property owners.

"How did it go?" Gao Chi inquired, noticing Hee Meng had finished her call.

Hee Meng gave a nod and replied, "Mr. Gao, I've spoken with the three owners. They're open to selling, but the price might be an issue..."