Episode 5

Chapter 5

I can imagine the scene twenty years ago when this man carried one thousand yuan and traveled alone down south to seek his fortune. That was such a heroic and ambitious act! I know very well that everything he has achieved today has come at a cost!

I know that when Han Ge chose me back then, he could have promoted me immediately if he wanted to. However, he made me work hard for two whole years at the bottom. In his words, young people need to experience some hardships before they can mature. He was deliberately cultivating me.

Since it was a day off today, I decided to sleep in until the afternoon. In the afternoon, my phone rang once again, and on the other end was a real estate agency that I had registered with.

I was planning to move to a new place from here. The area where I currently live has a mixed reputation and is not very safe. I used to live here because the rent was cheap, but now that I earn a fairly good income each month, I can afford to live in a better environment. So after my current lease expires next month, I have decided to move out from here.

Actually, I had the idea of moving out half a year ago, but unfortunately, I had already paid a year's rent in advance for this house. The landlord refused to refund me, so I had no choice but to stay here.

Even though my current income allows me to afford wasting a few thousand yuan on rent, Han Ge told me that people can be extravagant but cannot be wasteful.

Huange is also a practitioner of his philosophies. I've had dinner with him a few times, and despite his wealth, he often orders expensive dishes such as shark fin, abalone and bird's nest. What caught my attention, however, was the fact that Huange never wastes any food, regardless of what it is. Even when eating from a gold-plated bowl, he would always scrape the bowl clean. Not a single grain of rice would be left behind! I'm not quite sure why, but I feel that I have been deeply influenced by Huange.

The leasing company's property department told me about a house that's suitable for me and recommended that I take a look at it. My requirements for a house are straightforward: Firstly, it has to be located in the city center. Secondly, it should be clean and quiet. Thirdly, it should be easily accessible via public transport. Lastly, it would be ideal if necessary furnishings and household appliances were provided, allowing me to move in with just my backpack.

With all of these requirements, how could it be simple? Hang on, I still have one more requirement that I haven't mentioned: I don't care about the rent! Money is no issue as long as it's worth the value!

What? Money can make the devil work?

Wrong! Let me tell you, it should be: Money can make the grindstone turn the devil!

The property department told me about a house that is equipped with all necessary home furnishings and appliances. It's located just four blocks away from my workplace, the Golden Wall, and the environment is quite nice. The only problem is that the rent is a little expensive.

I immediately told them that the rent shouldn't be a problem, as long as I determine that the value is worth it after seeing the house.

And so, the real estate agent on the phone gave me an address and asked me to go see the property myself this afternoon. Generally, real estate agents don't get involved in small rental transactions like this, so I knew I had to go see it for myself. He had already arranged for the owner to be at home and wait for me.

After hanging up the phone, I put on a spare suit that I usually wear to work and prepared to go out. However, at this moment, I had no idea that this rental would change my life forever...

At four o'clock in the afternoon, with bandages wrapped around my head and my scalp forced to be tough, I appeared on a street not far from the city's commercial street, surrounded by curious onlookers. The purpose of my trip was a newly built building located here.

The building was constructed on a street that wasn't particularly wide. The bottom floor was built in the structure of a shopping center, and the upper part was for commercial residence.

Looking at the address in my hand, I felt a bit unsure. "Why is it commercial residence? This is xx street number 36...it's correct!"

But I needed a residential building!

Because the building had just been completed and delivered, the interior was still very spacious, and there were even large investment advertisements downstairs. I tried to go in, but there wasn't even a ghost in the lobby on the first floor.

Oh well, I sighed. Since I had already come this far, it made sense to go up and take a look.

Entering the elevator, I pressed the number 22. This was the top floor of the building.

The elevator was ascending, but I felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen. Watching the electronic numbers on the elevator screen jumping continuously, a malicious thought suddenly crossed my mind. Could this be a scheme for a real estate brokerage to skim off commission? The number on the elevator screen displayed "22", but after standing for a full ten seconds, the door did not open. Even more strange was the feeling that I was still ascending. I felt a tingling sensation on my scalp. I had heard many horrifying stories of supernatural events happening in newly built complexes, such as an ascending staircase that led straight to the spirit world. After a full minute passed, I finally heard the sound of the elevator door opening. I stepped out, feeling perplexed. The elevator probably had quality issues ... in my mind, I gave this place a failing score. Looking at the elevator's label, I realized it was a piece of garbage made in Japan. Exiting the elevator, I discovered it was a very small space, not like the grand lobby of a one-story building. It was about 10 square meters in size, surrounded by walls, and in front of me was a staircase that led up about four or five meters towards an iron door. The scene was eerie, but I hesitated briefly before walking up the stairs to the iron door, on which a small sign read "22nd floor."

I was feeling a bit frustrated. This place didn't look normal at all. Even for a commercial building, it shouldn't look like this. But I still pushed open the door and it got even weirder... 22nd floor... It turned out to be a rooftop terrace. When I stepped out, it was spacious and the air was good and the sunlight was abundant, but there wasn't supposed to be a building there, right? Looking at the heat-insulating boards scattered on the ground and the surrounding air conditioning compressors, I couldn't help but curse, "What the hell, it's clearly a rooftop!"

Just as I was about to turn around and find that damn real estate agent to give him a beating, I finally saw a figure here! It was really weird to see someone in broad daylight. There was a delicate front desk table placed where the rooftop exit turned, and behind it was a tall screen with several signboards hanging on it. They shimmered in the sunshine.

Inside the front desk, there was a young, tall and thin guy dressed in an extremely old-fashioned suit with a very outdated navy blue color. His face was wearing glasses with lenses thicker than the bottom of a wine bottle. This was unbelievable. What kind of era was this? People generally use resin lenses now...

When that person looked up, he immediately saw me walking towards him. It was obvious that he was surprised, but he immediately adjusted and spoke in very standard "white-collar Mandarin", saying, "Welcome, how may I assist you?"

What is "white-collar Mandarin"? It's simple. Many white-collar workers nowadays don't speak proper Chinese and like to use bird language. Even if they are pure mainland Chinese, they deliberately add one or two English words to their sentences.

There's another type of people who are more annoying. They like to deliberately speak with an exaggerated tongue and imitate the accents of Hong Kong and Taiwan. But if you take a look at their resumes, they might actually be from Northeast China… (Just an example, don't be offended, my Northeastern brothers.)

Looking around, I couldn't understand why there was a company reception desk on this spacious rooftop. Including him and me, there were only two people up here. Have you ever heard of a company putting their reception desk on the rooftop of a building?

Nevertheless, the man had a polite expression, and his smile seemed quite genuine. I felt a bit confused and blurted out something even more ridiculous: "Uh...um...I came to rent a house. Is there any available on the twenty-second floor?"

Almost immediately, I wanted to slap myself for saying that. This is the twenty-second floor, isn't it? It's just a rooftop! There's no house for rent here!

I turned red in embarrassment and mumbled, "Uh…I think I came to the wrong place...Bye!" Just as I was about to turn around, the tall, thin man stopped me and said, "Please wait. Since you're here, we do have rental services. You can wait a moment, and our staff will talk to you about it."

After he finished speaking, he casually pointed towards my left. I followed his finger and was immediately startled! Good heavens! Just a moment ago, this place was completely empty, but now there was suddenly a small round craft table and two single sofas! The style looked like the new model I saw at IKEA last month! But...good heavens, just a moment ago there was absolutely nothing here! Could it be that I was mistaken? But I have practiced martial arts since I was young, and my eyesight is very strong. I can hit a flying bird with a slingshot from twenty meters away! With endless shock, I nearly lost control of my hands and feet as I approached the round table and sat down in front of it. Afterwards, the tall and thin man picked up a small folder and walked towards me, sitting in front of me and introducing himself with a polite smile, "Hello, I am a salesperson of this company". I stared at him in surprise and asked, "Aren't you the receptionist? Do you also work as a salesperson?" He smiled kindly and replied, "Is it impossible for a receptionist to also work in sales?" It finally dawned on me...I must have encountered the legendary...Ghost! Corporation! "Um...I think I'll just go", I said as I stood up. He remained relaxed, and said, "Your name is...um, Mr. Chen Yang, right?" Good heavens! Could he be a fortune teller? I was stunned but immediately became instinctively cautious. As someone who has worked in this field for a living, it's inevitable to have a few enemies. Could it be that my enemies have set a trap to ambush me?

However, then he smiled and looked at my chest. I realized the problem. I was wearing my work uniform with my work badge still attached to my chest. The badge was very clear:

JinBiHuiHuang KTV

Customer Manager: Chen Yang

◎! ¥%※......

Damn, I must be too nervous or read too much fantasy novels, always suspicious... Or maybe there was a residual effect from being hit by that bastard last night?

I breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You're not wrong, but I came here to rent a house. Do you have any houses for rent?"

"Please don't worry. Our company also has houses, and they are here." The thin and tall man said confidently. He then reached out his hand to me and said, "Mr. Chen Yang, please have a seat."

I thought about it. Since I was already here and curious about this company that puts the front desk on the rooftop of a building...

To be honest, after a few years of wandering in society, I have met some scammers. They play tricks and use empty promises, and I also know a few of this type of friend. But...I have never seen a "creative" con artist who opened a company on the rooftop of a building.

Well, let's call it spending time to broaden my horizons!

I slowly sat down. As soon as I sat down, I heard that guy muttering to himself. I didn't hear it clearly, but I vaguely heard:

"F*ck, finally caught one..."

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