Chapter 128

On the first day Lin Dongfan arrived in Jingcheng, he had already arranged with a real estate agent to view a house, and he had long since locked onto a courtyard house—No. 37 Courtyard in the Grass Hat Hutong of Houhai.

The purpose of acquiring that courtyard house was not merely to invest and make money.

It was also to find evidence of Xiao Yunce's corruption.

Xiao Sheng, the boss of Jianglan Hongsheng Investment Company, is Xiao Yunce's nephew. Last September, Hongsheng Company went bankrupt due to poor management.

Moreover, Xiao Sheng himself is suspected of illegal financing.

Currently, Xiao Sheng has fled overseas, and his personal assets—cars, houses, and other properties—have been judicially auctioned by the Intermediate People's Court of Wuzhou to compensate the victims' losses.

The No. 37 Courtyard in the Grass Hat Hutong of Houhai is one of the judicially auctioned properties.

With an area of nearly 400 square meters, it was recently snapped up by a South Guangdong property speculator for 36 million, which can be said to be a real bargain.

So far, No. 37 Courtyard has not revealed any problems.

But Lin Dongfan, who has lived two lives, remembers clearly that it won't be long before a group of mysterious 'thieves' will sneak into No. 37 Courtyard and dig up the huge sum of illicit money hidden inside the house.

In fact, No. 37 Courtyard is not Xiao Sheng's property.

The true owner of that courtyard house is Xiao Yunce, but because it was inconvenient for him to hold it personally, it was placed under Xiao Sheng's name.

Xiao Yunce never expected Xiao Sheng to go bankrupt and flee, which resulted in the house being confiscated and auctioned off.

On the way to Grass Hat Hutong.

Chu Lingxi asked Lin Dongfan, puzzled: 'Husband, since you're sure there's illicit money in that courtyard, why do we have to buy the house to search it? Wouldn't it be fine to just go search with a warrant?'

'Now that courtyard house belongs to the South Guangdong boss; going to someone's home to search for money without evidence would be troublesome—if he claims it's his and can prove it, we'd be in a bind, so we can't just rummage around.' Lin Dongfan pondered seriously: 'First we must acquire that courtyard house and firmly control it; that is the best strategy.'

'Alright, my brain cells really aren't suited for thinking about overly complicated matters.'

Chu Lingxi clung to Lin Dongfan's arm all the way, her face full of a carefree smile.

One of her strengths is that she never pretends to be a wisdom goddess; her approach is to ask when she doesn't understand, and if she still doesn't get it after asking, she blames her brain cells.

It's as if those brain cells have nothing to do with her, and she feels no embarrassment at all.

Lin Dongfan chuckled: 'Making big money while also catching corrupt officials—this deal is a steal. Last night I discussed it with my younger uncle and aunt, and they were utterly astonished.'

'Husband, don't you think Aunt's temperament is just like Grandpa's? Both act as if they're the number one under heaven, and nobody can convince them.' Chu Lingxi narrowed her eyes with a smile.

Lin Dongfan gave a noncommittal reply: 'Indeed, they are quite similar.'

Chu Lingxi exclaimed enthusiastically: 'I really enjoy chatting with Aunt; listening to her speak is very interesting. Even though she holds a high position and is quite old, she's just like an older sister.'

'Military officials differ from civil officials; they have a wild nature.'

Without realizing it, they had arrived at the gate of No. 37 Courtyard in Grass Hat Hutong; Lin Dongfan also stopped the family chatter and raised his wrist to check his watch.

They came ten minutes early, and the courtyard gate was tightly shut.

As he was thinking about finding a place to sit, a sharply dressed real estate agent came running over: 'Are you Mr. Lin, here to view the house?'

'Yes, that's me.'

'Sorry, Mr. Lin, for keeping you waiting. I'm Wu Youxun; you can call me Xiao Wu.' Wu Youxun hurriedly produced his keys and stepped forward to open the door.

Lin Dongfan politely replied: 'I've just arrived as well.'

'Please come inside, Mr. Lin.'

Wu Youxun pushed open the heavy courtyard gate, and the first thing that came into view was a carved screen wall.

He enthusiastically introduced the history of Grass Hat Hutong: 'In the past, this lane also produced many notable figures—people who lived here included Ming dynasty generals, Qing dynasty grand scholars, and Beiyang warlords…'

The courtyard house originated in the Yuan dynasty, flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is an important component of our country's traditional residential architecture.

Lin Dongfan had never doubted the historical depth of this lane.

After all, it lies at the foot of the imperial city.

After entering the courtyard, Lin Dongfan briefly observed the inner courtyard's environment, but for a moment he could not tell where that huge sum of illicit money was hidden.

Without wanting to hear more nonsense, Lin Dongfan asked directly: 'That South Guangdong boss, what price does he want to sell it for?'

Wu Youxun gestured a number: 'He's asking seventy million.'

Upon hearing this, Chu Lingxi's eyes widened: 'In broad daylight, you're basically robbing people—he bought this house for only 36 million just a few months ago, and now he's asking for 70 million right off the bat.'

'And you are?' Wu Youxun looked cautious: 'May I ask how to address you?'

Chu Lingxi clung to Lin Dongfan's arm: 'He's my husband.'

'Ah, so you're Mrs. Lin.' Wu Youxun immediately switched to a professional smile: 'Mrs. Lin, how many well-preserved courtyard houses remain inside the Second Ring Road? The private courtyard houses in Grass Hat Hutong are especially rare among the rare. To be honest, at this price, the owner need not worry about not selling.'

'Even if it's rare, you can't just shout out a price like that—this is clearly lion's mouth big.' Chu Lingxi worried about her father's little money, not even enough for a down payment.

However, in Lin Dongfan's view, this price is not outrageous.

Time can prove everything.

If we hold onto it for a few years, selling this 400-square-meter courtyard house for 200 million is not out of the question—even 170 or 180 million would be no problem, securing a small fortune.

Lin Dongfan smiled and asked Wu Youxun: 'Seventy million—is that really the price the South Guangdong boss himself quoted?'

'Mr. Lin, is there some misunderstanding here?' Wu Youxun chuckled: 'As agents, we merely act as intermediaries; our main role is to serve both buyer and seller.'

Lin Dongfan bluntly said: 'Your sales commission is based on the transaction price, right? Is it 2% or 3%? The higher the selling price, the higher your commission.'

We're all just trying to make a living.

Wu Youxun's smile carried a hint of embarrassment; he hadn't expected Lin Dongfan to be someone who knows the trade.

Lin Dongfan calmly speculated: 'Given the current market situation, I estimate the South Guangdong boss's opening price should be around fifty million; you opened with seventy million, which is indeed a bit high.'

Upon hearing this, Wu Youxun's expression was as if he had been struck by an arrow.

He never imagined the other party could gauge the South Guangdong boss's psychological price point—indeed, you can't eat a whole fat cow in one bite, and all you can do is overstretch yourself into a fool.

If we're foolish, so be it; as the old saying goes: 'When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a way.'

If there's no way, it doesn't matter—after all, I don't even have a cart.

Wu Youxun struggled to adjust his failed strategy, putting on a sincere front: 'Mr. Lin, since we've opened the skylight and spoken plainly, let's not beat around the bush—flat price: fifty-six million.'

'Fifty million.'

Lin Dongfan put on a firm, unyielding demeanor.

Wu Youxun glumly hesitated for two seconds, gritted his teeth and stepped back: "53 million, can't go any lower—this really is the bottom line of the Southern Guangdong boss."

"Deal, let's sign the contract."

Seeing that pressing the price further would be difficult, Lin Dongfan also didn't want to waste more time.

"Fine, this way please."

Wu Youxun invited Lin Dongfan and Chu Lingxi to the hall.

Just as he took out the contract prepared in advance, a loud voice suddenly came from outside the door: "I'll bid 55 million!"

Upon hearing the voice, Lin Dongfan instantly wanted to elevate his realm of violent aesthetics.

The person who came turned out to be Li Hengbo, that troublemaker!