Chapter 845

Yuhang City's Yinjiang District lies primarily in the northeastern part of the city, divided north and south by Ningshan and Yinjiang River.

Yet there is a small patch of land precisely sandwiched between Ningshan and Yinjiang.

To the south lies Ningshan Tunnel No. 2.

To the north is the intersection of Ningshan Avenue and the Riverside Avenue, with Yinjiang River right beside it—the narrowest point between Ningshan and Yinjiang.

Thus, from the third or fourth floor of Sky Ridge Elegant Residence, one can look northward and see the river view.

Looking south, one sees the clear mountains and lush waters of Ningshan.

It is truly an excellent location.

Li Luo's purchased A08 villa, starting with an "A," offers a river view from the third floor.

But the row villas Butler Liu and the real estate agent brought them to view start with a "B" and require going to the rooftop to see the river.

This area is undoubtedly the best-scenic spot in Yinjiang District.

Added to that, the nearby school district includes elementary and middle schools, as well as the top-performing Fu No. 1 High School in Yinjiang District, and Qianjiang University—the only 985 university in the province.

The educational resources here are top-tier.

But these are not what Li Luo and the others care about.

They care primarily about whether the houses themselves are good.

The real estate agent clearly understood this, so he glossed over the surrounding amenities and led everyone into one of the row villas.

"By the way."

Xu Youyu, walking beside Li Luo, scanned the show unit's interior layout, then whispered to him, "Aren't property prices in our Yinjiang District been rising steadily?"

"Sky Ridge Elegant Residence is such a prime location—if we bought a few more units, we could sell them in a few years and make a fortune."

"It seems easier than stock trading."

Li Luo's expression turned blank at Xu Youyu's words: "What if property prices don't rise in a few years?"

"How could that happen?" Xu Youyu replied seriously, "Everyone says prices won't rise, yet for over a decade, they've kept climbing."

"If my savings plus your eighty thousand were enough for just the down payment here, I'd buy several more and leave them idle."

"Sell them later when prices climb higher—wouldn't that be a huge profit?"

Listening to Xu Youyu's fantasy, Li Luo could only silently pity her.

He thought how lucky it was she didn't have much money—otherwise she'd have sunk it all.

Of course, it wouldn't be as bad as losing everything in stock trading or investing in Short Drama Lines, but it wouldn't be much better either.

Yuhang City, though a second-tier city, is still among the fastest-growing in the country, even if it can't match first-tier cities like Changning.

But even so, by the end of 2017, property prices here were nearing their final peak.

In two more years, prices would hit their ceiling, then decline steadily.

No wonder Xu Youyu was so good at picking bad investments—her track record was unmatched.

Every suggestion she made was a losing proposition.

"Youyu," Li Luo sighed, patting her head helplessly, "let's just stick to writing Online Novels. Stop thinking about these wild schemes."

"Trust me—if you write good Online Novels and land a Platinum contract, you'll earn far more than from real estate or stocks."

"Oh, by the way, when you sign your Big God contract this year-end, how about going through Chongran Culture's corporate channel?"

"You've earned over a million in royalties this year, and it'll likely grow more—especially with the copyright operations coming up, worth tens or hundreds of millions."

"Going through the company will cut your tax burden significantly."

For most Online Novel authors, personal taxation is better, since the state offers tax exemptions on royalties.

But this exemption applies only to authors with annual income under 1.2 million.

Once income exceeds that, you must pay additional taxes at a rate of 45% on the excess—far higher than the standard corporate income tax.

Thus, for authors earning at Li Luo's level, it's better to register under a company.

If Chongran Culture were still a shell company, this arrangement might raise issues.

But now, Chongran Culture has fully grown into a legitimate cultural and entertainment enterprise.

Xu Youyu registering under it poses no problem whatsoever.

"Sure," Xu Youyu nodded readily. "I'll leave it to you."

"Aren't you afraid I'll cheat you?" Li Luo teased with a grin, seeing her agree so easily. "Once you sign with the company, your royalties become company revenue. I might just swallow it all."

"Hmph~" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes. "Try it. See who swallows whom first."

The word "swallow" meant something entirely different coming from Xu Youyu's mouth.

After some light banter, Li Luo mentioned the matter to Ying Chanxi and asked her to draft a contract in advance when she had time.

Ying Chanxi naturally agreed.

Meanwhile, the three mothers had begun touring the interior layout of the row villa with the agent.

"Compared to the detached villas over there, these row villas have smaller interior areas," the real estate agent explained diligently.

"Especially the front and back yards—because they're row villas, the yards are adjacent to neighbors', so privacy is worse than in detached villas."

"Still, the overall structure remains four floors, totaling about two-thirds the area of a detached villa."

"On the first floor, we'll have the living room, dining area, and a maid's room."

"The basement level is smaller, but each unit still has its own private underground garage entrance."

"The basement area is roughly half that of a detached villa—suitable for a gym, wine cabinet, or similar uses."

"The second and third floors can be designed as studies and bedrooms, sufficient for a family's needs."

"The fourth floor is relatively small; many owners choose to turn it into a home theater."

"Above that is the rooftop."

"Many owners do simple renovations—planting flowers and grass, or hosting outdoor barbecues and gatherings."