Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 490

Qiao Yumin enthusiastically introduced Zhangjiang Haoyuan, talking so much that her mouth was practically dry.

Xu Xiuwen, however, wasn’t paying much attention.
Everything Qiao Yumin mentioned, he already knew.
In fact, he knew a lot of things that even Qiao Yumin wasn’t aware of.

Before long, they arrived at the location.
Xu Xiuwen started looking at the properties.

The first apartment Qiao Yumin showed him was a two-bedroom, one-living-room unit.
It was over 80 square meters, with both bedrooms facing south, ensuring ample natural light.
The living room came with a large balcony.

The second apartment was a three-bedroom, one-living-room unit, approximately 120 square meters.
Its selling points were the spacious layout—ideal for multi-generational families with elderly members and children.
Additionally, the apartment had a well-ventilated design with windows in both the kitchen and bathroom, allowing for plenty of natural light.
The property was clear of any ownership disputes, exempt from double taxation, and would save time during the transaction.

The third apartment was a three-bedroom, two-living-room unit, measuring 142 square meters, and was also very appealing.
The layout was square and efficient, with a thoughtful design maximizing space utilization.
All the bedrooms faced south, ensuring excellent natural lighting.
On top of these advantages, the complex featured excellent landscaping, a quiet and pleasant environment, and comprehensive amenities provided by the property management.

After viewing all three apartments, Xu Xiuwen was most satisfied with the 142-square-meter, three-bedroom, two-living-room unit.
He turned to Qiao Yumin and asked, “How much is this one?”

“It’s priced at 1.15 million.”
At 1.15 million yuan for 142 square meters, that came to 8,098 yuan per square meter.

This price was well within Xu Xiuwen’s expectations.
After all, this was Zhangjiang Haoyuan in Pudong, Shanghai.
Ten years later, the housing prices here would start at at least 120,000 yuan per square meter.

Now, he could buy it for just 8,000 yuan per square meter.
It was an absolute steal.

While Xu Xiuwen had already made up his mind, he maintained a calm exterior.
He deliberately pointed out a few minor flaws and then said, “This is too expensive. I could get something for 8,000 per square meter in Puxi.”

Old Shanghainese often say, “Better a bed in Puxi than a whole house in Pudong.”
To many locals, Puxi was inherently better—even a bed there was considered more valuable than an entire house in Pudong.

Qiao Yumin immediately understood what Xu Xiuwen was implying.
She smiled and said, “Mr. Xu, if you’re serious about buying, I can negotiate with the owner. The price might come down a bit.”

“Alright, go ahead. Let’s see how low it can go.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Xu.”

Qiao Yumin then stepped outside and called the owner.

In less than five minutes, she returned to the apartment.

“Mr. Xu, the owner is willing to go as low as 1.1 million, but only if you pay in full—no loans.”

“That’s the lowest?”

Qiao Yumin replied, “Mr. Xu, this apartment is brand new and was just renovated. The owner hasn’t even moved in yet.
The reason it’s being sold at such a low price is that the owner is planning to emigrate and urgently needs the money. This is already the best price the owner can offer.”

You couldn’t take everything an agent said at face value.
However, Xu Xiuwen figured it would be tough to negotiate the price down further even if he pushed.

Besides, he reasoned there was no need to waste precious time over a small amount of money.
The apartment had already been renovated by the previous owner, likely costing at least 100,000 yuan.

Even at 1.1 million yuan, it was a steal.

After carefully inspecting the property again, Xu Xiuwen nodded and said, “Alright, 1.1 million it is.”

Seeing him agree, Qiao Yumin was overjoyed.

Xu Xiuwen continued, “By the way, about the shop we talked about last time—did you get any information on that for me?”

Xu Xiuwen wanted to buy a commercial property on Jinling West Road and had mentioned this to Qiao Yumin earlier.

Having just sold a house, Qiao Yumin was overjoyed, but hearing Xu Xiuwen’s tone now, it seemed he was serious about purchasing a shop as well.

When Xu Xiuwen had brought it up over the phone before, she hadn’t taken it too seriously. Still, as a professional, she had done her homework.

“Mr. Xu, a friend of mine happens to have a few shops that meet your requirements, but the prices might be a bit high.”

“Money isn’t an issue.”

After a brief pause, he asked, “Is your friend available now? Can we go take a look?”

Qiao Yumin nodded. “Of course, Mr. Xu. I’ll contact him right away.”

Half an hour later, Xu Xiuwen and Qiao Yumin took a taxi to the entrance of a real estate agency in the JA district.

This was where the agent friend she mentioned worked.

When they walked into the shop, there were three men in suits inside.
Two of them, who appeared to be around thirty, were chatting together, while the third, a young man who looked fresh out of college, was cleaning the office.

When they entered, the chatting pair paused.
One of them, with a warm smile, walked up and asked, “Xiao Min, has Mr. Xu arrived?”

For a moment, Qiao Yumin didn’t know how to respond.

She thought to herself, When did Brother Chao’s judgment get so bad? Isn’t the man right next to me Mr. Xu?

With no other choice, she introduced them. Pointing to Xu Xiuwen, she said, “Brother Chao, this is Mr. Xu.”

Chao Jie had already noticed Xu Xiuwen but initially assumed he was a recent graduate shadowing Qiao Yumin as an intern. He hadn’t given him much thought.

Hearing her introduction, the smile on Chao Jie’s face froze.

“Xiao Min, you’re not joking, right?”

As he spoke, Chao Jie cast a skeptical glance at Xu Xiuwen.

“I’m not joking. This is Mr. Xu, here to see the properties.”

Qiao Yumin was speechless.

She was worried that Chao Jie’s attitude might offend Xu Xiuwen. The last thing she wanted was to jeopardize her hard-won deal because of this.

Despite her explanation, Chao Jie still didn’t take it seriously.

Normally, when someone walked into the agency, as an experienced agent, Chao Jie would engage in small talk to gauge their situation and assess their seriousness about buying.

Before meeting Mr. Xu, Chao Jie had been quite hopeful. But after seeing Xu Xiuwen, he felt disappointed.

Xu Xiuwen was too young—he looked like a student.
How many students could afford a commercial property?

If not for the fact that Qiao Yumin had personally brought him here, Chao Jie would have thought he was being pranked.

He didn’t even bother introducing himself and instead asked in a deliberately neutral tone, “Mr. Xu, are you currently working, or are you still studying?”

“I’m still studying,” Xu Xiuwen replied calmly.

“Judging from your accent, you’re not a local, right? Where are you from, Mr. Xu?”

“I’m from Langya.”

Hearing that Xu Xiuwen came from a completely unknown third-tier city, Chao Jie was even more disappointed.

In his mind, he instantly labeled Xu Xiuwen as someone who couldn’t afford it.

It wasn’t blind confidence—he had his reasons.

As a professional real estate agent, Chao Jie’s years of experience told him that someone like Xu Xiuwen, an outsider from a small town, definitely couldn’t afford the shop he had on hand.

After all, this wasn’t some third-tier city.
This was Shanghai.
The shop he was handling was located on Jinling West Road in the JA district.

In some third-tier cities, you could buy an entire house for 20,000 or 30,000 yuan.
But here, that amount could barely buy you a single square meter.

Chao Jie felt that continuing to talk with Xu Xiuwen would be a waste of time.

With a perfunctory tone, he said, “Mr. Xu, I’ll arrange for someone to show you the property. Please wait a moment.”

Then, he walked over to the young man who had been cleaning earlier and said, “Fei Yang, they want to see the shop on Jinling West Road. You take them.”

Hearing this, Fei Yang stopped cleaning, clapped the dust off his hands, and walked over to Xu Xiuwen with a bright, cheerful smile.

This scene made Qiao Yumin feel extremely awkward.

She didn’t know whether she should explain or not, and in the end, chose to act oblivious.
She could only hope that Xu Xiuwen hadn’t noticed the disdain and impatience in Chao Jie’s expression.
At the same time, she felt a slight sense of dissatisfaction with Chao Jie.

Fei Yang approached Xu Xiuwen, introduced himself warmly, and said, “Hello, Mr. Xu, I’m Fei Yang.”

“Hello,” Xu Xiuwen replied.

“Mr. Xu, would you like to see the shop now?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, let’s head over. Please follow me.”

With that, Xu Xiuwen, Qiao Yumin, and Fei Yang left the shop together.

After the three of them walked out, Chao Jie returned to his male colleague.

The colleague asked with a grin, “Why didn’t you take the client yourself? You even gave Fei Yang the opportunity. The commission for that shop isn’t small. If he manages to sell it, you’ll be out of luck.”

Chao Jie laughed and said, “No way. That guy is just an outsider, and he’s still a student. There’s no way he can afford it. Letting Fei Yang handle this is just saving myself from wasting time.”

Hearing that the client was an outsider and a student, the male colleague nodded and didn’t ask further.

Meanwhile, Fei Yang led the three of them to the shop’s location.

The shop was situated in the western part of Jinling West Road, near an intersection, with a shopping mall not far away.

Xu Xiuwen took a quick look around.

The shop was a street-facing property with a 12-meter length and a 9-meter width.
It had a ceiling height of 6 meters, a single floor, and a total area of just over 100 square meters.

The shop had glass walls on the east, west, and north sides, providing excellent natural light.
The interior was well-renovated, with water and electricity fully connected.
With minimal cleanup, it could be ready for immediate use.

From Fei Yang, Xu Xiuwen learned that the previous tenant had been running a bakery. The landlord, planning to emigrate, had forced the tenant to move out.

“This shop is in the core commercial area of Jinling West Road, only 300 meters from the metro station…” Fei Yang explained while giving a detailed tour of the property.
“The surrounding population is 50,000, and nearby office buildings bring in a daily footfall of over 100,000 people…”

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen smiled.

Jinling West Road was a famous commercial street and would only grow more renowned in the future. He had no worries about foot traffic.

Even if he didn’t use the shop himself, renting it out would bring in a significant annual income.

After carefully inspecting the shop and listening to Fei Yang’s introduction, Xu Xiuwen was very satisfied.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t waste time or beat around the bush with Fei Yang.

He turned and asked directly, “How much to buy this shop?”

Hearing this, Fei Yang’s excitement was palpable. “Mr. Xu, you can buy it for just 2.6 million yuan.”

“2.6 million?”

That figure wasn’t too high or too low—it was within Xu Xiuwen’s expectations.
However, he still feigned a surprised expression.

Noticing his reaction, Fei Yang quickly added, “Mr. Xu, this shop is in a prime location and comes with a refined renovation. That’s why the price is slightly higher.”

Qiao Yumin, who hadn’t yet finalized the deal with Xu Xiuwen for the Zhangjiang Haoyuan property, naturally followed him everywhere he went.

She had been present throughout Xu Xiuwen’s inspection of the shop and was now feeling somewhat anxious.

While 2.6 million might seem expensive for a shop in other areas, for this location, it was a very reasonable and standard price.
What worried her was whether Xu Xiuwen would still want the Zhangjiang Haoyuan property if he decided to buy this shop.

1.1 million for the apartment, plus 2.6 million for the shop—altogether 3.7 million yuan.

Even in Shanghai, there weren’t many people in 2006 who could pay that much money in one go to buy real estate.

Just as both Fei Yang and Qiao Yumin expected the 2.6 million price tag to make Xu Xiuwen hesitate, he calmly asked, “It’s a bit pricey. Can the price go any lower?”

Fei Yang instantly perked up—there was hope!

He nodded enthusiastically, “Mr. Xu, I can contact the landlord right away to negotiate. I’m sure I can get them to lower the price a bit.”

“Okay, go ahead. If it’s 2.5 million, I can sign the contract immediately.”

Hearing this, Fei Yang’s breathing grew heavier.

He quickly pulled out his phone and began calling the landlord.

Before long, he returned, but there was a trace of difficulty in his expression.

“Mr. Xu, I just spoke with the landlord. The lowest price they’re willing to accept is 2.55 million.”

“Forget it, then. I don’t want the shop,” Xu Xiuwen said without the slightest hesitation.

Fei Yang panicked.

“Mr. Xu, please give me a little more time. I’ll try talking to the landlord again.”

“Alright.”

Fei Yang walked off with his phone again, leaving Xu Xiuwen to continue surveying the shop.

Qiao Yumin, unable to hold back her curiosity, asked, “Mr. Xu, I’m not an expert in this area, but I know a little about shop prices around here. Less than 26,000 yuan per square meter is not expensive at all, especially for such a great location. Plus, you could even add a second level to this shop in the future.”

Xu Xiuwen glanced at her and said calmly, “I understand, but the most I can afford is 2.5 million. I simply don’t have the funds to go higher.”

Embarrassed, Qiao Yumin nodded.

Fei Yang’s second phone call dragged on for quite a while.

Five minutes passed, and he still hadn’t returned.

Qiao Yumin couldn’t resist asking again, “Mr. Xu, if I may ask, what type of business do you plan to run if you buy this shop?”

“I’m thinking of opening a coffee shop,” Xu Xiuwen replied nonchalantly.

“A coffee shop!” Qiao Yumin exclaimed in surprise.

Realizing her slip-up, she quickly closed her mouth, offering an awkward smile.

Another ten minutes passed before Fei Yang finally returned, looking noticeably more relaxed.

It seemed he brought good news.

Sure enough, the next second, Fei Yang said, “Mr. Xu, after much persuasion, I managed to get the landlord to agree. He’s willing to sell for 2.5 million yuan, but he has a few conditions: the payment must be made in full, without installments, and the contract must be signed this afternoon.”