Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Ambition
Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Ambition
Oriental International Hotel.
The average per capita expenditure here exceeds 10,000 RMB, and the clientele capable of dining here undoubtedly belongs to the elite class of the rich and privileged.
The vehicles parked at the entrance are seldom valued below 500,000.
Walking down the aisle to the entrance of the main hall, two rows of hostesses dressed in cheongsams immediately revealed their most gentle smiles.
In the first floor lobby, a huge crystal chandelier illuminated the entire dining area, with waitstaff hidden in the corners constantly paying attention to every dining guest, ready to appear at a moment's need.
To the gentle and soothing sounds of the violin, Zhan Bingxue was elegantly cutting the steak in front of her!
The appearance of the Kobe beef steak, with its snowflake-like marbling of fat and lean, looked like marble.
This Kobe beef steak, with its extremely delicate texture, could be said to melt in the mouth. Kobe beef was already scarce, with most being exported to Europe and America, making it even rarer in Hua Country, thus it's seldom seen in Hua Country.
Only in some high-end restaurants could its presence be found, a few pieces of meat with some side dishes commanding a hefty price tag of 15,000 RMB!
Without surprise, the expense of this dinner was feared to likewise not be less than 100,000 RMB!
However, glancing at the young man sitting opposite her, Zhan Bingxue felt not the slightest twinge of heartache this time.
As a regional manager for Tianxia Real Estate, leading a leadership team of over two hundred people, Zhan Bingxue's annual salary was around 800,000.
To most people, such a salary was an incredibly tempting fortune, a level that many people strived for all their lives but could not reach. However, once you truly sit in this position, you slowly realize that an annual salary of 800,000 is actually quite ordinary!
Speaking for Zhan Bingxue herself, her Maserati valued at 1.2 million was actually purchased on a loan. Apart from the 400,000 down payment, the remaining 800,000 had to be repaid over the next three years!
Furthermore, Zhan Bingxue had bought a 90 square meter apartment in the Western Third Ring, a two-bedroom and one-living room setup, also on a loan, with a monthly mortgage of 9,000, amounting to over a hundred thousand yearly, to be repaid over thirty years!
Regarding her bags, clothes, cosmetics, and various social engagements, at the end of the year, Zhan Bingxue found she was practically busy for nothing!
An annual salary of 800,000 was enough for an honest and down-to-earth person to maintain normal expenses and even save a few hundred thousand each year.
But for someone like Zhan Bingxue, who pursued quality of life and a perfect living, this amount of money was far from sufficient.
Her planned vacation in the Maldives had not yet materialized, her dream of traveling the world was still just that—a dream.
The bald chairman, with a family of his own, had hinted several times that he could help her fulfill her wishes. However, every time Zhan Bingxue saw his greasy face and his corpulent figure that only came up to her chin, the revulsion bubbling in her stomach dispelled any thought of becoming someone's mistress.
She had thought she could only live by the book as she had been, until she met him three days ago!
That sunny, handsome, steady and elegant young man.
In two days, she net earned 1,130,000 RMB—something Zhan Bingxue wouldn't have dared dream of before, but now, she had achieved it.
Naturally, Zhan Bingxue knew that it was the man wearing golden glasses in front of her who had brought about this change!
After experiencing the luxury and shock of an 800 million RMB mansion, and the impact of a 40 million RMB luxury car, Zhan Bingxue suddenly realized that what she owned, the 90 square meter apartment previously envied by her girlfriends, was no different from a dog kennel.
The Maserati, which would take another three years to pay off before it truly belonged to her, was just a toy unfit for comparison in front of those multi-million-dollar luxury cars.
...
The dreamy experience of net earning 10 million in two days left Zhan Bingxue completely unable to return to her former calm.
Talking and laughing with the centi-billionaire, chairman of the listed conglomerate Li Tianming, she experienced a sense of superiority she had never had before!
It's impossible to go back now!
Zhan Bingxue knew that after everything she'd been through, she could never return to her former life with a clear conscience...
She wanted to change...
She wanted to be able to dine on French cuisine at five-star hotels whenever she pleased...
She wanted to swipe her card for hundreds of thousands without batting an eyelid, just to buy a handbag...
She wanted to live in a comfortable mansion serviced by Filipino maids...
And right now, there was an opportunity to fulfill her dreams before her, a young man who was even a year younger than her, without a pot-bellied figure, not greasy, and without any family burdens!
Whether she could gain his trust, would directly affect the rest of her life.
The tender steak melted in her mouth the moment she tasted it, its rich and tender flavor spreading through her entire mouth, completely awakening all her taste buds.
After savoring a sip of the exquisite Lafite, the whole person seemed to melt away, Zhan Bingxue thoroughly enjoyed her current state!
"Mr. Chu, the apartment in Sunshine Residence you're interested in, I've already made contact with the owner. The average price in Sunshine Residence is around 54,000 RMB per square meter, and unit 1306 is a corner apartment, totaling 110 square meters, priced at 5.9 million.
I negotiated with the owner, who didn't want to sell at all but only wanted to rent it out for long-term investment. As per your request, I offered 10% above the asking price, but they did not agree until I increased it to 25%, and then they finally relented.
Mr. Chu, if you're not in a hurry, I can continue to negotiate slowly, and we should be able to get it for around 6.5 million or so. It's just that the owner sees us as desperate and is really asking for the moon!"
With her dark red hair neatly swept up high, revealing her alabaster neck adorned with a diamond necklace, Zhan Bingxue spoke softly, her beautiful eyes fixed entirely on the man opposite her. Seeing no dissatisfaction from him, Zhan Bingxue then relaxed.
This deal was given to Sun Qing to handle. Zhan Bingxue had initially thought that this young girl had some fleeting connection with the man before her, giving her the task was like offering her an opportunity. However, Zhan Bingxue hadn't expected Sun Qing to be too inexperienced!
Agreeing to a 25% mark-up was quite foolish; had Zhan Bingxue handled the negotiation herself, she was confident that she could have secured the apartment with just a 5% premium!
After all, for a house worth nearly 6 million, a 5% surplus is a matter of over 300,000!
Zhan Bingxue could even imagine that the owner took a hard line because he saw Sun Qing's eagerness to close the deal!
After this incident, Zhan Bingxue had completely pushed Sun Qing out of her mind. She had given her the chance, but Sun Qing hadn't seized it, so she couldn't blame anyone else!
"Emperor Xuan Villas offers services like housekeeping, security, and chefs. I've contacted the property management before, and villas number eight and one each come with a butler, two maids, and for the one you will reside in frequently, we've added a chef, a driver, and a manager.
Moreover, I suggest we add another car to the collection. The Aston Martin is suitable for leisurely solo drives, but it's better to have something more stately for regular use, like a stretch Lincoln or an Audi A8. Or is there anything else you would like to instruct?"
Zhan Bingxue's pure eyes were bright, shining like the most dazzling gems in the world.
She had a feeling that as long as she could win the approval of the man before her and keep pace with him, she could reach an entirely different level.
"You've thought things through very well. I will transfer 10 million to you as startup capital to start sorting out the things you've mentioned. The housekeeping and chefs at Emperor Xuan need to be arranged immediately, while the car issue can wait. Also, I only have this one set of clothes. You could arrange for some tailored personal clothing to fill up the wardrobe and shoe cabinet...
Additionally..."
Pausing for a moment to take a sip of wine, the man continued:
"Sign off on the Sunshine Residence apartment tomorrow. Yang Xuan will still live there, and we'll continue to collect a rent of 4,000 RMB per month. Don't touch my room; I might still stay there occasionally."
As the faint sound of his words fell, the live music in the hall ended just in time for the man to gracefully applaud the performance, Zhan Bingxue knew.
Her brand new life was about to begin!