Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Two days later, in Sanlitai Longyu International Villa community, Beijing Xinglong District.
It started lightly raining again. The Sanlitai Longyu International Villa community was known for its beautiful villas, purchased mainly by foreign bosses that had come to Beijing to do business. Zhao Yu and Cui Lizhu took a taxi to the community around 3:00pm. Zhao Yu had no luggage with him, and Cui Lizhu was carrying a red suitcase. Cui Lizhu grabbed her luggage, jokingly saying to Zhao Yu, “Boss, why does it rain wherever we go?”
Zhao Yu looked at the cloudy sky and said, “Yeah, it should snow, right? It’s still the lunar Jan.” Although it was raining, he did not feel too cold. They ran through the rain for a bit, finally coming to the guards’ pavilion. After Zhao Yu explained their intentions to the security guards, they asked Zhao Yu and Cui Lizhu to wait at the door.
Cui Lizhu looked at the beautiful villas and the lush landscaping and sighed. “Oh, my dad has a good taste…” she said. “I had complained to him before that he was called the king of thieves and he hadn’t bought any property. But it turns out that…” She sighed and pushed Zhao Yu. “Boss, have you informed Leader Miao?” Zhao Yu nodded.
“Hum, you are fast! Right, she is your girl after all!” Cui Lizhu pouted her lips unhappily. She took Zhao Yu’s arm and asked, “Boss, in that case, can you beg leader Miao for something for me? You see, I’ve been honest about the property. Tell her not to report me, please? I was told that a villa in this community is now worth a hundred million. I really want to be a billionaire! How about I give you half.”
Zhao Yu pushed Cui Lizhu aside. “Stop that! Lizhu, what did I tell you before? If you earn it, then it’s yours. We are honest people, so we follow the rules!” he scolded her.
Cui Lizhu pouted her lips again, saying, “You’ve become the son-in-law of someone who is rich. Can’t I enjoy one day of being a billionaire? Just one day will do!”
Zhao Yu frowned, then turned to her. “This time, you did things the right way. If you don’t tell me about big things like this, you’ll be in trouble later on!” he told her.
Cui Lizhu crossed her arms. “Nonsense!” she said. “You are like Sherlock Holmes. How can I hide anything from you?”
Zhao Yu nodded, satisfied. “That’s right, a good attitude will win you a bright future! Rest assured, it’s not hopeless yet. I will help you as much as possible! Maybe…There’s still a chance!”
Cui Lizhu’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Is there?” she asked him.
“Yes. If you up my share of the villa by 80%, then maybe I’ll think about it!” Zhao you told her in a serious tone.
“That is so you,” Cui Lizhu replied, irritated. Just then, an electric car drove towards them from the community, and a man in a suit got out of the car. When the man saw Zhao Yu, he immediately came forward to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Xiao Li from the Longyu International Project Development Department. We’ve talked on the phone before!” the man said, politely introducing himself to Zhao Yu.
Cui Lizhu greeted the man in a friendly manner. “Nice to meet you, manager.”
“I’m so glad to meet you!” Xiao Li said. “The community was finished seven years ago, but villa number 36 hasn’t had someone staying there. Now, it finally welcomes its owner.” With that, he looked at Cui Lizhu carefully and asked, “Is this Miss Cui Lizhu?”
Cui Lizhu nodded. “This house… Is this really my house?” she asked excitedly. “Other than the password, I don’t have any credentials!”
He pointed to the car and said, “Haha! You are the credential! You’ll see. Come on… Please, both of you, come with me!” Zhao Yu and Cui Lizhu did not hesitate. They immediately took their luggage to the electric car and went with the man.
It turned out that this villa 36 was Tao Xiang’s last will. Tao Xiang told Cui Lizhu that he had planned for their future before his head was seriously injured, and that he had bought them a luxury villa in the suburbs of Beijing. Since Longyu International ran businesses overseas and Tao Xiang did his money-laundering overseas, he commissioned a consortium from the same area to purchase the villa under Cui Lizhu’s name. This made Cui Lizhu the legal owner of villa 36!
After Zhao Yu contacted the person in charge, he confirmed this. So, after arranging Tao Xiang’s funeral, he came to meet Cui Lizhu in Beijing so they could visit the villa. It was a three-story villa, 400 square meters in total, including a garage, a garden, and a swimming pool. According to today’s market price, it was estimated that it would go for hundreds of millions. Seven years ago, Tao Xiang bought the villa at a price of just over 10 million yuan.
Manager Li spoke to Cui Lizhu at the desk in the Project Department. “Miss Cui Lizhu,” he said, “your password, fingerprint, and certificate have all been confirmed. We also have checked in with the overseas consortium entrusted by you. You only need to fill in a few more documents and pay the management fee for the last few years, then you’ll get your villa. On behalf of our company, I would like to give you a warm welcome.”
After listening to what Manager Li had said, Cui Lizhu did not show any excitement. Instead, she lowered her head. Obviously, she had regretted it. She was wondering if she hadn’t told Zhao Yu about Tao Xiang’s third will, would she be a billionaire now? She knew very well that although she was the legal owner, the money Tao Xiang had used to buy the luxury villa was not clean. So, the villa wouldn’t become hers in the end.
Cui Lizhu thought for a moment then asked, “Manager Li… Can we go in and have a look around today?”
“Of course you can!” Manager Li quickly answered. “I’ll take you there! Even though no one has been living in the villa for seven years, our company has been sending people in to take care of it. The villa is clean and ready for you. It’s okay for you two to stay there tonight! Come on…”
“Well…” Zhao Yu wanted to say something, but in the end, he decided against it.
“Wow,” Cui Lizhu said. “There must have been a ton of management fees that have added up over the years, right?”
As he led the way, Manager Li smiled and answered her. “Not much, not much,” he assured her. “If you add it all up, it’s only 250,000! Of course, in addition to the management fee, there are other charges, such as heating and maintenance. Those add up to no more than 500,000 yuan. Not a big number.”
Cui Lizhu gave Zhao Yu an undecipherable look. A few minutes later, Manager Li took Zhao Yu and Cui Lizhu to villa number 36. The villa was surrounded by the green shade of plants, which was especially enjoyable considering the light rain. The courtyard of the villa was beautiful as well. The villa was a typical European architectural style. Flowers were in full bloom in the garden.
Manager Li opened the door for them. He took them inside and gave them a detailed introduction. The interior of the villa was well decorated luxuriously. After the introduction, Manager Li politely said to them, “I have applied for a three-day temporary access pass for Miss Cui Lizhu. In these three days, you can use your fingerprints to unlock everything. After you have followed the proper procedures, the villa will completely be yours.”
Cui Lizhu looked at the villa and nodded. “Thank you!” she said.
Before Manager Li left, he said, “Because there are always people maintaining this villa, the facilities are good. If you want to eat here, you just need to pick up some necessities. If you want to eat out, there are high-end restaurants in this community that you can eat at or order take-out from. I have to say, the French food in this community is really good, but you need early reservations.”
After Manager Li left, Cui Lizhu was almost crying. She took Zhao Yu’s arm in a coquettish way and whispered to him, “Boss, I love it so much. I’m ok with you taking 80%.”
