At Aunt Zhou's house, Song Yi had been holding back his questions, but once they were outside, he couldn't contain himself any longer. He grabbed Chen Yang and asked,
"Brother Yang, what's going on? I haven't seen you in a while, how come you've become so rich? Driving a million-dollar Land Rover and spending hundreds of thousands on a house, I'm starting to suspect you robbed a bank!"
Chen Yang smiled and said,
"That car was lent to me by a friend! As for the house... well, it was a windfall! But it's definitely legal income, I'll tell you more later!"
The two walked to the alley entrance and got into the car. Chen Yang drove straight to Xianglong City Plaza. First, he went up to the third floor men's clothing section and bought Song Yi a few changes of clothes. Then he went down to the first floor Yigao Mobile Phone City and bought an HTC smartphone. He also got a new SIM card and topped it up with two hundred yuan. This trip cost five or six thousand yuan, and Song Yi, watching from the side, felt a pang of heartache. He said,
"Brother Yang, this is too much!"
Chen Yang handed Song Yi the phone with the SIM card inside, then stuffed the packaging box into a paper bag containing clothes, opened the car door, tossed it into the back seat, and said nonchalantly,
"Money is meant to be spent, right? Don't worry! After buying a house, I'll still have twenty or thirty thousand left. We've been good brothers for so many years, my money is your money, don't be shy!"
Song Yi felt a surge of emotion. He knew Chen Yang genuinely considered him a brother, so he didn't say anything more polite and silently opened the passenger door and got in. As Chen Yang started the car, he said,
"We won't be able to find your ID card anytime soon, and you don't even remember where that pyramid scheme den was! Keep an eye out in Rongcheng for a while. If you find any clues, tell me immediately, and I'll definitely get justice for you!"
Song Yi nodded repeatedly and said,
"Okay, Brother Yang, I understand!"
Chen Yang drove the car to the exit, handed over the card and parking fee together, and the barrier slowly rose. Chen Yang gently pressed the accelerator and drove the car out of the parking lot before speaking… "Let's find a place to stay first! Call your aunt and uncle now to let them know you're safe. They must be worried sick about not being able to reach you for so long!" said Chen Yang.
Song Yi was completely obedient to Chen Yang now. He immediately used his newly bought phone to call home. Fortunately, he hadn't been trapped in the pyramid scheme for too long, and Song Yi made up an excuse. He said his old number had high roaming charges and had been disconnected after only a few days in Rongcheng. He had just received his salary and got a new number. His parents didn't think much of it and were fooled.
Chen Yang drove to a business hotel near the north gate of Rongcheng University and booked a single room for Song Yi. He prepaid a week's rent and then took Song Yi upstairs with the room key. Seeing Chen Yang spend over a thousand yuan in one go, Song Yi felt a pang of heartache. As they went upstairs, he kept saying, "Brother Yang, you can't waste money like this! Let's find a small hotel! Besides, you don't have much money left."
Chen Yang had just said he'd have twenty or thirty thousand left after buying the house, but in this short time, he'd already spent six or seven thousand on Song Yi. In Song Yi's memory, Chen Yang had always lived a frugal life; he himself often couldn't afford new clothes all year round. But today, he'd spent two or three thousand just on clothes for himself. Song Yi had wanted to say something like that at Xianglong City Plaza, and now seeing Chen Yang book such an expensive hotel, he couldn't help but remind him.
Chen Yang opened the room door with his key card, casually saying, "Xiao Yi, remember, money is earned, not saved. Don't skimp on necessary expenses!"
The house they bought today would be worth one or two million in a month or two; Chen Yang said this with great confidence. Pushing open the door, Chen Yang frowned and said,
"Xiao Yi, go take a shower right away, you're practically smelling bad!"
After thinking for a moment, Chen Yang took out a thousand yuan in cash and placed it on the coffee table, saying,
"I'm going back to school first. Go out for dinner by yourself tonight. Come with me tomorrow to handle the property transfer, so you can familiarize yourself with the process."
Song Yi didn't stand on ceremony with Chen Yang anymore. He chuckled, put the money away, and then asked, puzzled,
"Brother Yang, I'm familiar with the property transfer process…" "What are you doing? Buying a house isn't like buying groceries; you can't just buy one every few days, can you?"
"Just follow me! Stop talking nonsense!" Chen Yang lightly punched Song Yi in the chest and said, "Go wash up! I'm leaving!"
Chen Yang hadn't decided what Song Yi should do yet. Although selling this house would yield a million or two, it wouldn't be enough for Chen Yang. He'd definitely need to continue searching for similar properties to accumulate funds as quickly as possible. However, it wouldn't be convenient for him to handle it himself. Guan Weiping and Fang Hongda both knew about his house purchases. Buying an old house once and getting a redevelopment deal was fine, but if it happened repeatedly and resulted in substantial profits, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
Using Song Yi's name would make it less obvious. Chen Yang had made up his mind. Because of the time crunch, he could use Guan Weiping's connections to expedite the transfer of ownership for this house. For future purchases, he'd let Song Yi handle it through normal channels. Making money quietly was the key. Chen Yang remembered that the Rongcheng city government would be conducting a series of demolitions in the coming period; with good management, earning tens of millions was possible.
"Hey! Take care, Brother Yang!" Song Yi nodded and said. "By the way, didn't you buy a house? I'll move there after the transfer is complete. Staying in a hotel is too expensive."
Chen Yang smiled and said, "We'll see!"
Once the transfer was complete, the demolition would likely begin, and it was hard to say how long he could stay. However, Chen Yang couldn't be too explicit with Song Yi. He patted Song Yi on the shoulder, closed the door, and left the room.
The next morning, Chen Yang picked up Song Yi from the hotel and drove to the Rongcheng real estate transaction center. It was not yet eight o'clock when they parked.
Song Yi asked, puzzled:
"Brother Yang, didn't you make an appointment with the landlord for 8:30 yesterday? Why are you here so early?"
"Never mind that." Chen Yang turned and picked up a black plastic bag from the back seat, opened the car door, got out, and then turned back to say, "Wait for me in the car! If I'm not back by 8:30, tell Aunt Zhou and the others to wait for me!"
With that, Chen Yang carried the bag towards the side building of the trading center. The annex building housed the Housing Management Bureau's offices. As Chen Yang approached, a man in his thirties was already waiting at the entrance. The man sized up Chen Yang's youthful face and asked hesitantly,
"Hello, are you Chen Yang?"
Chen Yang nodded and smiled,
"Yes, I am Chen Yang. I made an appointment with Director Xie of your bureau yesterday to visit him today."
The man immediately extended his hand warmly, smiling broadly, and said,
"Hello, Fang! Hello! I'm Huang Ning from the Housing Management Bureau's office. Director Xie asked me to wait for you here!"
Chen Yang shook hands with Huang Ning and said politely,
"Thank you so much, Director Huang! I feel really bad for troubling you to wait for me here!"
Using the title "Director" when you don't know the other person's position is generally a safe bet, and it won't offend anyone. Sure enough, Huang Ning felt much better upon hearing Chen Yang's words. He chuckled and said,
"Look at you, how could it be troublesome! Our office's duty is to serve the bureau leaders! Come, this way, please!"
Led by Huang Ning, Chen Yang arrived at the bureau leaders' office area on the fifth floor. Huang Ning walked to an office with a "Deputy Director" sign, knocked symbolically on the door, waited a moment, and then pushed the door open and went in.
"It seems this Huang Ning must be Deputy Director Xie's confidant!" Chen Yang thought to himself, noticing this detail, but his steps didn't falter as he followed Huang Ning into the office.
The spacious office was very well-lit, thanks to a full glass wall at the back. A middle-aged man in his forties with slicked-back hair, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, was writing instructions on a document.
Huang Ning said softly,
"Director Xie, I've brought your guest!"
Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Xie looked up. Upon seeing Chen Yang, he immediately put down his pen, stood up, and came out from behind his desk, warmly extending his hand from afar, saying,
"Chen Yang, welcome! Welcome!"
Deputy Director Xie and Chen Yang shook hands firmly, then Huang Ning led Chen Yang to the reception area. Huang Ning quickly brought Chen Yang tea and refilled the cup on Deputy Director Xie's desk before gently closing the door and leaving. Now that only the two of them remained in the office, Chen Yang cut to the chase:
"Director Xie, we'll have to trouble you with the property transfer this time!"
Deputy Director Xie replied with a beaming smile:
"A piece of cake! Director Guan personally called to give instructions, we must carry them out resolutely! Haha!"
The real estate transaction center was under Deputy Director Xie's jurisdiction; processing the transfer was just a matter of a phone call from him. He also got a free favor from Guan Weiping, so Deputy Director Xie was in a good mood. He thought for a moment and then asked:
"By the way, Xiao Fang, have you brought all the necessary documents for the transfer… If not, it's okay, I'll have someone process it for you first, and then I'll send someone back with you to get the missing documents."
If the buyers and sellers queuing outside the transaction center heard this, they would be incredibly envious. Everyone buying a house has to make three, five, or even ten trips to the transaction center. Even with all the documents, you still have to go through each procedure, and it takes more than a month to complete.
That's the allure of power! "No wonder so many people are desperate to climb this ladder!" Chen Yang thought to himself, but politely replied aloud,
"Director Xie, I've brought all the materials. I even checked the transaction center's website last night; I think I have everything!"
Deputy Director Xie chuckled and said,
"College students are so meticulous! Haha, alright then, I'll have Xiao Huang accompany you down to complete the formalities!"
He stood up and walked to his desk, picking up the phone to dial when Chen Yang stopped him,
"Please wait a moment, Director Xie!"