Chapter 45: The Man Who Owns Eighteen Demolition Properties

After parting ways with Zhao Ganghu, Wang Teng thought about the other man's proposal while driving.

He had to admit, Zhao Ganghu was quite clever.

By seeking refuge with a martial artist like him, he could not only resolve their previous grievances but also turn Wang Teng into his own personal protective umbrella.

And that "bitter meat" scheme... Heh.

Wang Teng gave an ambiguous smile.

So, should he accept his allegiance?

...

Lost in thought, Wang Teng drove his sports car to a residential community.

While attending class at school this morning, he had searched on 58.com for housing located between Donghai No. 1 High School and his own home. He had also made appointments with several landlords to view the properties at noon.

The community before him was the first stop. The landlord was a middle-aged woman in her fifties.

Because Wang Teng was a bit late, her expression was initially quite sour, but the moment she saw him driving a sports car, her eyes lit up, and she instantly became as enthusiastic as could be.

She led Wang Teng to see the house, her mouth moving incessantly, prattling on about how great her house was and how convenient the transportation was.

Wang Teng felt a headache coming on.

And when it came to the rent, he was even more speechless.

It was listed online as 3,500 yuan per month, but now it had suddenly become 6,000—an increase of nearly half.

She was clearly treating him like a sucker!

In the end, Wang Teng could only make an excuse about needing to go back and consider it before he could escape the chatterbox auntie.

Stepping out of the community, he couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat.

Truly terrifying!

He went on to view two or three more places, but none were particularly satisfactory.

The landlords were either eccentric, or they had so many conditions that it felt less like they were looking for a tenant and more like they were looking for a caretaker.

"You can't enter this room!" "You can't use that appliance!"

"My house was just renovated; you must not get the walls dirty!"

"Remember to water the flowers and plants on the balcony, feed the cats and dogs, and so on"—it was a laundry list of such conditions!

Wang Teng was utterly speechless.

If you're so stingy, why bother renting it out?

If those plants are so precious and those pets are so cute, why not just take them with you and raise them yourself?

...

After an hour of going back and forth without any progress, Wang Teng shook his head and headed straight for the last property.

In truth, he didn't dare hold much hope.

"I should have just gone to an agent!" Wang Teng shook his head. In his past life, after the Wang family fell from grace, he had rented houses on his own and had been scammed by agents several times. The memories were still fresh, which was why he had subconsciously bypassed all agencies.

This final property was located near the Donghai University Town.

The location was no longer on the line between his home and Donghai No. 1 High School. However, the area was quite secluded, and because it was near the university town, the security was quite good.

He had stumbled upon it by chance, thought it looked decent, and decided to come take a look.

"So, you're [The Big Boss Wang of the Qidian Orphanage]?"

The landlord was a middle-aged, scruffy man wearing beach shorts and flip-flops. Standing by the roadside, he asked a question that left Wang Teng dazed the moment they met.

"The... The Big Boss Wang of the Qidian Orphanage!!"

After a moment of thought, he remembered that his online handle actually was that.

However, that was a masterpiece from his "chunibyo" phase in his past life; he had long since forgotten it, and he never even bothered to look at his username when browsing the internet.

He hadn't expected to be called out like this...

How embarrassing!

He felt like he wanted to explode on the spot!

Although he desperately wanted to find a hole to crawl into, he maintained a perfectly calm exterior and nodded.

"You're the landlord."

"That's me. Let's go, I'll show you the place!" The scruffy man was quite natural about it, showing no sign of being surprised.

He seemed like someone who had seen a lot in his time!

He led Wang Teng in a certain direction.

Before them was a stretch of low-rise residential buildings. They wound through narrow alleys off the main road, and after a while, they arrived in front of a house with a courtyard.

The exterior walls were grayish-white and covered in climbing vines. The landlord opened the iron gate and walked in first.

"Feel free to look around."

Wang Teng didn't stand on ceremony and began inspecting the place.

The more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

The location was quiet. Although it looked old from the outside, the interior decor was new and looked very comfortable. Moreover, it came with a small courtyard that looked spacious enough to allow for martial arts practice.

The university town was not far away. Although it was quiet here, once you stepped outside, the student street was visible in the distance, and it remained lively even past ten at night.

The neighbors were mostly ordinary families, and there were many college students renting in the area, so there weren't many troublemakers.

"How is it?"

Seeing Wang Teng finish his circuit, the landlord asked.

"Not bad. Let's talk about the price," Wang Teng nodded.

The landlord put a cigarette in his mouth and simultaneously handed one to Wang Teng. "Want one?"

Wang Teng didn't decline; he took it and put it in his mouth.

The landlord lit his cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled slowly. "Renting alone?"

"Yes!" Wang Teng nodded.

"If you're renting alone, it won't be cheap. But seeing as you drove here in a sports car, I reckon you're not short on cash." The landlord smiled.

"Tell you what, I won't overcharge you. Five thousand a month. Can you accept that?"

Wang Teng had checked the rent in this area before he came; this price could be considered quite fair. Furthermore, the interior renovation was quite good; logically speaking, people would rent it even if it were more expensive.

Wang Teng couldn't help but glance at the scruffy man, feeling somewhat surprised.

"What? Think it's too cheap?" The man saw right through his thoughts and grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth.

"The price is fine. It wouldn't matter if it were a bit more expensive, but I have one condition," Wang Teng said.

"Another condition? Let's hear it!" The man raised an eyebrow.

"During my tenancy, no one else is allowed to enter, including you!" Wang Teng stated.

"Fine! That's how it should be anyway." The man nodded without any hesitation.

In the end, the man didn't overcharge him. He gave a flat rate—if he said five thousand, it was five thousand. This earned him a bit of respect from Wang Teng.

One month's deposit and three months' rent upfront.

Alipay transfer!

The contract was signed!

The man pulled out a ring of keys and handed them to Wang Teng.

"If you're worried, I can give you a spare key as well. I live in that new community right next door. If you're not in a hurry to leave, I can go back and get it for you?" The man pointed to a community visible from their location.

"I'll move in tonight. You can give it to me then," Wang Teng replied, not refusing.

The man nodded, and the two walked toward the main road, a journey of only a few minutes on foot.

Just as they reached the road and were about to say goodbye, the man's phone rang.

"The vast horizon is my love..."

A boisterous and passionate ringtone echoed across the road, causing many passing students to turn and look.

The attention rate was two hundred percent!

"Hello, wifey... Okay, okay, I'll be back soon... What? Oh, oh, buy a bottle of soy sauce, right? Okay, I'll go buy it right now."

Wang Teng watched the man who had just appeared so steady and composed. Now, he was like a mouse seeing a cat, bowing and scraping through the phone with extreme flattery. His expression was quite a sight to behold.

A moment later, the man hung up and let out a long sigh.

He lit a cigarette to calm his nerves.

His posture instantly straightened up again.

"Sigh, I'm a man who owns eighteen demolished-site houses, how did I end up falling at this woman's feet?"

"..." Wang Teng.

*Brother, I think you just exposed something massive!*