5: Sorry, this house already has an owner.

"...No manners... He ran off before even finishing his meal..."

"...Complaining that the girl is too expensive..."

"...With that attitude, how will your son ever find a wife..."

Luo Jinglan's face flushed with embarrassment, but she could only repeatedly apologize to Auntie Wang.

After hanging up the phone, she felt a bit puzzled.

How could she not know her own son's temperament?

While he might not be exceptionally outstanding, he was at least a university graduate.

"That girl must have made things difficult for him..."

Thinking of her son's stubborn nature—responding to kindness but never to force—Luo Jinglan let out a long sigh.

"Oh, Jinglan, don't take it too much to heart. Auntie Wang is just like that; she's very blunt.

I've watched Chen Qiu grow up since he was a child. How could his social skills be that bad?

It must be... it must be because he's tight on money and didn't handle things well in the moment. Young people are thin-skinned, after all."

Huang Hui's words sounded like consolation, but they made Luo Jinglan feel very uncomfortable.

What did she mean by "tight on money"?

Wasn't she just openly saying her family was poor?

That her son couldn't make any money!

Seeing her silence, Huang Hui leaned closer to her ear and lowered her voice.

"I'm telling you this from the bottom of my heart, so don't be upset. In this day and age, girls are very shrewd.

The moment you meet, they ask about your family background. In a family like ours, with no house and no car, why would a girl take an interest in your Chen Qiu?

Even if they meet, it's just going through the motions; they've already eliminated you in their minds.

Maybe today's girl was putting on airs on purpose, just to make your son back off."

Every word of this speech struck Luo Jinglan exactly where it hurt.

It was true. In this small city, having no house and no car was equivalent to a death sentence in the matchmaking market—you couldn't even get an entry ticket!

"Look at our Yujie. Although he's a bit simple, he has a stable job. Once we buy him a house, see? A girl like Shanshan is willing to be with him."

Huang Hui skillfully brought the topic back to herself, that familiar sense of superiority resurfacing on her face.

"So, don't just spend all your time worrying. It's good that you're coming with us to take a look today to get an idea of things. The houses here in Haitang Bay have a great location and school district. If you could buy one here for Chen Qiu, would you still worry about him not finding a partner?"

"Sister-in-law is right."

Although Luo Jinglan didn't particularly like Huang Hui, she agreed with these words.

She would discuss it with his father when she got back.

They would use their savings and borrow a bit more from relatives and friends.

Even if she had to sell everything she owned, she would buy a house for Chen Qiu!

Subsequently, led by the property Manager Li Qing, the group officially began their tour.

"This way, please. First, we'll look at the garden apartment models that Haitang Bay is currently promoting." Li Qing led the way enthusiastically and pressed the elevator button.

The elevator was designed for two units per floor, ensuring sufficient privacy.

The units they viewed were on the middle and upper floors, and all were fully furnished.

Li Qing pushed open the heavy fire door of the first unit, and a gust of stale air greeted them.

"This is our 121-square-meter four-bedroom, two-living room, two-bathroom layout. It has north-south ventilation and a very balanced design."

Everyone walked in. Beneath their feet were light gray tiles, the walls were painted with latex paint, and the living room and bedrooms had recessed ceilings with the currently popular main-light-less design!

As long as furniture and appliances were brought in, they could move in immediately!

Li Qing pointed in different directions as he introduced the place. "This is the living room, with a width of 4.2 meters. It opens up to a large scenic balcony where you can view the residential area's garden.

Over there is the dining room, connected to the kitchen. Outside the kitchen, there's another utility balcony where the washing machine and water heater can be placed without taking up space.

All four bedrooms have bay windows, but those can be removed during later renovations."

Finally, he led everyone to a small room on the north side and pushed open a small door. "There's also a complimentary small terrace here. Although it's not large, it can be used for growing plants or as a small storage room. It's very practical."

They viewed three units of the same layout in a row, with different floors and slightly different orientations.

After the tour, Huang Hui and Chen Yujie were both quite satisfied.

"Not bad, not bad. This layout is quite good, with no wasted space," Huang Hui said, nodding.

Chen Yujie echoed, "The lighting and ventilation are both fine."

But Lin Shanshan had her arms crossed the entire time, her face expressionless, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible pickiness.

She suddenly spoke up, breaking the satisfied atmosphere of Huang Hui and her son. "Manager Li, I heard that Haitang Bay Residential Area has a 'Prime Building.' It's not this two-units-per-elevator type, right?"

Li Qing was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. "It seems Sister-in-law has done her research!"

"Our residential area does indeed have a Prime Building, which is Building 9.

That is the best-positioned building in the entire area—large luxury flats with one unit per elevator.

The units are all 158 square meters, with dual balconies and two large terraces. Because balconies and terraces only count for half the area, the actual usable space can reach over 180 square meters!"

This was known in the industry as 'stealing space,' a major selling point for high-end developments to attract customers.

Lin Shanshan's eyes lit up instantly.

She followed up impatiently, "Are there any left for that layout? Can you take us to see?"

The smile on Li Qing's face became a bit subtle, and he waved his hand. "Sister-in-law, regarding that layout... there is indeed one last unit left.

But... you shouldn't think about that one. Our developer's big boss specifically gave orders to keep it for gifting or networking purposes later. It's not for sale to the public."

As soon as these words came out, Lin Shanshan's expression immediately soured.

What did he mean by "you shouldn't think about it"? Who was he looking down on?

A nameless fire rose in her heart, and a wave of displeasure surged, but she couldn't lash out at an outsider. She could only glare fiercely at Chen Yujie beside her.

That look seemed to say: It's all your fault for being so weak! You have no ability! Otherwise, that's the kind of house we should be looking at!

Chen Yujie was baffled by her glare, but he instinctively shrank his head.

Seeing Lin Shanshan's obviously unhappy face, he had to brace himself to please her and said to Li Qing, "Manager Li, then... even if it's not for sale, could you take us to have a look, just for reference?"

Hearing this, Li Qing laughed heartily, appearing exceptionally generous. "Looking is certainly possible! No problem!"

With that, he led the group in a grand procession toward Building 9 at the center of the residential area.

Building 9's location was indeed the best in the entire area, surrounded by the central garden, and it had the largest distance between buildings. The decoration of the elevator lobby was a level more luxurious than the other buildings.

The group took the elevator directly to the 5th floor.

When the elevator doors opened, there was an independent entrance foyer. With no neighbors, the privacy was extremely high.

Li Qing took out the key and opened the door, which was thicker and more grand than a normal entrance door.

"Everyone, please come in!"

When the group walked into this 158-square-meter unit, everyone was startled by the sense of space before them.

The living room and dining room were integrated, forming a spacious public area. Although the floor was also tiled, one could tell the texture was better than before.

On both the north and south sides, there were huge floor-to-ceiling windows connecting to two wide balconies. The southern scenic balcony faced the central fountain of the residential area with an unobstructed view; the northern utility balcony was also much larger than the one they had seen before.

Four rooms were distributed on both sides, each one square and well-ventilated.

The most amazing part was that the master bedroom and the study each had a semi-open terrace. Standing there, the entire scenery of the residential area was in full view.

"This... this is a real house!" Huang Hui couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

Chen Yujie and Luo Jinglan also watched in amazement. Although it was only 30 square meters larger than the 121-square-meter house they saw earlier on the surface, the actual visual experience was worlds apart.

Lin Shanshan's eyes were filled with even more brilliance.

This house perfectly satisfied all her fantasies about her future life.

She asked again, refusing to give up.

"Manager Li, this house... is there really no room for negotiation at all? We can pay a higher price."

Li Qing shook his head, his attitude firm. "Miss, this really isn't about money. Like I said, this is being kept by our boss to give away.

If you really want to buy this layout, you'll have to ask the owners upstairs or downstairs in this building to see if they're willing to sell second-hand."

He paused and then added.

"But I advise you not to hold out much hope. The entire residential area has only this one Prime Building. Of the owners who could afford to buy here back then, which one didn't expend a great deal of effort? Currently, the second-hand market price here is at least thirteen thousand per square meter, and even then, there's high demand but no supply. These people aren't short on money and won't necessarily sell."

Lin Shanshan's hope was completely shattered, and her heart was filled with disappointment.

Just then, the phone in Li Qing's pocket suddenly rang urgently.

He glanced at the caller ID, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately stepped aside to answer.

"Hello, President Wang! Yes..."

"The last unit in Building 9 of Haitang Bay... understood, I'm right nearby!"

"Yes! Okay! I understand! Good! Don't worry, I'll go to receive them right away!"

Even though no one was in front of him, Li Qing's demeanor was still full of fawning as he responded.

At the same time, he was somewhat puzzled and shocked. Just what kind of person was it that required the company's President Wang to call and instruct him personally to go and welcome them?

After hanging up, the expression on Li Qing's face instantly became somewhat anxious.

He walked quickly to the group and said in a somewhat dismissive tone:

"Sorry, everyone, there's a change in plans.

This house has been given away, and the new owner is arriving soon. You can't stay here any longer."

"You can go downstairs and walk around first to see our landscaping. I have to hurry to the gate to pick someone up. Excuse me!"

Caught off guard by this sudden turn of events, Lin Shanshan and the others were thus "evicted" from the house they had been dreaming of.

Standing downstairs at Building 9, Lin Shanshan felt her face burning with embarrassment, and her heart was frustrated to the extreme.

"What kind of people are they! We haven't even finished looking!" Huang Hui was the first to complain dissatisfaction.

Lin Shanshan's face turned slightly dark with anger.

She felt she had received one humiliation after another today.

At the same time, she was extremely curious about what kind of big shot it was that could make this Manager Li turn from haughty to humble and become so frantic!