5: Chapter 5 Moving into a new home

Since he was traveling light anyway, Zhang Wei exited Hongqiao Railway Station, recalled a nearby real estate agency from his memory of his rental area, and hailed a taxi to head straight there.

After deducting the 250,000 to pay off his parents' debt, he still had 80,000 yuan on hand.

Buying a house in Shenghai City with this amount of money was definitely a pipe dream. At most, it could buy a bathroom—the kind where you still couldn't afford the property management fees.

Zhang Wei planned to rent a better house first to improve his living environment. With the Daily Intelligence System, buying a house and a car in the future wouldn't be too far off.

"Hello, sir. Hmm?! Zhang Wei?!"

Just as he walked into the real estate agency, a young lady wearing a black suit approached him. She had only made it halfway before looking at Zhang Wei with a face full of astonishment.

"Wang Xiaohua, long time no see." Zhang Wei was also taken aback.

He hadn't expected to run into his ex-girlfriend's best friend here.

Zhang Wei scratched his head. He vaguely remembered his ex-girlfriend mentioning that she had a best friend working at a real estate agency; he hadn't expected such a coincidence.

"My previous lease ended, and I wanted to move into a larger place. So, here I am."

The past was like smoke; it was best to let it scatter with the wind. Besides, it had been an amicable breakup with no grudges. Zhang Wei recovered his composure after a brief moment of surprise. He didn't feel the need to find another agency to consult.

"O-okay." Wang Xiaohua was still a bit awkward. "Then what are your requirements for the rental? I'll help you with some recommendations."

Zhang Wei thought about it. He needed a room for himself and another to store the items he might pick up from 'leak-hunting' in the future. If his parents came to Shenghai to visit, it would be more convenient if they could stay directly at his place.

"A three-bedroom apartment. The size of the living room doesn't really matter, but it should preferably be move-in ready."

Wang Xiaohua was extremely surprised upon hearing this: "The rent for a three-bedroom apartment isn't cheap."

She had heard her best friend mention several times before that Zhang Wei had been fired by his company and hadn't found a new job yet.

She subconsciously assumed Zhang Wei was intentionally acting wealthy to protect his fragile self-esteem.

"Actually, if you're living alone, you could consider a one-bedroom or two-bedroom. The price would be much more affordable."

Zhang Wei smiled: "It's fine, just a three-bedroom. Do you have any listings?"

"Yes, yes."

Out of professional ethics, Wang Xiaohua didn't say much more and walked to the computer to search diligently.

"I found a listing here in the Jiangnan Garden residential area that perfectly meets your requirements." Wang Xiaohua said with a slight look of difficulty: "Because Jiangnan Garden is a high-end residence, the rent will be quite expensive." It wasn't that Wang Xiaohua was intentionally making things difficult for Zhang Wei. Most people renting weren't very willing to share a flat, so one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments were more popular in the rental market. Three-bedroom apartments were more suited for direct second-hand property sales.

"Can we go see the house in person now?"

"Of course." Although Wang Xiaohua was convinced the young man before her was 'slapping his own face to make it look fat' (acting tough), she didn't show any impatience.

"The residential area is about three kilometers from here. I'll take you there on my electric scooter."

Zhang Wei thought about it; having this girl carry his 1.8-meter frame on an electric scooter would be a bit of an awkward sight.

"No need, let's just take a taxi together."

Silence followed all the way.

The taxi arrived at the entrance of the residential area shortly. Wang Xiaohua showed the materials provided by the owner to the security booth and was granted entry.

This place used an owner access control system. Aside from owners and their vehicles, all visitors had to receive permission and confirmation before being allowed in.

The three-bedroom rental was on the 9th floor of building number 30. Entering the apartment, Zhang Wei took a look around.

The layout was the type that allowed air to flow from north to south, with good lighting and ventilation. The soft furnishings were about 80% new, and the beds and cabinets were all provided. There was even a large bathtub in the bathroom, the kind that could fit two people.

One look and you could tell the interior designer was someone with ideas.

The balcony was open-style. Zhang Wei leaned against the railing and looked outside. He could see the garden downstairs, and there was even a small rockery in the center of the garden. The scenery was very nice; getting a lounge chair later and inviting a girl over to drink wine and chat would definitely be very pleasant.

Zhang Wei walked around once more and nodded: "This house is nice. How much is the rent?"

Wang Xiaohua was certain Zhang Wei was just here for a casual look and hadn't checked the price at all. She froze for a moment before hurriedly flipping through the documents.

"The total rent is 12,000. Utilities and broadband are to be paid by the tenant. The landlord covers the property management fees. The deposit is three months' rent plus one month upfront. The minimum lease is one year."

Twelve thousand a month—the monthly salary of an average white-collar worker was about that much. However, for Zhang Wei's current situation, it wasn't a problem at all.

"Okay, then I'll rent it."

"Ah! What did you say?" Wang Xiaohua couldn't quite react.

Just like that, he's renting it?

Zhang Wei found this girl a bit airheaded; he really didn't know how she survived in the real estate industry. Maybe fortune favors the simple-minded?

"I said I'm renting this house. If possible, I'd like to move in tomorrow."

The girl snapped out of it and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay. The owner of this house is currently abroad. All rental matters have been fully entrusted to our company."

"As long as we go back to the company to sign a rental agreement and then make the payment, you can move in."

So the two returned to the agency and signed the contract. Zhang Wei directly paid 48,000 yuan and successfully received the house keys.

"Zhang Wei, all the procedures are done. Before you move in, go to the residential property management to register and get an access card."

Zhang Wei waved his hand to show he understood and left with the keys.

Once Zhang Wei had disappeared from sight, it was almost time to get off work. Wang Xiaohua ran to a corner of the company and dialed her best friend's number.

At this moment, Lin Wanting was still working overtime at her company. Seeing her best friend's call, she picked up: "Hello, Xiao Hua, are you off work? Why are you calling me at this time?"

Wang Xiaohua saw no one was around and said with a hint of mystery in her voice: "I closed a deal before leaving work today. You will definitely never guess who the person renting the house was."

Lin Wanting wedged the phone between her shoulder and head, freeing her hands to continue working at the computer, and asked casually: "Who? From your tone, is it someone we both know?"

"Zhang Wei! Your ex-boyfriend, Zhang Wei! A three-bedroom apartment with a rent of 12,000 a month—he paid after only a few looks."

Wang Xiaohua's tone was excited, then she added a bit of gossip: "Do you think he found a job and is preparing to rent a new house to get back together with you?"

"Wh-what are you talking about? That person... he really rented a three-bedroom apartment?" Lin Wanting asked with some uncertainty.

"Absolutely! You only broke up a few days ago; there's no way he found someone new that fast." Wang Xiaohua patted her chest: "How about this, in a couple of days, according to company regulations, I have to do a follow-up visit. I'll scout things out for you then."

Lin Wanting murmured: "No need, we've already broken up." After that, she hurriedly said a few more words and hung up the phone.

In fact, she and Zhang Wei had been quite affectionate during their time together. Zhang Wei was 1.8 meters tall; although his looks weren't the world-shaking kind, he was decent and above average.

Crucially, he was also down-to-earth, hardworking, and not frivolous. He had his own life plan.

She had thought she had found her home for this lifetime. But she hadn't expected fate to play tricks. When Zhang Wei proposed returning to his hometown to develop his career, she knew she was destined to be unable to stay with this man. One cannot live on feelings alone.

Her parents, friends, and relatives were here; her career and everything else were here. At this moment, love ultimately lost to reality.

But upon learning that Zhang Wei hadn't left, her heart was thrown into turmoil.

"Can we still go back to the way things were?"

At the same time...

Zhang Wei returned to his rental and began his non-stop moving plan.

In fact, there weren't many things to take. Being alone, he basically relied on takeout or small restaurants downstairs, so he didn't have any pots or pans. It was mainly some clothes and personal items. It took less than half an hour to finish organizing.

He called the landlord to notify him of his move, then Zhang Wei closed the door and bid farewell to this small room where he had stayed for two years.

By the time he arrived at Jiangnan Garden again, it was already dark. Fortunately, the property management had staff on the night shift.

Using the materials from the agency along with his ID card, he completed the check-in registration and spent thirty yuan to get an access card. Zhang Wei finally moved into his new home.

This was his new home, a new starting point. It symbolized that he had begun his transformation. The future would surely get better and better.