Chapter 70: Meeting Wang Jia Again

**Rent is 2,800 yuan!**

This price would be considered high even ten years later, let alone in 2004.

Li Dong immediately realized that the agent was trying to take advantage of him. Without saying a word, he turned and walked away.

Wu Qian saw Li Dong about to leave and quickly said, "Mr. Li, the price is negotiable. Don't leave in a hurry."

Li Dong stopped and frowned. "The price you're quoting is not sincere. For a two-bedroom apartment near the university town, around 1,000 yuan is sufficient. At 2,800 yuan, I might as well buy one myself."

The opening price for Wanyuan was only 3,000 yuan per square meter. If it weren't for the time needed for renovations and other details, Li Dong would have bought it himself.

However, even if he were to rent, he wasn't planning on staying long. Pingchuan would be his place of development, and Li Dong would eventually buy a house there.

Hearing Li Dong's remarks, Wu Qian quickly protested, "Mr. Li, you're referring to those older communities. This is a newly renovated apartment, and it's a high-end one with complete furniture and appliances. It's move-in ready. The price can't be the same."

"2,800 yuan is too outrageous. Give me a reasonable price. If I can accept it, we'll sign the contract. If not, forget it."

Wu Qian seemed to be in a difficult position and said, "Wait a moment. I'll discuss it with the landlord to see if we can lower the price."

After Li Dong agreed with a nod, Wu Qian asked him to sit down and went to the restroom to make a call.

Li Dong didn't care if she was making a real call or not. As long as the price was above his budget, he would walk away. With money in hand, he wasn't worried about finding another place.

About four or five minutes later, Wu Qian came out.

"Mr. Li, I've tried my best to persuade the landlord. Initially, he absolutely refused to lower the price. After a lot of effort…"

Wu Qian seemed to want to boast a little. Seeing Li Dong's indifferent expression, she said helplessly, "2,200 yuan. That's the lowest price. Even the rough-finished apartments in Wanyuan rent for 1,500 yuan a month. If you don't believe me, you can ask around."

Li Dong didn't want to waste too much time on renting. He replied directly, "2,000 yuan. If you can agree to that, we'll sign the contract. If not, it's fine."

Actually, 2,000 yuan was still a bit high, but Li Dong didn't want to argue further.

He could accept being a couple of hundred yuan over budget since he wouldn't be living there long.

Li Dong planned to buy a house soon, and after renovation, it would probably take three to five months. There was no need to get worked up over a few hundred yuan.

This time, Wu Qian didn't say anything about negotiating with the landlord. After hesitating for a moment, she agreed directly, indicating that her previous offer wasn't her bottom line.

The rental contract was signed between Li Dong and Wu Qian, with the landlord not present.

Li Dong didn't know if the agency was acting as a second landlord, but it wasn't his concern. Renting a house was all he needed.

After paying three months' rent, one month's deposit, and the agency fee, Li Dong spent almost 10,000 yuan.

This amount was manageable only for him; a typical college student couldn't afford it.

Fortunately, Wu Qian was straightforward. After paying, Li Dong received the keys and could move in anytime from now on.

...

Leaving the real estate agency, Li Dong didn't return to the school.

He first went to a small restaurant for lunch, then in the afternoon, he headed to Longhua Square.

The renovation at Longhua was more than halfway completed. According to Yifeng, it should be fully finished by mid-January.

The construction period was less than three months, which was a few days ahead of schedule.

Hearing this, Li Dong felt quite pleased.

He stayed in Longhua until around five o'clock, then prepared to return to school.

As he went downstairs, he ran into Wang Jia by chance.

Since the last time when he almost made her cry, Li Dong had been avoiding the rental office at Longhua. He didn't expect to run into her again today.

Since they were somewhat familiar, it wouldn't be polite to ignore her. Li Dong greeted, "Miss Wang, what a coincidence."

Wang Jia was still carrying a cardboard box. Upon hearing Li Dong's greeting, she immediately responded with irritation, "Coincidence? Are you here to see the joke? I got fired, and you're partly to blame."

"You got fired?"

Li Dong was surprised. Seeing Wang Jia glaring at him, he quickly said, "I didn't mean it like that. Why did you get fired?"

Wang Jia seemed to need someone to talk to and put down the box with an angry huff, "It's all because of Wang Tuzi. Anyway, I didn't want to work there anymore. Getting fired is fine with me!"

Li Dong felt a twitch in his mouth when Wang Jia referred to Wang Yunqing as Wang Tuzi. 

Initially, he thought Wang Jia and Wang Yunqing were related. Now it seemed they might not be; otherwise, things wouldn't be so tense.

Li Dong chatted with Wang Jia for a while. From their conversation, it seemed her dismissal had some connection to him.

Wang Yunqing's reason for firing her was poor service attitude and customer complaints.

Li Dong felt a bit guilty. He had only made a joke and didn't expect it would lead to her losing her job.

Seeing Li Dong looking embarrassed in front of her, Wang Jia felt a bit better and said with a smile, "It's okay. Even if it wasn't for you, Wang Tuzi would have found another excuse. He's always disliked me. Besides, I didn't want to stay there anyway. I did all the hard work, but the credit went to others. It was pointless."

Though Wang Jia said this, Li Dong wasn't about to ignore it. He wasn't thick-skinned enough for that.

After a moment's thought, Li Dong asked, "Have you found a new job yet? My supermarket is about to open. If you're interested…"

Before he could finish, Wang Jia rolled her eyes and said, "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I'm a graduate student from Jiang University. I'm not going to end up working as a cashier for you."

Li Dong was surprised. He hadn't expected that.

Earlier, seeing Wang Jia serving tea and water at the rental office, he thought she was just an ordinary staff member. He didn't realize she was a Jiang University graduate with a master's degree.

Graduates from Jiang University were quite sought after in Jiangbei, especially with a master's degree.

"Then why did you work at Longhua?"

Wang Jia gave him a disdainful look. "What do you mean 'work at Longhua'? Not everyone can be an administrative assistant at Longhua."

Li Dong realized that Longhua was a top company in Jiangbei, and the quality of its employees was naturally high.

Wang Jia had both education and looks. He wasn't worried about her finding a good job, so his guilt lessened significantly.

Checking the time, it was almost six o'clock. Li Dong said, "Since I caused you to lose your job, let me treat you to a meal to make up for it."

Unexpectedly, Wang Jia was wary and said, "What are you up to? Just so you know, I have a boyfriend!"

Li Dong's face darkened. As if he had a girlfriend!

He had made an effort to be generous today, and now she questioned his character! 

Fine, Li Dong thought, not wanting to push further. He said irritably, "Do as you please. I'll be leaving. I hope you find a good job."

Once Li Dong left, Wang Jia muttered to herself, "Cheapskate! No sincerity at all. Who invites someone for a meal just once? The richer they are, the stingier they get!"

She then patted her stomach and sighed, "So hungry. Being poor is miserable. Even a free meal is gone."