Chapter 11: Go Big and Make Money

Doing business comes with risks. Put another way, there's no such thing as a guaranteed profit in this world.

But Jiang Qin was a reborn man.

He knew the outcomes of plenty of things that hadn't happened yet. Making a sure profit wasn't exactly hard.

Especially now, with Feng Nanshu's financial backing, Jiang Qin decided to go big and rake in some serious cash.

Jizhou's old district renovation was about to kick off, covering a huge area with fast, generous payouts. Buying up properties slated for demolition naturally became his first target.

Lately, he'd been dragging Guo Zihang around the streets, plastering notices in every neighborhood set for demolition.

[High-price house acquisitions in this area. Contact: XXXX]

Fenghuali, Rongcheng, Xingfu Community, Hongyun Community—these were all notorious rundown districts. Residents fed up with the shabbiness and eager to move were everywhere, and those itching to sell were a dime a dozen.

They had no clue the area was about to be demolished. So when they heard someone was buying houses at a premium, they called Jiang Qin right away.

Of course, he couldn't buy every single one.

The old district overhaul was an official project, tightly under wraps. If, right before the public notice dropped, someone started snapping up demolition-zone houses in bulk, what would that mean?

Jiang Qin might not even get the payout before his entire family tree got audited back eight generations.

So, no matter the rundown district, he'd only ever buy one unit.

Greed's fine, but you've got to weigh whether you can swallow it first.

Picking clients was an art, too.

Occupied houses? Nope.

Homes with elderly folks? Out.

Struggling families? Pass.

So what's the ideal target?

Rich folks who couldn't stand the dump, had moved out ages ago—preferably to another province—and left the place empty for years, desperate to offload it.

Those deals closed fast, no endless delays.

Imagine someone hands over the deed, then squats there refusing to leave, dragging it out till the notice drops and they realize it's a demolition goldmine. They'd come knocking, raising hell.

Jiang Qin was just an ordinary high school grad right now—handling that kind of mess would be a nightmare.

So he'd spent days screening clients, taking two full days to lock in his targets.

Mr. Xu from Fenghuali, Mr. Liu from Rongcheng, Mr. Bai from Xingfu Community, and Mr. Wang from Hongyun Community.

These four shared one trait: they'd relocated their families out of province years ago, hadn't been back since, and with the houses old and crumbling, they'd sat unsold—empty and ripe for a quick sale.

Mid-June, scorching sun blazing.

Jiang Qin sat with Mr. Bai from Xingfu Community in a ramen shop, each with a stack of transfer papers and a purchase contract in front of them.

Guo Zihang tagged along, sitting beside Jiang Qin, fidgety and timid like a 140-pound chubby kid.

"Uncle Bai, as agreed—630,000. I've already transferred the money."

"Oh? Great."

Mr. Bai studied Jiang Qin's face, feeling a bit surreal. "I just saw your ID at the housing bureau. You're only eighteen?"

Jiang Qin shrugged off the age jab with a toothy grin. "Mr. Lu Xun said, 'Owning a house doesn't care about age.'"

"But why buy a place like this?"

"My dad loves these old houses—says they've got character."

Mr. Bai nodded thoughtfully, figuring this must be some loaded family with quirky tastes and money to burn. As long as the house was off his hands, he didn't care. Settled out of province for years, he'd long lost any attachment here. This trip might be his last.

He tucked the contract into his bag, mentioned an afternoon train to catch, and hurried off.

Only then did Guo Zihang look up, staring at Jiang Qin with a grave expression, practically vibrating with nerves.

A high school grad dropping over 600,000 on a house—crappy or not—was jaw-dropping to Guo Zihang.

While he was still tinkering with QQ profile skins, his classmate was out buying property.

Who the hell could process that?

The real kicker was Jiang Qin's guts. Guo Zihang figured even if he had 600,000, he'd be too scared to spend it. That kind of cash was way too hot for their age.

"You actually bought a house? That's over 600,000!"

Jiang Qin slid his water glass forward. "Cards on the table—I'm done pretending. I'm a freaking millionaire."

Guo Zihang gulped. "I've never been to a foot massage place…"

"Wait till the admission letters come. I'll take you for a look-see."

"Thanks, Godfather!"

Jiang Qin grinned. Old Guo, you're something else—widening the road like that.

And honestly, wasn't this way better than dating?

Save up three months' pay to buy a goddess a necklace, and she'd just say "thanks" with a blank face, tossing the free flowers in the trash when you're not looking.

But your buddies, your pals, your roommates? A little favor, and they're howling "Godfather!"

"By the way, Jiang Bro, there's a class reunion this afternoon. You in?"

Jiang Qin snapped back, blinking. "No holiday, no occasion—what's the reunion for?"

Guo Zihang mused for a sec. "Scores are about to drop. If we don't gather now, the ones who tanked won't feel like it after results hit."

"You guys go ahead. I'll pass—got stuff to do this afternoon. Eat well, drink well."

"But Chu Siqi's going!"

Jiang Qin slung an arm around his shoulder, eyes sharp. "Why do you keep bringing up Chu Siqi around me?"

Guo Zihang shrank back. "Didn't you like her? Thought you'd want to see her."

"If I wanted to see her, would I have bolted that day on Center Street?"

"Wasn't that playing hard to get? Gotta say, it worked—she cried. Anyone who didn't know better would think you dumped her."

Jiang Qin couldn't be bothered to explain, pulling out cash for the boss. "I just met a girl recently. Promised to take her out. Reunion's off the table."

Guo Zihang gawked at his best bud. "What girl? Do I know her?"

"Dunno."

"Where you taking her? If it's a foot massage place, I'll ditch the reunion and tag along. It's just the brainiacs bragging—I'm not into it."

Jiang Qin figured Guo Zihang's brain was peanut-sized. "You've seen someone bring animals to the zoo—ever seen a guy bring a girl to a foot massage joint?"

Guo Zihang paused. "Anything else in Jizhou worth a special trip?"

"She wants to hit the small goods market in Chengzhongcheng."

"That place is all vendors selling knockoffs. What's fun about that?"

"She's never been. She's curious."

Guo Zihang couldn't believe it. "Never been there? How poor is her family?"

Jiang Qin shot him a look. "Why so many damn questions? You going to the reunion or not?"

"Going…"