I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 155 Strolling along the Lovers' Wall
Around 11 o'clock, Fang Qingye drove into the campus of the University of Political Science and Law.

It's currently summer vacation for students, and some have already gone home, so it's a bit quieter than usual.

Fang Qingye arrived at the girls' dormitory and called Bai Ou. A few minutes later, she saw the girl running down the building in a white dress.

"Ye Zi, come up and sit down?"

"Row."

Fang Qingye and Ze Baiou went upstairs to the girl's dormitory. The room was neat and tidy, and the orchid on the windowsill was lush and green.

"What, are you all alone?" Fang Qingye asked, looking at the somewhat empty dormitory.

“Some went back to their hometowns, and some found internships in Shanghai, so they don’t live here either,” Bai Ou replied. Then she added, “I found a place to rent online. It’s not far from the subway station, and it’s only three stops away from the law firm where I’m interning, but it’s quite expensive.”

"A higher price is fine, as long as the transportation is convenient and the living environment is safe," Fang Qingye said. "Let's go take a look in a bit."

"Okay, but let's eat at the school cafeteria now, it's on me!" Bai Ou said with a smile.

The two went downstairs to the school cafeteria for lunch, and then drove straight to Pudong.

Bai Ou's rented apartment was not in Pudong, but on the opposite bank of the Huangpu River near Sichuan Middle Road. It was very close to the Bund and surrounded by an old residential area, the so-called alleyway.

This area is called Yuanfang Lane. Fang Qingye followed Bai Ou into the lane and then into a courtyard. What appeared before Fang Qingye was a typical Shanghai residence.

The two-story brick and wood building has an open courtyard called a skylight, a living room and side rooms at the back, and corresponding rooms and a sun terrace upstairs.

To Fang Qingye's surprise, the corners were decorated with various flowers and green plants. Near the inside of the French windows, a row of blue plumbago flowers was planted, their small blue-purple blossoms looking particularly fresh and elegant against the backdrop of green leaves.

"I love these flowers and plants. I'm planning to bring my orchid over too," Bai Ou said happily, her eyes curving into beautiful crescent moons.

The landlady was an elderly woman in her sixties with a kind and gentle face. She immediately came downstairs to greet Bai Ou when she arrived.

Then he took the two of them upstairs to see the room Bai Ou wanted to rent. It was a one-bedroom apartment with a bathroom, a separate kitchen, and a small balcony. It was fully furnished and basically ready to move in.

Honestly, the furniture in the room was old and the lighting wasn't very good. If it were me, I would rather stay in a hotel than stay here.

But seeing how much the white lotus root liked it, Fang Qingye swallowed back the words she was about to say.

Also, the landlord looks quite kind.

"It's 1000 yuan a month. It's the cheapest in this area. I'm only renting it because I think my daughter is good to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have rented it," the auntie rambled on.

“Okay, two months, 2000.” Fang Qingye immediately took out a stack of hundred-yuan bills from her wallet, counted them, and handed them to the other party.

The auntie immediately beamed with joy: "Daughter, your boyfriend is really great, I'll write up the contract for you right now." With that, she excitedly left the room.

"Why are you in such a hurry? I still want to negotiate the price with her," Bai Ou said in a low voice.

"It's troublesome, but you won't be staying for very long anyway," Fang Qingye said with a smile. "I'll help you move your luggage in a bit."

"Okay."

After taking the contract written by her aunt, Bai Ou carefully read it over and signed it. Then she followed Fang Qingye back to school, packed some of her clothes into her suitcase, along with her laptop, and of course, she didn't forget the orchid on the window.

Fang Qingye helped carry it down.

Back in Yuanfang Lane, Fang Qingye helped Bai Ou tidy up her room—of course, as an assistant—until five o'clock in the afternoon, when the room was finally clean and tidy.

"I'll stay here tonight and start working at the law firm tomorrow!" Bai Ou said.

"Okay, let's go down for dinner!"

Fang Qingye didn't drive either. After having a meal at a small restaurant nearby, the two of them strolled along the Bund.

As the sun sets, the Huangpu River glistens with light.

The two strolled along the Lovers' Wall.

Fang Qingye turned her head and looked at the girl in the white dress beside her, her beautiful hair fluttering slightly in the river breeze.

"White lotus root?"

"Hmm?" "What are your plans after graduation? Stay in Shanghai or go back?" Fang Qingye asked.

“My parents want me to go back and take the exam for the city’s judicial system, either the procuratorate or the court, like my uncle did,” Bai Ou replied.

Fang Qingye knew in his heart that Bai Ou had not lied to him, because in his previous life, Bai Ou had followed this path and become a judge in the city court.

"What about your own thoughts?"

"I haven't decided yet." A hint of confusion appeared in Bai Ou's eyes.

“Going back to work in the system would be more stable, which is what my parents hope for. But staying in Shanghai offers better prospects for personal development.”

Fang Qingye nodded after hearing this.

"Ye Zi, why did you decide to go back? Why not stay in Shanghai to develop your career?" Bai Ou looked at him again.

"I'm not very ambitious and I like a leisurely life. Life in a small county town is comfortable."

Hearing Fang Qingye's words, Bai Ou pouted and said, "I believe you like a leisurely life, but no ambition? How can you be an assistant bank manager without ambition? How can you make tens of millions? And invest in a high-tech company?"

This one
Fang Qingye coughed twice to cover it up, and quickly said, "Whether you stay in Shanghai or go back to your hometown, I will support you!"

"Thank you, but there's still a year to go. Let's talk about it then. Come on, let's go see the Suzhou River," the girl said happily.

"Don't rush, I'll go buy some drinks. What do you want to drink?" Fang Qingye said.

"I want ice cream!"

"Okay, I'll eat too."

So the two of them, each carrying a bucket of ice cream, happily walked forward.

Around 10 p.m., Fang Qingye took Bai Ou back to Yuanfang Lane, and then drove to the nearby Heping Hotel to book a room.

The next morning, he drove to pick up Bai Ou. After they had breakfast, he took her to Baker McKenzie International Law Firm in the Jin Mao Tower. Bai Ou was wearing a gray suit and had transformed from the girl next door yesterday into a white-collar professional.

After dropping the girl off at the building entrance, Fang Qingye said to her, "Go to work and I'll pick you up when you get off."

"Okay, let's go see a movie together tonight!"

After seeing Bai Ou off, Fang Qingye prepared to look at houses. She didn't need to go anywhere else; the banks of the Huangpu River would suffice.

Pudong at that time was not as prosperous as it would become in the future. Fang Qingye looked at the Shimao Riverside Garden and Oriental City Garden, which were selling well, but was not very satisfied with them.

Shimao Riverside Garden, endorsed by Tony Leung, is a popular residential project in Pudong, but Fang Qing didn't take a liking to it.

Finally, I drove across the river and took a liking to a residential complex called Jinwaitan Garden near the Bund. The location was nice, on the banks of the Huangpu River, closely adjacent to the Bund Financial Center, and just across the river from the Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone.

The facilities in the community were also quite good. Fang Qingye followed a saleswoman named Li Fang and walked around for a long time, feeling quite satisfied.

Back in the sales hall, Fang Qingye took a liking to Building 9, a 3-bedroom, 1-living room, 2-bathroom apartment on the 21st floor, with an area of ​​175 square meters and a price of 6.3 million yuan, or 36,000 yuan per square meter.

While this price cannot be compared to Shanghai's housing prices more than a decade later, it was definitely a high price in 2009.

Fang Qingye wasn't very price-sensitive, as long as the location was good. Of course, she would still try to negotiate the price, as the real estate market was a murky place and she didn't want to be ripped off.

Seeing that Fang Qingye wasn't just casually browsing but genuinely interested in buying a house, Li Fang was overjoyed. She immediately and warmly invited him into the VIP customer area, poured him coffee, and had him sit on the sofa to enthusiastically introduce the property.

Fang Qingye listened casually when she suddenly saw a somewhat familiar figure pass by. It was a tall, beautiful woman holding a folder in her hand.

The beautiful woman was stunned when she saw him.

"Fang Qingye?"

"Quan Sasa?"

It turns out to be Bai Ou's roommate, Quan Shasha.

(End of this chapter)