Restart life

Chapter 281 0278 [Chen Guiliang Bought a House]

Because Bian Guanyue was delayed taking a bath, the hotel breakfast had already been taken away.

The three of them decided to check out.

When I checked out, I realized I had booked three rooms.

Bian Guanyue pursed her lips, feeling slightly better.

They strolled along the street and randomly went into a breakfast shop.

I made some millet porridge, mutton offal soup, soy milk, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, etc. Last night I was so busy drinking and eating that I didn't eat any staple food and I'm a little hungry now.

Chen Guiliang got down to business: "Are you really going to take the entrance exam for the Central Conservatory of Music's graduate program?"

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be the Central Conservatory of Music,” Bian Guanyue said. “Tsinghua and Peking University are also options, but I’m afraid their graduate programs are too difficult to get into.”

Chen Guiliang asked, "What are the differences in the admission standards of these three institutions?"

Bian Guanyue said, "I asked around. The Central Conservatory of Music is more in-depth and professional, focusing on the music itself. My previous vocal training and the folk music lessons I've taken over the past two or three holidays will all come in handy. Tsinghua and Peking Universities, on the other hand, place more emphasis on academic subjects, theory, thinking skills, and academic writing abilities."

Chen Guiliang thought for a moment: "Is it possible that for you, the postgraduate program at the Central Conservatory of Music is actually more difficult to get into?"

Bian Guanyue pondered carefully.

Tao Xue had already finished a steamed bun when Bian Guanyue nodded and said, "That's possible."

Chen Guiliang analyzed for her, "The Central Conservatory of Music places more emphasis on musical ability. The best music students in the country may apply there. The vocal courses you studied in junior and senior high school are actually very basic and cannot be compared with those professional students. But if you want to apply for graduate school at Tsinghua or Peking University, the little music knowledge you have learned is just enough to meet the requirements of Tsinghua and Peking University. Before graduating from undergraduate, you should focus on your academic subjects."

Bian Guanyue thought about it and it made more and more sense: "Then I'll try taking the entrance exam for Tsinghua or Peking University."

Actually, there was something Chen Guiliang didn't say: if the border guards were to take the postgraduate entrance exam for Peking University, he could help them contact a potential advisor in advance.

Of course, Bian Guanyue's academic and professional skills also need to be sufficient. After all, Peking University wasn't founded by Chen Guiliang.

Chen Guiliang didn't sit idle; while eating fried dough sticks dipped in soy milk, he made a phone call to a professor he knew.

After making several phone calls, I roughly understood the situation.

Chen Guiliang put down his phone and said, "The most suitable person for you at Peking University's School of Arts is Professor Dong. He is skilled in wind instruments and traditional opera research, and his representative work is an adaptation of 'Yangguan Sandie'."

"Are you going to help me get in through connections?" Bian Guanyue said with a smile.

Chen Guiliang said, "I'm just helping you find out the situation. Didn't you visit folk artists during your winter and summer vacations? Before your graduate school interview, decide on a research topic in traditional music. If the topic is novel and interesting, you'll have a very high chance of being accepted even without my help."

"When recruiting graduate students, professors at Peking University's School of Arts value this the most. Because 99% of students who go for interviews can't come up with a clear research topic, or even think about what they want to research. If you can come up with a research topic, you'll get a lot of points from the professors."

Bian Guanyue said happily, "I understand."

So-called personal connections don't necessarily require illegal means to solve practical problems.

Information is the most important thing!
Especially when the internet was not yet developed, most people lost out in terms of information.

Tao Xue continued munching on her steamed bun, seemingly carefree, but her mind was actually racing. She felt like a child sitting next to her seniors while they discussed serious matters.

Does the senior like career-oriented girls? Well, not exactly career-oriented, but girls who have their own important work to do.

What can I do?
Ugh, I don't even know myself, this is such a headache.

Tao Xue accidentally ate three meat buns in a row, and felt that she wasn't very full after touching her stomach. She noticed that Bian Guanyue hadn't eaten much before putting down her chopsticks, acting more like a well-bred young lady than she had.

Tao Xue's eyes darted around, and she finally found her strength.

Hmph, my senior's breasts aren't as big as mine, it must be because she doesn't eat enough!

I took a walk after lunch to digest, and it was almost noon.

The atmosphere among the three was awkward; they all felt that continuing was pointless. Tao Xue suggested going back to school, and Bian Guanyue also said she should go back.

Chen Guiliang simply went to the company to pick up his car and personally drove them back to school.

The Central University for Nationalities arrived in no time. Tao Xue got off the bus and waved, saying, "Goodbye, senior! Goodbye, senior sister!"

She was still so lively, seemingly unaffected by her mood at all.

How strange!

After Chen Guiliang and Bian Guanyue waved goodbye, Tao Xue turned and walked towards the school gate, pouting and sulking with her back to the two of them.

Chen Guiliang continued driving.

They hadn't gone far when Bian Guanyue said, "You're going the wrong way. You shouldn't be turning around here."

Chen Guiliang said, "I'll go with you to look at houses."

"Looking at houses?" Bian Guanyue asked, puzzled.

Bian, the beautiful lady, has been feeling wronged these past few days. How could Chen Guiliang not know? He needs to comfort her.

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "The property certificate will have both our names on it."

Bian Guanyue curled her lips and said, "I'm not going to marry you."

Chen Guiliang said, "We can buy it even if we're not married. It'll be considered a property we invest in together."

“Then I’ll have to contribute something too… I’ve lent all the money I had left, except for living expenses, to my cousin to open a factory.” Bian Guanyue’s voice weakened.

Chen Guiliang said, "It's alright, I'll lend you half of the money for the house."

Bian Guanyue said, "Then I'll write you an IOU and pay you the bank loan interest rate."

“Why would we need to write an IOU? When I started my company, you lent me money and I didn’t write an IOU,” Chen Guiliang said.

Bian Guanyue stopped talking and turned her face to look out the car window at the scenery, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

She wasn't after the house itself; the key point was that the property certificate had to be jointly signed.

Just like a married couple. Chen Guiliang found this method to be good; in the future, he could also buy a house jointly with Tao Xue.

Sigh, why am I getting worse and worse?
Chen Guiliang, you can't go on like this.

The houses in Huaqing Jiayuan are the first choice, but the sales office there closed in 2004. Now you can only buy second-hand houses.

I drove up to Huaqing Jiayuan and randomly went into a real estate agency.

The salesperson immediately came forward, then said with delight, "Chen Gui... no, Mr. Chen! Please have a seat, I'll get you... would you like tea or coffee?"

This place is not far from Zhongguancun, especially close to Tsinghua Science Park, and many IT company founders and executives come here to buy houses.

Salespeople pay particular attention to the internet, and especially to IT companies in Beijing.

They read internet news every day, how could they not recognize Chen Guiliang?

"Tea."

"Just boiled water."

The news caused quite a stir in half of the real estate agency. Many employees came to see what was going on, but were quickly sent back by the company boss.

The boss will personally provide the service; as for this order, it will be charged to the person who just left.

The boss asked eagerly, "Mr. Chen, how big a house are you looking for? Which neighborhood? What are your requirements regarding location and floor?"

Chen Guiliang asked, "What is the largest house in Huaqing Jiayuan?"

The owner said, "Huaqing Jiayuan was built early; even the third phase opened in 2000. At that time, compact apartments were popular. One-bedroom apartments accounted for 25%, small two-bedroom apartments accounted for 40%, and standard two-bedroom apartments accounted for 20%. All of these apartment types were under 100 square meters."

"Three-bedroom apartments of 100 square meters or more account for 15%, with the largest being 130 square meters. However, there are less than 1% of penthouse duplexes, ranging from 150 to 180 square meters."

"Given Mr. Chen's status, he would definitely choose a three-bedroom apartment or a top-floor duplex. We have seven or eight of these listed here, some of which are still unfurnished."

Chen Guiliang asked, "Let me see the top-floor duplex."

The shop owner said, "There's only one top-floor duplex listed. But the owner is very demanding; full payment must be made before the end of the year. If full payment can be made before the end of the year, the owner is willing to lower the price slightly."

"Is the homeowner in a hurry to leave the country?" Chen Guiliang asked.

The shop owner smiled and said, "Mr. Chen probably knows the homeowner. But the information must be kept confidential. If Mr. Chen is interested in buying, I will call the homeowner now."

Chen Guiliang said, "Go ahead and fight."

Upon hearing that Chen Guiliang wanted to buy the house, the homeowner arrived just over ten minutes later.

Besides Robin Li, the first employee to join Baidu was Baidu CTO Liu Jianguo!
Chen Guiliang was slightly surprised: "Why does President Liu want to sell the house?"

Liu Jianguo smiled wryly: "To be honest, I have already submitted my resignation, but according to the agreement, I must work until the end of the year. Even if I don't say it today, the media will find out in another month or two."

Also resigning was Zhou Liming, Baidu's chief system architect.

However, Zhou Liming resigned and left immediately. Liu Jianguo, on the other hand, had to continue working to give Li Yanhong time to find a replacement.

Judging from this arrangement, Liu Jianguo did indeed resign voluntarily, and Li Yanhong couldn't even find a replacement.

Chen Guiliang said, "Then I don't need to call him General Manager Liu anymore; I should call him Teacher Liu from now on."

Liu Jianguo was amused and waved his hand, saying, "I stopped teaching at Peking University a long time ago."

Before joining Baidu, Liu Jianguo was a professor at Peking University, where he was in charge of the "Peking University Skynet" project.

Before joining Baidu, Zhou Liming was a master's student at Peking University and participated in the "Peking University Skynet" project.

Did they both resign because the Peking University faction was being ostracized at Baidu?
That doesn't make sense either.

Li Yanhong himself is a graduate of Peking University.

Chen Guiliang probed indirectly.

Liu Jianguo waved his hand: "Don't ask why I resigned. It's just a personal matter."

Chen Guiliang extended an invitation: "How about Teacher Liu come to my company?"

Liu Jianguo declined, saying, "I appreciate Mr. Chen's kindness. After I officially leave Baidu, I will start a business with Zhou Liming. This house is part of my start-up capital, so I need to receive the full payment before the end of the year."

"Could I ask you what kind of business Mr. Liu runs? You don't have to answer if it's inconvenient for you to answer," Chen Guiliang said.

Liu Jianguo said, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. There are many emerging companies doing vertical search for life services now."

Liu Jianguo sold his house to start his business because he hadn't found investors yet.

Once he brings in the founder of eBay China, he'll have enough start-up capital, and he definitely won't need to sell the house anymore.

There are very few top-floor duplexes in Huaqing Jiayuan, and generally no one is willing to sell them.

Chen Guiliang did not ask him if he needed investment, because no one in later generations had heard of how big Liu Jianguo's company became.

Actually, Chen Guiliang was ignorant; that company was quite large.

However, because it was the early stage of the smartphone boom, Liu Jianguo didn't pay attention immediately and was caught off guard by Meituan's rapid rise. It wasn't until 2016 that the company finally went under.

"Do you want to go see the property in person?" Liu Jianguo asked.

Chen Guiliang smiled and said, "I trust Professor Liu's taste, let's sign the contract directly. Of course, Professor Liu can continue to live there and move out after leaving Baidu."

Liu Jianguo said, "No need. I have another house, but it's not worth as much."

Neither party negotiated or inspected the property; they simply signed the contract at the real estate agency.

The real estate agent was deeply impressed: IT people really don't treat money like money!
Chen Guiliang used his own royalties. "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty" topped the book sales charts, and the royalties were more than enough to buy a house.

(End of this chapter)