At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

"Five hundred thousand?!"

The monkey behind Xu Qiang cursed out loud, "Damn, you really dare to talk back!"

They only brought less than two million in cash with them this time, which they had scraped together. Their original plan was to buy deposits for thirty houses, but now the asking price for just one house has taken a huge bite out of their entire cash pool.

What's the point of playing this game?

However, Wang Jianguo was not flustered at all.

Although he was just an ordinary construction worker on the construction site, he had seen a lot of scenes at dinner parties with the project manager over the years. He knew all too well that the more desperately these people rushed to grab the goods, the more afraid they were of not being able to buy them.

Since you're worried about not being able to buy it, then the pricing power is in my hands.

"Hey bosses, I heard everything when I was outside. One of you is a big boss from Wenzhou, and the other is a local big shot. Two groups of you came to our run-down neighborhood before dawn, carrying two sacks of cash and knocking on every door. What does that mean? It means our house is valuable!"

He pointed to the concrete ground beneath his feet. "This land will become the core area of ​​the High-tech Zone. You know better than I do how much houses in the core area of ​​the High-tech Zone are worth. I'm selling it to you for 500,000 today, but maybe in two years you'll resell it for 800,000 or 1 million. So it's not that I, Wang Jianguo, am heartless; it's that you'll make even more money!"

His words were clear, logical, and full of confidence, leaving the local residents who were watching in awe.

Old Wang, who had been cursing his son for being stupid, opened his mouth but then fell silent.

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses fell silent.

"Young man, you're right, we're attracted to the potential of this land. But you've got one thing wrong."

"What is it?"

"Your Hongqi Machinery Factory residential compound is not within the planning boundary of the core area of ​​the High-tech Zone. The old man surnamed Zhou you mentioned, his son works at the Land and Resources Bureau, right? Okay, let me ask you, did his son tell you that the core area of ​​the High-tech Zone only extends to the north of Guangming Road? Your residential compound is south of Guangming Road, it doesn't even qualify as a radiation zone, at most it's just a supporting residential area."

Wang Jianguo's expression changed.

"Do you know what a supporting residential area means? It means that when the park is built and companies move in, employees will need to rent or buy houses, and there will be room for appreciation in value here—but it's just appreciation, not demolition. There is no demolition compensation, no resettlement housing, and certainly no overnight riches as you might imagine."

He glanced at the group of elderly neighbors behind Wang Jianguo, who were listening intently, and deliberately raised his voice a few decibels so everyone could hear him clearly. "I'm offering 350,000 because I've done the math. In five years, this area will probably be worth between 450,000 and 500,000. After deducting capital costs and taxes, I'll be making a hard-earned profit. If you ask for 500,000, then sorry, I won't even get a slice. Why would I buy it then?"

After saying that, he waved to the bodyguard behind him, "Put away the canvas bag and get ready for the next stop."

The two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, squatted down, and began to zip up the two bags of bright red banknotes again.

The elderly men and women gathered around the flower bed looked at each other and whispered amongst themselves.

"Is what he said true? Isn't our area going to be demolished?"

"So, is what Old Zhou's son said reliable?"

"The bespectacled boss seemed very convincing; he didn't appear to be lying..."

……

Sweat began to bead on Wang Jianguo's forehead. His confidence earlier had been entirely based on Lao Zhou's statement that "the High-tech Zone is going to be merged into it." But if their place wasn't within the core area's red line, this dilapidated house would still be an old, run-down apartment, and 350,000 yuan would already be an astronomical price. He had asked for 500,000 yuan earlier, and if he had scared away the buyer, he wouldn't even be able to sell it for 200,000 yuan through real estate agents later.

He panicked.

Wang Jianguo turned to Xu Qiang, his eyes pleading, his tone softening unconsciously, "Then... what about you, boss? How much are you offering?"

Xu Qiang leaned against the flower bed, remaining silent.

The Wenzhou real estate speculators are notoriously shrewd nationwide; the places they set their sights on are never just simple residential areas. Especially considering today's commotion—two Audi A6s, two sacks of cash, and a trip all night from Wenzhou—if it were just a matter of a 100,000 yuan increase in investment over five years, there would be no need to go to such lengths.

The cost of capital for people in Wenzhou is frighteningly high; the annualized interest rate for private fundraising is often 15% or higher.

If you put down over 300,000 yuan for five years, the interest alone will be over 200,000 yuan. If you can only sell it for 450,000 yuan after five years, then this deal will not only fail to make a profit, but you'll also lose a fortune.

So there's only one truth: the man with the gold-rimmed glasses is lying.

The value of this land is far greater than he claims.

But—Xu Qiang really couldn't come up with 500,000.

Before he came, he had staked all his liquid assets, and only had 1.8 million yuan in cash on hand. His original plan was to pay a 50,000 yuan deposit on each property to secure it, and then use the rest of the money gradually. Now, if he puts all his resources into this one property, the remaining 29 properties will all be lost.

But if he can't even pull this off, how will he explain it to his brothers? How will he explain it to the investors who raised the money for him?

Xu Qiang gritted his teeth, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and then looked up at Wang Jianguo.

"Three hundred and sixty thousand. That's the highest price I can offer. Cash only, transfer today. If you're willing, I'll have someone go to the bank to withdraw the money right now. If you're not, I'll turn around and leave."

Wang Jianguo's heart skipped a beat.

Three hundred and sixty thousand, that's quite a lot. Although it's not quite five hundred thousand, it's still a huge sum of money he never dared to dream of before.

But in those few seconds of hesitation, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses suddenly spoke.

"Three hundred and eighty thousand."

Everyone was stunned.

Didn't the guy with the gold-rimmed glasses just say that 380,000 was the highest price? Didn't he say that 500,000 wouldn't even get him a decent share? How come he suddenly added 20,000?

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses ignored everyone's gaze. "Mr. Wang, as I just said, this property will likely be worth between 450,000 and 500,000 in five years. Since you don't believe me, I'll compromise and offer you the profits for the next five years. 380,000—that's my final offer."

"However, I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"Sign now, take the deposit now. Make it clear in the contract that if you back out, the penalty will be three times the purchase price, plus the deposit will not be refunded. And—" He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xu Qiang and the several menacing thugs behind him, "Once the contract for this house is signed, you will be my seller. Anyone else who tries to negotiate the price with you is maliciously interfering with the transaction, and I have the right to pursue legal action."

Wang Jianguo was a little stunned by this series of words, but he understood one thing: this Wencheng boss really wanted to buy it and was willing to pay 380,000 yuan.

He swallowed hard, and his hand began to reach uncontrollably towards the contract on the hood of the car.

"Three hundred and eighty thousand... three hundred and eighty thousand..." he muttered, his eyes constantly glancing at Old Wang.

Old Wang stood there, his face a mixture of emotions. He didn't know whether to believe Old Zhou or the Wenzhou boss. All he knew was that the number 450,000 was like a rope around his neck, suffocating him.

Just as Wang Jianguo was about to grab the pen, a series of urgent car horns suddenly sounded from outside the crowd.

Immediately afterwards, a white Jinbei van screeched to a halt at the gate of the courtyard, and the door was flung open with a whoosh. Seven or eight men, each carrying a briefcase, jumped out.

The leader was a fat man with a buzz cut and a large gold chain around his neck. His leather shoes creaked on the gravel, and his voice arrived before he did.

"I heard there are some old, run-down apartments for sale here? I'll buy them all!"

All eyes turned to the courtyard gate.

The cigarette butt in Xu Qiang's hand fell to the ground.

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses stopped wiping his lenses.

Old Wang and his son Wang Jianguo were completely dumbfounded.

Another group of people came.