Chapter 266: Chapter 150: Since I’m Buying, I Might as Well Buy a Lot

"Call me ’darling,’ and I’ll get you out of here."

Xu Yun threatened, "Or else I’ll kiss you again."

Chen Xin was speechless.

A moment later.

"Darling! Darling! Darling!"

Chen Xin whispered shyly, "There, are you happy now? Can we go?"

"Of course."

Xu Yun bent down, took her hand, and broke into a run.

"!!!"

Chen Xin was completely caught off guard.

Clutching the flowers with one hand, her other hand held by Xu Yun, she found herself sprinting along with him.

Chen Xin rarely exercised and wasn’t very fit. She simply couldn’t handle such a sudden, long run.

「Two hundred meters later.」

Panting for breath, she called out instinctively, "Darling, slow down! I can’t take it anymore!"

"Oh."

Xu Yun stopped and looked at her with a smile. "See? You called me that on your own just now. From now on, when we’re alone, you can call me that. I like the sound of it."

Chen Xin was speechless.

She only just realized that in her panic, she had called him ’darling’ again.

Although...

’Even though I like him, being forced to call him ’darling’ all of a sudden is just too embarrassing!’

’I can’t agree to this. Absolutely not!’

’Chen Xin, have some backbone!’

.....

「Half an hour later.」

The two drove back to their apartment complex.

Chen Xin didn’t dare to look at Xu Yun. The moment the car stopped, she flung the door open and bolted.

She was afraid that if she lingered a moment longer, Xu Yun would start teasing her again.

’The worst part is, not only am I not angry about being teased, I’m actually a little happy.’

AAAAAHHHH...

Watching the flustered Chen Xin, Xu Yun couldn’t help but chuckle.

’Am I really that scary?’

’She’s acting like I’m going to eat her alive.’

After getting out of the car and heading inside, Xu Yun found his mom, Zhang Sujuan, watching TV in the living room.

Zhang Sujuan smiled and asked, "Were you out with Chen Xin tonight?"

"I went with her to get a new pair of glasses."

Xu Yun walked over and sat down, asking curiously, "I spent all that time alone with Chen Xin today. Weren’t you worried something might happen between us?"

"So, did anything happen?" Zhang Sujuan asked, her face full of expectation.

"Uh, no."

"Then why did you ask?"

The moment Zhang Sujuan heard that, she instantly lost interest. "Sigh," she said. "I give you an opportunity, and you’re hopeless."

Xu Yun was speechless.

Seeing her hopes for a grandchild dashed yet again, Zhang Sujuan recalled something else.

She said, "I was playing mahjong today and heard that the new commercial center in the West City District is starting to sell properties tomorrow.

A lot of the ladies who have some money are planning to buy a storefront there to rent out.

Do you think we should buy one too?"

She would never have dared to even consider this in the past, but things were different now. Her son was a good earner, the family had a decent amount of savings, and they had extra cash to invest.

In the eyes of her generation, property was the most reliable investment.

Then they could live off the rental income each year, which was much more dependable than leaving money in the bank.

"Sure, I’ll go take a look tomorrow."

Xu Yun didn’t give it much thought. If his mom wanted to be a landlady, he’d make it happen for her.

’As for my earlier plan to open a supermarket for her, I’ll put that on the back burner. Once I’m even richer, I’ll just build a huge one.’

’I’ll model it all on the Pang Dong Lai management style!’

That night, after getting ready for bed, he lay down and, as was his habit, started chatting with all of his women.

First up, Li Jinshu.

He glanced at the design plans she’d sent for her fitness center. He didn’t understand a thing, but he knew praise was the right move.

Su Mu was also talking about work.

She said she’d gotten her hands on a promising script that Chen Xin had recommended.

She was planning to buy the rights outright.

Apparently, the two of them had already discussed the script back on his mom’s birthday.

Chen Xin had been helping her find scripts in online writer groups.

If all went well, she would soon begin preparations to start filming.

For that, Su Mu would need to ask Liang Yan for advice, since she already had one film under her belt.

Su Mu added that if Liang Yan was hesitant, he might have to talk to her himself.

Xu Yun agreed and immediately relayed the message to Liang Yan.

Liang Yan replied that it was no problem at all. She also said she hoped he would visit her when he was back in Jiangcheng, as she wanted to treat him to some new tea she’d just bought.

’Hmph. Is this really about tea?’

After seeing the photo she sent, he felt it would be rude to call her bluff.

’What does she take me for? A professional tea taster? As if I’d come running just because she asks. She wishes.’

Next up was Ning Qian.

Her messages were more mundane, just sharing bits of her daily life, along with some photos of herself at Li Jinshu’s fitness center.

’Hmm... It’s only been a few days. How did they get bigger?’

Staring at the photos, Xu Yun muttered to himself, "When I get back, I’ll have to give them a thorough inspection."

Then there was Song Xiaowei, who also talked about her daily work routine.

Finally, Yu Xuan contacted him to give a brief report on Su Mu and Li Jinshu’s work.

With Xu Yun away, she considered herself his eyes and ears in Jiangcheng.

She helped keep an eye on both of their ventures, giving him timely reports on daily developments.

Suddenly, Xu Yun thought of Jiang Peiyao. He hadn’t been in touch for a while and wondered how she was doing.

He picked up his phone and called her right away.

The call connected almost immediately.

Jiang Peiyao was in a hospital room—a private VIP suite, fully furnished.

Sometimes she would even stay the night in the room to make it easier to care for her younger brother.

Hearing her pick up so quickly, Xu Yun chuckled. "It’s late. Still playing on your phone?"

"No, I’m still at the hospital."

Jiang Peiyao laughed. "I had just picked up my phone when you called."

"How’s your brother?"

Xu Yun asked with concern. "Is he doing okay?"

"Yes, his condition has completely stabilized now."

Jiang Peiyao got up and walked to the window, sounding happy. "He just finished some fruit and fell asleep."

"That’s good. I’ve been busy lately and haven’t been in touch, so I wanted to call tonight and see how you were."

"I’m doing well."

Jiang Peiyao sounded a little guilty. "Actually, I’m the one who should apologize. I’ve been so busy with my brother that I forgot to call or text you."

"Do you still have enough money?"

"It’s enough. The expenses aren’t too high right now."

Jiang Peiyao hesitated for a moment before saying, "I rented the apartment you told me to get. It’s a three-bedroom, and the renovation is brand new.

When you have time, you can come by and see if you like it."

"Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can."

Xu Yun replied with a smile, "I’ll get to see you, too. It’s been too long. I’ve missed you."

"Mm, I miss you, too."

....

「The next morning.」

Xu Yun slept in until just after nine. After getting ready, he drove straight toward West City.

Due to population growth, the county was expanding. The original town was no longer big enough, so construction on West City had begun the year before last.

To spur development, a high-speed rail station was built there, and the government and its various departments had relocated there as well. It was only a matter of time before the area flourished.

Naturally, all sorts of commercial centers and residential projects were also being built at a frantic pace.

The completed ones were already being sold off one by one.

The commercial property his mom had mentioned was located on a street in one of the two new commercial centers.

The sales office was packed with people.

’Everyone’s always crying poor, but it looks like they’ve all got some cash to spare.’

However, Xu Yun’s car was flashy enough to turn heads, and it immediately became the center of attention. Everyone’s eyes were on him.

After getting out of his car, Xu Yun walked straight into the sales center.

A sharp-eyed saleswoman immediately rushed over to greet him. "Hello, handsome. What kind of commercial property are you looking for?"

"Show me the model first."

"Of course, handsome."

The saleswoman led Xu Yun to the architectural model and began to point out the advantages and selling points of the properties.

After she finished, Xu Yun asked, "What’s your price per square meter?"

"That depends on the specific location. The better storefronts are naturally more expensive, while the smaller shops are cheaper.

However, we do have an opening day promotion. If you sign the contract on the spot, we can take more than 1,000 yuan off per square meter. The average price is around 7,200."

The saleswoman asked, "So, handsome, which storefront location are you interested in?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"If I’m going to buy, I might as well buy in bulk."

Xu Yun casually pointed at the model. "I’ll take this middle street."

"???" The saleswoman.

She froze for a second, then asked uncertainly, "Handsome... which specific storefront on this street are you looking to buy?"