Fu Yu sighed inwardly; you really can’t compare people.

He doesn’t even dare consider renting a place right now, while others fret over whether their store numbers are consecutive.

However, he soon thought how lucky it was to make such genuine friends as Zhao Meng and Yao Shi after entering society.

And for him to meet two mentors and leaders who could stand by him at the beginning of his career was indeed great luck.

Zhao Meng and Yao Shi have both experienced the dark side of the workplace and various troubles in work and life. Although their lives weren’t exactly tumultuous, having met many people and encountered many things, they’ve accumulated quite a bit.

The life experience and wisdom they’ve gathered is a huge treasure in itself.

Not to mention the strong network and connections they’ve built over the years.

Especially Yao Shi, who now stands in a slightly higher position, given his business experience, has a longer-term vision than ordinary people, and his guidance is incomparable.

After chatting with Yao Shi for a while, Zhao Meng turned to see Fu Yu drinking and said, "Fu Yu, the skewers here are pretty good. If they get cold, reheat them a bit, put something in your stomach before drinking."

Fu Yu replied, "Alright, I’ll reheat these skewers."

The kitchen staff never have a fixed dinner time, and everyone just eats whatever’s available.

The chefs sneak in a break amidst their busyness, casually making dishes like pork in sweet and sour sauce or sautéed meat segments. When they have a chance to fry oil a second time, they fry an egg as well. Sometimes the pastry chefs send over some seafood dumplings and various pastries.

There’s never an official meal time, but everyone’s bellies are never empty.

That night was another late shift, so no one was too hungry.

They ordered a table full of barbecue, which mostly went untouched.

Fu Yu sat down by the grill and put on some skewers such as kidneys.

With something to do, he no longer felt idle like before.

To be honest, though he could understand Zhao Meng and Yao Shi’s conversation, he knew that he had no place to interject in these matters.

He only knew bits and pieces, and making reckless comments would be laughable.

People can lack intelligence, but should not pretend to be smart.

Though he felt that lacking intelligence was never his issue, everyone has weaknesses, and there’s no need to constantly compete with others.

He always maintained a broad mind. After he heated some skewers to his liking, he served Zhao Meng and Yao Shi with more.

Suddenly, Zhao Meng asked, "Fu Yu, what do you think of the Red Flag Avenue area?"

Fu Yu was taken aback and responded truthfully, "It’s good, the location is great and it’s convenient for commuting."

Zhao Meng nodded, looking at Yao Shi, he asked, "Weren’t they planning to redevelop it into a neighborhood? How’s the environment?"

Yao Shi immediately understood and replied seriously, "I’ve seen the plans, it’s quite nice. Our city is aiming to be named a charming city, and there’s significant emphasis on greenery now. My friend is planning to respond to the city’s call by developing this area into a garden-style residential area, so the environment won’t be an issue. Quality shouldn’t be worrying either, as the regulations are strict, he wouldn’t dare defy them."

As long as the neighborhood planning is good, the position and the facilities both in and out of this new residential area will be excellent.

Zhao Meng asked, "Hey, if we buy a house, would there be a discount?"

Yao Shi nodded, "Of course, and we can also select a good location first."

Yao Shi wasn’t boasting, he truly had a very solid relationship with his friend.

Zhao Meng then turned to ask Fu Yu, "This neighborhood sounds pretty nice, are you considering buying a house in Bei’an?"

Fu Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

Buying a house in Bei’an?

That was something he constantly thought about.

Though Bei’an is a third-tier city, housing prices aren’t low.

If it were a while ago, Fu Yu wouldn’t have dared even think about it.

But now.

It’s definitely impossible to buy a house outright with 800,000, but he could make a down payment.

Seeing Zhao Meng seemingly eager to help connect him, Fu Yu quickly said, "Yes! I’ve always wanted to buy a house, but I don’t have the money right now."

Zhao Meng, who understood his situation well, conversed with Yao Shi for help, "Can you help with connections to possibly reduce the down payment?"

Yao Shi nodded, "It shouldn’t be a problem, let me make some calls tomorrow."

With Yao Shi’s involvement, the matter was essentially settled.

Little did Fu Yu expect, a meal meant to express gratitude turned into a session about building connections, and they ended up discussing buying a house.

Fu Yu couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

Being able to buy a house in Bei’an and settle down was always his dream.

Originally, he thought it would take at least another ten years, or even longer, to achieve this dream, but the surprise came so suddenly.

After leaving the restaurant, Fu Yu thoughtfully helped hail a taxi for Yao Shi.

After seeing him off, Fu Yu shared a cab back to the shop with Zhao Meng.

When getting off, Fu Yu rushed to pay for the fare, and Zhao Meng didn’t argue.

As they walked back together, Zhao Meng said, "In the next few days, you should check out some information about apartment layouts online. Have a bit of an idea in your head because when the time comes to choose a house, you have to make the final decision yourself."

"A house isn’t like anything else, once bought, whether you stay for a lifetime, decades, or just a few years, it’s yours. It ought to suit your taste!"

Fu Yu laughed, "How would I know about this? Chef Zhao, when the time comes, you and Chef Yao should help me with the decision. Once I buy this house, I might end up living and working here for a lifetime, so you better ensure it’s a good one!"

Zhao Meng glanced at Fu Yu, "You just want to be a hands-off manager. You want me to help decide on buying a house, and when you get married, do I have to help arrange that too?"

Fu Yu chuckled, "I would prefer that. If you know any good matches, introduce them to me, I’d love that."

Zhao Meng playfully lifted a leg to kick him, laughingly scolded, "Keep dreaming! Just you wait!"

...

Listen to others’ advice, eat your fill.

Back at the dorm, Fu Yu did a quick wash and then sat on his bed to browse online.

He hadn’t actually thought about what kind of house he wanted to buy in the future.

Mainly because he always felt that this dream was a bit too far away.

Referencing his own family’s house, a two-bedroom and one living room seemed a bit too small.

The new master bedroom should certainly be more spacious, and the secondary could not be too cramped either.

After all, he would definitely get married in the future.

Once a house is bought, it could serve as a wedding house.

If his parents come to stay, and if he has a child, there would need to be at least three bedrooms.

There should be a living room, a dining room, and the kitchen should not be too cramped. At the very least, it should have a spacious counter.

He actually quite liked the layout with balconies on both the south and north sides.

The south side for drying clothes, and the north side for cooling off and relaxing.

After browsing through some floor plans, Fu Yu found he wasn’t sleepy at all.