Chapter 37: Is he really going to buy a house?

The sales associate, Xiao Ling, quickly realized her colleague’s true motive: pure laziness.

She also doubted Li Jingkun would actually buy a house, but since she was already tending to one set of clients, adding another didn’t hurt. She led the couple and Li Jingkun out of the sales office to view the show flats. She asked Li Jingkun what kind of unit he was interested in, only to find his requirements differed from the couple's.

"It's fine, look at theirs first. I’m not in a rush; tagging along to see an extra unit or two is fine," Li Jingkun said.

Xiao Ling was left speechless. It seemed he was truly just browsing for entertainment.

Since the couple was looking at units around 100 square meters, while Li Jingkun’s requirements were different, Xiao Ling would have to take him to another building after showing the couple their floor plan. It wasn't a major issue, but she was worried about being distracted and failing to perform well in front of the couple. While the couple might not commit that day, the probability was still higher than that of a high school student. As a salesperson, one had to learn to prioritize.

"Are you here to look at houses by yourself, young man?" the couple asked, curious about Li Jingkun.

"Yes."

"Where is your family? Why didn't they come with you?"

"No need, I can make the decisions myself. I’m just looking around for now."

"Buying a house isn't a small expense. Can your parents really let you call the shots?"

"I'm just taking a look today," Li Jingkun replied.

The couple nodded in understanding; that made more sense. They assumed his family had sent him to gather information and brochures to take home for comparison.

Once at the show flat, Xiao Ling naturally focused her presentation on the couple. Li Jingkun didn't mind; he wandered around on his own. After viewing the unit, the couple felt it was decent but stopped short of a final decision, saying they would go home to discuss it and return the next day if they decided to purchase. In reality, they had been house-hunting for months, had considered several floor plans, and this was their third visit to Yujing New City.

Afterward, they followed Li Jingkun and Xiao Ling to view his preferred floor plan. Li Jingkun was interested in a 150-square-meter unit in a different building. He was generally satisfied with the layout and size, so his focus was now on the actual property: the orientation, whether it had north-south ventilation, and if every room had good natural light.

Although Xiao Ling felt it was unlikely he would buy, she still provided a full introduction, hoping he would take the information back home to convince his parents.

"Honey, this place is huge," the wife remarked.

"Yeah, it’s 150 square meters, of course it’s bigger than what we’re looking at."

"What do you think of this one?"

"It’s not bad, but it’s much more expensive than the others. At 1,280 yuan per square meter, the total price would be nearly 200,000, and renovations would cost over 100,000 more. We don't have that much in our budget. Besides, 100 square meters is already quite spacious; it's enough for us."

Li Jingkun, hearing their conversation, soon announced he had seen enough and was ready to go.

Xiao Ling suggested they all head back to the sales office for tea. The couple agreed, as they weren't in a hurry and hoped to negotiate a lower price or ask for some complimentary gifts. Li Jingkun declined, stating he had learned everything he needed to know and had to go home to work on some school assignments.

Xiao Ling was speechless, though she had expected as much. She wasn't overly disappointed as she led the couple back. Her colleagues were watching their return with interest. Chen Lei, the salesman who had pushed Li Jingkun onto Xiao Ling, laughed when he saw Li Jingkun leave without even returning to the office.

After Xiao Ling saw the couple off, Chen Lei approached her. "So, what about that kid from earlier?"

Xiao Ling rolled her eyes. "He just took a look, chatted for a bit, and said he was done and leaving."

"Haha," Chen Lei chuckled. "He didn't say much to me either, just that he wanted something big, 150 to 200 square meters. He clearly doesn't know the first thing about real estate."

Other colleagues gathered around. Business was slow, and any potential client was a topic of discussion.

Xiao Ling said, "Next time, handle your own clients. Can't you see I'm busy? What if you mess up my sales?"

"They haven't bought anything yet, have they?"

"They’re going to. This is their third time here, and they've looked at plenty of units over at Tianhua Plaza. They’ll likely buy soon," Xiao Ling replied.

"You should be happy I brought you another lead. Maybe he’ll buy too," Chen Lei countered.

Another colleague chimed in, "I can't handle two clients at once; one is hard enough."

"Exactly, it's a hassle. And Chen Lei, what you did isn't right. If he actually ends up buying, who gets the credit?"

Chen Lei replied, "I passed him to Xiao Ling, so it would be hers anyway. He hardly talked to me."

...

The next day, they were at work as usual—salespeople typically didn't get weekends off. To Xiao Ling's delight, the couple she had been working with for two months returned that afternoon to pay their deposit. The deal was finally sealed.

Not long after, a group of people walked in. The staff were stunned—it was the high school student from yesterday, and he had actually brought his family.

Was he really going to buy?

Chen Lei felt a pang of regret, realizing the kid was serious. He hesitated but walked over anyway. "Hello, welcome back to Yujing New City. About the house from yesterday..."

"It's fine, you go ahead with your work. We're here to see your colleague," Li Jingkun said, ignoring Chen Lei’s changing expression as he led his family toward Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling and the couple were still there, discussing final details. Since the deposit had been paid and the contract signed, the atmosphere was relaxed. They all recognized Li Jingkun and were momentarily stunned.

"Hello," Xiao Ling stood up.

"Hello. We liked the house from yesterday, but we wanted to bring the family to take a look and confirm it. If it’s suitable, we’ll put down a deposit today. Are you free to take us to see the actual unit?"

Xiao Ling and the couple were dumbfounded. They hadn't expected Li Jingkun to be serious, let alone that he would actually bring his family. He had only looked for one day, and he was looking at a 150-square-meter unit—was he buying property like it was cabbage?

Xiao Ling was in disbelief, but she couldn't turn away a potential buyer. She asked the manager to assist the couple while she took Li Jingkun’s family to the unit.

"Do you still need to see the show flat?" Xiao Ling asked.

"No, I’ve already seen it. I want to see the actual unit now," Li Jingkun said.

"Understood. Do you have a specific floor in mind?"

"Is the seventh floor of that same unit still available?"

"Yes, there are four units on the seventh floor, and none of them have been sold."