Chapter 83: Tonight, I'll Let You Touch to Your Heart's Content

Chapter 083: Tonight, I'll Let You Touch to Your Heart's Content

“With me handling things, you can rest assured about the rent. I guarantee it won’t be expensive,” Chu Fei said with a cheerful grin.

“How much exactly?” Ximen Lu glared at Chu Fei, gritting her teeth. She didn’t trust a word from this man anymore. He was supposed to find a new company address and somehow came back with several floors and even raised two hundred thousand as collateral. Did he think money grew on trees?

“This much.” Chu Fei held up one finger in front of her eyes, his face full of pride. “Cheap, right?”

“One million?”

Ximen Lu’s face turned pale in an instant. In fact, Chu Fei wasn’t wrong; one million for renting a whole floor was indeed cheap. She knew it was a bargain, but the problem was she didn’t have the cash. She had already mortgaged everything Feilu owned to get just over eight million in loans. Now, with a slew of major moves ahead, every cent was earmarked. If she had to scrape together a million, it would seriously impact Feilu’s development, maybe even force her to scrap all previous plans and start over.

“One million? You really think big,” Chu Fei scoffed.

“Then how much?” Ximen Lu was still a bit dazed.

“Just a hundred thousand! What do you think? That’s not expensive, is it?” Chu Fei smiled smugly.

“What? A hundred thousand?” Ximen Lu’s eyes suddenly brightened, but quickly filled with suspicion as she looked at Chu Fei. “A hundred thousand—are you sure? Is that per year or per month?”

“Of course per year. A hundred thousand a month would be 1.2 million a year. And since when have you heard of rent paid monthly?” Now it was Chu Fei’s turn to sound exasperated.

Ximen Lu nodded, but her gaze was strange as she looked at him.

“What’s with that look?” Chu Fei felt uneasy under her stare, almost wanting to bolt.

“Chu Fei, do you take me for a fool? A hundred thousand for a whole floor? Why not just say one yuan?” Ximen Lu fumed. She knew the office rental market well. As hard as it was to accept, a million was already cheap. A hundred thousand was pure nonsense. Even Feilu’s current tiny office cost more than thirty thousand a year.

“You think I’m lying?” Chu Fei asked.

“You think I’m dumb enough to believe something so ridiculous? Chu Fei, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. Do you really think I’m a three-year-old? Is this kind of joke supposed to be funny?”

“I’m not joking. It’s true,” Chu Fei said with a wry smile. He knew it was hard to believe, but he hadn’t expected her to react so strongly.

“Fine, let’s say I believe you. Explain to me how you got it for such a low price. Do you have a contact in Xingyue’s upper management?” Ximen Lu huffed, crossing her arms and eyeing him, waiting to hear his explanation.

“Oh? How did you guess?” Chu Fei looked at her in surprise.

“You really do have someone in Xingyue’s upper management? Who?” Ximen Lu didn’t buy it at all, ignoring his expression.

“Haha, a very good friend, someone I met at a bar. Don’t ask for details,” Chu Fei replied breezily.

“Met at a bar?” Ximen Lu was taken aback, then her expression turned odd, incredulous. “Don’t tell me you hooked up with some random woman at a bar who turned out to be an executive at Xingyue?”

“Ximen Lu, you’re sharp! How did you figure that out?” Chu Fei exaggeratedly gave her a thumbs up.

She nearly hurled her water glass at his face, thinking, “Sharp, my foot! With that sleazy look, you might as well have shouted it out loud. If I couldn’t guess, I’d be an idiot.” She studied him carefully, trying to detect a lie, but all she saw was his smug face, which left her feeling oddly stifled.

“Chu Fei, you’re not lying to me, are you? You really met an executive from Xingyue at a bar?” Ximen Lu’s voice was strange and suspicious, her eyes fixed on him.

“Yes, I was surprised too. I had no idea before. Yesterday, when you asked me to help find a new company address, I started asking around, and as soon as she heard, she contacted me and generously offered me a choice of several floors. Turns out, she’s been quietly paying attention to me all along. Haha.” Chu Fei grinned, pleased with himself.

“So you’re saying you’re so handsome, and good in bed, that she’s fallen for you?” Ximen Lu ground her teeth.

“Haha, old classmate, you don’t have to be so blunt. You’ll make me proud,” Chu Fei replied, looking more insufferable than ever.

“Pfft!” Ximen Lu spat, but for once she actually believed him a little, though not entirely. Her gaze was still skeptical. “Are you sure it’s only a hundred thousand? She isn’t just pulling your leg?”

“Relax. She’s crazy about me now. Forget a hundred thousand—she’d probably let me have it for free. But we can’t take advantage, right?” Chu Fei replied confidently.

Ximen Lu was really starting to feel exasperated. Could this jerk say anything without boasting?

She looked at Chu Fei deeply, her feelings complicated. “But how can this be real? The current market for office space in Kun City is at least three to five million for a floor. A hundred thousand just doesn’t add up.”

“That’s where you don’t understand. Haven’t you heard the recent news about Shenghe?” Chu Fei looked at her oddly and continued, making things up as he went. “It wouldn’t have been this cheap before, but right now it’s a special situation. Shenghe was acquired and restructured, a lot of subsidiaries and partnerships were axed, leaving tons of empty office space. Now it’s been renamed Xingyue. The new Xingyue is mainly focused on business restructuring and salary integration. They don’t have time to care about these minor details.”

“So your bedmate used her position for personal gain to curry favor with you, her pretty boy?” Ximen Lu’s eyes lit up. She actually believed him this time. She herself worked at Xingyue Plaza and was well aware of the inside scoop. Rumor had it that the newly renamed Xingyue Group had ruthlessly cut a third of Shenghe’s subsidiaries and business, shocking everyone in Kun City’s business world.

“What do you mean, pretty boy? Are you saying I got our company space by selling myself?” Chu Fei smiled bitterly. Ximen Lu’s words were harsh.

“Isn’t that the case?” Ximen Lu scoffed.

Chu Fei said nothing.

“When can we sign the lease?” Ximen Lu was a woman of action. Once she was sure Chu Fei wasn’t bluffing, she was ready to move.

“The sooner, the better. Of the five floors I showed you, pick one and we’ll sign once you decide,” Chu Fei said casually.

“No need to think. I’ll take the fourth floor we saw. Call your friend now,” Ximen Lu replied crisply, making her decision in a heartbeat. Honestly, any floor would do. Feilu could only use one corner anyway. But the fourth floor’s décor was newer, the layout more open, and they could move in right away without any renovations. That was exactly what she liked.

“You’re sure?” Chu Fei asked again.

“I’m sure.” Ximen Lu nodded, then fixed her gaze on him, wanting to see if he was trying to trick her.

Chu Fei saw right through her and laughed, not dodging at all. He pulled out his phone, dialed Bai Yanchu, relayed their choice, and hung up efficiently.

“That quick?” Watching Chu Fei finish the call in a few words, Ximen Lu’s expression turned odd again.

“She’s in a meeting, not convenient to talk, but she said the lawyer would come by this afternoon to sign the contract,” Chu Fei said with a smile.

Ximen Lu nodded absentmindedly. She finally believed him, but it felt like a dream. An entire floor of office space, hers just like that?

Chu Fei had been right: this was truly a leap forward. Now Feilu could expand as much as it wanted without worrying about office space.

Best of all, the rent was only a hundred thousand—a price so low it was unbelievable. Even if they couldn’t use it all, she could sublet the extra space and actually make money.

Ximen Lu’s mind raced, her eyes sparkling.

“Hey, Ximen Lu, let me warn you ahead of time. Once you sign this lease, you can’t sublet the space if you don’t use it. If word gets out, it won’t just make things difficult for me—my friend would be in trouble too.” Chu Fei, sharp as ever, saw right through her thoughts. He was speechless—Ximen Lu was really all about the money. But her mind was almost too quick.

“Haha, don’t worry. I’d never do something so shameless,” Ximen Lu laughed, a little guilty.

Then, watching Chu Fei, she suddenly smiled, all charm and mischief, her high-heeled foot lightly nudging his thigh twice. “Hey, Chu Fei, you’re helping me so much. Won’t your bedmate be jealous?”

“Jealous? She’s just a bedmate—how could she compare to the friendship of old classmates?” Chu Fei retorted, his tone cocky.

“Bah, keep pretending. As if I don’t know what you’re thinking,” Ximen Lu teased, her every movement alluring.

“What could I possibly be thinking?” Chu Fei was genuinely puzzled by her words.

Instead of answering, Ximen Lu continued to gently caress his thigh with her foot, her smile blossoming like a flower. “Chu Fei, if we really sign the lease this afternoon, you’ll have done me a huge favor. I won’t let you go unrewarded.”

Chu Fei knew she was teasing him, but couldn’t help feeling his heart stir. He laughed, “What’s my reward?”

“Didn’t you want to touch my chest this morning? Tonight, I’ll let you touch all you want. How about it?” Ximen Lu smiled seductively, her eyes glimmering like deep water.

Chu Fei’s expression instantly turned lecherous, his gaze landing on her ample chest as he swallowed exaggeratedly. “I have to wait until tonight? Why not let me touch now, I…”

Splash—

Before he could finish, a glass of lemon water was dumped over his head.

“Chu Fei, you bastard! I knew you were up to no good.”

Ximen Lu slammed her glass on the table, spun around, and strode off with a swagger that was both imperious and proud.

“Damn, it was just a joke. She’s really mad?” Chu Fei wiped the water from his face, half amused and half exasperated. She was the one who started flirting, he just played along, yet somehow he ended up the unlucky one.

Women are truly impossible to reason with.

Chu Fei stuffed the last piece of bread into his mouth and stood up to leave the tea restaurant. Though a bit bedraggled, he felt relieved—after all his smooth talk, he had finally convinced Ximen Lu. It was worth it.

[After a sleepless night, still half-dazed, I only realized this afternoon in the group chat that today is Ladies’ Day. Haha, Xing’er wishes all the girls a happy holiday. Be careful tonight! Some say there’s only one night between Girls’ Day and Women’s Day—don’t let that saying come true! Hehe! Lastly, a shoutout for Xing’er’s WeChat group. Most groups are full, but if you want to join and haven’t yet, add Xing’er’s reader account: Xiaoxiaoxinger Author’s Account, WeChat ID: xiaoxiaoxingerzzh. Add me and I’ll invite you to the group. If you can’t use QQ, you can keep up with Xing’er’s latest updates in the WeChat group. Haha!]