The next day, Li Baolong and Jiang Xiaomei didn't leave the hotel until noon. The two of them had a "battle" the night before, leaving Jiang Xiaomei exhausted. If Li Baolong hadn't had to drive back to Rongcheng, she would have loved to go back to sleep for the rest of the day.

Li Baolong drove back to his apartment in Rongcheng alone. Entering the house, he saw the cold, empty rooms, with only his cat and dog meowing at him. He thought to himself that he needed to buy his own place and decorate it warmly and romantically. Lost in thought, he went downstairs and bought a copy of the *Rongcheng Daily*, carefully examining the housing listings. He was particularly interested in the area near the South Gate, because Sister Honghong had mentioned it before—it was an upscale area with apartments featuring elevators and floor-to-ceiling windows, promising a very comfortable living environment. After some deliberation, Li Baolong selected the phone numbers of two real estate companies, intending to contact them and see if they had any suitable properties.

After selecting the sales office phone number of the real estate company, Li Baolong eagerly dialed it. The staff at the first sales office introduced several properties, but the apartment layouts and locations didn't quite meet his expectations. Undeterred, Li Baolong then dialed the second company's number.

The saleswoman on the other end of the phone was enthusiastic, enthusiastically describing their new development in the South Gate area. Li Baolong said, "I don't want an off-plan property. Do you have any ready-built apartments? I'm waiting to move in." The saleswoman replied, "The ready-built apartments you're looking for are secondhand homes that have been occupied for a while. Our company has several apartments that are of moderate size, well-ventilated, and conveniently located in elevator buildings with floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of the surrounding scenery. We acquired them after our clients defaulted on their contracts." Li Baolong immediately felt a surge of interest. He quickly arranged to see the apartments the next morning.

The next morning, Li Baolong headed happily to the sales office near Tongzilin Road in the south. The sales manager, who had sharp eyes, spotted Li Baolong driving a Santana and immediately greeted him with a big smile: "Brother Li, hello, I'm Xiao Tong from the sales office."

Li Baolong didn't mince words and directly told Sales Manager Tong, "I want a ready-built house; I'm in a hurry to move in. Do you have any suitable ready-built houses? I'm paying in full, so your commission will be in your hands immediately." Upon hearing this, the manager was as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and quickly said, "Brother Li, I'll take you to see houses right away, and I'll definitely find one that you'll be satisfied with."

The two arrived at the residential complex across the street. Manager Tong introduced the apartments as they walked: "Brother Li, this complex was developed by our company three years ago and has already been handed over. However, there were a few apartments whose original owners ran out of money and didn't pay on time, so we took them back. Let me show you a fourth-floor apartment with an elevator. It's 90 square meters, with three bedrooms and a living room, and it's fully furnished. The price is the most affordable among all the apartments, only 400,000 yuan. The previous owner spent 60,000 yuan on renovations."

Upon entering the room, Li Baolong looked it over. The decoration quality was indeed acceptable, but the style was too old-fashioned and outdated, not to his liking. However, he didn't show it, and simply said calmly, "Okay, let's take a look at a few other better ones."

Li Baolong immediately followed Manager Tong to a building next door. The sales manager pointed to the rooftop and introduced, "Brother Li, this is a large apartment, a bit pricey, on the top floor, the twelfth floor. It's a full 150 square meters, a four-bedroom layout, and fully furnished. The furniture and appliances are all brand new, top-brand items; you can just bring your bags and move in. On the eleventh floor below, there are two smaller apartments, simply renovated, but without furniture or appliances." Li Baolong's eyes lit up, and he said enthusiastically, "Alright, let's go up and see what it's like." With that, he strode towards the elevator, eagerly anticipating seeing the apartment and already imagining all the wonderful things he would do living there.

The two went up to the twelfth floor. As soon as they entered the apartment, they saw a spacious and bright living room, a bedroom with excellent natural light, and a large balcony with a wide view—everything was just as he had imagined. He walked around the apartment several times, imagining what it would be like to live there in the future, and the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

The two went down to the eleventh floor and took a look at the two small apartments, each over seventy square meters, both with two bedrooms and a living room. The decoration was simple, but with some furniture and appliances, it would be fine for the two of them to live in.

Seeing Li Baolong's expression, the sales manager knew perfectly well that he wasn't too interested in the two smaller apartments. He quickly said, "Brother Li, this larger apartment is currently priced at 880,000 yuan, including renovations, furniture, and appliances. Although the price is a bit high, the apartment is exceptionally high-class and a perfect match for your taste and requirements." Li Baolong chuckled and joked, "Oh, so you're saying my taste is getting more and more sophisticated?"

Li Baolong's eyes darted around, and he asked again, "Manager Tong, how much are those two small apartments on the eleventh floor?" Manager Tong paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and said, "Brother Li, if you buy both of them, I'll give you the lowest price, 800,000 yuan, which is equivalent to 400,000 yuan per apartment." Li Baolong raised an eyebrow and then asked, "What if I buy both apartments, one big and one small?" Manager Tong was taken aback again, then secretly delighted, and quickly said, "Brother Li, if you buy them in full, I'll apply for it with the company right away." After saying that, the two of them went back to the sales office together, sitting there eagerly waiting for Manager Tong to make the communication, while Li Baolong was calculating the various possibilities for these apartments in his mind.

After waiting for about half an hour, Manager Tong walked over with a big smile and said to Li Baolong, "Brother Li, I had a long talk with the company boss, and he said he'd give you the biggest discount. You're buying the house outright, how convenient! I'll sell it to you at the lowest price, a total of 1.6 million." Li Baolong did the math in his mind and thought the price was quite reasonable, so he nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, Manager Tong, let's go with this price, it's settled then."

Although 1.6 million yuan wasn't a low price, Li Baolong had made a considerable amount of money in the stock market, so this was nothing to him. Li Baolong and the real estate company successfully signed the purchase contract, paid immediately, and received the keys. Manager Tong stated that they immediately arranged for the property management staff to clean the entire place thoroughly that afternoon, and they could move in tomorrow.

Emerging from the sales office, Li Baolong was overjoyed. He could almost see the future, a future filled with warmth and romance, where he would gather with family and friends. Next, he would begin meticulously planning the house's renovation, envisioning it as his own cozy and comfortable haven.