Chapter 16 Xiao Qin's Thoughts
The prodigal system exclaimed in admiration: "The host is indeed a man of vision. The designer asked for 300,000, but you insisted on 1.5 million, directly multiplying it by five. You made them feel embarrassed and insisted on sending the construction."
Lin Ruoyan was still thinking about how she could take advantage of this money-saving opportunity. She really couldn't refuse it. She could accept the construction, but the materials must not be included. She would have to pay for the high material costs extra.
Professor Qiao was thinking about how to save money for Miss Lin, but he didn't expect that when Lin Ruoyan signed the design contract, she directly bid that the materials must be the best and most authentic. Expensive furniture and kitchen appliances that cost tens of thousands of yuan must be charged separately and not included in the 1.5 million yuan. She let Professor Qiao loosen the design and the construction team just did it carefully. No matter what they did, they could not save on costs, and the money must be spent properly.
Lin Ruoyan spent five million to buy these two courtyards. With various taxes and renovation costs, plus furniture and appliances, she planned to spend at least eight to ten million on this, which was only her spending limit for two or three days.
Since Xiao Qin started working for Lin Ruoyan, buying and selling two courtyard houses and renting office space, she'd earned more commissions in the past two days than she had in the past three years. Now, she'd taken the initiative to accompany Miss Lin to find a "designer," initially assuming the design fee would be around 10,000 or 20,000 yuan at best. The result, however, had once again shattered her preconceived notions.
So, this is how business can be negotiated? The design fee was quoted at 300,000, but Ms. Lin quintupled it, and even included the construction, making it a general contractor for construction and design, with a worry-free turnkey deal. It's incredibly high!
Most people who buy a pre-owned house and renovate it would spend 100,000 yuan on renovations, and they'd have to have all the furniture and appliances. After all, the rich buy new, and buying a pre-owned one is simply too expensive. Miss Lin unexpectedly paid a million yuan for the design alone. Fortunately, the designer had a good conscience and included the construction work. Otherwise, paying 1.5 million yuan for a few design drawings would be a rip-off, wouldn't it?
However, Miss Lin also wanted to open a real estate company. Her classmate Wang Kui told her that she was backed by the prestigious Lin Capital. Xiao Qin thought that if she could get a chance to work for Lin, it would definitely be more stable than being a real estate agent.
Miss Lin’s company is just starting to be established. Should she apply for an assistant position?
Xiao Qin and Wang Kui were classmates. Back then, they were rejected by a large state-owned enterprise simply because they were female. The private company wanted female assistants, and with a suitable salary, they were particularly picky about their appearance. They required assistants to be not only attractive but also fluent in English and able to drive, serve tea and water, accompany drinks, and help the boss' children with homework. Are they looking for a superwoman who can be a translator, secretary, driver, tutor, and nanny all in one?
In fact, Xiao Qin can accept all other conditions, but he suffers from English. He can do exams and write contracts, but he doesn't dare to speak.
Ultimately, she didn't find a suitable job, so she joined a relative's agency, where she's been working for nearly three years now, gradually getting the hang of things. She hadn't previously considered changing careers so quickly. But Ms. Lin had such a profound impact on her that she felt the urge to shamelessly offer to work for her as her assistant.
After the project and money were agreed upon, Lin Ruoyan invited Professor Qiao Yizi to visit the site.
Now it's Xiao Qin's turn to perform.
Actually, the smaller of the two courtyards had already signed the contract and completed the transfer procedures yesterday, and it was now in Lin Ruoyan's name. However, the original owner had a lot of stuff and asked for three days to vacate the house. Even if they moved out, the land left behind would probably be in a lot of disrepair, so they could only look at it. With Xiao Qin's help, it would be easy to coordinate.
That large courtyard with three entrances wouldn't be considered Lin Ruoyan's property until the owner returned tomorrow to sign the contract and transfer ownership. Xiao Qin already had the keys, though, and he could show her around anytime. However, the trees in the courtyard blocked out the sun, and the grass was taller than a person. Even a refined man like Professor Qin could only take a quick look and wait for workers to clear the surface debris before he could truly inspect the layout.
Professor Qiao didn't mind those things. He wanted to see the situation on site to confirm whether such a large project really existed.
Lin Ruoyan's luxury car is very spacious and has a dedicated driver. Professor Qiao has his own car but doesn't drive it. He deliberately stays in Miss Lin's car, carefully observing the client's words and actions, and by the way, hoping to understand her design ideas for the house.
Lin Ruoyan handed Professor Qiao the neatly written and copied requirements overnight, and explained them one by one clearly.
While laymen may only observe the excitement, experts can discern the essence between the lines. Professor Qiao, holding these light pages, sensed the profound professional background of the person who wrote them.
Even though there aren't any pictures in the article, the necessary design inputs are all there. For example, the functional areas to be divided into, the basic uses of each functional area, and how these uses will change in the future. Together, they describe the various needs of life, work, leisure, and later operations.
It is concise and to the point, without any nonsense, and the overall concept is very novel. It is not simply a retro mansion, but one that maintains a retro appearance while integrating the needs of modern life.
The project also proposes business uses such as a guesthouse, cafe, and book bar, allowing for appropriate transitions in different timeframes. Detailed explanations are provided for hidden engineering, equipment room locations, municipal pipelines, and energy reserve interfaces.
This is definitely not something that can be written by an ordinary client who is stupid and has a lot of money. It is more like advice given by a professional planner in the industry or simply a design expert.
Even Xiao Qin was moved by what he heard, and Professor Qiao felt like he had found a soulmate.
Professor Qiao was originally thinking about how to guide the client to propose the conditions required for his design, but now he felt relieved after seeing such a clear and concise task book.
Even when he arrived at the site and saw the dilapidated state of the courtyard house, he was not worried at all. The more dilapidated the better, and he would not be sad at all if anything needed to be demolished or renovated.
After watching the scene, Lin Ruoyan offered to treat Professor Qiao and Xiao Qin to a meal, but Professor Qiao was so inspired that he had no time to waste on the meal. He politely declined and hurried back to the studio to work overtime.
Xiao Qin was embarrassed to ask Miss Lin to treat him all the time, so he said he had to go home for dinner that night. Then he boldly asked, "Miss Lin, I see you are planning to set up a real estate company. Do you need an assistant?"
"Assistant, of course. Do you have a good candidate to recommend? You can invite him over for dinner." Lin Ruoyan knew very well that what Xiao Qin had been busy doing these past two days far exceeded the service scope of an ordinary agent. She wanted to not just treat him to a meal, but also give Xiao Qin a big red envelope directly after the sale of that yard.
The real estate company was also about to start hiring, but she had to make up everything on her own, which must be tiring. If she had an assistant like Xiao Qin, wouldn't her life be much easier?
However, Xiao Qin was an experienced intermediary, and could make a living from her job within three years. She also had a lot of free time, so it was definitely not worth it for her to be her assistant. So, although Lin Ruoyan admired Xiao Qin, she didn't dare to poach someone else's staff.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Qin replied sincerely, "Boss Lin, do you think I meet your requirements? I also graduated from a university, and my grades were no worse than Wang Kui's."
At this point, Xiao Qin didn't mention her weakness in spoken English. After all, this wasn't a formal job posting. She indicated that if Ms. Lin was truly interested and gave her a chance, she would submit a complete resume and formally apply for the position. She could then discuss her shortcomings.
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