At noon, Leyao, Afeng and I had a quick meal together, and then walked towards Yuanlai Guesthouse. Actually, the distance between our guesthouse and Yuanlai was only about 300 meters, which made it highly compatible with my “Perfect Travel Plan,” so it was still quite suitable for taking over.
Soon, the three of us arrived at our destination. Looking at Yuanlai Guesthouse, Leyao remarked, “This guesthouse is really great. In Xitang, where land is extremely valuable, it’s quite rare to have such a large square. For self-driving tourists, the parking issue can be easily resolved!”
I nodded in agreement, also liking the wide square in front of the guesthouse. However, my focus was not on the convenience of parking. Instead, I noticed that once I took over this guesthouse, the square would provide me with many opportunities to hold open-air activities.
After standing there for a while, Leyao and I followed Afeng into the guesthouse. Once inside, we discovered it was a standardized guesthouse operation, including front desk staff wearing uniforms.
After Afeng explained our purpose to the receptionist, we were led upstairs by the receptionist. I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive because the visual information I received about this guesthouse suggested it was beyond my current capabilities to take over. Still, since we had come this far, I was curious to learn more.
The receptionist led us all the way to the end of the corridor and stopped in front of a room marked “General Manager’s Office.” After knocking on the door and receiving permission to enter, she led us inside.
As soon as we entered, I quickly scanned the office with a sidelong glance. The interior was exquisitely decorated, elegant in style, and tastefully arranged. My sense of hope diminished further—regardless of how low the price might be, it was clearly beyond my means.
The receptionist respectfully addressed a man in his thirties sitting at the office chair: “Director Zhou, these two gentlemen and a lady are interested in taking over the guesthouse and would like to discuss it with you.”
The man nodded in acknowledgment. I took a closer look at him—he was wearing a form-fitting black T-shirt, had a neat short haircut, and despite sitting, his muscular build was clearly visible. Most notably, he had the Chinese characters for “Faith” tattooed on his neck. Though addressed as Director Zhou, his attire was far from typical office wear.
He politely gestured for us to sit down and asked, “Are you interested in taking over my guesthouse?”
Lacking confidence, I didn’t speak immediately. Instead, Leyao replied, “Yes, that’s why we came here to meet you and learn more about your transfer conditions.”
The man looked at Leyao with a puzzled expression. At the moment, Leyao was wearing a large pair of sunglasses.
His gaze didn’t leave Leyao’s face, as if he recognized her but wasn’t sure. Meanwhile, I accidentally noticed a car key placed on the desk. While that wasn’t particularly unusual, I was shocked to see the prominent Lamborghini logo on the keychain. Suddenly, I recalled the black Lamborghini Bat parked in the square downstairs—it belonged to him!
Leyao seemed to dislike his staring and urged him somewhat impatiently, “Could you please tell us your transfer conditions? We need to consider whether we can take it over.”
Realizing his rudeness, the man quickly apologized and said, “Sorry! … I plan to transfer both the guesthouse and the building together.”
“Transfer together with the building? What do you mean?”
He smiled and explained, “The entire building is also under my ownership.”
“So you mean, if we want to take over the guesthouse, we have to buy this entire four-story building?”
The man nodded, confirming that was exactly what he meant.
Leyao cautiously asked, “Then how much are you planning to ask for the transfer?”
“Thirty million yuan.”
Upon hearing this figure, Leyao instinctively took off her sunglasses in surprise and exclaimed, “Thirty million! Did I hear that right?”
Leyao wasn’t the only one astonished—Afeng also looked incredulous, while I remained relatively calm, as I hadn’t had high expectations to begin with.
Looking again at the now-uncovered face of Leyao, the man showed a look of surprise too, but he didn’t dwell on her celebrity status. Instead, he smiled and explained, “The guesthouse has an operating area of 2,000 square meters. The average selling price per square meter is 15,000 yuan. Considering the large square outside, and the fact that it’s a profitable commercial property next to a scenic spot, 30 million yuan is actually quite a low price.”
I turned to Afeng and remarked, “Indeed, it’s a real bargain!”
Afeng nodded and said, “It really is!”
This wasn’t sarcasm from me or Afeng—the transfer price was indeed low. However, it was completely out of our reach, so I had no desire to continue the discussion. Frankly, I said to the man, “We came here without knowing your transfer method. But this price of 30 million yuan is completely beyond our capabilities. We won’t bother you any longer!” With that, I signaled to Leyao and Afeng to leave.
However, Leyao refused to leave and asked the man tentatively, “Would you consider other transfer methods?”
Unexpectedly, the man didn’t reject Leyao’s suggestion outright and asked, “Such as?”
Leyao thought for a moment and replied, “The property ownership remains yours, and we operate the guesthouse, paying you rent annually. How about that?”
After a moment of hesitation, the man replied, “That would be too troublesome. Besides, I don’t really need that rental income.”
If anyone else had said this, it might have sounded like showing off. But this man clearly had the credentials to say it. Still, I couldn’t help wondering: if he was so wealthy, why had he come to Xitang to run a guesthouse?
Leyao seemed to share my thoughts. She asked him, “Since you say you don’t need the money, why did you buy the building and run a guesthouse here in Xitang?”
Her question didn’t seem to bother the man, who kindly explained, “My family has been in the coal business in Shanxi for generations. But I’ve always had a romantic attachment to literature and the arts. That’s why I came to Xitang, a place full of cultural atmosphere, to open this guesthouse… Now my father is getting older, and managing the family business has become increasingly difficult for him. I’ve indulged myself for many years, and it’s time I returned to take over the family business.”
After hearing his explanation, I realized that the information Afeng had previously gathered was incorrect. He wasn’t someone who had just acquired a coal mine—he was from a family that had been in the coal business for generations… No wonder he was so wealthy. After all, he was one of those legendary coal tycoons!
Leyao looked disappointed and, after a long pause, said to the man, “If you think it’s too much trouble, we won’t bother you anymore.”
Afeng and I stood up to say goodbye to the man, and then walked toward the door with Leyao… At that moment, the man suddenly called us back. He said to Leyao, “Could I get your contact information? … I might reconsider this matter.”
For Leyao’s protection, I immediately refused the man’s request for contact information and stated that we had no interest in this guesthouse at all.
The man looked at Leyao, waiting for her response…
I gave Leyao a meaningful look, and she obediently shook her head at the man, indicating that it was inconvenient to leave contact information. Then she walked with us toward the stairway leading downstairs.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage