CH 96

Zhou Qingbo never expected that he would one day take the initiative to step out of his comfort zone. He sat cross-legged on the carpet, going through the list and returning the home furnishings he had bought online one by one. He thought the power of love was indeed mysterious, and it truly made people change in unexpected ways.

But since he was going to Shanghai, he couldn’t just blindly follow Pei You without any plans for himself. He needed to find a way to support himself and Pei You as well. Zhou Qingbo thought for a moment, exited the online shopping interface, and casually posted a job-seeking post on his social media. He wanted to tap into his extensive network of contacts and see if there were any suitable opportunities in Shanghai for him to transition into.

Zhou Qingbo had a high emotional intelligence and was skilled in social interactions. Although he aimed for excellence in close friendships, he also had a wide range of acquaintances. He didn’t categorize his friends into different groups on social media, so his post created quite a stir. Comments and likes surged by more than a dozen, and Ge xing even called him directly. He didn’t even bother with pleasantries and said directly, “What do you mean by your post?”

“Just what it says literally,” Zhou Qingbo replied, placing the list down and smiling, “I’m planning to pack my bags and elope with Pei You. I’ll rely on him for the time being though.”

Ge xing was stunned by his matter-of-fact change in attitude. He was left speechless for a good three seconds, and it took a while for him to say sincerely, “Alright, you’re a grown up, I believe you know what you’re doing. Pei You must be really impressive.”

“He is,” Zhou Qingbo said unabashedly, “also, when fate comes knocking, you can’t block it. Love makes people lose their rationality.”

“Good! You’re absolutely right!” Ge xing said in a strange tone, “I don’t know who was so hell bent on remaining single and boasting about not living with someone with a poker face for the rest of their life, claiming to be a singlehood advocate.”

“Who hasn’t made a mistake before? I am now a changed man, “Zhou Qingbo admitted nonchalantly, “But speaking of which, Pei You isn’t someone with a poker face. You haven’t seen how he treats me. It’s like being bathed in a spring breeze.”

Ge xing was shocked by his shameless attitude. He took a deep breath on the other end of the phone and thought that people in love were like this. It’s better not to argue with them, and it’s more important to discuss practical matters.

“By the way,” Ge xing shifted the topic awkwardly and asked, “You posted a job-seeking message on your social media. What kind of work are you looking for?”

Ge xing did want to help, but he was based in Beijing, and he wasn’t very influential in Shanghai. However, he still tried to offer some suggestions.

However, Zhou Qingbo did have an idea this time. He didn’t intend to blindly wander around without any direction. He smiled and said, “Just something I’m interested in doing.”

“Office jobs are out of the question; there’s no need to move from Beijing to Shanghai just to sit in one.” Zhou Qingbo said, “But it’s probably too expensive to open a new business. I’m planning to assess the situation first. If the initial investment required for opening a business is too high over there, I’ll just find a training institution to teach at for now.”

Bartending was also considered a burgeoning industry. In recent years, cocktail competitions had gained popularity, and advanced classes outside of vocational schools were popping up one after another. With a gold medal in his hand, Zhou Qingbo was sure he would find a job in this field.

As he was speaking, Zhou Qingbo’s phone suddenly buzzed, indicating a new message. He habitually glanced at it, finding that the message was from an unfamiliar ID.

“Are you in need of a storefront?” the message from the other side asked.

“… Hold on a moment,” Zhou Qingbo told Ge Xing, “I’ve got a new message. I’ll let you know in a bit.”

He ended the call and opened the new message.

When he had posted on his social media, Zhou Qingbo had casually mentioned that if there were storefronts in Shanghai that were affordable, he would appreciate referrals.

Wanting to open a business in Shanghai without any connections was obviously difficult. Zhou Qingbo had only been trying his luck with that statement, but he didn’t expect someone to actually take the bait.

He scrolled up and down the chat box, realizing that he had never talked to this person before. The chat box was empty, with only the friend request notification from before at the top.

Zhou Qingbo couldn’t determine who the person was, so he thought for a moment and cautiously replied with an official response.

“Hello,” Zhou Qingbo said, “What’s the situation with the property on your end? Is it for rent?”

The other person didn’t directly answer his question but quickly replied, “It’s hard to explain in text. Can we have a phone conversation?”

Although Zhou Qingbo couldn’t remember who the person was, he didn’t say anything and quickly sent his phone number.

The response from the other side was swift. A stranger’s number from Shanghai appeared on Zhou Qingbo’s phone screen. He stared at it for a while, confirming that he had no impression of the number. He then got up from the floor, walking towards the balcony while answering the call.

“Hello,” Zhou Qingbo said.

“Mr. Zhou, hello.”

On the other end of the line was a young female voice, and what surprised Zhou Qingbo was that the person seemed familiar with him. At least, she addressed him by his last name as soon as she spoke.

Moreover, her voice sounded somewhat familiar. Zhou Qingbo had a vague feeling that he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall where.

“It’s like this,” the person said straightforwardly, “The house is owned by my family. It’s located in an alley in the old city area of Shanghai. The house can be used for living or as a shop. It has two floors in total, occupying an area of over 60 square meters, with a usable area of around 110 square meters.”

She then provided an accurate address and continued, “We’re only selling, not renting. What do you think?”

Zhou Qingbo had a good idea about Shanghai’s property prices. The address the girl mentioned was in the center of Shanghai, in an area where the district’s GDP constantly hovered between the first and second positions. Even the screws on the signboards of shops there were more expensive than gold.

Zhou Qingbo wasn’t overly ambitious when it came to his career. Although he had changed locations and wanted a fresh start, he didn’t expect to achieve anything groundbreaking. Opening a shop was more about having something to do and earning a living, rather than going all-in and investing everything he had.

He quickly mentally calculated his assets and Shanghai’s property prices, then smiled and prepared to politely decline.

However, the girl on the other end seemed to know what he was about to say and interrupted him before he could speak.

“Two hundred thousand, fixed price, no bargaining,” the girl said.

Zhou Qingbo: “…”

He was left speechless for a moment. His first reaction was that this person must be joking with him.

“Don’t kid around, miss,” Zhou Qingbo managed to breathe out a sigh, making a joke to ease the tension, “Two hundred thousand won’t even buy a restroom.”

“If you don’t believe me, I can send you relevant proof on WeChat,” the girl said, “Or you could come to Shanghai in person and we could meet.”

“Of course, I can also provide you with the address, and you can inspect it whenever it’s convenient for you,” the girl politely offered, “I can guarantee that this is not a scam. If you’re really worried…”

She paused for a moment, then made a joke, her tone relaxed, “When you come for a meeting, you can bring along the police or a notary public.”

It’s not possible for pie to fall from the sky, and rain won’t mix with gold. Adults have an instinctive aversion to risks, but when the “pie” is too outlandishly huge, anyone would doubt themselves.

Can a scam really be this poorly executed? Zhou Qingbo wondered.

He was a bit suspicious, but he didn’t shut the door completely. He only said that he needed more time to think.

The girl understood that this was a massive offer that anyone would doubt. She considerately left some time, saying that if he decided within a week, he could contact her again.

In the world of adults, traps are normal, but a “pie” this big doesn’t make sense. After ending the call, Zhou Qingbo hesitated for a moment and couldn’t help but message Pei You about the situation, briefly explaining the matter.

“Logically speaking, this should be a scam,” Pei You’s reply came quickly, “But the fact that she’s willing to involve the authorities confuses me.”

Not just Pei You, Zhou Qingbo himself was also puzzled by the situation. If the person was a scammer, the scheme was too crude and risky. But if the person wasn’t a scammer, he couldn’t understand their motives.

“What do you think?” Pei You’s message popped up again, “Do you want to go check it out?”

To be honest, Zhou Qingbo did have that intention. For him, taking a trip to Shanghai was easy and almost costless. Even if the person was really a scammer, he wouldn’t suffer much of a loss.

However, the situation was too coincidental and strange. Although Zhou Qingbo leaned towards digging into the matter to find out the reason, he still had some concerns.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” Zhou Qingbo replied, “By the way, how’s it going on your end?”

Pei You was an action-oriented person. After deciding on the job transfer, he had completed the application form overnight and was ready to submit it that day. However, Anna had some unexpected matters to attend to today, and Pei You had waited at the company for a while until the secretary notified him that she had returned.

“I’m about to go to the executive office,” Pei You said, “There shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Okay, you handle that first” Zhou Qingbo cared more about Pei You’s job promotion than Pei You himself did. He urged, “We can talk about my situation later. You should go meet with the executives first.”

The last time Pei You had discussed his career plan with Anna face-to-face, he had rejected her offer of an internal promotion. Now, after a few months, Pei You had changed his mind. Facing Anna again, his attitude remained calm and unaffected, not at all awkward.

Although Anna liked his unwavering attitude, she couldn’t resist teasing him a bit.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Anna took the application form from him, flipped through it, and casually remarked, “Did you get a new girlfriend?”

“I haven’t changed, but he’s willing to go to Shanghai with me,” Pei You said.

“No wonder,” Anna teased, “I’ve been telling you to go talk to your partner before. How about that, is your partner’s opinion effective now?”

After all, Pei You had contradicted himself. He couldn’t retort and could only smile, accepting this good-natured teasing.

During this period, Anna had been waiting for Pei You to change his mind. She glanced through the application form, saw that everything was correctly filled out, and quickly approved it. She also added Pei You’s name to the list of promotions, pending approval.

“Although there’s still some time before your official job transfer, I wish you a pleasant time working in the new environment,” Anna returned the files she had kept to Pei You, playfully quipping, “Congratulations on your promotion, Mr. Pei.”