Wang Qiqi ran into Han Tao at the landing outside her apartment.

Seeing the books in his arms, she asked, "Off to tutor again?" She thought he was only coming home for less than a month; why was he still going out for tutoring? Besides, hadn't the student Han Tao used to tutor already gotten into university? Han Tao nodded, sweat beading on his forehead. "A parent of a former student mentioned a relative whose child is in the third year of high school, asked me to tutor them for a couple of days, and the pay is quite good." Otherwise, in this scorching weather, Han Tao wouldn't bother stepping out under the blazing sun; he'd rather stay home researching computers.

Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered something. "Wait for Auntie to come back tonight, come over to my place to discuss something." On the way home, Wang Qiqi suddenly recalled something: getting a bank loan to buy property now was incredibly simple, with virtually no review process.

The main reason was that many people were unaccustomed to paying for houses in full, and even those who took out loans usually paid them off quickly.

Since this was such a great opportunity, as long as one didn't default on the bank's money, why not expand the empire? This way, Han Tao would also have the chance to get a loan.

After all, Aunt Luo had a job and proof of income, whereas Wang Qiqi compared herself and found her situation rather bleak—she was still a student.

Discussing something? And needing to call her mother along? Han Tao found it very strange. "What is it?" "I went house-hunting with Song Yao today," Wang Qiqi dropped the bombshell before pushing open her door and stepping inside.

After getting up that morning, she had cleaned, bought daily necessities, and then gone out to look at properties.

Wang Qiqi felt like a child who had been baking under the sun all day; if she didn't get into the air-conditioned room soon, she felt she might actually turn into jerky.

After returning home, Han Tao showered quickly, grabbed his laptop, and headed over to Wang Qiqi's place—a chance to discuss matters and piggyback on the air conditioning.

Wang Qiqi wasn't surprised by Han Tao's arrival. "Peaches or watermelon?" "No thanks." Han Tao placed his laptop on the dining table and opened it. "Tutoring two kids all morning, the family was really polite with food and drinks; they kept pushing me to eat as if it were free." His stomach was already full of liquid; any more water or fruit and he felt like he'd explode.

Since he put it that way, Wang Qiqi didn't stand on ceremony, washed two peaches, and started eating them herself.

After running around all day, she absolutely needed to rehydrate.

As she ate, Wang Qiqi explained her itinerary for the day. "I think the area over there will develop quite well in the future—the storefronts could definitely be rented out.

What do you think?" It was a central area with good greenery and convenient access.

Moreover, with the current housing prices, buyers were all wealthy people.

Even if new homeowners bought villas or newer complexes later, the plaque of this complex would remain, and even new owners would have some assets, meaning the clientele for nearby shops would be upscale.

If business thrived, wouldn't the shops easily find tenants? Han Tao would have to be an idiot not to understand what Wang Qiqi was implying. "You mean buying shops? But aren't you..." In Han Tao's mind, shouldn't Wang Qiqi be buying residences? Those were easier to rent out, and investing in shops required a huge initial outlay, often leading to long vacancies between tenants due to high rents. "There weren't any suitable shops before, and I didn't have the time to browse, of course.

But now that such a good opportunity has arisen, I really don't want to miss it." Wang Qiqi thought that for shops, especially in bustling locations, the returns would definitely surpass apartments.

At this moment, Wang Qiqi remembered something: a shop in the city center could be secured for just over a million yuan now, and she recalled that the rent from just two or three years might cover the entire investment.

With such a good deal, Wang Qiqi certainly wouldn't pass it up.

However, selling shops in that area wasn't that easy, and many people were eyeing those properties.

Since Wang Qiqi wasn't often in town, she couldn't check frequently to see which shop was up for sale.

After much thought, Wang Qiqi decided the best approach was to find an agent.

If the deal went through, the agent fees alone would be tens of thousands—definitely a substantial income.

Han Tao was used to Wang Qiqi drifting into thought mid-sentence.

Of course, at this moment, Han Tao was also pondering her words.

He admitted she had a valid point.

Regarding the capital issue, Han Tao knew that if his deal with JOHN had worked out, he would have needed to go to the US during the winter break, and the expenses wouldn't be small.

Even if he could trade things, Han Tao knew his expenses in the US wouldn't be minor.

He didn't expect the other party to offer him much compensation; in his mind, it was a learning opportunity.

If he hadn't been lucky enough to meet JOHN, even if he could afford the tuition, no one would give him this chance.

But this meant the funding was problematic. "Did you forget about the banks? You only need to pay a certain down payment.

Do you have the funds for one-tenth?" Wang Qiqi kindly reminded him, knowing Han Tao hadn't thought about the bank at all.

The bank? "A loan?" If this were a year ago, Han Tao would absolutely refuse if Wang Qiqi suggested taking out a bank loan; he always felt it was debt with high interest—unnecessary.

But after everything he had experienced this past year, having his money continue to generate more in the stock market while simultaneously acquiring property made it feasible. "Yes, I'm relieved then.

By the way, when can the property be delivered?" "By the end of this year." Wang Qiqi felt that current real estate companies were more reliable; at least they started selling only after construction was nearly complete.

In the future, houses were put up for sale right after the land was auctioned off, with only the site plan drawn up and not even the foundation dug.

The first thing developers did was build a lavish sales center and then start convincing people to buy.

While pre-sale properties were cheaper, the problem was that many developers would modify the blueprints or rush the construction.

Even if, eventually, through the courts or by involving television stations, the developer agreed to refund the purchase price, the housing prices after two or three years could have skyrocketed to unimaginable levels.

Wang Qiqi wasn't worried about the funds for buying a house, but it seemed a shame not to take advantage of the cheap price.

Furthermore, although Juliana's house wasn't downtown—about a half-hour drive from the center—Wang Qiqi knew that such a short distance was negligible, and it was only about a ten-minute walk to the subway station from the complex—an absolutely prime property. "If the timeline were long, I wouldn't have considered buying.

What we need to do is get the house as soon as possible and rent it out.

Remember, Juliana's house can be launched next year, and we need to buy property then." Han Tao paused when Wang Qiqi mentioned Juliana's house. "Then forget it, I won't buy here.

I'll save the money to buy Juliana's house in Beijing next year." That way, he could earn more, and Han Tao had researched that housing prices in Beijing appreciated much faster than in his hometown, so he naturally wouldn't invest his money here. "Besides, the more assets I have here, the more people will get ideas they shouldn't have." Han Tao reflected that, given his current development trajectory, the probability of him returning after graduating from university was low.

If that were the case, there was no need to acquire too many assets here; having a place to live would suffice.

As for the three houses currently at home, leaving them to his mother for rental income as pocket money would be enough.

Wang Qiqi had been feeling quite smug about being able to purchase numerous shops and having lots of Mao's portrait flying into her house soon, but after hearing Han Tao's analysis, she truly wanted to slap herself.

How could she, a reincarnated person, have a narrower vision than Han Tao? Why was her focus always on this tiny patch of land? She knew how troublesome her relatives were here, and since she wouldn't be back in the future, she was being foolish. "You're right, thank you, Han Tao.

Let's go to Beijing sooner.

I plan to take the money to buy property there and become a landlord." This would make management easier for her, and it would prevent others from knowing her true holdings.

Otherwise, if someone nosy did a little digging, they could find out exactly how many houses she owned—like the Gao family...

Han Tao considered it. "Okay." For the time that followed, Wang Qiqi nestled on the sofa translating manuscripts, while Han Tao was busy with his programming.

After Wang Qiqi proofread a manuscript and sent it to Li Xiangdong's email, she looked up at the man typing relentlessly. "Did you talk to your mom about that matter?" That matter? Han Tao looked up at Wang Qiqi, confused. "What do you need to talk to my mom about?" Wang Qiqi looked at the dazed man, slightly exasperated. "Aren't you preparing to go to the US? Did you tell her?" Oh, it was about that. "I told my mom.

She's indifferent, just worried..." Worried? Wang Qiqi tilted her head, thinking. "She isn't worried that after you go out, you'll dump me, is she?" There were too many temptations abroad, and besides, Aunt Luo wouldn't like a foreign girl as a daughter-in-law; communication would be an issue from the start.

Han Tao rolled his eyes at Wang Qiqi. "How could that be? My mom knows I'm not that kind of person.

My mom asked me if you would go abroad, and I said you probably would after you graduate from university." "And your mom isn't worried that once we go, we won't come back?" Wang Qiqi understood Luo Hongjuan's concerns.

Anyone would worry if their son and future daughter-in-law were going abroad for studies.

The world outside was so appealing; once they established themselves, how many would willingly return? While she didn't need to worry about Han Tao abandoning her, language was a problem.

Even if the older woman went abroad, what would she do at home alone? Wang Qiqi and Han Tao couldn't possibly live in Chinatown.

Han Tao hummed in acknowledgment. "Actually, my mom is overthinking things.

I never planned to stay in the US permanently; at most, I'd shuttle back and forth." Although America was good, he realized he was more accustomed to the sound of Chinese, the taste of Chinese food, and everything familiar. "You won't know until you try.

Maybe in another ten years, many Chinese people will have emigrated, and there will be large overseas Chinese communities." For instance, corrupt officials, mistresses, and the wealthy moving abroad for their children's education prospects.

(To be continued)