Chapter Sixteen: The Enigmatic Maze of Feng Shui

Although he had only exchanged two sentences with Li Guang, Zhang Wei, relying on his instincts as an agent, could already sense that this man had little intention of buying a house. In fact, Li Guang seemed somewhat resistant to the idea, and his visit to the property felt more like a gesture of resignation than genuine interest.

Zhang Wei did not rush to use his mind-reading skill to pry into Li Guang's thoughts; instead, he planned to show them a property first, hoping to analyze Li Guang’s reluctance to purchase based on his attitude and feedback.

Showing clients a property is a delicate affair for real estate agents. The first step is to have the client sign a viewing confirmation form, which attests that the agent personally introduced them to the property, thereby preventing clients from skipping the agent and signing directly with the seller to avoid commission fees. This is a customary practice in the industry, and it’s even included in agents’ weekly performance metrics.

The second critical point is to carefully plan the viewing route, avoiding other real estate agencies along the way to prevent the clients from being approached or poached by competing agents. There are other details as well, such as scheduling the viewing, being familiar with the property, and knowing about the surrounding amenities—all tasks an agent must prepare in advance.

Zhang Wei had arranged two properties for viewing. On the way, he briefly introduced them to the couple. Three-bedroom apartments are rare, and those willing to sell are even rarer; gathering two listings at once was already a stroke of luck.

The three walked along the community roads, with Zhang Wei introducing the amenities, landscaping, and property management as they went. Before long, they arrived at Building Six, located at the heart of the complex—a prime spot for comfortable living.

The three-bedroom apartment was on the eighth floor, facing south, in a slab-style building. From its windows, one could overlook the rear garden. The location, floor, and layout were all excellent. When they reached the eighth floor via elevator, Wang Jianfa had already opened the door, waiting for them outside.

“Aunt Huang, Uncle Li, we’ve arrived. Please put on shoe covers before entering,” Zhang Wei said, nodding to Wang Jianfa and pulling out three blue shoe covers from his pocket, handing a pair each to Huang Fen and Li Guang, and donning a pair himself.

“Please, come in,” Wang Jianfa had already put his shoe covers on and opened the door, inviting the couple inside, while Zhang Wei followed behind.

As Zhang Wei stepped through the entrance and turned past the foyer, his vision brightened. Before him was a south-facing living room, draped in sheer curtains, yet the summer sunlight still poured in, filling the space with warmth.

The furniture had been cleared out, and although the décor was somewhat dated, the place was clean overall. The wooden floor tiles were well maintained, but the room felt a bit stuffy from being closed up for so long.

“Aunt Huang, this is a three-bedroom, two-living room apartment, one hundred and twenty square meters, on a good floor. The windows look directly onto the rear garden,” Zhang Wei explained as he led them inside.

“The layout is nice, but the décor is a bit old,” Huang Fen said, having carefully examined each room—the living room, bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom—nodding to Zhang Wei.

“That’s not a problem. Once the property is transferred, a fresh coat of plaster will make it look like new,” Zhang Wei replied.

“That’s true. Plastering doesn’t cost much,” Huang Fen agreed, turning to her husband. “What do you think, honey?”

“It’s just average. The main issue is that the floor is a bit low,” Li Guang replied, having only glanced around before standing aside indifferently.

“Last time you said the top-floor apartment was too high, now you say eight floors is too low. How can you be so fickle? We’ve been looking for almost half a year—do you actually want to buy or not?” Huang Fen retorted, exasperated.

“The feng shui master said I shouldn’t buy a house for the next three years, or disaster will follow. I think we should wait before making a purchase,” Li Guang said with a straight face.

Wang Jianfa nearly burst out laughing at Li Guang’s words, secretly thinking, “Just as Wang Min said, he repeats every word exactly—truly an old superstitious fool. Looks like Zhang Wei won’t seal this deal after all.”

“What feng shui master? I say he’s just a mysterious old fraud. If he could really tell fortunes, wouldn’t he be rich by now instead of making a living off you?” Huang Fen scolded.

Zhang Wei had long realized Li Guang was the key decision-maker, so he watched him closely. As Huang Fen asked whether he wanted to buy, a golden script flashed in Li Guang’s eyes:

“You’re right—I don’t want to buy a house. It’s not about feng shui, but because I want a divorce. If we buy, it’ll become marital property, and I’ll have to split it with you.”

Zhang Wei now fully understood the real reason for Li Guang’s reluctance. It was simply easier to transfer company assets, but once converted into real estate, the law would require equal division upon divorce. Zhang Wei felt a measure of contempt for the man’s approach.

His mind raced, searching for a way to persuade Li Guang to buy, clinch the deal, and help Huang Fen so she wouldn’t be left destitute after a divorce.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. Zhang Wei thought of a way to turn the tables—using feng shui itself to lure Li Guang into the trap he believed in.

“No matter. If Uncle Li thinks this floor is too low, there’s another apartment higher up. Let’s take a look at that one,” Zhang Wei said with a smile.

With a fresh plan in mind, and knowing Li Guang cared little for the house itself, Zhang Wei gave only a cursory introduction on the way, then feigned a casual remark, “This house is great except for one flaw…”

“What flaw? If there’s a problem, why are you showing it to us?” Li Guang, already disinterested, quickly pressed Zhang Wei for details.

“Yes, Xiao Zhang, buying a house isn’t easy. You’d better give us the truth,” Huang Fen frowned.

“Well… it’s nothing too serious, really. Just that people say it has a feng shui issue,” Zhang Wei replied, looking troubled and hesitant.

“Feng shui is only real if you believe it. No big deal,” Wang Jianfa was stunned by Zhang Wei’s words—why would he point out flaws himself? Was he trying to sabotage the deal? He quickly tried to play down the matter.

“Feng shui is no small thing. Xiao Zhang, you’d better explain. Otherwise, we won’t bother seeing the house,” Li Guang stopped abruptly, his face serious.

“If there’s a problem, we’ll find out sooner or later. Don’t deceive us, Xiao Zhang!” Huang Fen, eager for a house, still wouldn’t waste money on a flawed property.

“I’m only repeating what I’ve heard, out of responsibility to my clients,” Zhang Wei said, ignoring Wang Jianfa’s signals to drop it. “They say the house is too full of yang energy, a ‘husband-prospering, wife-suppressing’ feng shui—bad for female owners.”

“Zhang Wei must be crazy! He’s sabotaging himself. Li Guang doesn’t want to buy, and he’s superstitious—now Zhang Wei says the feng shui is bad for his wife, so he’ll never buy,” Wang Jianfa sighed, convinced the deal was doomed.

Huang Fen didn’t react much; she wasn’t as superstitious as Li Guang and cared more about the quality of the house than any ‘husband-prospering, wife-suppressing’ feng shui. She only worried her husband would refuse to view the property because of it.

Wang Jianfa and Huang Fen guessed rightly. Li Guang instinctively wanted to use the bad feng shui as an excuse to refuse, but when Zhang Wei mentioned ‘husband-prospering, wife-suppressing,’ his interest was piqued.

If the house truly had such feng shui, then something might happen to Huang Fen—perhaps even death—saving Li Guang from having to split the assets in a divorce. Everything—the company and the house—would belong solely to him, just as the ‘husband-prospering, wife-suppressing’ feng shui promised. It seemed as if fate had custom-made the house for him.

“I have some knowledge of feng shui, so I’d like to see if it’s as you say,” Li Guang said after a brief pause, unexpectedly agreeing to view the property, surprising both Huang Fen and Wang Jianfa. Zhang Wei, meanwhile, hid a subtle smile.

“Hooked!” Zhang Wei thought with a flash of excitement in his eyes.