Chapter 161: Meeting Wang Min Again

Zhang Wei made a phone call to the property owner to inquire about the specific details of the apartment. It was on the thirty-fourth floor, faced southeast, and had an area of one hundred and seven square meters. It was the exact layout featuring a bathroom with a panoramic view of Oasis Park.

The owner had just reclaimed the apartment and had only recently posted the rental listing online. Wang Jian spotted the listing immediately and tipped off Zhang Wei at the earliest possible moment. Believing the apartment's conditions were favorable in every aspect, Zhang Wei decided to inspect the property in person and put down a deposit right away if it proved suitable.

Although the commission for this rental was not particularly large, Zhang Wei had already assigned it to Wang Jian's name. Had the prospective client been an ordinary person, Zhang Wei likely would have let Wang Jian handle the showing entirely. However, an A-list celebrity like Chen Sixuan was clearly no ordinary client.

Chen Sixuan was a top-tier jade-pure actress with considerable influence among the global Chinese diaspora. Furthermore, the entertainment industry inherently involved extensive networking, and she was acquainted with numerous powerful and influential individuals. If Zhang Wei could befriend her, it would effectively broaden his own professional connections.

After hanging up, Zhang Wei drove directly to Lecheng Mansion. High-rise apartments with such scenic views were in extremely short supply. Even after having Wang Jian search for days, this was the only suitable property they had managed to find. If someone else were to rent it first, Zhang Wei had no idea how long he would have to wait for another comparable listing.

Upon arriving at the unit, Zhang Wei discovered that the front door was wide open. Out of politeness, he refrained from walking straight in. Instead, he stood at the threshold, knocked gently, and called out, "Is Mr. Huang in, please?"

"Oh, you must be from the agency. The door's unlocked, just come on in if you're here to view the apartment," a middle-aged man's voice echoed from within, bearing a slight resemblance to the voice Zhang Wei had heard over the phone.

"Thank you," Zhang Wei replied politely before stepping inside.

Once inside the living room, Zhang Wei noticed a middle-aged man seated there. Beside him was an agent from Lianjia Agency taking photographs, presumably another prospective viewer much like himself.

"Hello, Mr. Huang. I'm Zhang Wei from Zhongtong Agency. We spoke on the phone just now," Zhang Wei said with a smile, addressing the man on the sofa.

"Make yourself at home. Look around or take your pictures, don't mind me," Mr. Huang glanced at Zhang Wei and waved a hand dismissively, clearly well-accustomed to the routines of real estate agents.

"Understood," Zhang Wei murmured. Catching sight of the Lianjia agent nearby, he preferred not to discuss property matters within earshot. Instead, he carefully inspected the apartment on his own, noting that the interior decoration was quite decent, and snapped a few photos with his phone.

He forwarded these pictures to Chen Sixuan and tried calling her shortly afterward, but the line went unanswered. After a moment of quiet reflection following the dropped call, Zhang Wei ultimately decided to secure the apartment anyway. Even if Chen Sixuan chose not to rent it, such a prime listing would never struggle to find a tenant, and Zhang Wei might even turn a quick profit by transferring the lease.

Once the Lianjia agent departed, Zhang Wei began negotiating the price directly with the owner. To demonstrate his sincerity, he immediately produced a ten-thousand-yuan deposit. The owner, proving to be a straightforward and decisive man, agreed to a monthly rent of fifteen thousand yuan.

Rather than executing a formal lease immediately, Zhang Wei opted to sign a preliminary deposit agreement with the owner and handed over the ten-thousand-yuan holding fee. Delighted to have rented out the property so swiftly and effortlessly, both parties left highly satisfied.

After chatting with the owner for a few more minutes, Zhang Wei took his leave. The owner politely escorted him to the doorway. Zhang Wei walked over to the elevator banks, pressed the down button, and stood waiting for the lift to arrive.

"Ding-dong..." The elevator chimed and stopped at the floor. The doors slid open to reveal a woman stepping out.

She appeared to be around twenty-seven or eight—mature, graceful, and alluring. She wore a white shirt on her upper body that strained to contain her full breasts, with the top two buttons left undone to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of snowy cleavage. On her lower body, she donned a tight black miniskirt that bared her plump, fair thighs.

"Wang Min! What are you doing here?" Zhang Wei blurted out in astonishment the moment he recognized her.

"Zhang Wei? You... you're here to view the apartment too?" The woman was none other than Wang Min, who had previously resigned from her position. Her face mirrored his expression of profound shock upon seeing him.

"What? Are you here for that two-bedroom view apartment as well?" Zhang Wei asked with a smile.

"Yes. I have a client looking for this exact layout. I've been searching for ages, but I suppose you beat me to it," Wang Min remarked.

"Zhang Wei, why don't you wait for me for a bit? Once I finish looking at this apartment, let me treat you to dinner," Wang Min suggested, a flicker of cunning dancing in her eyes.

"I wouldn't mind a free meal," Zhang Wei chuckled, "though I've already signed the deposit agreement for this unit. There's no point in you viewing it anymore."

"Ha, so fast? Didn't the owner just post the listing online?" Wang Min asked, disbelief coloring her tone.

"My client is wealthy, loves this specific layout, and doesn't care much about the rent. As long as the place fits, she gives me carte blanche to secure it," Zhang Wei explained.

Though Zhang Wei was unsure of Chen Sixuan's exact net worth, she was at least a multi-millionaire in her own right. Moreover, she possessed a somewhat eccentric personality, preferring to pour all her time into her career while remaining indifferent to trivial everyday matters.

"Well, true. Your clients always pull through," Wang Min said with a hint of envy, recalling how Zhang Wei had generated over 1.7 million in sales volume in a single month.

"In that case, let me treat you to dinner right now," Wang Min proposed.

"When a beauty offers to treat, I'd be a fool to refuse," Zhang Wei said, casting a meaningful glance at Wang Min, secretly wondering why this woman had suddenly turned so warm toward him.

Inside a restaurant adjacent to Lecheng Mansion, Zhang Wei and Wang Min sat facing each other. After placing their orders, Wang Min smiled and said, "Zhang Wei, I really didn't expect us to run into each other so soon."

"Indeed, it's quite a surprise," Zhang Wei agreed with a smile.

"By the way, the Yayuan branch must have changed a lot by now, right?" A spark of curiosity flashed in Wang Min's eyes.

"It certainly has. Brother Xu has been promoted to regional manager this month," Zhang Wei nodded. Although Wang Min had only been gone for a month, crossing paths again gave him a surreal sense of how much things had changed.

"Brother Xu became regional manager? Then that means Su Ning lost out? That's quite unexpected!" Wang Min exclaimed in surprise.

Regarding the battle between Su Ning and Xu Ming for the regional manager position, Wang Min had never favored Xu Ming—which was one of the reasons she had left the Yayuan branch in the first place. She had heard rumors since childhood that Su Ning had powerful backers, so losing the bid came as a shock.

"Since Xu Ming moved up, who's your group manager now?" Wang Min raised an eyebrow, guessing, "It couldn't be Li Lin, could it?"

"What? Do you think Li Lin is better suited to be a manager?" Zhang Wei asked, tapping his fingers lightly against the table.

"Hmph, suited or not, if I wanted the position, I could do it too," Wang Min winked at Zhang Wei and laughed. "The point is, her relationship with Xu Ming is an open secret. If they didn't pick her, who else could they choose?"

"You actually guessed wrong there. Li Lin isn't the manager of the Yayuan branch," Zhang Wei shook his head.

Zhang Wei was well aware of the romantic entanglement between Xu Ming and Li Lin. However, because he maintained a good rapport with both of them, he had no desire to gossip behind their backs. Furthermore, since Xu Ming had recommended Zhang Wei for the manager position, Xu Ming was essentially his benefactor.

"Since Li Lin didn't get it, your new manager must have been transferred from outside. External managers usually bring their own trusted circle. Life must be pretty tough for you, Wang Jian, and Guo Bin," Wang Min observed.

Her remark wasn't entirely baseless. Personal relationships varied in closeness; a manager could never treat everyone with absolute equity, and favoritism among agents was inevitable. Take Guo Bin and Wang Jian, for instance—whenever an opportunity arose, Zhang Wei would naturally think of Wang Jian long before Guo Bin.

Similarly, an incoming manager typically brought their own loyal subordinates. The fact that these people were willing to follow the manager proved their close bond, and the manager would naturally treat them with greater favor than native agents like Zhang Wei.

Unaware that the "new manager" she was discussing was sitting right across from her rather than someone transferred from the outside, Wang Min's assumptions disappointed Zhang Wei slightly. It proved that Wang Min had never imagined Zhang Wei could become the Yayuan branch manager, or perhaps she simply didn't believe he possessed the capability to do so.

After a brief moment of silence, Zhang Wei shook off his self-absorbed thoughts and mused internally, *Hmph! The massive strides I've made over the past two months are entirely the result of my own ability. Why should I ever care about anyone else's opinion?*

"By the way, when you left, you slipped me a note. Aside from Sophie's phone number, you wrote that 'our next meeting will give you a big surprise.' It looks like your own transformation has been quite substantial?" Zhang Wei inquired.

"Oh... I never imagined I'd run into you again so soon!" Embarrassment flickered across Wang Min's face at the mention of the note.

"Come on, you didn't decide to resign so abruptly without a real reason, did you?" Zhang Wei pressed.

"Well, some former colleagues from another agency approached me and wanted to partner up to open our own brokerage. I considered it, thought it was a great opportunity, and agreed to join them," Wang Min explained with a wry smile.

A flash of sharp insight crossed Zhang Wei's eyes upon hearing that Wang Min had started her own agency. Since he was currently contemplating opening a brokerage himself, he naturally hoped to glean some valuable experience from her. "I never expected that after just a month apart, you've become a boss yourself. You must let me visit your company sometime today."

"Of course! I'd warmly welcome you to come tour our office," Wang Min said, her face lighting up with anticipation as she added earnestly, "And it would be even better if you could persuade Wang Jian and Guo Bin to jump ship and join us!"

"Hahaha!"

Hearing this, Zhang Wei couldn't help but shake his head and laugh out loud. As it turned out, Wang Min's desire to catch up over dinner was a sham; her true objective was to poach him and his team.

Having already become the manager of the Yayuan branch, how could he possibly abandon his post and lead his subordinates to defect to Wang Min's fledgling agency? Zhang Wei suddenly found himself wondering what expression would cross Wang Min's face if she ever discovered that the man sitting across from her was none other than the Yayuan branch manager himself.