Chapter Twenty-One: The Signing of the Contract

Half an hour later, the owner of the house, Mr. Zheng, arrived at the Zhongtong office. Zhang Wei introduced both parties to each other, and they all sat around the meeting room to discuss the details of the contract.

The owner, Mr. Zheng, was in his forties and named Zheng Deguang. He wore his hair neatly parted and was a bit on the heavy side. He spoke with a gentle, amiable manner, bearing a resemblance to a smiling Buddha.

“Mr. Zheng, your wife hasn’t come with you?” As soon as Li Guang sat down in the conference room, he couldn’t help but ask.

“My wife had a bit of an accident and is currently recuperating in the hospital.” Zheng Deguang, having already received a signal from Zhang Wei, readily played along with this lie to help Zhang Wei secure a full payment for the house.

“Oh? Is her condition serious?” Li Guang, upon hearing this, felt a surge of joy but kept his face composed.

“Thank you for your concern. Her condition is still a bit unstable,” Zheng Deguang replied vaguely, then changed the subject. “Let’s get back to the contract, shall we?”

“Of course!” Li Guang answered eagerly.

Hearing Zheng Deguang mention that his wife was hospitalized seemed to confirm what Zhang Wei had said before. With the feng shui master’s evaluation as well, Li Guang was now wholly convinced that the house truly had the reputed effect of bringing fortune to the husband at the expense of the wife. In his view, Zheng Deguang had no reason to lie, since his wife’s injury and the house sale were completely unrelated.

Since Li Guang believed in the house’s auspicious—if ominous—feng shui, he was determined to sign the deal. The contract was concluded smoothly, without any unexpected incidents. From the start of the signing to its completion, even after Zhang Wei saw both the owner and the client off, the rest of the staff at the Zhongtong office could hardly believe their eyes.

“Zhang Wei, you really did it! Another big deal in just a few days!” Xu Ming clapped Zhang Wei on the shoulder, his expression a complex mix of surprise and admiration. He had truly not expected Zhang Wei to close this sale.

“That’s right! The commission on this one is a hundred and fifty thousand. With a thirty percent cut, you’ll get fifty thousand. Add your previous thirty thousand, and you’ve made eighty thousand this month alone,” Li Lin said with undisguised envy. Though she was an old hand in the business, her savings over the years hadn’t surpassed what Zhang Wei had made in a single month.

“Zhang Wei, don’t forget that I played a role in this success! You owe me a dinner,” Wang Jianfa joked, fishing for credit.

Zhang Wei’s heart brimmed with joy at their banter. Just days ago, he’d been worried about failing to meet his sales targets and being dismissed from the company—perhaps ending up out on the street. But after acquiring his mind-reading ability, he had miraculously landed two major deals in quick succession, not only resolving his employment crisis but also earning an extra eighty thousand. Such good fortune would have been unimaginable to the old Zhang Wei.

Yet every coin has two sides. While some celebrated Zhang Wei’s success, others were troubled by it. Wang Min and Guo Bin both looked glum, more wilted than withered eggplants.

Wang Min’s disappointment was easy to understand. She had been working with this couple for three months without closing a deal, and yet after transferring the clients to Zhang Wei, he managed to sign them within half a day. It was as if she’d handed over fifty thousand that should have been hers—how could her heart not ache?

Guo Bin’s frustration, on the other hand, was self-inflicted, born of jealousy. When Zhang Wei was still struggling, Guo Bin never missed a chance to mock him. Now that Zhang Wei had landed two big deals, Guo Bin felt humiliated and feared becoming the butt of Zhang Wei’s jokes in return.

“Guo Bin, didn’t you say that if Zhang Wei closed this deal, you’d treat us all to a big dinner tonight?” Wen Fang asked with a sly smile.

“That’s right, I remember that too. Don’t even think about wriggling out of it—you have to treat us!” Li Lin chimed in, fanning the flames.

“Haha, that’ll save me a meal then,” Zhang Wei laughed.

As his colleagues teased him, Guo Bin’s face darkened further. Embarrassed in front of Wen Fang, he couldn’t very well refuse. Checking his pocket, he found only a single red note—not enough even for a modest meal, let alone a feast. He forced a smile, “I didn’t bring any money today. I’ll treat everyone in a couple of days.”

“You’re really something—making us wait two days for a meal,” Wang Jianfa laughed.

“We’re not going to forget about this dinner! Don’t you dare back out,” Li Lin warned, wagging her finger at Guo Bin.

“In a couple of days, I promise,” Guo Bin replied awkwardly. He was already short on cash, and treating everyone might mean halving his food budget for the next month. But what was said was said; there was no way to take it back.

Since Guo Bin had lost the bet, Zhang Wei didn’t need to worry about treating everyone himself. Even if Guo Bin couldn’t pay up today, it was only a matter of time. After the evening meeting, everyone simply headed home.

Bidding his colleagues good night, Zhang Wei set off for home alone. Having just closed a house sale, he was in high spirits. But as he walked, a small stone suddenly struck the back of his head. Though it didn’t hurt much, it startled him, and he quickly turned around.

Looking back, he spotted Wang Min not far behind. He hadn’t seen her throw the stone, but since she was the only one around, it could only have been her.

“What are you staring at? Do you think, now that everyone’s gone and it’s dark out, you can try something funny with me?” Wang Min sneered.

“I think you’re the one who wishes I’d try something,” Zhang Wei retorted sharply. She had just thrown a stone at him, yet she turned the tables the moment she opened her mouth.

“Pfft, who do you think you are? Don’t let two closed deals go to your head,” Wang Min snapped. “It was pure luck you managed to close those sales.”

“You’re right, I only got lucky. Happy now?” Zhang Wei understood how Wang Min must be feeling—her anger was only natural. He didn’t plan to argue and brushed her off.

“Zhang Wei, I’ll bet you right now—next time, I’ll close a deal before you do, and for even more money than this one!” Wang Min declared.

Losing this client to Zhang Wei had hit Wang Min hard—not just financially, but in terms of pride. As a senior agent, she had worked with those clients for three months without result, only for Zhang Wei, a mere trainee, to close the deal in a single day.

She was certain she’d become a laughingstock, even among her colleagues at Zhongtong. They must be doubting her abilities, thinking she couldn’t even handle her clients—less capable than Zhang Wei, the novice.

“Zhang Wei, I’ll ask you again—do you dare bet with me that I’ll close the next deal first?” Wang Min shouted after him.

“I only get deals by luck; how could I compete with you?” Zhang Wei had no intention of bickering with her. He turned away and strode off. “I have things to do, I’ll be going.”

His nonchalance only made Wang Min angrier, as if he were dismissing her and looking down on her. Fuming, she ran after him.

“Zhang Wei, stop right there, don’t—ah!” Chasing after Zhang Wei and speaking at the same time, Wang Min suddenly missed her step, twisting her ankle and falling to the ground.

“Are you all right?” Seeing her fall, Zhang Wei couldn’t just leave her there. He hurried to her side. As he looked down, he saw Wang Min bent over, her chest heaving, a deep ravine revealed between two perfect, snowy-white curves, exposed and enticing in the night air. Zhang Wei couldn’t help but want to take a bite.