James arrived at the designated location and called on his phone.
Out came a slim young man with shifty eyes, wearing a suit and tie despite the scorching summer heat. He glanced around and, spotting James and his tall companion at the entrance, broke into a monkey-like grin and said cheerfully, "Hey there, fellas! I'm Artair. Which one of you is Mr. James King?"
"That's me," James stepped forward.
Artair approached, eagerly shaking James's hand, and asked Jay Johnson, "And what's your name, big man?"
Standing behind James, Jay Johnson remained silent.
James smiled, "He's Jay; he's not very talkative."
"Oh, Jay, welcome, welcome. Come on in and have a seat," Artair gestured towards their office, inviting them inside.
"Alright."
James followed him into the shop, taking it all in. It was a small real estate agency, about 40 square meters, with a few sofas and a coffee table in the lobby, and a manager's office partitioned off. Five employees, both men and women, sat in a row, busily working at their computers.
James sat silently on a sofa, a bit disappointed not to have encountered one of those iconic attractive real estate agents.
Jay Johnson stood behind him at attention, his demeanor stoic.
Watching the two, Artair felt a bit puzzled. With their setup, they looked like a boss and his bodyguard. Still, he didn't treat Jay Johnson as mere hired help.
He brought over three glasses of water and politely said, "Here you go, guys. It's really hot out, and you'd think with fall approaching, the sun wouldn't be so fierce."
James wasn't in a hurry and casually glanced at Artair's suit. "Yeah, if it's hot, why not wear less?"
Artair lamented, "I'd love to, but company policy says I can't take it off. Nothing I can do."
James chuckled, "You could take it off outside."
Artair sighed, "If they catch me anywhere, there goes my paycheck, sigh."
The two made small talk. For some reason, James felt an innate goodwill towards this young man who openly complained about his company. He saw a bit of himself in Artairâstriving for money, being carried along by society. Even though young, he wore the corporate armor, pretending to be someone he's not.
But James wasn't a saint; he couldn't transform Artair's life. At most, he could help by buying a house and earn him some commission.
"Let's get to it. You mentioned it's tricky to buy property for someone without their consent. What's the workaround?"
Once on topic, Artair grew serious, taking a sip of water before explaining:
"Brother, if you want to secretly buy a house for your girlfriend, it's quite a hassle.
First, you must pay in full because any loan involves the bank, and we can't fake things with them.
Second, you'll need her household registration and ID.
Finally, we'll need someone to handle a power of attorney, which is easy but involves extra fees because it's all under the table, you understand?"
Artair finished with a slightly sly look, raising his eyebrows.
On hearing this, James saw that apart from the household registration, everything else was just a matter of money. Plus, the system allowed for buying gifts in secret.
He thought it over and messaged Winnie Morgan, instructing her to contact Tailsa and have her bring her household registration book to the dealership for car registration, seeing if they could get it that way.
Winnie Morgan soon got in touch with Tailsa, who'd just reached homeâshe hadn't been disciplined yetâand she agreed without hesitation.
As soon as she got in the door, she asked her father for the household registration.
Having never heard of needing it for a car purchase and considering the substantial 3-million-yuan Porsche, her father flew into a rage and dealt her a spanking.
Seeing how things were going smoothly, James smiled and said confidently, "Alright then, start the process. Money's not an issue. How soon can we get it done?"
Artair was momentarily stunned, not realizing he didn't even know which house it was. How was he supposed to proceed?
"Have you already chosen the house?"
"That 8-million-yuan villa you posted on Instagram."
Artair scratched his head, "I don't remember ever showing you a house."
James replied, slightly embarrassed, "I called you a few days ago, but something came up and I couldn't make it."
Artair exclaimed, "Whoa, you're the guy who ghosted me the other day?"
James, a bit awkward, said, "Sorry about that, something happened."
Artair, still incredulous, guessed, "Dude, are you seriously planning to buy without even seeing it?"
James laughed and nodded, "Mostly just don't have the time."
Thinking the property was there, the size was fixedâif it didn't work out, he'd just renovate.
For just a few million, it didn't seem worth wasting time looking at it in person.
"Not negotiating the price?"
"No."
"Not discussing our commission either?"
"No."
"Are you nuts?" Artair asked incredulously.
"Hmm?" James gave him a cool look.
Jay Johnson lifted his gaze as well, unsure if this qualified as a verbal attack.
Thinking: let's wait and see.
Artair's loud voice caught the attention of the other sales agents, who poked their heads out to see what was happening.
Their conversation, not exactly hushed, was audible to those who cared to listen.
The sales team whispered amongst themselves.
"Do you think this guy is real or just messing with Artair?"
"I think he's just here for a laugh. Who buys an 8-million-yuan villa without even a glance?"
"Probably. I saw him outside earlier, and he stepped out of a regular domestic car."
"Exactly, has to be some joker here to mess with him."
"Who has so much free time?"
Artair had graduated two years prior and had been working at this company since.
Never in his experience had he seen someone buy a house like this. Within three minutes of meeting, based on a video, saying they'd drop 8 million just to make their girlfriend happyâit's unheard of, even for a drama series.
If there were truly billionaires who spent money without a second thought, they usually had financial managers to handle their transactions.
Why would they personally visit some small agency to talk about a full-cash purchase, especially one done in secret?
Remembering how he had been stood up last time, Artair was willing to bet.
These two were definitely out of their minds.
"Dude, don't mess with me. I'm just a regular guy. If you like villa videos, I'll recommend a few worth over a billion. Why not chat with their agents?"
James maintained his composure and replied coolly,
"I'm not messing with you, and I'm not joking."
"But..." Artair emphasized, "This is an 8-million-yuan villa, not $800. Who buys a house like they're picking a watermelon, trusting the seller to choose?"
James glanced at his phone; Amanda had messaged, asking if he had any time to take Timmy out.
While replying, he said, "If you don't believe me, I'll just ask the real estate agency next door. I'm sure you're not the only one with this listing, right?"