EFB Chapter 64 Buying a New Home
Chapter 64 Buying a New Home
The move had actually been delayed for a long time.
From deciding to buy to actually moving in, almost two months passed. Su Yu wasn't a procrastinator, but he did spend time choosing a house. The real estate agent showed him more than a dozen properties, from Jiangbei to Jiangnan, from apartments to villas. He saw every single one, went through every room, opened and closed the windows repeatedly, and finally stopped at the top floor of a high-rise apartment building in Jiangnan District.
"This one," he said.
The agent paused for a moment. "Aren't you going to look at anything else?"
"Need not."
Cai Xiubin stood beside him, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling window. The Han River meandered below, the entire Gangnam district stretched out before them, and in the distance stood Namsan Tower, the horizon blurred in the mist. The evening light streamed in, bathing the entire living room in gold.
"How much will this cost?" she asked in a low voice.
"Three and a half billion."
Cai Xiubin remained silent. Thirty-five billion, which translates to a little over twenty million RMB. She knew Su Yu had spent over seven billion on real estate, and now he'd spent another thirty-five billion on a house, bringing his total to over ten billion. She didn't know exactly how much money Su Yu had, but every time she thought he'd reached his limit, he always managed to pull out even more.
"Let's go in and take a look," Su Yu said.
The apartment has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, is 180 square meters, and is fully furnished and decorated. The living room is large, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Han River. The kitchen is open-plan with a marble-topped island. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom, and the bathtub is by the window, offering river views while bathing. As for the other three rooms, Su Yu said one would be used as a study, one would be reserved for Cai Xiubin, and one would be empty.
"Why are you saving me a room?" Cai Xiubin asked.
"If you two argue, you'll have plenty of sleep."
Cai Xiubin glared at him, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.
The two of them walked through every room. Cai Xiubin touched every wall, turned on every faucet, and tested every light switch. She was like an engineer inspecting a house, almost excessively meticulous.
"The water pressure is pretty good." She came out of the master bathroom, shaking the water off her hands. "When I lived in the basement before, the water pressure was so low it felt like we hadn't eaten."
Su Yu leaned against the living room wall, looking at her. "Do you like it?"
Cai Xiubin stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, glanced at the scenery outside, and turned around.
"like."
"This set will do."
Shirley showed up on the day of the signing. She wasn't invited by Su Yu; she came on her own. She'd somehow heard that Su Yu was looking at apartments, so she called Cai Xiubin for the address and went straight to the real estate agency.
"What are you doing here?" Su Yu asked.
"I'll check out the house for you, just in case you get scammed." Shirley was wearing a baseball cap and a loose sweatshirt, looking like a high school student.
The agent paused for a moment when he saw Shirley, recognizing her, but didn't dare say anything. At this point in time, Shirley was quite popular and often recognized on the street. She didn't usually go out casually, but she had made a special trip here today. Cai Xiubin saw this but said nothing.
The signing was quick. The landlord was a man in his fifties who ran a foreign trade business. He had immigrated to Canada and no longer needed the house, so he was selling it. He paused for a moment when he saw Shirley, glanced at her a couple more times, and then turned to look at Su Yu.
What do you do for a living?
"Starting a company."
"Starting a company at such a young age, impressive." The landlord signed the contract, shook hands with Su Yu, and said, "The house is yours now, make good use of it."
After the landlord left, Shirley glanced at the contract, saw the transaction price, and raised an eyebrow.
"Three billion is not expensive."
"You'll pay?" Su Yu asked.
"Dream on." Shirley took off her hat, letting her hair fall down. "But I can give you a housewarming gift. What do you want?"
"Need not."
"You're really something. Every time you say you don't need it, you end up accepting it after I give it to you."
Su Yu didn't reply. Shirley was telling the truth; she had given him a whole set of kitchenware last time, and an air purifier the time before that, and he hadn't refused either. It wasn't out of politeness, but because he was too lazy to refuse.
The day I moved was a Saturday, and the weather was lovely; the autumn sun felt warm and comforting on my skin.
Su Yu didn't have much stuff. He'd lived in a semi-basement for over half a year, and all his belongings amounted to only three cardboard boxes: clothes, books, a computer, a few miscellaneous items, and that was it. Even Cai Xiubin shook his head at the sight.
"Is this all you have?"
"Otherwise what?"
"I thought men would have a lot of stuff."
"That's a woman's illusion."
Cai Xiubin ignored him and helped him load the cardboard boxes into the car. She had twice as many things as Su Yu; her clothes filled four boxes, along with cosmetics, books, and various trinkets. Su Yu looked at the trunk overflowing with luggage and said, "Are you moving here or moving house?" Cai Xiubin pinched him.
When the car pulled up to the new apartment building, Yoon Shi-yoon was already there. He drove a black SUV, which was crammed full of things; anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was moving.
"What are you holding?" Su Yu asked.
"Household gifts." Yoon Shi-yoon opened the trunk, which was piled high with boxes. "This is red wine, this is a kimchi gift set, this is a coffee machine, this is an air fryer, and this is..."
"That's enough," Su Yu interrupted him. "Are you using my house as a warehouse?"
"You're really something, taking my kindness for granted." Yoon Shi-yoon carried the items out one by one, with Chae Soo-bin helping from the side; the two worked together seamlessly.
They had only moved half of their things when someone else arrived. It was a white sedan. Park Jiyeon got out of the driver's seat, wearing jeans and a hoodie, her hair tied in a ponytail, looking neat and tidy. She opened the trunk and took out a large cardboard box.
"A housewarming gift: homemade kimchi, my mom's recipe."
Su Yu glanced at her. "You can make kimchi?"
"No, but I'll buy it." Park Jiyeon laughed. "Just kidding, it really is homemade, it's been marinating for a week."
Cai Xiubin took the cardboard box, thanked him, and carried it into the house.
Park Jiyeon stood at the doorway and glanced inside, then exclaimed, "Wow! This house is so beautiful! CEO Su, are you getting married?"
Su Yu ignored her and continued moving things.
When the third person arrived, the atmosphere became awkward.
Lee Ji-eun drove a Mini Cooper and took a potted plant out of the car. It was a rubber tree, about half a person's height, with glossy leaves that looked very healthy.
"A housewarming gift." Lee Ji-eun placed the rubber tree in the entryway. "It's easy to take care of; just water it once a week."
Su Yu took it and placed it in the corner of the living room. As soon as the plant was placed there, the whole space suddenly came alive, as if it had started to breathe.
"Thank you, Lee Ji-eun."
"You're welcome." Lee Ji-eun smiled, looked around the house, and said, "Your house is really big. Do you live alone?"
Su Yu didn't answer. Cai Xiubin came out of the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand. She nodded when she saw Li Zhien. The two had met a few times at the company before. They weren't close, but there was nothing awkward between them either.
Lee Ji-eun took the water glass, took a sip, and noticed the rubber band on Chae Soo-bin's wrist. Her gaze lingered there for a second before shifting away.
"I have to go now, I have a schedule this afternoon." Lee Ji-eun put down her water glass. "Representative Su, remember to contact me if you find a suitable role in the future."
"Yes."
After Li Zhi'en left, Su Yu continued moving things. When most of the boxes were moved, the last thing she did was retrieve a file folder from the car containing the house contract and keys.
He had just gotten out of the car when he saw a black Mercedes parked downstairs.
The car door opened, and Shirley got out.
She wore a floral dress with a beige trench coat over it, her hair was down, and she wore light makeup. She was carrying two bags: an orange Hermès bag and a white cake box.
Su Yu watched her walk over without saying a word.
"What are you daydreaming about? Help me carry this." Shirley shoved the Hermes bag into his hands.
Su Yu glanced at the contents of the bag; it was a tea set, white ceramic, very simple and elegant.
"Too expensive."
"It's not a gift for you, it's a gift for the house." Shirley took the bag back from him and carried it inside herself.
The house suddenly filled up with people. Chae Soo-bin was tidying up in the kitchen, Yoon Shi-yoon was assembling the coffee machine in the living room, and Park Ji-yeon was enjoying the view from the balcony. When Sulli came in, Park Ji-yeon saw her first and waved.
"Sherry unnie!"
Sulli smiled and walked over to hug Park Jiyeon. The two had met on set before. Park Jiyeon's role wasn't large, but she had a scene with Sulli, and they exchanged contact information after filming.
Cai Xiubin came out of the kitchen, saw Shirley, paused for a moment, and then smiled.
"You're here?"
"You're here. I'm helping out with the move today." Shirley placed the cake box on the dining table. "This is a handmade cake. I bought it this morning in Apgujeong. Their cream is the best."
"Thank you." Cai Xiubin opened the cake box, inside was a strawberry cream cake, pink and white, topped with fresh strawberries, which looked delicious.
Yoon Shi-yoon walked over, glanced at it, and swallowed hard. "Can I eat first?"
"We'll eat once everyone's here," Shirley said.
"Is everyone here? Anyone else want to come?"
The doorbell rang just as he finished speaking.
Su Yu went to open the door. Lee Ji-eun stood there, holding a bottle of champagne, smiling and waving it.
"I forgot something; I was in too much of a rush." She handed me the champagne. "This goes perfectly with the cake."
Su Yu took the champagne and stepped aside to let her in. Lee Ji-eun walked into the living room, saw Sulli and Park Ji-yeon both there, paused for a moment, and then smiled.
"So you guys came too. I thought I was the only one here."
"Why are you back?" Shirley asked.
"We're bringing champagne," Lee Ji-eun said, taking off her coat and draping it over the sofa armrest. "We've already got cake, it wouldn't be right not to have a glass, would it?"
Yoon Shi-yoon clapped his hands. "That's more like it! A housewarming party wouldn't be complete without wine."
Cai Xiubin took out glasses from the kitchen and arranged them one by one. While Su Yu was opening the champagne, Park Jiyeon was recording on her phone, saying she would post it to the group chat. Sulli leaned over to look at the camera and made a peace sign.
"Don't send it out," Su Yu said.
"Don't worry, it's just us people taking a look." Park Jiyeon put her phone away.
The champagne was poured, and the five people sat around the table. Yoon Shi-yoon raised his glass, coughed twice, and said in a pretentious tone, "Today is a joyous occasion for our Representative Su's housewarming. As his best friend..."
"When did you become best friends?" Shirley interrupted him.
"I've known Su Yu the longest, back when you guys weren't even in the convenience store yet," Yoon Shi-yoon said matter-of-factly.
Cai Xiubin laughed. "I met him at the convenience store too."
"That's from which chapter? I appeared in the first chapter." Yoon Shi-yoon said seriously.
Everyone laughed. Su Yu didn't laugh, but the hand holding his wine glass loosened slightly.
"Cheers."
The glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound. The champagne swirled in the glasses, bubbles rising in strings.
The cake was cut open; the strawberry cream cake that Sulli bought tasted really good. Yoon Shi-yoon ate two pieces, Park Ji-yeon ate one piece, Chae Soo-bin ate a small piece, but Sulli didn't eat any, and neither did Lee Ji-eun.
While eating cake, Shirley suddenly asked, "Su Yu, do you plan to get married in the future?"
The air suddenly became quiet.
Cai Xiubin paused for a moment with her fork, then continued eating her cake. Lee Ji-eun picked up her champagne glass, took a sip, her expression unchanged. Park Ji-yeon looked up at Sulli, then at Su Yu, feeling as if she shouldn't be there.
Su Yu put down his wine glass. "Why are you asking that?"
"I'm just curious," Shirley said casually, as if she were talking about the weather. "You're only twenty-three, and you've already bought an apartment and started a company. Most men at this age would be thinking about marriage."
"I'm not an ordinary man."
"I know," Shirley smiled. "That's why I asked."
Su Yu looked at her and remained silent for two seconds. "No rush."
"What about Soobin unnie? Aren't you in a hurry?"
Cai Xiubin was called out. She put down her fork, glanced at Su Yu, and then turned to look at Shirley.
"If he's not in a hurry, then I'm not in a hurry either."
Shirley nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
The atmosphere was a little awkward, but no one said anything. Yoon Shi-yoon sensed something was wrong and quickly changed the subject, asking Lee Ji-eun what movie she was filming lately. Lee Ji-eun picked up the conversation and started talking about her new cosmetics endorsement, and the atmosphere gradually eased.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the guests began to leave. Lee Ji-eun was the second to leave, and before she left, she told Su Yu at the door, "The champagne is nice, enjoy it." Park Ji-yeon left next, saying she was going home to cook. Yoon Shi-yoon was the last to leave, and before she left, she patted Su Yu on the shoulder at the door.
"Take care, brother."
"roll."
Yoon Shi-yoon walked away with a smile.
Only Su Yu and Cai Xiubin remained in the room. The setting sun streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the living room in an orange-red hue. Cai Xiubin stood by the window, gazing at the Han River in the distance. The wind ruffled her hair, and her silhouette was beautiful against the backlight.
Su Yu walked over and stood next to her.
Are you tired?
"Not bad." Cai Xiubin turned to look at him. "Of these people today, how many came specifically for you?"
Su Yu did not answer.
Cai Xiubin smiled and didn't ask any further questions. She took a hair tie out of her pocket and tied her hair up, revealing the back of her neck.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"The master bathroom has a very large bathtub." After she finished speaking, she walked towards the bathroom, leaving Su Yu standing alone in the living room.
Su Yu watched her retreating figure, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He walked to the entryway, took a key from his file folder, went to the master bedroom door, and knocked.
The door opened, and Cai Xiubin stood inside, holding a bottle of shower gel.
"Here, take this." Su Yu handed over the key.
Cai Xiubin looked at the key but didn't take it. "What?"
"The key to this house."
Cai Xiubin stared at his hand for several seconds, then looked up, her eyes a little red. She placed the shower gel on the cabinet next to her, reached out and took the key, clutching it in her hand.
"Aren't you afraid I'll empty your house?"
"You move, I'll buy more."
Cai Xiubin smiled, but tears streamed down her face. She wiped them away, put the key in her pocket, and patted it.
"I've put it away."
Su Yu nodded.
Cai Xiubin turned around to test the water in the bathtub, while Su Yu leaned against the door frame watching. The setting sun shone through the window, falling warmly on her shoulders.
Su Yu's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was a message from Kim Dong-wook.
"The fifth transaction has been detected. This time the amount is even larger."
After reading the message, Su Yu put his phone away without replying.
I don't want to work today.
He took off his coat, went into the master bedroom, and closed the door behind him.