Yi Anguo put on a full act, even taking his own clothes with him. Only then did Li Sisi's father finally stop insisting on taking her back to their hometown.

The renovation work at Chuan Yu Restaurant proceeded as usual, except Li Xiao had reduced the area to 200 square meters. He paid sixty thousand yuan for rent and the deposit, in accordance with the current market rate.

Yi Anguo didn't stand on ceremony with him, offering a three-month rent-free period for the renovation and signing a formal lease agreement.

After examining the contract, Li Xiao asked doubtfully, "Why isn't there a company stamp? Doesn't your company own this shop?"

"It used to be owned by my company, but I've personally purchased it. This shop is my private property, so of course, there's no need for a company stamp," Yi Anguo said with a smile.

"You bought it? For how much? Did you take out another bank loan?" Li Xiao couldn't help but ask.

"Exactly! I already owe the bank a lot of money, so a little more makes no difference. When you have a lot of debt, you stop worrying. Debtors are the real lords," Yi Anguo said with a deliberate laugh.

In reality, he had bought all his shops with cash and hadn't needed to take out any loans at all.

Since he had apparently broken up with Li Sisi, Yi Anguo decided to move in long-term with his daughter at Hu Jing's place. Hu Qian wasn't busy anyway, so she could play with Yi Xinyi, which made her quite happy.

The Blue Coast Phase Three sales office was large. Chuan Yu Restaurant only took up 200 square meters, leaving 950 square meters vacant. Yi Anguo felt the extra space shouldn't be left unused. After some thought, he divided it into several storefronts and registered his own real estate agency.

In the future, when his properties became vacant, he could list them for rent through his agency and earn half a month's rent as commission. Besides, it would be much more convenient when he wanted to sell property, and he could earn a brokerage fee as well.

Yi Anguo planned to sell some of his properties for cash before July of next year to invest in the stock market. After all, a bull market was coming. Although property prices were set to surge in 2005, 2006, and 2007, that was less impressive compared to the stock market's potential to multiply an investment dozens of times over.

Of course, he could also choose not to sell. He could get a second mortgage on his properties instead. Since their values had increased, he could still borrow a substantial amount.

But all of this was a matter for later and not worth dwelling on for now.

While Yi Anguo was busy handling the various purchase contracts and mortgage procedures for Blue Coast Phase Four, Chen Ting suddenly called him. She told him to come over and collect the rent, as she was ready to pay. She warned that if he didn't come immediately, he shouldn't blame her if she ran out of money again.

A headache began to form in Yi Anguo's mind. Thankfully, he was mostly finished with his work, and since there was rent to collect, he might as well go get it. Chen Ting already owed him half a year's rent, which was over ten thousand yuan.

When he arrived at Chen Ting's apartment, he saw her dressed in a stylish and beautiful outfit that was obviously expensive. She looked elegant and gorgeous.

"Landlord Brother! You're here! I bought you an outfit. Come on, try it on quickly!" Chen Ting said delightedly, pulling Yi Anguo inside.

A sense of foreboding struck Yi Anguo. "What are you doing? Didn't you call me here to collect the rent? Why are you giving me clothes?" he asked.

"Oh, Landlord Brother, please just try on the outfit and shoes first. I said I would pay the rent, and I will! I always keep my word," Chen Ting said coquettishly.

"Well, now... why are you being so agreeable today?" Yi Anguo replied with a happy smile.

Luckily, Chen Ting was his only tenant like this. If he had several more, he'd be in serious trouble. But today, not only could he collect the rent, but he was also getting a new set of clothes and shoes. It seems the little heiress finally grew a conscience and decided to compensate him.

Yi Anguo entered the room, took out the clothes Chen Ting had prepared, and realized they were no ordinary garments. Although he wasn't familiar with luxury brands, he could tell at a glance that these were not from a common label. The logo looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He wasn't well-versed in or particularly interested in these foreign luxury goods, but he knew they couldn't be cheap.

After putting them on, he felt very comfortable. Looking in the mirror, he thought he looked quite handsome. The shoes also felt great—they were comfortable and fit perfectly.

When he stepped out of the room, Chen Ting stared in amazement. "You look so handsome! Landlord Brother! I think I'm falling for you."

Yi Anguo was inwardly flattered but remained clear-headed. "Stop that! Just hurry up and pay the rent," he said. "I'm very busy. I have a lot of other things to do!"

"Landlord Brother, I never said I wouldn't pay the rent! What's the rush?" Chen Ting said playfully. Then she produced another box. "Here's a watch, too," she said, taking out a men's timepiece. "Put it on, and I guarantee you'll look even more handsome!"

As she spoke, she helped Yi Anguo fasten it onto his wrist.

Indeed, clothes make the man. Dressed in high-end designer clothes and sporting a luxury watch, he looked like a completely different person.

Chen Ting naturally lavished him with more praise. Although Yi Anguo was pleased, he feigned calmness and said, "Can we take care of the rent now?"

"Landlord Brother! I said I'd pay, and I will! But first, you have to do me a favor. After I gave you such a nice outfit, you can't refuse to help me, can you?" Chen Ting implored sweetly.

"I knew you weren't giving me clothes for nothing," Yi Anguo said, refusing to be tricked. "But I don't have time to help you. These clothes are nice, though. How much are they? Just deduct it from the rent, and we'll say I bought them myself."

"No! Please, just help me. I promise, as soon as you're done, I'll pay you all the rent immediately. Please?" Chen Ting pleaded pitifully.

Yi Anguo felt obligated now that he had accepted her gifts. "What kind of favor?" he asked with a resigned sigh. "You can tell me, but I'm not promising anything."

"It's a simple favor. You just have to come home with me once and let my dad see you. See? It's really easy, isn't it?" Chen Ting said with a bright smile.

"Why would I go home with you to see your father? I'm not your boyfriend. No, absolutely not. I can't help you with that," Yi Anguo said, shaking his head firmly.

"You just need to come home with me and let my father take a look at you. It's such a simple thing, why can't you help me?" Chen Ting pouted.

"If you won't even help me with a small favor like this, then I guess I don't have any money to pay your rent!

"Also, this top is 9,888 yuan, these pants are 13,888 yuan, these shoes are 6,666 yuan, this belt is 3,398 yuan, and this watch is 250,000 yuan. So, Landlord Brother, will you be paying me in cash or via bank transfer?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.