Zhuo Weidong didn't have any regrets. He had already recouped his capital in a timely manner and earned his rightful share. Now, in the city center of the Futen District, he had secured a piece of land for commercial development. He was building Zhuo Plaza, constructing a top-tier hotel and office building, and the returns after completion were guaranteed to be impressive.

Zhuo Weidong conducted business based on his own principles: earn the money he deserved, and never fret or fuss just because someone else made money.

Yi Anguo might have made a fortune, but it was entirely due to his own luck and extraordinary courage. Others wouldn't have had the guts to take on such a prize, given the substantial risks involved. One false move could lead to utter ruin, with one's family destroyed and everything turning to ash.

"Brother Zhuo! You wouldn't be here unless you needed something. We know each other well enough that there's no need to beat around the bush or stand on ceremony. Just tell me what's on your mind," Yi Anguo said with a smile. He didn't want to hear Zhuo Weidong talk about envy.

Everyone has different pursuits in life. Some care about the process, others only about the outcome. Some are naturally restless, while others know how to enjoy life and be content with what they have.

Zhuo Weidong was the restless type who pursued his career and enjoyed the process of success. Yi Anguo, on the other hand, preferred to take things as they came, caring only about the outcome, not the process. If you could make money easily, why work so hard?

"Doing business with you is a pleasure, Brother Yi. You're so direct. In that case, I won't beat around the bush either. The truth is, I'm in a tight spot. I'm short on cash and was hoping you could help me out," Zhuo Weidong said, getting straight to the point.

"No way! Did I hear that right? Brother Zhuo, you're short on money and you're coming to *me* for help? You've sold nearly all your properties; you have nothing left to sell! How am I supposed to help you?" Yi Anguo replied with a helpless, bitter smile.

"Don't you have plenty of properties you could liquidate? You could take out a second mortgage. Or just sell off a hundred or two hundred units!" Brother Zhuo said with a smile.

"Ah, now I get it. Brother Zhuo, you're here to call in your debt. You want me to hurry up and repay the 90 million I borrowed from your company!" Yi Anguo said helplessly.

"It's not like I have a choice. Property prices have already doubled, so you won't lose money selling now. Just consider it a favor for your old brother," Zhuo Weidong said, also sounding somewhat helpless.

Yi Anguo thought it over. Selling the properties now would still be a bit of a loss and wasn't ideal, but securing a second mortgage was a viable option. The ninety million he owed had to be repaid sooner or later, and the stock market also required capital. He might as well take out a larger loan.

"Brother Zhuo! It's not that I can't help you, but there's something I need to bring to your attention. Your property management is getting a bit outrageous, don't you think? Charging thirty to replace a fuse and fifty to fix a pipe—that's far more expensive than hiring someone from the outside!" Yi Anguo said with dissatisfaction. "It feels like we're paying the management fees for nothing. What kind of service is this? The property management charges for every little thing, and the prices are exorbitant."

"This is happening? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I'll have someone look into it right away. This is completely out of line!" Zhuo Weidong exclaimed in surprise. He was genuinely unaware of the issue. He had appointed a company executive to oversee property management and hadn't inquired about the specific operational details.

"If you don't improve the property management, then once the free period is over, I'll set up my own company to manage my properties. And I won't be paying you any more management fees," Yi Anguo complained.

"Brother Yi, if you're interested in taking over property management, I could transfer it directly to you! In the future, I could hand over the management of all my real estate developments to you," Zhuo Weidong suddenly suggested. "But I won't lead you on; property management is a thankless job. If you manage it well, you can make a little money. But if you manage it poorly, you could end up losing money."

"Surely not? How can it lose money with all the management fees collected every month? Don't tell me it's losing money because you waived my three years of fees, is it?" Yi Anguo said, finding it hard to believe.

"I'm not kidding you. Even without waiving your fees, it's already a struggle just to break even," Zhuo Weidong said helplessly.

"The situation here is still manageable. Some residential communities have severe issues with delinquent fees, which makes the job even harder. The property management company worries constantly and barely makes a profit. A single misstep could lead to a loss.

"Otherwise, why do you think so many communities are managed by companies established by the developers themselves? Do you think it's because they want to make more money?

"Actually, it's not what you think. It's difficult to find a suitable property management company to come in, so developers have no choice but to create their own just to keep the community running normally.

"To standardize a community's property management, developers have to bite the bullet and persist, even if it means losing money every month. After all, the quality of a community's management directly affects the real estate development company's reputation.

"If the property management in a community is handled poorly, it will significantly impact the sales of the developer's next project.

"When prospective home buyers hear that a certain community's management is a mess, and it was built by this particular developer, who would want to buy a home in their new development?"

Yi Anguo finally understood what Zhuo Weidong was saying. "If you want me to take over the property management company, how would the transfer work? And what about the three years of waived fees you promised me?"

"That's simple. We'll just handle the transition of the staff and finances. I'm not trying to make money off you. As for the waived fees I promised, I'll just pay you the equivalent amount in cash. As long as you're willing to take over, everything is negotiable. I can even leave the original team for you. You can keep whoever you want and send back anyone you don't."

Yi Anguo nodded.

He didn't really care whether the property company made money or not, as it probably wouldn't lose much anyway. What mattered to him was having his own people and his own physical enterprise. Although he held a majority share in Guohui Fresh Supermarket, it still felt like something was missing.

After all, he was completely hands-off with Guohui Supermarket, having delegated its management to his brother-in-law. He only offered occasional guidance based on memories from his past life, providing his forward-thinking perspectives. He had no involvement in the actual operations and didn't even draw a salary, only collecting dividends from his shares. But the supermarket was still in its growth phase, so what dividends were there to take? The only income was the monthly rent for the store space.

Owning a property management company, however, would be a different story. He could hire more guards to ensure the communities' safety, with staff not only at every entrance but also patrolling at night to protect the residents. The crucial point was that if he ever needed manpower, he could summon a group of security guards with military backgrounds at a moment's notice. The thought was appealing; it would be a significant asset. He would rather spend more to hire high-quality veterans, keeping them well-trained in their downtime so they would be effective when needed. He wouldn't hire poorly disciplined young men or older guys who were fine when things were calm but couldn't be relied upon in an emergency.

Besides, having high-quality veterans as security would make collecting management fees much easier. Owners looking to delay payment would have a hard time finding excuses. A major reason for fee delinquency in many communities was inadequate property management. If the security staff consisted of nothing but a few old men, how could residents possibly feel safe? Without a sense of security, coupled with poor management and low-quality staff, it was only natural for residents to feel resistant and unwilling to pay their fees on time.

After discussing the details of the property management handover, Yi Anguo agreed to return the ninety million yuan to Zhuo Weidong as soon as possible, especially since he was already in the process of divesting his shares in the national liquor stock.

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