When Yi Anguo and his two companions arrived, Ou Xiaolong was already waiting with a group of company staff, ready to welcome him.

Before his rebirth, Yi Anguo had actually visited this residential complex. Knowing it had significant appreciation potential, he came to inspect the properties and see the effect of the finished renovations. In reality, it was just a formality, a cursory glance. The truth was, he didn't understand much about the construction industry and couldn't discern anything of substance from what he saw.

But that wasn't very important. How many homebuyers genuinely understood these things? Who would actually measure the size of a house with a ruler? Isn't the area written on the property deed the final word?

In fact, the actual usable area of a house is always different from the area on the property certificate because of the shared common area. The size of this common area isn't decided by the developer, so is it supposed to be decided by the buyer? Corridors, elevator shafts, stairwells—they are all considered common areas. How could you possibly measure it all?

"The standard of the finished renovations is clearly a notch below that of Blue Coast," Yi Anguo remarked to Ou Xiaolong, who was accompanying him on the tour after they had inspected several completed units.

"And the included furniture, these refrigerators, color TVs, and household appliances are also inferior to those at Blue Coast."

Ou Xiaolong smiled awkwardly. "Indeed, we can't match the standard of Blue Coast. But that's a high-end residential complex, and ours is more of a standard one. The tiers are different, and so are the prices. Our prices are much cheaper than theirs."

"Moreover, their units are generally larger. With larger units, the cost of outfitting them with high-end furniture and appliances is much lower when spread out per square meter."

"Our focus here is on smaller units. If we use high-end furniture and appliances, the cost per square meter becomes much higher."

"Mr. Ou, Blue Coast's fourth phase is also focusing on smaller units," Yi Anguo said with a laugh. "Why don't you go take a look at their finished renovations, and the appliances and furniture they include?"

At a loss for words, Ou Xiaolong smiled awkwardly again. "I won't make any more excuses. You've seen it for yourself; this is the reality."

"Besides, you're just going to rent these apartments out anyway. A slightly lower standard of finish and lower-grade appliances shouldn't really affect your rental prospects, should they?"

Yi Anguo laughed. "Do you really think there won't be any impact?

"Can a five-star hotel charge the same rates as a three-star hotel? What justifies a five-star hotel's high prices, and why are so many people still willing to stay there?

"It's the same principle. If the renovation is high-quality and the furniture and appliances are high-end, wouldn't it be easier for me to rent the units out? And couldn't I charge a higher rent?

"Mr. Ou, I've already made it very clear to you. I'm actually not that keen on buying property right now. It really doesn't matter to me whether I buy or not.

"But we're friends, and since you've asked, I want to help you out as much as I can. That's why I'm here.

"I've seen the development, and I don't want to haggle. Just give me the lowest price you can accept, and I'll see if I can help you.

"As I said, I'll help if I can. If I can't, there's nothing to be done, and I just hope you won't hold it against me."

Yi Anguo had deliberately handed the initiative to Ou Xiaolong, forcing him to name the lowest price he could bear. Yi Anguo didn't know Ou Xiaolong's actual bottom line, nor did he know how to haggle or what a reasonable offer would be. So, he simply let Ou Xiaolong take the lead and name his lowest price.

Ou Xiaolong certainly wanted to sell the properties to him to recoup funds and resolve his financial crisis. But now that the ball was in his court, he had to think very carefully about the price he would name. If he quoted too high, Yi Anguo might just walk away, which would be a failure and disadvantageous for him. If he quoted too low, they would lose out on expected profits, and the other company shareholders would be dissatisfied. His wife's uncles and aunts were always watching him, just waiting for him to make a mistake that they could use to attack him.

This put Ou Xiaolong in a difficult position; a price too low was unacceptable, but a price too high was also a problem. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Yet, Yi Anguo had already passed the ball to him. He had to catch it. He had to be the one to state the price. And there was clearly only one chance. He could see that Yi Anguo wasn't joking; if he dared to quote a high price and Yi Anguo was dissatisfied, he would genuinely turn around and leave. After all, Yi Anguo had made it clear he wasn't particularly interested in the properties and was only here as a favor.

Of course, one couldn't completely trust the words of a businessman. While he spoke of helping, who would help someone for no reason if there wasn't the incentive of profit? Having been in the business world for many years, Ou Xiaolong understood this point perfectly.

The initial quote had been 3,800 yuan per square meter. It was now clear that Yi Anguo considered this too high. Therefore, Ou Xiaolong's second quote could only be lower.

Of course, Ou Xiaolong knew all the figures by heart: the average development cost per square meter, the company's total overhead, the required profit margin, and the absolute lowest price the company could withstand. His offer couldn't be below that baseline; in fact, it had to be a bit higher. Otherwise, even if he saved the company from this crisis, he would inevitably face attacks from the interest group led by his wife's two uncles, which would destabilize his position in the company.

Ou Xiaolong kept calculating, trying to land on the most appropriate price to offer Yi Anguo. It had to be a number Yi Anguo would accept, one that would leave the other company stakeholders with no complaints—a price that would satisfy everyone.

As Ou Xiaolong fell silent, lost in his calculations, Yi Anguo waited, wondering what the final offer would be. In truth, he had already made up his mind. He would accept any price as long as it was lower than yesterday's quote. The real reason for pushing Ou Xiaolong was simply to squeeze out an even lower, rock-bottom price.

Even if it were only 100 yuan less per square meter, a 30-square-meter one-bedroom apartment would be 3,000 yuan cheaper. A two-bedroom would save over 6,000 yuan, and a three-bedroom nearly 9,000 yuan. Across over a thousand units, the savings could reach five to six million yuan. For two thousand units, it would be over ten million—enough to cover several months of mortgage payments.

So, Yi Anguo waited patiently. The longer Ou Xiaolong thought, the more realistic the final price would be, with almost no room left to go lower.

After a long moment of silent deliberation, Ou Xiaolong finally spoke with great earnestness. "Brother Yi, your presence here is help enough. I won't say much more. 3,600 yuan per square meter. This is the lowest price I can offer. If you're willing to help me, I will be extremely grateful. And if you ever need my assistance in the future, I will do my utmost to help you.

"If you still find this price too expensive and can't accept it, then there's nothing I can do, but I won't blame you. You have your own thoughts and considerations. Business is a matter of mutual agreement; no one can force anyone.

"We may be friends, but friendship is friendship, and business is business. Even if this deal doesn't go through, we will still be friends."

"Alright," Yi Anguo said, deliberately pausing for a moment before giving a slow nod.

"Here's to a successful collaboration. And I hope you, Brother Ou, manage to get through this financial crisis."

"Thank you!" Ou Xiaolong said with an excited smile, giving Yi Anguo a big hug.

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