building

Chapter 8

Yes or no?"

The secretary replied coldly, "This is our rule here."

My loud voice had already attracted the attention of many employees. I shrugged and said, "Okay, but I'm in a hurry..."

"I need to ask him something very important!"

The secretary, as if there was no room for negotiation, coldly said, "Come early the day after tomorrow morning."

I didn't say anything more to her, straightened my posture, and walked past her, heading straight towards the sign that read "Architect Chen Tuqiang".

As she walked towards that door, the secretary shouted, "Hey, what are you doing?"

I stopped in front of the door and said, "Perhaps you need to get a hearing aid. I've said it three times already. I need to see Mr. Chen!"

My words elicited a burst of laughter, and the secretary's face turned bright red, but I had already pushed open the door and gone inside.

Inside was a rather luxurious office. I immediately saw a middle-aged man with graying hair working at an office desk.

Behind the desk, he was reviewing a large number of documents.

When I appeared at the door, he looked up at me with a look of utter surprise on his face. I heard the secretary...

The young lady's voice came from behind me, and I immediately said, "Excuse me, Mr. Chen, I did not obtain your secretary's permission."

But I have something important to discuss with you.

The middle-aged man stood up, smiling, and said, "Please come in."

As I walked in, the secretary appeared at the door, her face full of anger. The middle-aged man immediately said, "Ms. Shi..."

"Sister, please close the door. This gentleman says he has something important to discuss with me!"

The young woman looked disgruntled. She paused briefly, but still closed the office door.

This kind of employer-employee relationship is quite rare, and of course, I have no interest in investigating it further; I simply...

I stepped forward, shook hands with the other person, and introduced myself. The other person was architect Chen Tuqiang. I sat down opposite him.

Looking at me, I already knew how to begin, so without saying anything unnecessary, I immediately said, "Mr. Chen, I know..."

"I know you've designed many buildings, but there's one that must have left a very deep impression on you."

Chen Tuqiang looked at me with a questioning gaze. I continued speaking, saying, "This building was originally designed for three..."

There was originally one elevator, but the homeowner insisted on having only one, so you had no choice but to comply with their wishes and make the changes.

"You've changed your original design!"

Chen Tuqiang listened attentively to me, and as soon as I finished speaking, he chimed in, "That's right, I remember this building."

"Has it been finished for quite some time now?"

I nodded and said, "Yes, it's been completed for a long time, but the entire first floor hasn't been sold and is completely empty."

Chen Tuqiang shook his head: "I warned him that day that changing the design was fine, the only consequence was that..."

No one would want that building, but he wouldn't listen to me.

The "he" Chen Tuqiang referred to was naturally the owner of that building. It seems my plan went fairly smoothly.

Because Chen Tuqiang had a very deep impression of that building.

Part Four: The Elderly Enjoying Their Retirement

I then asked, "Is there some special reason why the homeowner insists on changing the design?"

Chen Tuqiang shook his head: "No, or he may have had a special reason, but he didn't tell me!"

He paused briefly before continuing, "What, is there a problem with this building? If it's because of electricity..."

If there aren't enough ladders and they can't be sold, it's very difficult to remedy the situation!

I smiled and said, "I'm not here on behalf of the homeowner; I just want to know who this homeowner is!"

The architect paused for a moment, then did not answer me immediately.

I quickly asked, "Is it because of business confidentiality that you can't tell me who he is?"

I was mentally preparing myself; if his answer was yes, then I would tell him about Luo Ding and Xiao Guo.

I told him the whole story, and it seemed he would be very interested in it too. So, I was sure he would tell me.

Alright.

"Who knew I was wrong," Chen Tuqiang said after a moment of stunned silence. "Thinking back on this now, I still feel..."

It's strange, because I never knew his name, only that his surname was Wang, and he was always the one who came to find me.

I don't know where he lives, so I really can't answer your question!

I paused for a moment, then said, "So, you remember what he looks like?"

The architect nodded and said, "I remember, a thin, withered old man, who looked very rich, rich enough to do whatever he wanted."

He's stubborn by nature!

I stood up: "Thank you for your meeting, Mr. Chen!"

Chen Tuqiang shook my hand again. As I thought about it, I opened the door and went out. The secretary was still quite fierce.

He glared at me fiercely.

I made a face at her, and then gestured to an employee to ask if I could borrow the phone.

I called Xiao Guo's firm, found an employee, and asked, "Did you ask for the owner's name and address?"

The answer I received was: "We found the name of the landowner, but the property owner is registered under the name of the construction company."

.

I said, "Okay, is the landowner surnamed Wang?"

"Yes, Wang Zhiyi, his address is in the suburbs, on Highway 7, Lot 983, a place called 'Juefei Garden'."

The location was probably a villa.

I nodded and said, "Very well, I'll go see Mr. Wang now!"

I hung up the phone and left the architectural firm. I felt I had gained a lot, especially after meeting that client.

After that, at least I know why he insisted on changing the design of the three elevators!

I drove straight to the suburbs; Highway 7 is a major branch road in the suburbs, leading directly to a foggy mountain.

Scattered across the sky were a few houses; the car drove higher and higher, and sunlight streamed down from the clouds, creating streaks of light.

The pillars of light created a magnificent sight.

Twenty minutes after we started driving on the mountain road, I saw a row of brick walls with eaves covered in green glazed tiles, and then...

I saw the magnificent main gate, with the three characters "Juefei Garden" written on it.

I stopped the car. This "Juefei Garden" was very large, occupying the entire valley, with walls extending in all directions.

From outside the door, I couldn't see what was happening inside the wall.

I arrived at the door, which was made of bronze and looked heavy and sturdy, giving it an old-fashioned feel.

Judging from this door alone, one can imagine that the elderly person living here must be stubborn and conservative.

He's here!

I thought for a moment and then looked for the doorbell, but after searching for a while, I realized that this rather grand gate didn't have one. I had no choice but to...

He grabbed the brass ring on the door and slammed it against the door.

The mountains were very quiet, and even the sound of banging on the door was quite loud.

About two minutes later, I heard a "click" sound from inside the door, followed by a...

A small square hole appeared, and a wrinkled face emerged from it, looking me over and asking, "What is it?"

I said, "I want to see Mr. Wang Zhiyi."

A look of confusion appeared on his face. He stared at me for a moment before asking, "What is it?"

I had already thought it through. I said, "I am a construction businessman, and I am interested in buying the building he is building. My surname is..."

guard."

The face remained pressed against the small hole, then said, "Please wait a moment."

Then the small hole closed, and under these circumstances, I had no choice but to obey orders and wait outside.

Other methods.

I took two steps back and paced back and forth. Time slowly passed; at least twenty minutes had gone by, and both inside and outside the gate, there was still...

It was so quiet that there wasn't a sound at all, and I was getting a little impatient.

I arrived at the door, and just as I was about to grab the brass ring to knock, the door suddenly opened.

As soon as the door opened, I saw the same person standing inside, dressed in a gray cloth tunic, looking like a servant.

He said, "Please come in, the master is waiting for you in the living room!"

I nodded, looked up, and couldn't help but take a deep breath. What I saw was a meticulously crafted...

A meticulously arranged garden, exquisitely designed in the style of traditional Chinese courtyards. In my experience, at first glance, nothing compares to it.

The only one that remains is the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou.

The first thing you see is a small, covered walkway formed by dozens of gnarled and ancient wisteria vines, with trees everywhere.

There were flowers, a path paved with pebbles, and even a few pairs of cranes.

After traversing many winding roads, I finally saw the house. The old servant stayed by my side, no matter what questions I asked him.

He remained silent, so for the rest of the journey, I also stopped speaking.

It wasn't until I saw the house that I couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration. Suddenly, I felt...

It's as if time has rewound several hundred years; those truly ancient buildings are nowhere to be seen now!

Genuine ancient architecture is distinct from fake antiques that appear antique but are merely there to please Western tourists.

Similarly, upon entering the lobby, the spacious and comfortable feeling was refreshing.