"Normally, according to the procedure, I would arrange for a real estate agent to introduce you to the properties. Unfortunately, all our top agents are currently out showing clients. Would you mind if I recommended a few options? Don't worry, I used to be a top agent myself. I'm just helping out at the front desk temporarily because I recently had surgery on my leg."
So that's why she was sitting down the whole time; she had a leg issue.
"That's fine, you can go ahead," I said, pulling a chair for her to sit inside the reception area with me. We looked at the property listings together.
As expected from a former top real estate agent, the first property she recommended was quite suitable. It was called "Zhejiang Building," which housed dining and accommodation facilities, as well as dedicated floors for offices. It was considered a relatively large e-commerce live-streaming base in the area, with many "competitors" around. However, I felt there were too many companies there, with too many eyes and ears, and since we were all beautiful women, it might not be very convenient.
The second option the young lady presented was a villa. It was located in a more secluded area. A semi-detached villa was listed as a single property, with an actual area of 700 square meters, which would be enough for our group to go wild. However, this villa area also had a problem: it was located south of Fucheng, right on the line between the city and Jiuxian Cave. The main road in front led directly to Wofenggou Town, making it easy for returning Mohe members to discover us.
After weighing the options, I still chose the first property. It was about hiding in plain sight. The more live-streaming beauties there were in the building, the less conspicuous our group of little fairies would appear, and paradoxically, the safer we would be.
"I'll take this one, but I'd like a whole floor to myself. Is that possible?" I asked, as the brochures listed properties by the room.
"A whole floor... I'll have to check with them," the receptionist said, calling the building manager. The result came back quickly.
The only available separate floor was the top floor, the 28th. Although the equipment and rooms were the same as those on the lower floors, and even more luxurious, the problem was that winter was fast approaching. Buildings in the northeastern region generally had issues with insulation on the top floors. Last year, the building management had made great efforts to heat the top floor, but they could only maintain an indoor temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, and couldn't raise it further.
"20 degrees indoors, isn't that quite warm?" I asked, confused.
"You're from the south, aren't you? You haven't experienced winter in the northeast, have you?" the young lady asked.
"Ah, no."
"Even though our indoor temperatures are quite high in winter, it still feels very cold. It might be related to humidity. Anyway, 20 degrees is considered quite cold. You'd need to wear a sweater or thick pajamas in your room, which is very inconvenient. Normally, an indoor temperature above 24 degrees Celsius is considered comfortable, allowing you to wear pajamas, or even tank tops and shorts. Wouldn't your live-streaming ladies have to wear something too thick when selling products? They might also need to change clothes. 20 degrees would seem a bit chilly," the young lady explained in detail.
But I didn't think this was a problem. Most of us were demons, and northeastern demons at that. We had experienced all sorts of harsh weather, and after 400 years of severe sealing, even a leaky thatched hut would seem quite good to us now.
"It's fine. My streamers are all resistant to the cold. I'll take this one. Can you ask the manager about the rent?"
"How long do you plan to rent it for? The price varies depending on the lease term."
"One year," I said. I probably wouldn't need it for that long, but I worried that a shorter lease term might arouse suspicion.
The young lady helped me negotiate with the building manager, and we finally agreed on a price with an 8.5 discount. That floor was over 700 square meters and had ten bedrooms, all with standard double beds. There was a conference room that could serve as a large live-streaming studio. In addition, there were rooms for costumes, makeup, and props, a warehouse, eight separate smaller live-streaming studios, and a living area for meetings, meals, and other gatherings. It seemed a previous live-streaming team had operated there, as the setup was too standard.
Besides that, the young lady also managed to secure us the exclusive use of the building's rooftop. There was a small sports field on the rooftop. Fucheng had strong winds in winter, and it was usually closed to the public during that season, but we could use it for exercise.
"Live streamers need to maintain their figure, after all!" the young lady said with a smile.
The economy here wasn't developed, and housing prices were low, so the rent wasn't expensive. For such a large flat floor, the annual rent was only 320,000 yuan.
I felt I didn't need to discuss it with Yaoyao and could sign directly. Last time Chen Lu transferred five million yuan to me to "buy" Chen Ke, perhaps fearing I wouldn't have enough, or wanting to save face for me, she secretly gave Chen Ke another 500,000 yuan. Chen Ke, who had already become mine, didn't hide it from me and reported it, saying she couldn't accept the money and I had to take it back. I agreed, saying it could be used as team expenses.
I went out and called Chen Ke over. I signed the contract in her name and paid a deposit of 10,000 yuan. I needed to see the property before transferring the remaining balance to the agent.