The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

"Sell?" The woman's voice rose slightly. "You want to buy that building?"

"Yes, the whole building."

"Well... I can't make that decision. You'll have to talk to our leader. Leave your contact information, and I'll have them get back to you."

Lu Ming gave his phone number and hung up.

Lu Jianjun stood beside him, forgetting to smoke his cigarette. "You want to buy this building?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how much it costs?"

"No idea, I'll ask first."

Lu Jianjun opened his mouth but then closed it again.

They waited downstairs for about twenty minutes.

Lu Ming walked around the building again, taking a few photos with his phone.

The overall structure of the building was good, with a reinforced concrete frame. The glass curtain wall on the exterior was a bit dusty but showed no obvious damage.

Through the glass, the layout of the first-floor lobby could be seen. It was at least five meters high, more than enough for a reception area.

As he was taking photos, his phone rang.

It was a local number.

"Hello, are you the one interested in the building? My name is Zhao, and I'm the agent for the property." The voice on the other end was a middle-aged man speaking quickly.

"Yes, I'd like to know more about the building."

"It's hard to explain over the phone. Can we meet? Are you available now?"

"I'm just downstairs."

"Alright, I'll be there in ten minutes."

Zhao's ten minutes weren't very accurate.

Lu Ming waited for about twenty-five minutes before a black Passat turned into the square and parked.

The car door opened, and a man in his early forties got out, wearing a dark polo shirt tucked into his slacks, with a bunch of keys hanging from his waist.

He quickly noticed the Maybach parked at the edge of the square and quickened his pace.

"Was it you who called?" The man approached Lu Ming, his gaze shifting between him and the Maybach.

"Yes, Lu Ming." Lu Ming extended his hand.

"Zhao Weiqiang, just call me Old Zhao." Zhao Weiqiang shook his hand and nodded at Lu Jianjun. "Brother Jun, you're here too."

"Uncle, do you know each other?" Lu Ming looked at Lu Jianjun.

"We're all in the county, how could we not know each other?" Lu Jianjun waved his hand.

"You two?" Zhao Weiqiang was a bit puzzled about their relationship.

"My nephew, Lu Ming. I've mentioned him to you."

Zhao Weiqiang nodded. "A young hero!"

He took a key from his waist and unlocked the entrance, stepping aside to let them in. "Shall we take a look inside?"

The three of them entered the building.

The first-floor lobby was even more spacious than Lu Ming had seen from outside.

The floor was covered with light gray tiles, clean but dusty.

In the center was a circular reception desk, now empty, with only a thin layer of dust on the surface.

There were two elevators and one staircase.

Zhao Weiqiang led the way, showing them floor by floor.

The layout from the second to the fifth floor was similar, divided into rooms of various sizes, some with glass partitions, others with gypsum board.

Each floor had two large conference rooms, the kind with projectors, though the projectors had been removed, leaving screw holes where the mounts had been.

The sixth floor was different.

The entire floor was open, with no partitions, over a thousand square meters, with lighting on three sides.

"This floor was originally intended to be a banquet hall," Zhao Weiqiang said, leaning against the window. "The owner had big ambitions, planning to make it Yunmeng's first commercial complex, with dining and meetings upstairs and shopping and entertainment downstairs. But halfway through, he disappeared."

Lu Ming looked down from the sixth-floor window.

Weeds were sprouting from the cracks in the square's tiles, growing unchecked.

"Who holds the property rights to this building now?" Lu Ming asked.

"The County Finance Bureau."

Zhao Weiqiang answered readily, "After the owner fled, leaving a mountain of debt, the bank took over the building. It was auctioned twice without success, and eventually, the county government took it over. They spent over four million on basic renovations, hoping to turn it into a startup incubator. But as you can see, not a single tenant."

"How much?" Lu Ming asked.

Zhao Weiqiang hesitated for a moment.

He pulled out a pack of Golden Leaf cigarettes, offering one to Lu Jianjun and then to Lu Ming.

The three of them stood in the empty hall on the sixth floor, each lighting a cigarette.

"To be honest, with Brother Jun here, we're all friends."

Zhao Weiqiang exhaled a puff of smoke. "The county has been troubled by this building for a long time. The annual property fees, utilities, and basic maintenance costs add up to tens of thousands, all covered by the finance bureau. Leaving it as is loses money, demolishing it loses even more."

He paused, glancing at Lu Ming.

"You're the first to call about it this year."

Lu Ming flicked his cigarette ash. "Give me a real price."

Zhao Weiqiang first held up two fingers, then three.

"Thirty million?"

"No, no." Zhao Weiqiang shook his head. "Twenty-three."

Twenty-three million.

Six floors, over twelve thousand square meters of office space, plus over a thousand square meters of square land.

It worked out to less than two thousand per square meter.

Lu Ming looked around. The interior renovation was indeed just a step above a bare shell.

The water and electricity were connected, and the fire safety was done, but the walls were still whitewashed, and the floors were covered with the most basic tiles. For formal office use, it would need a complete renovation.

"Does that include the square land?"

"Includes it. The land and building together, with a fifty-year property right."

Lu Ming did some quick calculations.

A twenty-three million building, with renovations at a thousand per square meter, would be another twelve million.

"Can it be cheaper?"

Zhao Weiqiang laughed. "Brother, this is already a rock-bottom price. Check the city; what's the price for an office building of the same size?"

"I'm not comparing with the city; I'm comparing with Yunmeng County," Lu Ming said. "This building has been empty for over two years without a single tenant, and it's still losing money every year. If I don't buy it, you'll continue to lose."

Zhao Weiqiang paused halfway through his cigarette.

He reassessed Lu Ming.

In his twenties, not dressed to stand out, but driving a Maybach, paid in full, and not looking like he was just browsing.

"How much are you offering?"

"Twenty million even."

Zhao Weiqiang stubbed out his cigarette. "I need to report to the leaders."

"Alright." Lu Ming also stubbed out his cigarette. "Please do it quickly."

Zhao Weiqiang stubbed out his cigarette. "Alright, President Lu, I'll report to the leaders right away, but this three million difference isn't a small amount. I'll do my best, but you should be prepared."

He hurried out of the hall, leaving Lu Ming and Lu Jianjun.

Lu Ming understood that three million wasn't a trivial amount, but more importantly, it was about sending a signal.

The county's financial strain was a fact. For someone like him willing to invest back home, the local government would naturally be pleased, but he couldn't be a fool.

Every penny carried his grand ambitions and had to be used wisely, securing the most reasonable terms to maximize the utility of his funds, rather than wasting it on unnecessary premiums.

He hoped this negotiation would show the other party his seriousness and respect for the rules.

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"Ming, how much money have you made? Can you give me a hint? Money isn't spent like this," Lu Jianjun's tone was full of concern.

"Uncle, I know what I'm doing."

As they spoke, Zhao Weiqiang returned with a smile. "Gentlemen, good news, the leaders agreed."