According to the original agreement, the villa was supposed to be ready by the end of the year, but that was just an estimate—it really depended on construction progress. Just after the New Year, Zhou You got a call telling him to come pick up the keys. After calming Professor Li down, he couldn't contain his excitement and set off on the journey back.
When it came to taking possession of the villa, based on the price, the deed tax and maintenance fund alone would cost hundreds of thousands. Since he paid in full, the property deed was processed right away. Zhou You had the salesperson take him along, and he called Sun Peng to join him for the inspection. After all, the quality of a house can vary a lot, depending on the workers' attitude and skill at the time—the differences are significant.
Following the salesperson to the middle of the complex, they were a good distance from the surrounding roads, and the noise from passing cars was almost inaudible. The villas were spaced far apart, separated by dedicated courtyard walls. Pushing open the door, the yard wasn't as big as one in the countryside, but for a city, it was already substantial. Later developments might also be called villas, but their yards were only a few dozen square meters—every inch of land was precious.
Since it was completely raw and unfinished, the yard looked quite dilapidated, overgrown with weeds and scattered with rubble. Zhou You couldn't help but frown: "Usually, when a house is handed over, there's a basic cleanup. You guys are way too sloppy here!" The real estate staff apologized promptly—after all, anyone who could afford a villa was either wealthy or influential: "Sorry, Mr. Zhou, I'll handle it right away." With that, they called someone to come and do a deeper clean.
Pushing open the door, the interior was very rough, almost industrial in style, with many pipes exposed. That was normal, though, as it made later renovations easier. The staircase was especially bare, without even a handrail, so walking up it required caution. There was no built-in elevator; Zhou You would have to install one himself later, though the shaft was already预留. The house had three floors above ground and one below, each about 200 square meters. At the top, there was a large terrace that could be modified according to personal needs. Three garages were included, all on the second basement level, and the complex had separate paths for people and cars, with elevator access straight down.
Sun Peng stood nearby, completely stunned. The difference between a countryside villa and a city one was huge—different internal layouts, different daily uses. "Xiao You, you're right. I wouldn't know how to renovate a house like this yet," Sun Peng admitted his ignorance frankly. "That's why I called you here," Zhou You said honestly. "First, to supervise for me, and second, to learn from others. If you can do the work, join in; if not, just observe." "Later, you'll get involved too. Once the renovation is done, take plenty of photos and use them as renderings for clients."
In the renovation business, especially for villas, without past cases to show, no one would choose you. When people are spending millions, who cares about saving a little extra? Zhou You planned to renovate this villa thoroughly, making it his foundation, so he wouldn't have to bother moving again. "Brother Peng, here's my initial idea: on the first floor, set up a fish pond and a grape trellis. I want to grow some grapes and have a spot to sunbathe in winter. Lean toward a Chinese style, not European or American." Zhou You laid out all his thoughts. "Also, on the first floor, I want a gym and training room. On the top floor, a home theater for watching movies and documentaries. Put the study on the second floor for easy reading." "That's what I've thought of so far. Find a few renovation companies, have them submit designs, and pick the best one."
Zhou You didn't want to handle it himself, so he handed the task to Sun Peng, which also helped expand his business. Sun Peng was happy to oblige. As a major shareholder, Zhou You was already being more than generous. "I'll keep a close eye on moisture and waterproofing—those are easy trouble spots. I just checked the overall terrain of this complex; your plot is slightly higher than others, so flooding isn't likely." Sun Peng knew where the pitfalls were, and having someone familiar with the situation was far better than outsourcing.
"Brother Peng, make the second-floor bathroom bigger. I want a bathtub." Zhou You had been craving a bathtub for a long time. The big house he originally built could fit one in the bathroom, but later houses basically couldn't—only standing showers were possible, with pitifully small spaces. To meet basic needs, a 130-square-meter apartment would be crammed into four bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. A 100-square-meter one could still squeeze out three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. Every room's size was compressed to the extreme. It was practical and convenient, but it sacrificed a lot of comfort.
As they walked and looked around, Zhou You's ideas kept flowing—tweaking this, fixing that. Sun Peng was experienced too, having done urban home renovations before. Clients' demands were always bizarre. It was almost laughable: people with just over 100 square meters would still hire a designer. Could they even fit everything in? Was a designer really necessary? Just throwing away thousands, even tens of thousands!
"Xiao You, what's your budget?" Sun Peng couldn't help asking. "Cap it at 2 million. Skip the flashy stuff. Focus on sturdy, durable materials—simple but not simplistic." Sun Peng was stumped by that last phrase. Clients were all the same: what did "simple but not simplistic" even mean? In plain terms, it was low-key luxury with substance, and that was tough. Still, Sun Peng didn't say anything. He'd just pass the requirements to the design firms and see if those big-city companies could pull it off. Deep down, he felt a bit of satisfaction: "I'm the client now, not the contractor."
"Brother Peng, I've rented a place nearby for you guys—ready to move in and convenient. All expenses during the renovation are on me." Zhou You had already arranged their accommodation. "Alright, I'll be there every day to keep an eye on things and push the schedule. Aim to have it ready by summer break." Sun Peng didn't want to drag it out too long, since he had his own business to run.
After the inspection, Zhou You called Wang Fangfang, Li Houliang, and Wang Ping to throw a welcome dinner for Sun Peng. He gave Sun Peng their contact info and had them all add each other as friends. Zhou You still had to make a trip to Beijing soon, so he'd have them keep an eye on the villa and reach out if any issues came up. He especially told Li Houliang to drop by often to add some presence.
It wasn't that Zhou You was overly concerned—after all, this was his first time buying a villa in this life or his past one, and it still felt novel. He wanted it to be comfortable. Once everything was set, though, Zhou You felt like he'd forgotten something. Lying in bed, slipping into a relaxed state, it suddenly hit him. "I didn't plan a gaming room!" Zhou You had always dreamed of having a high-end computer setup, and if conditions allowed, a full gaming room. The computer had to be top-tier, starting at 10,000 yuan, capable of running all the big games on the market—Red Dead Redemption was the baseline; if it couldn't handle that, he wouldn't buy it. He had to do it, no question.