Epiphanies of Rebirth 34
Chapter 34
Lin Jingzhe felt that he could understand why in the future, older businessmen would often reminisce about “the twenty golden years”.
The last two decades of the 20th century had been a period of rapid economic growth of China. In order to promote business development, almost all new policies implemented by the state were aimed at boosting GDP.
Those who were lucky enough to jump on board managed to get twice the rewards with half the effort because formalities had been much simpler and less troublesome. If this were a few years into the future, Lin Jingzhe would never have managed to borrow a sum of money three times the market value of the land he was using as collateral, especially since Lot No. 9 was not in a good location—not even mentioning the fact that the newly established New Beginnings Real Estate, which had no prior contracts, was a high-risk borrower. However, in 1990, such an absurd thing was easily accomplished.
Unlike later generations, the people of this era did not have easy access to information and were much less daring; among the businessmen of the early nineties, even Hu Shaofeng could be considered a risk-taker. The Chinese had a culture in which people leaned towards being pragmatic and down-to-earth, and the story of “the Chinese old lady and American old lady buying houses” was not very widespread among the public. This difference in values meant that the banks’ annual lending targets often could not be reached. As a result, as long as it wasn’t a blatantly obvious fraud, loan applications from legally registered companies would not be rejected.
At the gate of heaven, an old Chinese lady and an old American lady met. God asked them to tell the happiest thing that happened in their lives.
“I saved money all my life, and finally lived in a new house for a day before I died. I have lived my life in the right way,” the Chinese old lady said happily.
“I lived in the house I bought for a lifetime, and finally paid off the mortgage loan before I died,” the American old lady also said with pleasure.
God sighed and said, “Different choices lead to different results.”
The business license that Lin Jingzhe had acquired with the help of Fang Wenhao now came into great use. Fang Wenhao also inadvertently let him become acquainted with Big Tiger, the boss of DaHu Group and one of the “local snakes.”
Big Tiger’s real name was Xiao Zhanghu. He was actually related to Fang Wenhao, but his parents were far less powerful than Fang Wenhao’s. Unable to act as freely and boldly as Fang Wenhao, he ran an “intermediary agency” in Yan City. To put it bluntly: he was a broker and an agent who would do anything except for pimping. He and Tian Dahua could be said to operate similar businesses.
Big Tiger, however, was more straightforward and less inquisitive than Tian Dahua—as long as he was paid enough money, he’d do what was requested of him, no questions asked. When Lin Jingzhe contacted him and asked for help with the loan, he silently took the deposit; three days later, the loan documents were delivered to Lin Jingzhe’s door.
For a period of two years, the seven million was now twenty million. The moment Lin Jingzhe got the money, he went to take a look at the current state of Yan City.
At this time in his last life, he had just arrived here. He was picked up by his father right away and ended up living a life of a rich man from that point on; whenever he went out, there was a car to send him and bring him back, so he never really paid much attention to the development of the city. Even so, he still retained some broad impressions, and the older the memory, the more vivid it was.
However, because he had grown too accustomed to seeing the results of those changes, the world prior to them became unfamiliar instead.
For example, the area surrounding Lin Runsheng’s house. Lin Jingzhe felt strange when he drove along the road leading to it. He had lived there for several years in his last life, but what he remembered more vividly was the skyscraper that had been built next to the intersection about ten years after he moved out or Yan City New Cultural Park that in the future would be 200 meters away after turning right.
Around ‘94, he hadn’t fallen out with Lin Runsheng yet; it was the period when he had acted the most arrogant and unbridled, living a life that the majority of rich young masters lived, similar to Hu Shaofeng’s.
In those days, he had liked driving his brand-new car on local roads at full speed. By that time, the migrant population in Yan City had begun to increase, and the roads also gradually became less empty. Since driving in the urban area was no longer enjoyable, he and his followers found a newly completed road in the suburbs that had not yet been opened to the public. If his memory didn’t fail him, that road passed through the expedited, newly constructed urban area; it was surrounded by half-finished buildings and other projects under construction, including a subway line, National Theatre, city hall, new train stations, and so on. Consequently, in addition to already being uneven due to new patches of asphalt that were continuously being added, several sections were also dug up, making it uncomfortable to drive on. When he raced on it, the profanities flying from his mouth never stopped.
Lin Jingzhe turned the steering wheel and took a right at the traffic light, trying to piece together his memories bit by bit.
Yan City changed a lot over the years, but the main arteries of its traffic system remained the same. The city was constructed on a square plan, with roads laid out in a grid format, crisscrossing north-south and east-west. Lin Jingzhe could still get to the company he had worked at in his last life even with his eyes closed.
However, at this time, that company hadn’t opened a branch in China, and the building where its office was located, the tallest building in Yan City, was not built yet—the place it would occupy in the future was now still a small park where the elderly liked to stroll and relax. Without traffic, it took Lin Jingzhe twenty minutes to drive there from Yan University. A bit further, by the next traffic light, would be the location of the first high-end mall in the northern part of the city, with shops for top luxury brands from across the world. In his past life, Lin Jingzhe had come here every season to buy clothes, so he was quite familiar with it.
After turning left, there was a theatre. He used to visit often to listen to crosstalk but slowly stopped coming a few years later as crosstalk entered a period of decline.
Moving forward, there would be a famous apartment building with a garden and swimming pool on the top floor. The property management was excellent, polite and accommodating, and it was possible to book an hourly housekeeping service. It was a very comfortable place to live in, but it was built relatively late and would only be completed after about thirteen years. Currently, a primary school stood in its place. Lin Jingzhe pulled up next to it. As he looked at the simple and crude sports field behind the fence, he got lost in his memories. Before he kicked the bucket in his last life, he had lived here—he’d tried hard to make money and finally managed to buy an apartment on the 28th floor. It was about 200 square meters and cost more than 27 million yuan. He had needed to take a loan of 10 million yuan, but though the amount was similar on paper to the 20 million he borrowed now, due to inflation, the actual burden was incomparable; in the future, a loan of 10 million would not cause anyone to even look twice.
After spending a moment recalling his years of living as a mortgage slave, Lin Jingzhe continued his drive. Two decades of development later, this section would fully mature into a downtown area. It would be just like the city center of a large North American city he had visited for business.
In front appeared a vast expanse of farmland, stretching as far as the eye could see; the road ended here. Lin Jingzhe got out of the car and stood on the embankment, his eyes sweeping over the fields.
Over there, would stand the Yan City Municipal Building. He couldn’t count the number of times he came here each month when his company was developing a new project.
Although this area was still completely empty, standing here, Lin Jingzhe seemed to see the modern metropolis unfolding in front of him.
This would be the only way to the northern suburbs of Yan City, he remembered that well. The farmland would disappear and the road, currently ending where he stood, would continue to extend forward. It would open around ‘94 or ‘95 and be extended several times over the course of the next decade until it finally connected to the expressway.
Lin Jingzhe had asked around—at the moment, there was no news circulating in Yan City about the construction of this road. Many real estate developers had speculated in private, but it was only limited to this. After all, judging from recent trends in urban development, though the northern part of the city would certainly not be abandoned, the possibility of it being developed in the near future was much smaller compared to the other three sections.
But Lin Jingzhe knew it was inevitable. This road was built as a catalyst to spur the development of a neighboring city; without that connection, the cities and towns around Yan City wouldn’t be able to prosper in the future. The construction itself would take at least two years, and before that, the city government still had to work out plans, amend policies, and so on, all of which took time.
Lin Jingzhe calculated that news of the road construction should be released by the beginning of next year at the latest.
Then, this stretch of land that everyone disdained would become a “hot commodity”, and its value would skyrocket. The businessmen who were currently just watching would later push each other aside in an effort to be the first to seize the opportunities provided by this development.
Lin Jingzhe sat cross-legged on the engine hood, still warm with some residual heat, and swung the prayer beads abandoned by their owner in a circular motion as his other hand supported his cheek.
In fact, it wasn’t impossible that his rebirth might’ve changed the course of development of the northern part of the city.
But… so what? Whether it was possible or not, Lin Jingzhe didn’t bother with giving it more than a passing thought. Though on the outside, he always appeared calm and self-possessed, beneath the surface churned the tempestuous nature of a risk-taker. For him, life was a gamble—it had been so in his past life, and his second life was no exception. He knew that he wasn’t very smart, but whenever he decided to join the gambling table, he was bound to fight against “Heaven and Earth and people.” Giving up the chance to win because he was afraid to lose?
Hah.
Shen Juanying, Lin Runsheng’s wife, drove to Yan University every Saturday to take Lin Jingzhe home for a family dinner. Sometimes, Lin Jingzhe would stay for a night, but he usually left after the meal. Over time, things settled into this kind of not-too-distant-but-not-very-close relationship.
Lin Runsheng was still a little disappointed, but the other three members of the family adjusted to this kind of relationship quite well.
Shen Tiantian, Shen Juanying’s biological daughter and Lin Jingzhe’s nominal step-sister, was a relatively quiet girl without much presence in Yan City’s social circle of young people. She was one year younger than Lin Jingzhe and was also a freshman at Yan University, but they had different majors. With the exception of the instances where Shen Juanying asked her to bring something to Lin Jingzhe, the two rarely met.
Mindful of her hard work as an errand runner, Lin Jingzhe usually brought her some gifts when he came to dinner. This time, it was something Big Tiger happened to get when he went to the special administrative region to buy stocks—a skirt. The light pink skirt’s design was unique, and it was made of an equally uncommon shimmery fabric. It was obvious Shen Tiantian liked it very much; hugging the bag, she said, blushing shyly, “Thank you, Big Brother.”
Lin Jingzhe looked at her red ears poking out from her supple black hair when she bowed her head, feeling strange. In his past life, their relationship had been antagonistic from the beginning, and he had never received such treatment from her. At that time, if they didn’t start “greeting each other’s ancestors” upon seeing each other, their meeting was considered peaceful.
He admitted it had been unfair of him to treat her in that way. Back then, he hated Lin Runsheng, and that hatred was transferred to Shen Juanying and Shen Tiantian, even though the mother and daughter pair hadn’t done anything. Unfortunately, he’d been eighteen and was irrational in the way that youths at that age tended to be; all the suffering he’d gone through had filled him with bitterness and deep resentment. It was only after Lin Runsheng’s death that he finally learned that his father had always held the weakest position in the family.
Lin Runsheng was, in essence, “eating soft rice,” but the couple’s deep emotional foundation prevented either side of the marriage from seeing it that way. Shen Juanying was a strong woman, both smart and capable, and preferred to conquer rather than be conquered; their family’s prosperity and status were supported entirely by her. Lin Runsheng, on the other hand, was just an ordinary university professor, whose salary and additional income added up to two to three thousand yuan a month. Though it could be considered quite high in this era, it was nothing compared to what Shen Juanying earned.
Shen Tiantian was clearly aware of the actual situation of their family, but she still treated Lin Runsheng, this useless stepfather, with respect. This was enough to prove that she was a kind girl with a good character. So, when she acted mean and sarcastic in his past life, there could only be one reason…
Lin Jingzhe was ashamed of what a self-absorbed ass his past self had been. He looked at Shen Tiantian, who was still curiously passing the fabric through her fingers to see the pearly sheen, and said, smiling gently, “I think you’ll look very pretty in it.”
After dinner, Shen Juanying had Shen Tiantian change into the new skirt. The pink was fresh and cheerful, but pale enough not to be vulgar, and fit Shen Tiantian very well.
After getting along for a while, now when Lin Jingzhe visited, the atmosphere was no longer so formal, and everyone felt much more at ease. The young lady, dressed in her new skirt, went out to play with friends, and the rest moved to the living room. Knowing that Lin Jingzhe liked to drink tea, she bought a set of beautiful tea draining trays carved from a tree root, which was placed on the tea table.
Appreciating her kindness, Lin Jingzhe brewed a pot of Da Hong Pao, his movements natural and elegant; Lin Runsheng watched him happily, though the expression on his face remained as fierce as usual. Picking up a cup, Shen Juanying spoke as if she had just remembered, “Dear, I seem to have left upstairs that new tea I brought home the other day. Can you help me get it? I want to give it to Jingzhe.”
As soon as he heard it was for Lin Jingzhe, Lin Runsheng immediately got up. Shen Juanying watched him disappear upstairs, then turned to the youth who put down the teapot and also looked at her, a faint smile on his face.
“Jingzhe, I hear you’re dabbling in real estate recently?” she asked straightforwardly, immediately making it obvious that she’d sent Lin Runsheng away deliberately.
Lin Jingzhe knew that with her connections in Yan City, his actions wouldn’t have escaped her eyes. “Yes. I’m just playing a little,” he replied.
“It’s more than ‘a little,’ isn’t it?” Shen Juanying was relieved that he had no intention to conceal the matter, but there was still a slight worry in her eyes. “At the last auction, you bought a plot by the 2nd Middle Road. You borrowed money against it, but instead of developing it, you bought another piece of land, at Shiku Lane in the northern part of the city. It had been put up for sale for more than two months but there were no takers—it’s almost 150,000 square meters, and that location… Anyway, seeing what you’re doing, you aren’t planning on developing either of them?”
Lin Jingzhe nodded. “Not for the moment.”
Shen Juanying sighed. “So what do you need to borrow so much money for? Jingzhe, if you are short of money, you can always come ask Auntie. Auntie doesn’t say this to offend you, but even though every mistake is a lesson learned, there are still some mistakes people should try to avoid making.”
If Lin Jingzhe continued buying land with the money he borrowed and used it as a collateral to take more loans, it was possible for him to raise hundreds of millions of yuan. Even Shen Juanying dared not look down on such a large amount. She was really worried Lin Jingzhe would accidentally step onto a path with no return. At first, she hadn’t taken things seriously when she heard Lin Jingzhe was going to engage in the real estate business; in recent years, real estate speculation and development had become increasingly popular, and many young people with some family background liked dabbling in it. In addition, she knew that the Fang family’s boy whom Lin Jingzhe usually hung out with was a responsible, reliable child. If Lin Jingzhe followed in Fang Wenhao’s footsteps and developed his company slowly and steadily, without taking unnecessary risks, she would’ve just watched on silently.
But it was obvious Lin Jingzhe wasn’t satisfied with just these two pieces of land and was planning something bigger. However, while China was currently pushing for economic development and tended to be lenient towards businesses in trouble, if the amount involved was too large, things stopped being fun. In the case of forty or fifty million, Shen Juanying could still help him wipe his butt, but if it exceeded one hundred million, she would be unable to do anything.
Earlier this year, a kid from the Qi family had been caught smuggling antiques in Qunnan Province. Elder Qi, an old man of nearly seventy, went from house to house, bowing his white-haired head and begging other families for help, but the smuggling case was too big and involved billions of yuan; in the end, he managed to save his grandson, but at the cost of his prestigious, influential Qi family giving up virtually all of its power.
How could Shen Juanying dare to compare with Elder Qi, unless she fell back on her birth family’s power?
It would be an exaggeration to say that she had a deep affection for her stepson, but if anything happened to Lin Jingzhe, Lin Runsheng would be devastated. She knew very well how much her husband valued his son—missing out on his childhood was one of the biggest regrets in Lin Runsheng’s life.
After some consideration, she felt she should discuss this matter with Lin Jingzhe, but she didn’t intend to let Lin Runsheng know about it. Her Professor Lin looked fierce, but in fact, he was a simple and timid man; talk of hundreds of millions in debt might send him straight into a panic.
Lin Jingzhe appreciated Shen Juanying’s concern for him, even if she disapproved of what he was doing. He poured her another cup of tea, assuring her, “Aunt Shen, don’t worry, I know.”
“Don’t get me wrong, but I happened to see the loan application you submitted,” Shen Juanying said. “The bank assessed that using the piece of land at Shiku Lane as collateral, you can borrow up to 40 million. This isn’t a small amount by any means. What if by any chance… Jingzhe, tell Auntie honestly: what are you planning to do with such a big sum of money?”
When she said this, her attitude was somewhat tough, implying that she had a say in the decision-making process with regards to the loan application. Lin Jingzhe raised his gaze from the tea set and looked at her.
Neither side spoke for a moment, and the atmosphere turned more and more tense. Shen Juanying began to feel wary—she was over twenty years older than Lin Jingzhe, but in their silent battle, she didn’t have an upper hand at all.
Finally, Lin Jingzhe broke the stalemate. “Aunt Shen, frankly, many banks have opened in cities neighboring Yan City in recent years. I have land in my hands and can get money anywhere. Your approval or disapproval doesn’t really matter, it just means I’d need to spend a little extra effort.”
“But.” His expression suddenly relaxed, shifting to a smile. “I do appreciate your concern for me, so I’ll reveal a little of my plans to you. I’m going to use those 40 million yuan to get the 350,000 square meters of land at Shiku Lane. Adding it to what I already own, I’ll have a plot of land that’s a full 500,000 square meters. That should make me the biggest land tycoon in Yan City, shouldn’t it? I believe that neither you nor the bank will underestimate its value.”
Shen Juanying’s mouth dropped open. She really didn’t expect Lin Jingzhe’s appetite to be so huge. “But your New Beginnings Real Estate is just getting started. Are you sure you’ll be able to develop such a big project…”
“Who says I’ll develop it? I certainly won’t—that’s not my goal. New Beginnings is not going to engage in residential real estate,” Lin Jingzhe said, his voice accompanied by the bubbling of the boiling teapot. “You can rest assured that by the end of next year at the latest, I’ll have paid off all my loans and still have quite a lot of money.”
It took Lin Runsheng quite a while to find the tea as Shen Juanying had hidden the jar in the bookcase. By the time he rushed downstairs, the conversation in the living room had already ended. He cast an anxious glance around, but only saw a calm smile on Lin Jingzhe’s face and his wife slightly bowing her head to take a sip of tea.
“What did you and your aunt talk about?” he asked as he walked over, looking at Lin Jingzhe. A little nervous, he subconsciously came up with this serious question.
Shen Juanying put down her cup. The expression on her face was relaxed and gentle. “Nothing, we just chatted about some trivial things.”
Lin Jingzhe met her gaze and nodded. “Yes.”
Elder Fang had quite a different opinion on Lin Jingzhe’s land purchase.
“The snitch”, Fang Wenhao, had brought this matter up countless times in an attempt to persuade his grandfather to stop Lin Jingzhe from taking such a risk. Lin Jingzhe’s decisive actions had truly scared him—his own company, Boundless Realty Group, had already been operating for a few years, yet the money it owed to the bank was way less than Lin Jingzhe’s current liabilities.
Elder Fang spent his days leisurely, drinking tea, walking his pet birds, and looking at antiques, but that didn’t mean he was a timid old man. After hearing Fang Wenhao’s fearful complaints, he not only mercilessly ridiculed his grandson but also warned him that no matter how pessimistic he believed Lin Jingzhe’s business prospects were, he shouldn’t try to put a spoke in someone’s wheel in the name of “saving” them.
This completely dispelled Fang Wenhao’s idea of using his connections to stop Lin Jingzhe’s loan application from being approved.
Lin Jingzhe seemed to have reassured Shen Juanying during their talk; it was also possible that she thought that if he got in trouble, it was better if it was under her watch than at some other bank. Regardless, before the end of the month, Lin Jingzhe got the forty million he had applied for and obtained the 350,000 square meters of land at Shiku Lane put up for sale by Dominion Properties.
Both sides were happy with the deal. Lin Jingzhe achieved his goal of a 500,000 square meter plot, and he’d taken all the land in the northern part of the city he could currently hold. He wouldn’t have been satisfied with anything less, and with his current capability, his complex chain of funds probably wouldn’t be able to sustain anything more.
Dominion Properties held a jubilant celebration party over the sale. The company had been lured into buying that plot of land two years ago based on rumors that the city was planning to develop the northern side. However, the rumored promises were never fulfilled, even after waiting a whole year. The law clearly stipulated how long the development of land could be delayed after acquiring it. Thanks to pulling some strings, Dominion Properties had managed to drag it out to the present day, but they hadn’t been able to get rid of this piece of land for a long time because it was too large. If they hadn’t finally managed to sell it now, they might have ended up bankrupt.
Stepping out of the restaurant’s private room, Xiao Chi heard a voice he wasn’t unfamiliar with calling out to him: “Yo, if it isn’t President Xiao.”
He raised his head and saw the man he was expecting. Hu Shaofeng, who followed behind him, noticed his friend’s reaction. Knowing Xiao Chi’s feelings about the person they bumped into, he took the lead and stepped forward, offering his hand. “Brother Qi! How are you here?” he asked.
Qi Kai shook his hand. “Yes, I was surprised to see you here as well. My company and I are having a celebration party!” he replied, laughing as if he was blind to Xiao Chi’s cold attitude.
Xiao Chi passed the prayer beads to his left hand and exchanged a handshake with Qi Kai as well. It was rather limp on his part. “What a coincidence.”
“Do you still like to recite scriptures?” Hu Shaofeng was considered disreputable by the general public, but Qi Kai outdid him in every aspect: he was brash, unrestrained, and wildly arrogant.
Xiao Chi’s left hand moved unobtrusively, avoiding Qi Kai’s hand as it reached out to touch the rosary. Qi Kai stiffened.
“I still recite them from time to time,” Xiao Chi replied, as steady as Mount Tai.
“Yes, it seems you really haven’t changed—no one can touch your things except for yourself.” Qi Kai retracted his hand, his eyes narrowing. He was still smiling, but his smile was much shallower. “If I had known earlier that President Xiao was going to be here, I’d have invited you to drop in on the party. We’re celebrating the sale of that piece of land in the northern part of the city we bought two years ago, so it’s a happy event.”
He paused as he suddenly remembered something. Stepping closer, he continued, lowering his voice, “I’ve heard that at the last land auction, you grabbed three plots in the north? Your appetite really isn’t small. It was like this last time as well—if it hadn’t been for you swallowing that land in the east, how would I be forced to do that business in Qunnan? You made a killing with the Dongtai Community, but the situation in the north of the city is not the same. It’s not that I’m wishing you bad luck, but—be careful not to end up like me, wasting a lot of time and money but failing to get any benefits.”
Despite the years passing, this man seemed to never mature; his way of speaking was as sarcastic and filled with barbs as always. However, Xiao Chi just calmly met his gaze and replied with a faint smile, “Yes, your words are a good point to consider.”
Qi Kai clenched his teeth, feeling as though he was punching cotton. He was so angry he nearly vomited blood.
Nevertheless, he said, forcing out a smile, “As long as you know. I need to go now, see you later.”
“See you later.” Xiao Chi knew that the other man must be seething now. After saying goodbye, he just stood where he was until Qi Kai stepped back to make way.
He gave Qi Kai a nod and walked away, Hu Shaofeng and Flux Realty’s executives in tow.
After turning two corners, they came to the elevator. As they waited for it to arrive, Hu Shaofeng cast a backward glance, then put on an expression raring for gossip. “Hey, how come he’s swaggering around again? Didn’t they say that Elder Qi forbade him from going out?”
Considering how Elder Qi doted on his grandson, it would’ve been weirder if he didn’t relent on the punishment. “How should I know,” Xiao Chi replied, stepping into the elevator.
“The piece of land in the northern part of the city… is it the big one over at Shiku Lane? Fuck, they managed to sell it? No wonder Qi Kai was acting so smugly—he’s been stuck with it for two years. Who was enough of a sucker to actually buy it?” As Hu Shaofeng spoke, he couldn’t help but recall some of the past. “Isn’t Qi Kai an asshat? Two years ago, he competed with us for that exact plot. He didn’t dare to mess with us, so he went to bother Fang Wenhao every day. In the end, we withdrew and he won the land he wanted so badly, but it turned out to be worthless. Tsk, with him being such a person, it’s no wonder that he tripped up so badly in the south. And he’s still hung up over his failure to snatch the land in the eastern district from you! I don’t think he’ll get over it until the day he dies.”
“By the way, Brother Xiao,” Hu Shaofeng continued as he thought of something. “What kind of conflict do you have with him? I’ve been curious since a while ago but didn’t dare to ask. You’ve never mentioned you wanted to do real estate before—you only started after you snatched the land in the east from him, right?”
“There is no contradiction. Business is business, that’s all,” Xiao Chi replied indifferently.
“Oh.” Hu Shaofeng never doubted anything Xiao Chi said. After thinking for a second, he nodded. “Well, with your character, even if you had any grudges, you would never abuse your power to retaliate against a personal enemy.”
Then he abruptly changed the topic. “Anyway, I have to find out who’s the nitwit that had the guts to buy that plot of land at Shiku Lane, cackle!”
Xiao Chi sat in the backseat of the car, lightly supporting his head with one hand and passing his prayer beads through the other. Hearing the unpleasant laughter, he couldn’t help but look up and glance at his friend reflected in the rearview mirror.
He once again pondered a question that often troubled him but, for some reason, he’d never heard others ask: was Hu Shaofeng mentally handicapped? In the most literal sense.
On the top floor of the restaurant, Qi Kai watched Xiao Chi leave, then turned around, a murderous gleam in his eyes. Some of his friends hadn’t noticed and were still talking softly—
“Xiao Chi seems to be getting more and more formidable…”
“Have you seen the Dongtai Community since it’s been completed? It’s damn beautiful, all high-end villas with gardens. My parents love them. If not for the fact that we and Xiao Chi are in different factions, I’d definitely ask to buy one.”
“Yeah, right—they sold out ages ago. Wasn’t this the project that Flux Realty made a fortune off of?”
“It seems he hired a design team from abroad? They truly have ability. I think we should take a leaf out of his book and try this as well.”
“Yeah, why didn’t we think of it earlier? Eh. Flux was established later than our company, but Xiao Chi is just too capable. Have you heard? Apparently, he also entered the stock markets in Shen City and SEZ and made a lot of money off stocks!”
“If we hadn’t been dragged down by that land in the north of the city, our situation would definitely be different now. We should’ve realized something was off when they suddenly withdrew from the bidding process halfway…”
Qi Kai glanced at the man who spoke and silently strode away from the window.
One of his closest friends who set up the company with him appeared at his side. “You should take it easy, your grandfather is still angry,” he admonished in a soft voice, a little dissatisfied with Qi Kai’s antagonistic attitude towards Xiao Chi. “Why are you always trying to pick a fight with Xiao Chi? He never provoked you.”
Qi Kai said angrily, “What are you talking about? If it weren’t for him, the land under the Dongtai Community would have been fucking mine. If it weren’t for him, would I have gotten into a bidding war over land with Fang Wenhao? If it hadn’t been for that piece of land at Shiku Lane that I could neither sell nor develop, would I fucking go to Qunnan to sell antiques?”
If it hadn’t been for the smuggling scandal in Qunnan, would he have fallen so far? But these words, he swallowed.
His friend was dumbfounded. “Why are you holding a grudge for that? He did grab the land at the Dongtai Community, but that was just normal business. Other people competed for it as well. It’s not like he targeted you or anything. Aren’t you being unreasonable?”
“No, he did!” Qi Kai said with certainty. “He did that deliberately to get at me!”
“But I’ve never heard of him having any personal grudge against you,” the other man replied helplessly. “I think you’re blowing things out of proportion.”
Qi Kai once again was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He could successfully make a move against anyone—only Xiao Chi tripped him up over and over again. On top of that, no one ever believed that Xiao Chi was doing it out of a personal grudge. Even his grandfather, who favored him to the point of being unreasonable, said that he was being too petty. After the matter was judged in this way again and again, it was like an internal injury had accumulated in his viscera, and each additional mention made old blood, which could neither be spat out nor swallowed down, rise up.
But what could he do? What could he say? Everyone thought that Xiao Chi setting up Flux Realty just in time to enter the auction and win the bidding against him was simply a coincidence.
Everyone also believed that two years ago, Xiao Chi competed with Qi Kai for the land in the northern section of the city but suddenly quit midway because Qi Kai did something to force him to back down.
Only Qi Kai knew that it was Xiao Chi’s revenge for his sister Xiao Miao.
Wasn’t it just a fucking kiss? But Xiao Miao made such a big deal over it, and actually went abroad because of this.
For this reason, Xiao Chi snatched the land from him. As if this wasn’t enough, someone beat Qi Kai up in secret, so badly that he was bedridden for a period of time. Later, Xiao Chi pretended to aim for that plot of land in the north, tricking Qi Kai into getting a useless piece of garbage that dragged him down like a pair of shackles for over two years.
But Qi Kai would lose all face if he said this, so he could only grit his teeth and swallow back the rising blood. The crux was that no one would believe him even if he did say it! After all, Xiao Chi’s virtuous image was too deeply rooted.
On the surface, Xiao Chi seemed like an ascetic devoid of any worldly desires, but in fact, he was fucking vicious! A villain to the core!
Fortunately, today, there was something to cheer Qi Kai up.
He took a deep breath and changed the subject. “Forget it! Let’s not mention him anymore. Today is a happy occasion—we finally got rid of the land at Shiku Lane! Come on, let’s drink!”
Translator’s Notes:
- The story of the Chinese old lady and American old lady buying houses is taken from this site. I haven’t found it in English.
- “If they didn’t start ‘greeting each other’s ancestors’ upon seeing each other, their meeting was considered peaceful” – 问候 means to send one’s regards; to send one’s respects; to greet. However, it can also be used sarcastically (as is the case here) and then it means making offensive remarks.
- “Lin Runsheng was, in essence, ‘eating soft rice’“ – 吃軟飯 [chīruǎnfàn], to live off a woman. It’s a derogatory term used to describe a man who relies on his wife or girlfriend to feed him.
Just like describing some women as ‘gold-diggers’, the Chinese speak of men who don’t work and use their wives’ and girlfriends’ money to pay for all that they want as ‘men who eat soft rice’. - “Elder Fang spent his days leisurely, walking his pet birds…” – 遛鳥. This actually has two meanings: 1. to walk one’s bird (a common pastime activity for the elderly in China and Taiwan); 2. (chiefly Taiwan, colloquial, of a man) to expose one’s genitals in public; to streak. I think it can be safely concluded that Elder Fang was not streaking, so here’s a page describing what he was really doing, if you didn’t follow the link in the chapter.
- “Yo, if it isn’t President Xiao” – lit. Xiao-zǒng [总]. In this case, zǒng is added to the name as a modifier, referring to a chairman, president (of a company), CEO, general manager, etc. The size of the company doesn’t matter here – if you’re addressed as your-name-zǒng, you’re the boss of a business.
- “He was so angry he nearly vomited blood” – the Chinese often use the expression “to vomit blood” or “to cough blood” when describing someone angry, frustrated, or overly excited. It’s almost never literal (unless it’s a TV drama, there it happens). It’s very common so you’ve probably met with it already.
Translator: Eques
Editor: Luoshenhua
Consultant & proofreader: Austera
Eques:
Sorry for not posting for so long, guys – I was busy and basically too tired to translate much.
RIP Qi Kai. He will keep losing lol. And he deserves it for being a piece of trash.
Thanks for the chapter 🥰
That is what happened when you mess with an influential brother’s little sister
I guess this QK gonna vomiting more blood in near future💀
It’s a hundred percent your fault for being an asshole. Plus, even if the land was grabbed from you, it’s not like the.major turning point of your life was manipulated by him. He did not make you sell antique, fool. That was all you.
Doesn’t matter to me if father Lin eats soft rice, it all depends on if the people in the relationship are happy with this status quo. Seems that they are, so who is anyone else to judge? Plus, the MC’s stepmother would have had a very hard time finding a man equal to her status who would be remotely willing to endure a woman as headstrong as she is. If she’s happy with father Lin and he’s happy to be an emotional support accessory compared to her status, then their relationship is very harmonious. I just find it very funny… Read more »