The miHoYo quartet returned to Shanghai with Chen Pingjiang the next day.
They had already decided to go back to the Qingshan Lake Base for work, as the environment there was better.
On one hand, they had their own independent six-story office building, and on the other, free staff dormitories, which would save them a lot of money each month.
As they were about to enter the city's main thoroughfare, Chen Pingjiang got out of the car to say goodbye.
"Keep it up, I hope you can develop some excellent games."
With that, Chen Pingjiang got back into the Maybach 57S and drove away.
Watching the Maybach drive off, Cai Haoyu shook his head repeatedly and sighed,
"We're all roughly the same age, some even a year older than General Manager Chen, but the difference in what we've achieved is immense. He's so young and has already built such a huge career, while we've just started."
Liu Wei patted his shoulder and said with a smile,
"Stop sighing and hurry back to the dorm to pack. How many people like him are there in the country, or even the world? Comparing ourselves to him will only discourage us."
Luo Yuhao also said,
"This time, back in Dongjiang, we must develop the new game well and strive for a success in one go. We need to show General Manager Chen something, so his efforts in nurturing us aren't in vain."
"Yes, if we fail with such good resources, then we really should just disband; we'd be too ashamed."
"Let's go, get in the car."
With that, the group got into a Buick GL8.
This car was Renren.com's company vehicle and had been allocated for their use.
These few people were somewhat different from the DJI group.
When Wang Tao and his team first came to Dongjiang, they rented a semi-trailer, filling a whole truck with parts and tools, big and small.
But what did these otaku have?
Nothing more than computers and luggage, at most some figurines and comics.
As soon as he returned to the hotel where Cong Nini was staying, Cong Nini rushed at him frantically.
"Darling, darling, you're back! I missed you so much."
Chen Pingjiang was both amused and exasperated, extending a finger to tap her fair forehead.
"Why didn't you go out and play? Isn't it boring staying in the room?"
Cong Nini pouted her rosy lips.
"You weren't here, what's fun about that? And when I go out, old men stare at me lecherously, it's disgusting."
"Oh, you're good-looking, and people aren't allowed to look?"
Cong Nini put her hands on her hips and said sweetly,
"No, only you can look. I can't stand anyone else looking at me."
Frankly, ever since she got together with Chen Pingjiang, Cong Nini's appearance had improved by at least two or three grades.
Money nourishes people, and even more so, women.
Cong Nini herself had a good foundation, with a certain slender beauty about her.
Now with money, she didn't need to work, spending her days exercising, practicing yoga, doing skincare, and shopping.
Her life was unimaginably carefree.
Besides being covered in designer brands, her face hadn't been touched by a knife, but it had undergone slight adjustments to make her features more harmonious and attractive.
Why say Cong Nini was smart?
She used all the pocket money Chen Pingjiang gave her each month to enhance her external appearance, her goal being to firmly bind Chen Pingjiang to her.
"Since you're such a good girl, I'll reward you with something,"
Chen Pingjiang thought for a moment and said.
It was also a small compensation for the girl.
After all, he had a child with one woman and was engaged to another; it was false to say he felt no discomfort in his heart.
But Cong Nini was very easy to deal with and never said anything.
"Really? Master, you're not tricking me, are you?"
Cong Nini put on a surprised expression.
Chen Pingjiang scoffed,
"Is it that serious? Would I need to trick you to reward you with something?"
"Then..."
Cong Nini's eyes darted around.
"I want to travel with you. You've traveled with other women, but never with me."
"Think carefully, this reward could be a car or a house, and these would be registered under your name. If you choose travel, it'll be gone after the trip."
"Hehe, I just want to travel with my beloved. I already have a house and a car now, isn't it enough to have what I need?"
Well, Chen Pingjiang had shot himself in the foot.
He had barely hesitated for two seconds when Cong Nini seemed to see his dilemma and said somewhat forlornly,
"If you don't have time, then forget it."
Chen Pingjiang sighed and shook his head; this vixen was too good at acting.
She was even intentionally provoking him.
"It just so happens that I'm free these next few days. Tell me, where do you want to go? I'll approve it today."
"Wow, Master is so good! I need to think about it first. To thank Master for the reward, Nini will serve Master well today."
With that, Cong Nini bounced and skipped to the dressing room.
Before long, she emerged in a nun's habit.
This sight made Chen Pingjiang's blood boil.
And that wasn't all; the girl had found a Bluetooth speaker from somewhere, played some dynamic music, and then gave Chen Pingjiang a hot dance.
A true visual feast!
A moment later, Cong Nini, her eyes hazy and languid, leaned in close and whispered softly into Chen Pingjiang's ear,
"Master, love me!~"
...
...
After about an hour, Cong Nini was only inhaling, not exhaling, her entire body like a soul detached, her crimson lips slightly parted in gasps.
Chen Pingjiang pursed his lips.
"How pathetic, sprayed so much, the bedsheets are wet. Need to find a bath towel to put down."
This girl screamed louder than anyone every day, but her physique was the most sensitive among all his women.
Purely a "mouth cannon" type.
From the bedsheets, Chen Pingjiang thought of houses again.
With both the cultural entertainment group and the Huaxin Wafer Foundry established in Shanghai, he was spending more and more time there.
It was fine for a short while, but staying in hotels for prolonged periods was becoming increasingly inconvenient.
With so many people coming and going daily, there was always a crowd rushing to greet him; it was bad not to respond, but constantly responding was annoying.
Thinking of this, Chen Pingjiang called He Zhiyu, unexpectedly finding that the old fellow was in Shanghai preparing for PD's Yuanfang Plaza project.
After agreeing on a meeting place, Chen Pingjiang patted Cong Nini's pale, perky butt.
"Get up, I'm taking you to meet some friends. Dress modestly."
"Ah!"
Cong Nini shrieked, making Chen Pingjiang frown.
"Why such a fuss?"
"I'm excited! You've never taken me to meet your friends before. Yes, Master, I'll go change clothes now."
Chen Pingjiang had no idea what Cong Nini was thinking.
Such a matter was nothing to Chen Pingjiang, but to Cong Nini, it was a big deal.
It represented her acceptance, which was too important to her.
Fearing that Chen Pingjiang would grow impatient, Cong Nini dared not dally, getting ready in less than half an hour.
She wore a short black dress with a leather belt cinched at the waist, making her look capable and mysterious.
The meeting place was a private club in PD.
This private club was located near Century Avenue, with a quiet environment, a Zen-like overall decor, and its own small garden and museum.
Ordinary people would find it difficult to locate such a place, and even if they did, it generally wouldn't be open to the public.
When Chen Pingjiang arrived, He Zhiyu and a few others were already waiting at the club entrance.
"You guys are really inseparable, like glue. Why are you always together wherever you go?"
Chen Pingjiang said with a smile.
He was referring to He Zhiyu, Zhang Fu, Wan Qiping, and Liu Cheng.
"Haha, we knew you were coming, and we just happened to all be in Shanghai, so shouldn't we gather?"
He Zhiyu also said,
"Zhang Fu and Liu Cheng are here setting up new stores for Yuanfang Plaza. As for Wan Qiping, that guy got divorced and is now a free spirit, playing around every day."
Chen Pingjiang paused.
"Huh? Old Wan, how did you get divorced?"
Wan Qiping shook his head.
"It was boring living together, so we split."
Chen Pingjiang didn't introduce Cong Nini, and the others tacitly refrained from asking too many questions.
Such matters were utterly normal in their social class; no one made a fuss.
In the eyes of these people, Chen Pingjiang was rich and handsome, with status and position, so wasn't it normal for him to have multiple girlfriends?
He Zhiyu once met a coal boss who, despite only having a few hundred million in assets, had been married five times.
When he married for the fifth time, he occasionally stayed with his previous four wives for a few days; even after divorce, he still supported them and didn't allow them to find other partners.
In comparison, Chen Pingjiang was truly a good man.
"You want to buy a house? You've come to the right people to ask."
Hearing that Chen Pingjiang wanted to buy a place to stay in Shanghai, He Zhiyu was the first to laugh.
"Speaking of luxury homes in Shanghai, there are far more than in Dongjiang. As the economic backbone of the country, Shanghai itself has too many wealthy people, so the top-tier luxury homes developed for these wealthy people are also countless, like Tangong, Gubei One, and many more.
Take Tangong for example, the building king sells for hundreds of millions of yuan per unit. In terms of practicality and location, Tangong might not even compare to Zhongshan Villa. But living in Tangong itself represents strength and status, so many wealthy people flock to it."
"Oh, and there's Tomson Riviera. If you really ask how impressive it is, it's not necessarily so. What makes this property valuable is its location, with views of the Huangpu River to the south and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower to the north. Apart from that, the building's style is just average, the old European kind, with no surprising features whatsoever."
Chen Pingjiang didn't know much about Shanghai real estate and asked with a smile,
"Isn't Tomson Riviera a luxury home costing tens of millions? Is that not good enough? Old He, your tone isn't small now."
At this point, Wan Qiping stepped in to explain,
"Tomson Riviera is over ten years old; it's dated. Moreover, the plot ratio is very high; it's such a small area with no space for walks, no greenery or green spaces, just a clubhouse. If you look at the price, it certainly counts, but from other maintenance perspectives, I don't think it aligns with the term 'luxury home'."
He Zhiyu nodded.
"It's famous simply because it was early; there were no other luxury homes at that time. I've been inside, and the decor and spatial layout are not keeping up with the times."
Zhang Fu, however, smiled and said,
"Currently, there are only three buildings that truly boast a prime river view: Building A and D of Tomson Riviera, and Building 1 of COFCO One. In terms of decor and layout, COFCO One is quite good."
Cong Nini, listening nearby, felt a bit dizzy.
Although she knew Chen Pingjiang was rich, she often had no concept of the scale, and now hearing these people casually talk about tens of millions and hundreds of millions made her truly feel lightheaded.
Liu Cheng asked,
"Aren't you considering a villa?"
Chen Pingjiang shook his head like a rattle-drum.
"Don't I already have a villa? I need to get a large flat with a riverside view. The prime river view of the Huangpu River is still worth seeing. And in Pudong CBD, it's convenient to go anywhere. Shanghai is so big; living even slightly out of the way makes getting around a pain."
"Alright then, want to take a look this afternoon? If there's a good one, I'll buy a unit too."
Chen Pingjiang clicked his tongue.
He was buying a house to live in, it was a necessity!
These guys, with their nouveau riche faces, just bought units casually.
Among these people, He Zhiyu was clearly the most successful.
When Chen Pingjiang was still a small fry, He Zhiyu already owned several large supermarkets.
Later, on Chen Pingjiang's advice, He Zhiyu actively ventured into commercial real estate.
Now, Yuanfang Shopping Malls are flourishing everywhere, ranking second only to Wanda in domestic commercial real estate, a formidable force.
Of course, this guy probably had a lot of bank loans too.
Twenty years later, with this guy's way of playing, if the real estate industry's bubble burst and banks called back loans, the capital chain would inevitably break.
But now, in 2011, housing prices still had room to rise, which was He Zhiyu's prosperous time.
The property speculation group they had formed already consisted of over a dozen people.
They often flocked to large residential developments in first and second-tier cities, sweeping up buildings one by one.
Zhang Fu's hotpot restaurant was also doing well, arguably not much worse than Haidilao; according to him, it could go public in a few years.
After lunch, the group of six took two cars and headed towards COFCO Seaview One.
They arrived at the sales office in just over ten minutes.
Along the way, Cong Nini was full of excitement.
This was her first time going out with Chen Pingjiang, and she snapped photos enthusiastically all the way.
However, these photos could only stay on her phone; she dared not upload any to her朋友圈 (moments/friends circle).
After getting out of the car, someone was already waiting.
"Old An, hehe, long time no see."
He Zhiyu was the first to walk up and shake hands with a middle-aged man, then introduced him to Chen Pingjiang,
"This is An Lixing, the President of E-House China's East China Region. Old An, I don't need to introduce this gentleman much, right?"
An Lixing excitedly waved his hands repeatedly,
"No, no, who in the domestic business world wouldn't know General Manager Chen? For General Manager Chen to come, it truly brings honor to my humble abode. Come, please come in quickly."
As they walked, An Lixing introduced,
"General Manager Chen, COFCO Seaview One was developed by Pengli Real Estate in Shanghai, and is currently being sold by our E-House China. General Manager Wu from Pengli will also be here shortly."
Chen Pingjiang nodded and politely asked,
"I've troubled General Manager An and General Manager Wu."
"Not at all, not at all, we are desperate for General Manager Chen to take a liking to a unit in COFCO Seaview One,"
An Lixing's words were not wrong.
Although COFCO Seaview One was not worried about sales, selling to anyone was still a sale.
But selling to a nouveau riche who only had money but no social status was fundamentally different from selling to Chen Pingjiang.
Selling to the former was merely selling a property to recover funds.
Selling to the latter was selling the prestige of the development.
It was obvious: if news of Chen Pingjiang buying a property in COFCO Seaview One spread in the real estate market, would the price of COFCO Seaview One rise or fall?
It would definitely rise!
Even if the average price of COFCO Seaview One was already the highest in Shanghai.
This was a living golden signboard.
When selling properties again, the saleswoman would only need to tell prospective buyers,
"Even the richest man, Chen Pingjiang, bought a home here, which sufficiently demonstrates the high-end nature of our development."
Without lingering long at the sales office, the group was led by An Lixing towards Building 1.
"Ladies and gentlemen, these units have always been held by our company and have never been sold externally. They are all in the king-of-the-building positions."
Chen Pingjiang felt alright; primarily, his material desires were relatively low.
And honestly, if it came down to true luxury homes, Chen Pingjiang thought only those in Shenzhen Bay could be considered luxurious.
The others, however, were overwhelmed, their eyes dazzled all the way.
Indeed, as Chen Pingjiang had estimated, after entering a 420-square-meter king-of-the-building suite, the river view was quite good, but the interior decoration only made Chen Pingjiang scoff.
Although Chen Pingjiang hadn't lived in a luxury home in his previous life, he had seen many in videos.
And from the perspective of more than a decade later, the decor was simply outdated.
Cong Nini held her phone, frantically taking pictures of the prime Huangpu River view, exclaiming in awe.
Others, such as He Zhiyu, also walked around with great interest.
At first, An Lixing was somewhat proud, thinking,
"Our COFCO Seaview One is just awesome; there's no client we can't conquer, everyone who sees it gets hooked."
But when he saw the indifferent expression on Chen Pingjiang's face, he was a little stunned.
"General Manager Chen, are you... unsatisfied with anything?"
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face.
Since the reception was good, Chen Pingjiang saw no need to be so blunt and merely nodded.
"It's good, very nice."
An Lixing came from a sales background, and his ability to read people's expressions was first-rate.
Whether a person liked or disliked something could be analyzed through their micro-expressions.
Chen Pingjiang clearly wasn't impressed.
His heart sank.
If Chen Pingjiang wasn't impressed, this deal was likely to fall through.
The crucial part wasn't just failing to sell, but the regret of being unable to leverage Chen Pingjiang's reputation.
At this moment, a middle-aged man in his 40s walked in from outside.
An Lixing's eyes lit up when he saw the newcomer.
"General Manager Wu, why are you just arriving? We've been waiting for you for ages."
The middle-aged man named General Manager Wu clasped his hands together, apologizing repeatedly,
"Sorry, sorry, traffic was bad on the road, I was so anxious. Where is General Manager Chen?"
An Lixing quickly pulled General Manager Wu to the balcony, where he found Chen Pingjiang chatting with Cong Nini.
As they walked, An Lixing whispered into General Manager Wu's ear,
"General Manager Chen doesn't seem to be very impressed with our units."
General Manager Wu's expression immediately changed, but he said nothing more.
"General Manager Chen, this is General Manager Wu Qing from Pengli Real Estate."
Chen Pingjiang shook hands with Wu Qing.
Pengli was under COFCO, so this person was clearly also from a state-owned enterprise.
"General Manager Chen, if you're interested in our king-of-the-building units, we can discuss the price."
Wu Qing immediately used his killer move.
Unexpectedly, before Chen Pingjiang could speak, He Zhiyu let out two dry laughs.
"Old Wu, you've spent too much time in high positions at state-owned enterprises, talking such unprofessional nonsense? As long as General Manager Chen wants it, would he care about your cheap trifles?"
He Zhiyu, who dealt in commercial real estate and was the leader of a property speculation group, knew many general managers of real estate companies in Shanghai.
For example, he had even had drinks with Wu Qing.
"Oh dear! Look at my mouth."
Wu Qing suddenly realized and apologized profusely.
Chen Pingjiang stared at Wu Qing with interest for a couple of seconds.
Even as the general manager of a subsidiary of a state-owned enterprise, was there really a need to lower his status so much?
(End of Chapter)