Chapter 85: The Battle for the King of Bragging

How…does one tie a man down? Ms. Zhang has already provided the answer: have a child with him. Mr. Hua fully agreed, exclaiming that she really knew her stuff! Conversely, it worked the same way for women—Cheng Yao felt as if he had found enlightenment. People always said that possessing someone’s body doesn’t mean you possess their heart, but he knew that both the body and the process mattered. The friction created in the process could be transformed into intimacy and affection—wasn’t that enough?

Then there was the matter of money. As long as you had money, these were all trivial issues. Having successfully bound Lin Ketong to him, the heavy stone that had pressed on Cheng Yao’s heart was finally lifted. From now on, he could steadily build intimacy with her and, incidentally, explore new adventures together.

That morning, Cheng Yao took a leave of absence, saying he had something to attend to, so he didn’t go to school. Old Li approved it, seemingly convinced there was no hope for him. Lin Ketong wanted to go shopping with her friends, and Cheng Yao certainly didn’t plan to tag along. He drove straight to Xinjiekou, heading directly to rent an office space at Chaoyang Tower, located on the edge of Xinjiekou on Zhujiang Road.

Chaoyang Tower stood near the center of Jinling, in a bustling district. It was a coveted workspace for countless white-collar workers—an opulent financial building brimming with the allure of wealth and extravagance. Of course, being a second-tier city, it couldn’t quite compare to the likes of Shanghai; the pace of life wasn’t as frantic, but Cheng Yao found that perfectly suitable.

He contacted the owner of the sixteenth floor. Reportedly, the man had bought the floor for a startup, but the business hadn’t prospered and he’d lost a significant sum. Recently, the sixteenth floor had been up for rent.

Cheng Yao parked his car in a spot by the entrance, left the door open, and sat waiting in the driver’s seat. Ten minutes later, a white Lamborghini pulled up in front of the building. That car, with its distinctive plates… Cheng Yao remembered seeing it when he’d gone to the bar with Lin Ketong and the others. He hadn’t expected it to belong to this guy.

The car door opened, and a young man stepped out, looking no more than twenty-four or twenty-five. Cheng Yao closed his own door and called out, “Boss Qin?”

“Hello, Cheng…” Qin Haoran couldn’t recall his full name but remembered the surname.

“Cheng Yao.”

“Yes, Cheng Yao. You’re so young.” Qin Haoran glanced him over and smiled, “McLaren 720s, and a convertible at that. What did you pay for it?”

“Four hundred and sixty.”

“That’s a bit steep.” Qin Haoran chuckled. “But it’s a handsome car.”

Cheng Yao nodded with a smile. “It was my first purchase, didn’t haggle, so paid a bit more. How do you rent out your floor?”

“At market rate, it’s three point eight per square meter. My place has a prime location—just a few steps to Xinjiekou. If you don’t feel like walking, the subway is right outside, just one stop away. How long are you planning to rent?”

“If I rent, it’ll be for quite a while—two or three years, at least.”

“All right, let me show you the place first.”

“Sounds good.”

They took the elevator up to the sixteenth floor. It wasn’t empty; Qin Haoran said, “There are desks and chairs—all set up from when I was planning to start a company here. But the waters ran deep, and I lost my grip. Five hundred square meters is no small space. By the way, what kind of company are you planning?”

“I’m thinking of getting into interactive entertainment, incubating internet celebrities.”

“Ambitious.” Qin Haoran nodded lightly. In today’s world, traffic really does make money. “This place would be perfect then—close to the city center, convenient. I can give you a bit of a discount.”

“Let’s cut to the chase. The place is empty anyway. Give it to me at three point five per square meter. I’ll rent for three years first, and if I stay on, we’ll renew. How about it?” Cheng Yao didn’t want to waste words and offered a straightforward price.

Qin Haoran thought for a moment, then nodded. It was better to rent it out than let it sit idle and lose money. “No problem. Add me on WeChat, and we’ll draw up the contract at the bank.”

“All right, let’s go.”

Back in the elevator, Qin Haoran glanced at Cheng Yao with interest. “You’re still in school, right? How old are you this year?”

“I’ll be twenty soon.”

“Wow, starting a business at twenty! Impressive, my friend. What does your family do?”

With his acting skills, Cheng Yao kept his expression, tone, and subtle movements perfectly natural. “Our family business is overseas. I’m staying in the country for now to see what opportunities there are.”

“I see. The domestic market… things are so dangerous abroad these days…”

“True. What about you?”

“Me?” Qin Haoran chuckled. “My family runs a small business. I mostly collect rent and hang out with friends. They don’t expect me to make money, ha…”

“Collecting rent? Must have quite a few properties, then?”

“Not many, just five buildings and a dozen or so storefronts.” Qin Haoran tried to sound humble, but inside he was delighted—more so than drinking a cold soda on a hot day.

“…”

Damn, he really showed off! Five buildings and a dozen storefronts—if they’re in good locations, the rent alone must bring in tens of millions a year.

Qin Haoran grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re not doing badly yourself. How much are you planning to invest in this venture?”

“I’ll start with thirty million, see how it goes, and add more if needed.”

“…?” Qin Haoran’s cheek twitched. That was as absurd as spending tens of millions to open a skateboard shop. Did incubating internet celebrities really need that much? Wouldn’t it be better to open a streaming platform?

He rubbed his nose. “The bank’s right across the street. Let’s go.”

“Mm.”

An invisible contest of bravado hung in the air, neither man mentioning it further, as if by tacit agreement.

They spent some time drafting two contracts—three point five per square meter, five hundred square meters, totaling one thousand seven hundred and fifty per day, which came to about sixty-three thousand eight hundred per year. Cheng Yao rounded it up: one million nine hundred thousand for three years.

He signed the contract and transferred the money.

After Qin Haoran received the funds, he said, “Let’s add each other as friends. Oh, by the way, do you have a car enthusiast group?”

“A car group?”

“Yeah, the Jinling Supercar Enthusiasts group. All second-generation rich kids from the social circle. We gather at high-end clubs and bars to unwind—plenty of internet-famous beauties around.” Qin Haoran arched his brow at Cheng Yao, as if dangling bait.

Now you’re talking—I’m wide awake.

Cheng Yao shook his head. “There’s a group like that?”

“You probably haven’t been back long. Add me, I’ll invite you. If there’s something fun, I’ll call you.”

Qin Haoran assumed Cheng Yao had only recently returned from abroad.

And just like that, Cheng Yao successfully infiltrated the group. Like a husky among wolves, he didn’t quite fit in with the other rich kids.

The group seemed used to newcomers, even having a welcome ritual.

Jinling’s Daniel Wu: @everyone, welcome Young Master Cheng.

In an instant, the group became lively.

Cheng Yao sent a red envelope as a token gesture.

There were quite a few members—over five hundred. Who knew how many were there fishing for wealthy prospects.

Jinling’s Daniel Wu—that’s my nickname, isn’t it?

Cheng Yao simply changed his name to ‘Too Handsome for My Own Good’, greeted everyone, and then went silent.

Qin Haoran laughed, “That’s a flashy name. All right, if you need anything, just let me know.”

“Bye.”

“Sure, see you. Let’s get together sometime.”

“Sounds good.”

The Lamborghini growled away. Cheng Yao opened his car door and got in. This was the first wealthy social circle he’d made contact with.

…

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