Chapter 373 - 251: Comrades-in-Arms Are More Reliable Than Spouses

Chapter 373: Chapter 251: Comrades-in-Arms Are More Reliable Than Spouses

’It’s just like what people who study abroad always say—you only become more patriotic after leaving the country.’

The same was true for him.

The public safety, the convenient transportation, the reliable utilities, the abundance of goods, and even the security of transactions—they were all part of a commercial ecosystem. It was an ecosystem that had been built at an immense cost, but one becomes numb to it after living within it for so long.

’Mulling this over, Lin Chu gave Zhang Peng a call.

"When is this year’s tax filing deadline?"

"Remind me when the time comes. And also, pay as much as possible."

Hearing this, Zhang Peng gave a dry laugh. "Alright, I’ve made a note of it. Why the sudden interest in this?"

’He had a faint feeling that Brother Chu might be trying to secure some kind of status and had probably heard something. Of course, he couldn’t ask about it directly, so he could only probe around the subject.’

"It just came to mind. Just do as I say. Have you looked into the headquarters building?"

Lin Chu knew what Zhang Peng was thinking. He was extremely sensitive about money—a typical boss’s mindset. If he could pay less, he would definitely try to pay as little as possible. But since Lin Chu had given the order, he would certainly follow it. He would even start thinking about other things, like what kind of status benefits came with paying more taxes.

’It was understandable.’

’Different net worths meant different perspectives.’

’Of course, it was also because he was basically using a cheat code for life. Honestly, he had never truly struggled, so he didn’t feel the sting of spending the money at all.’

"I have. There’s one in Front Sea. These golden geese don’t go up for sale very often. The one in Front Sea is newly built and belongs to a state-owned real estate group. It’s 19 stories, a total of 40,000 square meters, with brand new renovations, and is listed for 2.6 billion. I think it’s a bit expensive. Should we look at others?"

"What’s the environment like? The surrounding amenities?"

Lin Chu asked another question.

"Oh, there are absolutely no issues with that. It’s a prime, central location. Besides being expensive, it has no flaws."

Zhang Peng said with a smile.

"Alright, that’s the one. Buy it. While I still have the money. Go talk to them. Haggle a bit if you can, and once it’s settled, I’ll make the payment. Get the LC Group sign up for me!"

As he made the decision, Lin Chu felt a quiet surge of exhilaration. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

’True, this building definitely couldn’t be considered a landmark.’

’In Peng City, with its forest of skyscrapers, a 19-story office building was far from remarkable.’

’But owning a building named after yourself in a first-tier city, one that would surely be added to maps and navigation systems... that feeling was quite a luxurious and enjoyable one.’

"Okay, hahaha! I’ll go talk to them again tomorrow. When are you coming back?"

"I’ll head back once you’ve settled it."

Lin Chu said casually before hanging up.

’He actually wanted to see how the Zhuang Family’s drama would play out.’

’A struggle for a wealthy family’s inheritance. To witness it firsthand would be a rare experience.’

’A front-row seat to watch the drama unfold up close.’

...

「That evening.」

At home in Building 108.

The entire house was now occupied by the security team. Since it was empty anyway, Gao Haitao had arranged for a full twelve people to stay there.

Lin Chu had no objections to this. When it came to security, you could never be too careful.

After taking a shower, he lay down on the sofa, grabbed a soda, lit a cigarette, and idly scrolled through his phone.

First, he checked his Douyin followers.

8.31 million.

He was getting very close to his goal of ten million followers. His comments section and private messages were exploding; it was impossible to read them all.

’I’ll need to hire someone specifically to handle all this later.’

’This is my foundation.’

Building a reputation required a blitz in the early stages—rapid and frequent exposure. Once a certain foundation was established, it was time for more meticulous cultivation.

He started scrolling through videos.

After scrolling through a dozen or so videos, he was surprised to find that not a single thirst trap had appeared. Instead, he saw several male celebrities. Lin Chu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and he let out a sigh.

’I feel like I’ve completely ruined this account’s algorithm.’

’Big data had determined this was a "high-end account" related to celebrities.’

Damn it!

He scrolled for a while longer until a video from a finance blogger suddenly caught his attention.

—A Look at the Rise of Southeast Asian Tycoons from the 1950s to Today.

’Hm?’

There were many finance bloggers like this on Douyin, and Lin Chu was quite interested in the topic. He saw the video was nearly forty-five minutes long, about the length of a class period. He took a sip of his soda, settled in, and started watching.

"As we all know, Southeast Asian countries have been part of the Greater Chinese cultural sphere since ancient times. In the modern era, an endless stream of ethnic Chinese tycoons have emerged in these nations. Today, your host is going to take a deep dive into how these tycoons from different countries and different eras made their fortunes."

"Let me explain it in one sentence—many of these countries are, in essence, a single company."

...

"The Rubber King, the Sugar and Oil King, the Textile King, the Tobacco King, the Shipping King... and so on. Their success all boils down to one fundamental concept: licensed monopoly."

...

’That was a rather interesting perspective.’ Lin Chu watched intently. He could tell the blogger was being deliberately vague, probably to avoid having the video taken down, but the underlying logic and structure were still clear.

The Chinese are intelligent, hardworking, and have a good head for business. Even in a foreign land, as long as they had the backing of powerful figures and were given favorable policies, they could quickly build up a fortune.

And thus, one tycoon after another was born.

The video even mentioned the Zhuang Family, explaining that the reason they were able to make their fortune was also because they had received the support of a powerful figure in their early days.