Chapter 442 - 274: Our Great Era

Chapter 442: Chapter 274: Our Great Era

Lying down.

Lin Chu’s thoughts were in a whirl.

The topic of love and romance was something he no longer considered. Call it enlightenment or call it depravity, this was just how things were. As an ordinary person, it was the most energy-efficient way to live.

He used to have some fantasies about "pure love," but now, those were completely gone.

No matter how beautiful or romantic a first meeting, once life returned to normal and time passed, everything eventually faded to mundanity.

And at twenty-four, he was clearly not yet at an age for settling into a mundane life.

He’d already thought all of this through while talking with Bai Weiwei yesterday afternoon.

But...

’So, what is there to do?’

For a moment, Lin Chu felt a sense of aimless confusion, as if he’d lost his purpose.

The spiritual emptiness that followed immense material abundance.

...

"Hey, let me ask you something. Are you... empty?"

Lin Chu looked at You Shaoqiang during lunch and asked with a casual smile.

You Shaoqiang: ?

He froze for a moment.

He even found the question somewhat absurd.

’What kind of question is that?’

He shook his head.

Lin Chu pressed on, "Not even a little?"

"No way. I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. I’m busy as hell. Even when we were driving around Erhai yesterday, I was handling all sorts of company matters in the car. Where would I find the time to feel empty?"

You Shaoqiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For a moment, he even felt like Lin Chu was showing off his superiority right in his face.

’What kind of person has the luxury of feeling empty?’

He who talks to others without mentioning worldly affairs is a man detached from the world.

He recalled an aesthetic theory from an art lecture he’d attended. What is a sense of high class? What is a sense of aristocracy?

That sense of high class and aristocracy is a kind of laziness, a kind of boredom, even a kind of weariness.

It comes from having every desire satisfied, with nothing left to do.

This was a state only attainable by those who did not need to work yet possessed immense wealth.

He was clearly not one of them.

And yet, right now, You Shaoqiang saw that very state embodied in Lin Chu.

This guy... what a humblebragger!

So envious.

So salty!

"Your family is so rich now, right? Why are you still running around like a headless chicken? What for?"

Lin Chu asked with a half-smile.

You Shaoqiang: ...

He let out a long sigh.

"Habit, I guess. Inertia. The spirit of arduous struggle is just ingrained in my bones. Besides, if I don’t work hard, my dad will look down on me, and everything I have now could be given to my younger brother, my younger sister... Haha, I definitely can’t compare to you."

He said it nonchalantly, using the opportunity to subtly probe Lin Chu, hoping to fish for some information.

In fact, what he said carried a very obvious implication.

Given their current relationship, it wasn’t out of line to discuss such things.

He was now certain, from the bottom of his heart, that Lin Chu had a backer. A massive backer. A backer so monumental you couldn’t see their face even if you craned your neck to look up.

"Are you married?"

Lin Chu guessed his intentions. With a light smile and an air of breezy indifference, he completely ignored the bait and casually changed the subject.

’I’m definitely not revealing a single thing about this. Maintaining an air of mystery is the best way to protect myself in the long run.’

’It might feel a bit like a fox borrowing the tiger’s might, but I have to do this. At least at my age, for the next few years, this is how it has to be.’

’Not until the day my company’s foundations are completely stable, with all four major sectors bringing in a steady stream of profit year after year. Only then can I throw away the crutch and walk freely.’

’At that point, it wouldn’t matter how much money the System generates; I wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.’

’My deliberate choice to slow down and wait for the company to develop is, in fact, partly due to this consideration.’

"Nope, not getting married. What’s there to even consider?"

"Xiaoxi knows I have a fixed roster of seven girlfriends, all waiting their turn. If one of them has a kid, I just give them money. I can’t joke around with the family assets, right? No one can afford that risk."

You Shaoqiang said this with a frank smile, right in front of his girlfriend.

He treated Lin Chu as someone from the same social class.

So naturally, a topic like this was no big deal.

Hearing this, his girlfriend shot him a playfully reproachful glance and gently patted his arm, but then she nodded with a radiant smile.

It was clear she approved of it herself.

Lin Chu: ...

Tsk.

As they discussed this, Lin Chu suddenly felt he had just gotten his first glimpse into the corner of a truly wealthy family’s life.

The You Family, of course, counted as one. For many years, they had ranked in the top fifty of the Forbes list.

’—You guys are the bigger bastards after all.’

Still, once you fully accepted this kind of setup, there was no more internal conflict. ’I guess I just haven’t been rich long enough.’

And so...

They ate their meal.

The two of them talked.

And envied each other.

You Shaoqiang envied Lin Chu for not having to do anything while money poured in. That couldn’t even be called "rich" anymore; that was "noble."

Lin Chu, on the other hand, envied him for having so thoroughly internalized the "super rich second-generation" mindset that he didn’t have to think through so many problems from scratch.

"You really don’t want to play around a bit?"

"Honestly, if you wanted to play, you’d have an even bigger advantage..."

"You have tens of millions of fans. If you pivoted to being a finance influencer and casually promoted a stock on your stream, holy shit, what stock wouldn’t go crazy?"

"If I had your foundational audience, I’d be laughing in my sleep."

You Shaoqiang said with a sudden laugh, his tone carrying a hint of instigation.

Lin Chu joining the United Youth Association was already a done deal; there was nothing more to be said about it.

He had also given it some thought.

In the current market, if he could collaborate with Lin Chu, it would be like giving a tiger wings.

Hm?

Lin Chu’s eyes widened slightly, a light gleaming within them.

This proposal truly made his heart beat faster for a few seconds. His body warmed, as if he had just discovered a fun new game.

What he was talking about was, in essence, a form of "power."

Economic power, the power of public opinion—that was power too.

To command the winds and clouds.

To have a hundred answer one’s call.

With a laugh and a word, to make something soar to the heavens or turn to dust and ashes.

...

...