Chapter 494 - 298: The Urge to Kill

Chapter 494: Chapter 298: The Urge to Kill

It was a little after six in the evening.

Inside the presidential suite of the Burj Al Arab Hotel.

Lin Chu had just taken a shower. He changed into a men’s long robe made of black and gold Xiangyun Sha. Looking at himself in the mirror, he admired its vintage flair—a perfect fusion of the traditional and the modern.

In terms of today’s popular fashion trends, it could be called "neo-Chinese chic."

Since he was going to the princes’ party tonight, he figured he should at least make an effort to look sharp.

After styling his hair and spritzing a bit of cologne on his neck, a satisfied smile spread across Lin Chu’s lips.

’Just one word... Handsome!’

Yang Huixian sat on the sofa, a smile on her face as she languidly watched the scene unfold, fully sensing her man’s narcissism.

’Still,’ she mused, ’he has indeed gotten a lot better-looking and more fit since I first met him.’

’Objectively speaking, it’s a huge improvement.’

’And subjectively, in my own eyes, he’s become much more handsome too. He’s really in his prime.’

"Is there anything you need me to do?"

She stood up and asked with a smile when Lin Chu finished getting ready and looked over at her.

The Prince had invited Lin Chu to a party tonight, but Yang Huixian wasn’t clear on the details.

’In any case, I’m almost used to it by now.’

’Once a woman lets go of her need to be in control, she naturally discovers that her world opens up, her mood improves, and even her man starts treating her better.’

’I guess this is a kind of personal growth he’s brought me.’

’There’s a joke that explains it perfectly.’

’When a man cheats, the first thing he thinks about when he gets home is how to keep his wife from finding out and how to be even nicer to her.’

’A woman, on the other hand, will just think about how to dump the old guy as quickly as possible so she can rush off to a new, happy life with someone else.’

’It’s an old saying, but it’s spot on.’

’Sometimes, when I get annoyed with Lin Chu, I just think about that, adjust my perspective, and suddenly everything feels fine again.’

"I’m guessing it’s a traditional gathering, so it’s probably not appropriate for women to attend. Why don’t you make your own plans? If you want to go somewhere, I’ll have them arrange a car for you," Lin Chu said with a smile, walking over to give her a light hug.

’As for me,’ Lin Chu thought, ’after thinking through this whole ’love’ thing, I’ve figured out how to manage my relationships.’

’A guy like me could be out carousing all the time, but on the surface, when we’re together, I at least need to show some affection, respect, and acknowledge the sacrifices she makes.’

’Isn’t that all they really want?’

’Especially when their material needs are already taken care of.’

’As long as a man can manage those few things, he doesn’t have to worry about a thing. Rest assured, the woman will handle the rest by lying to herself.’

"Oh, that’s not necessary. Forget it, I’ll just stay in. Can you ask your rich buddy to send over the details for those three potential store locations? I’ll take a look at them later."

"I don’t really have any connections for labor or construction teams here. I was just thinking, why don’t we bring over the crew that did the work for us in Peng City?"

This was an issue.

And a rather important one.

The store’s neo-Chinese, vintage-luxury decor was a crucial part of the brand’s image, a design they had previously poured a great deal of effort into creating.

A familiar team would naturally be easier to work with.

Although their labor costs might be higher for working abroad, it probably wouldn’t be much different when you factored in the cost and diligence of the local workforce. Plus, it would most likely be a lot less hassle.

"Sure, no problem. I’ll call him right now."

"You can contact the construction team."

Lin Chu replied with a smile and called Rashid. Given the prince’s personality, he knew that if he didn’t follow up on a "small matter" like this, Rashid would never take the initiative to get it done.

It wasn’t that he was unreliable, making verbal promises he wouldn’t keep.

He was just lazy.

For a big-shot prince of his stature, such a trivial matter most likely wouldn’t even register in his brain.

After the call, Rashid readily agreed. He asked for her email address and said he would have someone send the detailed information over right away.

With that matter settled, Lin Chu calmly headed out.

...

Night had not yet fully fallen.

The city lights were just beginning to shimmer on.

A Rolls-Royce navigated the rush-hour traffic. Ma Teng was at the wheel with Lu Ming in the passenger seat, and they were heading to the party.

"They’ve all arrived in Xiangjiang," Lu Ming said, looking at his phone. The group chat with their buddies was blowing up; they were all as excited as kids on a school trip.

Men’s happiness was really that simple.

Going out to have fun, and with a whole group of buddies at that? It didn’t get any better.

Lin Chu gazed out the window at the city lights, imagining his friends departing from Xiangjiang and arriving in Dubai seven hours later. A flicker of anticipation sparked within him.

"We’ll go pick them up tomorrow morning. We should think of a special way to welcome them."

Seeing the mischievous grin spread across Lin Chu’s face, Lu Ming paused for a second, then couldn’t help but chuckle.

"So, what’s the plan?" he asked with a laugh.

"You come up with something... I don’t have the brainpower for that right now. I’m still focused on tonight. After spending so much money, I need to find a way to make some of it back."

Lin Chu lit a cigarette, passed two more to the others, and spoke with an air of great "ambition."

’Acquiring a foreign bank—that goal has become deeply rooted in my mind.’

’My requirements for the target are also crystal clear.’

’Ideally, it would be a bank with a long history and a decent size, but not a financial behemoth or an industry leader. A second- or third-tier bank would be perfect.’

’There are actually quite a few banks like that out there.’

’After all, the financial systems in these countries are already mature. As for the money, that’s not the main issue—I can just generate it.’

’The main thing is finding a completely trustworthy person to run it.’

’And it would be best if they were a foreigner.’

’I can just be the silent capital partner holding the controlling shares.’