Chapter 467 - 253: Fort Saint Louis

After a few days of fun in Shanghai, Qi Sheng and the others headed home.

Fortunately, the Bombardier Global 7500 was large enough to accommodate their big family.

With his "never-crash" buff,

Qi Sheng naturally wasn’t worried about any flight accidents.

He even pulled three of the girls into the master bedroom for some fun on the plane.

The master bedroom’s private, automated door was very well soundproofed.

If not for the three girls shyly lowering their heads afterward,

his other girlfriends would never have guessed what they had been up to.

By now, they were unfazed by his licentious behavior.

With so many of them, some were even a bit envious.

After all, there was only one Qi Sheng.

The time he could spend with each of them was extremely limited.

Luckily, Qi Sheng had been on his best behavior lately, not running off to find them any new "sisters."

This, at least, put them at ease.

Otherwise, if the number of "sisters" kept growing,

they might not even get to see Qi Sheng once a month.

...

After landing at Tianfu Airport,

Qi Sheng and the others exited directly through the VIP channel after clearing security.

Now that he was on his home turf, Qi Sheng no longer bothered with a low profile.

A motorcade composed entirely of Cadillac Escalades was lined up neatly,

ready to welcome Qi Sheng and his large family.

At least in China, you didn’t have to worry about a gang of burly men with firearms piling out of such vehicles.

If you saw a motorcade of Escalades abroad, it was best to give them a wide berth.

Qi Sheng sat in the back of the Cullinan at the center of the formation.

Tan Hua was on his left, and Jiang Wanqiu was on his right.

Qu Man and the others hadn’t come along; they had all remained in Shanghai.

It was, however, Jiang Wanqiu’s first time in the Sichuan and Chongqing region, and she looked around with fascination.

As the motorcade entered Black Jade Island, Qi Sheng found the sight of his villa increasingly displeasing.

It had been fine before, but with his "family" growing larger and larger,

its six bedrooms were nowhere near enough.

The majority of his girlfriends were from the Sichuan and Chongqing area,

or had been working there for years.

Their culinary tastes had long since adapted to the local food.

They might not feel at ease if they were to suddenly leave a place they knew so well for Shanghai or the Capital City.

Since Chengdu was going to remain his home base for the foreseeable future,

it was time to put purchasing a new, larger mansion on the agenda.

Qi Sheng decided to go all out and buy the Fort Saint Louis estate in the Atlantis complex outright.

...

In early September, Qi Sheng brought his large family to tour Fort Saint Louis, hailed as Chengdu’s most prestigious mansion.

A price tag of 380 million certainly earned it that title.

Even in Shanghai, that kind of money could easily buy you a mansion in Tan Palace or Jun Court.

Even the premiere villa at Nine Rooms Hall that Qi Sheng had bought for Jiang Wanqiu wasn’t as expensive as Fort Saint Louis.

Of course, that was just the list price.

The actual transaction price would certainly be much lower.

The residential complex where Fort Saint Louis was located had opened for sale back in 2011.

Eight years had passed, yet Fort Saint Louis remained unsold.

The situation was, to say the least, awkward.

It was the perfect example of a property with a price but no market.

Wang Hua, the general manager of the development company, led them on a tour of the mansion.

As a local, Wang Hua was of course well aware of the much-talked-about chairman of Spicy King.

He had just never expected Qi Sheng to be so young.

’Just think, Spicy King’s valuation has already reached the 10 billion US Dollars mark.

’If it went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, its market capitalization would start at 100 billion, at least.

’And according to public information, Qi Sheng’s stake was over 80%, at a minimum.

’Even after a few more rounds of funding diluted his shares, by the time Spicy King went public, Qi Sheng’s net worth would be in the tens of billions, easily.

’If Spicy King’s performance was exceptional, it wasn’t out of the question for his on-paper net worth to break the 100 billion mark.

’After all their years of struggle, Old Ma and Brother Xiaoma’s on-paper net worth was only around that level.’

"Chairman Qi, this Fort Saint Louis estate covers a staggering eight mu—that’s equivalent to thirteen basketball courts."

"Furthermore, it’s completely surrounded by water, connected to the mainland by a single bridge that is 7.3 meters wide and 10.65 meters long."

"Its privacy is unparalleled in this community."

"Additionally, the mansion itself has a floor area of 2,000 square meters and boasts eighty-two bedrooms."

"I would strongly recommend you hire a professional team of butlers; otherwise, it would significantly impact your daily living experience."

After his brief introduction, Wang Hua let Qi Sheng and his group wander and explore as they pleased.

Since the mansion was a tough sell anyway, he didn’t mind extending a small courtesy.

"Honey, isn’t this mansion a bit too big?"

Tan Hua wasn’t in a rush to go inside. ’After all,’ she thought, ’my master bedroom isn’t going anywhere.’

The thought of eighty-two bedrooms made Tan Hua’s head spin.

’Good thing we don’t have kids yet,’ she mused. ’Playing hide-and-seek in here would take half the day.’

Qi Sheng smiled, leaning down to whisper in Tan Hua’s ear, "Our family is getting pretty big. Don’t we need a bigger mansion?"

"So, you’re planning to fill all eighty-two rooms?"

Tan Hua rolled her eyes at him in mock annoyance.

’If they really filled this place up,’ she thought, ’the headache would kill me.’

"Ahem, well, not all of them."

Qi Sheng rubbed his nose. ’To be honest, the thought had crossed my mind.’

As the premiere mansion of the complex,

the developer had naturally spared no expense on the renovations.

The core construction and fixtures, at least, were exceptionally luxurious.

Its thoroughly European style made it look exactly like a castle out of a British period drama.

Its exquisite splendor was comparable to that of a palace.

All it needed were some furnishings and a light cleaning, and it would be ready for move-in.

Otherwise, Fort Saint Louis could never have commanded a price of 380 million.

The mansion was designed with two main floors plus an attic.

The ceilings on the first floor were 4.5 meters high.

The vaulted ceiling in the living room soared to over 8 meters.

Even the basement and attic had 4-meter-high ceilings, making the entire space feel incredibly vast and luxurious.

Each floor had so many rooms it was impossible to keep count.

The grand foyer alone was larger than the living room of a typical mansion.

Two Roman columns gave the entire space a grand, ceremonial feel.

The 8-meter vaulted ceiling made the living room feel majestic and imposing.

A classical fireplace, wood-paneled walls, crystal chandeliers, hand-painted silk wallpaper, and exquisite classical furniture...

...all contributed to a noble, palatial atmosphere that flowed throughout the mansion.

There was also a dining room fit for European nobility, the kind you only see in movies;

a crystal-adorned bathroom worthy of a princess;

and an opulent, spacious bedroom that made you feel like royalty just by lying down in it.

Even Qi Sheng had to admit,

for a place bold enough to ask for 380 million, it certainly had the substance to back it up.

Wang Hua asked with a smile, "Chairman Qi, what are your thoughts?"

"The renovations are excellent. Give me a serious offer."

Qi Sheng walked over to the living room, pulling Tan Hua down to sit with him on a soft, comfortable sofa.

"Well, to be honest, this mansion has been on our hands for far too long, and the company is quite eager to sell."

"We can take 100 million off the price. What do you think of 280 million?"

Wang Hua said cautiously, mentally prepared for the worst.

"250 million. If you can do that, I’ll have my people wire the money immediately."

Qi Sheng had just had 900 million deposited into his account at the beginning of the month, and he was also planning to spend some of it on "upgrading" his girlfriends’ looks.

He needed to be frugal where he could, but the mansion had to be bought quickly.

"250 million..."

Wang Hua was secretly overjoyed. This was the exact bottom-line price his company had authorized.

"No problem. We’ll go with your price."

Fearing Qi Sheng might change his mind, Wang Hua quickly sealed the deal.

A mega-mansion like this was incredibly difficult to sell.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have remained unsold since it first went on the market in 2011.

Encountering a tycoon like Qi Sheng, who was not only fabulously wealthy but also genuinely interested in this specific property, was an incredibly rare opportunity.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

"President Wang, right this way. I will personally handle the details of the transaction with you."

Receiving a look from Qi Sheng, Qiu Lei took the initiative and led Wang Hua aside to discuss the details.

"Honey, did we just... buy this mansion?"

Watching Wang Hua walk away, Tan Hua still found it all a bit surreal.

This was a mansion worth nearly 300 million yuan.

Why did it feel like her boyfriend bought it as casually as he would a car?

"You’ll get used to it. The diamond ring on your finger alone is worth 150 million."

Qi Sheng gently booped her nose, then smiled and pulled her onto his lap.

"You’re right."

Tan Hua couldn’t help but glance at the pink diamond ring on her finger, terrified she might accidentally lose it.

But Qi Sheng wouldn’t let her take it off, insisting she wear it every day.

The thought that the ring on her finger was worth 150 million

actually made this 250 million yuan mansion seem cheap by comparison.

But "cheap," of course, was a term relative only to someone like Qi Sheng.

People with Qi Sheng’s terrifying level of wealth were, naturally, few and far between.

Most tycoons wouldn’t want a mega-mansion with eighty-two bedrooms.

If it were in Shanghai, perhaps some tycoon might consider it.

"Chairman Qi, as a token of our gratitude, our company has decided to waive your property management fees for ten years. We hope you will accept."

Wang Hua knew that Qi Sheng couldn’t care less about the property fees,

but it was his company’s way of showing respect.

"I accept your company’s kind gesture."

Qi Sheng really didn’t care.

Still, the feeling of being respected wasn’t bad at all.

"Well, I’ll let you get back to it. I won’t disturb you any further."

Wang Hua handed over his business card and hastily departed.

Just a moment ago, Qiu Lei had efficiently signed the contract with him.

A deposit of 50 million yuan had already been wired to their company’s account.

Once the ownership transfer was complete, the remaining 200 million would be transferred immediately.

From this moment on, Qi Sheng and his entourage were the true owners of Fort Saint Louis.

’I’ll definitely need to hire butlers,’ Qi Sheng thought.

’Although Liu Rong herself was a trained butler,

’now that she was one of his women, he certainly wouldn’t let her do such strenuous work.’

’Excellent butlers were a dime a dozen on the open market.

’As long as the salary was high enough, he wouldn’t have any trouble recruiting.’

’If he really wanted to project a certain style, it wouldn’t be out of the question to hire a few white butlers who had graduated from the London Butlers Academy.’

However, Qi Sheng preferred using his own people.

He didn’t feel safe hiring strangers.

He had the money, anyway. He’d just directly generate two Gold Level butlers and chefs,

plus fifty Ordinary Level maids, gardeners, and cooks.

All in all, it would cost exactly 100 million yuan.

It was extravagant, sure, but they would all be his own people.

Not only would they be more dedicated to their work, but security would also be absolutely guaranteed.

Hearing that Qi Sheng had already paid the deposit and that they now had free rein of the mansion,

the women all scattered, excitedly picking out their favorite rooms.

This time, there would be no more crowding. Everyone would have her own room.

The rooms had all been designed as suites.

Each bedroom came with its own private bathroom and walk-in closet.

They weren’t as large as the master bedrooms in their own homes, of course,

but for the occasional stay, they were more than spacious enough.

Qi Sheng, however, was starting to worry about a different problem: which girlfriend’s "nameplate" should he flip tonight?

A big mansion had its downsides, too.

Enjoying the "attentions" of multiple girlfriends at once, like he used to, would probably be much more difficult now.