Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883

by Inebriation-seeking Blue Shirt, 青衫取醉

  However, for some reason, Boss Pei was standing with the door open but showing no intention to invite Li Shi in for a seat. Both men waited for the other to speak.

  Finally, Li Shi spoke out of curiosity. “Ahem, Boss Pei, aren’t you going to invite me in to take a seat?”

  There was a moment of silence before Pei Qian said, “Come in.”

  He was very reluctant, but he could not possibly chase Li Shi away just like that. What’s more, Pei Qian really wanted to find out how Li Shi had found him there.

  He was afraid that there were hidden dangers he was unaware of, and so he wanted to be cautious and investigate the truth.

  Any little clue that he missed could lead to the failure of the Sloth Apartments.

  Pei Qian invited Li Shi in, and both men stood awkwardly in the empty living room. There was no space for Pei Qian to host him…

  Apart from the huge television, the living room only contained a long sofa that could seat a maximum of three. Thus, if both men sat there, they would feel weird and out of place.

  What’s more, there was no coffee table in front of the long sofa. Even if Pei Qian wanted to offer Li Shi a drink, it would be inconvenient.

  The only place where both of them could sit facing each other was at the small table with two chairs, next to the balcony. This place was meant for people to enjoy the view while sipping tea. This was also where Pei Qian often had his simple meals.

  “Take a seat,” said Boss Pei as he approached the table and gestured at one of the seats to invite Boss Li to sit down.

  They should have been drinking tea, but Pei Qian never drank tea in his own house. After some thought, Pei Qian decided that it would be inappropriate to serve cola to a mature businessman like Boss Li as well.

  He would serve hot water, then—one could not go wrong with hot water.

  Pei Qian retrieved a clean glass from the cupboard, one of the few appliances in the minimalistic home. Although it did not look like much, it had been quite expensive.

  Pei Qian poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Boss Li.

  Ever since Li Shi stepped into the apartment, he had been stunned into silence. He would never have thought!

  First, he would never have thought that Boss Pei’s living room would be that empty. It was exactly the same as the showroom on the first floor!

  Before this, many investors had opined that the apartments’ configurations and decorations were too simple and that they were not very livable.

  Yet, Boss Pei was living here for the long-term!

  What’s more, his house looked exactly the same as the showroom on the first floor. That meant that Boss Pei had not added any of his own furniture or changed the layout of the room. He was keeping strictly to Sloth Apartments’ regulations.

  Of course, saying that he was ‘keeping strictly to the regulations’ would be inappropriate. After all, he had set the rules in the first place. However, objectively, Boss Pei had really not changed anything in the apartment.

  Boss Li had been accompanied by more than ten people at the butler’s room, and so the space felt crowded. Back then, it did not look this empty.

  However, looking at Boss Pei’s apartment now, the emptiness was particularly obvious! There was a huge space in the living room, next to the balcony. However, there were only one coffee table and two chairs.

  What’s more, Boss Pei had served Li Shi hot water instead of coffee or tea. Upon noticing this, Li Shi doubted that Boss Pei was playing tricks on him on purpose. There were no coffee machines or teapots in the entire apartment.

  It looked like Boss Pei was not used to drinking tea or coffee at home.

  That was most shocking to Boss Li because he knew that Boss Pei had teacups and teapots in his office. He also often went to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe for coffee.

  Did he only drink hot water at home, then?

  Li Shi would never have thought that Boss Pei lived in a place like that!

  Compared to Boss Li’s mansion, Boss Pei’s apartment was akin to the accommodation of one who lived his life in self-denial.

  Li Shi sipped his hot water. For some reason, an ordinary glass of water tasted exceptionally good in such an environment.

  Perhaps it was an illusion.

  At that moment, Li Shi noticed a black box on the table, which took up about half of the space. The entire living room had very few decorations, and so the black box on the table was particularly eye-catching.

  Pei Qian’s heart thumped.

  ‘This is bad!’

  Zhang Wang had sent him a Fully-Automated Bickering Machine earlier, and Pei Qian had left it there the entire time!

  It was mainly because Pei Qian had not expected to host any guests. By the time Boss Li arrived, he had forgotten that the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine was still on the table.

  What should he do?

  The cogs in Boss Pei’s mind turned quickly.

  Should he tell Boss Li that this was nothing, or should he quickly take it and hide it away? No, it would be obvious that he was trying to cover something up.

  Boss Li would only become more curious, and then he would ask around to find out what exactly the black box was.

  Thus, Pei Qian had to calm down at that moment. He had to act nonchalant so that Boss Li would not become interested in the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine. What’s more, Pei Qian had to quickly divert the topic without being too obvious.

  It was time to put his acting skills to the test.

  Pei Qian smiled. “Oh, this is nothing much.”

  He gently moved the little rod on the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine, which kicked into motion at once.

  Li Shi: “?”

  Boss Pei collected such strange things? Interesting.

  Boss Li casually moved the rods as well and realized that the machine was strange and meaningless indeed. It did not seem special in any way, and so he quickly lost interest.

  Pei Qian quickly changed the topic, careful to act as if he wasn’t fazed. “So, how did you find your way here, Boss Li?”

  Boss Li was now completely distracted from the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine. Smiling subtly, he said, “Oh, I’m here to support your new business, of course! I just didn’t expect this pleasant surprise—we’re neighbors now!”

  Pei Qian: “?”

  Support my new business? Holy sh*t.

  Pei Qian was filled with disbelief as he asked, “You didn’t… move in here, did you?”

  Li Shi nodded. “That’s right! It’s not just me. I also invited the other investors along. The entire building belongs to us now, and we took one story each!”

  Pei Qian was shocked.

  Are you messing with me?! I had left this building empty for three whole months. Yet, you managed to fill it up in minutes?

  All of you are so rich that you each own a couple of villas, but you’re choosing to rent apartments? Has your brain been damaged?!

  That’s crazy!

  Pei Qian felt like he had just witnessed the most confusing of human acts. He had thought the apartment he had been living in was pricey so that the poor wouldn’t be able to afford it, and the rich wouldn’t care for it. He would never have thought that the rich would be interested.

  They were out of their minds!

  After a moment of silence, Pei Qian asked, “Did you know I live here?”

  Li Shi quickly shook his head. “No! Boss Pei, I only rented this place to support your business. I didn’t mean anything else! If you don’t believe me, you can ask your butler. When I first arrived, I didn’t know that there were already others living in the building.”

  Pei Qian: “…”

  Boss Li did not look like he was lying. Although he had good intentions, Boss Pei was so startled that his head was beginning to hurt…

  Once again, Boss Pei was experiencing the misery that his good name had brought him.

  He did not know when it happened, but things had changed very slowly. Ever since he had b
uilt a fake name for himself, people were attracted to whatever Boss Pei did. No matter how illogical his products seemed, people would show their support…

  Get lost! I don’t need that reputation!

  Pei Qian quietly looked out of the window, trying hard to calm himself down. It did not seem possible to chase the tenants away anymore. What’s more, none of the investors were lacking in money. It did not look like they would ask for a refund in the short-term.

  Pei Qian could only say that Sloth Apartments had done everything right, except that it had neglected to account for Boss Li.

  There was nothing Pei Qian could do. It was just one building after all. There weren’t many people as rich as Boss Li, who would mindlessly throw money at every project Boss Pei worked on.

  The other Sloth Apartments should be safe.

  Seeing that Boss Pei looked slightly unhappy, Li Shi quickly stood up. “Boss Pei, I won’t disturb you any longer, then. I live downstairs, and so you can visit me for a chat at any time.”

  Pei Qian could not ask for anything better. He stood up and walked his guest out.

  After sending Boss Li off, Pei Qian returned to the living room and sat down on the sofa, feeling slightly apprehensive.

  Yet, on further thought, it did not seem to matter much that those people had rented the Sloth Apartments.

  Their own houses were not worse off—all of them lived in villas. From any angle, living here would be barely satisfying to them. Ultimately, the apartments would not hold a candle to their own houses.

  Pei Qian guessed that the investors were just extending a kind gesture to him. They probably wouldn’t stay here for long.

  Even after further consideration, Pei Qian could not think of any other threat the investors posed to him. Thus, frustrated, he could only switch on his television and start playing games.

  Chapter 630 - It's What's Inside that Matters Most

  Li Shi walked out of Boss Pei’s house and took the lift down to the 11th story. Once he entered, Li Shi felt different. Although the configuration was still the same, it seemed to be extra meaningful now.

  This was the exact same design as Boss Pei’s house!

  Yes, Li Shi felt that the place looked exceptionally artistic all of a sudden! Just look at the huge television, the perfectly-positioned sofa, and the coffee table and two chairs by the balcony…

  Everything was perfect!

  It was a pity that he was lacking the black box on the coffee table, so that his set-up looked less complete than Boss Pei’s. Everything else was exactly the same.

  Li Shi had not felt much for the place at first. All he thought was that it was empty. It was alright artistically, but it had not seemed that outstanding.

  Yet, for some reason, when compared to Boss Pei’s image, the place looked very different!

  Li Shi sat on the couch, not being able to stop thinking about several questions: How did Boss Pei work while staying here? Which room did he sleep in? What did he watch on the huge television?

  Yes, it was worth investigating!

  Li Shi would observe the television first. He found a game machine and a huge quantity of gaming discs in the television cabinet.

  …

  Ten minutes later…

  A new message popped up in the investors’ group chat.

  “How is your viewing going, everyone? Can we leave now?”

  “Yes, I’m done here.”

  “I think the huge television is not bad. I checked it out and found out that it’s a limited edition. I’m going to get one for my own house!”

  “It’s a pity that I don’t enjoy watching television.”

  “There are too few items in the house. I finished inspecting all of them in five minutes. What’s more, I can’t add my own furniture. There’s really nothing much to look at.”

  “Should we gather downstairs?”

  “How about Boss Li? How’s Boss Li doing?”

  Li Shi read everyone’s messages on his cell phone and could not help but let out a soft sigh. It felt like those people were returning empty-handed from a mountain full of treasures; they could not appreciate how good the apartments were!

  At first, Li Shi had wanted to let them return home on their own. However, on further thought, he sent a message into the group chat. “Come to the 11th story.”

  Two minutes later, the other twelve investors arrived at Li Shi’s apartment.

  “Boss Li, why did you ask us to come here? Aren’t all the apartments in the building exactly the same?” someone asked.

  “That’s right, this looks exactly like my own apartment. I can’t see any differences whatsoever,” said another investor.

  Everyone stood in the living room, afraid to go to the sofa because there wasn’t enough space.

  Li Shi shook his head, frustrated. As if expecting better from them, he said, “Are all of you planning not to live here now that you’ve paid the rent?!”

  Everyone else exchanged confused looks. That was exactly what they had been thinking.

  Weren’t their own villas better? They had renovated them according to their own likes and dislikes, and they were all used to it by now.

  What do they have here? There weren’t even enough furniture pieces. If their friends came over to visit them, they would have nowhere to sit.

  Wouldn’t they be torturing themselves by trying to live in these apartments long-term?

  The three investors who had not rented the apartments celebrated in their hearts.

  Thank goodness, we were intelligent!

  We would have been renting this place for nothing and tossing ten thousand yuan into the trash each month.

  Although ten thousand yuan per month was not much to them, it would still hurt their hearts to throw money away.

  Li Shi confirmed his guess by looking at everyone else’s expressions.

  Sighing softly, he said, “All of you… why don’t you think harder about things? If I had not asked you to come here and dropped you hints on purpose, you would be leaving empty-handed from a mountain full of treasures.”

  Confusion was written all over the other investors’ faces.

  Why was Boss Li saying this? How could he call this a mountain full of treasures?

  Had he seen a mountain full of treasures made up of four bare walls?

  Moreover, the furniture was quite valuable indeed, but that was only so to ordinary people. To the rich, they were no different from daily necessities.

  How were they returning empty-handed from a mountain full of treasures?

  One of the investors asked, “Boss Li, please enlighten us on this. Where’s all the treasure?”

  Li Shi laughed humorlessly. “Have you read ‘The Big Duck[1]’ before? It’s more beneficial to the fame of a mountain if celestials live on it rather than if it stands tall; it’s more important for the mystic of water if a dragon lives within it rather than if it runs deep!

  “Are furniture and configurations the most important things in houses? No! It’s who lives inside that matters most!”

  He lowered his voice. “Let me tell you: Boss Pei lives upstairs.”

  The investors’ eyes widened.

  “Boss Pei lives here?”

  “That can’t be. He must be like us—he must only come here once in a while, right?”

  “That’s right, how can he stay long-term in a place like that?!”

  Li Shi shook his head. “Boss Pei does live here long-term. You can believe it if you want, but I saw it with my own eyes. How could it be fake?

  “Based on my observations, Boss Pei has already been living here for some time. What’s more, he hasn’t touched the house’s configuration!

  “What do you think that means?”

  The investors’ faces went blank.

  Feeling at a loss for words, Li Shi continued speaking. “That means that we can understand Boss Pei’s lifestyle by living here!

  “Isn’t that the most valuable treasure?”

  Some inv
estors looked like they understood, but others still looked confused.

  “Boss Pei’s lifestyle… so what if we learn about it?”

  One of the investors who understood quickly explained, “Of course, it’s important! A man’s success is very closely linked to his character and lifestyle! Some people succeed because they’re extremely disciplined while others succeed because they’re extremely focused!

  “Do not think that this is unimportant—it’s very important!

  “A foreign god of investing, Parfit, can charge several million US dollars for one charity luncheon. If it were you, would you want to attend it? Do you think all those who paid to go there were interested in the food? It was to see Parfit!

  “What’s more, it was just a luncheon.

  “Can you imagine being a guest in Parfit’s house? Also, what if you could stay in his house for the long-term?

  “If we remain here, it would be akin to living in Boss Pei’s house for the long term. We would also be able to bump into Boss Pei frequently. Do you think paying ten thousand yuan per month is worth it?!”

  Finally, everyone understood.

  So that was it!

  Who in the world wasn’t curious about what Parfit’s house looked like?

  Yet, was there any use? Could anyone be a guest in his house? That aside, even looking for actual information about him online would be very difficult!

  Who didn’t want to understand how Parfit invested?

  Everyone was curious about his lifestyle, taste, hobbies, and so on!

  However, Parfit was overseas and too far away. There was nothing that any of them could do. Nevertheless, there was a younger version of a god of investing right there—in Jingzhou!

  At a young age, Boss Pei was already so outstanding. If he could live to ninety, maybe he would achieve the same glory as Parfit! What a valuable opportunity it was to be a neighbor of Boss Pei and to live in the same type of house as him!

  On further thought, was it important how exactly they lived?

  No!

  Who, among those who had lunch with Parfit, really cared about how delicious the steak was?