T/L:
These 5 updates are all sponsored by the ever-lovely Paprika! The rest 3 sponsored chapters will be uploaded tomorrow~
There’s a lot of real places mentioned in this chapter. I only visited Beijing once in my life, and never went to Shanghai, so I really don’t know any of them. I’m just translating them as it is, so maybe they have different English official names.
Ji Linqiu tutored Peng Xingwang in Olympiad math all afternoon, leaving the child in a daze.
It wasn’t that the problems were impossibly difficult—it was more that Peng Xingwang struggled to reconcile this astonishing new reality.
Teacher Ji—wait, no, it’s Brother Linqiu—was amazing at math!
He could even do two-digit multiplication in his head!
Elementary school Olympiad math questions were all made by a bunch of bad-intentioned adults, full of tricky and devious traps.
Back in Hongcheng, Peng Xingwang breezed through his schoolwork in half an hour before heading out to play. He’d roam the alleys with his Yang Kai and others, free as a bird, only coming home when it got dark.
There was even a time when Jiang Wang suspected the boy might destroy the house if he didn’t get enough time outdoors.
But life in Yuhan brought with it brand-new challenges, like a bucket of cold water poured over this 9-year-old boy’s head.
‘What? Am I not the smartest kid in the class anymore?!’
‘How could there be problems I can’t solve? This was unacceptable!’
‘Sob sob sob sob! Why is this so hard? And why can they all finish and get candy from the teacher?!’
‘…It had been over a week now. Am I the only one in the entire class who hadn’t gotten a candy from Teacher Shao? I’m going to cry…’
Ji Linqiu worked through the problems himself first before breaking them down for Peng Xingwang. He focused on the key logical concepts, explaining them carefully, like a seasoned math teacher who’d done this for years.
Peng Xingwang was a quick learner. Once he grasped the main ideas, it didn’t matter whether the problem involved a dog running back and forth between two people or a bathtub with water flowing in and out—he could zero in on the solution immediately.
Solving the problems gave him a huge sense of accomplishment. He cheered and set down his pen, only to suddenly snap his head toward Ji Linqiu as though waking from a dream.
Ji Linqiu was amused and confused. “What? Is there something on my face?”
The boy shook his head quickly but kept staring.
“You’re incredible,” Peng Xingwang said earnestly, trying to find words that better conveyed his awe. “Brother Linqiu, you’re my idol now.”
Ji Linqiu paused for two seconds. “Because I can solve math problems?”
“No, because you’re good at both math and English! You’re a genius!”
For a moment, Ji Linqiu wanted to take this child to a university campus just to broaden his horizons.
As the two were chatting, Jiang Wang appeared in the doorway holding a mop.
“Xingxing, I’ve asked Aunt Fu to look after you for the next couple of days. Brother Linqiu and I are heading to Beijing on a business trip. We’ll be back in three or four days.”
The boy was used to their frequent trips and gave a quick nod before packing up his materials and heading out to watch TV.
This left Ji Linqiu puzzled. “Going to Beijing? When?”
“Book a flight for tonight?”
“Is it to meet with a book distributor or negotiate with a school?” Ji Linqiu assumed it was a last-minute decision as he got up to grab a suitcase. “I’ll need to hand off one of my meetings to Brother Duan.”
Jiang Wang smiled faintly, offering no explanation.
While they did have business to handle in Beijing, there was another, more significant reason for the trip:
—They are going to buy a house.
Ever since the day Jiang Wang rescued Peng Xingwang, he had been contemplating real estate investment as a cornerstone for future financial planning.
In 2007, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin were still in their infancy, requiring programming expertise to mine.
Real estate… was an immediate and tangible opportunity.
Beijing in 2007 was a bustling, flourishing metropolis. Though its skyline wasn’t yet the towering steel jungle it would become, the city was vibrant and brimming with life despite being on workdays.
For Ji Linqiu, the trip felt like a nostalgic return to his college days. He even reconnected with a few old university friends over phone calls, finding their friendships as strong as ever.
He had a hunch that some of these friends might one day become valuable allies for Jiang Wang.
After wrapping up their business meetings, Jiang Wang confirmed over the phone that everything was fine on Peng Xingwang’s end. Then, borrowing a car from a friend, he took Ji Linqiu to visit some high-demand residential properties in the Second Ring Road area.
“12,000 yuan per square meter?!” Ji Linqiu was a bit taken aback. “Are you sure you want to buy here?”
Jiang Wang glanced at him. “Too expensive?”
Accepting a cup of tea from the saleswoman, Ji Linqiu thanked her but didn’t answer immediately.
He was thoughtful, knowing Jiang Wang wasn’t the type to make impulsive decisions.
“Beijing is a centralized city,” Ji Linqiu said slowly, organizing his thoughts. “It’ll become the core of surrounding provinces, attracting talent and accelerating development… Housing prices are bound to rise.”
Comparing it to property prices in New York or London, the current rate seemed quite reasonable.
“12,000 yuan per square meter,” Jiang Wang murmured, as if in a dream. “Maybe I can even negotiate it down a bit.”
To him, the number felt surreal.
In 2007, high-end apartments within the Second Ring Road cost just 12,000 yuan per square meter.
By 2027, whether near Yuetan Park or Zhongguancun, any random property would start at no less than 150,000 yuan per square meter.
Having worked in real estate for years, Jiang Wang had even heard of a peculiar story over a meal with colleagues.
It was about a narrow alleyway tucked between two courtyard houses north of the Forbidden City. The alley had long been used by the owners as a junk storage area.
That little alley, eventually sold for over 100 million yuan.
“Over 100 million!” Jiang Wang’s colleague exclaimed, waving their chopsticks mid-lunch. “Can you imagine? We could work ourselves to death and never make that much. What kind of business must these people be in to get there?”
Someone nearby laughed in disbelief. “A hundred million for a tiny alley? What for? Even if they wanted a Beijing household registration for college entrance exams, there’s still no need to spend that much.”
“You don’t get it, they don’t want a Beijing household registration” the first colleague said, nearly spitting into the soup bowl across the table. “They want the spots in top key schools — those are priceless!”
This thought lingered in Jiang Wang’s mind. He realized he needed to buy more courtyard houses. Whether they were slated for demolition or not, it would be wise to stockpile them now.
In Zhongguancun, he planned to grab as many school district properties as possible, especially near Tsinghua Affiliated High School and Renmin University High School. Then he’d move on to areas around Yonghe Temple and hospitals. It was almost like playing Monopoly.
Thanks to his lottery winnings, Jiang Wang’s net worth had already reached several million yuan last year.
This year, with the expansion of multiple businesses and increased revenue streams, his liquid assets were partially tied up, but not significantly constrained.
He calculated that he could easily buy five premium properties in Beijing. Once he finished this round of investments, he would consider acquiring land near Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district.
“By the way, what about you?”
Ji Linqiu was caught off guard. “Me? Buy property too?”
Jiang Wang rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I know a few good locations with reasonable prices. Why don’t we do this together?”
Last year, Ji Linqiu had still been an elementary school teacher with a modest salary, often using his earnings to sponsor underprivileged children in rural areas. His life was frugal, and even books were a luxury.
But Boss Jiang was far from stingy.
Even if they weren’t partners, Ji Linqiu was more than deserving of a generous salary.
Now a core member of Buwang Culture and Buwang Education, Ji Linqiu also served as an essential advisor in the education sector. His foresight and analytical skills were indispensable.
Since the inception of his business, Jiang Wang had always intended to allocate a significant portion of shares to Ji Linqiu.
When Yuhan’s tutoring center officially opened, a large influx of funds raised the company’s valuation, leading to lucrative dividends.
In addition to dividends, there were project bonuses, monthly salaries, and even housing subsidies.
Jiang Wang seemed to invent every possible excuse to funnel money to his beloved ones, employing methods so creative that even the accountants were astounded.
“Boss, why not just hand him your bank card?” they joked privately.
When Ji Linqiu received his paycheck, he stared at the number of zeroes at the end multiple times, as though suspecting a typo.
Jiang Wang feigned innocence. “That’s what the contract said from the beginning, wasn’t it?”
Ji Linqiu: “…!!”
“My suggestion,” Jiang Wang said, “is to buy your parents a nice home near ours—something on the ground floor with a small garden. They could grow flowers, vegetables, maybe keep a parrot.”
“Of course, investing here in Beijing is practically risk-free. If you trust me, why not get a place while we’re at it?”
Ji Linqiu thought it over for five minutes, then pulled out his bank card.
“Miss, I’ll take the unit across from his.”
The sales agent stammered in shock. “You’ve already decided?”
“Yes, I’ll pay in full now,” Ji Linqiu replied calmly.
Jiang Wang waved his card at the staff. “All paid upfront.”
Nearby staff couldn’t hide their astonishment. Their expressions screamed: Are these two laundering money?
—It only took them 20 minutes from entering the property to complete the purchase!!! It was too fast!!!
Once both business and property purchases were finalized, Jiang Wang felt a weight lift off his chest. He took a deep breath, his mind finally at ease.
Looking at the distant sky, he smiled with nostalgia.
“It’s still gray. It’ll take years before it turns blue.”
“I remember sandstorms back when I studied here,” Ji Linqiu said, gazing out at the bustling streets through the car window. “It was 2 PM, when the sun was the highest in the sky.”
“And then, it was as if a rainstorm was about to fall. The sky darken, black as ink, as if it were already midnight. In a blink of an eye, the whole world felt like it was fast-forwarded to 2 AM.”
“I didn’t understand what was happening at first. Local classmates immediately rushed to shut all the windows and doors.”
Jiang Wang, who had never experienced a sandstorm, listened intently, eyes wide. “And then?”
“Then the sandstorm hit. The wind howled like a beast outside. I couldn’t see much, but a lot of the girls were terrified. They pulled the curtains tight, and everyone huddled together, too scared to talk.”
“When it was over, the sun came back out, but the windows were caked in a thick layer of yellow dust. It took ages to clean.”
Recalling Jiang Wang’s earlier words, Ji Linqiu smiled wistfully. “Environmental issues like this… they’re hard to fix. It would take massive reforestation efforts along the Yellow River and in Inner Mongolia. Maybe it’ll take decades before the skies turn blue again.”
His university professors had lamented over this for years, predicting worsening smog and environmental degradation with a shake of their heads.
Jiang Wang looked at the gray sky and smiled as well.
“They will.”
“Someday, vast forests of cypress trees will line the Yellow River, turning the mountains into green tapestries.”
“The skies over Beijing will become clear and bright, free of haze forever.”
‘Your future, and the future world you’ll see, will shine brilliantly—like a summer day without a cloud in the sky.’
“Linqiu, you’ll see it happen.”
Oh my, oh my~
Thank You for the new chapter (｢･ω･)｢❤