A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1398 Chinese New Year! (Please subscribe!)

At the start of the winter break, Hua Shier's life focus shifted from Nanjing to Beijing.

Weibo entered a profitable period two years ago, but in order to support its rapid expansion and technological iteration, Huawei has been suppressing profits and has never distributed dividends, investing all surpluses in server expansion, product optimization and new feature development.

Until last year, thanks to its increasingly mature advertising revenue sharing system, official account verification and promotion services for enterprises, various membership privileges, and profit sharing from the emerging "paid Q&A" function, Weibo finally achieved an astonishing total annual profit of 2.3 million RMB.

After the year-end financial settlement, Huashier, who was still in Nanjing at the time, saw the reports sent by the company in his email and finally agreed to distribute dividends to shareholders for the first time since the company was established.

After discussion by the board of directors—actually, it was Hua Shier, Lin Jiamo, and Zhao Ye—it was decided to allocate 40% of the profits, or 92 million yuan, according to their shareholding ratios.

Huashier, as the absolute controlling shareholder with a 70% stake, received 6520.5 million yuan in dividends this time. Lin Jiamo and Zhao Ye each held 15% of the shares and each received 1397.25 million yuan.

When the bank transfer notification SMS arrived on their phones, even though they were mentally prepared, the two were still somewhat dazed by the sudden influx of wealth. These two young people in their early twenties had suddenly become millionaires.

Compared to the huge dividends from Weibo, the profits of 'Brothers and Sisters Internet Cafe' seem much more 'simple'.

Last year, the total revenue of the several internet cafes reached 23 million yuan, but Hua Shier did not advocate for dividends from this portion of the profits. Instead, he decided to reinvest all of the money.

His plan was to expand rapidly and seize market share in Beijing and surrounding key cities.

Hua Shier instructed Zhao Ye to buy the properties he had his eye on when selecting locations. This way, even if the internet cafe boom ended, the appreciation of these properties would still bring in a huge fortune.

Zhao Ye had unwavering faith in Hua Shier's judgment and strictly implemented it.

The five newly opened large internet cafes each had an average investment of over two million yuan, a large portion of which was used to purchase real estate.

After receiving their dividends, Lin Jiamo and Zhao Ye were left with a huge amount of cash and didn't know what to do with it. Lin Jiamo called Hua Shier, who was still in Nanjing at the time, to ask for his recommendations.

Hua Shier only gave three pieces of advice: "Buy a house, buy a house, and buy a house again."

He explained to the two of them: "The future development of Beijing is limitless. The population will continue to grow, but land resources are limited. In the long run, housing prices will only have one trend: to rise."

“Buying quality properties in prime locations is one of the safest and potentially highest-return investment options right now. Whether it’s high-end residences, villas, or well-located shops and office buildings, you can consider them.”

Out of their unconditional trust in Hua Twelve, the two immediately took action.

Lin Jiamo had a clear goal: she longed for a residence with a private garden and a larger living space. In the end, she chose a detached villa with an area of ​​403 square meters in the highly anticipated second phase of Zijin Mountain Villa.

She loved the villa's modern design and tranquil environment, and despite its hefty price tag of ten million yuan, she bought it without hesitation.

In order to move in as soon as possible, she spent a lot of extra money to hire a designer and carried out the renovation in a hurry according to her own preferences.

Meanwhile, in order to have a comfortable and convenient place to stay before the villa was finished, she also bought a fully furnished apartment of more than 200 square meters in a high-end residential complex in the city.

This spacious, single-level apartment boasts a wide view, luxurious decor, and is ready for immediate move-in.

With these two large purchases, Lin Jiamo had spent almost all of her dividends for the year, but she did so willingly, full of anticipation and longing for a new life—a new life with Hua Shier, of course!
At Hua Shier's suggestion, Zhao Ye purchased a villa in Rose Garden, which was slightly smaller than Lin Jiamo's, but still quite impressive.

He has a carefree personality and doesn't have high requirements for decoration. He chose a reliable decoration company to take full responsibility, while he continued to focus on the expansion of the internet cafe.

After Hua Shier returned from Nanjing, he naturally moved into Lin Jiamo's fully furnished penthouse, and Fang Hui also moved from her school dormitory to live with them.

Hua Shier originally had illusions about this, thinking that he could live a shameless life with women on both sides.

The result was a situation where the three monks had no water to drink. Neither of the two women was willing to sleep in the same room with him that night, leaving the three of them, who had experienced many hardships, to suffer from thirst.

However, he was happy to have some peace and quiet, which allowed him to focus his energy on other things.

During the day, he goes to the company to handle business, and occasionally communicates with Pony Ma, who is far away in Shenzhen, about the progress of Tencent's IPO.

At night, he used the ability of the spatial gate to go deep into the Qinling Mountains to cultivate his primordial spirit technique, accelerating the fusion with Yang Jian's primordial spirit in his mind.

That day, Lin Jiamo privately discussed with Hua Shier. She felt bad seeing Fang Hui living with them every day, taking care of the housework, being gentle and considerate, but not owning company shares like her. She wanted to give some of her shares to Fang Hui.

Hua Twelve shook his head immediately upon hearing this:

“This is against the rules, but don’t worry, I won’t treat Fang Hui unfairly. After the New Year, the ‘Jingnan Mall’ project will be launched in Jinling. Fang Hui can then invest her money and become an original shareholder. If she doesn’t have the money right now, I can cover it for her first and deduct it from her dividends later.”

After Lin Jiamo relayed these words to Fang Hui, Fang Hui felt a warm feeling in her heart. She was touched by Lin Jiamo's thoughtfulness and even more grateful for Hua Shier's meticulous arrangements.

Zhao Ye would often ask Hua Shier to drink with him. This day, after a few drinks, Zhao Ye, slightly tipsy, asked curiously:
"Brother, look, Jia Mo and I both bought villas, why don't you? You're the richest one among us now."

Hua Twelve smiled upon hearing this:
“Who said I wouldn’t buy? I’ve already asked someone to look at some houses, but the ones I’ve looked at might be different from the ones you’ve looked at.”

"Oh? That's different?" Zhao Ye became interested.

"I want to buy a courtyard house."

Zhao Ye was taken aback: "A courtyard house? Those things are old and dilapidated, and living in them might not be as comfortable as living in a villa, right? Besides, many people are thinking about living in apartment buildings these days."

"Haha, you don't understand."

Hua Shier smiled mysteriously, "This is something that even if you have money, you might not be able to buy in the future."

A few days later, the real estate agent entrusted by Hua Shier called excitedly to tell him that there was progress on the courtyard house he had been focusing on. The owner agreed to sell, but the asking price was quite high, 900 million yuan.

Hua Twelve asked directly over the phone:
"Is the one on Beichizi Street? The one with three courtyards, next to the Forbidden City?"

After receiving a positive reply from the agent, Hua Shier was overjoyed and immediately made a decision over the phone: "Agree to it! Sign the contract today, full payment!"

He immediately took action, first calling the legal team of Weibo, then bringing Fang Hui and Lin Jiamo who happened to be at home, and then calling Zhao Ye out of the internet cafe. The group drove to Beichizi Street.

When everyone stood in front of the courtyard house with its blue bricks, gray tiles, and tightly closed vermilion gate, apart from Hua Shier, the other three looked at each other in bewilderment.

From the outside, one can only feel a sense of historical weight, but it seems far removed from the needs of modern and comfortable living.

The real estate agent and the homeowner were already waiting at the door. They opened the door and led everyone inside.

After passing the screen wall, a neat and spacious courtyard comes into view.

Although some buildings show signs of age and require repair, the overall layout and the materials used for the beams and columns all demonstrate the grandeur of the past.

The complex has three courtyards, six main rooms, four side rooms, and a separate, somewhat overgrown but sizable garden.

The agent explained that the courtyard covers an area of ​​625 square meters and has a building area of ​​250 square meters. It is a typical Qing Dynasty official building and, most importantly, it is separated from the Forbidden City by only one wall.

Nine million?

Lin Jiamo whispered to Hua Shier, "Shier, isn't this price too expensive? You might as well buy a villa like me!"

Fang Hui gently tugged at Hua Shier's sleeve, her eyes filled with worry:
"Yes, it looks like this place needs to be renovated, and it will cost a lot of money."

Although Zhao Ye didn't say anything, looking at the somewhat dilapidated scene, he also doubted the value of the nine million.

Hua Shier's eyes shone brightly, as if he saw not a dilapidated courtyard, but a glittering treasure.

He knew perfectly well that in the original timeline, this very courtyard would be bought by media mogul Rupert Murdoch in ten months to serve as his residence in Beijing.

Later, when Murdoch divorced Ms. Deng, the ownership of this house caused quite a stir. Its value soared to over one billion RMB more than a decade later. In his view, rather than letting such a treasure fall into the hands of foreigners, it would be better for him, a true descendant of the Chinese nation, to own and maintain it. At least he certainly wouldn't emigrate.

Hua Shier didn't explain the future value of the courtyard house to the three people; instead, he turned to the real estate agent and the homeowner:

"No problem, this price will do. We'll complete the formalities now."

His decisiveness delighted both the agent and the homeowner. The homeowner even gave him a whole room of old furniture. In the homeowner's opinion, those pieces were not worth much money, but after Hua Shier looked at them, he felt that he had gotten a great deal. How much would a room full of Ming and Qing dynasty huanghuali furniture be worth?

In two years, selling all this furniture will be enough to buy a villa.

With a professional legal team on site, all contract and document reviews and transfer procedures went exceptionally smoothly.

Hua Shier made a direct bank transfer, and that afternoon, the rare three-courtyard siheyuan house located on Beichizi Street, adjacent to the Forbidden City, was officially registered in his name.

Seeing how readily Hua Shier agreed, the agent's mind started to work up. Taking advantage of Hua Shier's good mood, the agent leaned over and said obsequiously:

"Mr. Hua, you have excellent taste! To be honest, there are a few courtyard houses for sale on Beichizi Street. They're a bit smaller than this one, but the location is great, right across the street. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Hua Shier immediately became interested:

"There's more? Come on, take me to see!"

Led by the real estate agent, the group then viewed several other courtyard houses on the same street.

Hua Shier took a liking to two of the smaller but adjacent courtyards, separated only by a wall.

He instantly came up with a plan: if he could knock down the middle wall and connect them into a whole, the total area would be even larger than the three-courtyard house he had just bought!

Moreover, both of these units are located on the street, making them excellent choices for both owner-occupancy and commercial use in the future.

"I'll take both of these!" Hua Shier waved his hand, once again displaying his extravagance.

He also told the agent to keep an eye out for well-maintained courtyard houses in the future, and that money was not an issue.

The real estate agent was so excited his hands were trembling. He quickly took out a thick stack of property listings from his briefcase and presented them with both hands: "Mr. Hua, please take another look. These are all courtyard houses, in excellent locations and in great condition!"

Hua Shier took the stack of documents and flipped through them on the car hood. He selected very quickly, soon circling eight courtyard houses listed for sale. Among them were three near Yonghe Temple, one on Fuyou Street, two near Houhai, one in Beiluoguxiang, and one in Shichahai.

"Come on, get in the car, and show us all around," Hua Shier said to Zhao Ye.

Zhao Ye readily agreed and acted as the temporary driver. The group spent half a day giving a general tour of the eight courtyards. The courtyards varied in condition; some were well-maintained, while others were more dilapidated, and some even had illegal additions.

Lin Jiamo and Fang Hui frowned as they watched, repeatedly advising Hua Shier to be cautious.

"Twelve, look how dilapidated this place is! It would cost a lot of money just to repair it!"

"Yes, some are still in tenement courtyards, and the property rights don't seem to be very clear."

Hua Shier remained unmoved; what he valued was the unparalleled scarcity of these locations and their enormous potential for future appreciation.

The fact that it is dilapidated now means that there is still room for price negotiation and potential for future renovation.

Of these eight courtyard houses, the most expensive is the one near Yonghe Temple, which covers 440 square meters and has 20 rooms. It costs only 4.5 million RMB, which is far less than the price of the one on Beichizi Street.

The cheapest of the eight units is also in Yonghe Temple, which is one of the three units in Yonghe Temple. The other two are courtyard houses, and these two units together cost just over two million yuan.

These two inexpensive courtyard houses looked like dilapidated old houses, which made Fang Hui and Lin Jiamo frown.

The agent, worried that Hua Twelve wouldn't be interested, quickly explained the situation:
"Mr. Hua, to be honest, an actor named Yu Bo has also taken a liking to these two courtyards. He's the one who played Lian Chengbi in 'Xiao Shiyi Lang.' However, he doesn't have that much money on hand right now. He has to wait until he receives his salary for the drama he's currently filming before he can sign the contract and transfer the property. If you hesitate, these two courtyards might be gone in a few days!"

Zhao Ye laughed from the side, "That's your trick. You see us hesitating, so you say someone else wants to buy it, right?"

The agent was both amused and exasperated: "How could that be? Mr. Hua is my cash cow. I can't possibly outsmart him!"

Hua Shier didn't think like Zhao Ye, because he remembered this matter.

In the real world, news reports have also mentioned that actor Yu Bo once spent more than two million yuan to buy two courtyard houses. At first, people around him were not optimistic about them, but they were later found to be worth more than 100 million yuan.

Hua Shier thought that the courtyard house could increase its value, but this was a parallel world after all. What if it lost money? Actors don't earn money easily, so he should bear the risk.

He immediately said to the agent:
"No need to wait any longer. I'll take all of these, including these two worst ones. Contact all the homeowners now and negotiate prices. As long as they're not outrageous, go with their quotes! Legal counsel, get the paperwork done as soon as possible!"

The real estate agent almost fainted from happiness; his voice even changed tone.
"You want them all?! Mr. Hua, you...you're not kidding, are you?"

"Do you think I'm joking?"

Hua Shier smiled and said, "Go ahead and get things done. You'll get a bonus."

"Oh, Mr. Hua, don't worry! I'll definitely handle it perfectly for you! I'll do my utmost, even until my dying breath!"

The agent assured him that the eight courtyard houses would be transferred to Hua Shier's name by tomorrow at the latest.

On the way back, Lin Jiamo and Fang Hui couldn't help but say:
"Twelve, you went crazy today! You spent over forty million in one day! And all that money to buy those old houses?"

Lin Jiamo counted on her fingers, her face full of heartache.

Fang Hui was also deeply worried:
"Yes, with so many yards, management and maintenance will be a real hassle. Besides, everyone lives in apartment buildings now, who would want to live in a bungalow like this?"

Hua Shier smiled without saying a word, simply leaning back comfortably in his seat.

While driving, Zhao Ye had a different opinion:

“Jia Mo, Fang Hui, I think my brother must have his reasons for doing this.”

He glanced at Hua Shier through the rearview mirror, his tone resolute:

"Think about it, since I've known my brother, has anything he's done ever turned out to be wrong? Buying stocks, opening an internet cafe, running a Weibo account—he's made a fortune from every single one of them! Today, he's buying these courtyards like they're cabbages, without even batting an eye. What does that mean? It means that in his eyes, these courtyards are like freebies! Buying from him is definitely the right choice!"

Zhao Ye's words were like a wake-up call. Lin Jiamo and Fang Hui finally realized that if this happened to someone else, it might be considered a waste of money, but Hua Shier certainly couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.

While his peers were still in university, Hua Shier had already started his own business and become a billionaire.

Such people naturally have a vision that is incomparable to theirs.

Hua Shier was amused by Zhao Ye's words. Compared to later generations, courtyard houses were now incredibly cheap, and he was buying them as easily as buying cabbages.

He then turned to the two women and said, “Don’t worry about these things. They may seem like a burden now, but in ten or eight years, you’ll realize that they are the real family heirlooms.”

Inspired by Hua Shier, Zhao Ye excitedly said:

"Brother, when I have a little more money, can you help me find one? It doesn't have to be too big, I'll just buy a courtyard house to keep! We can decorate it together then. Aren't you studying architecture? Can you help me with the design?"

“Sure, no problem!” Hua Shier readily agreed.

In the days that followed, Hua Shier was busy with the company's year-end summaries and plans for the coming year, while also keeping an eye on the transfer of ownership and the preliminary renovation plan for the courtyard house.

Pony Ma originally planned to come to Beijing before the Lunar New Year, partly to have Hua Twelve sign some legal documents necessary for Tencent's IPO, and partly to discuss his ideas for cooperation with Weibo.

However, as Tencent's IPO was progressing to its most critical stage, Pony Ma, as a core founder, simply couldn't get away, and the trip was repeatedly postponed.

It wasn't until the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, after the Little New Year had passed in the north, that Brother Ma finally arrived in the capital, and the two met in a quiet teahouse.

Pony Ma's trip to Beijing this time was mainly to push forward with the listing process, and he asked Huashi Twelve, a major shareholder, to sign several documents.

Yes, Huayi Brothers is a major shareholder of Tencent.

Penguin was founded in 1998 with an initial capital of only 500,000 yuan. At that time, Pony Ma held 47.5% of the shares, while the rest were held by other founders. When Penguin was in its most difficult period, Hua Shier invested 5 million yuan to acquire 40% of the shares. Pony Ma's shares were diluted, and he became the largest shareholder.

Even after another round of financing, Hua12 remained the largest shareholder.

So although Hua Twelve entrusted Pony Ma to hold the shares on its behalf, some necessary documents still required his signature for the listing.

After Hua Shier finished signing, Pony Ma finally got to the main topic:

"Mr. Hua, there's another important matter I'd like to discuss with you formally. I believe that after Tencent goes public, it needs new business growth points to support and boost its stock price. We think Weibo is an ideal choice."

He leaned forward slightly and spoke sincerely:

"Weibo's growth momentum and profitability are evident to all. If Tencent can acquire or control Weibo, it will greatly enrich our business ecosystem, tell a better story to the capital market, and this will not affect the possibility of Weibo going public independently in the future."

Although Weibo is not as big as Tencent, its potential is obvious. Currently, Weibo has three times the number of registered users as Sohu, and its annual revenue has exceeded 20 million yuan. Its valuation has been pushed to the range of 2 billion to 40 billion yuan by many institutions.

Hua12 indicated that they were open to discussion, but there was no rush; they could wait until after Tencent's IPO to discuss the details.

Valuation is just valuation, it's all just speculation. Of course, it's good to be able to cash out, especially since he's a major shareholder of Tencent. Whether Tencent acquires Weibo or participates in financing, it's just a matter of moving money between his own hands. Getting cash is what really matters.

The two reached a preliminary consensus, the atmosphere became more harmonious, and they chatted about industry trends and future development before parting ways.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Fang Hui and Lin Jiamo also went home to celebrate the New Year, spending time with their parents and visiting relatives and friends.

The once bustling, single-level apartment instantly became empty.

Hua Shier was alone, looking out the window at the lights of thousands of homes, and suddenly felt a little lonely and bored.

He sent text messages to both women, informing them of his whereabouts, then packed a few things and decided to go back to the old building to spend the Chinese New Year.

The old building had been uninhabited for months, and a thin layer of dust had settled inside, giving it a desolate and cold atmosphere.

Hua Shier opened the window, then waved his hand, his magic creating a gentle breeze that swept all the dust in the room out of the window.

He took out his laptop, intending to use the architectural design knowledge he learned in college to finish the interior design of his courtyard houses in the next two days when no one would bother him.

On New Year's Eve, Hua Shier ate a simple New Year's Eve dinner alone in the old building, watching the noisy Spring Festival Gala on TV. Outside the window, fireworks were bursting and exploding in a dazzling display, and the sound of firecrackers was endless.

Shortly after the clock struck midnight, the TV broadcast the host's New Year's greetings, and the sound of firecrackers outside reached its peak. Meanwhile, Hua Shier's phone kept buzzing with text messages, all from classmates wishing him a Happy New Year: Zhang Kai, Xu Kaiyang, Zhao Ye, Ruan Wan, Shi Jie, Zheng Wei, Zhu Xiaobei, and Li Youcai, who was back in his hometown.

Hua Shier replied to each of them via mobile phone.

Just then, a familiar knock came at the door.

A knowing smile appeared on Hua Shier's lips. He got up, walked over, and opened the door.

Lin Jiamo stood outside the door, holding a thermal lunchbox. She looked at Hua Shier with bright eyes and said, "I made your favorite chive and egg dumplings!"

This scene is just like that green winter a few years ago.

Just then, footsteps came from the hallway. The two looked over at the same time and saw Fang Hui walking up with a lunchbox in her hand.

Upon seeing Lin Jiamo, Fang Hui first showed surprise, then walked over, took Lin Jiamo's hand, and said:
"You were the one who brought him dumplings while I was away for the past two years, right? Thank you, Jia Mo, it's so nice to have you!"

The warm lights inside the old building illuminated the shy and charming faces of the two girls, while the fireworks outside the window continued to blaze, making this special New Year's Eve exceptionally warm and unforgettable.

Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!