money player

Alice's Manor.

Alice sat on Xian Yaowen's lap, her eyes filled with tears, and she said, "I want more."

"roll."

Sin Yiu-man shoved Alice away, looked down at his chest, where four crisscrossing bloodstains, some deep and oozing blood.

Alice lit a cigarette, took a drag, and condensed the smoke into a sword aura that slashed at Xian Yaowen's chest. She said with a playful expression, "You're badly injured."

Ignoring him, Sin Yiu-man jumped off the bed, picked up a vest that looked like a rag from the floor, and pressed it against his chest to stop the bleeding.

Alice got out of bed naked and pressed herself against Xian Yaowen's back. "You can't blame me, I haven't done it in too long."

“I’m sorry!” Sin Yiu-man cursed. “Let go of me, I’m going to treat my wound.”

After treating his wounds in the bathroom, Sin Yiu-man went to the balcony.

About five minutes later, Alice, who was dressed, followed, carrying a folder.

He flipped one open and handed it to Xian Yaowen, saying, "The water company doesn't have enough funds to build a large reservoir, so it mainly relies on the Qingzhou Pumping Station to draw water from the river. This year, the water shortage is severe."

This year's severe saltwater intrusion has left tap water with a salty taste, prompting many residents to refuse to pay their water bills or continue using well water or street taps. This has directly impacted the water company's cash flow and brand value.

With severely aged pipes, the water company not only fails to make a lot of money, but also faces enormous pressure to invest heavily in upgrading its equipment.

Despite its poor performance in terms of book assets and cash flow, the water company's greatest value lies in its long-term water supply monopoly contract issued by the Portuguese and Macau governments, which means it is a legal monopolist.

The water company also owns factory buildings and reservoir land in Qingzhou, Songshan, and other areas.

Sin Yiu-man took a sip of sugarcane juice and asked, "How long until the franchise agreement expires?"

"44."

What is the valuation?

"With a budget of 100 million patacas, profits have been low for several years, and the major shareholder, the Lo Johan family, is interested in selling their shares."

"parity?"

"Premium".

"How many?"

"I don't know, we haven't talked about it yet."

"Talk."

Alice closed the folder and nestled against Xian Yaowen's arm. "What's your price range?"

"parity."

“Affordable?” Alice exclaimed.

“Yes.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “My bottom line is a fair price, and ideally, a 20% discount.”

"How is that possible? The Luo Ruohan family is demanding a premium."

Sin Yiu-man put down his cup, came up behind Alice, and put his arm around her waist. "The people of Macau are vehemently criticizing the water company. Why doesn't the water company make any changes?"

"The water company is in the stage of recovering costs and making profits, and is unwilling to invest huge sums of money during the war. Moreover, the water company has no competitors, so it lacks the motivation to make reforms."

"During times of war?"

Alice turned around, leaned against the railing, and looked up at Xian Yaowen's face. "This place is very close to Zhongshan (Zhuhai). There are many Taiwanese agents here, including the 14K. You can hear gunshots every night."

Alice wrapped her arms around Sin Yiu-man's neck and said coquettishly, "Adam, I'm so scared."

"What are you afraid of?" Xian Yaowen shook off Alice's hand, touched the back of his neck, and then glared at her. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Alice put the cigarette in her mouth and said jokingly, "I did it on purpose. You hung me up and tortured me in Paris, and then didn't want to do anything with me for months. Can't I get my revenge?"

“I’m not restricting you; you’re free to find other men.”

Alice stood on tiptoe, her playful expression almost touching Xian Yaowen's face. "I won't look for someone else. I know how you Eastern men treat women. If I look for other men, I'll lose you."

Xian Yaowen pinched Alice's chin and pushed her face away, "Speak properly."

“Alright.” Alice took a step back, straightened up, put her arms around Xian Yaowen’s waist, and said in a normal tone, “Do you think the Luo Ruohan family will agree to sell the shares at par?”

"You've been in Macau for a while now, don't you see which businesses are profitable?"

Alice picked up Sin Yiu-man's sugarcane juice glass, swirled it, and took a sip. "The most profitable businesses in Macau are naturally gambling and smuggling."

"Leaving aside gambling and smuggling, even if the 80 patacas were used to open a restaurant or bar, the profit would be several times higher than running a water company. The cost of the water company has already been recovered, and selling it now would result in a profit of 80. Find a reason why the Luo Ruohan family is unwilling."

Alice swished the glass, pointing the side with the lip print towards Xian Yaowen, and brought it to his lips. "Since the water company isn't making money, why did you still acquire it?"

Sin Yiu-man slapped Alice's shapely buttocks. "You look smarter than before, but that's just an appearance. Your brain hasn't improved at all. Have you forgotten why I sent you to Macau?"

Alice pressed the rim of the cup against Sin Yiu-man's lips. "Weren't you going to make me the Queen of Macau?"

Sin Yiu-man glanced at the lip print, pushed the cup away, and said, "This isn't my opinion, but your summary is quite good. Once our plan is complete, you will be the Queen of Macau."

Alice kissed Xian Yaowen, "My king, thank you for your blessing."

Sin Yiu-man wiped his lips. "Damn it, did you rinse your mouth?"

“No.” Alice gave Xian Yaowen a flirtatious look. “I don’t mind that you’re dirty, and you didn’t mind just now either.”

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “To ascend to the throne of the Queen, you need prestige. Acquire the water company, solve the saltwater problem as soon as possible, and then gradually improve the water supply. All the citizens of Macau will praise and thank you.”

Furthermore, the land owned by the water company is currently worthless, but once the Korean War ends and the situation in Macau gradually stabilizes, the population will increase, and the land will become valuable.

Alice said thoughtfully, "With an increased population, the profits from the water supply will be quite substantial."

Sin Yiu-man lifted Alice's chin. "Not bad, she's got some intelligence."

Alice jumped into Sin Yiu-man's arms, her arms around his neck and her thighs wrapped around his waist. "Adam, I'm not stupid."

Sin Yiu-man cupped Alice's shapely buttocks and kissed her on the cheek. "Yes, Miss Ferrera, you're not stupid."

Alice gestured towards the watch on her wrist with her chin. "We still have time."

"I'll still be here tonight."

"Alright." Alice kissed Xian Yaowen again. "I'll let you off the hook for now."

Xian Yaowen led Alice to a chair, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Alice, you have the right to terminate our relationship at any time, but you cannot have any other men before that happens. You must not get this order wrong."

"You are a wonderful lover, and I have no intention of ending things now."

“What you think now is not important; what matters is what you think in the future.” Xian Yaowen gently stroked Alice’s hair. “Your needs are very strong, but I can’t always be by your side. One day, you will meet another man who makes your heart flutter. It’s okay. You can tell me frankly, and I will give you your freedom. From then on, we will only talk about business.”

Alice gazed seductively into Xian Yaowen's eyes, "Who knows what will happen in the future?"

“I know, and you know it too, that day will come.” Xian Yaowen patted Alice’s back gently. “Whether we have a romantic relationship or not will not affect our partnership.”

"Won't you?" Alice's eyes became complicated.

“No.” Xian Yaowen and Alice looked at each other. “You are an independent individual, not my appendage. We can end our relationship amicably.”

Regarding partnerships, if you feel you are not getting enough, please bring it up directly, and we can negotiate amicably. If your requests are not unreasonable, I will try my best to meet them.

Of course, I will also argue my case and reject your unreasonable demands.

In short, all your demands can be met in a dignified manner, not by damaging our friendly relationship.

As he spoke, Sin Yiu-man gazed into the distance and said, "Alice, don't let greed cloud your judgment. Always stay alert."

Alice followed Sin Yiu-man's gaze, and after a moment, said, "I will remain sober."

“The water company is not difficult to acquire. Your secretary, Mr. Santana, and Ms. Ronaldo can handle this. After the full acquisition, the saltwater problem will be dealt with immediately, and then small shareholders will be recruited in a targeted manner.”

"Whom should be recruited?"

“I will tell you what to do once the acquisition is complete, He Yan, representing the Chinese forces, and Pedro Robau, representing the Macanese forces.”

"OK."

"Has construction begun on the factories for the Four Bangs and the Holy Grail?"

"The walls are finished, we'll start working on the roof right away."

"It's a pity that we missed the Nine Emperor Gods' Birthday and the Double Ninth Festival, missing the peak season this year. We can't miss the Spring Festival stocking for the Year of the Dragon. The Year of the Dragon is a big year with a very auspicious meaning. The pre-orders for extra-large firecrackers and high-end incense will definitely be higher than in previous years."

"Quickly identify the major distributors in Southeast Asia, proactively visit them to discuss orders, and also intercept them at the docks, hotels, and other factory gates in Macau to secure as many orders as possible."

"The newly established factory can't handle too many orders."

"Of course our factory can't handle the orders. You can subcontract the orders to factories in mainland China. This time we're not looking for profit, we just want our products to capture the market as soon as possible and let more people see them."

Alice nodded gently, "But I don't know anything about the mainland, and I don't know who to contact."

“You don’t need to get involved in the subcontracting. Have the managers of Sibang and Holy Grail contact Beiguang Trading.” Xian Yaowen held Alice’s wrist and said softly, “When you establish yourself in Macau, you need to be mindful of your political stance. Apart from loving your country, don’t do anything in public that could easily reveal your political leanings.”

Alice thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't understand."

Xian Yaowen glanced at his watch. "I don't have time now. I'll explain it to you slowly tonight."

"Hmm, are you eating out for dinner?"

“Let’s eat at home.” Xian Yaowen flicked Alice’s nose. “You’re so flirtatious right now. If people see us eating out, they’ll easily assume we’re having a romantic relationship.”

"Are you afraid others will find out about our relationship?" Alice smiled and said, "But our relationship can't be hidden from anyone. If someone investigates me, they can find out that I and Fey are neighbors in Paris, and they can also find out about you."

“I’m not worried about others knowing that we know each other. We’ll meet in public sooner or later, and then we won’t have to hide the fact that we’ve known each other for a long time. But I don’t want others to know about our close relationship. Once our close relationship is exposed, people will guess that I’m behind you.”

"Hmm." Alice hugged Xian Yaowen. "What do you want to eat for dinner?"

"you do?"

"I didn't hire a chef."

"Do what you're good at."

"OK."

3pm.

At the Inner Harbour pier near Ponte 16, a Tanka fishing boat is moored at the junction of the Inner Harbour and the Wan Chai waters.

This area is prone to disputes, and patrol boats from both Macau and Xiangshan usually avoid it, making it a popular spot for water-based entertainment. At night, countless pleasure boats appear here.

Sin Yiu-man and Yu Fung-chi sat facing each other at a low table in the cabin, while a Tanka woman poured tea beside them.

Xian Yaowen looked at the Tanka woman and asked, "What's your name?"

"Grandpa, my name is Wang Hao."

Xian Yaowen reached into Wang Hao's collar, squeezed his large breasts, and immediately pulled his hand back, saying, "How long have you been doing this?"

Wang Hao showed no embarrassment and calmly replied, "Half a year."

"There are two jobs available. One is to be a maid, earning HK$150 a month. The other is to be a dancer. With your looks, you have the potential to earn over HK$1,000. You choose."

Without hesitation, Wang Hao said, "I'll be a dancer."

“Okay.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “You can go out now. You’ll come to Hong Kong with me tomorrow.”

As soon as Wang Hao left, Yu Fengzhi, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Mr. Xian is a cautious man, and also a man who cherishes women."

Looking into Yu Fengzhi's eyes, Xian Yaowen smiled faintly and said, "I also want to thank Madam Zhang for not choosing to meet on the scenic mainland, which gave me the good fortune to meet Miss Wanghao. She is a wonderful person."

"Mr. Xian wants to use her?"

"Why not."

Yu Fengzhi picked up a Marlboro cigarette from the table, shook one out, and handed it to Xian Yaowen. Xian Yaowen took it and placed it on the table. Yu Fengzhi glanced at the cigarette, then shook out another one, put it in her mouth, and lit it with a match.

Yu Fengzhi took a puff of her cigarette. "Mr. Xian doesn't smoke?"

"I don't smoke anymore. I used to smoke cigars, but I stopped because I wanted to have a child."

"It's good that you're not smoking anymore; I'm quitting."

"Actually, if you smoke a little, you don't necessarily have to quit. The harm that smoking does to the body is probably far less than the benefits it brings to the mind."

"Mr. Xian's statement is quite novel."

"Many of the diseases in this world are caused by mental illness; a cheerful mood naturally leads to good health."

Yu Fengzhi glanced at Xian Yaowen meaningfully, "I'm getting old, my health isn't what it used to be, I'm plagued by all sorts of minor ailments, and someone is causing me distress, keeping me up all night. So I heard there's a miracle doctor in Macau, and I came here specifically to seek his remedy."

“Madam Zhang, this year is 1951. We are at sea near Macau, close to Hong Kong, not in Shenyang before 1931. You must know how many trips you’ve made this year.”

Xian Yaowen picked up his teacup and toyed with it. "I waited and waited, but Madam Zhang's imperial decree never came. I didn't know what to do, so I had no choice but to ask for it myself." (End of Chapter)