After divorce, I can hear the voice of the future

Chapter 844 Wealthy and Powerful Families
"Ah Liang, really? Everyone's saying you've become the richest person in the country? Or even the richest person in Asia?"

Since the news of Lu Liang becoming the richest man spread, even Lu Jiancheng, who was about to become a monk, couldn't help but call to inquire.

He always felt guilty for not being able to help his children as a parent, so he never took the initiative to contact Lu Liang, for fear of causing him trouble.

But this time is different. Lu Liang has become the richest person among the 1.4 billion people in China, and it is said that he is also the richest person in the whole of Asia, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The phrase "bringing glory to his family" is not enough to describe Lu Liang's achievements.

Take their hometown, Luhe Village, as an example. The village has a population of over two thousand, and more than half of them are surnamed Lu.

Our ancestors were all brothers, but decades ago, they fought tooth and nail over water resources, and never spoke to each other again.

The ancestral hall worship ceremony, which used to be held every three years and was held even by the poorest families, has been suspended for half a century. Everyone worships their own direct ancestors and never together.

But this time, taking advantage of Lu Liang becoming the richest man, the village elders brought up the grand ancestral worship ceremony again and unanimously agreed to make Lu Jiancheng, who is only 62 years old, the person in charge of the Lu clan ancestral hall and the director of the old folks' home.

"Everyone says so, so it must be true."

Lu Liang remained noncommittal, then chuckled and teased, "Weren't you going to become a monk? What? You're no longer free from worldly desires?"

Lu Jianjun sighed, "The mountain is nice, but there are a lot of mosquitoes, and it's quite troublesome to go up and down the mountain."

Lu Liang couldn't help but chuckle, interrupting Lao Lu's words, and said with a smile, "I'll be going home in a few days, then we can all chat again."

When a person suddenly becomes rich, or suffers their whole life, they will always have some strange thoughts.

For example, some people believe they have seen through the illusions of the world and can henceforth be free from worldly desires and indifferent to worldly affairs.

But few people can endure those ascetic days.

Ultimately, I found that living down in the mountains was better, and that enjoying gardening and enjoying life are not mutually exclusive.

Just like Lu Liang's estate in Hong Kong, the golf course lawns that cost several thousand dollars per square meter and were airlifted from Switzerland were all cleared out, just to prepare for Lu to plant flowers, trees and shrubs. If he likes it, he can even fence off a few acres of land to raise pigs.

Lu Jiancheng was stunned, and said incredulously, "So, you agree?"

He vaguely remembered that Lu Liang disliked getting involved in these trivial village affairs and preferred to spend money to settle things, which is why he rarely returned to his hometown.

He chose to go up the mountain because he knew what Lu Liang was thinking. After all, others couldn't find Lu Liang, but finding Lu Tiechui wouldn't be a problem.

Sometimes, it's really hard to refuse such kindness.

Agreeing is wrong, and refusing is also wrong, so it's better to run up the mountain and hide to avoid trouble.

Lu Liang smiled and said, "Dad, ideas can change over time. You think it's boring to stay in the mountains, so why can't I suddenly want to do something for the village?"

Lu Jiancheng gave an awkward smile, and then Lu Liang said, "The house we live in now is still too small. I plan to build a new one. While the new building is under construction, you and my mother can come and stay in Hong Kong for a while."

"This building was completed less than three years ago, and now we have to rebuild it again?" Lu Jiancheng frowned.

Lu Liang said, "Dad, think about it. Pork Qiang's house is over 4,000 square meters, while our house is only 200 or 300 square meters. Do you think that's appropriate?"

Pork Qiang is the richest man in their town, with assets worth nearly a billion yuan. He started his business by smuggling frozen meat, hence the nickname "Pork Qiang".

His house was the largest and most luxurious in the whole town. In contrast, Lu Liang's house was newly built when Lu Liang was just starting out. At that time, he didn't think too much about it and thought that two or three hundred square meters was enough to live in.

But in retrospect, that idea was utterly ridiculous.

Sometimes, the issue isn't whether there are enough houses, but rather that being a wealthy and powerful family is itself a barrier to entry.

After all, a self-built house of two or three hundred square meters is not small, but for others, walking from the front door to the living room is just a few extra steps, so there is not much psychological burden.

However, for self-built houses of two or three thousand square meters, or even tens of thousands of square meters, if outsiders want to visit, they must first report to the gatekeeper and get permission before they are allowed to enter. After entering, they must pass through a flower garden and a magnificent hall.

Layer upon layer of pressure subtly puts a lot of pressure on the visitor. When they finally meet the host, if their mental fortitude is not strong enough, they will be at a disadvantage in terms of presence.

The cumbersome visiting process can also keep out unwanted visitors. For example, some departments may only require a formality, but running around to different places can waste several days on the road, which increases the time cost invisibly.

If Lu Liang had gritted his teeth and made a tough decision back then, spending over 100 million yuan to build his own house, he probably wouldn't have been forced to go up the mountain later.

"Fine, build it if you want, but why go to Hong Kong?" Lu Jiancheng asked, puzzled.

“I recently bought a manor in Hong Kong. You guys should come and stay there and give me your opinions.”

"……it is good."

Lu Jiancheng swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He was about to say something habitually, like, "Don't waste your money."

But then I thought, let's not talk about ancient times, it's too far back. Let's talk about the wealthy people of modern times. Which of them went bankrupt because of reckless spending? They all went bankrupt because of some force majeure.

After ending his call with Lao Lu, Lu Liang looked at several invitations. Time magazine wanted to interview him and take some photos of him as the number one most influential person in the world next year, as well as the cover figure of the global edition of the magazine.

CCTV also plans to interview him. Lu Liang was successfully selected as one of the 70 outstanding enterprises and 70 outstanding individuals in 70 years, and is one of the most influential young business leaders in the country.

He was also named the most influential person in the world by Forbes in 2018, and one of the top 5 venture capitalists in the world by Fortune.

Even more media outlets, though relatively well-known but not top-tier, received invitations, such as Phoenix, Southern Media Group, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, and Central University of Finance and Economics.

It's safe to say that if Lu Liang wanted to, he could give two interviews a day from now until the first day of the Lunar New Year, and each one would be different.

Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then called Sun Zheyuan and said, "We can't ignore CCTV's request, especially since this year is the 70th anniversary. You guys arrange the timing, and let me know when it's time. As for domestic financial media interviews, accept CCTV's interview request and turn down all others."

"As for those overseas..."

Lu Liang looked thoughtful. Considering that something might happen this year, and that Dongda University was already in a passive position in international public opinion, he might need to help speak out at that time.

“Accept all the invitations from Forbes, Time, Newsweek, and News & World Report. Try to schedule them for before the new year and have them come to Hong Kong.” Sun Zheyuan whispered, “President Lu, Time might be okay, but Newsweek and News & World Report might not come.”

In the past, apart from Forbes, invitees who were interviewed by the three major American weekly magazines were required to go to New York and cooperate with them in the interview.

However, Lu Liang has never given any interviews to American media to date, so magazines with a strong commercial focus like Time would probably agree and come to Hong Kong to accommodate Lu Liang's schedule.

But Newsweek and News & World, besides their commercial nature, also carry a political dimension, so they might not agree.

“If you don’t agree, then refuse.” Lu Liang smiled calmly. Although he needed to increase his reputation in the European and American markets, an invitation made him rush to New York for an interview.

He couldn't do something so humble; it's not like he's lacking those few awards.

"Okay, Mr. Lu, I'll go talk to them now."

Sun Zheyuan responded and left the office to contact the heads of media outlets such as CCTV, Time, and Forbes.

Lu Liang raised his cup and took a sip of tea. In the quiet office, any noise would be amplified infinitely.

He vaguely heard someone playing Douyin (TikTok) aloud, and suddenly remembered that Li Manli was still in the office break room.

Lu Liang walked to the door of the rest room and pushed it open.

The voice became clearer: "Look closely, this is a legendary man. He started from scratch. According to publicly available information, he became the richest man in China in just three years and six months, surpassing Old Huang back then, and becoming the richest man in China at the age of 34..."

Li Manli hugged her pillow and lay face down on the bed. Although her back was to Lu Liang and her expression was not visible, her raised legs and outstretched toes spoke volumes about her joy.

Lu Liang chuckled and walked to the bedside, where he also saw what Li Manli was watching: an AI-generated animated video telling the story of how he built his fortune from the original No. 88 Punan Road to the Tianxing Financial Group he is today.

As Li Manli watched the video, the corners of her mouth never left her lips. Overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn't help but kick her legs a few times and let out a silly giggle.

Lu Liang couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Still looking? You're drooling."

Li Manli was startled and rolled from one side of the bed to the other in a flash. She subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth and said with dissatisfaction, "There's no saliva."

She glared at Lu Liang angrily, her eyes full of resentment: "Don't you know that scaring someone can be deadly?"

"It's because you're too addicted to Douyin."

Lu Liang smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed. Li Manli suddenly pounced on him and snuggled into his arms, acting like a kitten, as if she was being affectionate or moaning: "Who told you to be so charming? The whole internet is talking about you."

Ever since the news of Lu Liang becoming the richest man in China spread, the whole internet has been talking about it. She glanced at it by accident and then couldn't stop talking about it.

She enjoys seeing others praise Lu Liang, and if she encounters those who slander him, she'll even create a fake account to argue with them, showing them what a true "Zu'an pianist" is all about.

"So amazing?" Lu Liang chuckled, patting Li Manli's head. "Are you hungry? Let's go eat?"

Li Manli hummed in agreement and hurriedly got out of bed to put on her shoes, but the excitement in her eyes was no longer as strong as before.

Because after lunch she had to return to Suzhou, she didn't know when she would be able to spend so much time with Lu Liang again.

"If you like staying in Hong Kong, then stay a few more days," Lu Liang said, seeing through Li Manli's thoughts.

Li Manli shook her head, pouting, and said, "The live stream has been canceled for so long, and the viewers are getting upset."

It's not that the audience has any complaints, but rather that Lu Liang is about to get busy again.

If Lu Liang has time to spend with her
Audience? Fans?
Sorry, I'm not familiar with you!

Even during live broadcasts, the traditional scenario of a sudden power outage can still occur.

What would you like to eat for lunch?

Lu Liang smiled and didn't try to stop him, because a sudden message forced him to interrupt his vacation plans.

The above choice is correct. The US stock market, which has been prosperous for forty years, will experience four circuit breakers next March.

The US stock market experienced a circuit breaker; just thinking about it is thrilling.

This is not comparable to the A-shares market or the Nikkei; it's like the very heart of capital has been raided.

Four times still.

"I want to eat at that Cantonese restaurant we went to last time. Their soup was so delicious."

After Li Manli finished dressing, she tidied her messy hair a little and then reached out to take Lu Liang's arm.

She's 23 this year, no longer the 19-year-old girl she once was, and she knows how hard Lu Liang's work is.

Whenever he has time, she has time too.

She won't bother him if he doesn't have time.

They would simply wait silently for Lu Liang to have time next time.

Even though they are separated by distance and haven't seen each other for a long time, it won't affect their relationship.

This will only strengthen their bond.

　I'm back! There's one more chapter to go.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)