The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 393 The Influence Continues
The development plan for the business in the owner's hometown was not something that could be accomplished overnight, but rather the result of more than a month of repeated communication and discussion with the provincial governments of Sichuan and Chongqing.

Today, with the plan finally being implemented, the first tranche of hundreds of millions of yuan in self-owned funds has been officially deposited into a special supervision account set up by the provincial government.

This massive real investment, which can be described as "going against the tide" in the current economic environment, is like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating waves that extend far beyond Sichuan and Chongqing.

The news spread like wildfire. In Beijing, Jinghai, and even in all the local governments where Deep Search's (after acquiring BGI Genomics) branches were located, the information was received almost simultaneously, and everyone was shocked.

The situation was particularly severe in the capital.

……

The capital city, the eastern part of the city.

Looking at the list in his hand, Xiao Li felt a little dizzy.

Because it involved the leasing of government-owned properties, he acted as the official representative to coordinate.

The elderly American gentleman named Elias Wolf rented a well-preserved three-courtyard house within the Second Ring Road, and the monthly rent alone was equivalent to his salary for many years.

Even after the rental was completed, he couldn't leave. Seeing how efficient he was, the veteran American capitalist simply had his assistant hand over all the matters to him.

He then received instructions from his superiors to handle the matter strictly and promptly.

The security team of a state-owned enterprise is equipped with a full set of advanced, registered equipment; supplies are delivered directly from several top-tier organic farms in the suburbs of Beijing that are not open to the public; drinking water is sourced from glaciers; and a housekeeping team composed of a retired chef from Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and local professionals is employed.

As for other aspects of life, Xiao Li received a list of localized luxury goods. He even bought the small studio because the design of the Chinese-style clothing with frog buttons on the cuffs was a bit cumbersome and inconvenient to wear.

In just three days, Elias Wolfe, a seasoned capitalist, spent approximately $360 million in the capital to maintain his standard of living in America.

This does not include the cost of leasing private jets for the tarmac at the Capital Airport.

Xiao Li felt dizzy not only because of these astronomical figures themselves.

Rather, it was because this money, in contrast to his own old, dilapidated apartment outside the Fifth Ring Road, which he had bought with a 30-year loan, and his daily struggle to save more money to buy a bigger apartment closer to his workplace, created a stark and unbearable contrast.

He looked at the "Monthly Organic Food Budget: $5" item on the list, and then thought about how he had spent half the day yesterday arguing with the vendor at the market because the price of pork had gone up by two dollars...

An indescribable sense of absurdity and powerlessness instantly overwhelmed him.

"Section Chief Li~ Section Chief Li~"

A series of urgent shouts and heavy footsteps jolted Xiao Li out of his daze. A deliveryman, drenched in sweat, was struggling to carry a styrofoam box labeled with a cold chain tag in front of him.

"This just arrived, please sign for it! The deliveryman was in a hurry, saying that if the cooking time is delayed, it will be ruined!"

Xiao Li glanced at the receipt, which read: "Wild black truffles from Ailao Mountain, 500 grams".

These black truffles grow deep in the mountains and require experienced mountain people to risk harvesting them during specific seasons. Every gram is accompanied by risk, sweat, and luck.

It was first transported out of the mountains by local villagers on motorcycles, and then transferred to refrigerated trucks to travel more than 2,000 kilometers to reach Beijing. Along the way, it supported the mushroom pickers, drivers, and cold chain companies... In the end, this 500-gram "mountain delicacy" was sold for 38000 yuan.

It sustains the livelihoods of many ordinary people, yet ultimately serves only a meal for an elderly foreign man. Ordinary people toil, spend time, and labor to bring this gift of nature from the mountains to the city. And this elderly man—Elias Wolff, a private equity tycoon—did not directly participate in any productive labor…

At that time, there were more than twenty such people in the capital.

After inspecting the ingredients, Chef Li smiled wryly as he saw the deliveryman off.

“Xiao Li…” Old Qiao didn’t rush back to the kitchen immediately. Instead, he rubbed his hands together and stood awkwardly next to Xiao Li.

"Master Qiao, are you dissatisfied with the payment from Mr. Wolf?" Xiao Li asked proactively.

"No, no, no! The pay is very generous, they were very polite." Old Joe quickly waved his hand, his face showing embarrassment. "It's...it's that they made very specific demands regarding the living conditions and hygiene standards for us service staff. You know..."

Old Joe lowered his voice and sighed helplessly: "Because that fashion world's devil, Evangeline Foster, is still in Beijing. The group she brought has almost filled up all the rooms in the city's high-end hotels! Now, not only have the prices of star-rated hotels gone crazy, but even some high-end serviced apartments are hard to find, and the prices are outrageously high!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li nodded in understanding.

He was well aware of the influence of that female tyrant. The price of the hotel suite he stayed in tripled, and the restaurants she frequented immediately became must-visit spots for Chinese fashion bloggers, with reservations booked well in advance.

Local designers are desperate for her comment; a niche piece of Chinese-style jewelry she occasionally wears can sell out online within half an hour. Her fans flock from all over China, crowding major shopping districts.

Even more outrageous is that some originally understated luxury venues have become extremely difficult to book, and prices have skyrocketed, simply because of the possibility of bumping into Foster.

This female tyrant was just an ordinary member among the more than twenty billionaires temporarily residing in Beijing.

"Master Qiao, don't worry, we have designated partner hotels. Let me report it over, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Okay, thank you, Section Chief Li."

……

After finishing up with the billionaire's business, Xiao Li had just returned to the district government to attend an emergency meeting when he ran into Secretary Zhang of Hepingli Subdistrict at the entrance.

"Xiao Li, are you done with work?" Secretary Zhang greeted him with a somewhat complicated expression.

"We just settled that billionaire in." Xiao Li nodded, then lowered his voice and asked, "Secretary Zhang, why the rush? Is the main purpose really to take it easy? What in Dongcheng could possibly be involved in this?"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Zhang gave a wry smile and shook his head helplessly.

"I just heard that people from Chengdu have come and approached Chen Ye, the real estate agent. They proposed that a small portion of the idle properties in the hands of Easy Slow Travel could be exchanged for a luxury unfinished residential complex in the new district of Chengdu."

He paused, then continued, "The condition is that as long as EasySlowMove is willing to take over and complete the topping-out, finishing touches, and landscaping, cleaning up the mess, the community can be put into use immediately. Moreover... two-thirds of the houses in that community haven't been sold at all, so they're practically given away for free!"

Xiao Li was stunned and blurted out, "Are they crazy? Isn't this like giving away a whole neighborhood for free and even paying them to stay there?"

Secretary Zhang spread his hands: "The key question is why the building project was abandoned? Given the current housing price trend, they're very shrewd. Not only did they leave behind a mess, they also attracted a sycamore tree!"

Secretary Zhang pointed in the direction of the courtyard house and sighed, "Now, a single shop in a small town can attract so many wealthy people. Not to mention us and Chengdu, even Shanghai and Shenzhen... who wouldn't be envious?"

(End of this chapter)