Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 137 Spinach
After passing through the bustling city of Berlin, Song Ci and her entourage quickly arrived at their booked hotel.

Song Xueying booked the famous five-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Berlin, located in the city center and close to famous attractions such as Potsdamer Platz, Philharmonic Hall, and Berlin Film Museum.

It's less than half an hour's drive to the Olympic Stadium to watch the World Cup final, making its location extremely convenient.

As soon as the car came to a stop in front of the magnificent hotel, hotel staff came forward to open the door and help unload the luggage.

After quickly getting off the bus, guide Zhang Chengxian led the guests into the hotel lobby while taking out several business cards from his jacket pocket and distributing them to the group, his words full of enthusiasm:
"Everyone, this is my business card with my contact information. While you're in Germany, please feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything. My phone is on 24/7. Of course, for very important matters, you can contact the embassy directly."

Song Ci nodded and accepted the business card, smiling slightly. "We've had a long journey, so we'll rest well at the hotel today. Director Zhang, you can go back first. Tomorrow, I'd appreciate it if you could show us around Berlin. If you need anything, please call in advance."

"Okay, see you tomorrow. Please let me know if you need anything." This Mr. Song was humble and polite, and his words and actions were like a gentle breeze. Zhang Cheng liked dealing with this kind of high-quality person, unlike some nouveau riche from China who acted like they owned the place just because they had a little money.

The lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel is decorated in a very luxurious and exquisite style, and is also decorated with some paintings, sculptures and other artworks, adding an artistic atmosphere to the luxury.

Upon entering the lobby, a young, smiling white female staff member in uniform immediately greeted me.

Upon seeing that they were foreign guests, the person on the other end asked in fluent English, "Welcome to The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin, sir/madam. How can I help you?"

Song Xueying stepped forward politely to respond, explaining that she had booked four rooms and then presented the passports of the group to complete the check-in process.

The receptionist quickly checked the reservation information in the computer system. After confirming that everything was correct, she handed over four elegant room keys and explained them in detail:

"Dear guests, your four reserved rooms are ready, located on the 12th floor, rooms 1201 to 1204."

All rooms offer stunning city views, and we hope you enjoy them. Also, please feel free to contact us if you require anything during your stay; we'll be happy to assist you.

Song Xueying accepted the room key and expressed her gratitude for the staff's professionalism and enthusiasm. She then led Song Ci and the others through the hotel's ornately decorated corridor and onto the elevator.

As the elevator slowly ascended, Song Ci noticed that everyone looked exhausted and instructed, "Everyone is free to do as they please from now on. Get some rest tonight, and we'll see what Director Zhang decides for tomorrow before we begin our official journey."

"Okay." "Thank you, Mr. Song!" "That's great."

The elevator arrived at the 12th floor. Pulling his suitcase, Song Ci went to the guest room door and chose the best room, 1203, where he and Liu Shishi would share a room.

Just before entering the room, Tang Yue, the bodyguard who had remained low-key and silent the whole way, suddenly spoke up: "President Song, should I go in and check first?"

Song Ci thought for a moment and waved his hand: "No need to trouble yourself. Everyone is tired after a day on the plane. Lao Tang, you should pack up and rest."

Tang Yue then replied, "I live next door to you in room 1204. Just call me if you need anything."

Liu Shishi eagerly swiped the door and stepped into the guest room. The room was spacious and bright, and the furnishings were clean and tidy. The tall windows had their emerald green curtains rolled up, offering a panoramic view of the beautiful streets of Berlin.

Standing by the window, Liu Shishi gazed into the distance, clearly seeing the bustling crowds on the streets and the iconic buildings in the distance. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting a golden glow on the streets and draping the city of Berlin in a golden cloak.

Opening the window, a gentle breeze blew into the room. Ms. Liu took a deep breath and sniffed lightly, sensing the faint fragrance of flowers and coffee in the air, and an indescribable joy welled up in her heart.

She stretched and flopped onto the fluffy, soft bed, kicking off her sneakers and letting out a soft, meow-like moan: "Ah, so comfortable, darling."

Song Ci couldn't help but smile as he watched Miss Liu rolling around and having fun on the bed. He opened his suitcase and prepared to sort out his clothes and other belongings, since this was their temporary residence in Berlin, where they would be staying for a while.

"Shishi, where did you put the power adapter?" Song Ci rummaged through his suitcase but couldn't find any charging equipment. His laptop was out of power and he needed to use it later, so he had to make sure it was fully charged.

"It's in my suitcase, I'll get it for you right now, darling." Liu Shishi sprang up from the pristine white bed and started packing with her boyfriend.

"Yiyi, how long are we going to stay here?" Liu Shishi first took out the socket adapter and handed it to Song Ci, then folded her clothes and put them into the temporary wardrobe.

"About ten days, if all goes well, I'll be back in Beiping on July 13th." After charging her laptop, Song Ci started packing her luggage again.

Liu Shishi stuck out her tongue and exclaimed, "That means we'll be staying here for half a month, that's so long!"

Song Ci nodded: "Yes, I watched the World Cup final on July 10th. I still have some things to take care of, and if all goes well, I'll be back in China on the 13th. You can have a great time in Germany during this time."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi smiled and said, "That's wonderful! It's a rare opportunity to travel abroad, I must have a good time sightseeing. Anyway, Mr. Song, you're paying!" After the two finished packing their luggage, it was already evening. Song Ci and Miss Liu went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for dinner. Speaking of food, the cuisine of European countries is simply worlds apart from that of China. However, since they were in a foreign land, they certainly had to try the local specialties.

After looking at the menu, Song Ci, who also knew a little German, ordered several local specialties, including German sausages, crispy pork knuckle, and potato dishes. He also shared a glass of rich and delicious dark beer with Ms. Liu. Savoring Berlin's culinary specialties and experiencing the unique charm of a foreign culture was truly a delightful experience.

After dinner, Song Ci returned to her room, took a shower, opened her laptop, logged into Yahoo Sports, and began checking the latest news about the World Cup.

After nearly twenty days of intense competition, the tournament has reached the round of 16. Today, Switzerland suffered a 0-3 defeat to Ukraine at the Cologne Stadium. Only two matches remain in the round of 16: Brazil vs. Ghana and Spain vs. France.

After checking the results of the previous matches and the number of goals scored, Song Ci felt relieved. The results were exactly the same as those in his memories from his previous life. It seemed that the results of the 2006 World Cup had not changed because of his rebirth, and the butterfly effect had not yet affected some major events.

If you want to make big money through betting, you can't just gamble on the outcome of a match. You have to bet on the high odds of a certain number of goals. Since the number of goals in each match hasn't changed, Song Ci can confidently place his bets and fleece the capitalists.

Logging onto a gambling website, Song Ci couldn't help but lower his head in deep thought. The taxation of the gambling industry varies across European and American countries. The US is the most extreme, with a 50% tax, which immediately eliminates it from consideration. France, Spain, and Germany are slightly better, levying a 20% tax on total winnings. The UK is even lower, with a tax rate of only 15%. Canada is the best, with no gambling tax at all.

From a profit perspective, choosing a Canadian betting company would be the best option, but obviously, one shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. After careful consideration, Song Ci decided to divide his $60 million principal into three parts: $20 million in Canadian betting companies, $20 million in British betting companies, and the remaining $20 million in online betting companies.

Most of the $60 million was borrowed from banks by mortgaging his shares in Tengda Group. Moreover, the country has very strict foreign exchange controls, and it took a lot of effort to transfer the money to his Swiss bank account through the offshore accounts of Shanhai Capital and Zhongxin Investment.

Although online gambling companies offer the highest returns, they operate in a well-known gray area without legal protection. Song Ci was worried about investing too much money and not getting it back, so she decided to find several reputable and long-term online gambling companies to place her bets on in order to diversify her risk.

Having made his decision, Song Ci no longer hesitated. He first selected four of the largest online betting companies in Europe and America to spread his bets across the remaining ten matches, and then placed bets of $20 million each at offline betting outlets of betting companies in the UK and Canada. This three-pronged approach ensured both the safety of his funds and the maximization of his profits.

After nearly an hour of busy work, the sixty million US dollars in his Swiss bank account were completely spent. Even the usually calm and composed Song Ci couldn't help but feel nervous at this moment, his palms sweating with excitement. According to the current odds, he could probably earn more than three hundred million US dollars.

Spinach can indeed be addictive. Back in the 98 and 02 World Cups, he only bought football lottery tickets in China on a small scale. This time in Germany, he went a bit too far. If he wasn't absolutely certain he would make a lot of money, he would never touch betting.

After making a fortune of $300 million from the 2006 World Cup, he decided to stop betting on the World Cup. As his influence on the world grows after his rebirth, the results of various matches may also change.

Although the World Cup has nothing to do with China, and even though the Chinese national team didn't make it out of Asia in 2027 before his rebirth, betting is risky, so it's best to quit while you're ahead and not participate anymore.

While Song Ci was busy placing bets on spinach, Liu Shishi had already taken a bath. She gently opened the bathroom door and stepped out, her body seemingly enveloped in a wisp of fresh and warm moisture.

A light bathrobe, loosely tied at the waist, exudes a languid yet elegant charm. Her steps are light, each one seemingly creating a silent melody on the floor, her eyes sparkling with the tranquility and satisfaction of a post-bath, sweeping away the fatigue of her journey.

She entered the room slowly, exuding freshness and gentleness. When her eyes fell on the focused figure at the table, a sly smile flashed across her face.

Like an elegant cat, Liu Shishi silently appeared behind Song Ci. Then, with a light leap, she sat directly on Song Ci's lap, wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, and said in a tone that was both teasing and tender, "My dear little brother, why are you still busy with work in Germany and ignoring me?"

Song Ci was watching the odds changes when he was startled by this sudden "attack." He looked back at the beauty nestled in his arms; a few stray hairs clung to her cheeks, adding to her unadorned, natural beauty. Her snow-white skin appeared especially delicate under the soft light, like a newly blossoming flower, glistening with a faint pinkish glow.

Liu Shishi smiled sweetly, gazing at her lover. Her beautiful face was radiant under the lamplight, her eyes sparkling with an alluring light that seemed capable of stealing one's soul. Her body pressed close to her boyfriend's, their warm breaths mingling, and an indescribable ambiguity filled the air.

Song Ci's heart raced, her throat went dry, and she tried to suppress her excitement, chuckling softly, "You little devil, you really make it impossible for me to concentrate on my work."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi smiled smugly, knowing that her charm was irresistible at that moment.

So she nestled even closer into her boyfriend's arms, her slender fingers tracing circles on his chest, and continued to tempt him with her soft voice: "Then how about we do something more interesting together?"

Song Ci licked Liu's earlobe, gently blew a breath of hot air into her ear, and teased, "You're both bad at it and love to play, always begging for mercy in the end."

Liu Shishi blushed instantly and retorted defiantly, "Who's bad? Today in Berlin, I'm going to be on top and be a female knight."

"Okay, I'll let you do whatever you want tonight, as long as you don't cry and shout for Daddy later." After saying that, Song Ci picked up Liu Shishi and gently placed her on the bed. He leaned down and kissed her delicate red lips, untied the bath belt around his girlfriend's waist, and caressed her smooth skin.

Liu Shishi couldn't help but embrace her boyfriend's broad back, letting out seductive moans. This scene was like the most beautiful sight in the Berlin night, full of allure and tenderness, making people intoxicated and unable to extricate themselves.

Song Ci leaned against the headboard, looking quite content. She squinted at Miss Liu, who was lying on top of her, and asked with concern, "Shishi, do you want to rest for a while?"

At this moment, Liu Shishi's legs were bent, her cheeks were flushed, she was panting heavily, her eyes were half-closed, and she was covered in sweat. She hummed intermittently, "No rest! I... I'm not... bad."

Oh, what an innocent woman! So competitive! Why bother? Just call out "Daddy" and admit defeat, and that's it! Has Poetry Master's talent finally awakened?
(End of this chapter)