The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

As the wheels of time roll ever forward, the changes in just a few short years have been so rapid that some people have already fallen behind.

Large quantities of cut-out cassette tapes flooded the market through various channels. What was once considered novel imported junk gradually became a common item in night markets and shopping malls in many cities.

Although An Jianxing's business was doing quite well thanks to his regular customers and relatively stable supply of goods, his keen business sense had already detected something different in the air.

The most noticeable change is that on the street where he sets up his stall, he used to be the only one there, then there were a few others, and now, you can see at least four or five other vendors.

Competition intensified, prices became more transparent, and profits were spread out.

Most importantly, seeing how eagerly those newcomers were buying goods, An Jianxing had already figured things out in his mind.

The meaning of this money has changed.

What started as a small share has now become a large pot of food that everyone can enjoy.

Now, even old men playing chess on the street know that they can make money by dealing in foreign cassette tapes, which is a dangerous sign in itself.

An Jianxing's business acumen is extremely ruthless; he no longer lingers on this increasingly crowded track, even though it is still generating profits.

Therefore, when business was still good, he chose to gradually clear out his inventory and then completely withdraw from the cutout tape business.

"Brother Xing, wasn't business doing pretty well? Why did you quit?"

Several regular customers asked after learning that An Jianxing had quit.

At this point, An Jianxing would usually just give a perfunctory answer, saying that he wanted to rest for a while because of the wind and sun.

From the very beginning when he started dabbling in these things, he already knew that this thing was like a rabbit's tail—it wouldn't last long.

They're everywhere now, how can you make a lot of money from them? You might as well take advantage of the moment and think of another way.

And that's exactly what happened. Cassette tapes were quickly replaced by something called MP3, not to mention that mobile phones came along just a few years later.

An Jianxing has believed in a saying since he was a child: "No one will rush to share the real way to make money with others." If someone is eager to tell you that they want to help you make money, then they are probably just preparing to let you take the plunge or to squeeze their profits out of you.

What do we need to make money now?

tuyere.

But you need to seize opportunities in advance, and sometimes you need to be able to predict where the trend will come from.

By the time everyone hears the wind and sees others taking off before thinking about following suit, the momentum has likely already passed its peak and is starting to decline.

Without hesitation, An Jianxing used the first pot of gold he had earned from this foreign waste to start looking for his next big opportunity.

As time moved into the late 1990s, approaching the year 2000, which is the generation born in the 2000s.

At that time, there was a change that affected thousands of households: the welfare housing allocation system, which had lasted for more than 40 years, was abolished, and housing began to move towards commodification and marketization.

This means that the way countless urban families obtained housing by "waiting, relying, and demanding" has been changed, and an unprecedented and huge demand for housing has been released overnight.

An Jianxing also sensed the business opportunity hidden within, which was many times greater than the original opportunity of selling bootleg products.

Life is nothing more than food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

When housing allocation is no longer implemented, and urbanization is accelerating, a large number of people are flocking to cities to work and live. Where will they live?

In short, buy.

That was the golden age when the real estate industry was just starting out, with high demand and a severe shortage of supply.

As many people later put it, that was a time when you could make money with your eyes closed.

Of course, the prerequisite for making money blindly is that you need to have enough courage, the capital to do so, and the vision to see the future.

An Jianxing was intrigued, and he took action.

This time, it wasn't just about setting up a small stall; it was a high-stakes gamble where they were prepared to stake everything they had.

His parents had gotten used to a stable life and originally planned to find him a job after he stopped setting up his stall, or at least open a small shop.

But to his surprise, his son asked for the family fortune and wanted to invest in an industry that sounded unreliable. The resistance he faced was considerable.

However, the elderly couple eventually chose to trust their troublesome son and prepared for a life of hardship, even using up all their savings.

Shen Jingwan also supported him; his boldness and decisiveness were among the qualities she admired in him.

The Shen family also contributed some of their savings to support their future son-in-law's career.

Thus, with the initial capital he had accumulated from dealing in cassette tapes, plus the support of the two companies, An Jianxing completed the most important identity transformation in his life.

He transformed from Xing Ge, a cassette tape vendor hawking his wares on the street, into a registered company, obtained the necessary qualifications, and became a legitimate, albeit initially small, real estate developer, Boss An.

As it turns out, his innate vision and daring once again proved effective.

He bet on the right direction of the times.

In an era when the number of real estate development companies was far less than it is now, the market was like a wasteland waiting to be cultivated.

There aren't many big fish, but there are enough small fish and shrimp to live on.

At that time, the extremely high demand for housing meant that as long as the location of the project wasn't too bad and the apartment layout was basically reasonable, the houses would sell easily once they were built.

From this point on, An Jianxing's career can be said to have truly taken off.

The speed at which he accumulated wealth was beyond what Xing Ge, who used to run a street stall, could have imagined.

Of course, these are all stories for later. In the story that An Hongyi told Ye Shu and Xiao Nuan, this "Xing Ge's transformation and rise to wealth" was glossed over in just a few words. The focus was on explaining his son's daring and insightful spirit.

But Ye Shu understood that Uncle An's success was by no means accidental.

His ability to decisively withdraw from the booming tape business and then go all in on the emerging real estate market is something that most people can't learn.

After listening to Grandpa An finish telling the story, Ye Shu hugged the little warm pillow in his arms and remained silent for a long time.

He felt very complicated right now, as if a movie was playing in his mind, and he was quickly going through Uncle An's younger days.

How to put it? It was simply breathtaking.

"So Uncle An was this ruthless when he was young."

Ye Shu was still somewhat dazed, not yet out of that story.

This is the most accurate description he can find right now, and the word "ruthless" encompasses a lot.

Ruthless about one's future, ruthless in seizing opportunities, ruthless in investing in love, and ruthless in betting on the tides of the times.

An Hongyi seemed to have a dry mouth after talking so much, so he poured himself a glass of cola, took a sip, smiled, and didn't say anything.

Just then, the kitchen door opened, and An Jianxing came out wiping his hands. He immediately saw Ye Shu on the sofa, holding Xiao Nuan and staring intently at him.

An Jianxing frowned, wondering what mischief this kid was up to now. He still remembered the time he gave him a taste of something at the airport.

"What are you looking at?"

An Jianxing asked warily, while also glancing at Ye Shu's arm as she held Xiao Nuan.

Ye Shu shook his head and grinned:

"It's nothing, Uncle An, I just think you're such a man."

This is absolutely Ye Shu's honest opinion.

A man who dares to take risks and fights, who dives headfirst into anything he sets his mind to, who can grapple with incomprehensible books for the girl he loves, and who can take off precisely during a time of change... how can he not be a man?

An Jianxing frowned at the sudden compliment, but still snorted and sat down on the sofa. He picked up his teacup and continued drinking tea, while glaring at Ye Shu's arm.