Super Rich: Starting the game by going back ten years to buy Bitcoin

As I was drinking my second cup of tea, a black minivan drove into the lobby.

Zhou Lan got out of the passenger seat, walked quickly into the lobby, and stopped in front of Li Yichen.

"Sir, the car is back. Where would you like to go next?"

Li Yichen placed the teacup on the small table next to him, stood up, and patted his trouser leg.

where to?

He stood in the lobby for two seconds, his mind racing.

Two billion yuan—just sitting there earning interest, you could never spend it all in a lifetime. But that's not how the system works. The system wants consumption. Only money spent counts.

He brought up the wealth system panel in his mind.

[Wealth Level: Level Three]

[Current total spending: 2,637,800 yuan]

Current earnings: 0.4 yuan/second

[Unlock condition for the next level (Level 4): Cumulative spending ≥ 10,000,000 yuan]

Level 4 earnings: 0.8 yuan/second

Two million six hundred thousand. Two million of that was transferred to Xiao Yuqing, and the remaining six hundred thousand was for hotel meals and accommodation. The three million or so used to pay off online loans doesn't count; that was debt repayment and the system doesn't recognize it.

Four cents per second. That's a little over 30,000 a day.

Not enough. Far from enough.

He scrolled down again.

[Level 5 Unlock Requirements: Cumulative spending ≥ 100,000,000 yuan]

[Level 5 Revenue: 1.6 yuan/second]

[Level 6 Unlock Requirements: Cumulative spending ≥ 1,000,000,000 yuan]

[Level 6 earnings: 3.2 yuan/second]

[Level 7 Unlock Requirements: Cumulative spending ≥ 10,000,000,000 yuan]

10 billion.

Li Yichen silently recited the number in his mind, then looked down and calculated the balance in his card.

2.9 billion.

Level 6, spending 1 billion, that's enough.

Level 7, 10 billion in consumption—not enough. Far from it.

Let's aim for Level 6 first.

How to spend a billion dollars in consumption the fastest?

The answer popped into my head in just 0.5 seconds.

Buy a house.

In Shanghai, nothing burns through money more than real estate. A single top-tier luxury apartment costs tens of millions, and an entire building costs hundreds of millions. If you buy entire buildings, spending a billion yuan is just a matter of signing your name a few times.

"Let's go look at apartments."

Li Yichen strode out of the lobby.

Zhou Lan paused for a moment, then quickly followed.

"Sir, which area would you like to see? Apartments? Villas? Or—"

"Ready-to-move-in apartment. Fully furnished. Preferably in a new building that's currently for sale."

Zhou Lan paused for a moment.

The whole building?

She had worked as a butler at a hotel for six years, serving guests ranging from CEOs of listed companies to Middle Eastern princes. But this was the first time someone had asked to buy an entire building.

However, she didn't show anything on her face and simply nodded.

"Understood. I'll help you plan the route."

The car started and merged into the morning traffic of Shanghai.

Zhou Lan sat in the passenger seat making phone calls, contacting real estate agents, sales offices, and developers one after another. Li Yichen leaned back in the back seat, resting with his eyes closed.

The first development is in Pudong New Area, with an average price of 120,000 yuan per square meter. After looking around, the apartment layouts were nice, but only individual units were left; it wasn't enough to fill an entire building.

pass.

The second one is in Xuhui District, a high-end residential project. The model apartment is magnificent, but the handover will not be until next year.

Off-plan property? No way.

The third is the renovation project of old villas in Jing'an District. It has charm, but the scale is too small, and the total price will be capped at 200 million yuan.

not enough.

In two hours, Li Yichen visited five or six real estate developments. He got out of the back seat and got in and out repeatedly, his legs were almost numb from all the walking.

The car turned onto a newly built road in Minhang District, with rows of ginkgo trees flanking the asphalt road, and at the end of the road was a newly built residential area.

More than twenty buildings are arranged in a staggered pattern, with clean and neat light gray stone facades. There is a large distance between each building, interspersed with green belts and artificial lakes.

Zhou Lan pointed ahead.

"Sir, this is 'Lanting Yayuan,' a new residential complex that was just handed over this year. All units are ready for immediate occupancy and fully furnished. Although many have been sold, you should be able to find the apartment you need."

Li Yichen glanced out the car window.

Okay. This will do.

The car was parked in front of the sales center.

Li Yichen got out of the car and glanced at the sales hall. It had a marble facade and a ceiling six or seven meters high, but it was empty inside with very few customers.

Push the door open and go inside.

A saleswoman in a black suit dress came up to us, wearing a name tag on her chest, and had a standard smile.

"Hello sir, welcome to Lanting Garden. May I ask what you are here to see—"

"Call your boss over."

The saleswoman's smile faltered for a moment.

"Sir, I can assist you with buying a house here. Our boss isn't here today—"

"I'm not buying a set."

Li Yichen put both hands into his pockets and tilted his head.

"I want to buy them one building at a time."

He paused for half a second.

"What, you think you can make that decision?"

The saleswoman's words were stuck in her throat; she couldn't say them out loud, nor could she say them back.

She sized Li Yichen up and down. He was wearing a white polo shirt, dark gray trousers, no watch, no bag, and a pair of casual shoes provided by the hotel. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with a relaxed air about him having just woken up.

This outfit makes him look nothing like someone who can afford to buy a building.

But what if?

Last month, a guy in slippers came in and booked three penthouse duplexes in one go, without even looking up when he swiped his card. Having worked in this industry for a while, the most important lesson she's learned is—don't judge a person's worth by their clothes.

The saleswoman bit her lip.

"Please wait a moment, sir, while I contact our General Manager Zhang."

She turned and walked behind the bar, took out her phone and made a call.

The phone rang three times, then I answered it.

"Mr. Zhang, a client has arrived and wants to buy the entire building."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

How old are you?

"She looked to be around twenty-four or twenty-five, very young. She was dressed quite casually, but she spoke with great conviction, not like she was joking."

There was silence for another two seconds.

A woman's coquettish voice came faintly from the other end of the line: "Honey, look at this bag—"

"Ten minutes," Mr. Zhang said in a low voice. "Keep him calm, I'll be right there."

The phone hangs up.

The saleswoman put her phone away, quickly walked back to Li Yichen, and smiled again.

"Sir, our General Manager Zhang will be here in ten minutes. This way, please. Let me pour you a cup of tea."

She led Li Yichen to the rest area, pulled out a chair, took out a can of Tieguanyin tea from the tea cabinet, washed the cups, scalded the teapot, and brewed the tea with quite skillful technique.

Hot tea was pushed in front of me.

Li Yichen picked up the glass, took a sip, and put it down.

The tea is good.

He glanced at the model of the development hanging on the wall of the sales hall—twenty-four residential buildings, each thirty-two stories high, with four units per floor. It also included a commercial street, a kindergarten, and a fitness center.

Twenty-four buildings.

Based on this location and renovation standards, each apartment would probably cost five to six million, and there are 128 apartments in the building.

One building costs seven or eight hundred million.

The abacus rattled in his mind, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Just as I finished my cup of tea, the glass door to the sales hall was suddenly pushed open.

A fat man rushed in.

He was a little over 1.7 meters tall, but his waist was almost as big as his height. His suit jacket was buttoned up tightly, his tie was askew, and a fine layer of sweat clung to his forehead. A pink shopping bag with the logo of a luxury brand was hanging from his right wrist.

I was running so fast that I almost stumbled on the marble floor when I entered.

The female saleswoman saw this and quickly went to greet her.

"Mr. Zhang!"

The fat man ripped the shopping bag off his wrist with one hand, casually stuffed it into the hand of a security guard next to him, and walked inside while panting.

The two met in a corner. The female saleswoman whispered something and then tilted her chin towards Li Yichen.

The fat man's breathing became audibly lighter.

He reached up and straightened his crooked tie, then tugged at the front of his suit jacket. The buttons were too tight; he couldn't straighten them even after a couple of tugs, so he gave up.

She jogged towards Li Yichen.

He reached out his hand from three steps away.

"Oh dear, boss!"

The fat man shook hands with both of them, his enthusiasm almost palpable. His palms were damp, damp with a thin layer of sweat from his recent run.

"My name is Zhang Guodong, the developer of Lanting Yayuan. It's a pleasure to meet you! What is your surname?"

Li Yichen was shaken twice and pulled his hand back.

"No need for formalities, Li."

"Mr. Li! Hello, Mr. Li! It's an honor to meet you!"

Zhang Guodong's face was beaming with smiles, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deep enough to trap a mosquito. He stepped aside and gestured "please" towards the stairs.

"Mr. Li, the place downstairs is too simple and unaccommodating. Please come upstairs to the second floor. I have prepared a quiet reception room for distinguished guests, and the tea is excellent."

Li Yichen followed them up to the second floor.

The living room wasn't large, but it was certainly much more refined than the one downstairs. There was a leather sofa, a solid wood tea table, two calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, and a scent of sandalwood wafting in the air.

Zhang Guodong personally brewed the tea.

The teapot was made of purple clay, and the tea was brewed before the Qingming Festival. The tea was rinsed twice, and the wrist made a beautiful arc when pouring the tea. Beneath the chubby man's rugged appearance lay a refined tea ceremony.

He handed a cup of tea to Li Yichen with both hands.

"Mr. Li, please."

Li Yichen took it and sipped it.

Zhang Guodong sat down opposite him, leaned forward a couple of inches, and placed his hands on his knees.

"Mr. Li, I heard from Xiao Wang that you're interested in our property development. Would you mind telling me your specific needs?"

He verbally inquired about needs, but his mind was already racing with calculations. This year's real estate market was freezing cold. Of the twenty-four buildings in the entire Lanting Yayuan complex, less than half had been sold six months after delivery. With bank loan interest pressing down and outstanding payments owed to upstream suppliers, he had been surviving for three months by robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Is someone going to buy the whole building now?

Even if the customer is a scammer, I'd still like to chat with them first.

Li Yichen put down his teacup and held up three fingers.

"First, I only want a ready-built house. Second, it must be fully furnished and ready to move in; I don't have time to wait."

Zhang Guodong nodded repeatedly.

"No problem, no problem at all. All our houses are ready for immediate occupancy, fully furnished, and you can move in the same day you buy them!"

"third."

Li Yichen paused for a moment with his third finger.

"I want to buy the whole building. Not just the individual units."

Zhang Guodong's hand, which was resting on his knee, dug into the seam of his pants.

His mouth stretched taut across the sides, almost bursting at the seams before he stopped. The entire building. He wouldn't even dare dream of doing that every night. These days, young people complain about renting, and fewer and fewer people are buying houses each year. Forget about an entire building; he'd be burning incense in his office if he managed to close ten deals a month.

Zhang Guodong picked up his cup of tea, took a sip, and tried to calm his pounding heart.

"Mr. Li—"

He put down his teacup and leaned forward a little more.

"How many buildings do you plan to take?"