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

"How many buildings?"

Li Yichen didn't reply. He put the teacup on the table and gently rubbed his finger along the rim.

"Mr. Zhang, don't rush. Let's talk about the price first."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guodong swallowed back the question he was about to ask about "how many buildings" from his lips.

That's true. They haven't even decided how many buildings they want, and he's already asking about the quantity. He's taking too big a step.

Zhang Guodong leaned back, resting his hands on the armrests, and unconsciously tapped his index finger twice. He quickly calculated in his mind—this kid said he wanted to buy the whole building as soon as he walked in, and now he's taking his time discussing prices; he's probably trying to lower the price per unit first.

In the business world, the calmer someone appears on the surface, the more shrewd they are in their mind.

Zhang Guodong decided to lay the groundwork first.

He sat up straight, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put it down and spread his hands.

"Brother Li—it's not too much for me to call you 'brother,' is it?"

Li Yichen didn't stop him.

Zhang Guodong seized the opportunity.

"Brother Li, now that you've come to our Lanting Garden, you must have done your research beforehand."

He pointed out the window.

"Look at our location, it's unbeatable. 800 meters to the east is a key district kindergarten. One kilometer to the south is an experimental primary school. Middle and high schools are all within a three-kilometer radius."

I broke four out of five fingers.

"As for transportation, it's conveniently located near two subway lines, and a 15-minute drive to Central. The surrounding area boasts all the necessary commercial and medical amenities."

Zhang Guodong got more and more excited as he spoke, leaning forward and gesturing with his hands in the air.

"Even if you buy our house and don't live in it yourself, it will be a top-notch rental. Our location, if not the center of Shanghai, is definitely a secondary center."

He paused, sighed, and adopted a pained expression.

"It's just that the real estate industry has been sluggish these past few years. A few years ago, the price of our Lanting Yayuan would have been no less than 100,000 yuan per square meter. Back then, when it opened for sale, you couldn't even get a number—"

"Mr. Zhang."

Li Yichen spoke up.

Zhang Guodong's words caught in his throat.

"I know all that." Li Yichen tapped his finger twice on the armrest. "The location is indeed excellent. I looked at the amenities you mentioned before I came."

He paused for a moment.

"But as you just said, the market hasn't been good in the last few years."

This statement, though neither too harsh nor too mild, was perfectly timed.

Zhang Guodong's smile faded slightly.

"So, Mr. Zhang, let's talk about the price."

Straight ball.

Zhang Guodong cursed inwardly—this kid is young, but his negotiation skills are quite sophisticated. His long preamble was originally intended to elevate the perceived value of the product, giving him more confidence when making a price offer.

But they didn't respond at all, and just passed the buck back to the other side with a single sentence.

Fine.

Zhang Guodong coughed lightly, picked up the teapot, and poured Li Yichen a cup first.

"Brother Li is straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush either."

He held up one finger.

"Our current asking price is 70,000 per square meter."

Li Yichen remained silent.

Zhang Guodong observed his reaction.

He didn't frown, shake his head, or nod. He just sat there, his fingers continuing to tap the armrest.

This kind of reaction is the hardest to deal with. A nod means you have a chance, a shake means you have no chance, and no reaction at all means you have no clue what to expect.

Zhang Guodong paused for a couple of seconds in his mind before continuing.

"but--"

He drew out the "however," leaned forward further, lowered his voice, and adopted a tone of revealing everything.

"Brother Li, if you really intend to take the whole building from us, I can make the decision."

Extend six fingers.

"Sixty thousand per square meter. To be honest, I've never quoted this price to suppliers."

He slapped his thigh.

"This already shows great sincerity."

Sixty thousand.

Li Yichen did some mental calculations.

A building has 32 floors. Whether it has four households per floor and 100 square meters per floor, or two households per floor and 200 square meters per floor, the total construction area is about the same—12,800 square meters.

Sixty thousand multiplied by twelve thousand eight equals a little over seven hundred million.

The three buildings alone cost over 2.1 billion.

Is the price competitive? Yes. The price has been reduced from 70,000 to 60,000, a reduction of 10,000 per square meter, which translates to a reduction of over 100 million yuan for the entire building. For a typical buyer, this discount is already quite attractive.

But Li Yichen is not a normal buyer.

He was the one who acquired three buildings at once.

Three buildings.

Zhang Guodong might never encounter another client of this size, let alone this year. The bigger the client, the less he should accept a lower price.

When it comes to spending real money, every penny counts.

He understood this principle when he was a food delivery driver. To earn an extra 30 cents per order for the peak-hour subsidy, he could work for an extra hour under the scorching 38-degree sun.

Even if the price per square meter were reduced by 4,000 yuan, the difference between the three buildings would be more than 100 million yuan.

More than 100 million.

A number he never dared to dream of before.

Li Yichen picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

"Mr. Zhang, 60,000 is indeed a very generous offer."

Zhang Guodong's back loosened by half an inch.

"But it's not at my target price yet."

Zhang Guodong's back straightened up again.

Li Yichen put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and stared at Zhang Guodong.

"Okay. I plan to take three buildings."

Three buildings.

When those two words hit Zhang Guodong's ears, his Adam's apple bobbed. Although he had been mentally prepared, hearing the number with his own ears still made his heart skip a beat.

Three buildings. One breath. A young man in his twenties.

What exactly is the background of this?

But he couldn't let his facial expression betray him. He controlled the corners of his mouth, preventing a smile from showing.

"Three buildings..." Zhang Guodong nodded, trying to keep his voice steady. "We can talk."

"The price I can offer—" Li Yichen held up five fingers, then added another. "Fifty-six thousand per square meter."

Zhang Guodong rested his hand on his knee and picked at the seam of his trousers with his fingers.

Fifty-six thousand.

They cut the price by 4,000 from the 60,000 he quoted.

A building is 12,800 square meters. A price difference of 4,000 yuan per square meter means a loss of more than 50 million yuan per building. Three buildings mean a loss of 150 million yuan.

motherfucker.

Zhang Guodong cursed inwardly, his smile fading considerably.

"Brother Li, 56,000... that number is indeed a bit low. Our construction costs, decoration standards, land acquisition fees—"

"Mr. Zhang."

Li Yichen interrupted him, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I'll pay in full. All three buildings. Full payment."

Full payment.

These two words are more damaging than any negotiation rhetoric.

Zhang Guodong's cost analysis was stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

Full payment.

It wasn't a mortgage, it wasn't installments, it wasn't a 30% deposit followed by negotiation. It was a one-time payment of over two billion yuan, deposited directly into the company's account.

Zhang Guodong's mind raced.

Profits have decreased, that's a fact. At 56,000 yuan per square meter, after deducting construction costs and land acquisition fees, the net profit per square meter is very thin.

but--

But they can sell the house.

Three buildings, more than 300 apartments. His team has been selling for half a year, and they've only managed to sell less than 200 units in total. At this rate, the remaining inventory will have to hold for at least another year and a half.

The cost of capital, bank interest, and property maintenance fees over a year and a half adds up to a huge sum.

Moreover, the company's cash flow has run out. The final payment he made to the construction company last month was obtained by mortgaging his personal property.

If we can hold on for another two months, and no big orders come in—

He dared not think any further.

Zhang Guodong picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The tea has cooled and become bitter.

He put down his cup and looked up at Li Yichen.

The kid leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, fingers tapping idly on the armrest. His face showed no sign of urgency; he just waited, giving off a "I'm leaving if you don't agree" vibe.

Three seconds of silence.

Zhang Guodong nodded slowly.

"Okay. Fifty-six thousand."

He stretched out his hand.

"But Brother Li, there's one condition—the money must be in one lump sum. It must all be transferred to the company account. Not a single penny can be delayed."

Li Yichen stood up and grabbed Zhang Guodong's hand.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. You don't need to worry about the money."

Zhang Guodong's palms were sweaty after being squeezed twice by him.

It wasn't nervousness—it was excitement.

He swallowed hard and forced a smile. His lips trembled slightly, almost uncontrollably.

"Alright, alright. So—which buildings has Brother Li taken a fancy to?"

Li Yichen released his grip and turned to walk towards the stairwell.

"Let's go down and take a look."

The two returned to the lobby on the first floor. Li Yichen walked to the huge sand table model in the center of the lobby, rested his hands on the glass railing, and looked down at it.

The miniature models of twenty-four buildings are neatly arranged on the sand table. The buildings that have been sold are marked with small red flags, while the unsold and partially sold buildings are marked with green flags.

His gaze lingered on the middle row.

Buildings five, six, and seven.

He reached out and tapped the sand table three times.

"These three buildings are all vacant, centrally located, with ample space between them, and excellent natural light. And the spacing between your buildings—"

He tilted his head and glanced at the markings next to the sand table.

"It's over 70 meters. It doesn't feel cramped to live in, and it's easy to rent out."

Zhang Guodong followed behind and was secretly surprised when he heard him explain the location, spacing, and orientation in just a few words.

This kid is no novice.

"Buildings five, six, and seven, no problem!" Zhang Guodong clapped his hands and shouted to the female saleswoman, "Xiao Wang! Prepare all the contracts for buildings five, six, and seven! Floor plans, building areas, shared area calculations, and all attachments—not a single one can be missing!"

The female saleswoman paused for a second behind the bar.

Three buildings?

all?

She opened her mouth slightly, then closed it again.

He turned around and started typing away on the keyboard, and the printer began spitting out paper.

The contracts took nearly forty minutes to prepare. There were three buildings, one main contract for each building plus several attachments, which were stacked together to be about half a foot thick.

Zhang Guodong moved a large table over and spread out the contract.

"Brother Li, these two buildings are small apartments—Building 5 and Building 6. There are two elevators serving four units per floor, each unit is 100 square meters, four units per floor, and 32 floors in total. Each building has 128 units, with a total building area of ​​12,800 square meters."

He then opened the third copy.

"This is a large-unit building—Building 7. One unit per floor, two units per floor, each unit is 200 square meters, 32 floors, 64 units in total, with a total floor area of ​​12,800 square meters."

Zhang Guodong took out a calculator and started typing furiously.

"The total floor area of ​​the three buildings is 38,400 square meters, multiplied by 56,100 square meters—"

The numbers on the calculator popped up.

2,150,400,000.

Two billion five million four hundred thousand.

Zhang Guodong stared at the string of numbers on the calculator screen and swallowed hard.

The number was lit on the screen, cold and impersonal, but his palms were warm. Burning.

Li Yichen glanced at the calculator and nodded.

"no problem."

Then he started signing.

He flipped through the documents one by one, signing each page. His signature was simple, just three words—Li Yichen. He wrote quickly, the strokes clear, without any hesitation.

When they reached the last page of the third contract, Zhang Guodong stood to the side holding his phone, his finger hovering above the screen, his thumb twitching twice.

The company's corporate bank account page is now accessible.

Waiting for the money to arrive.

After signing the last word, Li Yichen put down the pen and took out his phone.

He opened his bank app, selected transfer, and entered the recipient's account number—the string of numbers that Zhang Guodong had personally written down on a piece of paper and handed to him ten minutes earlier.

Amount: 2,150,400,000.

password.

confirm.

My phone vibrated.

Transfer successful.

At the same time, Zhang Guodong's phone screen refreshed.

The company's corporate bank account balance is 21 billion.

Zhang Guodong's hands trembled.

It's not an exaggeration. It really was shaking. My whole hand and arm shook for three or four seconds before it stopped.

He stared at the string of numbers for a full ten seconds, his lips moving but he didn't utter a single word.

He's been in the real estate industry for eleven years. He started by carrying bricks on construction sites and climbed his way up to where he is today, having handled more than a dozen projects of varying sizes.

But never—never a single deal has ever been made by a young man in his mid-twenties who sits in front of him, signs the papers, takes out his phone, and transfers 2.1 billion yuan in five seconds.

Five seconds.

Just like swiping a bus card.

Zhang Guodong put his phone in his pocket, rushed to Li Yichen in two steps, and reached out with both hands to grab Li Yichen's right hand.

"Brother Li!"

His voice rose eight octaves.

"Brother Li, don't worry. If there are any problems with these three buildings in the future, you can contact me anytime. My phone will never be off, 24/7!"

He shook it hard twice, then shook it hard twice more.

"You absolutely must come tonight! It's my treat, let's have a good drink together!"

Li Yichen's arm was almost dislocated from being shaken so badly that he quickly pulled his hand away.

"Okay, I'll be there tonight."

Zhang Guodong smiled so hard his eyes were slits, nodding repeatedly and saying "good, good, good" seven or eight times.

The female saleswoman stood behind the bar, watching Li Yichen walk towards the door.

Her hand rested beside the printer, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table.

2.1 billion.

Full payment.

The entire process, from signing the papers to transferring the money, took less than twenty minutes.

She glanced down at her employee ID, then at the white polo shirt standing by the door.

When she was receiving him just now—she almost, really almost, labeled him in her mind as someone who was "just there to make a joke."

The sunlight streaming in through the doorway was blindingly bright.

Li Yichen pushed open the door and went out; Zhou Lan was already waiting by the car.

He opened the back door, got in, and fastened his seatbelt.

"Let's go. To Building Five. I want to check out my building."

Zhou Lan nodded and started the car.

The car slowly drove along the road inside the residential area. The leaves of two rows of ginkgo trees fluttered in the wind, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, shining on the windshield.

We've arrived at the five buildings.

Li Yichen pushed open the car door and got out, looking up.

A 32-story residential building stood before me, its light gray stone facade gleaming cleanly in the sunlight. One hundred and twenty-eight apartments, from the first to the thirty-second floor, every single window belonged to him.

He stood at the bottom of the building with his hands in his pockets, craning his neck, counting from the first floor to the top floor.

A line of words popped into my head—

[System Notification: Consumption update in progress... Cumulative consumption: 2,153,037,800 yuan. Wealth level has been upgraded to level six. Current earnings: 3.2 yuan/second.]

[Congratulations, host, your wealth level has been upgraded to level six. Five wealth gift packs are currently waiting for you to open.]

Li Yichen lowered his head and looked at the words "Level 6" on the system panel.

His mouth twitched slightly to one side.

Twenty-one billion has been spent, leaving seven or eight hundred million.

Not enough to reach level 7.

He put away the system panel and looked up at the building in front of him again.

One hundred and twenty-eight apartments.

Even if the system really disappears in the future, these three buildings will be enough for him to live off the rent for the rest of his life.

--wrong.

He frowned.

With 700 to 800 million in cash and three buildings of fixed assets, the system is still depositing 3.2 yuan into the card every second.

How to spend it?

Where should the money go?

The threshold for level seven is 10 billion in cumulative spending. He's only reached a little over 2.1 billion. Still short—

Li Yichen took out his phone and pressed the calculator button twice.

There is still a shortfall of nearly eight billion.

He only has about 800 million left. Where is he going to get the other 7 billion?

Thinking of this, Li Yichen fell silent.