Trillionaire's Slice of Life

Chapter 14: Chapter 014: Celebrities on the Rich List

The early May temperature in the Magic City was just right, neither bringing the heat of summer nor the slight chill of early spring.

As the setting sun filtered through the gaps between the skyscrapers, casting the last rays of light onto the ground, the street lights along the roads lit up, signaling the official start of the vibrant nightlife.

At the Bafang International Hotel, Zhan Bingxue had changed into a black evening gown, her charming smile blooming. Her beautiful long hair, once loosely hanging over her shoulders, was now neatly pinned up, exposing her slender and pale neck, which only added to her noble and elegant aura.

As she cut the French foie gras in front of her into even pieces and tasted it with her cherry-like small mouth, Zhan Bingxue couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain.

In this high-end restaurant where the average cost per person was at least ten thousand RMB, the Parisian lobster, Kobe steak, and Louis XIII in front of her meant that this dinner would cost at least one hundred thousand RMB...!

What mattered most was that this meal was on her own dime!

If it weren't for the fact that Emperor's Mansion Villa Number One's sale had been signed, and she would be receiving a commission of one million three hundred thousand RMB this month, Zhan Bingxue, who had spent one and a half months' salary on this meal, would have been spitting blood!

However, glancing at the distinguished middle-aged man opposite her, she immediately cast away that bit of frustration from her mind!

If she could persuade the middle-aged man tonight, not only would she earn a five-million-RMB commission, but she would also receive the promised five-million-RMB red envelope from Mr. Chu!

All together, that was a neat ten million.

Zhan Bingxue had every reason to give it her all!

"Miss Zhan, what do you do? Liu had told me that Miss Zhan invited me to dinner and I was quite flattered!"

In the center of the restaurant, a youth in a dark blue suit was playing the piano, his resolute face reflecting his long fingers that danced across the keys, filling the hall with beautiful notes, his professional skill and focused expression radiating a youthful and passionate temperament.

It was quite attractive to the younger girls.

"The atmosphere here is quite nice, and the taste of the foie gras is pure, smooth, and delicious. The place Mr. Li recommended is really good!"

Leaning her knife and fork lightly, after sipping some red wine, Zhan Bingxue did not introduce herself as the manager of Tianxia Real Estate!

Their statuses were unequal!

The man opposite her was the chairman of Li Group, worth over ten billion, and Emperor's Mansion Villa Number One belonged to him.

For Zhan Bingxue, a real estate manager with an annual salary of less than one million, she was nothing but a small fry in his eyes, so it was better not to mention this identity!

"Mr. Li, I heard that you bought Villa Number One nearly two years ago and it has been vacant ever since?"

For tonight's dinner, Zhan Bingxue really went to great lengths. With her status, she would never be able to meet a magnate like Li Tianming.

Li Tianming, who held sixty-five percent of Li Group's shares and was worth over ten billion, was ranked one hundred fifty-third on last year's Forbes list of the wealthiest in Hua Country. It would take standing in line for miles to have a meal and talk business with him.

The reason Zhan Bingxue managed to arrange this was because she convinced the boss of Tianxia Real Estate, and the prospect of over ten million in commission finally tempted the astute boss. Then the boss, worth over three billion, personally pulled strings to make this dinner happen!

All of this hinged on leveraging relationships.

It's not as if spending a few hundred thousand could just get the middle-aged man across from her to share a meal with.

"Miss Zhan, are you interested in that Villa Number One?"

In the center of the hall, as the handsome young man at the piano finished his piece, only a few naive girls spontaneously applauded, with no sign of widespread attention.

At this restaurant, where almost every customer was worth at least tens of millions, no one was really interested in a young man who could play the piano.

Lifting the glass of red wine in front of her and sipping it thoughtfully, the twenty-five-thousand-RMB Louis XIII didn't seem all that different from the thousand-RMB wines she usually drank, other than being smoother on the palate.

With a rouge-tinted glow on her radiant cheeks and a calm demeanor, Zhan Bingxue casually said:

"This morning, Mr. Chu and I went to Emperor's Mansion to see the villas. Mr. Shen from Villa Number Eight seems to have run into some business trouble and needed money urgently. Mr. Chu directly bought the villa for three billion in cash.

Then, while Mr. Chu was standing on the rooftop of the third floor admiring the view, he happened to see Mr. Li's Villa Number One.

Mr. Chu seemed quite pleased with the swimming pool and mentioned he could swim there in the summer to stay fit, so he wanted to ask if Mr. Li might be interested in selling!"

With those words, the consistently composed middle-aged man across from her showed surprise for the first time!

Spending three billion on a whim for a villa and even having the capacity to eye his own nearly six billion-worth Villa Number One, such a man was definitely someone Liu Tianming considered an equal.

Unconsciously dispelling the sense of superiority he normally radiated and with a slightly more casual tone, Liu Tianming raised an eyebrow and said:

"Oh? So, Mr. Chu has taken an interest in my Villa Number One? By the way, are you referring to the Mr. Chu from Tian'an Technology?"

She shook her head slightly, as Zhan Bingxue clearly knew that the "President Chu" mentioned by the other party must be a tycoon on the Forbes list. Only someone of that level could possess such substantial financial power.

Observing the inquiring gaze of the middle-aged man before her, Zhan Bingxue did not dare to beat around the bush and said directly:

"Mr. Chu is just twenty-five years old this year, yes, and he has a good relationship with president Zhou of the Agricultural Bank. He just deposited ten billion RMB with president Zhou this afternoon and took the opportunity to get a Centurion Black Gold Card!"

Whether Chu Mo has a good relationship with the president Zhou of the Agricultural Bank is not important; what's important is that the ten billion RMB deposit has made things quite clear!

Having just bought a three-billion-RMB Villa Number Eight, and now depositing another ten billion RMB—the key point is he's only twenty-five years old!

Li Tianming went through all the Chu surnamed tycoons he knew in Hua Country in his mind, finding no information of interest.

There were not many tycoons surnamed Chu to start with, and among those of comparable wealth to himself, there simply weren't any who were twenty-five and in control of over ten billion in funds. Not one!

Li Tianming let out a bitter smile and shook his head, realizing he was fixating on the wrong thing. In this world, the Forbes list is just for show, the people on it want to be famous, which is why they appear on the list. The true major families would never show up on any Forbes list!

Since this was a real tycoon from a prominent family, it wasn't quite appropriate for Li Tianming to continue in this manner.

"Since we are all people from the same circle, I won't hide it anymore. Emperor's Mansion Villa Number One was not easy for me to acquire; I had to use quite a lot of connections to get it. At that time, Mr. Sun from Xingke Real Estate was also competing for it, and I had to use a plot of land to secure it. The price of 5.9 million is the market price, not counting the cost of my plot. If Mr.

Chu is interested... the Century Garden properties are about to be launched, and I quite like the look of Building Number Six!"

Li Tianming's demeanor remained calm, his expression neither happy nor sad; you would never discern anything from his complexion!

Sitting across from him, Zhan Bingxue frowned slightly. As a real estate agent herself, she had a natural sensitivity to property prices.

Century Garden had not yet officially launched, but the advertising campaigns were already intense and Zhan Bingxue was well informed.

The average price in Century Garden was 115,000 RMB per square meter. Buying the entire building would definitely net the lowest price, putting aside other factors and calculating at just 110,000 RMB per square meter, one set would be at least ten million...!

Taking out her phone, she quickly searched for various pieces of data. A minute later, as she looked at the astronomical figure of 1.1 billion RMB that appeared on her phone calculator, even though she was somewhat prepared, Zhan Bingxue still felt her mouth go dry.

Glancing at the middle-aged man sitting opposite her, who was calmly savoring his red wine, Zhan Bingxue deeply felt a sense of pressure from a different class.

Despite her forced composure, deliberately ignoring her own status, and even borrowing Chu Mo's influence, she still felt helpless before the true power of the wealthy elite.

The elegance and strength she had just assumed were now replaced by careful caution. Breathing deeply, with a hint of caution in her expression, Zhan Bingxue quietly said:

"Mr. Li, please wait a moment while I consult with Mr. Chu!"

Seeing the man nod, she took a deep breath and quickly composed a text message. Right after she sent it, Zhan Bingxue miraculously felt herself calming down.

At this moment, she was no longer representing just a minor manager at Tianxia Real Estate.

She was now representing Mr. Chu, whose starting net worth was at least ten billion RMB.

The top wealthy young master who could swing tens of billions in cash with a wave of his hand.

The tycoon who, even when tipping, started at a hundred thousand RMB.

Looking up again at the serious and dignified middle-aged man opposite her and gripping her phone tightly, she seemed to draw powerful strength from the device in her hands...

The caution and carefulness vanished from her body. When she lifted her head again, Zhan Bingxue had regained her confidence and dazzled once more.

"Mr. Li, you're not showing much sincerity in this deal. Even though I've already consulted for you and prepared for a scolding, Mr. Chu may be young and impulsive, but he doesn't just hand out tips starting at a hundred thousand RMB to anyone to splurge randomly...!"

"Mr. Li, the way you do business could offend people...!"

As Zhan Bingxue's words fell, the middle-aged man in front of her slowly withdrew his composure and indifference. At that moment, the man who sat up straight unconsciously, pondered:

"Can you represent Mr. Chu?

If you can, let's talk seriously.

If not, let's not waste each other's time!"

An eleven-billion-RMB property project was indeed mentioned casually by Li Tianming, with the purpose of probing the other party's bottom line to secure a good price for Villa Number One.

However, if it meant offending someone and creating a rift with a top-tier tycoon, Li Tianming could not afford to sit in this position.

At this moment, Li Tianming's gaze was intense, his expression no longer contained scrutiny, and for the first time, he showed a careful attitude.