I am a Big Player
Chapter 279 - 277, Wanda Model (Fourth Update)_1

Chapter 279: 277, Wanda Model (Fourth Update)_1

However, Ren He was also worried whether Mrs. Ren would listen to him. After all, when we often give suggestions to our parents during our teenage years, they usually say, "Children should not concern themselves with adult affairs, just focus on your studies, what would a kid know."

In fact, no matter how old you get, in your parents’ eyes, you’re still a child.

Nevertheless, Ren He still held onto a glimmer of hope. Ren and Mrs. Ren were not the type of people who would not listen, especially Ren. He had independent economic thinking and a rare open-mindedness for someone of his generation. Last year, Ren He casually mentioned that real estate was quite good, and as a result, Mrs. Ren actually transitioned into it.

This at least proved that they were open to listening.

In both his past and present life, Ren He was grateful for this. Even though Ren and Mrs. Ren spent little time together with Ren He, they took to heart what he said.

Except when he complained about having too little pocket money...

Mrs. Ren was the kind of person who would rather buy Ren He a nice car than give him ten thousand yuan as pocket money. She always felt that having money would lead children astray—dating would need money, going to internet cafes would need money, and money was required for all sorts of bad influences.

Mrs. Ren had a classic theory, "If a boy suddenly lacks money, 80% of the time, it’s because he has started dating..."

So Ren He now insisted on being financially independent and absolutely refused to ask Mrs. Ren for money.

As everyone was discussing, Ren He suddenly said, "I think commercial real estate has a lot of potential. A business district with hotels, office buildings, shops, and selling off some assets to recoup capital, like office space and residential development nearby, while holding onto shops as a healthy asset for rent only, can make for a healthy financial chain."

Everyone was stunned. It always felt odd to hear such things from the mouth of a high school student, but those words really struck a chord with Mrs. Ren’s concerns. She had been considering doing commercial real estate just like the second generation product of Wanda Plaza, where all properties were lease-only. However, relying entirely on rental income was too risky as it was too slow to recoup the investment.

The concept Ren He expressed clearly separated office buildings and nearby residential properties as the parts to be sold—these were the most valuable assets when sold!

Mrs. Ren had thought of this, but not as clearly. She fell into deep thought while the others dismissed Ren He’s words as casual remarks, not taking them too seriously.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons Mrs. Ren was more successful than them.

There was no need for Ren He to continue. Qinghe Games was enough to ensure that he was well-provided for. Although he occasionally fantasized about being envied as a former national heartthrob, his own life path was what mattered most.

After sending the troublesome kids away that evening, Ren He was about to go back to his room to sleep when Mrs. Ren stopped him, "Clean the house in the Capital often, okay? If your studies are too demanding, I’ll hire a housekeeper for you to do some cooking and laundry."

Mrs. Ren was still thinking that Ren He had begun to focus solely on his studies, having ranked within the top 20 at No.4 Middle School, and as his parent, she should support that, right?

Ren He was shocked when he heard this—hiring a housekeeper meant losing his freedom and having to live in that villa every day!

Knowing that Su Ruqin was just next door, he couldn’t even avoid her, so how could he possibly want to live there?!

"No need, I can take care of myself, really. I think it’s important to have the ability to live independently aside from studying, otherwise I’d just be a bookworm," Ren He said earnestly.

Ren agreed with a nod, "That’s right, I agree. Don’t turn into one of those fools who can’t fend for themselves outside the school gates, they’re useless."

Ren He breathed a sigh of relief, as long as Ren supported him, that was good enough. Indeed, after hearing what Ren had to say, Mrs. Ren no longer insisted.

This incident served as a wake-up call for Ren He, reminding him that he should hire someone to regularly clean the villa. Otherwise, if Mrs. Ren suddenly went there and found it looking like no one had lived there for years, he would have a hard time explaining himself.

Should he ask Fang and Mrs. Wang to clean the place? If he paid them a bit more, after all, it’s not easy to find trustworthy people. If he hired someone else, and they had the bad habit of stealing, he wouldn’t be able to watch over the villa every day. By the time Mrs. Ren visited, the damn house might have been stripped bare!

At that point, he figured his days would not be far from over...

On the morning of the first day of the new year, Xu Nuo called Ren He and said, "Our class is organizing a dinner on the third day of the new year. Everyone hopes you’ll come. They said Duan Xiaolou isn’t coming back for the New Year this time, and if you’re missing too, it just wouldn’t be as fun."

Duan Xiaolou isn’t coming back for the New Year? Ren He was stunned for a few seconds, recalling the conversation they had at a dinner gathering, and couldn’t help but sigh.

Life’s journey offers many sceneries, but one must know what they ultimately want. In truth, all men have desires. To say that a man is never fickle or desireless is impossible; it’s a primal instinct. You can resist it, but you can’t deny it. However, what mature and sensible men need to learn is to control their desires and emotions, because you need to learn how to take responsibility.

Ren He had also thought, people in other times could openly have a harem, what about himself? In the future, he might possess endless wealth, but would he truly be happy indulging in it? Would Yang Xi still be as optimistic and cheerful as she is now?

Probably not.

So why bother getting involved in these troubles? Some sceneries are just meant to be experienced. You don’t even need to get out of the car to admire them. Instead, as you swiftly drive by, a fleeting glimpse imprinted in your mind is enough.

At this stage, what can sustain Ren He to go further isn’t hedonism or desire, but the faith to continuously challenge life.

Yes, faith.

Ren He said with a smile over the phone to Xu Nuo, "I’d better not go. You know I don’t have much in common with them. I’m afraid I’d just kill the vibe. You go have a good time with everyone."

It was only after hanging up the phone that Ren He realized that he had truly changed since returning from teaching in northern Shaanxi.

If it had been before he left, like the last class gathering, he would have gone. After all, it was just an hour or two of everyone praising each other while wearing masks.

But now, he had no desire at all to play along with people he hardly knew.

What exactly was this change? It seemed like the soul had become purer, thoughts and actions more aligned with one’s true feelings—no need to go if you don’t want to, not worrying too much about how others see you.

There are so many meaningful things to do in this world, why pick something you don’t like?

Now that Xu Nuo’s identity as the boss of Qinghe Games had been revealed, all his classmates were very enthusiastic towards him. This was a change brought about by status, and most people live within these labels anyway: someone is the boss of Qinghe Games, someone else’s father is a big company’s CEO. It seems these identities are far more important than what the person is actually like.

Yet Ren He remains quietly behind the thick curtain of this falsely prosperous stage, silently watching the performance in front.

And no one knows how splendid the show will be when that heavy curtain is eventually pulled back by Ren He himself.

...

Extra Chapter for League Master Mo Shui Lan