Concepts and a New Life

"Another tightrope walker!" Hart couldn't help but exclaim.

Only Qiao Geliman knew what Hart meant. In the past two years, "concept" things have become increasingly popular, and Bu Peien's group of investors also liked this kind of thing.

It's possible that 99 out of 100 "concepts" will never be realized, but if just one of them is realized, it's enough to make some people invest wildly in these mere concepts, such as "Sky Journey," which was once a financial legend.

Someone produced a bunch of design drafts, claiming that they had solved some mechanical problems and made a prototype that could realize people's dream of soaring in the air.

Flying in the air—this is probably the most impulsive thought that comes to mind for people standing on the ground every time they look up and see birds flying in the sky. To be able to fly freely in the blue sky like those birds must be a very pleasant thing.

Now, people have heard that there is a chance to fly in the sky. With the original design draft and a blurry "documentary", the company quickly raised hundreds of millions of yuan in the public. Even after the founder surrendered, people were unwilling to believe that it was a scam.

They believed it was persecution by tycoons and capitalists who wanted to monopolize the opportunity to fly, so they orchestrated this outcome.

But the truth is that it was indeed a scam. The so-called prototype and the video were actually fake. They were just better at forging than others, and by capitalizing on people's yearning for flight, they quickly made a lot of money.

However, having too much money can sometimes be a bad thing. The initiator initially only wanted to scam a few million, but then he gradually claimed that his experiment had failed and he had spent all the investors' money, so he could only declare bankruptcy in shame.

But in reality, he would transfer the money away, and after a period of bankruptcy protection, he could live a happy life under an assumed name.

Unfortunately, his designs resonated too much with the restless people's pursuit of "freedom" in a rapidly expanding society, so capital kept pouring in, and many ordinary people also invested money in the project.

If his previous ideas are exposed, he might spend a few years in jail, or he might not even need to go to jail. A few million dollars could be used to stage a few large-scale plane crashes to cover it up, and with repeated failures, no one will continue to invest money.

But hundreds of millions of dollars is a different story. When he calmed down from the sudden surge in the amount, he realized how big a mess he had made. It could put him in jail for life, and even his coffin would have to be buried under the prison after he died.

So he turned himself in. The collapse of a myth gave rise to a legend, and thus ushered in a "conceptual era" that resembled fraud.

As long as there is a concept, it can attract speculators and large amounts of capital. People are addicted to this game, which is almost like gambling, and they cannot extricate themselves. This is the most heartbreaking helplessness of those old-fashioned businessmen.

They worked hard for many years, while the latter spent his entire life in business, yet he couldn't compete with someone else's mere gimmick. But that's the reality.

Hart believes that Lin Qi is someone who plays with "concepts," which is like playing with fire and getting burned, but at the same time, he envies Lynch's wealth. Lynch may not have done anything, but just talked and got a large investment.

Look at him again. After so many years of hard work, an economic recession wiped out all his achievements and brought him down to earth by reality.

Qiao Geliman shook his head and didn't explain further. He knew that no matter what he said now, Hart wouldn't change his mind, so he might as well wait until Hart calmed down before saying anything.

Hart is actually a very good person at seizing opportunities. After learning about the policy on Cheap Apartments, he immediately began preparing for the project. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be able to earn millions or even tens of millions of dollars after the project is completed.

The rent paid by the tenants is enough to cover the daily expenses of the entire apartment building, and the government subsidies each month are also a considerable sum. If this economic recession lasts long enough, the government subsidies alone will be enough for Hart and his family to break even.

Next, when they sell these apartments, they'll make pure profit. What's even more profitable is that they can hide other businesses under this company and achieve the same tax exemption. In other people's eyes, Hart is also someone who is good at seizing opportunities.

But Lin Qi is different from him. Lin Qi is good at creating opportunities, so the opportunities Lin Qi has are all first-hand. The opportunities he creates are essentially for his own benefit and are more suitable for him.

This is why Upper Class ladies and gentlemen always seek out tailors who are completely unknown to ordinary people to make their clothes, and big-name designers to design styles for them, because the one-size-fits-all in stores is always suitable for everyone but never fits perfectly.

It cannot fit everyone's body perfectly; it can only try its best to accommodate most people with similar body types. In the eyes of the Upper Class, those who wear non-handmade luxury brand clothes are no different from those who wear five-dollar clothes on the street.

Only by being close to and fitting in can the best results be achieved. This is why Lin Qi was able to turn an insignificant little thing into a big one. Hart, on the other hand, could not. He merely picked up the opportunities that others had missed and then changed himself to fit into those opportunities, so he could not maximize his profits.

Leaving that aside, Lin Qi, sitting in his car, was already thinking about another auction on Friday. They had set up a branch office in Kuli Lan City, chosen a venue, and had already sent some of the goods over to Cook.

This business was initiated by the mayor of Sabine City and endorsed by the governor. It was a "policy" implemented statewide. Ordinary people wouldn't get involved because it would offend many people; they would only cooperate.

This is also why the auction in Kuli Lan City proceeded so quickly. The venue rental issue, which had been difficult to resolve, was quickly settled, and they all used the Kuli Lan City Stadium. Richard personally handled this matter.

He privately told Lin Qi that he planned to rent stadiums for other cities, partly to give people a "unified" impression, which would elevate the level and standard of the auction, and partly because stadiums are more suitable.

Lin Qi was quite busy lately, so he delegated these tasks to Richard, not caring about the process, only the results.

He calculated that the meeting was just a few days away, and with the start of the school year approaching in September, he decided to take Catherine with him to Kuli Lan City to help her settle in.

The following day, Lin Qi, having made his decision, slightly altered his itinerary and called Catherine. When he heard the slightly breathless girl's voice on the other end of the line, Lin Qi couldn't help but laugh.

He knew why; Catherine's house was about 40 or 50 meters away from the Phone Booth, and with the stairs to and from, she must have run very fast.

Hearing Lin Qi's laughter, the girl immediately guessed who was on the other end of the phone. She casually asked Lin Qi why he was calling her, and then agreed to Lin Qi arrangement.

Even if Lin Qi hadn't thought of these things, she still planned to visit Kuli Lan City a while in advance. Her university life couldn't be confined to the campus forever; she definitely needed to explore the city and find out what places she could and couldn't go.

Every city in the Bayer Federation has such areas, filled with violence and crime, which normal people avoid.

Unexpectedly, Lin Qi had also thought of this, which made the girl quite happy. After agreeing on a time, she hurriedly ran home and began packing her things.

Her mother, somewhat surprised, stood outside Catherine's bedroom holding a carrot as thick as her forearm, watching her bustle around inside, and couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"

Carrots are one of the three most common foods in ordinary households. The other two are potatoes and inexpensive chicken. However, because chicken is usually cut up and contains some bone fragments, and is slightly more expensive than vegetables, not everyone likes it.

"Going to Kurilan, school is about to start, I need to adjust, I'm a little nervous..." She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at the Old Woman by the door. "I haven't been in a school for two years, and I'm worried I won't be able to keep up. You know, I've forgotten some of the things I need to learn."

Two years is enough time for an excellent student to forget a lot of knowledge that was not profound to begin with. Coupled with a boring and tiring life, her worries are justified.

The Old Woman didn't care about any of that. Ever since her husband, Catherine's father, got a new job, she had felt that the couple had gradually lost control over Catherine.

"Should I have your brother take you?" the Old Woman asked again.

Catherine quickly shook her head and started packing her luggage again. "No need to trouble anyone, Lin Qi will come to pick me up!"

The "brother" the Old Woman to was actually Catherine's cousin, who was the most successful member of the family—he inherited the small farm left to him by his parents and was considered the most accomplished person in the extended family.

Compared to Lin Qi, the Old Woman wisely shut her mouth and went back to the kitchen. She had to prepare the food; her husband would be starving when he came home that evening. Those capitalists were fucking bastards. Oh, I'm not talking about Lin Qi.

Regardless of whether the Old Woman felt even a trace of regret, and regardless of whether Lin Qi left and returned to enter Catherine's life, everything here was not much different from yesterday, the day before yesterday, and every day before that.

The girl went about her business, the Old Woman hummed a somewhat outdated tune, and the small stainless steel pot bubbling away emitted a simple yet enticing aroma.

Just an ordinary day!