Shocking

In front of the restaurant, under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Zhang Zhaohai looked at the staff in front of him, completely bewildered.

"My son gave me a gift? I didn't get any of the gifts when I opened all those other stores."

"General Manager Zhang instructed me that your thirtieth store is of great significance and needs to be celebrated, so he asked me to deliver the items." The staff member bowed his head and respectfully handed over the items.

Nearby, a group of people were arguing and debating amongst themselves.

What is this?

"Could it be a house?"

"No, no, what's so special about a house? It's probably a shop... Giving away a large shop would be quite meaningful."

Li Xiaoxuan and Teacher Meng also looked on with curiosity.

"Hey, what do you think Zhang Yang is planning to give as a gift?"

"How could we possibly guess what Mr. Zhang's intentions were... However, it certainly wouldn't be small." Li Xiaoxuan smiled as she glanced at Teacher Meng's outfit.

This extravagance from head to toe, down to the smallest detail, probably costs over a million.

Presumably, it was a gift from Zhang Yang given casually.

At this moment, on the side:

"Oh, I see. My son really appreciates rituals." Zhang Zhaohai chuckled upon hearing this. "By the way, what's this good stuff? Why all the mystery? It's not really some kind of house or shop, is it?"

"It's the entire property rights of Building 1 in Wealth Harbor," the staff member congratulated respectfully. "Mr. Zhang acquired this building recently and instructed that it be delivered to you upon the opening of your new store."

Silence fell over the surroundings, then a sudden burst of gasps erupted.

"That entire 30-plus-story office building in Wealth Harbor?!?"

"My God! That must be seven or eight hundred million!!"

"A grand gesture! A truly grand gesture!"

"Congratulations, Brother Zhang! Congratulations!" Everyone's eyes widened, utterly shocked.

Zhang Zhaohai was immersed in the constant compliments and congratulations, feeling as if he were in a daze.

He blankly took the document bag from the person, took out the contents, and stared at it intently... The property certificate in front of him, written in black and white, showed the ownership of an entire office building, and it was in his own name.

This... this is an entire office building!

How could Zhang Zhaohai one day rise to such a position, owning an entire office building?

Even if it's because of her son.

In an instant, Zhang Zhaohai felt a burning heat ignite in his chest, which quickly spread throughout his body.

"A whole office building like that, the rent alone must be tens of millions a year!" Zhang Zhaohai couldn't help but grab his wife's hand, his whole body trembling with excitement.

Although Song Wenqin was just as shocked and overwhelmed inside, at least outwardly she appeared much calmer.

"How would I know?" Song Wenqin said with a smile. "You're the owner of this building now. If you want to know how much rent you'll get, just go and see for yourself!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Absolutely right." Zhang Zhaohai nodded repeatedly. "You have to see it for yourself."

In fact, Zhang Yang's gift was perfectly timed. If it had been given too early, the couple would have immediately lost their fighting spirit. After all, the money they earned from running thirty restaurants all year round was not as quick, plentiful, or easy as the rent from an office building. That would definitely be a blow.

Now that's great. The couple has opened thirty restaurants and is planning to stop there and not expand anymore. Perfect timing! This office building is a congratulatory gift to celebrate their hard work over the past few years.

··

The opening of the thirtieth restaurant is naturally a joyous occasion.

But at this moment, amidst the surprise and awe of an office building, the joy of the restaurant's opening suddenly seemed mundane.

Holding the property rights symbolizing the entire office building, Zhang Zhaohai mechanically invited the guests who arrived, completely lost in thought and absent-minded.

"You're distracted." Song Wenqin patted Zhang Zhaohai on the shoulder. "Is this how you are on the opening day of your own restaurant?"

"Don't blame me," Zhang Zhaohai clicked his tongue, "I suddenly feel like I don't have much of a sense of accomplishment."

Originally, thirty restaurants would have been a milestone, and he should have felt a great sense of accomplishment. But now, that sense of accomplishment has vanished, and his heart has long since wandered elsewhere.

"Your achievements are yours, and your son's are his." Song Wenqin couldn't help but laugh. "Your son gave you an office building, and you're already negating all your hard work over the years? Your son has a bright future ahead of him; you should be happier."

"What you say... is true." Zhang Zhaohai said thoughtfully.

"But after running this restaurant for so many years, it's time for us to take a break," Song Wenqin suddenly changed the subject. "We're not planning to expand the restaurant anyway, and business is quite stable. We might as well just hire someone to manage it from now on. We should take some time to enjoy life."

Besides this restaurant, the other twenty-nine restaurants were all thriving, making a fortune every day, requiring absolutely no effort from the couple.

This thirtieth restaurant will probably do just as well.

Now, their registered company, Haiqin Catering Co., Ltd.., already has thousands of employees, and it's time to find a professional manager to run it full-time. The couple has stepped down from the front lines.

"That makes sense!" Zhang Zhaohai clapped his hands, completely agreeing with Song Wenqin. "It's time to enjoy life! I'll arrange to hire a general manager right away to help us manage the company!"

After that, each of the thirty stores had a store manager, as well as professional managers to manage the entire Haiqin Catering.

Everything's taken care of, why should that couple bother keeping an eye on things?!

Collecting rent from office buildings at home, managing the revenue from thirty restaurants, and occasionally taking the time to inspect your businesses – isn't that a great life?!

You should have come to terms with it a long time ago!

"Let's go, let's go check out the office building." Zhang Zhaohai finally couldn't contain himself any longer.

"This... at least leave it until noon today when we officially open for business!" Song Wenqin said in surprise. "Are you in such a hurry to quit?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter, who cares!" Zhang Zhaohai waved his hand and said.

"You're being too arrogant," Song Wenqin said with a laugh, playfully punching Zhang Zhaohai. "Keep it down, don't be so cocky!"

"I don't bully or monopolize the market, nor do I commit any wrongdoing. What's so arrogant about that? At most, I'm just a little high-profile," Zhang Zhaohai said with a smile. "Let's go, let's not stay here. Let's go check out the office building!"

With an office building in hand and a mere restaurant in hand, it's time to open. There are people watching over things anyway, so why waste time here?

A chorus of flattery and sycophancy erupted from the surrounding crowd.

"Sister-in-law, my brother Zhang isn't being arrogant at all. Everyone in our circle knows how low-key he is."

"That's right! Brother Zhang, go and see the big gift that General Manager Zhang has prepared for you."

"Brother Zhang, if our company ever rents office space in your building, we'll definitely take good care of the brothers."

"Definitely, definitely." Zhang Zhaohai greeted everyone with a smile, saying nothing more than that he hadn't been hospitable enough and that he would definitely host a banquet for them next time.

Then, he took Song Wenqin and headed straight for his Pullman, the car he owned as a big shot, to inspect his newly acquired property and indulge in the life of a super landlord.

A moment later, the two left.

The explosive news from the restaurant's opening ceremony did not disappear after the two left; instead, it intensified and seemed poised to spread rapidly.

Everyone knows that the son of the owner of Yinghai Haiqin Restaurant, a big shot on the Forbes list, actually gave his own father an office building as a gift.

Such skill is truly beyond the reach of most.

In front of the restaurant, Li Xiaoxuan and Teacher Meng were still in shock.

"As expected, it really was Zhang Yang's doing." Teacher Meng muttered to herself, "He just made a move and gifted his parents an entire office building. This is simply... too shocking. Is this something we can ever witness?"

"Mr. Zhang has always been like this," Li Xiaoxuan said with a slight smile, her eyes seemingly lost in memories.

Now, she has already moved into her new home with Tongtong.

Tongtong also successfully used the school district quota of the new house and is now a student at a key primary school.

All of this is thanks to Zhang Yang.

··

In the morning, in a CBD area of Yinghai, high-rise buildings stand tall, their glass curtain walls shimmering with golden light under the sun.

Zhang Zhaohai drove his Maybach Pullman straight to Building No. 1 of Fortune Harbor.

That is, the tallest and most prominent of these buildings.

The building's exterior still displays bank signs, and at a glance, it's clear that many of its tenants are well-known companies.

The thought that he had become their owner gave Zhang Zhaohai a strange feeling.

"Wow! It's completely full. I'll go to the underground parking lot." Zhang Zhaohai circled around but still couldn't find a parking space.

"Look at you, you're suddenly being so well-behaved now," Song Wenqin laughed. "It's not that I taught you to be arrogant and ostentatious... but you are a resident of this building... so what if you park your car in front of the entrance?"

Zhang Zhaohai slapped his forehead, feeling ashamed of his own inferiority.

What is that thing between its two ears?! After all these years, it still hasn't developed a capitalist mindset.

He's not even as good as his wife.

With that thought in mind, he drove the Pullman and parked it blatantly in front of the door.

There were no security guards intervening as one might expect, nor any so-called "face-slapping" scenes. Instead, there was only a group of people in suits and ties who greeted us with unparalleled enthusiasm.

The building owner has changed.

Would the building's property manager not know?

They had been keeping a close eye on any developments outside, ready to welcome the new homeowner at any time.

Right now, you won't find another Pullman parked at the entrance anywhere else in Yinghai. Who's this? Need I say more?

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Zhang?" He bowed deeply.

"It's me." Zhang Zhaohai cleared his throat, naturally adopting the demeanor of a dignified and authoritative boss.

He casually pulled out the property ownership certificate.

Upon seeing the person in question arrive, the property manager was naturally incredibly excited and enthusiastic, practically fawning over him.

"Mr. Zhang, this is Little Lu from the property management office. I've been looking forward to your arrival... Please, this way, you and your wife!"

His enthusiasm stemmed from two reasons, one being that the person in front of him was a homeowner.

Secondly, it's also because of the other identity of the owner in front of me... his son, the real buyer of this building, is a top billionaire on the Forbes list, a super tycoon who dominates the business world.

Surrounded by a large entourage, Zhang Zhaohai and Song Wenqin stood among them, being escorted as they walked through their own office building.

This feeling is naturally indescribable.

The property manager interjected with appropriate introductions, such as the overall size of the building and the companies that had moved in.

Then, everyone went to the property management office together.

When the financial statements are released.

When Zhang Zhaohai and his wife looked at last year's actual rent receipts, which amounted to tens of millions, they couldn't help but fall silent.

It was far, far more than they had imagined.

Including the restaurant's revenue, to be honest, many listed companies might not make this much profit in a year. The couple doesn't invest, so even if they spend it all, they'd probably make enough from the interest alone in a year, and might not even touch the principal.

"Mr. Zhang, the rent for the first few quarters of this year is all here." The property manager then produced this year's rent collection records.

Zhang Zhaohai glanced at it and found it to be exactly the same as last year's.

Indeed, the office buildings in Wealth Harbor are highly sought after throughout Yinghai, so there are no vacancies; they are in short supply.

Even if a company terminates its lease, a seamless transition can be achieved.

"That's enough for our retirement," Zhang Zhaohai joked, looking at Song Wenqin. "We won't need to ask our son for money anymore."

"Yes, we have plenty of food and clothing, and we are financially independent," Song Wenqin said.

As for financial freedom, they naturally achieved it a very, very long time ago.

But at this moment, in addition to material financial freedom, they feel a greater sense of spiritual freedom and abundance.

Unrestrained and free.

"Little Lu, you go ahead and get busy. Let's take a walk." Zhang Zhaohai glanced at Little Lu, the property manager who was being incredibly attentive to him, and smiled.

He wanted to take a look around his own business.

"Okay, Mr. Zhang, please feel free to contact me if you need anything." Little Lu quickly replied, went to get his business card, and handed it over.

Zhang Zhaohai accepted the business card, smiled, and walked out of the office with Song Wenqin.

The huge office building has more than thirty floors.

The couple strolled around, admiring every blade of grass and every corner that belonged to them, and before they knew it, they had reached the rooftop terrace.

A biting wind swept across the rooftop.

Standing on the rooftop, Zhang Zhaohai looked down at the buildings below and felt a sense of vastness wash over him.

"That kid Zhang Yang, he promised so readily that he'd start thinking about having kids once we had thirty restaurants," Zhang Zhaohai suddenly laughed. "It's fine if we don't think about it normally, but now that I'm thinking about it, you know what, I'm actually getting a little anxious."

"He'll be thirty next year," Song Wenqin said with a shake of her head and a smile. "But how can we possibly urge him?"

Now that their son has a thriving career, how could they, as a couple, possibly let this incident hinder his soaring ambitions?

In the past, their urging was simply because they thought their son's business, while large, was still within their imagination. But now, their son's business far exceeds their expectations by hundreds or even thousands of times, directly and indirectly affecting the livelihoods of countless people.

Even urging them to say one more word feels like a sin.