"The sun's shining. What a beautiful day. As expected of a presidential suite that costs eighty thousand a night-even sleeping feels comfortable." Li Rui woke in the luxurious presidential suite of the Sun Grand Hotel in Star City, stretched, and sighed appreciatively.
He had lived in this city for seven years, and the most expensive hotel he had ever stayed in had only cost a little over a hundred yuan. Now that he had money, how could he not enjoy himself? He had never understood why hotels like this charged seventy or eighty thousand a night. Only after checking into the Sun Grand Hotel yesterday had he understood that there really was a reason for the high price.
From the beautiful greeters to the front-desk staff and the guest services manager, they were all first-rate beauties with both looks and poise. Beauties like these were rarely seen outside, but inside this hotel, there were so many that his eyes could barely take them all in.
Someone had even knocked on his door shortly after he checked in, offering massage services. That figure, that face, those long legs, paired with black stockings and twelve-centimeter nude heels with red soles-she had nearly hooked Li Rui's soul right out of him.
If Li Yi and the others had not been there too, Li Rui might have abandoned his bottom line and enjoyed himself. At that thought, he cast a resentful glance at Li Yi and the others.
After attending Shen Yong's wedding that day, Li Rui had not lingered in Gaoyang City. After saying goodbye to Shen Yong, he had returned to Star City with his four bodyguards.
Yiyi would be discharged from the hospital in the next few days, and he had promised to pick her up. There were also some things he needed to deal with. If he did not settle that matter, it would remain a menace.
Before that, though, Li Rui needed to buy some more cars from Wang Zhongtian. Otherwise, having no vehicles for the fifty advanced bodyguards he had just purchased would be quite troublesome. At that thought, he took out his phone and called Wang Zhongtian.
As soon as the call connected, before Li Rui could speak, Wang Zhongtian spoke first.
"Young Master Li, when I stepped outside this morning, I heard magpies chirping in the trees. I knew something good would happen today, and sure enough, I got your call!" Hearing Wang Zhongtian's fawning voice, Li Rui involuntarily pictured an effeminate eunuch, and goosebumps rose on his skin.
"Manager Wang, I'm calling today mainly to order another forty Land Rover Range Rovers from you. Deliver thirty to Li Family Village and ten to the Sun Grand Hotel." Li Rui really did not want to listen to Wang Zhongtian fawn over him anymore. A grown man speaking more coquettishly than a woman was simply unbearable, so he got straight to the point.
"Of course, Young Master Li. I guarantee I'll get it done!" Hearing that Li Rui wanted to order another forty Land Rover Range Rovers, Wang Zhongtian's face blossomed into a smile again on the other end of the line. He really was a god of wealth, throwing out another fifty million. He spent money like running water. Wang Zhongtian could not help wondering whether this Young Master Li's money fell from the sky.
By now, Young Master Li had bought a hundred Land Rover Range Rovers from him alone. This also showed that Young Master Li's power was considerable. In terms of manpower, at least, he probably had several hundred people.
Once Wang Zhongtian agreed, Li Rui was about to hang up when he suddenly heard him say, "Young Master Li, my boss would like to meet you."
Li Rui paused, then asked, "Who's your boss? Why does he want to meet me?"
"Young Master Li, my boss is the son of the chairman of Speeding Group Company. He has always enjoyed making friends, and he's very keen to meet someone as young and accomplished as you. As the saying goes, another friend means another road. My boss would very much like to be your friend. Would you...?"
Hearing the voice on the other end, Li Rui sank into thought. Speeding Group was Star City's largest automobile manufacturer and ranked among the notable ones nationwide, with assets exceeding a hundred billion.
Meet the son of Speeding Group's chairman? Sure. Wang Zhongtian's last remark was right: another friend meant another road. Although he had the system, an existence akin to a cheat, he could not use force for everything. Sometimes connections were more useful than force.
"Sure," Li Rui answered with a single word after a moment's thought.
On the other end, Wang Zhongtian was delighted that Li Rui had agreed. He had fulfilled the task his boss had assigned him. The last time Li Rui had splashed out more than three hundred million yuan on vehicles, it had caught his boss's attention. Naturally, his boss wanted to get acquainted with someone who spent so lavishly.
Wang Zhongtian then arranged to meet Li Rui at a certain five-star seafood hotel in Star City and hung up.
Wang Zhongtian was waiting early outside the five-star seafood hotel. Seeing the familiar McLaren P1 and two Land Rover Range Rovers approach, he rubbed his hands together and stepped forward to greet them.
The moment Li Rui got out, he saw Wang Zhongtian beaming as he extended a hand and said, "Young Master Li, welcome! It hasn't been long since we last met, and you've become even more handsome."
"Heh." Li Rui chuckled and shook Wang Zhongtian's hand. "Where's your boss? Take me to him."
"Of course, of course. This way, please." Wang Zhongtian led the way, with Li Rui and his four bodyguards following behind.
They took the elevator to the third floor and followed Wang Zhongtian into a private dining room.
There were three people inside: one sitting in a chair and two standing behind him.
As soon as Li Rui entered, the person in the chair stood and approached him with a smile. "You must be Young Master Li? Manager Wang certainly wasn't wrong. You really are a fine-looking man, strikingly handsome."
Li Rui saw that the man looked only twenty-seven or twenty-eight and was dressed in casual clothes. This was different from the big boss he had imagined.
Even setting aside the fact that this man was the son of Speeding Group's chairman, surely the luxury-car 4S dealership he ran earned eight hundred million to a billion a year? In Li Rui's mind, bosses like that should wear suits and ties. This casual outfit really did not fit the image, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Seeing Li Rui freeze without replying and then look at his clothes, Lü Yifan explained, "Heh, suits and ties really aren't very comfortable, so I prefer casual clothes. You don't mind, do you, Young Master Li?"
"Not at all. I don't like wearing suits either. I'm wearing casual clothes too." Roused from his daze by Lü Yifan's reply, Li Rui hurriedly answered. Although the man before him was the young scion of a hundred-billion group, he showed none of the arrogance and overbearing behavior seen in television dramas. Instead, he was perfectly polite, so naturally Li Rui could not neglect his own manners.
"Oh, it seems you're like me, Young Master Li-neither of us likes being constrained by clothing. I love making friends with people like you. Come, come, have a seat first. Let's talk over a meal."
As he spoke, he took Li Rui by the hand and sat him down in a chair. The table was already laden with all manner of seafood delicacies. His enthusiasm left Li Rui at a complete loss.
As time passed, the two grew closer the more they talked. After a few drinks, they nearly began calling each other brothers, mainly thanks to Lü Yifan's knack for treating strangers like old friends.
Normally, Li Rui could barely exchange a few words with a stranger he had no connection to, but with Lü Yifan going about things this way, the unfamiliarity of their first meeting vanished at once.