A few days later, after returning to Capital City from Spring City, Cheng Che plunged headlong into the business world.
Porsche's follow-up materials, Apple's autumn product previews, LV's haute couture fittings, Nike's autumn/winter collection photoshoot, interspersed with several brand live streams and a magazine interview.
Qin Lie packed Cheng Che's schedule tightly, and every day Cheng Che would wake up and immediately get in the car, put on makeup, face the camera, change clothes, and get in the car again.
It's really tiring, but every time I see the numbers jumping in the studio's account, that tiredness turns into a simple sense of peace.
"My wallet is thicker again"—these four words are more effective than any motivational quote.
In mid-August, Qin Lie finally settled the matter of the house.
" Shunyi, by the Wenyu River." Qin Lie handed over the tablet, which displayed a set of real photos. " Run Garden, a villa complex. It opened at the end of last year and just received its sales permit this April. It's a project by China Resources Land, with a plot ratio of 1.01. The entire complex has over 400 units, all of them townhouses and semi-detached villas."
Cheng Che flipped through the photos without saying a word, but he was overjoyed.
This was his childhood dream.
I never imagined it would come true in my lifetime, especially in the capital of the Xia Country.
It feels like a dream.
The photo shows a three-story semi-detached villa with a light gray stone facade and clean lines. The window-to-wall ratio is large, and there are several trees in the yard with their canopies just reaching the windowsill on the second floor.
The living room has a very high ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling windows that go all the way from the floor to the ceiling, offering a view of the yard behind.
"How big is it?" Cheng Che asked excitedly.
"Seven hundred to nine hundred and ninety-nine." Qin Lie smiled as he looked at Cheng Che's happy expression. "I looked at the seven hundred and sixty-three option, that should be enough for you. Three floors above ground and two below. The first basement level can be used as a home theater and gym, the second basement level is a garage with direct access to the house. The first floor has a living room, dining room, and kitchen, the second floor has guest rooms and a study, and the entire third floor is a master suite with a walk-in closet and a terrace."
Chen Wei added from the side, "The yard isn't small either, over 100 square meters in total, front and back. Enough for planting flowers, raising dogs, and having barbecues."
She was also very envious; when she and Qin Lie looked at it, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
However, she doesn't need to think about buying a house in Capital City; she can buy one in her hometown later.
Cheng Che flipped to a photo of a basement.
The home theater has been equipped with basic soundproofing and wiring, with a screen recess pre-installed in the wall and a projector bracket hanging from the ceiling.
Next to it was a small, heated swimming pool with a calm surface, which shimmered with a pale blue light when illuminated by the lights.
"This pool is nice."
Cheng Che recalled that when he chose his second sport, he wanted to choose swimming.
When we move in, let's call Guo Xin over and see if he can still swim like a toad.
"It's temperature-controlled, so you can swim all year round," Qin Lie explained. "Moreover, this property is delivered fully furnished; the hard furnishings are all done, you only need to do some soft furnishings and minor adjustments. Major renovations are possible, but I don't think it's necessary; the foundation is already excellent."
Cheng Che handed the tablet back to Qin Lie and leaned back in his chair, thinking for a few seconds.
"How much?"
"The total price is around 42 million," Qin Lie said. "The price per square meter is 96,000, which is considered above Shunyi in the Wenyu River area of Shunyi, but it's much cheaper than those detached houses in Chaoyang that cost 110,000 or 120,000 per square meter. You have enough cash reserves now, so the down payment, taxes, and furnishings should leave you with some room to spare."
Forty-two million.
Cheng Che thought about it for a moment and nodded.
"This is it. Buy it. The interior design can be my style. The study needs to be big, with enough bookshelves. We'll make it a gaming room, and a pet room too. I plan to get some cats and dogs. The rest is up to you."
Qin Lie made a few notes on the tablet:
"Okay, I'll have Chen Wei handle the paperwork. It'll be fully furnished and decorated, so you can move in in about three months. Your current lease isn't up yet, so there's no rush."
"No rush," Cheng Che said, unconcerned.
After the house was settled, Qin Lie put away his tablet and changed his tone.
"Next thing might make you a little happier," he said with a smile. " Tengjing has confirmed that you're a special guest at the League of Legends 13th Anniversary Celebration in Magic City, participating in a celebrity exhibition match. They'll send you the official schedule and format tomorrow."
Cheng Che's eyes lit up.
He has indeed been practicing recently.
I've played several rounds of games with Guo Xin, Zhao Yiming, and Li Siyuan, and I've also played a lot of solo queue. My rank has already reached Challenger.
While the Challenger rank might not seem like much to professional players, it's sufficient for a celebrity exhibition match.
Moreover, he possesses the Total Concentration and the Absolute Center Position, so he won't be stage-frightened once he's on stage.
"Going to Magic City tomorrow?" he asked, somewhat impatiently.
"We'll go tomorrow," Qin Lie said. " Tengjing has arranged for someone to pick us up. We'll tour the company first, then see the venue—just going through the process. The exhibition match is the day after tomorrow."
The next morning, Cheng Che led his team to Magic City.
Tengjing received a very high level of hospitality.
The person who came to pick me up at the airport was a person in charge of the event operations, surnamed Zhou, in his early thirties, wearing a black Tengjing hoodie, and looking very capable.
The car drove directly from the airport to Tengjing's office building in Pudong. It's a building that isn't particularly tall but has a strong sense of design, with huge League of Legends character illustrations hanging on the exterior walls.
Manager Zhou led them on a tour from the first floor to the fifth floor.
The first floor is a lobby and exhibition area, displaying several hero sculptures and replicas of trophies from past events.
The second floor is the work area for the event operations and referee team, with the walls covered with densely packed match schedules.
The third floor houses the live broadcast and control center, where several large screens display real-time data from each competition area.
The fourth floor is the athletes' rest and training area, and the fifth floor is the conference room and executive office area.
"The venue for the exhibition match the day after tomorrow is the Mercedes-Benz Arena," said Zhou, the person in charge, as they walked. "The main stage is already set up, and there will be a full rehearsal tomorrow. The exhibition match will start around 7:30 pm after the opening ceremony, consisting of two rounds: one in entertainment mode and one in normal draft mode. Your teammates and opponents will meet you during the rehearsal tomorrow."
Cheng Che nodded. "Who are they?"
"Two retired professional players, two current star streamers, plus you, that's five people on one team. The opposing team has a similar lineup." Manager Zhou smiled. "You'll know the specific roster tomorrow, but I can tell you in advance that your team's jungler is Clearlove."
Cheng Che raised an eyebrow.
Clearlove.
He watched a lot of Clearlove's replays when he played ranked matches, and his thinking was very clear and his rhythm was very steady.
If they can cooperate with the Clearlove, the exhibition match won't be too bad.
After leaving the Tengjing Building, the car drove to the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
A huge banner commemorating the 13th anniversary of League of Legends has been hung outside the venue, and a row of standees of cosplayers are placed at the entrance. Workers are setting up interactive booths outside the venue.
Manager Zhou led Cheng Che through the staff entrance. The lights on the main stage were being tested, and classic scenes from previous anniversary celebrations were playing on a loop on the large screen.
Cheng Che stood in the middle of the empty audience seats, looking up at the stage.
The day after tomorrow, this place will be packed with people.
He will go on stage and play two games.
He smiled, put his hands in his pockets, and clenched his fists.