Give Me Ten Million

On the way back, Chen Ze silently considered his finances. Between his share of the earnings from his songs and the money from his old novel, he could currently come up with only a little over five million. Writing novels brought in money too slowly, and Chen Ze had no intention of continuing, so borrowing money was his only option.

Chen Ze knew Zheng Yanxi had money, but given her personality, she would never let him pay her back afterward. Influenced by the ideas he had held in his previous life, Chen Ze was too embarrassed to take a woman's money for nothing.

After turning it over in his mind, he saw only one path left. Chen Ze returned to the spacious apartment, picked up his suitcase, and headed for the Tianmei Building.

Knock, knock, knock! Chen Ze knocked on the CEO's office door.

"Come in!" Shangguan Mingyue's cool voice came from inside.

Seeing Chen Ze come in with a suitcase, Shangguan Mingyue asked in surprise, "Chen Ze, where are you going?"

Chen Ze sat down across from Shangguan Mingyue and thought for a moment. "Madam CEO, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Shangguan Mingyue put down her work and said with interest, "Oh? Let's hear it!"

"These are songs I wrote, ten in total. I'd like to give them to you," Chen Ze said.

"Ten songs? Let me see them, quickly!" Shangguan Mingyue's beautiful peach-blossom eyes went wide with shock.

Chen Ze opened the suitcase, took out the ten folders inside, and set them on the desk.

Shangguan Mingyue opened the folders one after another and found they were all sheet music and lyrics.

"What are your conditions?" she asked without looking up.

"Straight to the point!" Chen Ze snapped his fingers. "The songs are yours, and you can have whoever you want sing them. I only want eighty percent of the subsequent earnings, but I urgently need a sum of money right now!"

A smile enchanting enough to captivate all living beings appeared on Shangguan Mingyue's face. An unreadable light flickered in her eyes as she gave Chen Ze a flirtatious look. "Oh? How much do you need?"

Dazzled for a moment by her smile, Chen Ze looked away a little awkwardly. "Ten million! And I need it right now!"

"All right, I agree, but I have one condition." A sharp light flashed in Shangguan Mingyue's eyes.

"What condition?" Chen Ze asked.

"In a few days, it'll be my maternal grandmother's sixtieth birthday celebration. I'd like you to come with me," Shangguan Mingyue said, her peach-blossom eyes filled with an unreadable meaning.

Chen Ze scratched his head in confusion. "Why do you want me to go with you?"

"Because my maternal grandmother is going to announce an alliance through marriage with another family at the birthday banquet, and I'm the one who's supposed to marry into it," Shangguan Mingyue said calmly.

"Oh, you want to scuttle the marriage alliance?" Chen Ze asked.

"Smart!" Shangguan Mingyue said with a snap of her fingers.

"Why scuttle it? Don't you like the person you're supposed to marry?" Chen Ze asked, eager for gossip.

A look of disgust appeared on Shangguan Mingyue's face. "That man is almost forty, and he's a generation above me!"

"Pfft! Ahahaha..." Chen Ze tried his hardest to hold back his laughter, but he couldn't. Clutching his stomach, he burst out laughing.

By the time he finally managed to stop, he realized Shangguan Mingyue had moved right up to him. Their faces were less than five centimeters apart.

"What are you laughing at? Is it that funny?" Shangguan Mingyue asked, a little angry with embarrassment.

"N-no... nothing!"

As soon as Chen Ze said it, he felt another laugh coming on. But Shangguan Mingyue gave him no chance to let it out. She grabbed his chin and said, "Just try laughing again!"

They were now less than two centimeters apart, and Chen Ze could even feel her breath against his face.

"I won't laugh anymore," Chen Ze said seriously.

"Hmph!"

Shangguan Mingyue let go and turned her back to him. "As long as you help me scuttle this marriage, I'll give you another million!" But at that moment, a blush had spread across her face.

"Ding~ The system has issued a new mission. Host, please agree to Shangguan Mingyue's request and carry it out. Mission rewards: 1 Attribute Point of your choice, 5 Physique Attribute Points, and 5,000 Empathy Points. Failure will result in the deduction of Attribute Points equivalent to the rewards. This mission cannot be refused."

"Damn! System, are you stirring up trouble?"

"Accept!"

This was the first time Chen Ze had encountered a mission like this. Although he had chosen to accept it, he still wanted to bargain for more.

"Sounds tempting! But I don't agree!" Chen Ze said.

Shangguan Mingyue spun around, the blush vanishing from her face. "Why won't you agree? Aren't you short of money?"

"I am, but I'm not stupid. Offending one or even two major families won't do me any good. Besides, you could find any man to do this. I'm sure plenty of people would be willing." Chen Ze spoke with a look that said, Do you take me for a fool?

"If you don't want these ten songs, I'll sell them to another entertainment company. I'm sure they'll be happy to give me ten million," Chen Ze said confidently.

"You wouldn't dare!" Shangguan Mingyue's previously unruffled expression suddenly turned angry.

"Why wouldn't I dare? Besides, I wouldn't be breaching the contract, would I?" Chen Ze spread his hands.

Shangguan Mingyue strode closer, her high heels clicking against the floor. Suddenly, she bent down, planted her hands on the armrests on either side of Chen Ze, and stared him down. "Little man, you're playing with fire!"

Oh, shit! That line sounds so familiar!

Feeling the force of her presence, Chen Ze grew a little nervous. "I'm just telling the truth. If you don't agree, Madam CEO, then I'll have no choice but to do that."

Shangguan Mingyue stared at him for over ten seconds. Then she suddenly straightened up, her expression once again as calm as an ancient well. "Two million!"

Chen Ze said nothing.

"Three million!"

Chen Ze still said nothing.

"Five million!"

"Deal!" Chen Ze suddenly spoke up.

Tch~ I thought you had more backbone than that. Who knew five million would be enough to buy you off? Little men really haven't seen much of the world, Shangguan Mingyue thought to herself.

"Time and place!" Chen Ze said.

"Come to the company on Saturday afternoon. I'll pick you up and take you there," Shangguan Mingyue said.

Saturday was still a few days away, Chen Ze calculated to himself.

"All right! But you have to pay me first!" Chen Ze emphasized how important it was to pay him first.

"I can, but you won't get the five million until Saturday," Shangguan Mingyue said.

"Of course!"

The two signed another contract, and Chen Ze left.

Watching Chen Ze leave, Shangguan Mingyue suddenly broke into a breathtaking smile. I wonder what expression that little man will make when he finds out he'll be giving this ten million back to me afterward! At the thought, Shangguan Mingyue smiled even more happily.

Back at the spacious apartment, Chen Ze told Chen Xixi all about the house and its price, and gave her a detailed account of the surrounding amenities and transportation.

"Xixi, although the price is a little high, this house really does meet our requirements. And getting around is fairly convenient. It's only a twenty-minute drive or so to the city center. Most importantly, the surroundings are nice, so you'll be comfortable living there," Chen Ze explained patiently.

Chen Xixi was silent for a while before saying, "Brother, I know you want what's best for me, but I don't want you to put yourself under too much pressure. Why don't we look at some other houses?"

"Xixi, don't worry about the money. Isn't giving you a good life the reason I earn it? I think this house is a good fit. If you like it too, let's settle on it," Chen Ze said firmly.

Chen Xixi looked into her brother's determined eyes, and her own reddened. "Brother, you're so good to me... All right, I trust your judgment."

The next day, Chen Ze called Sister Li.

"Sister Li, my sister and I have talked it over. We'll take the house. How did your discussion with the owner go?"

"Mr. Chen, that's wonderful! I spoke with the owner, and he agreed to come down by two hundred thousand. The final price is eleven million eight hundred thousand," Sister Li said happily.

"All right, we'll take it at that price. What formalities do we need to complete next?" Chen Ze asked.

"Next, we sign the purchase contract. If you're paying in full, we can proceed directly with the ownership transfer. I'll assist you throughout the entire process," Sister Li explained in detail.

Over the following days, Chen Ze began handling the various formalities with Sister Li's assistance. When it came time to sign the purchase contract, Chen Ze carefully read every clause to make sure there were no problems.

After two days of waiting, the ownership transfer was finally completed without a hitch.

The moment Chen Ze received the property deed, he was overwhelmed with excitement. He immediately called Chen Xixi. "Xixi, I've got the deed! From now on, this is your home."

"Brother, really? That's wonderful! I can't wait to see our new home," Chen Xixi said excitedly on the other end of the line.

Chen Ze brought Chen Xixi to their new home. As soon as Chen Xixi entered the courtyard, she was captivated by the beautiful sight before her. "Brother, is this our home? It's so beautiful! I never imagined I could live somewhere so lovely."

Seeing how happy his sister was, Chen Ze felt a sense of accomplishment. "Xixi, this is our home. From now on, you can decorate it however you like. I'll support you."

Inside, Chen Xixi touched things here and looked around there, a happy smile on her face. "Brother, thank you for doing so much for me." Chen Xixi turned around and hugged Chen Ze tightly.

Chen Ze gently patted Chen Xixi on the back. "Silly girl, what are you thanking me for? As long as you're happy, whatever I do is worth it."

Standing on the villa's balcony and looking at the beautiful scenery around him, Chen Ze knew he had finally built his sister a warm home, a home filled with love and hope. In the days to come, no matter what difficulties they encountered, this home would be their strongest support. He had also fulfilled the original owner's wish.