amaotonovel Chapter 1355 Final Chapter
Chapter 1355 Final Chapter
Chapter 1355 Finale
Time flies, and in the autumn of 1995, the Shanghai Tower on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai finally held its opening ceremony.
The morning sun shone on the 238-meter-high glass curtain wall, reflecting a dazzling light. This building, which has become famous throughout the country as "Shanghai's tallest building" even before it was fully completed, was now crowded with guests who came to attend the ceremony. Government officials, business representatives, and media reporters came in an endless stream. The red carpet at the entrance stretched from the building entrance all the way to the roadside, and balloons and ribbons fluttered in the wind, creating a lively scene.
Xiao Ran, dressed in a custom-made dark gray suit, his hair neatly combed, and a constant smile on his face, was busy shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with the business representatives who came to offer their congratulations. Yang Xun stood beside him, holding an investment report in his hand, occasionally whispering to Xiao Ran, his eyes full of excitement. Even the usually composed Old Master Wang, dressed in a sharp suit, chatted with several old business friends from Hong Kong, his smile impossible to hide—this building embodied nearly three years of their hard work, and now that it had finally come to fruition, how could they not be excited?
"Mr. Xiao, Mr. Yang, congratulations!" A China regional manager from a Fortune 500 company stepped forward, smiling as he handed over his business card: "Our company has signed a three-year lease agreement with your company. We look forward to your continued support."
Xiao Ran quickly accepted the business card and said warmly, "You're too kind! It's an honor for our Shanghai Tower to have your company here. We will definitely provide excellent property services to ensure your satisfaction!"
Taking the opportunity, Yang Xun leaned closer and added with a smile, "Don't worry, our building's elevators and air conditioners are all top international brands, the parking lot is staffed 24 hours a day, and there's also a dedicated VIP passage, which will definitely make it convenient for your employees to work."
In fact, the leasing of the Shanghai Tower went much more smoothly than they expected—as early as six months ago, nearly a hundred companies came to discuss leasing matters, including Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble and IBM.
Before its opening, the building's occupancy rate had reached 85%, and the remaining 15% had been reserved by several well-known domestic companies, leaving almost no vacant floors.
This is not only due to the reputation of being "Shanghai's tallest building", but also because Qin Hao made advance plans and used Haoran International's overseas resources to attract many foreign companies to the building.
Three days later, the MixC shopping mall located in the podium of the Shanghai Tower also began its trial operation.
Although the name "Donghai No. 1" was well-known before, "Wanxiang" was obviously more suitable for a nationwide chain of shopping malls. When Qin Hao and Yang Xun discussed it, Qin Hao suggested using "Wanxiang", which means "all-encompassing and ever-renewing". Yang Xun immediately agreed upon hearing this.
On the first day of trial operation, several roads around the Shanghai Tower were almost paralyzed.
As soon as the mall opened at nine o'clock in the morning, a flood of people poured in, and within an hour, the mall was packed with people. Long queues formed at the cash registers, and even longer lines stretched outside the fitting rooms in the clothing section. The stairwells and corridors were also filled with people.
One customer joked, "It feels like everyone in Shanghai has come today. If the crowd keeps pushing, the mall doors will break!"
While this may be an exaggeration, the number of customers at MixC Mall that day did indeed far exceed the mall's capacity.
Yang Xun was sweating profusely as he watched the crowd filling the monitoring room. He had no choice but to temporarily implement flow control measures – allowing only 500 people to enter at a time, letting new people in only after some had left. This barely allowed customers in the mall to move around normally.
Interestingly, things in MixC Mall aren't cheap. Especially in the international clothing brand section on the first floor, an ordinary dress costs over 300 yuan, and a coat costs 500 or 600 yuan—keep in mind that in 1995, the average monthly salary of a worker in Shanghai was only 100 or 200 yuan, so buying a piece of clothing would almost cost several months' wages.
Of course, many clothing brands also suffered from empty shelves early due to misjudging sales. For example, an Italian brand of jeans originally prepared only 300 pairs for trial sales, but they sold out in one morning. Many customers who missed out surrounded the staff, asking when the stock would be restocked, leaving the staff both amused and exasperated.
The booming trial operation, coupled with Yang Xun's "spending money on promotion"—he not only placed a lot of advertisements on Shanghai's TV stations and newspapers, but also held a three-day cultural performance at the entrance of the mall, inviting many well-known local singers and acrobats—made "MixC Mall" quickly become the first choice for Shanghai residents to go shopping.
In the following month, the mall's daily turnover remained stable at over 8 million yuan, and even exceeded 10 million yuan on weekends, far surpassing the performance of "Donghai No. 1" during the same period.
Time flew by and it was winter of 1995, two days before Lunar New Year's Eve. The cement road in Shanbei Brigade, which had just been widened the previous year, was now completely blocked – a brand-new black BMW was parked on the side of the road, and a group of villagers were gathered around the car, talking excitedly, their voices full of envy.
"Is this Mr. Yang's car? Wasn't he driving an American car not long ago? It's only been a short time and he's already changed it again. He changes cars more often than I change socks!"
A middle-aged villager touched the door of a BMW, his voice full of emotion. An old woman beside him chimed in, "Who can argue with that? Boss Yang is a big boss now. Buying a car is easier for him than buying a pair of socks for you. You can't argue with that!"
In the crowd, Yang Xun, wearing a black leather jacket, was handing out candy to the children who were watching, along with his wife, Dai Fengjiao.
Dai Fengjiao was carrying a large bag filled with fruit candies and chocolates. The children surrounded her, chattering and calling out "Uncle Yang" and "Aunt Dai".
Just then, several urgent car horns sounded behind him. Yang Xun turned around and saw a silver Mercedes slowly driving up. The window rolled down, revealing Lei Dongbao's face.
"Dongbao! You're coming back today too? Why didn't you say so earlier? We could have traveled together!"
Yang Xun greeted him with a smile and patted the door of the Mercedes. Lei Dongbao got out of the car, stretched, and still looked travel-worn: "I just got back from Africa. The signal there was terrible; I couldn't even make a phone call. How could I contact you?"
As he spoke, he took an African wood carving out of the car and handed it to Yang Xun, saying, "This is a little trinket I brought for you. It's not worth much, just keep it as a souvenir."
"Oh, thank you, Brother Dongbao! This wood carving looks so stylish!" Yang Xun took the wood carving, admiring it, and asked curiously, "Brother Dongbao, have you expanded your business to Africa? You must have made a lot of money this year!"
Lei Dongbao sighed and waved his hand, "Make money my ass! Last month I shipped a ship full of cables over there, but the customer couldn't pay and had to settle with several ships full of copper ore. The shipping alone cost me over ten thousand yuan, so I ended up losing money!"
Yang Xun didn't believe a word of it—Lei Dongbao had been doing very well in the wire and cable business for the past two years. Qin Hao's industrial park and the decoration of the Shanghai Tower both used his cables. How could he possibly lose money?
He chimed in, "Hey, it's inevitable to make and lose money in business. We'll definitely make it back next time!"
"By the way, has Haozi come back yet?" Lei Dongbao looked around but didn't see Qin Hao's car, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Not yet, but it should be in the next day or two. The day after tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, and he will definitely have to come back for the New Year."
"Hey, isn't that Brother Hao's car?"
Lei Dongbao looked in the direction he pointed and saw a black Crown slowly driving towards them; it was Qin Hao's car.
As the car pulled up, Qin Hao rolled down the window and said with a smile, "It's so cold, don't stand here and show off. We can talk when we get home."
"Okay!" Yang Xun quickly replied, then turned to the villagers who were watching and shouted, "Make way, be careful not to get your feet run over by a car!"
As she spoke, she eagerly led the way for Qin Hao, looking just like a "little follower." As soon as Qin Hao's car arrived at the entrance of the Song family compound, Song Yunping came out to greet him, carrying her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Lanlan.
Qin Hao got out of the car, took his daughter in his arms, and kissed her on the cheek: "Lanlan, did you miss Daddy?"
Lanlan blinked her big, round eyes, wrapped her little arms around Qin Hao's neck, and said in a childish voice, "I want... Daddy to hold me..."
Qin Hao carried his daughter into the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Song were sitting on the sofa watching TV. When they saw Qin Hao return, they quickly stood up and said, "You're back? Are you tired on the way? Sit down and rest for a while."
Qin Hao distributed the gifts he brought back to the two elders. Just as Qin Hao was holding his daughter and watching cartoons while chatting with Song Yunping about life in America, Yang Xun and Lei Dongbao also arrived one after another.
The three sat in the living room and chatted about business. Yang Xun said that "MixC Shopping Mall" was planning to open a branch in Guangzhou next year, Lei Dongbao said that he planned to expand the cable business to Southeast Asia, and Qin Hao mentioned that Haoran International was planning to build a small home appliance production base in Europe. The atmosphere was very lively.
Song's mother got up to go to the kitchen to cook, but she was stunned as soon as she opened the door—the yard was already full of people, all villagers from Xiao Lei Village. Lei Shigen, Lei Zhengming, Lei Sibao and a few others were standing at the front, carrying some local specialties, looking longingly at Lei Dongbao in the living room.
When Lei Shigen saw Song's mother open the door, he quickly stepped forward and said urgently, "Auntie, please tell Dongbao that we need to see him urgently."
Hearing the commotion in the living room, Lei Dongbao's face instantly darkened. He stood up, walked to the door, looked at the villagers in the courtyard, and sneered, "Weren't you all so capable before? Didn't you say that even without me, Lei Dongbao, the Lei family could still live a good life, and the Leiting industrial cluster could still operate? Why are you coming to me again now?"
Lei Shigen, Lei Zhengming, and the others lowered their heads in shame, not daring to look Lei Dongbao in the eye.
An elderly man with gray hair stepped forward, his voice pleading: "Dongbao, we know we were wrong. In the years you've been gone, Secretary Gong, who was sent by the county, doesn't understand business at all. He's ruined all of Leiting's businesses—the brick factory shut down, the precast concrete plant lost money, and even the once most profitable livestock farm is on the verge of collapse. Two years ago, the village elders' pensions and medical insurance stopped, and now we can't even pay the workers' wages. Now, only you can save us."
Another old man chimed in, "Yes, Dongbao, we were foolish before. We shouldn't have spoken ill of you when you were down on your luck, and we shouldn't have severed ties with you. But no matter what, we're still relatives by blood. You can't just stand by and watch us grow old and have no one to rely on, and watch Xiaolei Village collapse, can you?"
Upon hearing this, Lei Dongbao suddenly stood up, pointed at the old man who had spoken, and cursed, "Don't give me that crap! When I was dismissed from my post in the county and my mother was being talked about behind her back in the village, why didn't you mention any kinship to me then?"
He took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly: "Have you forgotten who risked going to jail to lead the way in distributing land to individual households when Xiao Lei was dirt poor, so you could have enough to eat? Who built the brick factory and the precast concrete factory, so you could have work and earn money? Who paid your pensions and reimbursed your medical expenses, so you could have someone to rely on in your old age? If you had any humanity at all, you wouldn't have stabbed me in the back when I was down on my luck!"
Lei Dongbao became increasingly agitated as he spoke, pointing at the villagers in the courtyard: "Don't think I don't know what you're all up to! Leiting owes the bank over 13 million yuan. You've come to me hoping I'll be the sucker and pay off your debts? Let me tell you, don't even think about it! I, Lei Dongbao, would rather burn the money or throw it into the pond than spend a single penny on you. You don't deserve it!"
Lei Shigen and Lei Zhengming were speechless and stood motionless. An old man who claimed to be Lei Dongbao's "second uncle" couldn't stand it anymore. He stepped forward, pointed at Lei Dongbao's nose, and yelled, "Lei Dongbao! Who are you talking to? No matter what, I'm your second uncle. Don't you have any sense of respect for elders? You've become rich and now you don't care about your relatives anymore?"
“Exactly! I told you long ago that he’s not the same Lei Dongbao he used to be. People’s hearts turn bad once they get rich!” another villager chimed in.
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar faces before him, Lei Dongbao was filled with disappointment, muttering to himself, "How did they become like this..."
"They haven't changed at all; it's just that you've seen through them today." Qin Hao walked to Lei Dongbao's side and said in a cold tone, "I told you before that the Lei family could only share your hardships, not your wealth. But you wouldn't believe me."
Lei Dongbao smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Yes, it's all my fault for being blind and mistaking a wolf's heart for a human one. Haozi, you're right, these people deserve to be poor for life!"
Seeing Lei Dongbao's resolute attitude, the villagers in the courtyard knew that pleading was useless, so they had no choice but to slink away.
Looking at the empty courtyard, Song's mother sighed, "How could things have turned out like this? How could such a powerful organization collapse so easily in just a few years?"
After the New Year, Lei Dongbao did not return to Xiaolei Village. He packed his bags with his mother and went directly to Shanghai to settle down.
Yang Xun also took this opportunity to bring his mother to Shanghai. His younger brother Yang Su and younger sister Yang Li were also working in Shanghai after graduating from university, so the family was able to reunite.
Song's parents went to Donghai because Ren Xia'er was pregnant, and the two elders went there to take care of her daily life.
Song Yunping also took her daughter Lanlan to Shanghai, partly to make it easier to take care of her parents, and partly to allow her daughter to receive a better education in Shanghai.
Seeing that everyone had gone to Shanghai, Qin Hao simply had Xiao Ran acquire a piece of land in the western suburbs of Shanghai and build four adjacent villas—one for himself, one for Lei Dongbao and his mother, one for Yang Xun's family, and one for Song Yunping and her daughter.
The four villas form a small courtyard with an open space in the middle where vegetables and flowers are planted. In their spare time, the families would grow vegetables, chat, and eat together in the courtyard, while the children would chase and play, which helped to alleviate their homesickness.
In the spring of 1997, at a hospital in New York, USA, Liang Sichen gave birth to a boy.
Mr. and Mrs. Liang also came from Shanghai. Looking at their beautiful grandson in his swaddling clothes, although they had some reservations about Qin Hao's "two-timing" behavior, they could only accept the fact when they saw their daughter's happy appearance.
Holding her grandson, Liang's mother murmured, "This child's eyes are exactly the same as Sishen's when she was little, so adorable..."
Liang Sichen lay in bed, looking at Qin Hao and her parents, a satisfied smile on her lips.
[Ding, the system has detected that the host has completed the main storyline of the "Like a Flowing River" world. Would you like to load the next world?]
What world will be next?
[Next World: A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Friendly Reminder: The next world is extremely dangerous. Should you upgrade AlphaGo to the super artificial intelligence of the 'Joy of Life' world?]
"upgrade."
【Upgrading...】
I've written over five million words for AlphaGo, mostly urban and period dramas, and I'm getting a bit tired of it. My next world will be "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality," partly to change things up and partly to challenge myself. I hope you all will continue to support me. Thank you!