At four in the morning, the mobile phone on the bedside table rang loudly.
Jiang Ye was already accustomed to being woken up by messages or calls in the middle of the night. He yawned and pulled himself out of bed.
"Why do you keep getting calls in the middle of the night?" Cen Yemeng was also woken up, her brow furrowed.
"Managing a planet is very busy, of course!" Jiang Ye reached for his phone.
It turned out to be Isabel calling.
To prove his innocence, Jiang Ye turned on the speakerphone. Whenever he spoke to a woman at home, Jiang Ye would use the speakerphone so Cen Yemeng could listen in.
"Hello, Old Yi? What's the urgent matter in the middle of the night?"
"Middle of the night? Oh... it's already four o'clock, I lost track of time. It's not that urgent, perhaps you should go back to sleep?"
"No, you've already woken me up, so just tell me," Jiang Ye said helplessly.
"The summit next week is opening, right?" Isabel said, "Starting about five days ago, the number of alien merchants coming to the logistics city has doubled every day. Previously, the logistics city had only about five thousand mobile merchants per day, but yesterday it reached 150,000, an almost straight-line increase!"
"The number of orders and cargo volume are also increasing. Originally, only 10% of the logistics city's warehouses were in use, but now 47% have been put into use. The total value of short-term and long-term orders is over 160 billion!"
"So many!" Jiang Ye was shocked, then he realized, "The newly arrived merchants are all from planets that will be attending the summit, right?"
"Yes," Isabel said, "If they continue to increase at this rate, we definitely won't be able to cope."
"Are you suggesting expanding the logistics city?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No, no, no, the logistics city doesn't need expansion. The current warehouse capacity was built based on the population of Jiang Ye Star. This means that with Jiang Ye Star's purchasing power, these cargo warehouses are sufficient at most. Any more would lead to an oversupply of goods and cause losses," Isabel said. "Many alien merchants are just here to survey the environment, and to meet with merchants from other planets during this opportunity. They won't be importing too many goods into Jiang Ye Star for now."
"Then what do you mean?"
"Your brain really isn't working well at four in the morning. I've actually already said it, think about it." Isabel was actually being coy.
Jiang Ye frowned and pondered for a few seconds before he understood.
Too many merchants!
At the current rate of alien merchant influx, by the time the summit opens, there will be over a million foreign visitors!
This is equivalent to Jiang Ye Star's population suddenly increasing by one-sixth!
"I get it, too many people, right?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Exactly. The logistics city's hotels are already fully booked. My subordinate wanted to book a room with a client yesterday, but even the smallest hotels and inns in the logistics city were full, with reservations already extending two weeks out," Isabel said. "In a few days, when the alien merchants arrive, they'll have to sleep on the streets."
"I understand, I'll have Xu Yan rush the construction of several large-capacity luxury hotels," Jiang Ye said.
"Luxury hotels need to be built, and you'll have to contribute some money," Isabel said.
"What money?" Jiang Ye's spirits lifted at the mention of money.
"Startup subsidies. In the residential areas around the logistics city, many people have quite large houses. I can see the data, and many local citizens want to seize this opportunity to make money by converting their houses into short-term rental homestays. Each homestay only needs twenty to thirty thousand to complete renovations, permits, and publicity. They can recoup the cost during the summit and even make a small profit."
"Over six thousand new homestays have been listed for rent in the past two days. Most others lack the funds, so they haven't been able to list them yet," Isabel said. "You just need to contribute a little money to subsidize them. This will not only solve the problem of the logistics city residents getting rich but also provide accommodation for alien merchants. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"
Jiang Ye didn't fall into her trap at all. "That's a great idea, but you are the city lord of the logistics city. Mayor Yi, why don't you provide this money?"
"I'm just managing this city for you!" Isabel said, "This city isn't mine!"
"While that may be true, most of the profits from the logistics city are in your hands. You must have made quite a lot of money during this period," Jiang Ye said, quite clear-headed. "Take from the people and use it for the people. Use the money you've earned to subsidize everyone in setting up homestays."
"Brother Jiang—" Isabel suddenly acted coquettishly. "Help me—"
Hearing her drawn-out, sweet voice, Jiang Ye got goosebumps all over.
Can you imagine a decisive, mature woman suddenly acting cute?
It's awkward, so awkward!
Cen Yemeng, who was beside him, was also shocked and spoke up, "Old Yi, Jiang Ye is right! You should be the one to pay this money."
Isabel was clearly startled on the other end. "Oh my, Mengmeng, you're here too."
"Then... alright, I'll grit my teeth and pay this money. If Jiang Ye is willing to contribute a little, I wouldn't mind," Isabel said. "For the procedural matters, I'll rely on you to make the arrangements."
"No problem, I'll have the police department expedite the approval for homestays and startup subsidies. It's just a matter of a word," Jiang Ye said with a smile.
After hanging up the phone.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng looked at each other.
"Isabel... actually has that side to her?" Cen Yemeng mused.
"She has a good heart and is a good person, but sometimes she's a bit crazy and does some eccentric things. You don't need to worry about it," Jiang Ye explained. "She even performed as an octopus person for me back then."
"Octopus person?"
"She asked for a live baby octopus from a restaurant, bit its head in her mouth, and spread its tentacles across her face," Jiang Ye recalled.
"Holy crap," Cen Yemeng was stunned.
"Let's go to sleep, I'm so sleepy," Jiang Ye lay back down in bed.
...
The M78 Nebula Stellar Disease Response Summit officially opened.
Jiang Ye Star's largest space station was cleared, specifically for the landing of luxurious spacecraft from various planets, each emblazoned with the planet's logo.
The logos were bizarre and varied, most of them featuring animals: pandas, lions, eagles, snakes... in cartoonish or realistic styles.
These animals were either native species of the planets or economically or scenically important animals raised in large numbers. Jiang Ye felt a sense of returning to primitive times. After all, primitive tribes would always worship an animal as a totem. It was unexpected that humanity, having ventured into the universe and created all sorts of stylish interstellar spacecraft, would still use animals as totems.
Six honor guards were prepared, changing shifts every four hours.
After all, alien spacecraft were landing around the clock. If there were only one honor guard unit, the welcome ceremonies and reviews would be repeated endlessly, leading to extreme exhaustion.
However, no one was there to relieve Jiang Ye.
He had to rely on willpower and medication to stay alert and energetic throughout the day, constantly shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, and accompanying visiting leaders down the red carpet.