The gym manager handed Lin Canrong a cigarette, but Lin Canrong waved it away.

"Who took over?" Lin Canrong asked curiously.

A little investigation would reveal that this place had been open for a few months. Logically, there should be a lot of high-end customers in this area, being a business district with lots of foot traffic. The gym should be booming, but it just wasn't making money!

Who was so pigheaded as to take this on?

The gym manager took a puff of his cigarette and said, surprised, "Huh? Director Lin, don't you know? Your company, Tengda! Tengda took it over!"

Lin Canrong was taken aback.

President Pei took over this gym?

That's right, President Pei seemed to be working on a project called "Managed Fitness" recently. The first location was said to be near the company headquarters.

They were opening a branch so soon?

Business must be booming!

Lin Canrong had initially felt sorry for whoever took over, thinking they were wasting their money and would likely have to pack up and leave in a few months just like the last guy.

But as soon as he heard it was President Pei, Lin Canrong perked up immediately.

President Pei definitely had a way to turn things around and make it profitable!

How could a small gym be a problem when he could build such a large business district from scratch?

Impossible!

He could just sit on the sidelines and watch President Pei work his magic.

The gym manager puffed out a cloud of smoke, happily saying, "Director Lin, you have no idea how happy I was when I heard the news."

"I heard some time ago that something big was happening in the Jingzhou fitness industry."

"They said Tengda was entering the market!"

"Everyone was incredibly nervous at the time. Who doesn't know Tengda? They're loaded! If they started a price war with us, our small gyms would be wiped out on the spot, right?"

"But I didn't expect Tengda to have no intention of competing with us at all. They opened their first gym, kept it extremely low-key, and I wouldn't have believed how deserted it was if I hadn't gone to investigate myself. It was even emptier than my place!"

"After a while, there was no more news, and everyone relaxed."

"But then, a few days ago, Tengda suddenly started taking over gyms like crazy, and they only picked the ones that were already well-renovated! As long as the renovation was good, they didn't care about the performance!"

"You have no idea how many gyms were on the verge of closing down, just waiting to be taken over. Everyone was eagerly anticipating it, almost to the point of redecorating their gyms to entice Tengda to take them over!"

"Of course, no one actually did that. What if they renovated and Tengda still didn't take them over? That would be a huge loss!"

"I'd been hoping that someone from Tengda would come knocking, and wouldn't you know it, they did today! You guys at Tengda really have money. The offer was straightforward, and I figured it was a good deal, so I transferred ownership on the spot."

"I'm moving out tonight, and in a couple of days, this place will probably be sporting a 'Managed Fitness' sign."

The former gym manager seemed quite pleased, like he'd escaped a stock market crash just in time.

Lin Canrong was intrigued.

If any other gym had taken over, Lin Canrong would have been singing a dirge, waiting for it to go bankrupt.

But if President Pei was entering the market, there must be some deeper strategy at play!

And why open it near Mingyun Villa?

Could it be related to his own Mingyun Private Kitchen in the future?

Lin Canrong said, "Could you tell me a little about your thoughts on Tengda's 'Managed Fitness' concept?"

...

...

May 5th, Thursday.

Pei Qian was riding in the car to Sloth Apartments, feeling a little excited.

After nearly a month of hard work, he could finally move in!

The apartment itself was already fully furnished. Liang Qingfan, as the designer, was mainly responsible for the soft furnishings, including furniture, appliances, smart devices, and so on, so it could be completed in a short time.

Moreover, Pei Qian had explicitly requested that it be decorated in a "bare walls" style, so there were even fewer changes to be made.

Pei Qian planned to take a look and, if he was satisfied, move in right away.

Moving into a new home was something to be excited about!

Getting out of the car in the underground garage, Pei Qian and Xiao Sun took the elevator to the top floor of the building. Liang Qingfan was already waiting in the apartment.

The front door of the living room was slightly ajar, and Pei Qian pushed it open and entered.

His first impression upon entering was, "So spacious! So bright!"

The sunlight was almost unbelievably bright. The fan-shaped living room was bathed in warm sunlight, giving him an involuntary feeling of laziness.

Pei Qian's first impression of the space was exactly the same as the rendering he had seen before.

Extremely wide, open, and bright.

The sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, scattering across the smooth, mirror-like floor and reflecting the sparse pieces of furniture.

The dark sofa seemed to be suspended on a pristine lake, or perhaps floating lightly on the clouds.

Facing the sofa, the wall held a huge television, with no visible wires or sockets. The pure black screen looked like a window to another world.

Pei Qian remembered asking for a game console and various game discs, but he didn't see them next to the TV.

He guessed that they were probably well hidden in the simple, low TV cabinet beneath the TV.

There were also some other pieces of furniture, such as tables and chairs, which were also very minimalist but clearly high-end.

The entire space completely met Pei Qian's requirements. It was extremely minimalist, even bordering on bare walls, as if it had just been ransacked.

Of course, from an artistic point of view, every angle of this living room could produce a memorable photograph.

The ultimate space also brought the ultimate waste.

It was clear that Liang Qingfan was a designer who pursued perfection.

The only storage space in the entire living room was the low TV cabinet. There were no other cabinets at all.

The wide-open space, free of any unnecessary clutter, made him feel relaxed.

Liang Qingfan was standing at the curve of the living room, looking at the scenery outside. Hearing the door open, he turned around and said, "President Pei, are you satisfied with this style?"

Pei Qian nodded. "Very satisfied!"

He couldn't help but admire how ruthless this designer was.

Pei Qian had said he wanted a "bare walls" style, saving as much furniture as possible, but he didn't think Liang Qingfan would get rid of functional items such as storage cabinets, coffee tables, and dining tables.

Even if the cabinets were small, he should have kept one or two, right?

But Liang Qingfan had resolutely gotten rid of them!

Pei Qian was very satisfied with this. It was hard to find a designer who was so obedient.

Combined with the strict rule that he wasn't allowed to buy furniture or change the layout of the interior, he wondered who would want to rent this place!

Pei Qian couldn't help but feel a little smug, feeling that the Sloth Apartments project was already halfway to success.

Liang Qingfan said, "President Pei, please allow me to explain where the money was mainly spent."

"In order to achieve this ultimate minimalist style, I had to drastically cut a lot of daily necessities. For example, there's not enough storage space for everyday use, but since you said you didn't need it, then it's not needed."

"But there are some things that can't be cut, such as curtains."

"For the sake of shading and privacy, curtains are a must, but in this minimalist style, even the simplest curtains will look bulky and out of place."

"So, I replaced all the glass with smart dimming glass, which not only has all the properties of safety glass, is safe and environmentally friendly, but also has good transparency and lighting functions. It can block ultraviolet and infrared rays, avoiding the adverse effects of direct sunlight."

"In short, this glass can adjust the light transmittance of the glass and the intensity of sunlight entering the room within a wide range, making the indoor light soft, comfortable, and pleasant, which is very suitable for this minimalist living environment."

"In addition, in order to maximize the minimalist style of the interior, I hid almost all the visible sockets, and the light switches are all operated on transparent glass smart panels."

"These smart panels are hidden in every corner of the room, and when they are not activated, they are just a mirror. When activated, they become a touch panel that can control the brightness of the lights throughout the house. Of course, the same effect can be achieved with a mobile phone."

"In addition, other furniture, appliances, and even the toilet are all selected from top domestic and foreign brands, and they are definitely carefully selected to achieve a perfect balance between practicality and artistry."

"Next, let me introduce you to this TV. This is the latest 85-inch 4k TV from a foreign manufacturer, priced at 240,000, and with the latest audio-visual system, it will provide you with the most perfect gaming experience."

"The game console is hidden in the TV cabinet. Just take out the controller and you can immediately enter a wonderful gaming world!"

Liang Qingfan cleared his throat. "Of course, I didn't think it was practical to buy such a big TV, but you gave me too much of a budget..."

Pei Qian couldn't help but give a thumbs up. "Very good."

"I'm very satisfied with this TV!"

Although everything in this room was a poor value, Liang Qingfan had perfectly fulfilled Pei Qian's requirements.

Take this TV for example. Although it could be bought for 20,000 yuan in ten years, it was currently a rare item, with only a few dozen units estimated to be available nationwide.

Pei Qian gave Liang Qingfan a lot of budget and forced him to decorate it in a "bare walls" style, cutting the number of various furniture items again and again.

As a result, the remaining furniture and appliances were all over budget.

As far as Pei Qian was concerned, he loved this place.

Because he only had two needs when he lived here: sleeping and entertainment.

And he lived alone.

This extremely simplified living environment would not make his life inconvenient. On the contrary, the minimalist style made the whole environment pleasing to the eye.

But it wasn't the same for other tenants.

Compared to other apartments, this one could hardly meet the living needs of more than two people. There was no storage space, they weren't allowed to buy furniture or change the layout of the room, and they could only rent the whole place.

It was only suitable for one type of person: someone who lived alone, didn't care about the 9,000 yuan monthly rent, and wanted to rent it for a long time.

In other words, someone who simply treated the space as a work of art to be admired.

These people were all real tycoons who had probably bought more than one house, or even lived in villas. Why would they rent here?

Even if one or two tycoons were crazy enough to rent it, they would definitely be in the minority.

Liang Qingfan said, "President Pei, if there's anything you're not satisfied with, we can always adjust it."

Pei Qian raised his hand. "I'm very satisfied. There's nothing to adjust! You've perfectly realized my needs. This is exactly what I wanted!"

"Designer Liang, I greatly appreciate your design ability. I wonder if you'd be interested in working for Tengda?"