Of course, Liu Chen sought out Ren Yu for another reason—Ren Yu's father.
Although she didn't know the specific position of Ren Yu's father, based on what Ren Aiguo had said during their National Day dinner, Ren Yu's father had been operating in S Province for over a decade, someone even Ren Aiguo found difficult to cross.
It was likely his position was high.
After bidding farewell to her family, Liu Chen took the elevator down to the community's central garden. While strolling, she called Ren Yu.
The call was answered within seconds of the ringing.
Initially, the sound on the other end was noisy, but as footsteps moved, the clamor receded.
Ren Yu's voice, slightly higher in pitch, came through the phone:
"Chenchen."
For some reason, hearing these words made Liu Chen's lips curve upwards subconsciously. She let out a soft "Mm."
They held their phones, silent for a moment.
After about a minute, Liu Chen finally broke the silence:
"I've received some news. City C is planning to establish a science and technology industrial park. The information is accurate. Tomorrow, there's an auction for the land in that park. It's very cheap."
"How much do you want to take?"
As expected, upon hearing this, Ren Yu didn't ask if Liu Chen intended to buy land, but directly inquired how much she wanted to acquire.
Liu Chen couldn't help but marvel at the strange connection between people. Although she and Ren Yu had reduced their contact, every time they spoke on the phone, she felt that without needing to explain anything, Ren Yu understood her intentions.
"I have twenty million. There's a piece of land worth a little over ten million that I want to secure, and I'd like to acquire the remaining plots too... but if I get them, I'll temporarily have no funds to build a factory."
Liu Chen wasn't afraid that Ren Yu would consider her greedy, nor did she worry that he would snatch the opportunity upon hearing her news. After all, the two games Ren Yu currently managed likely had annual dividends exceeding one hundred million.
As anticipated, Ren Yu, upon hearing her concern, spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice:
"It's not just that. You're also worried that if you acquire too much land in the park, it will affect the park's overall planning."
Hearing Ren Yu's words, Liu Chen, holding her phone, couldn't help but stick out her tongue.
This was actually the primary reason she had called Ren Yu.
"Draw me a rough map of the key areas based on your understanding of the park's plan, and mark the plots you're interested in. I'll take a look."
"Okay."
After discussing business, Liu Chen didn't say goodbye or hang up.
Ren Yu on the other end did the same.
"I have a sum of money here that's currently not being used. Take it for now. You can return it to me when your finances stabilize."
"Deal."
Between them, neither mentioned the interest on this sum, nor did Liu Chen inquire about the exact amount. This was because any sum Ren Yu could casually set aside, or offer to lend her, couldn't possibly be less than ten million.
"Your dividend last month added up to about sixteen million."
Liu Chen's strolling pace immediately stopped. She stood ramrod straight outside the garden pavilion.
She opened her mouth, and it took a while before she found her voice, which was slightly hoarse:
"How did it suddenly increase so much?"
Last month's dividend was only around three million. While a significant increase, it was still within Liu Chen's previous projections.
But sixteen million?
In one month, it had multiplied fivefold!
Ren Yu on the other end, with an air of nonchalance, replied:
"I was busy developing firewalls for the games. Afterward, I had some free time and made a promotional agreement with Penguin. The results were quite good."
Liu Chen swallowed, starting to calculate. Her eight percent dividend alone was sixteen million, meaning last month's profit was two hundred million, and annually, it would be around two billion.
Well, she had just been worrying that Ren Yu wouldn't poach her land. Now, it seemed her previous concerns were quite laughable.
Even if she held onto that land for ten or eight years, it wouldn't generate billions.
She recalled how in her previous life, League of Legends had remained popular for over a decade, only losing some of its luster to Honor of Kings as mobile data charges decreased.
And now, after only six months on the market, her dividend had reached sixteen million. Thinking about the next ten years...
Suddenly, the prospect of acquiring cheap land seemed less appealing.
"Congratulations, Ren Yu ge. It seems you're now a freshly minted billionaire."
Hearing this address, the smile on Ren Yu's face deepened.
"Internet companies tend to rise quickly and are more equitable. I truly admire you for venturing into the food industry. Otherwise, just by staying home and holding your shares, the dividends alone would be enough to live a life of leisure."
"No, no, Ren Yu ge, please stop. If you keep talking like that, I'll really want to go home and do nothing!"
Liu Chen chatted and bantered with Ren Yu on the phone, laughing. Upstairs, Liu Fang, her belly round, watched the lightly stepping Chenchen below through the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.
"Old Chen, doesn't our Chenchen look like she's in love?"
Chen Long, while gently massaging Liu Fang's shoulders, replied:
"She's already in college. If she's dating, it's normal. Besides, this girl is sharp. She won't be at a disadvantage if she dates."
The first part was fine, but the moment he said the second, Liu Fang became displeased. She shifted her shoulder, stopping Chen Long's hands.
"Hmph, what do you men know? A young girl's first love, a bit of sweet talk from a boy, and where does her brain go? And you said it yourself, Chenchen has been making a name for herself on that Weibo lately.
You say it's to advertise our brand, and I believe it, but will others?
Others only see that Chenchen is beautiful, has money, and is willing to spend it. You think those men with ulterior motives, seeing a girl like that, wouldn't swarm her?"
Liu Fang's words weren't entirely wrong, but Chen Long hesitated, unable to say, "I think our Liu Chen and Sister Ren's son, Ren Yu, might have something going on?"
Regardless of whether the two were actually dating, if they weren't, or if they had dated secretly and broken up, it would hurt Chenchen's feelings if Liu Fang went to question her.
He couldn't do that. But Liu Fang was pregnant and prone to sentimentality. If she dwelled on this, and it caused problems, he would regret it.
Thinking this, Chen Long shifted his position, continuing to massage Liu Fang's shoulders, and said softly:
"If she's dating, and Chenchen feels the time is right, she'll definitely bring him home to meet us. If she doesn't bring him back, then it's just casual dating.
I know you think it's a disadvantage for girls to date too much, but let's look at it from another angle. If she doesn't date much, won't she be easily manipulated by her partner in the future?"
Hearing this, Liu Fang could only sigh deeply.
"Girls always seem to be at a disadvantage."
Chen Long thought about Liu Chen's actions and words since he had known her for the past year. He didn't quite agree with Liu Fang's statement.
However, A'fang was pregnant, so being a bit sensitive was understandable.
As they were talking, the happy babbling of a baby could be heard from the doorway.
Liu Fang turned her head. It was her sister-in-law, Hu Min, who, despite having a child, looked even younger than before. She carried two bottles of Maotai, placing them on Liu Fang's dining table, and said with a smile:
"This morning, I accompanied Wang Dong to his family's place for lunch. Before we finished eating, his mother was already urging us to have a second child. I said one pair of twins is enough at home, and the old lady's face fell, and she put down her chopsticks on the spot."
Wang Dong, following behind, could only chuckle upon hearing Hu Min complain to Liu Fang:
"So, after dinner, we hurried back. But there was a huge traffic jam on the way. Thankfully, we still made it in time for your family's meal."
Liu Chen and her aunt's family emerged from two different elevators one after another. Walking behind, she overheard Hu Min's words.
Blinking, she smiled and greeted Wang Dong and her aunt, taking the two children and placing them on the sofa. She looked up at her aunt, who, despite her elegant attire, couldn't hide the exhaustion in her eyes, and asked:
"Aunt, are you looking after Haiyan and Qingyu by yourself now?"
Hu Min shook her head and let out a yawn.
"Normally, the two nannies and I look after them. It's New Year's Day, so I gave them a holiday and I'm taking care of them for a couple of days."
Liu Chen nodded and then looked at her aunt, Hu Min, saying, "Aunt, my factory will be built in a few more months. Would you consider coming to help me with the e-commerce technical support?"
Hu Min's interest was piqued. She sat on the sofa, and she and Liu Chen flanked the twins on the sofa.
"Most of my work has been in C++. I'm not sure if I can handle your technical support. How about this: for the next few months, I'll start learning. When you need me, I'll come.
Let's make this clear, I won't take any money for the first two months. You can try me out. If I feel I can't do it, I'll leave. If I feel I can, then we'll negotiate terms."
Liu Chen couldn't help but smile at her aunt's cautiousness about taking advantage of her.
"Do you think I don't trust your skills? I'm just not sure if Uncle will be comfortable with you working at my small factory."
Liu Chen said this, then turned and smiled at Wang Dong, who had just finished getting hot water to make milk for the children.
Wang Dong looked up and saw the three women and his twin children sitting on the sofa looking at him.
"What's there to be uncomfortable about? Minmin is an adult. As her husband, I support all her decisions!"
Hearing this, Hu Min's face lit up with a smile. She had resigned from her job and stayed home these past few months. Initially, it was fine, but as time went on, she began to feel increasingly disconnected from society.
She regretted it, but she didn't dare to say it, because she was a mother, a great mother. Now, Chenchen had extended an olive branch in front of everyone, giving her a reason to go out and work again!
Just as everyone was enjoying the pleasant atmosphere, Liu Chen received a bank notification via text message. Looking at the numbers on the message, she began counting the zeros.