Twenty million, double the starting bid.
Miao Shi's casual gesture of raising the bid made the last bidder, who had been closely following him at eighteen million, give up.
Or rather, the client behind that bidder gave up.
Thus, the ten-mu plot of land, situated almost in the core area of the future high-tech industrial park, was acquired by Miao Shi for nineteen million.
Frankly, if Miao Shi had been the one to assess it, the land would have been worth at most thirteen million.
After securing the land, Miao Shi proceeded to the back to handle the paperwork.
Once Miao Shi notified Liu Chen that the bank transfer was complete, the D-grade mission, originally set for one year, was declared accomplished.
'Purchase factory land of no less than five mu, with excellent traffic accessibility (by July 14, 2010). Mission complete. Reward: ten lottery tickets within a designated range, refund of the designated land purchase amount.'
Designated range? Refund of designated land amount?
Liu Chen was curious about how small that range could be, and how to choose the designated land.
Before Liu Chen could figure out how to separate from Guo Da and Yu Li, Yu Li spoke first:
"Liu Chen, everything's settled. Guo Da and I will be heading off then."
Hearing this, Liu Chen looked up at Yu Li and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. No wonder Sister Yu Li had managed to build her own fortune single-handedly; she had preempted his own hesitation and resolved the situation for him.
He nodded at Sister Yu Li with a hint of gratitude.
"Then we'll see each other at the airport tomorrow?"
Guo Da was about to say something more, but Yu Li nodded first:
"Deal, see you tomorrow!"
Liu Chen left the bank with Yu Li and Guo Da, then hailed a taxi back to "Phoenix City." He urgently needed a place that was absolutely safe and private.
Back at his home in "Phoenix City," Liu Chen lay on the master bedroom bed, facing the ceiling, but his eyes were actually focused on the two rewards he had just received.
'Please select the designated refund amount land.'
Below this statement were six plots of land, displaying the prices Liu Chen had bid for them.
The total for the six plots was just over forty million. After the land auction, banks were available on-site for loan services, but Liu Chen had gone directly to the bank to make the full payment.
This meant that for other bidders, there was a possibility of forfeiture if the bank refused a loan, preventing them from paying the auction amount within the specified time.
However, the land Liu Chen had acquired was clearly his from the moment he transferred the money.
"I want to select the plot for nineteen million."
As soon as Liu Chen finished speaking, an English card appeared before him. Based on Liu Chen's vocabulary level, which started with the CET-4, this card belonged to a Swiss bank.
It also displayed a password, which was the same as his own card's password.
"What does this mean? The nineteen million refund is on this card?"
Previously, the system had always transferred funds directly to him, but now it had given him a foreign card.
"Could it be because the amount is increasing?"
---
Meanwhile, at the sanatorium.
Zhou Ren was semi-reclining on his sickbed, 'recuperating,' when a "tok-tok" knock came from the door.
"Enter."
Hearing this, the person outside pushed the door open. It was the driver Liu Chen had seen before.
"Secretary, we've found out. Miss Liu Chen has returned to buy land. Today, she entrusted someone named Miao Shi to bid and secure six plots of land in the western suburbs. The total price is over forty million, and it was paid in full from her bank account."
"Western suburbs?" Zhou Ren repeated the location, his brow furrowing slightly. "The high-tech industrial park issue hasn't even been settled, and she's already spending forty million to hoard land. What does she have to rely on?"
Just as Zhou Ren finished speaking, his mobile phone by the bedside rang. He picked it up and answered.
"Mm, I understand. Thank you for your trouble with this matter."
After hanging up the call, a peculiar smile appeared on Zhou Ren's face. He turned to the driver standing by the bedside and said:
"Old Wang, do you know what that phone call was about?"
Old Wang shook his head: "But it must be good news, Secretary. You're smiling."
"Smiling, hehe." Zhou Ren touched his cheek, feeling the upward curve of his mouth, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
"This child, Liu Chen, rose too quickly. In just a year and a half, do you think an ordinary high school student could amass forty million?"
Old Wang shook his head: "I don't believe it."
Zhou Ren's face returned to its usual calm demeanor, as if he were unconcerned by anything.
"Liu Chen's mother remarried in her forties to the young master of Meili Factory. I know that person; he has some connection with the Ren family.
Who is Liu Chen's father?"
Old Wang handed Zhou Ren a document from his folder, containing the family information he had gathered about Liu Chen.
After quickly flipping through it, Zhou Ren turned back, focusing on the page about Hu Xingfa.
"In just half a year, from a reasonably sized enterprise to where she is now. It seems that Liu Chen experienced something during her second year of high school that could rewrite her life."
Old Wang stood to the side, listening to the Secretary's analysis. Having watched Korean dramas with his wife recently, he heard these words and, combined with the fact that this young lady named Liu Chen had acquired such a large sum of money in just one year, couldn't help but speculate:
"Could it be that her biological father found her?"
As he said this, Old Wang felt it was absurd and quickly added: "I'm just guessing, Secretary, don't take it seriously."
Zhou Ren waved his hand, indicating it was fine. On the contrary, he not only thought Old Wang's guess was possible but highly probable. Unlike Old Wang, he had dealt with those so-called "second-generation rich" individuals. They might sound impressive, but ultimately, they were just ordinary people.
It was entirely possible that he had a brief encounter with Liu Chen's mother years ago and only learned about the child after so many years.
Thinking this, Zhou Ren looked again at Hu Xingfa's photo in the document and recalled Liu Chen's appearance from yesterday.
At this point, he understood why the father and daughter bore no resemblance.
Considering that Liu Chen had used the Shen family's connections to bring her relatives into the sanatorium yesterday, Zhou Ren felt that he had largely reconstructed the truth.
This Liu Chen was likely a third-generation descendant of the Shen family who had been living outside, and one that Grandpa Shen himself recognized.
Currently, Grandpa Shen showed no signs of leaving, and it was rumored he was healthy enough to live another twenty years. With these twenty years, it would be enough for the Shen family's third generation to establish themselves.
Thinking this way, she seemed like a suitable match for both of his sons.