It wasn't that the auction price of this plot of land was high; it was completely because it was much cheaper than Liu Chen had imagined!
Looking around, the total price of over eighteen million was already the highest. Looking further down, some plots sold for less than four million!
Of course, this plot was located in the future East Fourth Ring Road of C City, and it was only thirty-one mu in size. However, the system's mission was for a factory plot of land no less than five mu, with excellent transportation convenience.
In this regard, the truly hidden trap was likely only in the phrase "excellent transportation convenience."
Liu Chen reviewed all the land auctions in this document and discovered a problem. Even the most expensive plot, over eighteen million, was located near the East Fourth Ring Road. Currently, the East Fourth Ring Road was largely undeveloped, and Liu Chen felt that, in the eyes of the system, this definitely did not count as convenient transportation...
Flipping further down, Liu Chen suddenly had a vague sense of where the trap in this mission lay.
"There's simply no industrial land for sale with convenient transportation!"
Upon discovering this, Liu Chen's first reaction was to ask Guo Da on QQ.
'Brother Guo Da, I've looked at the locations of these land auctions. I wanted to ask, are there any plots that are relatively close to the city center, or have convenient transportation nearby?'
Liu Chen's message was sent but there was no response for a long time. During this period, Liu Chen took out a packet of instant noodles and a bok choy from the refrigerator. He boiled water and poured in the instant noodles and seasoning packet, then cut the base of the bok choy and put a few fresh, tender leaves into the pot. He packed the rest and put it back in the refrigerator to be used when Lai Jielun and Sang Ling cooked on Friday evening.
By the time Guo Da called him on voice, Liu Chen had already drained his instant noodles and put them in a bowl.
"Hello? Brother Guo Da? *Slurp*~"
"It's me, Liu Chen, are you eating?"
"Ah, I'm making instant noodles myself. Brother Guo Da, you're calling about the auctioned land, right? Speak, I'm listening."
Liu Chen could hear Guo Da talking to Yu Li on the other end, and then Yu Li's voice came through the phone:
"Chenchen, don't eat instant noodles. They're not nutritious. We're driving to your apartment building. Let's go to the old hen place near your school!"
Liu Chen looked down at the instant noodles in his bowl with only two bok choy leaves and quietly put down his chopsticks.
"Alright, tell me when you're close. I'll come downstairs."
As soon as Liu Chen hung up Guo Da's call, another one came in. Liu Chen glanced at it; it was Ren Yu, whom he hadn't contacted in a while.
He swiped to answer.
"Brother Ren Yu?"
"Chenchen, I heard from Ren Mo that you're looking for a venue and want to open your own food factory?"
For some reason, Liu Chen felt a bit guilty hearing Ren Yu's voice. He realized that he had been so busy lately that he had seemingly forgotten about Ren Yu...
If Ren Yu hadn't called proactively, he might have truly forgotten him.
"Yes, Brother Ren Yu, do you have any recommendations?"
Ren Yu was silent for a moment on the other end, then brought up a completely unrelated topic.
"What do you think about me moving my company back to C City?"
Almost instantly, Liu Chen negated it: "No."
Ren Yu on the other end seemed taken aback by Liu Chen's quick refusal, looking a bit lost and confused:
"Why? In C City, I can get more resource support."
Liu Chen recalled the fate of the Ren family in his previous life. It was probably intuition, but she felt that staying in Beijing was the safest.
However, he couldn't say it like that. How could he make Ren Yu give up this idea?
"Well, Beijing is an ideal city for many young people. Here, you can recruit more peers who are willing to pursue their dreams, and Beijing's development is better than C City's. You also have to be responsible for the future of everyone pursuing their dreams."
These words were like a heavy hat placed on Ren Yu's head. Ren Yu on the other end was silent for a moment.
"When you're looking for land, I'll help keep an eye out. Can you tell me your approximate requirements? At least let me do something."
Towards the end of his sentence, Ren Yu's tone became so soft it was almost imperceptible, but Liu Chen heard it and felt a pang in his heart. She knew Ren Yu had feelings for her and had also felt a connection with Ren Yu, but she decided to be selfish. What she wanted to do most now was to go further.
"Then I'll trouble you, Brother Ren Yu. I hope to find a plot of land with convenient transportation, no less than five mu in size, that can be bought, not leased. If you come across anything, please let me know, Brother Ren Yu."
Liu Chen tried his best to make his tone sound casual, as usual, but his throat couldn't help but tremble slightly.
"Okay, I'll try my best."
Liu Chen felt Ren Yu's words were suggestive, but they could also be simply interpreted as a response to her request.
Liu Chen didn't know what to say for a moment. Fortunately, at this time, Guo Da's call came in.
"I'm going to dinner with friends now. Goodbye, Brother Ren Yu."
"With whom?"
"Uh, a friend who helped me with buying a house in Beijing before. Don't worry, he's bringing his wife."
Liu Chen explained almost subconsciously, but after explaining, it felt a bit strange, as if it were a conversation between a couple.
Liu Chen didn't want such a strange atmosphere to linger between them, so she quickly said goodbye:
"Bye."
She hung up the phone, answered Guo Da's call, took the elevator downstairs, got into the car, and they drove to a nearby private restaurant.
"Tianwang Lou"
Liu Chen looked at the antique courtyard gate in front of him and, with his hands in his pockets, read out the name of the place.
Yu Li, standing beside him, heard Liu Chen say the name and explained:
"This restaurant has been open in Beijing for over a decade. They say their cooking skills were passed down from the imperial kitchens of the Qing Dynasty. They used to have restaurants abroad in the early years, and only returned to China to continue their restaurant business after things stabilized. That's why, unlike other places that are called 'X Restaurant,' this one is called 'X Lou'."
"Is that so? It's quite meaningful."
Liu Chen said with his mouth, but inwardly he was murmuring, Tianwang Lou, this name, why does it sound a bit familiar?
Since his memory improved, Liu Chen could remember almost everything he had encountered in the past year. Suddenly encountering a name that sounded a bit familiar but he couldn't recall where from, instead sparked Liu Chen's competitive spirit.
A waitress in a qipao with a faux fur coat led the three of them through pavilions and water features to a small pavilion separated by bamboo curtains. It was probably because it was winter, but a small stove was lit under the table in the pavilion, making the chairs by the table warm.
As he sat down, his originally cool backside became warm.
Sitting on the chair, Liu Chen's mind was still racing, trying to recall where he had heard the name Tianwang Lou before.