Chapter 26: Only the Land Endures with the Sun and Moon

At 9:30, Lu Liang drove to Tomson Golf.

It was a luxury villa area developed under the leadership of the Tomson Group, integrating commercial, entertainment, and residential functions. Each villa stood independently with its own courtyard, though they were rarely occupied permanently, usually rented out for corporate team-building events or social gatherings among friends.

Passing through the villa district, he arrived at the sports center adjacent to the golf course. It featured individual netted cages for various activities, including basketball, tennis, and a beginner’s driving range for golf.

Lu Liang spotted Old Meng sweating on the tennis court. His large belly wobbled with every move—a surprisingly agile middle-aged man. Opposite him was Zhou Xiaoqi, dressed in professional women's tennis attire, her straight, slender legs showcased by her short skirt.

"Let’s head over."

Lu Liang parked the car and brought Li Manli into the cage. Both were wearing matching blue and pink athletic sets and identical white flat-top caps.

Li Manli’s eyes lingered on Zhou Xiaoqi, and she said with a hint of envy, "That lady has such long, straight legs."

It wasn't just men who liked to look at legs; women did too. At 1.64 meters, she wasn't exactly short, but compared to Zhou Xiaoqi, who stood over 1.70 meters, she felt a bit self-conscious.

"Your proportions are better than hers, and you're prettier, too," Lu Liang said with a smile to comfort her before walking over to greet Meng Changkun.

"Little brother, you’re here. Come on up and play a round."

Meng Changkun glanced at Li Manli. Even though he had seen many beautiful women, he was still struck by her appearance. Her delicate features were almost flawless, and her innocent, bewildered eyes made one feel a sense of pity and a desire to protect her.

However, it was only a fleeting glance. While stunning beauties were rare, they were not unique. Especially when it came to a friend's woman—the basic moral code of friendship was not to covet them. At his level of success, he didn't lack women in his life, nor did he have any desire to harbor ulterior motives toward his friend's partner.

"Sure, but I’m not very good at this. Brother Kun, you’ll have to go easy on me."

Lu Liang took the racket from Zhou Xiaoqi. He had never played tennis before, but he figured it shouldn't be much different from badminton. However, he quickly realized he had been too optimistic; the strength required for tennis was on an entirely different level.

Fortunately, Old Meng realized Lu Liang was a true novice and intentionally slowed his pace, feeding him easy shots. As they traded volleys, Lu Liang gradually got the hang of it and began to enjoy the sport. The dull, rhythmic thud of the ball hitting the racket felt fantastic.

Before long, however, Old Meng’s stamina waned. He waved his hand repeatedly and called out, "I can't keep this up." He looked at Li Manli, who was playing on her phone, and said, "Sister, why don't you come up and play a few rounds with Little Brother Lu?"

Li Manli blinked her wide, innocent eyes and shook her head hurriedly. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to play tennis."

"Just play around. I didn't know how just a moment ago either; you'll pick it up as you go," Lu Liang beckoned.

As Meng Changkun sipped his tea and watched the two amateurs struggle against each other, he couldn't help but laugh.

Zhou Xiaoqi poured him some tea and whispered, "She doesn't know anything, but there's one strange thing—a few months ago, President Lu was still living in a talent apartment."

Although she was young, she had started as a model early on and had spent years navigating the industry before ending up by Meng Changkun's side. Compared to her, Li Manli was like a pure, naive flower; after half an hour of conversation, everything she knew had been extracted completely.

Meng Changkun’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly lowered his voice. "Stop, he’s coming over."

"I'm done for now. The sun is getting too strong," Lu Liang said, wiping his face with an iced towel from a cooler and handing one to Li Manli as well.

"Have some tea and take a break," Meng Changkun said, gesturing for Zhou Xiaoqi to give up her seat and go fetch some snacks.

Lu Liang turned to Li Manli. "Manli, why don't you go with Miss Zhou and see if you can help her with anything?"

He wasn't worried about Li Manli being interrogated, as what she knew was very limited and largely insignificant. What mattered wasn't the past, but the present and what the future would hold.

After they left, Lu Liang asked Meng Changkun for advice on the procedures for establishing a company and informed him that he had invested in a film.

"What kind of film?" Meng Changkun feigned surprise. Had he not known about the investment, he wouldn't have invited Lu Liang to play tennis today. From this moment on, Lu Liang was officially his friend, having cast off the suspicion of being a scammer, and could continue to be cultivated as an acquaintance.

"A film adapted from a stage play." Lu Liang gave a brief summary of the story, not delving too deep because he knew Meng Changkun wouldn't be interested.

"Commercial investment is indeed better than individual investment," Meng Changkun mused. He genuinely wasn't interested in the film industry; the film projects he had invested in over the years had never made a profit, and he mostly did it for fun.

Meng Changkun called over his assistant, a young man named Liu Jun. "Assistant Liu, put in some effort over the next few days and help President Lu run the paperwork."

Having spent nearly twenty years in Shanghai, especially in the Xinpu District, he had connections in various departments. With his assistant stepping in, the paperwork would be approved quickly, and no one would dare to cause unnecessary trouble.

"Brother Kun, just have Assistant Liu explain the process to me, and I can handle it myself."

Hearing this, Meng Changkun chuckled. "You don't have the experience in this area; doing it yourself will be a huge hassle. It’s normal for friends to help each other out. Who knows, we might have opportunities to cooperate in the future."

Lu Liang paused, then bowed his head in thanks and stopped pushing back. Interpersonal relationships were built on mutual assistance; it was through this back-and-forth that bonds were deepened.

Meng Changkun asked again, "Have you decided on the location for your company?"

"Not yet. I was planning to go look this afternoon."

"Don't bother looking. I happen to have a few office spaces available for rent. I’ll take you to see them in a bit."

"Brother Kun, your business interests are quite broad," Lu Liang said, surprised. He had only intended to ask for advice, never expecting Meng Changkun to arrange everything from start to finish.

Meng Changkun laughed. "These days, no matter what industry you're in, if you have money, you want a piece of real estate. How does that saying go? Only the land is as eternal as the sun and moon."

"Look at Bill Gates. Even for a high-end tech enterprise, he still goes around buying up land like a landlord."

"Indeed, real estate is the only irreplaceable pillar," Lu Liang said. Having worked in real estate for nine years, he understood this deeply. Especially in recent years, the market had gone crazy, reminding him of accounts of late-eighties Tokyo in books. Countless Japanese people had boasted about selling Tokyo to buy America, and modern-day Shanghai was no different. Had Lu Liang not lacked the capital, he would have bought several properties himself as a final safety net.

After lunch, Meng Changkun took Lu Liang to the Yongfeng Building in the Xinpu District. The 33-story building occupied 4,800 square meters, with floors 15 through 17 belonging to Kunqian Trading. Meng Changkun’s company occupied the entire 17th floor, while floors 15 and 16 were partitioned into smaller office spaces ranging from 220 to 480 square meters.

He rented them out to young entrepreneurs, some of whom were startups he personally supported, mostly in e-commerce, live-streaming, and new media.

"I don't really understand it myself, but these new industries popping up these years are quite interesting. Little Brother Lu, don't let the small size of these companies—only a dozen people each—fool you; they are all targeting the national market."

Along the way, Meng Changkun chatted and laughed with Lu Liang, looking like a king inspecting his domain.

"With the rise of mobile internet, many new industries have indeed emerged. Among these, perhaps a unicorn will eventually be born," Lu Liang agreed wholeheartedly. At the same time, he realized just how vast the gap between him and Meng Changkun truly was. The rumors about "Meng the Billionaire" were clearly an underestimate.

Meng Changkun laughed heartily. "I'll take your word for it, little brother."

A unicorn company required a minimum valuation of one billion USD before going public. If he could back even one, he figured his descendants for generations to come would live in comfort.

The group visited several offices currently available for rent on the 15th and 16th floors. Meng Changkun asked, "Little Brother Lu, do you have a preference? Or do you have specific requirements for the layout?"

Those in business were often superstitious about Feng Shui; for instance, he preferred offices that faced the sun but were shielded from the wind. A fortune teller had told him he was born with "Gui Water" energy and needed to absorb "Yang" energy to harmonize his life and attract wealth from all directions.