"Alright, then stay," Zhang Menglong didn't have a very concrete concept of his own home, or rather, he couldn't possibly imagine how awesome it really was.
If there was someone familiar with his family around, it wouldn't be a bad thing, especially since Hong Yi was quite a beauty with curves in all the right places. It was also pleasing to the eyes to have her around. Just now, when she bent over, the glimpse of snow-white skin that showed through her neckline... tsk tsk tsk...
"Hong Yi, from now on, I'll be relying on you. I hope we'll get along," Zhang Menglong said, reaching out a hand generously.
But Hong Yi took a step back and gave Zhang Menglong a respectful bow, "Mr. Zhang jests, this is the responsibility and duty of the Hong Family!"
"Feels like this girl has been brainwashed," mumbled Zhang Menglong, but he didn't take it to heart.
"Young Master, Mr. Zhang's assets have just been transferred to your name, and there are many details we need to deal with, so we'll leave Yi Yi with you for now."
"Oh oh oh, go ahead with your work, I'm fine!" said Zhang Menglong cheerfully.
With another deep bow to Zhang Menglong, Uncle Hong and his son left, and now only a man and a woman remained in the room, creating an instantly awkward atmosphere.
"Um, have you had breakfast yet? I still have an egg!" Zhang Menglong offered, holding out the boiled egg that he had almost crushed.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhang, I've already eaten," replied Hong Yi. "Do you have any plans for what's next?"
"Plans?" Zhang Menglong didn't quite understand what she meant.
"I mean, what do you intend to do for the coming period?"
"This..." Zhang Menglong suddenly felt as if his life had reached what would be an end for the average person in an instant.
If nothing unexpected happened, he was supposed to continue job hunting. If he found a decent job, he would stick with it; if he couldn't find one to his liking, he would choose an industry he preferred, gain some experience, then consider switching jobs and such.
But he hadn't expected to go home overnight and inherit a family fortune so vast he had no idea of its size until now, leaving the future to seem perplexingly uncertain.
"Weird, isn't it said that the happiness of the wealthy is unimaginable? Why do I feel like I'm staring into a fog?" pondered Zhang Menglong. To become someone who only knew how to eat, drink, and enjoy himself every day? What difference would that be from a salted fish?
"Right, that Super God Academy I saw subconsciously!" Zhang Menglong remembered his father saying that compared to their family's wealth, the Super God Academy was the real family treasure.
But he was given a challenge: to spend 100 billion within a year in order to officially inherit it and unlock its potential, which seemed like an interesting task indeed.
"By the way, Hong Yi, if I wanted 100 billion, how long would it take to gather that sum?" Zhang Menglong knew that even for the world's richest, most of the assets were not cash, and even mobilizing 10 billion in cash was no easy feat.
"If it's just 100 billion, it's available at any time," answered Hong Yi without a moment's hesitation.
"What? Anytime? Are you joking?"
"Mr. Zhang, even just among the assets managed by the Hong Family, there are always over 3 trillion in liquid funds readily available for allocation."
"3 trillion!? That terrifying number nearly made Zhang Menglong's tongue twister."
"US dollars," Hong Yi added another unit.
"Could you not give me a heart attack next time by finishing your sentence all at once? This is how you give someone a heart attack." Now Zhang Menglong finally understood why his father had warned him not to be too alarmed; it truly was the kind of fortune that could scare someone to death.
Hong Yi couldn't help but giggle internally—Mr. Zhang seemed to know nothing about his family wealth! Indeed, when she had been tasked with assessing the Hong Family's resources, even she was shocked. The so-called wealth was just a small part of the sprawling empire that was the Zhang Family.
"Mr. Zhang, this is the money your father arranged for us to give you previously," Hong Yi handed Zhang Menglong a purple bank card. "Your father mentioned some little tests he had set for you. My question about the 100 billion just now, does it have something to do with this?"
"You're not going to tell me there's 100 billion on this card, are you?" Zhang Menglong shook all over, hardly daring to accept the card.
"Yes, Mr. Zhang, this is a Honored Card from Huaxia Bank. Nationwide, wherever there is a cooperation with Huaxia Bank, whether it is hotels, shopping malls, you will enjoy the highest level of treatment."
"Holy moly, I thought the black card was already badass, but who knew there was even such a thing as an Honored Card?" Zhang Menglong played with the bank card in his hand, which seemed to be covered in a layer of purple crystal, feeling icy and hard to the touch.
"Mr. Zhang, this Huaxia Bank black card might be rare, but in every city, quite a few people possess them. However, this Honored Card, there won't be more than ten in the entire country. Its discount rate and service level are not something that a black card can compare with. Sometimes, due to its high level, it might not even be recognized by people, so it's not actually that convenient to use."
"Sounds fancy, but it seems pretty awesome." Anyway, it was his parents' money, so Zhang Menglong had no psychological burden holding it.
"Mr. Zhang, you're not planning on staying here any longer, are you?" Hong Yi asked.
"Yeah, since my parents aren't home, there's no point in staying here. I plan to go back to Jiangnan City. After all, I've lived there for over three years, and all my friends are there."
"I figured as much," Hong Yi said with a smile, "I've already arranged for someone to accompany you. If you don't have anything to attend to, we can depart right away. You can move into any of the 17 properties you own in Jiangnan City whenever you want."
"Seventeen properties? That many?" Zhang Menglong was well aware of how Jiangnan City had developed—back in his freshman year, a residential area across from their school hung a price tag of 6,666 yuan per square meter and still found no buyers.
But with the Asia-Pacific Conference's kickoff, the real estate prices in Jiangnan City soared like a rocket, and now, even 40,000 yuan per square meter was not enough to buy a property near their school.
Moreover, those schools were twenty kilometers away from the city center, where houses priced at 100,000 yuan per square meter were common.
Seventeen properties, even assuming each one was 100 square meters at an average price of 50,000 yuan, that would be close to a hundred million in value!
"Do I have any properties near our school?" Zhang Menglong inquired.
"Of course, there's one 1.2 kilometers away from Mr. Zhang's school. However, it's not very large, only 400 square meters. It might be a bit crowded," said Hong Yi matter-of-factly.
"Crowded, with a 400-square-meter house?" One of Zhang Menglong's classmates had spent nearly three million on a 50-square-meter second-hand apartment in the city center and was quite pleased with himself. Zhang Menglong had never even dared to dream of a 400-square-meter house.
But to Hong Yi, 400 square meters indeed wasn't considered large. After all, she lived in a three-story villa with an area exceeding 800 square meters. For Zhang Menglong, even a 1000-square-meter place might still feel a bit inadequate, right?
"However, I'd still recommend a different property for you. It's a bit further from the school, but you probably don't have many classes left, do you? If needed, I can arrange for a driver to take you back and forth," she continued.
"Is that place big?" he asked.
"Very big. And I can arrange for someone to take care of your daily needs and meals. It's also one of the most bustling areas in all of Jiangnan City," she explained.
"Alright, then let's go there!" Zhang Menglong decided.
"Understood. Please pack some of your important belongings, and then we can get ready to leave," Hong Yi suggested.
"Alright!" Zhang Menglong nodded, walked around the house a few times, and in the end, he only took an album with him. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore.
"Mr. Zhang, your car is ready!" A Maybach was waiting for them downstairs.
"Good afternoon, Menglong!" Just as Zhang Menglong was about to get into the car, Auntie Liu, who had just finished grocery shopping, brushed past them downstairs.
"Auntie... Auntie Liu, hello!"
"Weird, why isn't she surprised at all?" Among all the residents of Unit Two, Auntie Liu had always been the one with the loosest tongue. Any little thing would spread like wildfire once it reached her ears.
Logically, having stepped into such a luxurious car, she should have come up like usual to interrogate him for quite a while. Why was she so calm?
"Mr. Zhang, actually, the people here are aware of your identity. Like us, they serve your family as well, just not for as long as we have!" Hong Yi revealed shockingly.
"What? What do you mean by that?"
"All the houses in this complex, including all the residents, property management staff, and so on, they all belong to your family!"