After Divorce, I Can Hear the Future

Chapter 26: Only the Land and Sun and Moon Endure

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

This luxury villa area, developed under the leadership of Tomson Group, combined business, entertainment, and residential purposes. Each villa was standalone and came with a garden, but very few were permanently occupied. Most were rented out for corporate team-building events or gatherings among friends.

Passing through the villa area, Lu Liang arrived at the sports center next to the golf course. There were separate facilities for basketball, tennis, and golf practice ranges for beginners.

He spotted Old Meng on the tennis court, sweating profusely. Despite his large belly, he was surprisingly agile for a middle-aged man. Across from him was Zhou Xiaoqi, dressed in professional women's tennis attire. Her short skirt showcased her long, perfectly straight legs.

"Let’s head over."

Lu Liang parked the car and entered the court with Li Manli.

The two were dressed in matching sports outfits—blue and pink—with identical white flat-brimmed hats.

Li Manli’s eyes constantly darted toward Zhou Xiaoqi. She said enviously, "That sister’s legs are so long and straight."

Although Li Manli was 1.64 meters tall, which wasn’t short, she still felt a bit inadequate compared to Zhou Xiaoqi, who stood at over 1.7 meters.

"Your proportions are better, and you’re prettier," Lu Liang said, smiling to comfort her as they approached Meng Changkun for a greeting.

"Brother, you’re here! Come and have a round!"

Meng Changkun glanced at Li Manli. Although he had seen many beautiful women, he was momentarily stunned by the girl’s delicate appearance.

Her exquisite features were flawless, and her innocent, wide-eyed expression evoked a protective instinct. However, he quickly regained his composure. Exceptional beauty, while rare, wasn’t singular—especially among friends.

A friend’s woman was off-limits. This was a fundamental principle of friendship.

At his level of success, he didn’t lack female company, and coveting a friend’s partner was beneath him.

"Sure, but I’m not very good. Brother Kun, you’ll need to take it easy on me."

Lu Liang took the racket from Zhou Xiaoqi. He had never played tennis before but assumed it would be similar to badminton.

That was overly optimistic. The power required for tennis was on an entirely different level from badminton.

Fortunately, Old Meng noticed Lu Liang’s inexperience and slowed down the ball, occasionally lobbing it his way to help him practice.

As the two exchanged rallies, Lu Liang gradually got the hang of it and began to enjoy the sport.

The solid, rhythmic sensation of striking the ball was exhilarating.

However, before long, Old Meng ran out of stamina, waving his hand repeatedly. "I’m done for."

He turned to Li Manli, who had been watching and playing on her phone. "Sister, why don’t you take a round with Brother Lu?"

Li Manli blinked innocently and quickly shook her head. "Sorry, I don’t know how to play tennis."

"Just give it a try. I didn’t know how earlier either, but you’ll learn as you go," Lu Liang encouraged, waving her over.

Sipping tea on the sidelines, Meng Changkun watched the two beginners clumsily play against each other, laughing aloud at their antics.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoqi prepared tea. "It’s odd, you know. Just a few months ago, Mr. Lu was still living in a talent apartment."

Though young, Zhou Xiaoqi had been modeling for years, climbing her way up before ending up by Meng Changkun’s side.

Compared to her, Li Manli was an innocent, naive "femme fatale." Within half an hour of chatting, Zhou had gleaned everything Li Manli knew.

Meng Changkun raised his eyebrows in surprise but quickly lowered his voice. "Enough, he’s coming over."

"I’m done. The sun’s getting too strong."

Lu Liang, drenched in sweat, grabbed an ice-cold towel from a cooler to wipe his face and handed another one to Li Manli.

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

Lu Liang added, "Manli, why don’t you join Miss Zhou and help out if needed?"

He wasn’t worried about Li Manli being probed for information. What she knew was limited and inconsequential.

The past didn’t matter—what mattered was the present and the future.

Once the women left, Lu Liang consulted Meng Changkun about setting up a company and mentioned his investment in a movie.

"What kind of movie?"

Meng Changkun feigned surprise. In reality, the only reason he had invited Lu Liang to play tennis was because he already knew about the investment.

From today onward, Lu Liang was officially his friend and had shed any suspicion of being a fraud. Their relationship could continue to grow.

"A movie adapted from a stage play."

Lu Liang briefly outlined the story but didn’t dwell on the topic, knowing Meng Changkun wasn’t particularly interested.

"Commercial investments are indeed more reliable than personal ones," Meng Changkun said after some thought. He wasn’t fond of the film industry, having consistently lost money on his past investments there, which he had done mostly for fun. Ȑ𝘢NꝋβЕȘ

He called over his assistant, Liu Jun, who had been standing nearby. "Assistant Liu, help Mr. Lu with the paperwork over the next few days."

Having spent nearly two decades in Magic City, particularly in Xinpu District, Meng Changkun had connections in various government departments. With his assistant involved, the process would be expedited, avoiding unnecessary complications.

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

Meng Changkun chuckled. "Without experience in this area, you’d find it a headache. Helping each other is what friends do. Who knows, we might collaborate again in the future."

After a moment of thought, Lu Liang clasped his hands in gratitude and stopped insisting.

Building relationships was about mutual support, gradually deepening ties through reciprocal acts of assistance.

"Have you decided on a location for the company yet?"

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

"Don’t bother. I happen to have a few offices for rent. I’ll show you later."

"Brother Kun, your business ventures are quite diverse," Lu Liang remarked, surprised.

He had only sought advice, never expecting Meng Changkun to provide a full-service solution.

Meng Changkun laughed. "These days, anyone with money wants to dabble in real estate. As they say, only the land and the sun and moon endure."

"Even someone like Bill Gates, who runs a cutting-edge tech company, is busy acquiring land."

"True. Real estate remains an irreplaceable pillar," Lu Liang agreed, drawing from his nine years of experience in the industry.

The frenzy reminded him of Tokyo in the late ’80s, as described in history books. Back then, countless Japanese boasted about selling Tokyo to buy America. Magic City was experiencing a similar craze.

If Lu Liang had enough money, he, too, would buy a few properties as a backup plan.

After lunch, Meng Changkun took Lu Liang to the Yongfeng Building in Xinpu District.

The 33-story building covered 4,800 square meters, with the 15th to 17th floors owned by Kunqian Trading.

Meng Changkun’s company occupied the entire 17th floor. The 15th and 16th floors had been divided into offices ranging from 220 to 480 square meters, primarily rented to young entrepreneurs.

Some of these businesses were ventures he supported, focusing on e-commerce, live streaming, and new media.

"I don’t really understand these new industries, but they’re fascinating. Don’t underestimate these small companies with only about ten employees—they target nationwide markets."

As they toured the floors, Meng Changkun chatted amiably with Lu Liang, like a king surveying his domain.

"With the rise of mobile internet, many new industries have emerged. One of these might even produce a unicorn someday," Lu Liang said, fully agreeing.

At the same time, he became acutely aware of how far he lagged behind Meng Changkun.

The rumors of "Ten-Billion Meng" clearly underestimated him.

Meng Changkun laughed heartily. "From your lips to God’s ears."

A unicorn company required a minimum pre-IPO valuation of $1 billion. If he hit the jackpot with just one, his descendants would be set for generations.

The group visited several available offices on the 15th and 16th floors.

"Brother Lu, do any of these catch your eye? Or do you have specific requirements?"

Businesspeople tended to be superstitious about feng shui. For instance, Meng Changkun preferred offices facing the sun but backed by shadows, as a fortune-teller had advised that his "Water Destiny" needed yang energy to balance and attract wealth from all directions.