Chapter 273: Lanshan Manor

The Spring Festival of 2006 was relatively pleasant for Li Dong, though it would have been better if he didn't have to spend the whole time on the sofa.

Once the New Year was over, it was time to move on—people had to go out, and preparations for school had to begin.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Cao Feng and his companions returned to Pingchuan ahead of schedule.

Li Dong, on the other hand, planned to stay a few more days, or even go back with his parents.

However, he was now a busy person, and his schedule was not entirely under his control. By the afternoon of the sixth day, Li Dong drove back to Pingchuan alone.

By the time he arrived in Wanyuan, it was nearly five o'clock.

Li Dong took a shower, changed clothes, and then went downstairs to drive to a gathering.

The venue for the gathering was not a restaurant or banquet hall, but Lanshan Manor.

There was no need for a GPS—if someone had spent so many years in Pingchuan and still didn't know about Lanshan Manor, it would mean they had wasted their time there.

Lanshan Manor was the top-tier villa area in Pingchuan.

Nearby, there were Lanshan Park, Bai Cui Park, a wildlife zoo, Bai Cui Lake, Lanshan Scenic Area, and the Jiangbei Museum…

This series of attractions made Lanshan Manor a truly scenic estate.

Besides the beautiful environment, the surrounding facilities were also top-notch.

There was Jiangbei Second People's Hospital, Pingchuan Lanshan Hospital, Jiangbei Maternal and Child Hospital, and the well-known private high school Lanshan Middle School in Pingchuan.

Whether in terms of healthcare or education, the facilities around Lanshan Manor were among the best in Jiangbei.

These advantages contributed to the high real estate prices in Lanshan Manor.

The entire Lanshan Manor covered an area of 180,000 square meters, mainly featuring row houses with some standalone villas. The smallest row houses were over 300 square meters, and the standalone villas were at least 500 square meters.

The real estate prices reached the highest level in Jiangbei, with standalone villas averaging 12,000 per square meter. Even a basic villa would cost over six million yuan.

In 2006, a price of 12,000 per square meter was on par with the top-tier cities in China.

Pingchuan was merely a second or third-tier city, and this price was unaffordable for most people.

Before Li Dong's rebirth, the more than two hundred villas in Lanshan Manor had not yet been completely sold. At that time, the prices were sky-high, not much cheaper than first-tier city prices.

According to Li Dong's knowledge, the developers who initially invested in Lanshan Manor had gone bankrupt.

Now, it was likely that Longhua Group had taken over. With its considerable financial resources, Longhua Group was not in a hurry to sell the villas, which was why some villas in Lanshan Manor were still available years later.

---

When Li Dong arrived at Lanshan Manor, it was already getting dark.

The security guard at the gate stopped Li Dong's car. After Li Dong provided the name of the person who invited him, the guard verified it through the intercom and, after some time, opened the gate to let Li Dong in.

As the sky darkened, Li Dong had no interest in admiring the scenery inside the manor.

He drove past the row houses in front and entered the standalone villa area.

In the standalone villa area, there was a significant distance between each villa, and there weren't many of them. The signposts on the roads were also very clear.

In no time, Li Dong's car stopped in front of Villa No. 16.

Zhang Lanyu, who had already been informed, personally came out to greet him. As soon as Li Dong got out of the car, Zhang Lanyu smiled brightly and said, "Mr. Li, your presence here really adds to the glory!"

Li Dong chuckled and said, "It's not really adding to the glory. Thanks to Miss Zhang, otherwise, this country bumpkin wouldn't have had the chance to see such a great place."

Zhang Lanyu covered her mouth and laughed lightly, exchanged some pleasantries, and led Li Dong into the villa.

Li Dong looked around leisurely, noticing quite a few luxury cars parked both inside and outside the courtyard.

With over ten luxury cars parked together, his S350 appeared somewhat understated.

Seeing a few sports cars among them made Li Dong's car look even more old-fashioned.

Li Dong narrowed his eyes and asked tentatively, "Miss Zhang, there are quite a few people at this gathering, aren't there?"

Zhang Lanyu smiled and said, "It's Chen Rui's birthday today. It's not exactly outsiders—just a few familiar faces getting together. They're all friends from the circle. It would be a problem if they weren't here. But don't worry, Mr. Li, there are also quite a few business friends here today. I'm sure you'll find someone to talk to."

Li Dong nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.

Today was Chen Rui's birthday. Normally, Li Dong wouldn't need to attend, but since Chen Rui had invited him, it wouldn't be polite not to go.

Not attending would be a sign of disrespect, and since there were no significant conflicts between him and Chen Rui, it wasn't worth making an enemy out of him.

Of course, even if he attended, Li Dong didn't plan to stand out.

He intended to quietly observe as an audience and not concern himself with other matters. If Chen Rui sought him out, the main purpose would likely be related to a project. Regardless of whether the talks were successful or not, Li Dong believed Chen Rui wouldn't hold it against him.

He followed Zhang Lanyu into the villa.

Many people were already present in the lobby, most of them young people, with quite a few sporting red and green hair.

Li Dong glanced around without paying too much attention, focusing his gaze on a group of people gathered to one side of the lobby.

This group consisted of about five or six people, all older, some in suits and others in casual clothes. Their demeanor indicated that they were the business elites Zhang Lanyu had mentioned.

Though Li Dong's Faraway Supermarket was doing well, he wasn't very familiar with the business elite in Pingchuan.

None of the five or six people were familiar to Li Dong.

As Li Dong observed the group, they, in turn, had noticed Li Dong next to Zhang Lanyu.

Few people knew Li Dong, but since Zhang Lanyu was half the host today, most people recognized her.

Zhang Lanyu had just gone out to greet the guests with great seriousness, and everyone noticed. Given the status of the attendees today, it was clear that Zhang Lanyu had greeted everyone personally before.

Now, seeing Zhang Lanyu going to the door to receive people, those with a keen eye took note.

However, when they saw how young Li Dong was, most assumed he was some young heir from a wealthy family. Only a few recognized him as the young entrepreneur who had been making waves last year.

Originally, Chen Rui, who had been chatting with a few young people, came over when he saw Li Dong arrive, saying a few words to those around him before walking over to Li Dong.

With arms wide open from a few steps away, Chen Rui smiled and said, "Mr. Li, I've been looking forward to your arrival!"

Li Dong was slightly taken aback by his enthusiasm. He quickly extended his hand for a handshake, only for Chen Rui to bypass it and give him a hug.

Chen Rui then patted Li Dong on the back and said with a smile, "Mr. Li, Happy New Year!"

Li Dong subtly shifted his body, returning the smile and saying, "Shouldn't I be wishing you a happy birthday, Mr. Chen?"

Afterward, he handed over a gift box, smiling, "A small gift, just a token of my appreciation."

"Ha ha ha, Mr. Li, you're too polite. It's just a meal. There's no need to waste."

Chen Rui grinned as he took the gift box and handed it to Zhang Lanyu standing nearby. Then he clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention. Once the lobby quieted down, Chen Rui announced loudly, "Many of you may not know this young and promising individual next to me, so let me introduce him. This is Mr. Li from Faraway Company!"

"Applause!"

A round of polite applause followed, accompanied by whispers among the crowd.

Most people didn't recognize Li Dong, and some didn't even know Faraway Company, so they weren't familiar with him.

But when they heard that he had become a billionaire at just twenty years old last year, surpassing ten billion in wealth, they began to pay attention.

In 2006, being a billionaire was not something common. It was genuine wealth.

Especially considering Li Dong's young age, it drew even more attention.

Li Dong wasn't interested in being the center of attention. He nodded to Chen Rui, smiled at the crowd, and then found a secluded corner to sit down.

Chen Rui's eyes turned, and he whispered a few words to Zhang Lanyu.

Zhang Lanyu nodded slightly and then sat down next to Li Dong, while Chen Rui went to attend to other guests.

As soon as Zhang Lanyu sat down, she asked with a smile, "Mr. Li, how is it? Not used to it?"

Li Dong shrugged and said, "A bit. I'm not familiar with everyone here. I tend to be a bit reserved, so it's hard to strike up a conversation with strangers."

Zhang

 Lanyu smiled again and said, "It's all about getting to know people. Familiarity comes with time. There are a few guests here who are very interested in you. Would you mind meeting them?"

Li Dong frowned slightly. Based on Zhang Lanyu's tone, it seemed like she wasn't here just to discuss projects. It felt as though Zhang Lanyu was playing the role of a broker. Who might be looking for him through her?

Li Dong couldn't guess and didn't bother trying. He directly said, "Let's skip that. I came here to celebrate Mr. Chen's birthday, so I won't steal the spotlight."

Zhang Lanyu's smile seemed a bit forced. This person was indeed difficult to please!

As for Li Dong's claims of being reserved and not liking to interact with strangers, Zhang Lanyu didn't take it seriously.

If he were that reserved, he wouldn't be in business.

If he didn't interact with strangers, his company would have gone under long ago.

However, Zhang Lanyu wasn't inviting Li Dong to be an adversary. Seeing his reluctance, she decided to change the topic to everyday pleasantries.

They chatted about the weather, the economy, and politics.

After about ten minutes, all of Chen Rui's guests had arrived.

Chen Rui took the microphone and announced loudly, "Everyone, please quiet down. I'm honored and proud that you could all attend my birthday party."

"Today's attendees include my friends, my brothers and sisters, and also successful individuals…"

Although Chen Rui usually appeared unapproachable with his dyed white hair, he spoke formalities just as well as any seasoned politician.

He spoke for five to six minutes without repeating himself.

Li Dong glanced at Zhang Lanyu beside him and couldn't help but ask, "How old is Mr. Chen this year?"

"Twenty-eight!"

Li Dong's lips twitched. He had a hunch that something was off, and he was right.

Twenty-eight!

Chen Rui was only twenty-eight! Li Dong had thought he was at least thirty-four or thirty-five.

Moreover, Zhang Qing usually referred to Chen Rui as "Chen Ge," which meant Zhang Qing was even older than Chen Rui.

Li Dong's expression was quite varied, which Zhang Lanyu noticed. She quietly smiled and said, "Chen Rui just appears mature because of his white hair. If he dyed it back to black, he would look much younger."

Li Dong smiled without commenting further and continued listening to Chen Rui's speech.