Chapter 10: A One-Man Declaration of War
Chapter 10: A One-Man Declaration of War
After watching the salesperson slink away, Manager Zhang quickly scurried over to Tang Chen’s side and said cautiously, “Mr. Tang, is this acceptable now?”
Tang Chen nodded with satisfaction and said, “That’s good, Manager Zhang. Regarding the villa’s renovation and such, I’ll leave everything to you as we discussed earlier. Please give me your phone number so I can contact you if needed.”
“Yes, yes.” Manager Zhang quickly nodded and provided his number. When he saw the Nokia in Tang Chen’s hand, he was visibly taken aback. Why would such a wealthy man use such an old phone? Oh, I get it—it’s about being low-key. I should find time to change my phone too.
After talking a bit longer, Tang Chen went out, got in his car, and left. Manager Zhang breathed a sigh of relief; everything that happened today felt like a dream to him. Remembering something urgent, he quickly took out his phone and called his boss.
“Hello, Boss, it’s Xiao Zhang here.”
On the other end, the boss was in bed with a schoolgirl, right at the peak of his enjoyment, when he received Manager Zhang’s call. He said with some annoyance, “Xiao Zhang, what is it?”
Manager Zhang said respectfully, “Boss Wei, great news! All the villas at Swan Lake Throne have been sold out today.”
“What!” Boss Wei was so shocked that he frightened the schoolgirl beneath him. Excitedly, he said, “Is that true?”
Manager Zhang affirmed, “Yes, Boss Wei. Out of the remaining twenty-four villas, one was bought by Boss Liu from Tianhe Company, and the other twenty-three were all purchased by one person—and paid in full upfront. Finance has already received the payment; the total for all twenty-four villas is 1.189 billion.”
Boss Wei’s hands trembled with excitement as he hurriedly said, “Well done, Zhang Xin! You’ve really outdone yourself this time. Wait—did you say one person bought twenty-three villas?”
Boss Wei was dumbfounded; in his excitement, he hadn’t fully grasped Manager Zhang’s words earlier. What did he say? Someone bought twenty-three villas in one go? Holy crap, what kind of ultra-rich person is this?!
On the other end, Manager Zhang felt a bit proud since it was all his achievement. With a touch of excitement, he recounted everything that had happened, also informing Boss Wei about the salespeople who had been fired.
Boss Wei’s jaw dropped. After two minutes, he finally collected himself and said, “You did well, Zhang Xin. We absolutely must not offend such a wealthy person. He asked you to handle the renovation, right? Use the best materials and hire the best construction company. Even if we lose a bit of money, it’s fine. We must treat this ultra-rich client with the utmost care.”
“Yes, Boss Wei.” It was the first time Manager Zhang had heard Boss Wei sound so uncomposed, and he felt quite pleased with himself. It looked like his commission this time would be substantial.
After casually buying the villas, Tang Chen wandered around the streets, had a meal, and thus reached evening.
Upon returning to his dorm, the first thing he did was log onto the website to check the novels updated that day.
Meanwhile, the online community was in an uproar. After the editor posted the interview content on the homepage, the comments section exploded.
“Damn, this is what I call ultra-rich! Totally blinded my 23-inch titanium alloy dog eyes!”
“Haha, that line about giving another thousand if it’s not enough really hit the funny bone.”
“Ultra-rich bro, I beg to hug your thigh!”
“Not only that, but Diao Shen also verbally attacked those other rich guys. Feels so damn good. I used to always see banners bragging about how some rich guy donated a few Crowns, and I was so envious of those wealthy people back then. Now, watching those rich guys get slapped in the face is just as satisfying.”
“Fourth floor is an idiot with a hatred for the rich.”
Tang Chen paid no attention to these comments. As soon as he logged into his account, he noticed many notifications in his backend. When he clicked on them, he immediately got furious.
“You’re ultra-rich? Nah, I think you’re just a stupid upstart.”
“Who knows where this idiot author dug you up from. Maybe you have some special preferences and are keeping him.”
“Exactly. How could such a trashy book be worth so much in donations? You must be insane.”
“Damn it! What business is it of yours if I read books and donate? You’re asking for trouble!” Tang Chen was truly angry. These idiots—all I wanted was to read a book in peace, and you dare provoke me? I’m going to destroy you.
He clicked on the comments, which redirected him to the comments section. It turned out these people had replied under his own comment. When he checked their reading lists, he found each of them only followed one book. Clearly, they were hardcore fans.
“You want to play? Then I’ll play with you.” Fuming, Tang Chen started typing and then posted a comment: “You brainless fans, listen up! I know you’re just jealous. Can’t help it—you’re all just damn poor. You say this book is trash? Well, I’m declaring war on you. I’m going to make this book take first place on every chart for a whole month. You idiots, if you have the guts, come fight me. Let’s see whether the big shot you support is better, or if the flop I support is stronger!”
As soon as this comment was posted, it was immediately pinned to the top.
Moments later, replies flooded the comments section, all from the same people who had insulted Tang Chen earlier.
“Kid, you’ve got nerve challenging us.”
“Haha, you really think you alone can turn the world upside down? We accept your challenge. We’ll show you that we, the true ultra-rich, are the real masters here!”
“That’s right, I’m in too. I’m the boss of a major company. Let’s see if you can outdo us rich folks.”
“Damn it, I’m going to wreck this book’s backside!”
Watching the comments flood in instantly, Tang Chen laughed and said to the System, “System, from now on, give this book a thousand Diamonds, ten thousand Recommendations, and a thousand Crowns every day. Let’s see if these fools are tougher or if I am.”
System: “Respected Host, since you insist on playing this way, this System will grant you an additional big gift.” Before Tang Chen could ask what the big gift was, a system prompt sounded: “Ding! As a Fighter Jet among the ultra-rich, you must not tolerate provocations from these idiots. Beginner Task triggered: the Host must support ‘My Uncle Bodyguard’ in dominating the website for three consecutive months, making those little fools kneel. Task success reward: one pair of high-quality underwear. Task failure: the Host must run naked on the School Sports Ground for one week.”
Seeing this task, Tang Chen was speechless. Damn it, why are the System’s mission rewards always so lousy, while the penalties are so harsh? Running naked for a week? Holy crap, I’d definitely become more famous than a certain adult film star.
“Let’s play then. This time, I’m going to make these grandsons all die.” Tang Chen gritted his teeth fiercely, then posted another comment: “Fine, you fake rich folks want to play? Then I’ll play with you. Let’s raise the stakes: for the next three months, this book will take first place on every chart. No more talk—a thousand Crowns, right now!”
Three seconds after the comment was posted, another thousand Crowns appeared in the donation section.
The onlookers and casual visitors were stunned. He’s serious! We really don’t get the world of the ultra-rich.
Tang Chen turned off his computer. Go ahead and compete if you can; I’m going to sleep. I have to go to School tomorrow.
The second donation of a thousand Crowns also angered the so-called rich folks, who saw it as a direct challenge from Tang Chen!
In the Buddha University’s rich readers’ group, one wealthy reader said first, “Brothers, the battle has begun! That guy just donated another thousand Crowns to that flop book!”
“Damn it, I’m donating too. Brothers, let’s show our strength and support Buddha University!”
In the Dark Lord’s readers’ group: “Remember that idiot who donated a thousand Crowns? That fool declared war on us. He claims he’s going to crush all of us. Let’s give it our all. I’m going to donate to Lanlan first.”
“I’m going too. I’ll mobilize all the funds from my company. It’s just a thousand Crowns—I can afford it.”
“…”
Meanwhile, in the editorial department, editor General looked at Zhao Xiaoxiao’s comments section and suddenly started grinning foolishly. Checking the backend, he saw that since Zhao Xiaoxiao donated another thousand Crowns a few minutes ago, several hundred rich readers had already taken turns donating Crowns.
“Is this what they call the power of the ultra-rich? It’s freaking terrifying.” General swallowed hard, then walked out of the office.