Modu now has three major railway stations.
Modu Central Station, Modu West Station, and Modu South Station.
Among them, Modu South Station has not yet been fully operational, with only some trains running, but even the currently visible part makes South Station a crucial transportation hub in Modu.
The city is developing rapidly, with infrastructure and real estate projects everywhere. This unstoppable trend has given ordinary citizens a way to widen the wealth gap: demolition compensation!
In the 90s, people didn’t like demolition. The compensated houses were often in worse locations than their original homes, and many couldn’t accept moving from the city center to the outskirts. But as urban transportation improved, living in a cramped 10-square-meter old apartment in the city center became less appealing than a spacious house slightly farther out. The convenience brought by better transportation made most people more accepting of demolition.
In recent years, with the housing market booming, some have even gone from resisting demolition to eagerly awaiting it.
Demolition could turn an ordinary family into millionaires. The more family members and the larger the original residence, the higher the compensation.
Of course, demolition is a boon for some citizens but not so friendly for others.
Those who pushed for more housing compensation would become wealthy, while those who found the compensated houses too far out and opted for cash likely missed their one chance at striking it rich.
Money in hand tends to dwindle quickly. Some lowlifes specifically target demolition households, luring them into gambling or drugs. The compensation money and houses gained quickly can disappear even faster. Such stories keep unfolding, and now, any hint of activity sparks rumors of demolition.
The plot Xie Qian chose had been rumored for demolition years ago, supposedly to build a railway station.
But the rumors faded over time. With Modu South Station already under construction as a major transportation hub, would the government build another station near Hongqiao so soon?
A railway station so close to an airport—what kind of planning is that!
The rumors gradually died down, and locals stopped believing they’d see demolition. The land and buildings of the bankrupt building materials factory, left waiting, were now up for sale.
“Young Master Xie, that’s the situation.”
As he spoke, Xie Qian and the person Xie Yuping had referred, Gong Sheng, stood outside the factory.
The rusted gate was locked with an old iron padlock, thick with rust, clearly untouched for ages.
There used to be an old man guarding the gate, but even he was let go since there was nothing worth stealing. When the factory went bankrupt, valuable machinery and materials were sold off. Now, only dilapidated factory buildings and an office with broken windows remained. Through the gaps in the iron gate, waist-high weeds were visible.
Gong Sheng, introduced by Xie Yuping, wasn’t a real estate agent like Yao Xiaojia or a government employee. He was a broker, well-connected, specializing in facilitating large transactions.
Xie Qian’s interest in this run-down factory seemed out of place to Gong Sheng, who found the refined young man standing before the rusted gate oddly mismatched.
“This plot is near the airport, with building height restrictions, making commercial development tricky. You should think carefully, Young Master Xie.”
Beyond height limits, the airport’s noise pollution made it unsuitable for commercial projects or residential sales. People might tolerate living near a station, but no one wanted to live near an airport—nobody needs to fly every day, so proximity to an airport holds little appeal!
If Xie Qian bought this land, unless it actually got demolished, Gong Sheng couldn’t see any other way to make big money.
Xie Yuping had connected Gong Sheng through a chain of contacts, so Gong Sheng only knew Xie Qian had the means to buy land, not his full background.
To Gong Sheng’s well-meaning advice, Xie Qian just nodded, “I understand. I’ll think it over carefully.”
Xie Qian didn’t abandon the plot because of Gong Sheng’s warning!
Gong Sheng couldn’t help but wonder: Does this Young Master Xie have some insider information?
But Xie Qian said nothing more. Back at the guesthouse, he asked Gong Sheng to gather more documents. Initially, Gong Sheng suspected Xie Qian had insider knowledge, but seeing him scribbling on a Modu map, he thought he might be overthinking.
If Xie Qian had insider info, he’d have bought it decisively. This looked more like he was weighing his options.
Rich people had quirks not just in spending but in their gambling-like approach to investments.
Gong Sheng reported the situation to the person who connected him, who told him to let Xie Qian decide. So, Gong Sheng didn’t interfere.
Xie Qian’s reference materials covered everything, even asking Gong Sheng to find Modu’s urban planning maps from the 80s, comparing them every five years up to 2004.
Three days later, Xie Qian emerged from the sea of documents and made the second investment decision of his life—he would buy this land, the entire site of the old building materials factory!
His first investment was 2,000 yuan in Wen Ying’s temporary stall.
This time, buying the factory site would cost countless times that amount. When he made the decision, his mouth went dry.
If he chose correctly, his and his mother’s future would be brighter.
If he chose wrongly, it would give Xie Jinghu ammunition to attack them.
Being able to buy land now caught Xie Jinghu off guard. Such an opportunity wouldn’t come again. Xie Jinghu would seize any investment mistake to question Xie Qian’s ability to manage his shares as an adult and even claim his mother, due to her illness, was unfit to manage their large marital assets. This land purchase wasn’t just about land—it was about securing their future. That’s why Xie Qian was unusually nervous.
After all, Xie Qian was just a high school freshman. If he wasn’t nervous or hesitant about such a massive deal, he’d seem like a monster!
In that moment, countless thoughts raced through Xie Qian’s mind.
Should he ask his uncle?
Or call Wen Ying?
These thoughts surfaced uncontrollably but were quickly dismissed by Xie Qian.
He couldn’t ask Xie Yuping whether to buy the land. Whether his uncle said to buy or not, it risked violating regulations. And if the land turned out to be a bad investment, would his uncle blame himself?
Calling would just shift the risk to Xie Yuping.
Calling Wen Ying was even less appropriate—she was focused on writing a script, and this would disrupt her creative flow.
If he was going to buy this land, it had to be his decision alone.
He could take others’ advice for future investments, but this time, it was on him.
Once decided, Xie Qian felt a weight lift.
“This one,” he said.
Gong Sheng, though puzzled, didn’t dissuade him.
As a middleman, he provided options but didn’t bear the consequences of clients’ choices. Fortune or failure was on “Young Master Xie” to bear.
With Xie Qian’s decision made, others handled the myriad details. Money was a powerful tool, enabling professionals to take over, including registering a company and making Xie Qian its actual owner. If all went smoothly, the land would be his before the Spring Festival!
While Xie Qian was buried in documents and data, Xie Tang and her boyfriend enjoyed a few carefree days in Modu.
As for differences between Modu and Beijing, besides the lack of winter heating, Xie Tang found everything else fine. Her boyfriend finally got to meet his future brother-in-law. When he first saw Xie Qian, he was stunned.
Xie Qian’s looks could outshine most handsome guys. Xie Tang’s boyfriend wasn’t jealous, just marveling at how someone could be so good-looking.
And he wasn’t just a pretty face—he was a top student.
Xie Tang secretly pinched her boyfriend’s arm. Yan Yuchuan snapped out of it and introduced himself to Xie Qian.
“My sister and I have been waiting for you to finish your work so we could show you around Modu. Didn’t expect to wait a week to see you, you busy man.”
Yan Yuchuan was a sunny type, his smile perfectly measured, with neat, white teeth fit for a toothpaste ad. His clear gaze suggested he wasn’t scheming, and he wasn’t dumb either—no wonder he won Xie Tang’s heart.
“Sorry, I wanted to meet you sooner, but my elders gave me a task, and I couldn’t get distracted,” Xie Qian said.
He meant the land deal, but Yan Yuchuan misunderstood, thinking Xie Tang’s parents had learned he wanted to bring her to Modu and sent Xie Qian to size him up. His arm hair stood on end.
His relationship being discovered so soon by Xie Tang’s family caught Yan Yuchuan unprepared.
But if they knew, there was no helping it. He’d just have to perform well—surely the Xie family wouldn’t demand he and Xie Tang break up?
Yan Yuchuan gripped Xie Tang’s hand and said earnestly, “I’ll definitely treat Xiao Tang well!”
Xie Tang, as tall as Xie Qian and matching Yan Yuchuan’s height in heels, giggled with a dainty charm at his promise.
Girls sure change a lot when in love.
Xie Qian swore if his cousin Xie Qi saw this, his jaw would drop.
As kids, Xie Tang was lanky, while Xie Qi was a chubby troublemaker, often chased and whacked by her. When Xie Qi got into military school, he still held a grudge, saying no ordinary guy could tame the “rouge tiger.” He’d find a tall, burly senior at school to “feed the tiger”—er, be her husband. Thinking of those days, Xie Qian couldn’t help but laugh, easing Yan Yuchuan’s nerves.
When Gong Sheng called Xie Qian away again, Yan Yuchuan let out a long sigh, “Your cousin’s got such a presence—he feels more like your older brother!”
And so busy.
They’d barely sat down, and he hadn’t finished his coffee before being called away.
Xie Tang thought to herself, if her boyfriend knew Xie Qian had just finalized a land deal worth over a hundred million, he’d see him not just as her brother but as her dad!
