Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 808: Buying It Is Skill, But Fully Securing It Is True Ability!

At this moment, Liu Rulan felt an unreal sensation, as if someone beside her had gotten rich behind her back.

Seeing Xiao He still maintaining that calm expression, Liu Rulan truly didn't know what to say anymore.

"The Jinhe Princely Residence is located in the core protected area of Beijing's old city, surrounded by hutongs and old courtyard houses. It's within the key protection scope of cultural heritage units, so no tall buildings are allowed around it. The overall architectural style remains quite traditional. Many native Beijingers came from places like this."

Liu Rulan continued, "Take Director Zhuang, Zhuang Hongyi, whom we know. His family's old residence is reportedly also in that area, part of the Zhuang family's decades-long foundation in Beijing. But even tracing it back, it can only be considered the mansion of a wealthy merchant family. Although it's equally precious to have survived to this day, it's far inferior to your princely residence."

Besides, this was Beijing!

A place where every inch of land was worth gold, and yet there was an empty plot sitting there for decades. Only now, after all this time, had Xiao He managed to acquire it through an overseas auction. This kind of event felt like a dream!

"If those people in Beijing find out about this, your life is going to get a whole lot more turbulent."

Liu Rulan murmured.

Xiao He was silent for a moment, thought it over, then said, "Maybe some of them already know. But they're keeping quiet for now, watching my attitude."

If a property like this fell into someone else's hands, the upper crust in Beijing would have received the news long ago.

"And do you still remember how Bao Xingsheng treated me last time we met?"

Xiao He squinted. "No matter how much he believes in fate and metaphysics, there's no way he would think highly of me just because of a single line from some master. For people like him, even if they know I have the 'value' they want, they'd never look up to me. Getting that invitation letter into my hands was already considered a very serious invitation in their eyes."

But that meeting was different. Bao Xingsheng had personally and seriously invited him to attend.

Thinking back now, he must have already caught wind of what was happening in Beijing at that time.

And the ridiculous thing was that he, the owner of this property, was only now finding out the truth.

With that thought, Xiao He couldn't help but want to curse that paparazzo who had taken secret photos of him last time.

That guy had really made him miss something huge! If only he had gotten the call earlier, he wouldn't have been caught off guard, staring blankly when people came knocking, accepting the situation while being kept in the dark about so many things!

"True." Liu Rulan was smart too; she caught on immediately. "It's not important to have the property in hand. What matters is whether you have the ability to truly secure it."

If Xiao He's lucky find at the auction was his good fortune, then being able to truly take possession of this property was his real skill.

After all, getting a princely residence that had been abandoned for decades back into usable condition—the renovation and restoration alone would be astronomical. And given the size of the Jinhe Residence, it was basically equivalent to building a scenic spot, restoring the mansion to its original state.

That naturally included labor costs, material costs, long-term maintenance, and so on. Every single item was something an ordinary person couldn't afford. It was nothing short of burning money.

And because of the protected area regulations, they couldn't even tear it down and build something else. They had to restore and rebuild it exactly as it was.

So under all these constraints, if Xiao He were just an ordinary actor, then when he got lucky and acquired this property, he should have immediately found a way to flip it.

After all, for someone like him, this kind of property was meaningless. It would just become a hot potato.

"What a pity—"

Xiao He couldn't help but curl his lips.

Those people would never expect that he had the System.

A million points was no small amount. Even Xiao He had spent this long accumulating them with great effort. The System wouldn't just hand him a complete mess. So not only the source of the property, but also the subsequent restoration and long-term maintenance, would all be handled entirely by the System, with no additional cost to Xiao He.

So let those watching be disappointed. He was definitely going to keep this property. Even if he didn't live in it himself, and just used it as a scenic spot, it would still earn him a lot of money.

The only thing that made Xiao He a little uneasy was that this "Criminal Base" was, after all, still a "Criminal Base." Was it hiding some dangerous items that no one knew about, just like the last property?

The best solution was for him to go back to Beijing and check the property's safety for himself.

"So you still haven't told me how you got your hands on this property."

Liu Rulan eyed Xiao He suspiciously. "Or is it that your family really has some hidden background and connections that you've kept from me?"

She thought for a moment, then said very seriously, "Like some hidden family grooming an heir, but your parents' generation didn't make the cut, so they finally decided to set their sights on you."

Xiao He: "...Sister Liu, this is the first time I've discovered you have such an imagination. It's a real waste that you're not a screenwriter."

Liu Rulan: "No big deal, just basic skills."

Xiao He: "..."

He turned around and awkwardly changed the subject: "I'm hungry. Let me have breakfast first! And I'm going to the party the day after tomorrow. Shouldn't I try on my outfit for the occasion? Oh, right, is Shu Han and the others landing in Hong Kong today too? When are we picking them up? Let's call Brother Tong as well. After all, he's Sister Liu's former artist and current artist. It's rare for us all to be gathered like this. We should have a proper celebration..."

Liu Rulan shot Xiao He a sidelong glance and twitched the corner of her mouth.

Hehe, what a blatant attempt to change the subject!

Watching the young man who had already turned his back to her, ending the conversation, Liu Rulan couldn't help but mutter quietly in frustration, "Does this guy even have any idea what he's gotten his hands on?"

—

In the afternoon, Xiao He and his group went to the airport in person to pick up Shu Han.

As luck would have it, the rest of the "Journey Across Mountains and Rivers" program team was also there. Especially Director Hu Pei—the moment he saw Xiao He, his eyes lit up.

It was him, it was him, that man!

The man who had become a legend by operating a drone, reaching the peak viewership in the history of their show, "Journey Across Mountains and Rivers"!

Hu Pei practically swooped over to Xiao He in an instant, and "affectionately" grasped Xiao He's hand, his voice filled with anticipation: "Ah, Teacher Xiao! It's been so long! I've missed you so much!"

Xiao He was startled, then had his hand grabbed before he could react, meeting that pair of longing eyes.

Xiao He: "...Director Hu, long time no see. You're still just as enthusiastic."

Just a little too enthusiastic for him to handle.

"Ahem, right, Teacher Xiao, are you going to that cruise party in Hong Kong the day after tomorrow?"

Hu Pei cleared his throat, acting as if he hadn't caught Xiao He's hint, and continued to hold Xiao He's hand, asking with great anticipation.

Xiao He: "I'll be going, but—"

"Teacher Xiao!"

Upon hearing the affirmative answer, Hu Pei looked as if he had seen a god descending to earth. He was just about to let out a roar and drag Xiao He off to "rekindle their friendship" when Xiao He was shoved aside by Liu Rulan.

The woman retook Xiao He's spot, proactively shoved her hand into Hu Pei's, and gave it a firm shake, a smile on her face with no trace of rudeness: "Director Hu, long time no see! How have you been? I haven't congratulated you yet on the massive success of 'Journey Across Mountains and Rivers'!"

Then, without waiting for Hu Pei to react, she efficiently pulled him away.

Hu Pei was shocked.

How could this agent have so much strength!

Oh no, Teacher Xiao, my future golden goose—