Chapter 371: The Apartment Spending Plan

Looking at Zhang Lan’s expression, Shen Rou could tell that something must have happened. Otherwise, the always cheerful and lively Zhang Lan wouldn’t look like this.

She slowly sat down beside her and pulled Zhang Lan into her arms.

“Tell me, what happened?”

After a while, as Shen Rou listened to Zhang Lan’s account, she gradually understood what had taken place.

Three members of the music club had chosen to leave for the sake of their future, opting to join an entertainment company.

An entertainment company, huh?

She suddenly remembered that during their last celebration, those three had already mentioned something about entertainment companies.

It seemed that even back then, they had already been considering the switch.

People are selfish by nature. Choosing to join an entertainment company for their own future was something she could understand.

However,

Seeing how heartbroken Zhang Lan was, Shen Rou couldn’t help but feel a bit of resentment toward those former club members.

After a long silence,

Once Zhang Lan had calmed down, Shen Rou finally spoke.

“So, what are you planning to do next?”

“Plans?”

Zhang Lan choked back a sob, her gaze drifting toward the music equipment in the basement.

“Of course I’m going to keep making music. Just because they’re gone, doesn’t mean I can’t do it alone. I’m not giving up on music.”

“Mm, I support you.”

Shen Rou nodded. Seeing Zhang Lan regain her fighting spirit put her mind at ease.

She had been worried that Zhang Lan might fall into despair over this.

Zhang Lan managed a small smile, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

“Right, I didn’t come away empty-handed from all this. I got two million in compensation. And since you’re an investor, you should get a share too. Once the money comes in, I’ll transfer your cut.”

“You’re still planning to run the studio, right? Just treat it as continued investment. No need to send me anything.”

Shen Rou smiled. Now that Zhang Lan was the only one left in the studio, there would definitely be many expenses ahead.

The orphanage was currently being supported by President Chen, and whenever she visited, she only spent a bit on snacks for the kids and Grandma Wu. It wasn’t much.

Plus, she wasn’t even spending her full monthly salary these days. There was no need to hoard so much money.

“Alright then. Once the studio grows, you’ll be the boss lady, hehe.”

“Sounds good to me!”

Shen Rou nodded with a laugh.

The two of them chatted in the basement for a long time. Zhang Lan gradually pulled herself together, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and looked up at Shen Rou.

“It’s already July. By the end of the month, you won’t be able to stay in the dorms anymore. I’m planning to give up my old place too. Why don’t we move in together?”

“Sure, that works. I’ll leave it to you to find a place then.”

Shen Rou didn’t refuse. Back at school, the two of them had lived together anyway.

They had only moved apart when Zhang Lan started her studio and needed more time and space to work on her music.

…

July 1st

Mingri Group, CEO’s Office

Chen Mo stared at the System Panel, watching the System Funds skyrocket, and remained silent for a long time.

The beginning of each month was always a bit of a torment.

That was when players from both Extreme Survival and Tianlong topped up their Monthly Cards.

“President Chen, here’s the project report from Corner Pet Park.”

At some point,

Shen Rou had walked in and placed a report on his desk.

Chen Mo snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the report from Corner Pet Park, momentarily stunned.

But he quickly remembered that not long ago, he had asked Pang Tao to find a piece of land in the Pet Park to build a senior apartment complex.

He had also arranged for a group of able-bodied elderly to work at the Pet Park.

He vaguely recalled asking them to draft a proposal. This must be it.

He opened the document and carefully read through the contents.

After a while,

His brows furrowed slightly, but then relaxed.

According to the proposal, for some reason, Pang Tao had managed to secure the land at a much lower rental price than Chen Mo had expected.

Part of the senior apartment expenses could be covered using System Funds.

Now that the rent was lower, that meant he would be spending less of the System Funds.

But as he read further,

He found he didn’t mind.

Pang Tao and the team planned to house the incoming seniors in a single apartment building for now.

That was actually a pretty good idea.

The first batch of elderly residents were all mobile and capable of working—about 60 people in total. Around 20 of them would be assigned to Changfeng Garment Factory, while the remaining 40 would go to Corner Pet Park.

According to Pang Tao’s plan, each apartment unit would house six seniors. That meant they’d need about seven units.

Each apartment was around 60 to 70 square meters, with a monthly rent of 800. That came out to just over 5,600 a month for seven units—not much at all.

Looking at the apartment rental plan, Chen Mo smiled faintly.

Even though Pang Tao’s proposal didn’t involve much spending, Chen Mo had spotted a golden opportunity to spend big hidden within the plan.

First of all…

Six elderly people sharing a single apartment was definitely out of the question. It would be far too cramped, and elderly folks were just like children—put six of them in one room and arguments were bound to happen.

So,

The plan for six people per room was clearly unworkable. At the very least, it had to be changed to two per room.

That meant twenty apartments, and the monthly rent would be…

Hmm.

Over ten thousand in rent. But compared to his current System Funds, that was barely a drop in the bucket.

The real expenses lay elsewhere.

That apartment building had been around for quite some time. Most of the furnishings inside were likely old and worn out, and would definitely need to be replaced.

Things like beds, appliances, daily necessities…

Especially the appliances. These were a matter of safety. If any of the old ones started leaking electricity, that would be a serious problem. So all the appliances had to be replaced with new ones.

Then there were the beds. Those composite wood bed frames often contained high levels of formaldehyde, which could be harmful to the elderly if inhaled over time.

So solid wood beds were a must. And since they were solid wood, the price would naturally be higher.

Outfitting twenty apartments with all of this would be no small expense.

On top of that, the apartment building was located near the Fourth Ring Road, while the Corner Pet Park was out in the suburbs. The elderly residents wouldn’t be able to commute on their own, so a shuttle bus would have to be arranged.

Going by the standard of the Changfeng Garment Factory’s shuttle, a single bus would cost over a million.

Chen Mo jotted down the changes to the plan on a piece of paper.

After a quick review to make sure he hadn’t missed any potential expenses, he picked up the phone and called Pang Tao.

The call connected quickly.

“Hello, President Chen. Do you have any instructions?” Pang Tao’s voice came through the receiver.

“I looked over your proposal. I’ve made a few adjustments,” Chen Mo replied.

“Please hold on a moment, President Chen. I’ll find a quieter place to listen.”

“Where are you right now?” Chen Mo asked, frowning slightly at the sounds of arguing coming through the phone.

“I’m at the apartment building, picking out rooms. Just ran into a young couple arguing at the entrance,” Pang Tao said.

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow at that. After a moment of thought, he spoke again.

“Wait for me at the apartment. I’ll come over and talk to you in person.”