Two girls saw Claire blocking Mu Lin, and triumphantly made faces at Mu Lin. Mu Lin got angry again and was about to stand up. Claire said to the two girls, “Alright, Winnie and Jessie, you two should stop fooling around. As senior administrative staff, you should remember the company’s core mission.” Upon hearing this, the two girls’ expressions returned to normal. They genuinely enjoyed working here and were reluctant to leave the company, but they couldn’t help feeling angry whenever they saw Mu Lin, because of how he had treated them from the very beginning.
Now noticing Claire was slightly upset, the two girls, as excellent personnel trained in an MBA program, immediately recalled the principle that personal emotions shouldn’t interfere with work. They quickly said to Mu Lin, “Sorry, boss! We shouldn’t have brought our personal feelings into work.” Mu Lin had been completely baffled by the two girls’ antics.
Still, as a man, he responded, “I also have my faults. Please forgive me!” As he spoke, he secretly thought to himself, “Did I really do anything wrong? They dared to call me a pervert. I’ll show them one day!” Returning to the matter at hand, the group began discussing the issue seriously.
Winnie, the administrative manager, proposed a plan: instead of leaving the houses vacant and tying up the company’s working capital, the company should invest additional funds to renovate the houses and then sell them at new prices. She believed there were quite a few wealthy people who might be interested in such properties, and she had already prepared a formal proposal with detailed data. As she spoke, she handed the report to Mu Lin.
Jessie proposed that after renovating the houses, the company should contact government departments. Since these houses had long histories, they could be designated as historical sites and included in tourist itineraries. The income from ticket sales could compensate for company revenue, increasing both income and the company’s visibility. Detailed data was also included in her proposal. After presenting their ideas, both women sat down and waited for Mu Lin to respond. Mu Lin asked them to wait a moment, picked up both proposals, flipped through them carefully, and then fell into slight contemplation.
Then he addressed the two women, “Based on your data, the European branch currently owns 219 villas. The total renovation cost is 37,046,500 yuan, averaging about 169,200 yuan per house. This means the price of each house must be increased by at least 169,200 yuan from the original price, and that’s before taxes. After tax, the increase should be around 208,400 yuan per house. In other words, the renovation cost per house would be 208,400 yuan. According to your statistics, the current average price of these villas is 624,600 yuan each. Adding renovation costs, the price would be 833,000 yuan per villa. This still doesn’t include company profit. Am I correct?” Mu Lin asked the two women.
The two girls had originally thought Mu Lin was just flipping through their reports casually before thinking about the issue, which seemed dismissive to them. They gradually showed expressions of disdain. Mu Lin, of course, noticed their expressions. As he spoke, their expressions began to change. That’s why he deliberately asked them the question. When they saw Mu Lin asking them, they realized he had noticed their attitude and glared at him resentfully. Mu Lin didn’t care about their looks, thinking to himself, “As long as you’re convinced, that’s fine.”
At this moment, Claire urged, “Daniel, what exactly do you want to say?”
With a chuckle, Mu Lin began explaining to Claire, “Based on their data and research, both of these plans have problems if implemented separately. According to the current real estate market prices, a three-story building covering about one hectare of land with a construction area of 650 square meters currently sells for around 600,000 yuan.
Just think, adding 233,000 yuan to that price, not including property tax. If we include property tax, the final price of our villas would reach 1.1 million yuan, nearly 300,000 yuan more than a new house. Tell me, how large would the market be? The current wealthy individuals already have their own classical villas, while the middle class may not have the purchasing power.
Now looking at Jessie’s plan, first of all, we are a business, not a government welfare organization. According to Jessie’s proposal, assuming full government cooperation and that all travel agencies follow our lead, the total value of 219 villas would be around 185 million yuan. At a ticket price of 5 yuan per person, if one million tourists visit annually, the total income would be 50 million yuan. Even with 300,000 tourists, the income would be 15 million yuan.”
He turned and asked, “Jessie, that’s how you calculated it, right? But I have to ask you, on what basis did you estimate a minimum of 300,000 tourists? Our villas are just old, without any historical figures or special features to attract 300,000 visitors.
If we make additional investments to create unique attractions, the cost won’t be just 185 million yuan anymore—it would at least double to 370 million yuan. Then, think about it: 370 million yuan. What would the annual interest be? Even with 15 million yuan in revenue, we’d have to deduct depreciation and staff salaries. A net profit of 5 million yuan annually would already be great. Without considering interest losses, it would take 74 years to recoup the investment.”
The two girls’ pride was completely shattered, and now they were struck speechless, their faces pale and on the verge of tears. Seeing their expressions, Claire felt a little sympathy and asked Mu Lin, “So, what do you think we should do?”
Mu Lin replied, “Based on the data from these two plans, I’ve considered a solution—only by combining both plans can we find a feasible path forward.”
The two girls saw Claire stop Muling and made a triumphant face at him, sticking out their tongues. Muling, furious, was about to stand up again.
Claire said to the two girls, “Alright, Winnie, Jessie, stop fooling around. As senior executives of the company, you should remember the company’s core principles.” Hearing this, the two girls quickly composed themselves. They loved working here and didn’t want to leave, but they couldn’t help feeling angry at Muling—after all, he had treated them poorly from the start.
Now, seeing Claire slightly annoyed, as MBA-trained professionals, they immediately recalled that personal emotions shouldn’t interfere with work. They promptly apologized to Muling, “Sorry, boss! We shouldn’t have let our personal feelings affect our work.” Muling had been utterly confused by their behavior.
As a man, he still responded, “I also have my faults. Please forgive me!” Though in his mind, he thought, *What faults? Calling me a pervert? One day, I’ll show them what a real pervert looks like.* Getting back to business, they all sat down to discuss the issue.
Winnie, the administrative manager, proposed that instead of leaving the properties vacant and tying up company funds, the company should invest in renovating the houses and sell them at a higher price. She believed there was demand among the wealthy and had prepared a detailed proposal with all the necessary data. She handed the report to Muling.
Jessie, on the other hand, suggested renovating the properties and collaborating with the government to turn them into historical tourist attractions. Ticket sales could generate income while boosting the company’s reputation. Her proposal also included specific figures. After presenting their ideas, both women sat back, waiting for Muling’s response.
Muling asked them to wait briefly as he reviewed their reports. After flipping through them, he pondered for a moment.
Then he said, “According to your data, our European division currently owns 219 such villas, with renovation costs totaling 37.0465 million yuan—averaging 169,200 yuan per villa. That means the selling price must increase by at least that amount, pre-tax. Post-tax, it’s 208,400 yuan per villa. Currently, the average price of these villas is 624,600 yuan. Adding the renovation cost, the new price would be 833,000 yuan—and that’s without including company profits. Am I correct?”
The two girls had initially thought Muling was just skimming their reports, so they grew dismissive. But as he spoke, their expressions shifted. When Muling asked for confirmation, they realized he had noticed their earlier attitude and glared at him in annoyance. Muling ignored their looks, thinking, *As long as they’re convinced.*
Claire then urged, “Daniel, what’s your point?”
With a chuckle, Muling explained, “Based on their data, both proposals have flaws. In the current real estate market, a three-story property covering one hectare with 650 square meters of floor space sells for around 600,000 yuan. Adding 233,000 yuan—not even including property tax—would push the final price to 1.1 million yuan, 300,000 yuan more than a new property. How many buyers can afford that? Most wealthy individuals already own classical villas, and the middle class has limited purchasing power.”
Turning to Jessie’s proposal, he continued, “We’re a business, not a government welfare program. Under Jessie’s plan, assuming full government cooperation and all tour agencies complying, the total value of 219 villas would be around 185 million yuan. At 5 yuan per ticket, even with 10 million annual visitors—all visiting our villas—revenue would only be 50 million yuan. At 3 million visitors, it’s 15 million yuan.”
He asked Jessie, “You calculated based on this, right? But how can you guarantee even 3 million visitors? Our villas are old but lack historical significance or unique features. To attract tourists, we’d need additional investments, doubling the initial 185 million yuan to at least 370 million. With annual interest, depreciation, and salaries, net profit might only be 5 million yuan. Without accounting for interest, it’d take 74 years to break even.”
The two girls were thoroughly deflated, their faces pale and on the verge of tears. Claire, feeling sorry for them, asked Muling, “So, what do you suggest?”
Muling replied, “After analyzing both proposals, I believe combining them is the only viable solution.”
Seeing the girls listening intently, he smugly continued, “Here’s my plan: We renovate the villas to make them livable, increasing costs by about 10%, totaling around 200 million yuan. Legally, I’ll personally own them, separate from the company, but managed by us. This allows tax exemptions. Total cost: 250 million yuan. Then, we convert them into hotels, working with the government and travel agencies.”
“With 219 villas, we’d have 4,380 beds. At 40% occupancy, that’s 639,400 guests annually—excluding locals. Charging 100 yuan per night (budget hotel rates), gross revenue would be 64 million yuan. After expenses, net profit would be 40 million yuan. At this rate, we’d break even in seven years. After that, minimum annual profit would be 40 million yuan. What do you think, ladies?”
All three women stood up excitedly. Claire hugged Muling, exclaiming, “You’re the best!”—though she refrained from kissing him with others present. Muling then instructed them to apply the same approach to their American properties.
The execution details would be handled by Claire and the team, leaving Muling free. However, he insisted the properties be transferred to him first. With summer break approaching, he planned to inspect each villa before renovations—partly to avoid giving foreign governments any advantage. Though puzzled, Claire and the others complied.
As Muling left, the two girls looked at him with newfound admiration. *Who’s the real pervert now?* he thought smugly.
Back at school, Muling resumed his student life. With finals approaching, he focused on studying, aiming to earn enough credits to graduate in three majors this year and start graduate studies next.
One day in the library, he spotted the professor’s assistant searching for someone. Recognizing him, Muling stood and greeted him. The assistant whispered urgently that the professor wanted to see him in his office.
Having avoided the professor since the semester began—given his scheming nature—Muling was wary. But since the professor had summoned him, he packed his things, handing them to Kelly to take back to the dorm. Most people at the institute now knew who his “little brother” was.
The assistant, seeing Muling prepare to leave with Kelly, quietly clarified that the professor wanted to meet Muling alone. So Muling headed to the office alone.
When he entered, Professor Chris Landon was pacing anxiously—a rare sight for the elderly, tenured professor who now only led research projects and mentored Ph.D. students.
Muling hadn’t seen him since the semester started, and given the professor’s cunning ways, he preferred keeping his distance. Besides, he knew the professor was likely monitoring him anyway.
The total cost will eventually reach around 250 million yuan. Then we’ll contact the government and travel agencies to convert our villas into hotels. This way, the 219 villas in Europe will provide 4,380 beds. With an annual occupancy rate of 40%, there will be approximately 639,400 guests, not including local residents. At 100 yuan per person, which is the price of a low-end hotel, we could earn 64 million yuan annually in gross revenue. After deducting taxes and other expenses, we could still have 40 million yuan in annual income.
This is based on the lowest price point. At this rate, we could fully recover our costs in seven years. That means seven years from now, we could earn at least 40 million yuan annually. What do you think, ladies? Do you think this plan is feasible?” The three women finally stood up, excited.
Claire immediately hugged Mu Lin and said, “You’re the best!” This time, since there were others present, she didn’t kiss him. Finally, Mu Lin instructed them to handle the villas in the American continent the same way.
As for the specific implementation plan, Claire and her team would handle it, so Mu Lin didn’t need to worry about it. However, Mu Lin requested that the houses be transferred to his name first. Soon it would be summer vacation, and he planned to visit each villa for inspection before proceeding with renovations. This request mainly stemmed from Mu Lin’s habit of seeking bargains—he didn’t want to give foreign governments any advantage. Although Claire and the others didn’t fully understand this request, they still followed his instructions. As Mu Lin was leaving, the two girls looked at him with stars in their eyes, and Mu Lin thought to himself, “We’ll see who the real pervert is.”
Back at school, Mu Lin resumed his normal student life. The final exams were approaching quickly, and Mu Lin was preparing to study hard at the library to earn the credits for three majors all at once this semester, so he could graduate and start his postgraduate studies next year.
One day, while reading in the library, Mu Lin saw the professor’s assistant looking around, seemingly searching for someone. Recognizing him, Mu Lin stood up and greeted him. The assistant hurriedly whispered that the professor had something urgent to discuss with him and told him the professor was waiting in his office. During his time at school, Mu Lin hadn’t sought out the professor, nor had the professor approached him again. Now, hearing that the professor wanted to meet him, Mu Lin didn’t think much of it. He packed his belongings and handed them to Kelly, asking him to take them back to the dormitory. Most people in the college now knew who the “younger brother” was. Seeing Mu Lin hand his things to Kelly, the assistant assumed Mu Lin intended to bring Kelly along and quietly told him that the professor wanted a private meeting. So Mu Lin went to the professor’s office alone.
When Mu Lin met Professor Chris Landen, he found the professor pacing around the room, clearly in a state of great anxiety. Due to his advanced age, the professor, as a tenured faculty member, now only led a research group and supervised doctoral students, no longer teaching undergraduate courses. Thus, Mu Lin hadn’t seen him since the beginning of the semester. Moreover, the professor was known for his cunning and had always tried to set traps for Mu Lin, so it was better to avoid him. Besides, someone was always reporting Mu Lin’s every move to the professor anyway.
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