T/N: There may be minor issues along the way due to how Chinese works (e.g., pronouns/ descriptors works differently or are missing). I will do my best to avoid interpreting/ changing too much. (；・∀ ・)
Thank you for understanding! (シ_ _ )シ
Heir Selection
On a private plane's sofa, Qing Qin is relaxing to the piano's stream-like sound.
A group of musicians carefully playing the piano in front of him, and behind him are a row of cheerful servants and a cart loaded with refreshments.
Through the viewport, he could see the wide ocean in the distance as well as the enormous green fields and crystal lakes below.
Huge and magnificent structures in the style of ancient Greek architecture are arranged like a chessboard inside the lake's arms and lush pastures.
An unprecedented level of sobriety is reached by Qing Qin as he becomes aware that he has transmigrated into the book. The recollection of the original owner rushed into his consciousness, recalling the various distinctions between his experience and this reality.
Although the date on his phone still reads January 28, 2009, he had already transmigrated into a completely new universe.
This book is a feel-good story without a cp.
Lou Junhao, the male lead, is a typical Long Ao Tian [1]. Three years of forbearance before making a triumphant comeback as a king to take over the family business, ruling the market, and excels at face-slapping. Due to his impressive advancement, he even topped the Forbes Rich List while leading the Lou Clan Conglomerate to the top of the real estate industry.
Qing Qin, on the other hand, serves as background cannon fodder.
He jumped to become the richest man after passing a series of exams and outlasting a bunch of other candidates to take over as the Qing Clan Conglomerate's official leader.
After inheriting the family business, this person was inspired to move in a new direction towards new energy; a slap on the head is a creative idea. However, his directives resulted in the "8.21" explosion, which caused close to 1,000 casualties and hundreds of billions in damage to property.
Naturally, this ignorant and haughty weak creature took the brunt of the criticism, was imprisoned with a bad reputation, and, at the age of 32, died of depression.
The surviving Qing's group was also shared between several businesses under the Lou clan, hastening Lou Junhao's rise to the top spot in terms of wealth.
Now, Qing Qin will soon receive an invitation from the richest man to participate in the initial heir selection process.
After touching down, the plane made its way to the runway. The attendants surrounded Qing Qin as he rode the escalator.
With the waves rush against the cliff in the background, it became an organic powerful BGM.
“Mr. Qing Qin, this way please.” With a straight back and carefully styled gray hair, the butler bowed gently.
“Okay.”
The butler then stood up straight before taking a look at the hundredth contestant.
A man in his early twenties with long hair pulled back into a ponytail and his face mostly hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses. His slim waist and lengthy legs highlighted by a black suit.
Without showing any signs of nervousness, Qing Qin looked around, before taking off his sunglasses and passing them to the servant, and displayed his angular, pointed brows — the demeanor someone who has been raised by their family with tens of thousands of dollars.
The butler then led Qing Qin to the mansion in front of him.
The white jade-covered electric suspension bridge pierced the lake that surrounded the mansion. And a red carpet was spread out along the street, with roughly 30 bodyguards stationed on either side in all-black attire. They had their hands clasped behind their backs and were not smiling.
The door with the carved figures opened for Qing Qin as he passed past the triangular lintel supported by the Greek column, allowing him to see the magnificent interior.
The hallway inside the gate features clear gilded glass doors, million-dollar paintings, and crystal chandeliers. Along the way, Qing Qin passed at least two swimming pools, indoor beaches, golf courses, three multimedia rooms, and a private library.
Thank goodness, the physique of his body gets enough exercise.
After more than 30 minutes, Qing Qin eventually reached the depths of this cave filled of riches.
In the dining area, there are no lights except for the candles' yellowish glow.
Without delay, the host had set up a round mahogany table, having only one basket of steamed dumplings and two bowls of white porridge.
"I assume you haven't eaten yet. Take a seat, eat, and listen." Without raising his head, the elderly guy with silver hair greeted him with familiarity.
He had a gold-thread-inlaid emerald thumb ring on his aged hands, and was dressed in a black and red Tang suit.
In spite of the fact that the style is obviously inappropriate for this estate, it also seems to work.
Qing Qin politely sat on the mahogany high-back chair with a straight back and sipped on his porridge.
The housekeeper started the introduction while the servant next to him holds a contract in both hands: "Mr. Qing has no heirs in his life, so he will be choosing 108 individuals from among the thousands of people he sponsored to take part in this successor selection as adoptive sons.
All contestants are required to keep the selection process' details private, and none may reveal them to receive external help. Since the participants' list is kept a secret, you will not often be aware of your opponents' identities.
You will receive the same amount of money for each round of the selecting process. After functioning for six to twelve months, someone will compute your entire assets and rank them.
The selection process will be immediately terminated for anyone who broke the law or committed zero, or even negative, assets. If there are more than half of the initial number of candidates remaining after this round, the last-place elimination system will happen and applicants who scored below the median will be disqualified.
The reason for elimination of each round will be revealed, and hope the competitors be warned.
After up to six rounds of selection, the ultimate victor will receive all of Mr. Qing's businesses, including Qing's Food, Qing's Real Estate, Qing's Technology, and dozens of other firms with a combined market worth of hundreds of billions.
Have you made up your mind to participate in this audition, Mr. Qing Qin?”
Capital 108 [2], you affluent people really know how to play.
Qing Qin gently put down his chopsticks and took a sip of lemonade, saying, "Sounds tempting, but I refuse."
The audience abruptly grew extremely silent as the speaker faltered.
Even though they are skilled service personnel, their mouths still fell when they heard this. Qing Qin was the only applicant who declined without hesitation out of the 100 that entered and exited the building today.
That is the inheritance of the five main groupings, worth trillions in total!
That is the position of the world's richest person!
No one knows better than them what kind of wealth the owner of all this has, so they are even more surprised - this kid has no idea what he refuses, right?
Only Mr. Qing's demeanor remained unchanged. "Eat first, we'll chat afterwards," he said as he collected a piece of steaming dumpling and dunked it in vinegar.
Qing Qin nodded before slowly finishing the food.
The servants next to them handed them white towels and rinse cups so they could clean their hands and mouths.
"You are the very first. Let's go and speak." Mr. Qing finished his cleanup and got up while holding his cane. The housekeeper who was standing by his side moved forward to clad him in an orangey red coat.
After getting up, Qing Qin followed him out the door and down the stone pathway, passing the squash court and helipad along the way.
Mr. Qing remarked, "I recall that Qing Qin is an excellent boy.”
The housekeeper lowered her head: "Qing Qin, 22-year-old man with male sexual preference, enrolled in the Qing's training program when he was just five years old. He just received a double degree in finance and art from Kyoto University.
He has excelled academically since he was young and won various awards. He is entirely qualified to be a candidate."
"This type of achievement is not unique to me." Before transmigrating here, Qing Qin was only a salted fish; how could he have the talent?
Mr. Qing was non-committal when he and Qing Qin came to a stop in front of a still lake.
The lake was covered with algae and had a few floating knots of dead wood.
"So, how much did the Qing family spend on his training?"
"Mr. Qing Qin has always been a training focus for S-level. The yearly budget for clothing and food is five million. A total of 85 million have been spent as of now."
You folks really bare to invest, thought Qing Qin, as he studied the Rolex and high-end suit on his body. "I will work to pay off the debt."
"Debt repayment?" Mr. Qing laughed briefly, "Child, money is not easy to obtain in this world."
A muffled wail was accompanied by the sound of slipping wheels.
When Qing Qin turned sideways to look, he saw a crimson velvet cart being pushed by three individuals to them.
Mr. Qing raised his hand.
When the red fabric was removed, a calf that was seven or eight months old was seen below. It was helplessly chained and is struggling on the cart with an apple is stuffed in its mouth.
Mr. Qing lowered his hand.
As the calf struggled, one of the people pushing the cart carried its upper limbs while the other carried its bottom limbs and flung it into the lake.
Water sprayed all everywhere, and a few of the dead wood opened a pair of gloomy eyes.
Crocodiles.
Qing Qin was then shielded by the black-clad bodyguards from left to right to keep him from being traumatized by the gruesome sights.
Nevertheless, a chill ran down Qing Qin's spine as he inhaled the bloody odor and listened to the cries of gnawing and anguish.
He could picture the horrifying predation that lay ahead.
The voice of Mr. Qing could be heard nearby "Clause 13 of Article 8 of the training contract states that you must always abide by Qing's work arrangements. Including, only being hired after passing the test, or as a crocodile keeper with an annual salary of five million yuan, yes?"
Qing Qin sucked his saliva and braced his quivering palms.
Only a slight pink was seen on the sea when the bodyguards moved back to their previous places.
The dead wood continued to be silent.
Mr. Qing turned to face the energetic and young contender.
His rarely rounded long, narrow eyes were accompanied by a half-gone aura that revealed worry and perplexity.
The unpleasant taste of Mr. Qing was duly appeased. "There are no cowards in our Qing family who run away without a fight, but then again, I'm not a demon either. If you refuse, it is just feeding the crocodile," he said as he grabbed a hold of the contract and handed it to Qing Qin.
Please be more specific; are you saying to feed me to the crocodile or am I to feed the crocodile?
Qing Qin, "What if I lose the heir selection?"
“Hahahaha,” Mr. Qing chuckled a few times, "The debt will then be canceled off, with a check of ten million yuan given."
The eyes of Qing Qin glowed.
Ten million dollars is enough to put him at peace and keep him off the cannon fodder track.
Okay; if I have one million, I lose one million; if I have ten million, I lose ten million! I am a dog if I do not lose the game!
“Of course, you can't purposefully lose the game, engage in criminal activity, and use the game funds for your own amusement,” said Mr. Qing, leaning on his cane.
"How should this be defined?" Quickly regaining composure, Qing Qin addressed Mr. Qing directly.
“It's quite easy,” Mr. Qing said as he stroked the back of his palm.
The two stunning women in suits, who resembled one another identically, emerged holding a folder.
“Given your sexual orientation, we have two female auditors, a part-time accountant, and a personal assistant ready,” the housekeeper stated.
The stunning twin sisters nodded, and the one on the left was the first to introduce herself: "My name is Meng Yao, she is Meng Tiao, and I'm delighted to be working with you."
Qing Qin looked at the obstacle standing in the way of his family's future achievement and smiled politely, "Happy cooperation."
He took up the pen and signed the document with his name.
Uninhibited and calm. [3]
"There will be time for you guys to understand one another in the future, but for now, we will move forward with our journey." After giving a handclap, the butler ushered them into a black velvet Ferrari.
He is seated across from Qing Qin, and holding a tablet with pages and pages of report: "The first round of competition will last six months, starting today and ending on July 28. Mr. Qing Qin, you must now go gather the resources for the first round.”
"Each contender will receive a small company with a maximum asset value of $3,000 and an initial capital of $2,000." The steward introduced, projecting the list of companies on the table, "You can start to choose."
Qing Qin skimmed the list of companies at a quick glance, letting innumerable flashes of light and darkness pass through his vision before settling on one whose financial statement might be considered to be rather poor.
"That's it." He settled with that.
The butler smiled as he looked over the particulars of the business. His smile froze a little even though he had dealt with this procedure numerous times before and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Of course, I enjoy things that are challenging." Qing Qin folded his long legs, leaned back, and gave a casual grin.
Notes:
[1] Online slang for characters that are super strong from the beginning, not needing to put in much effort and brain to destroy those that stand in their way.
[2] Reference to Produce 101
[3] “骨气洞达，潇洒疏朗。”