Reborn as a high school freshman with an awakened system, a fat boy transforms into a male god.

June 6th, Saturday morning.

Lin Bei arrived at Yunqi Villa twenty minutes earlier than the agreed time.

Before he even reached the door, the security guard waved to him from afar: "Student Lin, you've arrived. The old man is in excellent spirits today; he got up very early this morning."

Lin Bei thanked him and walked along the familiar stone path.

The door to Villa No. 8 was not closed properly, leaving a crack.

Just as Lin Bei was about to knock on the door, he heard voices coming from inside.

"Did you see yesterday's announcement?" It was Grandpa Shen's voice, unhurried and calm.

"I've seen it," came Shen Wancheng's voice.

Lin Bei's hand froze in mid-air.

He wasn't intentionally eavesdropping, but knocking at this moment would only interrupt them. He stood outside the door, deciding to wait until they finished speaking.

"That area in the south of the city, south of Zhongshan Road and east of Yanjiang East Road." Grandpa Shen paused, seemingly recalling the contents of the announcement, "Liudi Lane, Zhifang Lane, Tongbai Lane... they're all included. It's quite an area."

"Hmm, the action was faster than expected." Shen Wancheng's voice was flat and indifferent, revealing no emotion.

What do you think?

"It all depends on how the demolition is carried out. Whether it's monetary compensation or resettlement, and how much the compensation will be, are all unknown right now. However, that location is good; it's by the river and close to the city center, so developers are scrambling to get the land that's cleared out."

He paused for a moment, then the chess piece landed on the board with a crisp "snap".

"Any news from your side?" Grandpa Shen asked.

"Yes, there is," Shen Wancheng's voice remained calm, "but the announcement has just come out, and the details haven't been finalized yet. Rushing in now could easily lead to pitfalls. We'll wait until the details are finalized before deciding how to proceed."

Lin Bei stood outside the door.

Their conversation was exactly what he expected. The old city area in the south of the city was to be demolished, one of Jiangcheng's biggest urban construction projects this year, and everyone with even a little bit of influence was paying attention. As one of the top three entrepreneurs in Jiangcheng, it was perfectly normal for Shen Wancheng to have opinions and information about this matter.

However, these developers acquiring land, developing, and participating in redevelopment have nothing to do with him. His six apartments lie there quietly, waiting for the announcement to take effect, for the appraisal to be conducted, and for the compensation to arrive in his account.

What business is a mere high school student like him getting involved in "land acquisition and development"? Making a fortune quietly is the right thing to do.

Lin Bei took a half step back, making his footsteps heavier, and then raised his hand to knock on the door frame.

"Grandpa Shen?"

The door was suddenly pulled open. The old man stood in the entryway, a smile on his face.

"Kobayashi, you're here? Come in, come in quickly, the tea is just brewed."

Lin Bei changed his shoes and walked into the living room.

Shen Wancheng sat on the sofa, the red and black sides having already made about ten moves on the chessboard in front of him. He was wearing a dark blue polo shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking more casual than last time. Seeing Lin Bei, he nodded slightly, the habitual smile still on his lips.

"Hello, Uncle Shen," Lin Bei greeted him.

"Sit down." Shen Wancheng pointed to the sofa opposite him.

Lin Bei sat down opposite Shen Wancheng. The old man returned to the chessboard, picked up a piece, but didn't put it down. He glanced at Lin Bei first, then smiled and said:

"Xiao Lin, you've come at the right time. I've been playing with your Uncle Shen all morning, and I haven't won a single game. Can you help me figure out what move to make?"

Lin Bei glanced down at the chessboard.

The red side is Shen Wancheng, and the black side is Laoren. The position is not complicated; the middlegame has just passed, and both sides still have all their pieces. Laoren's black side has a slight advantage, with an extra pawn that has crossed the river, but Shen Wancheng's red side is in a better position, with his chariot on the flank and his horse leaping over the river.

Lin Bei watched for a while, then pointed to a position on the red side of the chessboard.

"Grandpa Shen, you can put the cannon here."

The old man glanced down, frowned, and said, "Put it here? Isn't that giving it to him to eat?"

"He dares not eat it," Lin Bei said. "Your carriage is waiting there. If he eats it, your carriage will go down, and his horse will be lost. After losing the horse, he won't be able to keep his carriage either."

The old man's eyes slowly brightened.

He glanced at Lin Bei, then at his son.

Shen Wancheng leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed, his expression unchanged, but his gaze shifted from the chessboard to Lin Bei and paused for a moment.

"Has Xiaolin been learning Go lately?" Shen Wancheng asked.

"I'm looking at chess scores," Lin Bei said. "I've just read a few dozen games from 'Suitable for Elegant Pursuits'."

Shen Wancheng nodded and said nothing more.

The old man followed Lin Bei's instructions and took the cannon step. Shen Wancheng frowned slightly, clearly this move had disrupted some of his plans. He thought for a moment, then took the horse step.

The game continues.

Lin Bei sat beside him, watching quietly.

He didn't speak again, only occasionally picking up his teacup to take a sip. The tea was this year's Longjing; the leaves unfurled in the glass, the liquor was clear, and it had a faint bean aroma.

He silently tasted it in his mind, then admitted... he couldn't taste anything special. The difference between Longjing tea and Master Kong green tea is probably that one is hot and the other is iced.

But he felt that this didn't stop him from drinking. If it tasted good, it tasted good; he didn't need to know why.

Besides, talking about chess too much gets tiresome. He only speaks when the old man needs a reminder. As long as the old man is happy, that's enough. What Shen Wancheng thinks is unimportant. He's just a high school student who came to play chess with the old man.

The game of chess lasted nearly forty minutes.

In the end, the old man won. He won by two pieces.

Shen Wancheng picked up the overturned general and put it back in the chess box.

The old man picked up his teacup and took a sip, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at Lin Bei.

"By the way, Xiaolin, don't you live in the south of the city? You know the old town there is going to be demolished, right?"

"I know, the announcement was released yesterday." Lin Bei paused, as if speaking casually, "However, the area where I live isn't in the old city, so it wasn't included. It's areas like Liudi Lane and Zhifang Lane that were included. The compensation details haven't been released yet; everyone's guessing."

Shen Wancheng glanced at him but didn't say anything.

But the old man retorted, "You seem to know everything."

"We live close by, and all the neighbors are talking about it," Lin Bei said with a smile.

Shen Wancheng leaned back on the sofa and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the armrest.

"So what do you think? What impact will the demolition in the southern part of the city have on housing prices in Jiangcheng?"

Lin Bei put down the teacup, his fingers lingering on the rim for a moment.

He quickly went over Shen Wancheng's words in his mind three times.

This is not just idle chatter.

Who is Shen Wancheng? He's one of the top three entrepreneurs in Jiangcheng, and the head of the Shen Group. He asked a sixteen-year-old high school student his opinion on housing prices, not because he actually needed an answer, but because he wanted to see how the student would respond.

Lin Bei thought for a moment.

"Prices will likely rise, but not now," he said. "The announcement just came out, and the details haven't been finalized yet, so most people are still waiting and seeing. Things will only really start moving once the compensation standards are finalized and the money reaches the people."

Shen Wancheng looked at him without saying a word.

"Moreover," Lin Bei paused, "this time the demolition is in the southern part of the city, not the city center. Housing prices in the city center might rise a little, but not by much. The real increase will likely be in the areas where the relocated residents buy houses after receiving their compensation. The newly developed properties in the eastern and northern parts of the city, with reasonable prices and not far from the demolition area, should benefit the most."

The living room fell silent for a moment.

The old man's chess piece stopped in mid-air, glancing at Lin Bei and then at his son.

Shen Wancheng's expression remained unchanged, but he leaned back on the sofa a little slower than before.

He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then put it down.

"You're...sixteen this year?"

"sixteen."

"Did you come up with these ideas yourself, or did you hear them from others?"

"It was my own idea," he said. "I live on the south side of the city, and I've been to that old town area many times. Before the announcement, there were rumors that it might be demolished, so I kept an eye out for it."

He was telling the truth. He just omitted some key information. For example, he had already bought six houses there, and he knew all along that the area was going to be demolished.

Shen Wancheng looked at him for two seconds.

Then he nodded, didn't mention the house price again, and rearranged the chess pieces.

"Xiao Lin, shall we play a game?" Grandpa Shen asked Lin Bei.

"Okay," Lin Bei said.