Chapter 544: A Way to Break the Stalemate?

"You don't plan to change the name?" Kong Baosheng asked in surprise.

When others bought shops, they couldn't wait to throw away everything from the previous failed shop, fearing that those things would bring bad luck. But Chen Ling spent two hundred thousand to buy the opera house, not only without making any renovations, but even keeping the original name... This left Kong Baosheng completely baffled.

"No need to change it. Changing the name would mean changing the plaque." Chen Ling made up a random excuse. "I only have two hundred thousand in total, and now I have no money to buy those things. Everything has to be kept simple... Besides, the original name is not bad, so let's keep using it."

Kong Baosheng scratched his head. Seeing how readily Chen Ling paid last night, he thought he was extremely wealthy. Now it seemed that Mr. Lin also had a hard life... He probably bet all his assets on this opera house.

"Then, then I'll go hang it up."

Kong Baosheng carefully cleaned the plaque and walked toward the door holding it. Just as he reached the door, three people walked in, almost colliding with him!

Kong Baosheng, carrying the plaque, subconsciously dodged to the side, lost his balance, and fell headlong to the ground.

"What the hell?"

The person outside was also startled by the huge plaque and exclaimed.

Chen Ling, who was drinking porridge, looked up and saw a figure in a purple shirt standing outside, followed by two tall, burly men in black suits who looked like bodyguards.

The figure in the purple shirt frowned, his gaze landing on Kong Baosheng, who had fallen to the ground, and he clicked his tongue.

"Kid, what's this? Not welcoming us?"

"Boss Li?" Kong Baosheng recognized the face, was stunned for a moment, and then, as if thinking of something, hurried to climb up from the ground.

"Not bad, it's quite clean." Boss Li’s gaze swept across the opera house, lingered briefly on Chen Ling, then shifted away indifferently. With his hands behind his back, he walked into the opera house with his two bodyguards and began to look around casually.

Seeming to sense Chen Ling’s puzzled gaze, Kong Baosheng hurried to Chen Ling’s side and whispered:

"This is the boss of the Great World Dance Hall diagonally across the street. His surname is Li. The person I told you about who was also looking at this opera house is him..."

Chen Ling remembered. Kong Baosheng had indeed said that last night, but at the time, he thought it was just a tactic the boy used to drive up the price, so he didn't think much of it.

"Mr. Lin, give me a moment, I will explain it clearly to him."

After saying that, Kong Baosheng took a deep breath and walked straight toward the three of them.

"But didn't I tell you? I want to open a record store here. You've cleaned it so well now, but it will still have to be torn down later." Boss Li patted the dilapidated stage and said with some disdain.

"Boss Li..."

"I've considered the price you mentioned last time. One hundred thousand is still too high. With this crappy location and crappy renovation, I'd have to tear everything down and rebuild it after buying it. The cost is too high... So, seventy or eighty thousand is the limit."

Boss Li waved his hand gently at the bodyguards behind him, and the latter immediately took out a stack of banknotes and threw them on the stage.

Seeing this, Kong Baosheng opened his mouth to say something, but Boss Li continued:

"I know you're selling the building to treat your grandmother, but she's almost dead. What's the point of throwing more money at her? I think you'd be better off keeping it for yourself. You're just a kid; seventy or eighty thousand is really not a small amount..."

Hearing this, Kong Baosheng’s gaze hardened, and he interrupted Boss Li in a deep voice:

"I'm sorry, Boss Li, this opera house has already been sold."

Boss Li was stunned, then sneered:

"Are you kidding me? With this crappy building of yours, who else would buy it besides me?"

"Someone bought it." Kong Baosheng didn't explain too much, just raised his hand to make a "please" gesture to the three of them. "In short, this opera house has changed owners and will not be sold again... Boss Li, please go back."

Boss Li’s eyes gradually narrowed. He stared at the boy’s face for a long time, then turned his gaze to the man by the table whom he had ignored.

"I thought he was some distant relative of yours... So, he's the one who bought the opera house?"

Kong Baosheng didn't want to drag Chen Ling into this. He took a step to the side to block Boss Li’s gaze and stubbornly continued to ask them to leave, but was pushed aside impatiently by Boss Li, who strode toward Chen Ling.

Boss Li dragged a stool, which made a creaking sound as it scraped across the floor, and finally slammed it down beside Chen Ling, sitting down unhurriedly...

"Brother, you look quite young... Which path are you from?" Boss Li asked, squinting.

"Does it have anything to do with you?"

"Heh heh, I'm just afraid of causing a misunderstanding... Let me introduce myself first. I am the nephew of Mu Chunsheng from the Beidou Consortium, and the boss of the Great World Dance Hall, Li Ruohong."

Beidou Consortium, Mu Chunsheng?

Hearing this name again after half a year, Chen Ling immediately recalled the old man who had been fawning over him in a wheelchair, and he glanced at Li Ruohong casually.

"Oh, so what?"

Li Ruohong looked at Chen Ling’s expressionless face and suddenly chuckled. "It seems you aren't one of my uncle's people, so that makes things easier... I brought seventy thousand in banknotes today. How about you sell me this opera house?"

"Sorry, this place is not for sale."

"Oh? Then what business do you plan to do after tearing this opera house down?"

"The same business as before."

"Still opening an opera house?" Li Ruohong laughed out loud, looking at Chen Ling as if he were looking at a fool. "Are you crazy, brother? Don't you see what this opera house looks like now? In this day and age, how many people are still willing to come and watch you guys sing and dance? Are you stupid or just have too much money?"

Chen Ling remained expressionless, his gaze toward Li Ruohong as calm as water. Their ways of thinking were simply not on the same level, and he couldn't be bothered to argue with such a person.

"If you don't sell me the opera house today, don't even think about doing business." Li Ruohong dropped the facade and smiled grimly. "Why don't you ask around and see who runs this street? As long as my Great World Dance Hall is still here, don't even think about opening your opera house. I guarantee you won't have a single customer!"

"That would be great."

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow. Just a moment ago, he was worried that after hanging up the plaque and opening for business, people would inevitably come to visit, and he would have to perform opera. He needed to find a way to resolve the casino dilemma; how would he have time to actually run an opera house... Li Ruohong’s threat was simply a godsend to him!

Li Ruohong was stunned. He seemed to be doubting what he had heard, but when he saw Chen Ling’s smiling face, he felt as if he had been looked down upon, and the anger in his heart burned instantly.

"Good... You don't believe me, right? You just wait! If this opera house of yours gets even one customer, I'll take your damn last name!"

Li Ruohong slammed the table, glared fiercely at Chen Ling, and turned to walk out of the opera house, his two bodyguards following closely behind.

The opera house fell into a deathly silence.

Kong Baosheng’s face turned pale, as if he had been frightened by this scene. He looked at Chen Ling anxiously.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, I'm really sorry... It's my fault for not handling it well. Please give me a little more time, I will definitely explain it to Boss Li, I..."

"No, no need."

Chen Ling patted him on the shoulder. "You did well, kid."

After saying that, under Kong Baosheng’s stunned gaze, Chen Ling walked straight to the second floor and came unhurriedly to the railing facing the street.

His gaze first swept over the police officers monitoring the casino, then looked at the three people walking back angrily to the dance hall across the street. The casino and the dance hall, which were extremely close, were both reflected in Chen Ling’s pupils, and an idea gradually emerged in his mind...

The corners of Chen Ling’s mouth curled up involuntarily.

Casino, dance hall, Twilight Society, police officers...

"I think I know how to resolve this dilemma..." Chen Ling stood on the second floor of the opera house, overlooking the street below. He unhurriedly took out paper and pen from his pocket, like a director about to stage a play, and began to write slowly.