Chapter 65: Signing the Contract

Yu Mei led the three of them into the reception room, instructing her staff to print out the contracts, while she personally brewed a cup of coffee for each of them. The porcelain cups landed on the tabletop with a crisp clink.

The contracts were soon prepared. Smiling, Yu Mei handed one to Xiao Kaitian. “Normally, the minimum lease term is one year. What do you think…”

“That’s fine,” Xiao Kaitian picked up his coffee and sniffed it. From the aroma, he could tell these weren’t premium beans, but as far as daily hospitality went, it was already quite good. He took a sip. “Does your company also handle interior decoration and equipment?”

“Typically, clients arrange that themselves,” Yu Mei’s eyes lit up again. They did, of course, have affiliated design and renovation firms, but the price was higher; most clients preferred to find their own contractors. “Are you hoping we’ll take care of the renovations as well?”

“Yes.” Xiao Kaitian wasn’t naive—he knew this might not be the most economical choice. But he didn’t have anyone on his team yet, and couldn’t spare the time or energy to manage it independently. He might as well make good use of Yu Mei’s resources. “Mainly, it’s the meeting rooms. First, I need a microphone installed at every seat, so that everyone can be heard clearly when speaking.”

“A simple personal amplifier would do,” Chen Jingming muttered, feeling a twist of pain at the thought. Just installing all those microphones would be a hefty expense.

“The sound quality isn’t good enough,” Xiao Kaitian, for once, replied. “I’ll also need surveillance equipment, and recording devices to ensure the entire meeting process is fully captured.”

Chen Jingming turned away, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Poor sound quality—what did he think this was, a concert?

“And there will need to be speaking buttons on the tables, with each seat clearly numbered. Can your company handle all that?” Xiao Kaitian pushed his coffee aside and looked at Yu Mei.

Yu Mei swallowed hard, feeling a little weak in the knees. “Are you planning to turn the whole room into a space for formal discussions and speeches?”

“Like a United Nations conference hall, maybe even with simultaneous interpretation,” Chen Jingming added dryly.

“Excellent,” Xiao Kaitian nodded, genuinely pleased with the suggestion. “That’s something I overlooked. There may be foreign participants in the future, so please take that into account when handling the audio wiring. Can you do that?”

“Of course, that’s no problem. It’s just the cost…” Yu Mei frowned. The technical side wasn’t an issue; as always, it came down to funding. With enough money, they could build a UN conference center if he wanted.

“Let’s sign, then.” Xiao Kaitian flexed his wrist, glancing at the Patek Philippe on his arm. “Let’s sign for one year first. I’ll see how things go this year, and if all’s well, I’ll commit to a ten-year contract in one go.”

A major client—definitely a major client. Easy to deal with, incredibly so, but there was something almost foolish about his straightforwardness. Yu Mei’s mind raced. She had seen thousands of clients, but never one quite like Xiao Kaitian, who treated money as if it were nothing.

Chen Jingming clenched his jaw, regretting his decision to come along. Watching Xiao Kaitian spend money like water, he was reminded of the man’s prodigal tendencies, and felt a pang of regret.

The contract was signed under Lin Xiang’s name, since Qixi Media Consulting hadn’t completed its registration. Xiao Kaitian always intended for Lin Xiang to be the public face.

Including the rent and deposit, nearly five million was transferred, with an additional two million paid for renovations. Chen Jingming’s eyelid twitched at the thought—so much money! Xiao Kaitian, however, said nothing, only urging them to move quickly.

Yu Mei hurried to assure him, patting her chest in promise, then asked, “Would you require martial arts security? Our company also offers that service, with contracts with several sects.”

“Martial arts security?” Xiao Kaitian paused. He wasn’t familiar with the martial arts scene in Han and Tang. He considered for a moment, “What’s the cost?”

“That depends on the level of protection you require, anywhere from several million to tens of millions,” Yu Mei replied cheerfully. “If you want someone with greater prestige, it’s more complicated and takes time to arrange, so pre-booking is required.”

Xiao Kaitian raised an eyebrow, surprised at how lucrative martial arts could be in Han and Tang. But the price was steep, and he didn’t have much extra capital. Besides, if trouble really came, his experience in Japan told him he could handle it.

He politely declined Yu Mei’s offer, leaving Lin Xiang to coordinate with her. Chen Jingming insisted on staying as well—not that he was especially useful, but all the remaining company funds were with Lin Xiang, and he wanted to keep a close eye on things, lest they squander everything in another reckless move.

With the matter of the company’s location settled, Xiao Kaitian left and hailed a taxi to his alma mater, Zhendan University’s library. As one of the leading universities in Han and Tang, its collection was truly vast.

Though the modern world thrived on digital information, not every book could be found online—especially rare or specialized works, which could only be unearthed in such libraries.

Upon arrival, Xiao Kaitian first turned to this world’s great encyclopedias. He needed to understand more about this world’s dimensions. There were thousands of such reference books; he selected a dozen or so, stacked them into a thick pile, found a quiet corner, and began to read.

In truth, it was less reading than using his divine source to stimulate his brain and eyes for rapid scanning and memory. He would flip through each book at speed, his eyes sweeping over the pages like scanners, absorbing all the text and images into his mind for storage and digestion.

Of course, he could have simply wrapped the books in his divine source and extracted the information directly, but such behavior would have been shocking in a public place.

Considering his physical structure and current abilities, he also couldn’t disregard the burden on his brain entirely. Even so, his speed in absorbing knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary people.

The preliminary work for Qixi Media Consulting had already begun. At the same time, he instructed Lin Xiang to start the recruitment process. Lin Xiang was only a nominal general manager—his abilities were lacking, and he would need a competent deputy to handle daily operations.

Xiao Kaitian’s instructions to Lin Xiang were clear: this person must be female, and not just any woman, but a beautiful one—stunningly beautiful, in fact. Experience and ability were not required; ideally, she should be a recent graduate.

Lin Xiang took the message in stride, but Chen Jingming couldn’t help but rub his forehead. Ling Xuan pursed her lips—he wanted a beautiful woman; wasn’t she one herself? Why not put her in the role? She even came with her own popularity.

She hinted as much to Xiao Kaitian, but he refused. Ling Xuan was a celebrity, with popularity and charisma, but what he wanted was a forum for discussion, not a gathering of fans.

Hearing his explanation, Ling Xuan’s lips twitched. So what he was really looking for was a beautiful young professor as a figurehead? But then why must she be a recent graduate? Unable to make sense of it, she simply gave up thinking.

Yet Xiao Kaitian seemed to attach great importance to this selection. Ling Xuan would soon be off filming anyway, and as for this person he sought—there were clearly thoughts in his mind that he kept to himself.