Thus, Zhao Qian.

This was a side of Zhao Jiwei he had never seen before.

For a moment, this wealthy heir, set to inherit billions, found himself stunned once more.

His father's solemn tone, that earnest expression—

It completely upended his perception of his father, whom he had always regarded as a tycoon with a haughty attitude.

In Zhao Jiwei's memory, his father rarely showed humility.

Only in the presence of respected elders would he restrain himself.

Only when educating Zhao Jiwei would he shed that arrogant demeanor that often irritated him.

But whether it was restraint or humility, neither resembled the tone and expression he was seeing now.

This was the first time Zhao Jiwei had ever witnessed this side of his father.

That one sentence—"I just want Jiwei to go further"—

It made Zhao Jiwei's eyes sting with emotion.

As for Ye Chen,

He, too, was surprised by Zhao Qian's words.

But more than anything, he felt a twinge of sorrow at the display of boundless paternal love.

Fatherly love—

For an orphan, these two words carried immense weight.

Having lived two lifetimes, in his past life Ye Chen lived to the age of 89, yet even on his deathbed, he knew nothing about his origins.

He had tried to search, dedicating years and effort, but ultimately found nothing.

All he knew was that he had been left at the doorstep of an orphanage as a baby.

He spent over ten years there.

Even the name "Ye Chen" had been given to him by the orphanage director.

In the past, he had resented his parents, questioning why they abandoned him.

But when Ye Youyou was born, that resentment faded. After achieving success, he searched fervently.

His change in mindset made him believe that only desperation could drive someone to leave their child at an orphanage.

However, despite searching for over twenty years, starting in his thirties, he found nothing.

The only thing he encountered were imposters looking to take advantage of the situation.

"Xiao Ye?"

"Xiao Ye?"

Seeing Ye Chen lost in thought, Zhao Qian called out in surprise.

"Hmm."

Ye Chen snapped back to reality. "Uncle Zhao, sorry, I zoned out!"

"My earlier words...?" Zhao Qian hesitated.

"I heard everything," Ye Chen replied with a smile.

"What do you think?" Zhao Qian asked directly.

"Uncle Zhao, let me put it this way— I don't have many friends, and even fewer that I truly consider close. The ones I can open up to—Jingshan, Changfeng, and Jiwei—are the few. Does that ease your mind?" Ye Chen said seriously.

"Yes, yes it does!" Zhao Qian's solemn face lit up with a grin.

Then, as if returning to his usual tycoon persona, he asked, "Xiao Ye, do you have any plans for the next step? I doubt 'Yi Ren Ru Xue' alone will satisfy you, right?"

Ye Chen chuckled, "Right, one 'Yi Ren Ru Xue' isn't enough for me."

"Oh? Care to share?" Zhao Qian's eyes lit up.

He wasn't foolish—Ye Chen's words hinted at a plan.

Sure enough—

Ye Chen responded directly, "Real estate."

"Real estate?"

Both Zhao Qian and Zhang Xingguo widened their eyes.

"Xiao Ye, isn't the real estate market declining? In the past, the industry ballooned to boost the economy, but this created a housing bubble that impacted livelihoods. Now, with the economy stabilized, the government is regulating to prevent further inflation while avoiding a crash. Under such conditions, is entering real estate a good idea?" Zhang Xingguo, who had spent decades in construction, asked skeptically.

He doubted Ye Chen was unaware of this.

Given Ye Chen's foresight and analytical prowess—admired even by elder Zhao—there was no way he overlooked such an obvious issue.

So why real estate?

Zhao Qian stayed silent, clearly sharing the same thoughts.

Over the years, he had invested in several real estate companies.

In Jinxi, most of the prominent real estate firms had Zhao Qian's backing.

But recently, he had sensed the downturn—he was even preparing to withdraw.

Yet here Ye Chen was, talking about real estate, leaving Zhao Qian puzzled.

Ye Chen noticed their reactions and smiled.

"Uncle Zhang, you're right. The golden age of real estate is over, especially with major brands now targeting lower-tier markets. But I'm not aiming for mass-market housing—I'm targeting luxury residential areas and high-end villas. That's my plan, and I'm confident it'll work. China isn't short on wealthy individuals, especially in top-tier cities. There's no shortage of people willing to spend extravagantly. And I know how to get them to buy in."

"Hmm?"

"Luxury residential areas and villas?"

"But those are already abundant in China's top cities! The issue isn't supply—it's buyers."

China may have wealthy people, but those willing to spend tens of millions on property are limited.

Especially now, with the speculative market cooling, fewer people are making such purchases.

Zhang Xingguo simply didn't see potential in real estate anymore.

But what he didn't know—

Once advanced designs, concepts, and layouts emerged, demand would follow.

Ye Chen had witnessed this in his previous life.

Even as the housing bubble deflated, real estate never truly collapsed.

The bubble only kept speculators out, returning housing prices to a rational state.

In this environment, luxury brands shifted their focus to high-end properties. Despite exorbitant prices, they remained in demand.

These brands thrived, profiting immensely.

Ye Chen, possessing future design concepts and strategies, knew exactly how to attract wealthy buyers.

"Xiao Ye, you've thought this through?" Zhao Qian asked.

"Yes. I'm entering real estate, and it'll be soon," Ye Chen affirmed.

He glanced at Zhao Jiwei, "Jiwei, interested?"