Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Spending Money Like Crazy

Zhang Yi left his address, instructing the Haidilao staff to deliver the hot pot base ingredients later. As for other food ingredients, they could be taken directly from Walmart's warehouse when needed. The hot pot base, however, wasn't something typically sold in large quantities. Even though packaged versions of the hot pot base were available in stores, they were far inferior to the ones served in the restaurant. If they were the same, people wouldn't bother going to the restaurant. After finishing his meal, Zhang Yi was about to head home when he received a call from the manager of a five-star hotel. "Mr. Zhang, the 500 banquet tables you ordered are ready. Are you available to receive them now?" "Yes, you can send them over," Zhang Yi replied. When he arrived home, he waited for them to deliver all the food and drinks. Those 500 banquet tables would be enough to last him two or three years. With eight or nine million still left in his account, Zhang Yi wasn't worried about spending money; in fact, he was eager to spend it all. On his way home, Zhang Yi pondered what other favorite foods he might want. He ended up placing orders with several well-known restaurants in Tianhai City, asking each of them to deliver 100 banquet tables. He ordered thousands of tables from the eight major Chinese cuisines, as well as Western cuisine, effectively covering his food needs for the next few decades. Soon, a large convoy of delivery trucks from Hongfu Tianxia Hotel arrived at the gate of Yue Lu Residential Complex. With a fleet of 20 to 30 vehicles blocking the road, all the neighbors were shocked. The security guard, Uncle You, hurried over to stop them, asking what they were doing. The hotel manager explained the situation, but Uncle You insisted on calling the homeowner before opening the gate. After all, such a large convoy could be carrying anything, and for the sake of the community's safety, he couldn't let them in without confirmation. The hotel manager had no choice but to call Zhang Yi, who then came downstairs to the gate. By this time, a crowd had gathered at the entrance, including neighbors from his building and some curious onlookers like Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining. Zhang Yi walked over to Uncle You and smiled. "Uncle You, they're delivering some food for me. Let them in." Uncle You was stunned. "Delivering food? What kind of food requires a dozen trucks?" The neighbors overheard this and started buzzing with excitement. "Wow, that must be at least a few hundred banquet tables!" "Is Zhang Yi hosting a banquet at home?" "Could it be that he's getting married? But hundreds of tables is over the top!" "Look closely—that's Hongfu Tianxia, a five-star hotel!" "Ordering a few hundred tables from there would easily cost over a million!" "My goodness, spending over a million on a banquet? Zhang Yi has really been keeping a low profile!" "I always knew his family had some wealth, but now it seems he might be a big-time tycoon!" The neighbors were full of chatter, their gazes at Zhang Yi filled with awe and a hint of respect. Watching from the sidelines, Fang Yuqing bit her lip, solidifying her determination to win Zhang Yi over. She confidently walked toward him and smiled, "Zhang Yi, what's been keeping you so busy at home lately? You've bought so much stuff." Zhang Yi ignored her and instead handed a cigarette to Uncle You. Seeing that the homeowner had arrived, Uncle You opened the gate and allowed the Hongfu Tianxia convoy to enter the complex. Zhang Yi led the way, and while he didn't engage Fang Yuqing in conversation, she followed him, chatting away as if unbothered by his lack of response. "Why didn't you tell me what's going on at home? Aren't we good friends?" "Going forward, I hope to get to know you better. Don't treat me like an outsider," she said with a grin. Zhang Yi glanced at her, smirked, and said coldly, "These things I'm buying are for my boss. Even the Western restaurant dinner we had last time was paid for by him." He sighed dramatically, "Ah, if only I were that rich." Fang Yuqing's face instantly darkened. "You... you're not joking, are you?" Zhang Yi shrugged. "Why would I lie to you? We've known each other for years. You know my family's situation." "My parents passed away years ago. I'm just a warehouse supervisor. How could I have that kind of money?" His explanation left Fang Yuqing's expression shifting between disbelief and understanding. She had suspected it before—true wealthy heirs usually had big family businesses. Zhang Yi's parents had passed away years ago, and although they left some inheritance, it wasn't enough to qualify him as a rich heir. Now that Zhang Yi had admitted he wasn't wealthy, it all made sense. Fang Yuqing quietly stepped away from him, tidying her hair with a polite smile. "It doesn't matter if you're rich or not. We're still the best of friends, right? I'm not a materialistic woman." She emphasized the word "friend" heavily. As a classic "green tea" girl, she knew not to burn bridges completely, always keeping a backup plan or admirer around for convenience. Zhang Yi smirked and said nothing more to her. Meanwhile, the Hongfu Tianxia staff started moving banquet after banquet into Zhang Yi's house. Zhang Yi had ordered the top-tier selections: abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, lobster, truffles, caviar—you name it, it was there. With 500 banquet tables' worth of food, his house was nowhere near big enough to store everything. Even the hotel manager was at a loss for how to manage it all. But Zhang Yi simply told them to continue moving the items inside, no worries. While they were unloading, Zhang Yi secretly transferred all the food into his dimensional space, where it would remain hidden from everyone. Since he did it discreetly, no one noticed. Soon enough, all 500 banquet tables were safely stored in his otherworldly space. Later that night, Zhang Yi received a call from Wu Huairen, the manager of Zhanlong Company. Wu Huairen informed him that they were ready to begin constructing his safe house and asked when would be a convenient time to start. Zhang Yi told him they could come over the next day, as he planned to move into a hotel for the time being. After finishing the call about the safe house, Zhang Yi waited for more important news from Wu Huairen. There was still one crucial matter he needed Wu Huairen's help with: acquiring weapons. After a long hesitation, Wu Huairen lowered his voice and said, "If you really need something like that, I could help you find a source. But it'll be quite pricey." Zhang Yi nodded, understanding the situation. He wasn't concerned about the cost. "That's not an issue, as long as the quality is good," he replied. Wu Huairen relaxed a little. "Alright, I'll make some inquiries for you. I'll contact you in three days with the location for the deal.