In this private room sat Peng Fei, Liu Chuan, and others, as well as Monkey and Big Bear, who had come from Pengcheng with Zhuang Rui, and Huangfu Yun and his wife, all of whom were Zhuang Rui's close friends.
Before Zhuang Rui could even sit down, another round of toasts came his way, leaving him completely dizzy and disoriented. If it weren't for his exceptional physique, he probably would have already slipped under the table.
"Zhuang Rui, can you still drink? Let's have a drink..."
After Zhuang Rui sat down, Huangfu Yun poured himself a glass of red wine and approached Zhuang Rui again.
"What do you mean you can still drink...? Come on, bottoms up..."
Zhuang Rui was already half-drunk, and he accepted all offers of liquor, tilting his head back to drink the entire glass of baijiu in one gulp.
"Alright, let's not talk business today..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui's expression, Huangfu Yun swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Talk about business? What is it? Brother Huangfu, just tell me, otherwise I won't have any free time after today..."
Upon hearing Huangfu Yun's words, Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment. He quickly circulated his spiritual energy throughout his body. The smell of alcohol on his body became stronger, but he was completely sober.
"Are you really alright?"
Huangfu Yun frowned upon smelling the alcohol on Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui pursed his lips and said, "How novel! Have you ever seen me drunk? Hurry up and tell me what you need to say. Tomorrow I'm going to Inner Mongolia to pick someone up, and then I'm going to Tibet. I estimate this trip will last for one or two weeks..."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui's eyes had cleared, Huangfu Yun finally believed that Zhuang Rui hadn't drunk too much and said, "Boss, it's about the pricing of the Golden City tour tickets. You set the price for foreign guests at 1,000 RMB. Isn't that a bit too expensive?"
Although Golden City also belongs to Dingguang Museum and is managed by Huangfu Yun, the ticket price was set by Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui's method of binding tickets with ID cards resulted in a uniform price of 100 yuan per ticket for domestic tourists, but the ticket price for foreigners skyrocketed tenfold. If you want to visit the Golden City, sorry, you won't be allowed in unless you pay less than 1,000 yuan.
Although eight thousand tickets for foreign guests were sold today, generating a revenue of eight million, Huangfuyun was still uneasy. What if the foreigners thought the tickets were too expensive and didn't come in the future?
Upon hearing Huangfu Yun's words, Zhuang Rui raised an eyebrow and said, "Expensive? Not expensive at all, I think it's too little..."
"Boss, you're too ruthless! Won't this... make people gossip about us behind our backs?"
Huangfu Yun was so choked by Zhuang Rui's words that he almost spat out the red wine in his mouth. "1,000 yuan a ticket, you still think it's cheap?"
"Hey, Brother Huangfu, it's a wonder you've lived abroad for so many years. Let me ask you, how much are the tickets for Madame Tussauds London?"
Zhuang Rui said irritably.
Huangfu Yun thought for a moment and said, "I think it's around forty or fifty pounds?"
"That settles it then. Modern wax museums can charge five or six hundred yuan for admission, so what's a thousand-year-old cultural relic charging 1,000 yuan?"
Before Huangfu Yun could speak, Zhuang Rui continued, "Let's look at it from another angle, Brother Huangfu. What countries do you think most tourists to China come from?"
"The largest are in Europe and the United States, followed by countries like Japan and South Korea, and very few in Africa..."
Huangfu Yun was quite clear about this issue. Museums rely on ticket revenue from tourists to survive, so of course he needed to know where the tourists came from.
Most of the tourists who come to China are from economically developed countries, mainly the United States and Europe, as well as neighboring countries like Japan and South Korea.
Although there are many black foreigners in Beijing, apart from international students, they are mostly people who come to China to make money. Many of them are even undocumented and will be deported if caught. These people are not the source of income for Beijing's tourist attractions.
"Hmm, Huangfu Yun, how much do these foreigners who can come to China for tourism earn? Hmm, including foreigners working in China..."
No sooner had Huangfu Yun finished speaking than Zhuang Rui pressed on with another question.
"The average annual income in the United States is roughly between $30,000 and $40,000. Europe's is relatively higher, reaching $45,000. Japan's is similar to Europe's, while South Korea's is slightly lower, but still around $20,000... As for foreigners working in China, the lower-income earners earn between 100,000 and several hundred thousand RMB a year, while the higher-income earners earn over a million..."
Huangfu Yun understood this even better. He used to be a lawyer in the United States and had access to people at all levels, so he could talk about anything.
However, Huangfu Yun also realized what was going on, staring intently at Zhuang Rui for a long while before saying, "Zhuang Rui, you... you're really missing out by not doing business."
Zhuang Rui's intentions were clear. Tourism is not like eating; it's a rare opportunity to come here. So, whether they are foreigners who can afford to travel to China or foreigners working in China, the 1,000 yuan ticket price is not a problem at all.
Huangfu Yun, on the other hand, had spent a long time in China and had only focused on the ticket prices of domestic attractions, thus neglecting the spending power of foreign tourists. But Zhuang Rui was different. His initial vision for the Golden City was an international-level exhibition hall, and with Bill Gates and others giving him free advertising, the ticket price should at least reach or exceed international levels.
"Hehe, Brother Huangfu, after a year or two, once Solomon fever has passed, the ticket price can be lowered a bit, but it absolutely cannot be lower than 500 RMB. Our museum is made of gold, you know. If the price is too low, wouldn't that be disrespectful to people?"
Zhuang Rui's words drew laughter from everyone at the table. However, those who hadn't drunk too much thought about it for a moment and were secretly alarmed. This really was a golden city; it was incredibly fast at accumulating wealth.
Keep in mind that even if Golden City doesn't reach the capacity of 8,000 foreign tourists per day, let's just say 3,000 per day. That's still 3 million RMB a day, and 90 million a month.
Putting everything else aside, as long as the business operates normally for two or three years, coupled with the revenue from domestic tourists, it will be able to recoup the funds Zhuang Rui used to purchase the land. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as making a fortune every day.
Huangfu Yun understood the crux of the matter and sighed inwardly. Although Zhuang Rui was a hands-off manager, he really had the ability to make money. Any idea he came up with could bring about a fundamental change in the operation of Golden City.
Chapter 1303 Tibet Tour Group
After finishing his business with Huangfu Yun, Zhuang Rui started drinking with everyone. This time, he didn't cheat with his spiritual energy. Although he had a superior physique, he couldn't withstand the many people toasting him. Before long, he was completely drunk and didn't even know how he got back to the manor.
The morning sunlight streamed through the curtains into the room. Zhuang Rui rubbed his still throbbing head, took a deep breath, and circulated his spiritual energy throughout his body before finally waking up.
Looking down, Zhuang Rui saw that he had changed into a new set of pajamas. He smiled wryly. It seemed he had drunk quite a bit yesterday and was probably very drunk.
Looking at Qin Xuanbing sleeping beside him, Zhuang Rui noticed her eyelids trembling slightly. A wicked smile appeared on his face as he reached into her silk pajamas and tightly grasped her full breasts.
"don't want……"
Qin Xuanbing could no longer pretend to be asleep. She let out a soft moan, and a blush rose on her face, causing Zhuang Rui, who was already thirsty from being drunk, to drool involuntarily.
Although Qin Xuanbing was already a mother, she was still slightly shy under the bed. Seeing this, Zhuang Rui disregarded the fact that the sun was already high in the sky outside and still kissed her with his mouth following her hands.
"What time is it? The children are all awake. No, no, don't stop..."
First came Qin Xuanbing's plea for mercy from inside the room, followed by moans, creating an atmosphere of eroticism.
After a long while, Zhuang Rui finally came out looking refreshed. He used to live in Building No. 3, which was also the last building. This was Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing's private place.
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, you can still get up?"
Unexpectedly, Zhuang Rui had just stepped out of the villa and hadn't even had a chance to stretch when he ran into Peng Fei.
Feeling guilty, Zhuang Rui assumed Peng Fei was referring to their intimate moments. Accustomed to joking around, Zhuang Rui didn't take it seriously and retorted, "Nonsense! With my physique, I could easily be a 'seven-times-a-night man.' But what about you, kid? I still have some tiger penis wine over there..."
"Haha, Brother Zhuang, so you got up so late because you and your wife were doing some exercise? Put me aside, you drank so much yesterday, are you even up to the task?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei burst into laughter, which was an admission of guilt.
"Get out of here, or how about we go practice?"
Zhuang Rui asked irritably, "By the way, how much did I drink yesterday? How come you don't remember anything?"
Zhuang Rui used to have a high alcohol tolerance; he could drink two jin of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and still ride his bicycle around with Liu Chuan. But after his conversation with Huangfu Yun yesterday, he was completely unconscious.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's question, Peng Fei smacked his lips and said, "A cup that costs seven qian (a unit of weight), you probably drank over a hundred cups, anyway, all the Moutai you brought yesterday was gone..."
"Damn, no wonder you were so drunk. You didn't even try to help me out with a few drinks..."
Zhuang Rui was also startled when he heard this. It turned out that he had drunk seven bottles of Moutai by himself yesterday. He really drank it like water... no, he couldn't even drink that much water.
"Alright, enough of this nonsense. Get Brother Hao here, I'll make the arrangements. You're leaving today..."
Zhuang Rui rubbed his temples, still feeling a bit shaken. He looked up and saw that the sun was already high in the sky. He quickly got down to business.
"Okay, I'll call Brother Hao right away..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei agreed.
Zhuang Rui had previously discussed with Peng Fei that he and Hao Long would each drive a car to Lhasa, and then he would fly to Inner Mongolia to pick up Timur and meet him in Lhasa. This way, after the enthronement ceremony of the reincarnated Lingtong was completed, they could go directly to the Great Snow Mountain.
Upon arriving at Building No. 1, which was used to entertain guests, Zhuang Rui was surprised to find Liu Chuan and the others sitting there chatting. He asked curiously, "Hey, why is everyone here today? You rascal, don't you need to take care of your little darling?"
"My son is playing with his future wife right now, you don't need to worry about him..."
After Zhuang Rui called him by a nickname, Liu Chuan really started acting like a scoundrel. Anyway, he was going to reserve Zhuang Rui's little girl for himself, and he always acted like he would fight anyone who tried to take her away.
"Zhuang Rui, don't listen to his nonsense, we're all here waiting for you..."
Sitting next to Liu Chuan, Zhou Rui interrupted him, and surprisingly, Liu Chuan, who usually loved to argue, didn't retort. Seeing this, Zhuang Rui laughed. He knew that, besides himself, Liu Chuan only respected Zhou Rui.
The two set up the mastiff kennel together. At first, Zhou Rui's role was not significant, but over time, Zhou Rui's steady nature really helped Liu Chuan a lot. Otherwise, Liu Chuan would have suffered a major setback several times.
"What are you waiting for me for? Hey, Lei Lei, go tell your godmother to just make some porridge for lunch. She probably drank quite a bit yesterday..."
Zhuang Rui found a sofa and sat down. He was even more puzzled to see Lei Lei and the other women in the room. Aren't these wives the ones who love to get together and discuss the trivial matters of their relatives?
"Why are you just like Liu Chuan? All you think about is food, you're all foodies..."
Lei Lei was very dissatisfied with Zhuang Rui's assignment. She stood up grumbling, walked to the door, and then turned back to say, "Liu Chuan, you have to take me with you, or you'll be in trouble..."
Zhuang Rui was a little confused and looked at Liu Chuan, asking, "Where are we going? What are we taking her for?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Liu Chuan casually replied, "Aren't you going to Tibet? My wife and I will go with you and relive our trip to Tibet from back then..."
"Hey, youngest, I'm going too! I missed it back then, you can't let me be left behind this time..."
Yang Wei was incredibly envious of Zhuang Rui's trip to Tibet back then. Not only did he bring back a white lion, but he also managed to swindle a wife with a fortune of hundreds of millions. Of course, Yang Wei's trip was just to experience the Tibetan style; he would never dare to have a romantic encounter.
Before Yang Wei could finish speaking, Zhou Rui chimed in, "Yes, Zhuang Rui, I'd like to go too. That's where we met. I owe my life today entirely to meeting you guys back then..."
Although Zhou Rui learned a lot of skills in the army, his living conditions were not very good at that time. If he hadn't met Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan, he wouldn't have been able to bring his whole family to Pengcheng to settle down and live a life free from worries about food and clothing.
So yesterday, after hearing Peng Fei mention Zhuang Rui's plans to go to Tibet, Zhou Rui discussed it with Liu Chuan. When Lei Lei heard this, she kept insisting on going with him, saying she wanted to rekindle their old friendship.
"Brother Zhou, why are you saying all that? We're brothers, aren't we? If it were you, that scoundrel would have lost everything by now, let alone run a mastiff kennel..."
Zhuang Rui knew Zhou Rui was a sentimental person, and was about to say a few more words of comfort to him when he looked up and saw Peng Fei walking in with Hao Long. After waving to the two of them, Zhuang Rui continued, "Since you both want to go, let's go together. Anyway, we don't have anything to do on this trip, so let's treat it as a vacation. It's more fun with more people..."
"The old squad leader is going too? Hey, that's great..."
Peng Fei heard Zhuang Rui's words as soon as he entered the room and couldn't help but laugh. However, after glancing at the people in the room, he said, "Brother Zhuang, with so many of us, two cars probably won't be enough, right? For long drives, it's best to only have three people in each car, so they can rest a bit..."
Peng Fei's words made sense. It would take several days to travel from Lhasa to the snowy mountains. If they had to sit upright, even a few women would probably find it unbearable.
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui said, "The kids shouldn't go. If they get altitude sickness, it'll be a real hassle. How about this, Brother Zhou, you can do the work of driving one car each with Peng Fei and Brother Hao into Tibet. That way, three cars should be enough..."
The air in the snowy mountains is thin, and even someone with Peng Fei's constitution finds it hard to bear. Although there is the powerful weapon of spiritual energy, Zhuang Rui does not dare to take the children on an adventure.
"No need for trouble, okay, that's settled then..."
Zhou Rui readily agreed. In the past few years, he had traveled to Tibet quite a bit because of his acquisition of Tibetan mastiffs, and no one knew this route better than him.
After discussing it, Song Xingjun decided not to go and to stay home to take care of the children. Although Peng Fei's wife Zhang Qian and Zhuang's mother were there, these five or six energetic little ones were not so easy to take care of.
After discussing the matter, Peng Fei, Hao Long, and Zhou Rui had lunch and then set off in their car.
Zhuang Rui didn't drive his flashy Hummer. Instead, he drove three high-performance SUVs, all of which belonged to Peng Fei. This guy wasn't interested in anything else now that he had money, but he did buy quite a few nice cars.
Five days after Peng Fei and the others left, Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan's group finally left Beijing by plane. Their first stop was Inner Mongolia, where they picked up Timur at a military airport before flying to Lhasa.