Chapter 131: The Potential of an Overlord

Chen Wan explained that the major domestic television stations begin their intern recruitment process in November. The first to start is China Central Television (CCTV), which begins its selection process at the start of November; it is also the most competitive station with the highest number of applicants. Aside from that, regional satellite stations such as Xiangnan, Yanjing, and Shanghai typically begin their recruitment at the end of November.

These internships are formal programs targeted specifically at fourth-year university students, which is quite different from the brief experience Chen Wan had at the Shanghai TV station previously.

For genuine interns, the probability of being signed directly by the station after the internship ends is very high. If one were to apply for a position at a television station after graduation, the competition would be fierce and the acceptance rate would be much lower—likely less than 1%. However, the direct hiring rate for interns generally exceeds 20%, and some stations even reach a conversion rate of over 50%.

In her heart, Chen Wan’s greatest wish is to be accepted by CCTV, though she knows this is extremely difficult and does not hold much hope. However, the Yanjing TV station is an internship opportunity she is determined to secure.

Li Mu was naturally very happy about Chen Wan's decision, though he could not offer much help and had to rely on her own capabilities. However, his mind was filled with templates for various hit variety shows from the future. If Chen Wan could successfully sign with a capable satellite station, he might be able to offer her some good advice in the future. Shows like *Super Girl*, *Happy Boy*, *Running Man*, *Happy Camp*, *If You Are the One*, *Where Are We Going, Dad?*, and *The Voice of China*—any of these, if produced with dedication, could become a nationwide sensation.

However, Li Mu did not voice these thoughts. After all, executing such projects requires immense resource allocation capabilities, and neither he nor Chen Wan had reached that level yet.

The two ate until late at night, and Chen Wan drove Li Mu home. After saying goodbye at the entrance of the residential complex, Li Mu walked home and received a text message. Thinking it was from Chen Wan, he was surprised to see it was from Zhao Ziqiu.

"Are you asleep?"
Li Mu replied, "Just about to."
"Did you miss me?"
Li Mu replied, "It's okay."
"What does 'it's okay' mean?"
"It's okay... maybe it means I missed you a little."
"You heartless thing. I missed you so much I couldn't sleep."
"Then what would it take for you to fall asleep?"
"Guess?"

A mischievous urge struck Li Mu, and he replied, "Does that mean I need to come over and sleep with you?"
"You wouldn't dare. My dad would beat you out of the house!"
"Would he really?"
"He would!"
"Oh, then I won't go..."
"You're so annoying!"

After a few more playful exchanges, they wished each other goodnight. That night, Li Mu unexpectedly dreamed of Zhao Ziqiu, though the dream was both comical and darkly humorous.

In the dream, for some unknown reason, he found himself in bed with Zhao Ziqiu at home. Her perfect curves and what could only be described as invincible assets made Li Mu, an experienced man, finish in a heartbeat. But in a tragic twist, just at the most critical moment, the bedroom door was kicked open. The person storming in was a furious Su Yingxue. Before Li Mu could react, Su Yingxue and Zhao Ziqiu began brawling, leaving him utterly bewildered. Just as he was about to intervene, he opened his eyes. He was awake.

After waking up, while lingering on the wonderful sensations Zhao Ziqiu had brought him in the dream, Li Mu wondered why a girl as composed as Su Yingxue had turned into such a fiery-tempered woman in his subconscious. He didn't dwell on it for long, however; the discomfort in his pants made his face flush, and he hurriedly ran to the bathroom to quietly wash his underwear.

...

The next day, some of Li Mu’s high school classmates began organizing a reunion. This National Day holiday was the first long break since everyone had left for university. Some classmates wanted to get together to share stories about college life. It was set for that evening, but most classmates seemed uninterested, with only seven or eight people confirming. Li Mu guessed that since Su Yingxue hadn't returned, most of the boys had lost interest.

As for Li Mu, he was hesitating about whether to go, but in the afternoon he received a call from Song Liang. Song Liang said he wanted to host a welcome-back dinner. Thinking about how he hadn't reached out to Song Liang yet, despite Song Liang proactively contacting him upon hearing he was back, Li Mu felt somewhat guilty. He immediately accepted the dinner invitation at the Ecological Park and declined the small classmate gathering.

It was just the two of them at the dinner. Song Liang had originally wanted to book a large private room with personal servers for each of them, but Li Mu suggested a smaller room would be more convenient for chatting. Song Liang immediately arranged a small, classically decorated room. Instead of rushing to eat, they ordered a pot of fine tea and began to chat in the antique-style room.

Ever since Song Liang first heard about Li Mu’s exploits, he had felt this young man was extraordinary. Now, his view of Li Mu had shifted significantly; he saw him as a genius—not just smart, but highly skilled in his methods.

Back when someone on the internet exposed Guo Lin for keeping a mistress, Song Liang had guessed that Li Mu was the mastermind. At that time, he merely thought Li Mu was adept at using the internet to achieve his goals. But subsequent events made him feel a sense of dread at Li Mu’s reach.

After the Wu Dong hit-and-run case surfaced, an insider leak appeared online, which then implicated Guo Lin. A storm followed: the Provincial Department and the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection sent investigation teams, Wu Dong was arrested, Guo Lin was placed under investigation, his wife Xue Guilan was detained, and even the city bureau’s second-in-command, Li Jiawei, was taken in.

Others might not have guessed who was pulling the strings, but Song Liang knew perfectly well. Although he had no evidence, his intuition was absolute: this was Li Mu’s doing.

The sheer scale of the operation Li Mu orchestrated just to take down Guo Lin—sacrificing the futures and fates of so many people—left Song Liang in awe. He understood that true greatness does not ask for origins or age. Li Mu had the potential to become a formidable power player.

Because of this, Song Liang now treated Li Mu as an absolute equal.

As they chatted over tea, Song Liang asked about Li Mu’s impressions of Yanjing. Li Mu smiled faintly and said, "Yanjing is too big. I haven't even gotten used to it in a month, so I don't really have any impressions yet."

Song Liang laughed heartily, "Yanjing is big, so big that a person like me wouldn't dare imagine it. Actually, I believe that for real estate, planting roots in Yanjing and Shanghai is the only way forward. In the next few years, housing prices in these two cities will far exceed anywhere else in the country."

Li Mu asked curiously, "Why is Brother Liang so certain?"

Song Liang smiled and said, "It’s simple: the concentration of resources. It’s not just about the city being big or having many companies. While top universities are spread across the country, the highest concentration is in Yanjing and Shanghai, where high-tech industries also cluster. In the future, high-quality talent will settle in these places. Look—the most resources and high-end jobs in the country are concentrated in Yanjing. The best hospitals are there, along with the best high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, and even kindergartens. When a city reaches such a high level of resource concentration, every inch of land becomes priceless. And the thing most closely tied to 'priceless' is real estate!"

Li Mu looked at Song Liang in surprise, holding him in even higher regard. As someone who had been reborn, Li Mu had experienced all of this, but for Song Liang to make such a judgment in 2001 showed that his vision was far from ordinary.

"Why doesn't Brother Liang consider developing in Yanjing or Shanghai?" Li Mu asked.

Song Liang sighed softly, "I don't want to spend my whole life in a small place like Haizhou. I have some capital now and want to expand, but after looking around, I find it hard to break out of the Haizhou framework, let alone touch Yanjing."

"Why?" Li Mu asked, puzzled.

Song Liang explained, "I came from Jinling. Jinling is the market of Tianming’s father. He cultivated me, and it would be against the rules for me to compete with him there. As for other cities in South Su province like Haizhou, they are all occupied by local power brokers. Expanding is incredibly difficult, not to mention that these cities don't have much room for major development at the moment."

Li Mu didn't understand real estate, so he asked, "If you were to go to Yanjing, what are you lacking right now?"

Song Liang thought for a moment and said, "Capital, connections, and good projects."

"If you are so bullish on Yanjing’s future," Li Mu asked, "wouldn't any piece of land in Yanjing be a good real estate project?"

"It would, but I couldn't pull it off," Song Liang smiled slightly. "Real estate is a special industry that demands a lot. From the beginning, you need corporate qualifications. Once you have those, you need to acquire land from the government. In cities like Yanjing, that’s done through auctions. That requires not just connections, but financial power. After getting the land, you need bank loans, which requires even more connections and luck."

"Under normal circumstances, loans aren't something to fear, because once the apartments go on sale and funds are recouped, cash flows back. But for a developer from a small city like me, without deep pockets or strong backing, if the policy wind shifts or banks tighten credit, I could fall into a liquidity trap. If subsequent funding doesn't follow and the development isn't completed, a lifetime of effort goes down the drain."

Li Mu nodded slightly. It made sense; those who could develop real estate in Yanjing or Shanghai were no ordinary people. Even famous Shanxi coal magnates couldn't master the real estate game in Yanjing and often resorted to a distorted method of participation: buying frantically.

Li Mu had even heard stories of coal magnates buying entire residential buildings as soon as they hit the market—a sight not uncommon.

At this point, Song Liang moved away from the topic and asked with a smile, "By the way, I heard you started a website?"