Chapter 51: Flat Level

The drive from Surrey back to central London wasn’t too far—just enough time for Su Shiyi to catch up on the latest updates of Empress. The film and television rights for the book had been signed even earlier, but there was still no news about the male and female leads.

That wasn’t unusual, since Empress wasn’t a completed work and was still being serialized. Meanwhile, the author of July Green Plums was the daughter of a film director. Su Shiyi, as the largest shareholder of Lujiang Literature City and the biggest investor in this film, was surrounded by familiar connections, making everything move efficiently.

Perhaps due to pressure from the production side, Miemie-chan had increased her daily word count from 10,000 to 15,000. She had been working extremely hard, promising the production company that she would finish the novel within three months. She was really giving it her all. TAT

Satisfied after reading the fresh chapters, Su Shiyi, as usual, threw in a few deep-water tips. Since she was now Lujiang Literature City’s largest shareholder, her team had access to account backend data.

Upon receiving a notification that her balance had dropped below 10,000 yuan, Lucy reloaded one million without blinking.

Well, from a certain perspective, given how often and how much Su Shiyi tipped, buying Lujiang Literature City was actually a way to save money…

—

Meanwhile, in China, the atmosphere in the project team at Fengdie Films, which had purchased the rights to Empress, was somewhat grim.

The author, Miemie-chan, had already provided a full outline, and their professional screenwriters had made minor adjustments to better fit the pacing of a TV series. Judging by the current popularity of Empress, it had the potential to amass a large base of loyal fans from the original novel.

The plot was solid, and as long as the production quality held up, turning a profit would be easy—after all, everything revolved around fan economy these days.

But they were facing a serious problem: the actor they had most wanted for the lead male role had turned the offer down. His reason? He couldn’t accept playing a “fourth lead.”

Although the role was technically the male lead, Empress followed the outline set by Miemie-chan, meaning the entire show revolved around female characters. Calling this male lead the “fourth lead” was already a stretch.

If it had been just one actor rejecting the role, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. The issue was that every male actor of similar type and popularity was also declining, each citing different excuses. This had disrupted their entire casting plan.

The entertainment industry wasn’t short of male actors, but they needed a male lead who could draw audiences—not just any random guy. If they could cast a strong female lead, they wouldn’t need to rely on the male lead as much, but the company’s CEO was adamant about promoting a particular newcomer. He had already decided that she would play the female lead…

Getting a popular male actor to help boost a newcomer’s profile was already asking for a favor. Expecting them to take on a “fourth lead” role on top of that? That was wishful thinking—no talent agency would agree to it.

“I’m saying, why don’t we just rewrite the script to make the male lead the main character?” The team leader sounded exhausted. “The locations are already being arranged. If we don’t finalize the actors’ schedules soon, the daily cost of those locations is no joke.”

A team member muttered in protest, “But this is clearly a female-led story. Changing it to a male lead would require huge script revisions.”

“Female-led? Have you seen the kind of actresses that other female-led dramas cast? Who’s our lead? It’s Ning Qiwen—someone who’s never acted before! If she can pull off a powerful female protagonist, I’ll cut my head off and let you kick it like a ball.”

“But if we demote the female lead to the second lead, the boss might not agree.”

“If he doesn’t agree, then he should just sell the rights to another company. Otherwise, this project is doomed.”

The team leader was experienced and knew exactly where the CEO’s limits lay. “Anyway, there’s no way Ning Qiwen can handle a major female lead role. Making her second lead is actually better for her—less pressure on ratings. She still gets to be the female lead, but we’ll shift the heavier, more complex scenes to the male lead. With her acting skills, at best, she can handle a romance subplot.”

The female lead casting was a major problem. That team member no longer dared to argue and shut up obediently.

There was no choice. If they had options, who would willingly butcher the script? But the reality was, their production company needed to make money. They couldn’t knowingly walk into a disaster.

Sigh. Changing the male lead to the main character it is. What a pity—this was supposed to be a strategic female-led drama. Now, it was just going to become another male-dominated historical romance.

London, UK.

The car stopped at Southbank Place, right next to London’s most iconic landmarks—the London Eye and the River Thames—offering a direct view across the river to Westminster, with Big Ben in full sight.

The apartment Su Shiyi was viewing was in Belvedere Gardens, spanning over 350 square meters. It featured a private dual-elevator entry, occupying an entire floor.

Unlike other buyers who were shown around by real estate agents, the property management had assigned their best Chinese-speaking customer service to guide Su Shiyi through the viewing.

The elevator used a card-and-fingerprint access system, along with a function allowing homeowners to approve visitor entry—decent security measures. The entire apartment was equipped with smart home technology, allowing remote control of all appliances via a designated mobile app.

At first, Su Shiyi thought that Father Gu Lang might replace the existing system with AI from the Gu Corporation. But on closer inspection, the current system was already a Gu product.

Of course—Gu Corporation owned the world’s leading tech company. For the owner of this apartment, having a Gu smart system was an added value.

Walking down the hallway, the customer service enthusiastically introduced the apartment, explaining that the developer intended to sell it fully furnished, so that Mr. Gu could move in immediately.

Su Shiyi glanced at the dining table. “That won’t be necessary. The furniture is quite average—my father will probably replace it.”

Customer Service: …

His smile nearly froze. A dining table worth tens of thousands of pounds, and she called it average?

Well, he had to admit—judging by her crown, dress, bracelet, and shoes, any single piece she was wearing was worth more than this table.

Choosing to ignore that comment, the customer service continued, “The living room features floor-to-ceiling windows with a ceiling height of 4.5 meters, creating an exceptionally spacious feel. If you look this way, you’ll see the London Eye, appearing almost within reach.”

The London Eye was massive—there was no need for him to point it out. Su Shiyi had already noticed the landmark. This flat, worth over a hundred million, owed at least a third of its value to the living room’s view.

“It’s nice,” she finally said, meeting the customer service’s eager anticipation. “The night view must be even prettier.”

Customer Service: Ah, she complimented the apartment! She finally complimented it!

From the moment they arrived, Su Shiyi had remained completely unfazed, as if she had seen it all before. Given her background, the customer service had been worried that she might not find the place impressive enough, potentially ruining the deal.

If an average buyer refused to purchase, it was likely due to price. But if Su Shiyi didn’t want it, the apartment’s value could plummet—after all, if the daughter of the richest man didn’t find it worthy, it could no longer be considered a top-tier luxury home.

Thank goodness, she had finally shown a hint of approval!

But the relief was short-lived.

Su Shiyi followed up with, “But the actual living room space is what it is. It doesn’t feel that spacious.”

To be honest, it wasn’t even as big as the living room in the Oriental Pearl suite.

Customer Service: …

Give us a break—this is central London, where space is worth its weight in gold. Humans are tiny creatures. How big does a living room really need to be? Are you planning to keep lions in here?

Still, he pressed on, making an extra effort to highlight the two kitchens—one open-plan and one concealed.

But Su Shiyi had already reverted to her default just average expression.

Even though the kitchen was fully equipped with the latest high-end appliances from Gu Corporation, she simply nodded politely without a word.

Customer Service: Our kitchen design is quite reasonable. Why is she dissatisfied?

Su Shiyi: This place is already small, and they squeezed in two kitchens? Isn’t that cramped?

As expected, after living in spacious villas for so long, Su Shiyi felt completely uncomfortable in this flat. The guest rooms weren’t even worth mentioning—tiny and unimpressive, smaller than her cat Milk Candy’s house. The two master bedrooms were slightly more spacious, but when the customer service brought up the walk-in closets, Su Shiyi was utterly shocked.

This? Just these two little wardrobes? And you’re saying there’s plenty of space for clothes?

No exaggeration—forget the clothes that brands send her every month, even just the ones she bought this morning wouldn’t fit in here!

The customer service proudly showed off the balcony’s scenic view, but it didn’t catch Su Shiyi’s interest. The cramped and narrow study, on the other hand, made her feel suffocated. How was Father Gu Lang supposed to work in this tiny space? Turning around would be a challenge.

She completely forgot that once the semester started, she’d be living in a four-person dorm again. For now, all she could think was that this flat wasn’t satisfactory at all—it didn’t deserve to be called big. It wasn’t until the customer service mentioned the total area that she finally understood.

No wonder. Excluding the balcony and shared spaces, the apartment was only 350 square meters. Forget about one floor of her ten-billion-dollar island castle—even her room in Taihe was bigger. This place is way too small!

When she called Father Gu Lang, she couldn’t help but complain. Other than the nice view, there was nothing particularly attractive about the place. The main selling points—customer service service, 24-hour security—felt completely ordinary to her.

Still, she hesitated. “Isn’t this just a common issue with apartments? Maybe if Dad lives here alone and remodels it, removing a few rooms, it might feel more spacious.”

After hearing her out, Father Gu Lang finally responded, “Who said I’d be living here alone? At the very least, I’d need an assistant. And you’d be here too.”

Su Shiyi: ?

She didn’t understand. “Why would you count me in, Dad?”

“This place isn’t far from the London School of Economics. What if you decide to pursue a master’s degree? With your level, Oxford and Cambridge might be a bit of a stretch.”

“I wouldn’t mind donating a building to get you admitted, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to graduate.”

After a moment of silence, Su Shiyi swallowed hard.

“Dad, do you know that ^[1]LSE stands for the London School of Economics and Political Science, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, specializing in social sciences, including economics, politics, sociology, … Continue readingLSE requires an overall ^[2]IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing System. It is a standardized test used to measure the English language proficiency of non-native speakers. IELTS score of at least 7, plus a ^[3]GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is a standardized test used for admissions to graduate schools, particularly in the United States. GRE submission for their master’s programs?”

Forget Oxford and Cambridge—those weren’t even in the realm of possibility. With her level, even getting a 5.5 on the IELTS would be a struggle. She wouldn’t even qualify for Australian universities, let alone have any right to consider LSE as a backup!

Even her top-student roommate, Lin Jiayan, said LSE had high admission standards. Someone like her—a laid-back, unmotivated student—shouldn’t even dream about it.

Father Gu Lang: “Is a 7 on the IELTS that difficult?” He sounded genuinely puzzled. “Isn’t it just a casual test? 8.5 is the starting point, isn’t it? That’s what Gu Chen and Gu Pan got.”

Su Shiyi: ?

Dad, you can’t compare your weak, helpless, and pitiful daughter to those two protagonists! That’s just unfair!

She immediately gave up. “Then I don’t want to take the IELTS, and I don’t want to go to grad school either. I just want to graduate from university and lie flat. By then, I’ll just follow Dad around the world. Wherever you go, just take me with you.”

Gu Lang nodded. “Mm, that’s why I need to keep a place for you.”

Su Shiyi was about to say, Exactly, exactly!—but then something felt off.

Hmm? Why did she suddenly feel like she’d fallen into a trap?

“350 square meters is indeed too small, but this location is good. The view is nice, and the interior can be remodeled.”

Gu Lang quickly made a decision. “Let’s buy five floors. I’ll take one, you’ll take one, one for the secretary, assistants, and bodyguards, and the remaining two for functional rooms and guest accommodations.”

“Your job here is done. You can head to the restaurant to wait for me or wander around as you like.”

Su Shiyi: ???

Wait a minute. She felt like she had lost track of the conversation. Weren’t they just looking at a large flat? She had thought they’d at most get something bigger, at least 500 square meters. How did it suddenly jump to buying five floors?

Gu Lang’s time was valuable, so he didn’t say much more before hanging up.

Still dazed, Su Shiyi walked out of the room and met the property customer service’s anxious gaze.

The customer service felt utterly defeated, convinced that the sale was lost. Although Su Shiyi hadn’t explicitly rejected it, her expression made it clear that she wasn’t particularly satisfied.

More accurately—she seemed to dislike it.

This was a multimillion-pound luxury flat, yet in the eyes of the richest family, it was apparently subpar? His confidence was crumbling.

Su Shiyi: “Someone else will come to coordinate with you later.”

Customer Service: Got it. This is just her way of politely rejecting us. She’s going to send an assistant to turn us down later.

Su Shiyi: “My dad wants to buy five floors.”

Customer Service: Ah, as expected, they’re going to…

Wait, what did she just say? How many floors?

He had always been confident in his Chinese skills, but now he was suddenly unsure. Did she really just say five floors? Did she mean five floors as in five floors?

Even after groggily escorting Su Shiyi out and receiving a celebratory call from property management, he still stood there, dumbfounded.

This was Central London, not a marketplace. How was the richest family’s unit of measurement for real estate this terrifying?

Because one floor wasn’t big enough, they just bought five? Is this something normal people do?

—

Oh, but they were buying from his company, and he was about to get a hefty bonus.

Never mind, then.

He could only sigh—poverty really does limit a person’s imagination. TAT

Kevin had made a reservation at ^[4]Hakkasan is a high-end, Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant chain that originated in London.Hakkasan in Mayfair, a Chinese restaurant not far from the Gu family’s villa. After dinner, Su Shiyi would still have time to dress up before heading out to the auction.

This place was known as the “sexiest Chinese restaurant in history,” but the moment Su Shiyi stepped inside, she had an epiphany—oh, so it’s just dim lighting.

Since she arrived early, she asked the waiter to switch her to the brightest table with the best view. Cherish life, protect your eyesight! She still needed to play on her phone, and dim lighting was bad for her eyes.

Hakkasan had once ranked 19th among the world’s top restaurants, making it the highest-ranked Chinese restaurant globally. The branch she was at had earned a Michelin star within its first year, and even the Chinese head of state had invited its chef to prepare a meal during a visit to the UK.

Gu Lang left the ordering to Su Shiyi, so she went with her Cantonese instincts—ordering a few dim sum dishes and all of the restaurant’s recommended signature dishes. That should be enough.

High-end restaurants time their dishes according to when guests arrive, so Su Shiyi relaxed and started playing a game. She queued up for a Honor of Kings match, duo-queuing remotely with Linda, her assistant, who was mainly carrying her.

Linda’s skills were incredible. As long as she played with her, even if Su Shiyi just leisurely farmed minions, they would still win. Of course, she was still in Platinum rank—once she climbed higher, she probably wouldn’t be able to coast like this anymore.

Su Shiyi casually mentioned this, and Kevin immediately understood.

“Got it. I’ll hire you a gaming assistant so you can trio-queue for ranking.”

At this rate, if she recruited four top-tier gamers, she could go AFK and still hit the highest rank.

Who said money couldn’t buy ranks? They just weren’t spending enough.

Maybe she was too focused on her game, but by the time her dad, Gu Lang, sat down across from her, she only then realized he had arrived.

She handed her phone to Lucy, letting her take over the match. Gu Lang took the towel from the waiter, carefully wiped his hands, and then his assistant squeezed some hand sanitizer into his palm.

“Alright, what do you want to talk to me about?”

Gu Lang got straight to the point. “I can only stay for half an hour. I have other things to handle tonight. If you have something urgent, make it quick.”

His blunt opening made Su Shiyi a little nervous. She propped her chin on one hand, her voice turning a little weak.

“Nothing urgent… I just wanted Dad to take a break. I’m worried you’re overworking yourself.”

Gu Lang’s lips had barely started to curve upward when he heard her add,

“After all, your 50th birthday isn’t far off. You need to take care of your health. Dad, you’re not young anymore.”

Gu Lang: …

He reminded this filial daughter, “I’m 46. It’s not ‘not far off,’ it’s still several years away. Also, I work out for two hours a day—my body is much healthier than yours, considering you can lie around for 18 hours a day like a dead fish.”

“I can run a full marathon. Can you? You probably struggle with even 800 meters.”

Damn it, he really hit where it hurt!

Su Shiyi wanted to argue, but she had no comeback. Gu Lang was absolutely right—before and after transmigrating, she had barely scraped by in her university’s 800-meter physical fitness test. After finishing, she would always be gasping for breath like crazy.

Feeling stifled, she could only grumble, “Really, only half an hour? Is that all the time I’m worth to you?”

“You’re overthinking. You’re worth one minute.”

The waiter started serving the dishes. Gu Lang picked up a shrimp dumpling and said, “The remaining twenty-nine minutes belong to this restaurant. Let’s eat.”

Su Shiyi: …

Before coming here, she had planned to be a gentle and thoughtful daughter, bringing her father some lighthearted joy and giving him a moment of relaxation outside of his long work hours.

But in reality, Gu Lang was in an incredibly good state—so good that he didn’t need her efforts at all. He could entertain himself just fine, using her as the material for his amusement. QAQ

Even so, the father and daughter had an enjoyable conversation about their dining experience at Hakkasan. The Cantonese dim sum was passable—decent enough for being abroad, as even many chain restaurants outside of Guangdong in China only reached this level.

“The roast duck isn’t great,” Su Shiyi couldn’t accept their signature dish. “Caviar with Beijing roast duck is a bit too much. If it weren’t for the tea, I wouldn’t have been able to finish it. Compared to fusion dishes, I still prefer traditional Chinese cuisine.”

Gu Lang took note and gave a look to his secretary, John, who immediately understood.

From now on, one of Gu Lang’s traveling chefs would be a master of traditional Cantonese cuisine, and the necessary ingredients would always be on hand. Whenever Miss Shiyi wanted to eat something, it could be arranged immediately. They couldn’t have another situation like last time, where the porridge had to be made with subpar shrimp and crab.

After finishing their meal—one that fully embraced the local palate—Gu Lang checked the time. It was about time to go.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything from me?” He even asked again, “Whatever you want to buy in London, just say it. Buckingham Palace is a bit tricky, but if you really want it…”

Su Shiyi quickly shook her head. “No, no! That’s a historic landmark, I’m not crazy!”

Oh god, the moment she heard Gu Lang say that, her whole body tensed up. They were in London, the London, and her dad was actually considering getting his hands on Buckingham Palace?! How arrogant could he be?!

“What are you thinking? It’s not like I could actually buy Buckingham Palace,” Gu Lang said calmly. “Even if the Windsor dynasty were overthrown, Britain still wouldn’t sell it.”

He took a sip of tea and continued at a leisurely pace, “But if you really want it, I could negotiate for a licensing deal and replicate it in another city. You know, maintaining such a massive palace isn’t cheap—the Queen has a lot of financial concerns.”

Su Shiyi: …

Money really does let you do whatever you want. Replicating Buckingham Palace? Only Gu Lang could say something like that with a straight face.

But she still replied, “Forget it. Living there wouldn’t be as comfortable as a grand estate, and it’s not that pretty anyway. If I had that kind of money, I’d rather build a castle in France—Rococo style. I love Rococo.”

She also liked the castles on Ten Billion Island, but their interiors were decorated in a European palace style, full of oil painting aesthetics. She still preferred Rococo’s lavish yet light and elegant vibe.

She was just saying it casually, but Gu Lang nodded. “Sure. I actually bought a castle in Normandy, France. It’s already being renovated. I was planning to surprise you, but since you mentioned it, I’ll just tell you now.”

Su Shiyi: !

Wait, Dad, she was just talking! She didn’t actually mean it!

Gu Lang continued, “Aren’t you into those Lolita dresses? The scenery in Taihe isn’t great for photos. From now on, you can take pictures there—the background will match better. You can also invite your friends over for a few tea parties. That’s a thing, right?”

Wow. Gu Lang had thought way further ahead than she had. Ever since she bought her first Lolita dress, she had been constantly ordering new releases, collecting classic pieces, and commissioning high-end custom designs.

All she had thought about was finding a place and redecorating it for better photos. But her dad? He was building her a whole castle to play in.

Sobs—Dad is Dad!

Su Shiyi’s eyes welled up with tears. “Dad, you’re the best. Just for my little hobby, you were willing to learn all about it and even prepared a surprise for me. I’m really so touched.”

Gu Lang calmly sipped his tea, dragging the prearranged schedule by another five minutes as he listened to Su Shiyi’s heartfelt speech about fatherly love being as deep as a mountain.

She really put in effort—thousands of words, not a single repeated sentence. He had no idea which website she got all this sappy material from, but she managed to say it all with a straight face.

“In the future, you don’t need to say this kind of thing to me in person.” His words always carried a certain boss-like… no, an overlord-like aura. “In half an hour, I can make enough money to buy several castles.”

Su Shiyi: Stunned.jpg

How was she supposed to explain that she really just wanted to have a meal with her dad?

She could only mumble softly, “It’s fine if there’s no castle. I just wanted you to take a break. Anyway, Big Bro makes money too. Let him work 24/7—he’s young, he can handle it.”

At that moment, across the ocean, Gu Chen suddenly sneezed.

Strange. He almost never caught colds. Someone must be scheming against him. (.)

“Got it.”

Gu Lang wasn’t great at handling moments like these. He patted Su Shiyi’s head. “Parent-child time is priceless. I’m really happy.”

“Being your dad… it’s not a bad experience.”

The atmosphere turned sentimental, and Su Shiyi’s tears were on the verge of falling—until she heard Gu Lang continue, “Even though you’re full of flaws from head to toe, nothing like the rest of the Gu family. You’re completely useless but somehow always cheerful.”

Su Shiyi: …

Her tears immediately went back in.

“But I still like you.” Gu Lang flicked her forehead. “You and Gu Pan got switched at birth—what a shame. But it doesn’t really matter.”

“There’s still plenty of time ahead.”