Chapter 166: Instant Noodles with Egg

Out of friendship, Li Ran felt it was necessary to remind him, so after weighing his words, he said: "How's your group's cash flow? Is the debt ratio high?"
Liu Rui almost sprayed the sip of wine he had just taken: "Why are you asking about this? This is the most core secret of the group. I estimate that only my old man and my elder brother know about it; I don't know anything at all. Are you interested in real estate, or are you interested in our family business?"
“I have no interest in real estate and I’m not going to inquire about your group’s secrets. I just want to tell you that, if possible, this year you can secure some quality land and development projects, but don’t blindly follow the trend of driving up land prices. If you can tough it out this year, there will be plenty of good land waiting for you to acquire tomorrow. Also, make sure not to let the group's debt ratio get too high, as it brings nothing but harm to the group.”
Liu Rui scoffed, "The real estate market is changing rapidly. If you don't acquire land this month, you might lose your advantage next month. Right now, everyone is frantically buying land; having land is key. In the future, you can sell the land for cash or use it as collateral for loans—there are many benefits. Moreover, how can you be sure that there will be plenty of land available next year? If you truly understand the insider information, why don't you try your hand in real estate?"
Liú Ruì is clearly not very trusting of his words, harboring a skeptical attitude.
“Moreover, regarding the cash flow issue, we have land, we can take out loans, and if worse comes to worst, we can issue corporate bonds. There are plenty of ways to obtain funding.”
“贷款难道不用还吗？你自己想想什么叫现金流，多了我也不说，你自己去体会，盲目扩张对企业未来的发展没有好处，而且还会导致债务积累，不信你以后就会知道什么叫收入成倍的增长，利润却成倍的下降。”黎然淡淡的说道。
Liu Rui thought for a moment, seemed a bit hesitant, and asked, "Is it really that serious? As far as I know, the old man has borrowed a lot of money against the land, which has all been used for land trading. But looking at it now, the real estate market is like a red sea where even a fool can make money, right?"
“So we should pay more attention to the quality of the land and the project, and ensure the company's profits. We shouldn't always be thinking about making huge profits; even flies are meat.” Li Ran took a sip of his drink and fell silent again. After all, he had already reminded him, and whether Liu Rui could take it to heart was no longer Li Ran's concern.
We can't just directly tell him that the government will intervene next year to raise the threshold for land acquisition, which is a measure to suppress the overheating of the real estate market from the supply side. Anyway, the words have already been said; it's up to him to believe it or not.
The two stopped discussing real estate matters and continued drinking, though Liu Rui appeared somewhat preoccupied, unsure if it was triggered by Li Ran's words.
Especially in the latter half of the drinking session, Liu Rui was noticeably distracted, even responding to conversations with answers that seemed off-topic.
Li Ran knew that today should come to an end, so he got up to bid farewell to Liu Rui, who also did not try to keep him for too long. The two of them left the bar one after another.
......
When he returned to Xiyuan Shui'an, Li Ran, having drunk a belly full of alcohol, suddenly felt a bit hungry. He remembered Zhao Jun's saying, "dumplings when getting in the car, noodles when getting out," so he bought some instant noodles and eggs at the supermarket downstairs.
Looking at the dinner in her hands, Li Ran shook her head helplessly. She had beef dumplings for lunch in the morning, but for dinner, it turned into instant noodles. Eating this during the New Year feels a bit "stingy," but who told her that her cooking skills were limited?
Opening the door to the room, there was no unusual odor in the house despite not being occupied for over ten days. Li Ran walked to the window and realized it was left open, no wonder the room didn’t have a smell.
He turned around and found that the bathroom light was still on. He slapped his forehead, blaming himself for being careless; he actually forgot to close the window and the light.
He opened the door and casually turned off the bathroom light. To his surprise, the moment the bathroom light went out, a sharp scream of "Ah!" came from inside the bathroom.
This sudden scream startled Li Ran, causing him to drop everything in his hands, and the eggs shattered all over the floor.
Li Ran looked at the bathroom with a puzzled expression, unsure of what had happened.
After a while, the bathroom light turned on again, and a girl wrapped in a white bath towel walked out. Li Ran quickly covered his eyes with his hands, not daring to look at her.
“You startled me! Who let you in?” A familiar voice rang in Li Ran's ears.
Li Ran's peripheral vision caught sight of two delicate little legs and feet, making him feel a rush of desire. Fortunately, his companions beside him were all strikingly beautiful, so he retained some level of reason and barely managed to hold himself back.
```htmlHe cleared his throat and said, "He Yingying, get this straight, this is my house. What's wrong with me going back to my own home?"
"What's so great about your house? Just because it's your house, you think you can spy on me while I take a shower?" He Yingying yelled, suppressing her anger.```
“I didn't see anything. And what do you mean by saying I peeked at you taking a shower? I thought there was a robber in the house.”
The two of them bickered for a while, and Li Ran told her to get dressed first as this conversation was quite inappropriate.
He Yuying went back and put on a t-shirt; this t-shirt was big enough to cover her lower body and act as a dress. Li Ran glanced at her without saying anything.
Her hair was still wet and she hadn't dried it. She just sat on the sofa cross-legged, looking at Li Ran with an innocent expression.
Li Ran said somewhat speechlessly, "Why are you here again? What if my girlfriend comes back with me and misunderstands seeing you like this?"
He Yingying pouted and said somewhat aggrieved, "I really have no choice. If it weren't for not having a place to stay, if it weren't for not being able to rent a house during the New Year, and if I hadn't happened to have your key, I wouldn't have come here at all."
Li Ran helplessly smiled and said, "So, you think you have a point now?"
"No point, I'll stay for another night, and I'll leave tomorrow," He Yingying said somewhat dejectedly.
With a "bang," she slammed the keys onto the table and said, "Here's your key."
Her sudden agreement took Li Ran by surprise, but he still replied, "Do whatever you want."
After drinking with Liu Rui for an afternoon, I felt a bit hungry. So, I went to the kitchen to make something to eat for myself, and I casually made a bowl for He Yingying as well.
```htmlHe placed the cooked noodles in front of He Yingying and said, "Instant noodles with an egg, go ahead and eat."
After saying that, Li Ran didn't care about her any longer and started eating by himself.
In less than five minutes, Li Ran noticed she hadn't moved at all. He looked up and asked, "Are you going to eat or not?"```
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed He Yingying staring at the bowl, her eyes turning red, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sobbed while wiping her tears, feeling wronged.
“I just said a few words to you; it's not that serious, is it? Why are you crying like this?” Li Ran quickly pulled out a few tissues and handed them to her.
He Yingying took the tissue, wiped her tears, and then started eating the noodles. The sight of her eating while crying truly made people feel a bit heartbroken.
Li Ran noticed that she didn't want to talk, and he didn’t want to pry any further. He was indeed feeling a bit hungry himself, so he resumed his assault on the instant noodles.