145: Betting on obscure sports has backfired, with Duoyu being slapped in the face by setting up an environmental protection bureau to sabotage unfinished construction projects.

Early the next morning, before Xia Zhu could arrive, Xie Hui grabbed several boxes of sports drinks he had unearthed from his "inner universe" and drove straight to the Xihong City Women's Football Team's training base. This place was tucked away in an old factory building on the outskirts of the city. The iron gates were so rusty they were shedding flakes, and the football field inside was full of potholes. A few girls in faded jerseys were jogging around a tattered football. The coach was a white-haired old man, clutching a tactical board that looked like it was about to fall apart.

"This is the Xihong City Women's Football Team?" Xie Hui stopped the car and looked at the scene before him, unable to help but frown. Xia Zhu arrived right behind him, holding the team's information, and sighed. "Yes, their annual funding is only fifty thousand. They can't even afford decent equipment. They almost disbanded last year."

As the two walked over, the coach approached them warily. "What are you doing here? Journalists or sponsors? If you're journalists, don't bother; we have nothing to say. If you're sponsors... we can't afford the advertising fees."

"I'm here to invest, and I don't want advertising fees." Xie Hui placed the sports drinks on the ground, opened a box, and handed one to a nearby player. "My name is Xie Hui. I want to invest five million in the women's football team for specific purposes—changing the venue, buying new equipment, hiring professional coaches and nutritionists. If that's not enough, I'll add more."

The tactical board in the coach's hand fell to the ground with a "snap." The players also stopped in their tracks, their eyes wide and round. A girl with a ponytail asked cautiously, "Boss, you... you're not joking, right? Five million? Our team has been around for ten years, and we've never seen that much money in total."

"I'm not joking; I've brought the contract." Xie Hui pulled a prepared contract from his bag. "The money will arrive tomorrow. You should make a list now—buy whatever you lack, and don't be stingy. The more expensive, the better. For example, the jerseys should be the latest model with reflective strips that glow during night training. The shoes should be custom-made; everyone's foot shape must be measured. The field needs new turf, and we should install a climate-controlled shed so you can train in winter."

The coach's hands trembled as he finished signing the contract, tears nearly falling. "CEO Xie, you are truly the savior of our women's football team! From now on, if you say go east, we will never go west!"

The players gathered around Xie Hui, cheering. Xia Zhu stood to the side calculating the accounts and said with a smile, "Changing the venue and equipment will be about two million. Hiring coaches and nutritionists is two hundred thousand a month. Plus the usual training expenses, the five million will probably be gone in half a month. We'll have to add more then."

"When it's gone, it's gone; we'll just invest more." Just as Xie Hui finished speaking, a harsh car horn sounded. Wang Duoyu's limited-edition sports car stopped at the gate. He swaggered in with a cigar in his mouth. "Xie Hui, you really know how to pick up scraps. Is such a broken-down team worth your investment? I'm telling you, throwing money into this is just flushing it down the drain!"

Zhuang Qiang followed behind, holding a check. "Brother Duoyu said he'll invest ten million in the women's football team on the condition that the team changes its name to 'Duoyu Women's Football,' and they have to wear jerseys with his head printed on them for future matches!"

The smiles on the players' faces vanished instantly, and the coach frowned. "We're here to play football, not to be billboards."

Xie Hui patted the coach's shoulder and looked at Wang Duoyu with a cold laugh. "President Wang, aren't you a bit late? I just signed the contract with the women's football team. It's an exclusive investment. The contract states clearly that they cannot accept other sponsorships for six months."

Wang Duoyu was stunned. He grabbed the contract and saw that there really was such a clause. He slammed the contract on the ground in anger. "Xie Hui, you did this on purpose! You just don't want me to spend money!"

"You can't say that." Xie Hui spread his hands. "This is a reasonable investment. Unlike you, trying to use money to force people to change their name—who would want that? Besides, your ten million isn't even enough for me to buy ten climate-controlled sheds for the team."

The surrounding players couldn't help but laugh out loud. Wang Duoyu's face turned the color of pig liver. He pointed at Xie Hui. "Fine! You've got guts! We'll see!" After speaking, he drove off in a huff, with Zhuang Qiang chasing after him, panting.

Looking at the receding sports car, Xia Zhu couldn't help but laugh. "You expected Wang Duoyu to come and snatch it? So you specifically added the exclusive investment clause?"

"Otherwise?" Xie Hui raised an eyebrow. "That kid only has eyes for money; he would definitely compete with me to spend it. I had to strike first. Right, let's go to the next place—the men's weightlifting team. They're even poorer. I reckon an investment of three million will have them worshipping me like a god."

Sure enough, when they arrived at the weightlifting team, the situation was even more pathetic than the women's football team. The barbell bars were bent, the lifting platforms were made of wooden planks, and the players couldn't even bear to buy a bottle of mineral water after training. As soon as Xie Hui mentioned investing three million, the coach bowed to him on the spot, and the players surrounded him, asking if they could buy a few boxes of protein powder first.

"Buy it! We must buy it!" Xie Hui waved his hand grandly. "Not only protein powder, but we also need to hire professional physical coaches and assign a rehabilitation therapist to everyone. The training clothes must be custom-made with breathable mesh so you don't get too hot!"

By noon, Xie Hui had finalized the investments for the two teams. Xia Zhu calculated the accounts: adding the two million for the office rent, the ten million for the AI fortune-telling and Shared Umbrella investments, and the eight million just invested, the total spent was twenty-two million. It was still far from the two billion, but at least there was progress.

"Let's go grab some food; there's still business this afternoon." Xie Hui took Xia Zhu to a nearby home-style restaurant. Right after ordering, he took out his mobile phone and called the environmental assessment company he had contacted earlier. "Hello, Manager Zhang? Regarding those abandoned buildings I mentioned yesterday, can you do an assessment today? Yes, the ones Wang Duoyu invested in. Focus on checking the surrounding soil and water quality. Cost is not an issue."

Xia Zhu put down her chopsticks, suddenly enlightened. "You want the environmental assessment to show problems so that developers won't dare take over? That way, Wang Duoyu's abandoned buildings will be stuck in his hands, and he'll definitely lose money?"

"Smart." Xie Hui took a bite of food. "Wang Zongyao's assistant reminded me those buildings might appreciate in value. If Wang Duoyu actually makes a profit, our challenge will be in trouble. However, those buildings are in the suburbs on the site of an old chemical plant. There are bound to be problems with the soil. Once the assessment report is out, developers will definitely not want them."

Xia Zhu nodded, but felt a bit worried. "This isn't considered a violation, right? We're just doing a normal environmental assessment, not intentionally sabotaging anything."

"Of course not." Xie Hui smiled. "I'm doing this for the sake of Xihong City's environment and helping President Wang 'stop his losses'—to save him from making money and not knowing how to spend it."

After lunch, the people from the environmental assessment company had already arrived at the site of the abandoned buildings. When Xie Hui and Xia Zhu rushed over, Wang Duoyu was actually there too, chatting and laughing with several developers, seemingly negotiating a partnership.

"Xie Hui? What are you doing here?" When Wang Duoyu saw Xie Hui, his face immediately darkened. "I'm warning you, don't try to sabotage this. These buildings are about to appreciate. If you dare cause trouble, I'm not finished with you!"

"President Wang, don't be so angry." Xie Hui pointed to the assessment personnel nearby. "I'm just here for an environmental assessment. After all, this place used to be a chemical plant. If there's pollution, living here wouldn't be good for one's health. I'm doing this for the sake of future residents."

When the developers heard "chemical plant" and "pollution," their expressions changed instantly. They quickly asked the assessment personnel, "Is this place really polluted? If there's pollution, we wouldn't dare invest."

The assessment personnel took out their instruments and began testing the soil. After a while, they frowned. "The heavy metal content in the soil exceeds the standard by three times, and there are issues with the water quality. If you want to develop this, you'll have to spend a fortune on remediation—at least fifty million—and it might not even meet the standards."

The developers looked at each other and immediately waved their hands. "President Wang, we can't take on this project. The risk is too high. You'd better find someone else." After saying that, they turned and left.

Wang Duoyu was dumbfounded and grabbed the assessment person's arm. "Are you mistaken? This place was fine before. How could there be pollution? Were you hired by Xie Hui?"

"Sir, we are a legitimate company. The assessment results are absolutely authentic." The assessment person shook off his hand. "If you don't believe it, you can find another company to test it again. The result will definitely be the same."

Wang Duoyu looked at the empty abandoned buildings, then at the calm Xie Hui beside him, shaking with rage. "Xie Hui! You did this on purpose! You just don't want me to make money!"

"President Wang, you can't just say things like that." Xie Hui took out his mobile phone and opened a recording. "I just said it was for the health of the residents. If you think I'm wrong, we can hand the recording over to the Environmental Protection Bureau and let them be the judge."

Looking at the recording interface, Wang Duoyu instantly lost his temper. If he really made a scene at the Environmental Protection Bureau, not only would the abandoned buildings remain unsold, but he would also be fined—it wasn't worth the loss.

"You just wait!" Wang Duoyu dropped a harsh remark and left dejectedly. Zhuang Qiang followed behind, muttering, "Brother Duoyu, don't be angry. We have other projects, like that 'Land Swimmer'; it's sure to lose money."

Watching Wang Duoyu's back, Xia Zhu couldn't help but laugh. "This move of yours is too brilliant. It's both compliant and solves a hidden danger, while also making Wang Duoyu suffer in silence."

"To deal with someone like him, you have to use this kind of method." Xie Hui put away his mobile phone. "Come on, let's go check on the progress of Shared Umbrella 3.0. They said yesterday that the sample was ready. Let's take a look."

The research and development team for the Shared Umbrellas was in a small warehouse. Seeing Xie Hui arrive, the person in charge quickly brought out a sample—a black umbrella with a small screen on the handle and a charging port. The words "Xihong City Shared Umbrella 3.0" were printed on the canopy.

"CEO Xie, look, this umbrella can connect to a mobile phone app to track its location and can also charge a phone. The canopy is made of UV-resistant Materials, and the cost per unit is two hundred yuan," the person in charge introduced.

Xie Hui picked up the umbrella and tried it. As soon as it opened, the screen on the handle lit up, displaying "Low battery, please charge." He couldn't help but laugh. "This umbrella is quite good, but charging it is a bit of a hassle. Improve it further—for example, add a solar panel so it can charge without being plugged in. It doesn't matter if the cost is higher; we're not short on money anyway."

The person in charge's eyes lit up. "Add a solar panel! Great idea! But the cost would increase by another fifty yuan. That's two hundred and fifty per umbrella. If we produce a hundred thousand, that's twenty-five million."

"Invest!" Xie Hui decided on the spot. "Hire another hundred people specifically for deploying and collecting the umbrellas. A monthly salary of eight thousand, hired for one month first. That's another eight hundred thousand. It's a good way to spend a lot of money."

The person in charge was so excited he almost jumped. "Thank you, CEO Xie! We will definitely produce them as soon as possible and ensure the budget is spent!"

By the time they left the warehouse, it was already dark. Xia Zhu looked at the ledger in her hand and said with a smile, "We spent fifty-five million in just one day. Adding the previous twenty-two million, that's a total of seventy-seven million. At this rate, spending two billion in a month should be no problem."

"It's still early." Xie Hui drove. "Wang Duoyu definitely won't let this go. He'll surely make even bigger moves next. We have to be prepared and not let him outdo us."

Xia Zhu nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, that 'Canned Air' Young Man you hired yesterday messaged me today. He said they've already produced ten thousand cans and hired ten people to promote them on the streets. They're selling for a hundred yuan a can, but no one is buying. He asked if the price could be lowered."

"Don't lower the price!" Xie Hui said. "If no one's buying, hire people to buy them. Then hire some influencers to do 'Canned Air Unboxing' livestreams. Say this air can cure insomnia and refresh the mind—the more ridiculous, the better. It doesn't matter how much money is spent, as long as it gets spent."

Xia Zhu couldn't help but laugh. "You're really going to carry out this 'ridiculousness' to the end."

"Otherwise, how are we going to spend two billion?" Xie Hui laughed. "Right, tomorrow let's go check on the AI fortune-telling project. I heard they've finished modifying the System, and now it's not accurate at all. Let's go try it. If it really is inaccurate, we'll add more investment."

The neon lights outside the car window flickered. Xia Zhu looked at Xie Hui chatting beside her and suddenly felt very secure. She used to think spending money was a simple matter until she met Xie Hui and realized that reasonably spending a large sum of money—and spending it meaningfully—actually required a lot of thought. Not only did Xie Hui achieve this, but he also always came up with good ideas at critical moments, both slapping faces and remaining compliant, while making those around him happy.

"Tomorrow will definitely be even more interesting," Xia Zhu said softly, a smile on her lips.

Xie Hui didn't hear her words, but seeing her smile, he smiled as well. The money-spending war in Xihong City was just getting into full swing. In the days to come, there would surely be more jokes and more reversals. What he had to do was play this "spending game" to the extreme—not just to win, but to win beautifully.