148: The family-friendly amusement park cleverly broke the deadlock, turning its fish-filled water park into a laughing stock.

The aroma of freshly fried dough sticks from the breakfast stall wafted halfway down the street. Xia Zhu took a bite of a dough stick while flipping through the promotional draft for the Water Park sent by Wang Duoyu, her brow furrowed so deeply it could crush a mosquito. "He’s throwing fifty million into this? He claims he's building ten water slides alone and says he'll hire a top celebrity for endorsements. Can our Parent-Child Paradise even compete?"

Xie Hui handed over a freshly peeled tea egg and chuckled while munching on his own dough stick. "It would be strange if we couldn't. Think about it, a Water Park can only be enjoyed in the summer, and equipment maintenance is expensive. With Wang Duoyu's personality, he’ll definitely use cheap Materials, and problems will crop up within three days. Our Parent-Child Paradise has many more projects to enjoy, plus we can have DIY workshops and cartoon interactions. Parents will want to bring their kids, and they'll feel their money is well-spent. It's much more reliable than his one-off Water Park."

Xia Zhu's eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled out her ledger. "Then what's our budget? Renting the venue, buying equipment, hiring people—how much will it all cost?"

"Let’s invest thirty million first," Xie Hui said decisively. "We’ll choose that vacant lot in the city center; it's convenient for parents to bring their kids. The equipment must be safe, everything from large slides to small building block pools. We'll hire twenty safety officers. For the mascots, we need a professional team to feature popular characters like bears and rabbits. We’ll also set up a 'Parent-Child DIY Workshop' providing free clay and paint for the kids to make crafts while the parents watch happily. All this money spent will be legitimate expenses, so Wang Zongyao won't be able to find any fault."

After finishing breakfast, the two headed straight for the vacant lot in the city center. Just as they arrived, they saw Wang Duoyu's sports car parked there. He was slamming his hand on a table in front of the landlord. "I'm leasing this land! Two million a month. If you dare lease it to Xie Hui, I’ll never work with you again!"

The landlord looked troubled. Seeing Xie Hui approach, he quickly cast a pleading look for help. Xie Hui walked over and patted Wang Duoyu on the shoulder. "Mr. Wang, it’s not nice to snatch someone else's business. Besides, to build a Water Park here, you’d have to dig pools and lay pipes; it would take at least half a month to start work. This land is just sitting idle. Why not lease it to me? I can move in and start setting up today, and I can pay three months' rent upfront. Who do you think the landlord will choose?"

Wang Duoyu turned and glared at him. "I can pay three months upfront too! Six million, do you dare to match that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Xie Hui pulled out his mobile phone and directly transferred ten million to the landlord. "I’ll pay six months' rent upfront and sign a priority renewal contract. In the future, I can lease this land whenever I want."

Looking at the payment notification on his mobile phone, the landlord couldn't stop smiling. "CEO Xie is so generous! This land is leased to you! Mr. Wang, I'm sorry, please look for another plot."

Wang Duoyu’s Face turned purple with rage. He pointed at Xie Hui and cursed, "You’re doing this on purpose! I’m telling you, even if you lease the land, I’ll make sure you can’t open for business!" With that, he drove off in a huff.

Xia Zhu watched the receding sports car, looking a bit worried. "Will he really try to sabotage us? Like hiring people to cause trouble?"

"Don't worry, I have a way." Xie Hui silently thought "Time Stop," and everything around him instantly froze—the smoke from the landlord's cigarette hung in mid-air, and cars in the distance stood still. He walked quickly to Wang Duoyu's car and, through the window, saw him on the phone with a man in work clothes. "Boss Zhang, get your construction team here right away. Use the cheapest Materials and build the Water Park within half a month. Money is no object!"

Xie Hui noted down the construction boss's number, deactivated Time Stop, and turned to Xia Zhu. "Come on, let's go meet Wang Duoyu's construction boss and make sure he doesn't dare take the job."

They found the construction team's office just as Boss Zhang was preparing to sign the contract. Xie Hui directly handed over photos of poor-quality Materials he had taken on his mobile phone. "Boss Zhang, if you use this kind of material to build water slides and a safety accident occurs, can you afford the compensation? I just spoke with a friend at the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Commerce; they’ve been checking for safety hazards lately. If you dare take Wang Duoyu's job, you'll be the first one they investigate."

Boss Zhang's Face went pale when he saw the photos—those Materials were indeed below standard. If something really happened, his construction team would go bankrupt. He quickly crumpled the contract. "CEO Xie, don't worry, I won't take this job! I wouldn't dare gamble with my livelihood!"

Having dealt with the construction team, Xie Hui felt at ease and returned to the vacant lot to start setting up the park. He walked to a secluded spot and began moving things out from his "inner universe"—mountains of cartoon plushies, glowing interactive building blocks, a small carousel, as well as children's picture books and educational toys brought back from the modern world.

Xia Zhu’s eyes widened. "These things... you brought them all back from another world? They’re so beautiful!"

"Pretty, right? These toys are safe and durable; the kids will definitely love them." Xie Hui handed her a rabbit plushie. "If you like it, take it to play with. Consider it a work bonus."

Xia Zhu took the plushie, her Face flushing slightly. She quickly lowered her head to help organize the toys. By noon, the layout of the park had taken shape—a large slide area, a building block pool, a DIY workshop, and a dedicated rest area with small tables and chairs where parents could sit and wait for their kids.

In the afternoon, the hired safety officers and mascot team arrived. As soon as the mascots put on their bear and rabbit costumes, passing children swarmed around, clutching the mascots' hands and refusing to let go. Xie Hui took the opportunity to announce, "The park will have a soft opening tomorrow. It’ll be free for one day, and we'll be giving away cartoon stickers and small plushies. Everyone is welcome to bring their kids!"

Once the news spread, the local parents were abuzz. They all took out their mobile phones to take photos and post them on social media. Before long, "Xihong City Parent-Child Fantasy Paradise" was trending.

When Wang Duoyu heard the news, he was so angry he nearly flipped his office desk. He had finally found another construction team, but as soon as they dug a pool, they discovered an underground leak that would cost even more to fix. The construction team also started hiking up their prices on the spot, and his fifty-million-dollar budget was suddenly exceeded.

"No way! I have to go sabotage Xie Hui's park and make sure he can't open!" Wang Duoyu took Zhuang Qiang and ran toward the park carrying a bucket of paint.

When they reached the park entrance, they happened to see Xie Hui and Xia Zhu testing the carousel. Wang Duoyu tried to sneak around to the back to splash paint on the slides, but Zhuang Qiang didn't keep up and accidentally bumped into him. The paint splashed all over Zhuang Qiang's Hawaiian shirt, making him look like a color palette.

"Are you blind?!" Wang Duoyu shoved Zhuang Qiang in anger. Zhuang Qiang lost his balance and fell backward, landing right in the nearby building block pool, scattering blocks everywhere.

The surrounding children screamed in fright. Xie Hui quickly ran over to pull Zhuang Qiang up. "Brother Qiang, are you trying to compete with the kids for building blocks? You don't have to try that hard."

Zhuang Qiang wiped the block debris off his Face and was about to speak when he suddenly let out an "Ouch"—a bird dropping landed right on his forehead, forming a "three-point line" with the previous two splats.

"Hahaha!" The people around burst into laughter. One child even shouted, "Mister, do you have a grudge against birds?"

Wang Duoyu's Face turned the color of pig liver. He grabbed Zhuang Qiang and ran, tripping over the threshold as he fled and nearly falling flat on his Face.

Seeing their pathetic state, Xia Zhu laughed until she couldn't stand straight. "Do you think Zhuang Qiang really has a grudge against birds? That AI Fortune-telling was way too accurate."

"It’s not a grudge against birds; it’s a grudge against Wang Duoyu. Nothing good comes from following him." Xie Hui handed her a bottle of water. "Tired? Take a break. Let the employees handle the rest of the work."

Xia Zhu took the water, feeling a warmth in her heart. Xie Hui was always like this, remembering if she was tired and proactively sharing the workload. He was much better than someone like Wang Duoyu, who only knew how to waste money to show off.

The next day, the Parent-Child Paradise had its soft opening. At dawn, a long queue had already formed at the entrance, with parents bringing their kids and taking photos with their mobile phones. Inside the park, safety officers were busy maintaining order, mascots were shaking hands and dancing with the kids, and in the DIY workshop, children were making crafts with clay while their parents helped. It was a bustling scene.

Xie Hui and Xia Zhu watched from the rest area. Xia Zhu scrolled through the trending topics on her mobile phone. "Our park is already number one on the trending list! Wang Duoyu's Water Park is at the bottom, and the comments are all complaints, saying his pool is leaking and the slides are rusting before they're even finished."

Xie Hui smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Wang Duoyu's car stop at the entrance. Wang Duoyu kept his head down and didn't dare come in; he likely saw how popular the park was and was too ashamed to show his Face.

"Come on, let's go check out his Water Park." Xie Hui pulled Xia Zhu along and drove straight to Wang Duoyu's site.

When they arrived, the scene was both comical and pitiful—the water in the pool had leaked until only half was left, the slides were crooked and surrounded by caution tape, and several workers were busy with repairs. Wang Duoyu was squatting nearby, his hair a mess, looking like a drowned rat.

"Mr. Wang, why is your Water Park broken before it even opened?" Xie Hui walked over and asked mockingly.

Wang Duoyu looked up and glared at him, unable to speak for a long time. Finally, he choked out, "Just you wait, I have other projects!" He stood up to leave but didn't watch his step and fell into a nearby mud pit, getting splashed with mud.

Xie Hui and Xia Zhu laughed uncontrollably. Xia Zhu took out her mobile phone and secretly snapped a photo. "If this photo gets out, it'll definitely trend."

"Don't post it. Let's leave him some Face." Xie Hui pulled Xia Zhu back toward their car. "We have our own park to keep us busy; we don't have time for his nonsense."

On the way back, Xia Zhu leaned against the passenger seat, looking at the scenery outside. Suddenly, she said, "Working with you is really fun. Before, with Wang Duoyu, I just watched him waste money every day; it was so boring. Now I feel that spending money can be so meaningful."

Xie Hui's heart stirred. He turned to glance at her; the setting sun shone on her Face, making her look particularly gentle. He said softly, "There will be even more interesting things to do together in the future."

Xia Zhu's Face instantly flushed. She quickly turned away to look out the window, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

The car drove slowly, and the setting sun stretched their shadows long. Xie Hui knew that in this money-spending battle with Wang Duoyu, he had already won half the fight. And his relationship with Xia Zhu was also gradually warming up without them even realizing it. Next, what he needed to do was continue spending money reasonably, complete the bet, and then take Xia Zhu with him to the next world to experience even more wonderful things.