From Wage Slave to Tycoon

Chapter 95: Chapter 93: This Is an International Metropolis? Who Are You Kidding

The next day!

Early in the morning, Si Cong received a call from the e-sports club. The tournament was starting today, and they wanted him to go boost the players’ morale. To put it bluntly, it was time to school the team on the art of monetary motivation...

He had originally planned to ask Su Chen to come along, since Su Chen was also a shareholder in the club. It would have been a good opportunity for him to meet the staff.

But after some thought, Su Chen politely declined. He wanted to explore the city of Paris today and see for himself what the exotic atmosphere of the so-called "Capital of Romance" was really like.

Since Su Chen wasn’t interested, Si Cong left the manor with his girlfriend, Coco.

Chen Mengyan had also left the manor early that morning for work. She initially wanted to stay and spend time with Su Chen, but he gave her a stern talking-to, even telling her not to come over for the time being and to just focus on her job.

Of course... Su Chen would never admit it was because last night’s activities had been a little too exciting, and his back was temporarily out of commission.

.........

"Coffee on the left bank of the Seine, a cup in my hand, I taste your beauty, the lips that left their print behind..."

Su Chen gazed at the Seine River before him, feeling like Jay Chou’s lyrics had suddenly diverged from reality.

"This is really the bank of the Seine?? You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s worse than the drainage ditch back home!" Su Chen said, frowning at Jiang Hui, who stood beside him.

’In my mind, the Seine was supposed to be this picturesque place,’ he thought. ’Lined with Gothic architecture, riverside cafes, strolling tourists, singing street performers, and cruise boats gliding on the water...’

But the reality? The entire Seine River reeked of a foul odor that Su Chen knew was the smell of feces and urine.

The riverside cafes were all closed, and tourists were few and far between. Instead, the streets were filled with "vagrants" lying around everywhere.

"Ahem... Sir, Paris isn’t the city people dream of anymore. It’s practically become the ’City of Filth’!" Jiang Hui said, lightly placing his right hand under his nose as if to block the foul odor.

After Jiang Hui’s brief explanation, Su Chen finally understood. The city of Paris was home to over thirty thousand homeless people and more than three hundred thousand stray dogs, yet the entire downtown area had only 140 public restrooms. It was a classic case of demand far outstripping supply, resulting in people and animals relieving themselves everywhere on the streets.

Humans and animals alike!

The Parisian authorities didn’t seem to take the issue seriously and failed to implement any countermeasures. In just a few short years, Paris had become a modern, fashionable metropolis renowned for its far-reaching stench.

"Let’s go. This place is unbearable," Su Chen said, pinching his nose as he turned and walked away.

The 8th arrondissement, situated on the Right Bank of the Seine, is arguably a must-see destination for any tourist in Paris. It’s packed with a wealth of historical monuments and famous landmarks, such as the Louvre Palace, the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon’s Tomb, and the Musée d’Orsay, all concentrated in this area.

Of course, the most famous of all had to be the Champs-Élysées—after all, how could it not be, with Jay Chou’s song being so popular?

Once he arrived on the Champs-Élysées, Su Chen finally understood what people meant by the "Capital of Romance." Every person who walked past exuded a faint scent of perfume...

It was a stark contrast to the stench of urine in the air.

Su Chen didn’t spend much time there. He’d already lost all curiosity about Paris; now, he just wanted to get through the Louvre Palace and head back to his manor.

’In this part of the city,’ he felt, ’every breath I take is an insult to my own body.’

The Louvre Palace wasn’t very far from the Champs-Élysées.

Walking to the end of the Champs-Élysées, crossing the Place de la Concorde, and passing through the Tuileries Garden, he arrived at the entrance to the Louvre Palace.

However, passing through the Tuileries Garden did make Su Chen pause for a few minutes.

"So this is the Louvre Palace?" After passing through the Carrousel Arc, he saw the famous glass pyramid in the courtyard, which served as the museum’s entrance.

As one of the four great museums of the world, the Louvre Palace has a history spanning over eight hundred years. Construction began in 1204, when it was originally just a fortress for the royal palace of Philip Augustus II.

The palace is world-renowned for its rich collection of classical paintings and sculptures and is one of the most treasured buildings of the French Renaissance. The entire structure is "U" shaped, occupying an area of 24 hectares, with the buildings themselves covering 4.8 hectares.

The Louvre Palace’s art collection boasts over four hundred thousand items. Among the most precious are its "Three Treasures": the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

The entire exhibition space was divided into six sections: the Greek and Roman Art Gallery, the Egyptian Art Gallery, the Eastern Art Gallery, the Painting Gallery, the Sculpture Gallery, and the Decorative Arts Gallery.

Su Chen and his companions had timed their visit well; there weren’t many other tourists.

After buying tickets, the group of four only had to wait in line for a couple of minutes before entering the museum, whereupon they headed straight for the Eastern Art Gallery.

As for why they were visiting the Louvre Palace in the first place, it had been a spontaneous idea Su Chen had come up with just the day before.

When Su Chen entered the Eastern Art exhibition hall and saw the dazzling display of artifacts from Huaxia, a nameless rage surged through him. ’A bunch of thieves!’

Hearing this, Jiang Hui, Chen Fei, and the others immediately and discreetly created a perimeter, separating Su Chen from the other tourists.

"Old Jiang... do you think these artifacts will ever have a chance to go back home?" Su Chen murmured under his breath.

Jiang Hui’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "Sir, I believe that day will come!"

"Heh... I hope so," Su Chen said with a slight laugh, letting the subject drop.