novelraw Chapter 338 : Picked Up a Great Bargain
Chapter 338 : Picked Up a Great Bargain
Chapter 338: Picked Up a Great Bargain
After throwing the two fellows into the apartment, Chen Fan went out alone.
He was going to meet Guo Shuai today.
Since the last time he handed the bar over to Guo Shuai, Chen Fan hadn't seen Guo Shuai for some time.
This guy chose the most difficult path, and Chen Fan was really worried that he might not be able to find his way back.
The purpose of letting Guo Shuai manage the bar was to hope that this kid could slowly turn himself around.
Taking a taxi to the Glory Years Bar located on the central business street of the city.
When he arrived, the bar had not yet officially opened for business, and the main hall was a bit empty, with only a few tables of customers drinking and chatting.
On the stage in the middle, a girl with blue-dyed hair was sitting on it, holding a guitar and adjusting the sound.
A waitress came to greet him, "Sir, how many people? Do you have a reservation?"
Chen Fan was a little surprised, business was so good that they needed reservations?
"I'm looking for your boss."
"You're looking for Manager Guo?"
Chen Fan explained, "I'm his brother."
However, the waitress looked wary.
"Sorry, if there's no reservation, I can't contact him for you."
Chen Fan laughed bitterly, "Alright, then I'll call him myself."
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, you're acting too high and mighty. I need to make a reservation to see you now?"
"Nonsense, I'm right here on the first floor of the bar."
Before Chen Fan could hang up, he heard an excited shout from upstairs.
"Brother Fan."
Guo Shuai ran down from upstairs excitedly, charging over and giving Chen Fan a bear hug.
"Dude. It's been so long since you came, I thought you'd forgotten this brother of yours."
Then he scolded the waitress next to him.
"What's with those eyes? This is my brother, remember that from now on. When he comes, notify me immediately."
The waitress hurriedly bent over and apologized.
"Sorry, sorry, Mr. Chen, I didn't know..."
Of course, Chen Fan wouldn't argue with a waitress, and waved his hand to indicate that he didn't mind.
Guo Shuai patted Chen Fan's shoulder.
"Knowing you don't like crowds, let's go! To my office upstairs to chat."
The two of them went upstairs while chatting and laughing.
A waiter passed by and joked with a smile.
"You don't even recognize the boss's big brother, you're looking for death."
The waitress who had just been scolded by the boss looked aggrieved, "I've only been here for a month, and besides, no one told me that the boss has a big brother..."
"What do you know? Let me tell you. Remember, whenever Mr. Chen comes again, you must greet him with a hundred percent enthusiasm."
"You know why?"
The veteran employee lowered his voice and muttered, "Word has it that this bar was given to Manager Guo by Mr. Chen. Get it? Actually, Mr. Chen is the behind-the-scenes boss of this bar."
The new employee immediately showed an expression of sudden realization.
"Thanks for the reminder, Brother Zhang, otherwise I would have been kept in the dark forever."
"Hey, I only pointed out a few things because you're clever. There's a lot more to learn in the future."
"Yes, yes. But Brother Zhang, what exactly does Mr. Chen do? He looks so young, could he be the son of some wealthy family?"
This Brother Zhang immediately glared at him fiercely.
"Don't pry into things you shouldn't, got it?"
"Is his identity something you can ask about?"
Seeing the newcomer's nervous and scared look, this Brother Zhang then continued in a mysterious tone.
"Look at how timid you are, I'll only tell you one thing."
"Do you remember the big news about the Yunhai Zhao family that caused a stir some time ago?"
The new waiter nodded repeatedly.
"Yeah, yeah, everyone was discussing it for a while."
"Rumor has it that the Zhao family's second young master had offended Mr. Chen before... Then the news about the Zhao family blew up online, and the Zhao family was suppressed by the authorities to quell the online anger. As for that second young master Zhao, he was even detained in custody for over half a month before being released."
"And that was only after the Zhao family begged countless influential people to intervene and get him released..."
After saying that, the veteran employee kept his mouth shut, his face showing an expression of "You get it, right?"
Sure enough, the new employee's eyes lit up instantly.
"Does this mean Mr. Chen's background must reach all the way to the heavens?"
"Our boss even calls Mr. Chen 'Big Brother'. If we're following our boss, wouldn't our future days be bright too?"
...
Upstairs, Chen Fan was unaware that his image had been passed around as something extraordinary among the bar employees.
At the moment, he was looking at Guo Shuai brewing tea with a perplexed expression.
"Hey, no need to put on airs, just give me a bottle of mineral water."
Guo Shuai smiled sheepishly.
"I've been learning to brew tea recently. Heard it can nourish one's qi."
"How old are you? You're already cultivating your qi?"
Guo Shuai walked over to the fridge, opened it, took out a can of soda and handed it to Chen Fan.
"You're such a busy guy, what made you have time to come see me today?"
Chen Fan took the soda but didn't open it, and casually asked, "Just came to see how you've been doing lately."
Guo Shuai came over and sat down, took out a cigarette and offered one to Chen Fan first.
Chen Fan hesitated for a moment before accepting it.
Guo Shuai used his lighter to light Chen Fan's cigarette, then lit his own.
After taking a deep puff, he finally looked up at Chen Fan.
"Back when we were in school, although I smoked, most of the time it was just for show, to look cool in front of the girls."
"Didn't expect that now I've really become a chain smoker."
Chen Fan's brows furrowed slightly, "I remember you said you'd quit when you were inside."
Guo Shuai smiled bitterly, "Leading a bunch of brothers and managing a bar, dealing with all sorts of shady people, how could I not smoke?"
Chen Fan couldn't help but ask, "How has the bar's business been lately? Alright, I hope?"
Guo Shuai grinned.
"More than alright."
"Brother Fan, I took your advice from before to heart, let professionals handle professional matters.
"I know I'm not cut out for business, so I specially headhunted a manager from elsewhere. You wouldn't believe it, the bar turned a profit in the very first month after opening."
"Now, although the bar's monthly revenue isn't huge, the weekly liquor sales have been increasing steadily, which means we're getting on the right track."
Chen Fan nodded, "That's good. At first, I was worried you'd mess around and ruin the bar."
Guo Shuai laughed wryly, "Big brother, you don't have to look down on me like that, OK?"
"Oh right, I have some good news to tell you too."
Guo Shuai puffed on his cigarette, looking excited.
"Remember when the Zhao family got into trouble recently? The higher-ups went after them to appease the online public opinion, and this time, I heard the protective umbrella behind the Zhao family didn't dare say a word."
Guo Shuai became more and more excited as he spoke, "The Zhao family really took a big hit, got slashed right in the main artery."
After the negotiation with Zhao Wentian, the Zhao family patriarch, Chen Fan hadn't paid any more attention to this matter.
Now that Guo Shuai brought it up, Chen Fan couldn't help but become interested.
"What's the situation with the Zhao family now?"
Guo Shuai snickered.
"In order to preserve their main industries, the Zhao family had no choice but to gradually divest those shady businesses they usually kept under wraps."
"And, to give an explanation to the higher-ups, many of the thugs the Zhao family kept in the shadows were arrested and heavily sentenced. No one dared to speak up for them."
Guo Shuai looked extremely excited.
"After the Zhao family got into trouble, all the entertainment venues on Huaqi Street were in disarray, and no one dared to take them over. I picked up a great bargain there."
"Now I'm in charge of that whole street."
"Those fellows pay me protection fees every month, and I arrange people to protect their venues from harassment."
Chen Fan felt somewhat resigned.
This guy, was he really determined to walk down the crooked path then?
Looking up at Guo Shuai, Chen Fan sighed.
"Have you really thought this through? It's easy to get onto this path, but it won't be so easy to turn back later."