novelraw Chapter 596 : Building a First-Class Team
Chapter 596 : Building a First-Class Team
Chapter 596: Building a First-Class Team
"What the hell?"
Chen Fan doubted he heard correctly.
Ma Xiaoshuai explained with a smile, "Brother Jie is opening a bathhouse. He's already chosen the location and is busy with renovations recently."
Chen Fan's eyes widened, and it took him a while to exhale.
"What on earth is going on?"
Ma Xiaoshuai joked, "This is all your fault."
"You took Brother Jie to experience a nightclub last time."
"That experience left quite an impression on Brother Jie. According to him, he couldn't bear to see those innocent girls suffering under capitalists, so he decided to open his own bathhouse and poach all the beautiful masseuses."
Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh, "When you put it that way, I can believe this is something Brother Jie would do."
"But does he have enough money to open a bathhouse?"
Chen Fan knew very well that before Brother Jie was arrested, his total savings were about 2-3 million yuan.
He had distributed some of that money to his employees, given some to his family, and some to Li Jiao.
He probably only had about 1 million yuan left in his hands.
Using this amount to open a bathhouse seemed a bit insufficient, didn't it?
Ma Xiaoshuai explained, "It's not just Brother Jie doing it alone, he's partnering with someone else."
"Your high school classmate."
"Guo Shuai?"
Chen Fan's eyes widened, "He's involved in this too?"
Ma Xiaoshuai smiled, "You don't know, those two hit it off immediately. They're like two peas in a pod, almost sworn brothers. They've been hanging out together all this time."
"But Guo Shuai is only responsible for providing capital as a shareholder. The management and operations are all up to Brother Jie."
Chen Fan shook his head helplessly, "These two rascals are causing trouble while I'm not around."
But thinking about it, Chen Fan chuckled and shook his head again.
There was no need to interfere in their affairs. After all, friendship is friendship, but he wasn't Guo Shuai or Brother Jie's father. He had no right to make decisions for them in such matters.
Everyone walks their own path in life.
Let them be.
The dinner location was set by Chen Fan.
He said since it was a college dorm reunion, they should eat near the school.
So they decided to have the gathering at the Sichuan-style hotpot restaurant they used to frequent during their school days.
Ma Xiaoshuai drove Chen Fan there first. The two arrived early, ordered the food, and were chatting when Wu Di arrived.
Wu Di had bought a car.
He bought an old second-hand Alto. Although the car was old, Wu Di cherished it very much.
After arriving at the restaurant entrance, he carefully parked the car in a spot.
After getting out, he stood next to the Alto, looking left and right to inspect it before finally letting out a satisfied sigh.
Seeing that the car window glass seemed a bit dirty, Wu Di quickly pulled out a tissue from his pocket, first bent down to breathe on it, and then wiped it with the tissue.
On the second floor in the private room by the window, Ma Xiaoshuai and Chen Fan, who were smoking and chatting, saw this scene and were amused.
Ma Xiaoshuai grabbed a disposable paper cup from nearby and threw it downstairs.
Pah!
It landed right next to Wu Di's feet.
"Damn, who the f***..."
Wu Di exploded instantly and was about to curse, but when he looked up and saw the two smiling faces looking at him from the second floor, he suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
"You guys just wait."
Wu Di pointed at Ma Xiaoshuai with a smile, then quickly entered the restaurant.
As soon as he came upstairs, Chen Fan asked with a smile, "When did you buy it?"
"Hey, almost a week ago."
Ma Xiaoshuai teased from the side, "Brother Di, your car is so beat up, is it necessary to take such meticulous care of it?"
Wu Di glared, "Rich people like you two naturally don't understand the struggles of us poor folks."
"Although it's a beat-up second-hand Alto, it's my first car in life. Of course I cherish it."
Chen Fan joked, "Why do I feel like you get fatter every time I see you?"
Wu Di sighed.
"Don't mention it. Working every day, endless reports to write, endless meetings to attend, endless work to do, endless dinners to attend... How can I not get fat?"
Ma Xiaoshuai teased from the side, "I say just quit your job. I really can't see anything good about your work."
But Wu Di shook his head, "No matter what, it's still a permanent position."
Chen Fan understood Wu Di quite well.
If he were in Wu Di's position, having finally passed the civil service exam, he wouldn't want to quit easily either.
Soon after, Luo Wenjie arrived, and not just Brother Jie, but Guo Shuai came along too.
Everyone was already very familiar with each other, so without any formalities, they sat down and started drinking.
Seeing the two bottles of liquor Ma Xiaoshuai brought this time, Wu Di was very satisfied and took the initiative to pour for everyone.
"Tonight, except for Old Chen who has an injury and can drink less, the rest of us four don't need my persuasion, right? At least half a liter per person..."
Hearing this, Ma Xiaoshuai smiled bitterly.
"Come on, is it necessary to drink so hard? I'm a family man now. If I drink too much, my girlfriend won't let me in when I go back."
"Damn, that makes you even more detestable. My girlfriend and Old Chen's girlfriend aren't by our side, only you can have a warm bed with your wife tonight. You have to drink more tonight."
Chen Fan ignored these two rambling and turned to look at Luo Wenjie beside him.
"I heard from Xiaoshuai that you're starting a new business recently?"
Luo Wenjie grinned sheepishly, "He told you everything? What do you think?"
Chen Fan asked, "You really decided not to come work for me?"
Luo Wenjie took out a cigarette, offered it to Chen Fan, who waved it off, so Luo Wenjie casually passed it to Guo Shuai next to him.
"How should I put it? I've invested all my savings into this industry. I know it's risky, but I still want to give it a try."
"You know why? Because of you, Old Chen. You're my backup."
"Even if I lose everything, I still have you, right? You wouldn't stand by and watch your brother starve to death, would you?"
Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh and shake his head helplessly.
Luo Wenjie leaned closer and asked with a smile, "Brother Fan, what do you think? Is it too late to enter the market now? Can I make money?"
Chen Fan shrugged, "In the bathhouse business, it's never too late to enter no matter which year. But before we talk about making money or not, I have a few words of advice for you."
Luo Wenjie immediately sat up straight.
"I understand."
"Don't worry. I, your brother, will definitely run a legitimate business. I won't do anything illegal or shady. I'm sworn enemies with gambling and drugs."
Luo Wenjie was full of ambition, "I'm going to build a first-class team, to show our male compatriots what professionalism really means!"
Chen Fan was speechless, understanding that Brother Jie was determined to go all in, and didn't bother to persuade him anymore.
He turned his gaze to Guo Shuai beside him, "You invested too?"
Guo Shuai seemed a bit afraid that Chen Fan would be angry, and scratched his head awkwardly.
"Brother Fan, this guy didn't have money to start his business, I'm just helping him out with some capital. I didn't say I would interfere with his bathhouse."
Chen Fan was silent for two seconds, then slowly spoke.
"In this business, if you do it well, you can indeed make money very quickly. But remember not to cross the line. And... don't be greedy, cash out as soon as you've made enough."
"I'll give you a piece of advice: it's best to legitimize and get out before 2014, then use the money you've earned to do other businesses."