Chapter 170: Chapter 169: Lin Chu: Me, Freeloading
[Image sent].
"Brother Ming drank too much. I brought him back to the hotel. Can you contact his family?"
After getting another room, Lin Chu laid Pei Ming on the bed and sent a quick message to Li Dong.
’So annoying.’
The way that young lady at the front desk was looking at him just now was so strange.
Li Dong had known him for years and obviously knew his family, so Lin Chu figured he’d ask.
Soon enough, a video call came in from Li Dong. He laughed and said, "Whoa, you can really hold your liquor, huh? Getting little Mingming this drunk. He doesn’t have any family. His wife divorced him years ago and moved abroad."
"What about his kids?" Lin Chu asked.
’Another reason to get married: when you’re drunk, there’s someone to take you home. Of course, you’d probably have to face the washboard when you get back, and that’s if you’re lucky. If your wife doesn’t make you kneel outside the door, that’s true love.’
"His kid... is still young, I think? Still in college in Jinling. I don’t have a contact number. It’s fine, just let him sleep it off. He’ll be okay when he wakes up."
Li Dong sounded very relaxed. It wasn’t that he didn’t care; it’s just that after decades of friendship, he enjoyed watching the show.
"How much was the room? I’ll transfer you the money."
’He’s pretty decent about this stuff.’
Lin Chu retorted irritably, "Don’t worry about it. You think I’m short on that little bit of cash? How are you guys, a bunch of uncles born in the 70s, even less reliable than me?"
Li Dong couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "That’s him, not me. I tried to talk him out of it so many times, but he wouldn’t listen. He just had to run that stupid factory. What’s so great about a factory? You work like a dog, and he’s lost his entire life savings. He sold two of his houses in the last couple of years."
"Let this be a lesson for him. Hey, move the camera a little closer. I want to screenshot an ugly picture of him."
Lin Chu: ?
Hiss...
’What a terrible friend.’
’But then again, this is probably what real friends are like. If something actually happened to Pei Ming, he definitely wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.’
"Alright, alright, stop messing around. I’m hanging up."
Lin Chu hung up the video call.
The moment he hung up, he saw that Li Dong had sent him a 5,000 yuan transfer, with the message: "Thanks for the trouble, brother."
’He really is... quite proper.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Chu accepted it.
’I deserve it.’
’Why shouldn’t I take it?’
"Thanks, boss. I’ll make sure to get him wasted every day from now on. Hey, do you still want those ugly pictures? Nudes, maybe? A hundred thousand a pop?"
Lin Chu joked back.
Li Dong: "...You’re even more of a smartass than I am! Such a cheeky kid! I’ll find you for a drink when I’m back in the country."
This incident, however, gave Li Dong a better sense of who Lin Chu was, and he found himself approving of him.
...
Early the next morning, before Lin Chu was even awake, a voice call from Pei Ming came in. He groggily answered it.
"Oh man, I’m so sorry. I really overdid it last night. Thanks for taking care of everything, little brother."
He was back to his normal self.
Lin Chu sighed. "It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re awake."
’What else could I do?’
’Of course, I had to forgive him.’
’If I ever drink with him again, I’m a dog!’
"Brother Ming, let’s make some arrangements. I’m actually quite interested in Xiangyun Sha and would like to come visit your factory."
Lin Chu had already brought this up during dinner last night, and Pei Ming had agreed. So, drunk or not, the visit was already on the table.
"Sure, no problem."
"This afternoon, then?"
Feeling a little indebted, Pei Ming’s attitude became even more agreeable.
"Alright."
Lin Chu nodded in agreement. "So, shall we have a few more drinks tonight?"
Pei Ming: ... "Well, hahaha, I think I’ll pass. I’m getting old, can’t keep up with you young folks. I’ll be waiting for you at the factory this afternoon. I’m going to head back now. Oh, how much was the room? I’ll transfer you the money."
Lin Chu: ...
’Another one of these overly proper guys.’
"No need. The group owner already paid for it last night."
Hearing this, Pei Ming didn’t insist. After a few more pleasantries, he hung up.
...
「Two in the afternoon.」
The rain had long since stopped.
Lin Chu arrived at the factory right on time. He had spent the morning picking up his car—the Rolls-Royce. The license plates were already on. It was his first time driving it, and the experience was truly excellent. It was a top-tier luxury car, after all.
Hou Chengjin was in the passenger seat; Lin Chu had brought him along on purpose.
If Pei Ming’s Xiangyun Sha was well-made, Lin Chu was actually thinking about collaborating on a promotional push—for instance, by filming a themed micro-short drama.
’He’d already invested in six of them, so what’s one more?’
Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to establish a partnership with Pei Ming first.
Otherwise, if it managed to get some traction and become a minor hit, wouldn’t he just be lining someone else’s pockets?
To be honest, Lin Chu was genuinely a little curious about Xiangyun Sha.
He couldn’t remember where he’d heard about it before, but its status was incredibly high—praised to the heavens. In the past, this stuff was basically the Chinese Louis Vuitton, and a super limited edition at that.
When he arrived at the factory and sent a message, Pei Ming quickly came out to greet him. The factory was quite simple, with no large workshops or industrial machinery. It looked more like a small, manual workshop.
Under a transparent rain shelter, on the ground, and on bamboo poles, countless bolts of silk were laid out to dry as far as the eye could see. In the distance were many huge dyeing vats, and a dozen or so elderly workers were diligently and meticulously handling various tasks, every movement exuding a sense of careful precision.
"Is this all really done by hand?" Lin Chu asked casually.
Pei Ming nodded. "Three steams, nine boils, eighteen sunnings. It’s all done by hand. A machine can’t replicate the feel. There’s no other way. Just one bolt of cloth can take a year to make."
"With real Xiangyun Sha, before a young lady from a wealthy family would wear it, she would have a dedicated ’fitting maid’ wear it for half a year first. Only after the material had completely softened and absorbed some ’human essence’ would she wear it herself. It’s extremely cool in the summer; no matter how much you sweat, it never sticks to your skin."
"The more you wear it, the more comfortable it gets. A single piece can easily be worn for thirty years."
Hou Chengjin was stunned.
’It’s that amazing?’
Lin Chu chuckled and teased, "No wonder it’s on the verge of extinction, right? If a fast-fashion item like clothing becomes a family heirloom, who’s going to buy new ones?"
Pei Ming: ...
He gave Lin Chu a complicated look and sighed. "Come on in. I’ll make some tea."
"My apologies, President Pei. I seem to have hit a sore spot."
Realizing his passion for this heritage, Lin Chu immediately apologized.
"Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. I’m used to it..."
Pei Ming waved his hand with a smile. "Xiangyun Sha used to be called the ’King of Silk.’ Zhang Ailing and the Mother of Song wore it their entire lives. But now, it’s fallen behind the times. Those who can afford it look down on it, and those who appreciate it are all buying mass-produced, fast-fashion goods."
Following him into the tea room, which was just a small tea table that doubled as a storage area, they saw racks of clothes on the side. All sorts of Xiangyun Sha garments, for both men and women, were hanging there.
Lin Chu noticed a poem hanging above the tea table.
Artisan hearts and skillful hands rinse the cloud-like gauze; satins and silks are dyed with worldly splendor. Returning to simplicity, its color is enriched with mud; a borrowed divine charm adds to its brocaded beauty.
Huh.
’It even has a poem passed down about it.’
Glancing around, Lin Chu casually reached out to feel the fabric. It was extremely smooth to the touch, with a natural silk texture. When the wind blew in, it made a rustling sound that was pleasant to the ear.
This was one of the origins of its name; Xiangyun Sha was also known as "Rustling Cloud Gauze."
He spotted a long black robe that looked a bit like the Magical Robe worn by the Judicial Celestial God Yang Jian in *Treasure Lotus Lamp*. It was elegant without being old-fashioned. Lin Chu tried it on and was immediately struck by how amazing it looked.
’This is so fucking cool!’
’If I wore this out, I’d definitely be the sharpest-dressed guy on the whole street!’
’And it really was cool and comfortable.’
"How much is this one?"
"It suits me pretty well."
Lin Chu asked with a casual smile, partly intending to give him some business.
Pei Ming: "If you like it, I’ll just give it to you."
Lin Chu: "Hey, I can’t do that. I have to pay for it."
"Really, don’t worry about it. I’m preparing to shut down the factory anyway. What do you call something that can’t be sold in this society? It’s just trash!"
he said, his voice a bit agitated. He let out a long sigh and gave a bitter smile. "I can’t hold on anymore. If I lose any more money, my retirement fund will be gone."
Lin Chu: ...
’He wasn’t sure if Pei Ming was just saying that out of frustration or if he really meant it, but it was highly likely the thought had been on his mind for a long time.’
’Li Dong had said it last night, too—he was struggling to keep it afloat, having sold two houses in two years.’
Looking at him, a strange idea suddenly popped into Lin Chu’s mind.
’I’ll buy half the shares of this factory, find a trustworthy brother to manage it, and then gift it... no, not a brother, I’ll gift it to my dad. With the double rebate, wouldn’t I be getting it for free?’
’Shares should count as a "gift" that can be given away, right?’
’Keep Pei Ming on as the factory director.’
’I take half the shares.’
’A total freebie!’
’And, I’d get to help pass on this amazing craft.’
’Tsk!’
’If he could extend this line of thinking and replicate it, Lin Chu suddenly felt a world of possibilities open up.’
’It was a match made in heaven for his live-streaming company!’
’And with almost no cost.’
’The only things to solve after acquiring it would be the sales problem and the operating costs.’
’But he’d acquire it first and worry about the rest later.’
’It was a no-cost, high-return venture.’
’He’d just sell what he could. If it really came down to it, couldn’t he just fucking give it away?’
’He’d get his rebate just from gifting it.’
Previously, Lin Chu’s idea for a Chinese top-tier luxury brand had just been a budding concept, propped up entirely by his live-streaming rebates.
Now, a smooth path had suddenly opened up before him.
"Don’t shut it down. It’s just a matter of money, right? I’ll invest. Then we can have Vice President Hou here, who films micro-short dramas, create a custom-themed series for you. We’ll see if we can generate some traffic. What if it goes viral?"
"I also have a friend in Peng City who runs a Jadeite shop. I can have her sell some of your products in her store."
Lin Chu said with a smile, sitting down. He tapped his fingers on the table and poured some tea.
’He had already thought through this business model with extreme clarity.’
Lin Chu even felt a sense of mission.
’This kind of thing—extremely inefficient but with superb quality, something phased out by industrial society yet full of cultural value—it was simply perfect for him to play with!’
Hou Chengjin: ???
’No, big brother, you... even if you’re rich, you don’t spend money like this!’
’This rundown factory?’
Pei Ming’s eyes, however, lit up slightly. The hand he was using to pour the tea trembled just a little.
...
...
