Chapter 174: Chapter 173: Just Some Stinking Money
This world has always been the same: the soft are afraid of the hard, and the hard are afraid of those who are harder still.
Zhao Rong was, at best, a member of the upper-middle class. She had the nerve to collect tuition from her female members by teaching them how to "harvest" men, but Lin Chu figured she didn’t have the guts for anything more than that.
Returning to the table, Lin Chu casually started chatting with Pei Ming as if nothing had happened, discussing the feasibility of assembling a team of bodyguards on Overseas Island.
It was just talk.
Just spitballing ideas, thinking out loud.
The conversation grew lively and animated.
Even Zhang Peng joined in.
At this kind of gathering between friends, of course, nothing was off-limits.
The few female streamers had no idea what had just happened and were still trying to contribute to the conversation, suggesting things like hiring Bear Grylls for an expedition.
Zhao Rong, however, knew perfectly well that this talk was partly meant for her ears.
Of course, she knew even better that this was just a warning—a warning for crossing the line today.
After all, Lin Chu was still occasionally clinking glasses with her with a wide grin on his face.
In that moment, she mentally slapped a label on this man: ’smiling tiger’.
’He really can turn on you in a split second!’
After everyone had finished eating and drinking, just as they were all getting ready to leave, Lin Chu joked once more, "Ah Rong, remember to send me your measurements. I’ll send you a Xiangyun Sha dress. I think you’ll look even better in it. You’ll knock ’em dead."
Zhao Rong was speechless.
She smiled gracefully and agreed. Her heart settled a little more as she finally understood—all he wanted was for her to... "behave."
Lin Chu, however, was pondering a question. ’In a society governed by law, how do you legally and legitimately ruin someone to the point of bankruptcy, all without using any official power?’
’There’s a real science to it.’
’I wonder if that MBA program will give me the answer?’
Lin Chu felt that his ambition was frighteningly strong right now. He was eager to learn—extremely eager—and wanted to know everything about how to become a "Godfather"-level figure.
A business Godfather, of course. Nothing more.
...
"Dad, stop groping and just get your feet washed."
Lin Haifu had a few drinks and insisted on experiencing the nightlife in Yang City, specifically requesting a foot massage. Lin Chu had no choice but to bring him, only to find the old man was getting far too handsy.
’Damn it, can’t you be a little more discreet in front of your own son?’
The old man chuckled but did pull his hands back and lit a cigarette.
"You little brat, lecturing your old man now? You’ve got a house, you’ve got a car, isn’t it about time you got married?"
"Your ancestors must be smiling down on you for you to become such a big boss. You need to hurry up and have a kid to pay them back."
Lin Haifu was teasing his son, but it wasn’t entirely a joke; there was a kernel of seriousness in his words.
The mindset of the older generation, no matter how much it wavered, was still unavoidably traditional.
A man should start a family and establish a career—family first, then career.
Besides, he had already established his career, so shouldn’t he be starting a family?
Lin Chu was at a loss for words.
"Fine, don’t say another word. Go on, grope away."
"Hey, miss! Bill him for the whole night. I’m outta here."
Leaving that one sentence hanging in the air, Lin Chu didn’t even bother with his own foot massage and beat a hasty retreat.
Lin Haifu was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing again. "Even if you don’t get married, at least give me a grandchild first!"
BANG!
Lin Chu slammed the door shut.
’Some father he is!’
After changing his clothes and heading out, Lin Chu suddenly saw a message from his dad on his phone: "If you have any dirty work that needs doing, arrange it beforehand and pin it on me. Your old man doesn’t have many skills, but I’ve still got my life to give."
Seeing the message, Lin Chu felt a sting in his nose. ’Damn, why’s he getting all sentimental on me all of a sudden!’
"What dirty work could I possibly have? Just relax and have fun! If you’re really that amazing, go give me a little brother or sister!"
After sending the reply, Lin Chu lit a cigarette and exhaled a long plume of smoke.
’Uncultured, unskilled, maybe not even a man of great character, but he was the one person in this world who would always have my back.’
’Though it really wasn’t necessary.’
’Not at all.’
...
Hou Chengjin went off to shoot the short-form web series.
Fang Chao was writing the script about the witch with superpowers and her Xiangyun Sha.
Pei Ming went back to take inventory, sort out some finished products for Zhang Peng to take back to Peng City, and research some materials to hash out a more complete plan.
He Meng and Liu Junfeng were preparing to start live streaming to help their boss build his foundational network.
His dad had gone back to the village. He couldn’t fit into his son’s social circles, nor did he want to. He was more comfortable with his old village friends, and besides, he was worried about his orchard and his chickens.
Everyone had their own tasks, leaving Lin Chu with nothing much to do.
He was the ideas guy, not the long-haul grinder. Once he got things started and handed them off to the people responsible for execution, he lost interest in the hands-on work.
That was something he couldn’t change.
Not that Lin Chu wanted to.
’If I’m going to do all the grunt work myself, what the hell do I need employees for?’
’A person has to know their priorities.’
Reading useful books, traveling far and wide, and meeting all sorts of people—that was what he should be doing.
Time to crack open the Selected Works of Mao!
Lin Chu bought several complete sets online. He put one in his car, one in his bedroom, and even one in his bathroom, ready to flip through and absorb some wisdom whenever he had a free moment.
There was one line in the book that made Lin Chu feel he had achieved something to be proud of: "Make more and more friends."
"President Lin, the club’s end-of-July gathering is tomorrow. Will you be coming? I can send you the list of confirmed guests."
It was a message from his personal caddie, Jin Jiaying. It was about the monthly gathering for chartered diamond members at the Mission Hills Golf Club.
As he had been told when he joined, this was a privilege reserved for the highest tier of members.
Usually, in their group chat, they mostly talked about the economy.
It sometimes allowed Lin Chu to broaden his horizons and pick up some professional jargon. Of course, no one would ever post any real insider information or bombshell news in the group chat.
Glancing at the list, Lin Chu’s eyes flickered with interest.
He had to admit, the quality of the Mission Hills Golf Club members was... pretty damn impressive.
He didn’t know if this particular gathering was exceptional or if they were all this impressive, but in any case, the baseline was clear: anyone who could spend 2.6 million a year on golf was, at the very least, an elite in their specific industry.
Wu Xiaohua, Vice President of Jin Family Real Estate.
Gu Tong, Partner at MQ Investment.
Wan Ruisi, a well-known lawyer.
Li Bin, Board Secretary of a certain publicly traded company.
Wang Huating, a certain chief physician.
...
And so on.
There were almost no government officials, and even if there were, they wouldn’t appear on the list. Lin Chu scanned the names one by one. They were mostly company owners or high-earning professionals, and it was safe to assume they were all there to network and build connections.
This was his first time attending such an event. It would be good to go and see what it was like. After a moment’s thought, Lin Chu agreed. "I’ll go. What time tomorrow?"
"It starts at 3:00 p.m., but you can drop in anytime. Coming early or late is fine. I’ll reserve a spot for you, then. How would you like your title to be listed?"
Jin Jiaying asked considerately.
Lin Chu thought for a moment, then sucked in a breath. It was actually a little difficult to give himself a label.
Owner of LC Media?
’That sounds kind of low-class, damn it!’
"Just put me down as ’Lin Chu, a well-known private investor.’"
Lin Chu replied, not sure whether to laugh or cry. What else could he do? ’My business isn’t famous, I just have a bit of filthy lucre!’
Jin Jiaying: "Okay! I’ll be waiting for you, then. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I’ve really missed you."
...
...
