Chapter 1003: Taking Over Night Tokyo

"Didn't I tell you not to look for me these past two days?"

Miss Wang looked dissatisfied at Wang Yan in the driver's seat, her tone carrying a hint of excitement...

"Yes, today is already the third day," Wang Yan asked with a smile. "Have you received a resolution?"

"They transferred me to work in a warehouse belonging to a subsidiary of Company No. 27 over in Yangpu. They said they need to observe my performance before transferring me back to No. 27. I submitted my resignation letter on the spot; the procedures will start in these next two days, and I'll be out of the job very soon."

Seeing her pause, Wang Yan considerately asked, "What's next? Do you have any plans?"

"I want to start my own clothing company."

"I understand you don't want to rely on my help, but I do happen to be wealthy and influential, so you cannot avoid it no matter what. Your kind of persistence is actually meaningless and quite pretentious. I'm not denying you, but the fact is, many people believe they can build a career from nothing, yet they often end up in complete ruin, burdened with heavy debts, and never recover.

Even in this great era of national reform, where every day we hear about someone making a deal and earning a fortune, have you ever looked deeper? Did these people succeed entirely through their own abilities?

If you start your own company, you certainly won't have production capabilities and will need to find others for contract manufacturing. So who will introduce you? To find sales channels, who will find them for you? If you want to secure foreign trade orders, won't you still have to go through Company No. 27 and pass through Jin Ke? Aren't these all matters of connections? What difference do you think there is between my help and theirs? The only difference is that I have greater power, can accomplish bigger things, and am closer to you.

But in essence, regarding the point of 'help,' there is no difference at all. So instead of starting your own clothing company, you might as well join Shanghai Hongyun. If you truly want to prove your ability, you could completely start as a sales clerk in a store. Step by step, rise from sales clerk to store manager, from store manager to district manager, then city general manager, provincial general manager, and finally the company's Assistant Regional Commander manager responsible for regional operations. Isn't that good too?

Or if you insist on starting your own company, don't go looking for contract manufacturing or dealing with branded clothes; that would be so boring? You were the one who told me we should build a brand. I will provide you with a sum of money to directly acquire a factory and create a high-end brand. You won't lack raw materials either; from acquiring raw materials, rough processing, fine processing, to fine spinning and so on, I have companies for all of that. I won't give you any special discounts; we'll just do business normally."

After a long silence, Miss Wang shook her head repeatedly: "Let me think about it, let me think about it some more."

After speaking, still unhappy, she punched Wang Yan hard, "It's all your fault, you're so annoying!"

Wang Yan chuckled and started the car.

"Where are you driving? I'm not going to your place; I want to go home! My parents are driving me to despair; how am I supposed to explain this to them? It's all your fault."

"Not eating?"

"I lose my appetite just looking at you."

"Then let's go take a look at your home."

"My home isn't in this area anyway; you're going the wrong way. Besides, you better not go; I'm afraid my father will beat you to death."

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "Do you think I'm afraid?"

There was no helping it; he simply had too many fathers-in-law...

Miss Wang pursed her lips: "Where else are you going? You've gone completely the wrong way."

"You'll know once we arrive."

"So mysterious; I can't be bothered with you."

Although she said this, the corners of Miss Wang's mouth involuntarily curled up. This clearly indicated some kind of surprise, which she naturally liked. Whether she would accept it was another matter, but the feeling of surprise itself made one very happy.

Chatting casually like this, they soon arrived near Jing'an Temple.

Wang Yan took Miss Wang out of the car, then walked around to the rear, opened the trunk, and took out several bags.

"This is a brick phone, these are new glasses made for you, this is a watch, this is a necklace..." Wang Yan looked at the somewhat dazed Miss Wang. "Since you're leaving Company No. 27, there's no need for discipline anymore. Your name is Wang Mingzhu, so you ought to be a bit more flamboyant."

While speaking, Wang Yan had already closed the trunk and, with his arm around the shoulder of Miss Wang, who was holding a pile of items, walked toward the western-style house by the roadside.

Smiling at Miss Wang, Wang Yan pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the main gate: "Come in."

Miss Wang entered and looked left and right, finding it slightly hard to believe: "You bought this for me?"

"If not for you, then for whom?" Wang Yan used the key again to open the door of the western-style house. "The courtyard is just so-so; go inside and check the renovation and the furniture. If you like it, just live here; if you don't, tear it down, hire people to reconstruct it, and buy new furniture."

Once inside the house, Wang Yan lit a cigarette and watched as Miss Wang, having put down the items in her hands, looked incessantly upstairs and downstairs. She even pulled open various cabinets to inspect the space inside, touched them to feel the texture of the materials, and even lay on the bed rolling back and forth a couple of times...

After quite some time had passed, Miss Wang stood before Wang Yan with hands on her hips: "You bought this house long ago?"

"Of course; otherwise, how could the renovation be completed in just two days?" Wang Yan nodded knowingly, then continued, "Yes, yes, yes, I had ulterior motives all along. As I told you before, the first time I saw you at the pork rib and rice cake stall, I wanted to lure you back home. Later, after I became wealthy, I prepared this house."

"What if I hadn't gotten together with you?"

"Don't speak foolishly; don't assume things that haven't happened to draw an erroneous conclusion that you think is correct."

Wang Yan stood up, walked over, cupped her face to kiss her, stifling many words she was about to say, and then lifted her up in the so-called princess carry.

With sweet eyes, Miss Wang naturally wrapped her arms around Wang Yan's neck.

Just like that, step by step, they went upstairs, in the renovated old western-style house, in the fragrant bedroom, on the soft and comfortable large bed...

Miss Wang perhaps wanted to prove her ability to accomplish things, so in the end, she still chose to pursue high-end fashion.

Wang Yan had no objection; whether she succeeded or not didn't matter. As long as she wasn't idle, spending all day creating trouble out of nothing, everything would be fine. So, just as he had said before, he readily provided a large sum of money, letting Miss Wang go ahead and work things out on her own.

He also took time to bring a large pile of gifts to Miss Wang's home to pay a visit to her parents. The process was certainly not very pleasant, but the outcome was good.

Wanting a man to be wealthy, generous, and faithful all at once is a situation that is possible, but for the vast majority, it is impossible; this is reality.

Fortunately, Wang Yan was not the type to turn his back on people once things changed; he was someone who took responsibility to the end. He bought a house, purchased large amounts of gifts, provided a huge sum of money for Miss Wang's startup, and even bought a car for Miss Wang's parents. Under such circumstances, how could they still have so much nonsense to say? Their objections had to be reserved. Except for the inability to get married, there was nothing bad about the situation.

Wang Yan became idle again, but relatively speaking, he was busier than before. After all, previously there was only Beidi, and Beidi was in Hong Kong or frequently on business trips; they didn't spend much time together throughout the year, belonging to periods of concentrated busyness.

Furthermore, because Beidi had previously wanted a child and succeeded on the first try, after settling the matter of the Changbai Mountain mineral water, she assigned someone to be in charge there and returned to Hong Kong to rest and protect her pregnancy.

Wang Yan's current situation differed from before in that he had successively won over Little Little Jiangxi, Miss Wang, and Li Li, with all three women located locally in Shanghai. Little Little Jiangxi was an extra addition; she was very ambitious, so the time he spent busying himself with her was less. Miss Wang was invigorated by her startup, busy every day with no mind for other things, so that was also less. But no matter how less, there was still some busyness required.

Not to mention Li Li, who was quite wild in bed; not only in various places at home, but occasionally they also competed in the top-floor private room of Zhizhen Garden, making things even busier.

It was just that the busyness occurred at night; during the day, there was no difference from the past. But actually, relatively speaking, this kind of busyness might be much more tiring. After all, if an ordinary person were to take over, they might exhaust their essence and die. Even an Emperor with his three palaces and six courtyards was not said to be as busy every night as he was...

Time passed like this; at Night Tokyo, a group of people gathered again, today discussing the issue of Night Tokyo's continuation.

"Wang Laoban has arrived."

"Long time no see, Boss Bao." Wang Yan entered with a chuckle, sat down, and responded to Ah Bao's greeting.

"I went to Hong Kong. Actually, even if Wang Laoban hadn't come today, I would have invited Wang Laoban in a few days anyway."

Seeing Wang Yan's inquiring gaze, Ah Bao smiled and said, "You know best about Miss Wang's affairs; I really couldn't stand Mei Ping's behavior. As for President Fan, he also intended to cast me aside to distribute the Three Sheep brand independently. Just right, I took the opportunity to let go. It's just that there were some issues with Boss Ma's side; I had previously promised them to create another Three Sheep.

Coincidentally, at this time, President Zhang of Hualian changed positions; with the person gone, the tea grew cold, and the successor looked down on us. So I approached the Garment Company; they operate a shopping mall specializing in clothing. Although they can't compare to Hualian, they are an old-established mall. During my contact with them, I learned they intended to go public. So I took on the job of listing consultant to help them contact securities firms.

This trip to Hong Kong, I met some people and felt the advancement of Hong Kong. I thought, rather than handing over the Garment Company's listing to others, why don't we do it ourselves?"

"Go public? Isn't that still doing stocks?"

Before Wang Yan could speak, Tao Tao jumped in first, "Oh my, that whatever Heavenly Heavenly Qilin Club, didn't they forbid you from doing stocks? If they find out, you're going to suffer losses."

"I've received news; the Shanghai Stock Exchange is about to open up the stock market. In the future, the Shanghai Stock Exchange won't just be Shanghai's exchange, but the national exchange. The era of the 'Old Eight Stocks' is over, and the era where the Heavenly Heavenly Qilin Club manipulated the market to eat everything is also over. I don't believe their days can be as good as they used to be."

Boss Abao stated this with certainty, then turned to look at Wang Yan. "Wang Laoban, operating the listing of this clothing company this time may require considerable capital. Additionally, I estimate that when the time comes, those people from the Shenzhen clique, including the group we offended, might also try to get involved. Whether they will be friends or foes is hard to say, so I want to invite you, Wang Laoban, to join us as a partner."

"That's easy to say; I have the money, it's just a matter of how much. We can discuss that later. Besides, if you don't have any problems yourself, it's better not to drag me in. You know I don't really like these things; otherwise, Shanghai Hongyun would have gone public long ago."

"Actually, listing Shanghai Hongyun would be very good, truly, Wang Laoban. Shanghai Hongyun is now a giant, developing well. Once listed, a market value of several billion is certain. Moreover, since you are developing so well abroad, breaking the ten-billion mark is just a matter of time."

"And since Wang Laoban dislikes making money from retail investors, you could perfectly manage Shanghai Hongyun well, setting an example for other listed companies, showing people exactly how a listed company should be run. This would be of great significance for our country's economic development and for the development of the stock market..."

Upon hearing about Shanghai Hongyun's listing, Boss Abao perked up, talking incessantly about various benefits, and actually began trying to persuade Wang Yan to really proceed with listing Shanghai Hongyun.

"Oh my, that's enough, Boss Abao," Tao Tao said unhappily. "There's plenty of time to discuss business; today is for celebrating Seeing Lingzi's birthday."

Boss Abao shook his head and said, "It's her birthday, yet she isn't even here."

"Oh my, President Bao, I really misjudged you before. Seeing Lingzi has been missing for so long, yet you aren't worried in the least. Furthermore, you are a shareholder of Night Tokyo, yet you don't even manage the shop. Oh my, I wasted my time thinking you were a decent person." Ling Hong's dissatisfaction was written all over her face; she didn't care whether she had taken advantage of Boss Abao many times in the past.

"You are the most difficult one to talk to, Ling Hong. If it weren't for you, where would all these messy things have come from?" Teacher Ge brought up old matters again, striking straight at Ling Hong's sore spot.

"Exactly, you could have swindled anyone, why did it have to be Seeing Lingzi? Swindling her would have been bad enough, but you didn't show the slightest mercy either." Boss Abao shook his head with amusement, stopping short, then continued, "Besides, I asked Tao Tao; he told me everything about the situation here. With Seeing Lingzi gone, you all are running Night Tokyo quite well, aren't you?"

"I testify, he really did ask," Tao Tao said, raising his hand to vouch for it.

"Oh my, is this small matter even worth discussing?" Teacher Ge waved his hand. "The current issue is, if Seeing Lingzi doesn't return tonight, what arrangements does President Bao actually have for Night Tokyo?"

"Right, that is the main topic," Ling Hong nodded repeatedly.

"Night Tokyo was opened for Seeing Lingzi. If she quits, what am I doing? If Seeing Lingzi doesn't return tonight, then Night Tokyo will close. Or, as I heard from Tao Tao, does Wang Laoban want to keep it open?"

"Since we are friends, let's leave a place for everyone," Wang Yan said with a smile and a nod.

"That works too. If Seeing Lingzi doesn't return, I definitely won't continue. Since that's the case, let's act sooner rather than later; tomorrow we'll go handle the procedures and transfer this shop into your name."

"Aren't all your matters handled by Uncle Ye? Tomorrow I'll have my subordinates go to the Peace Hotel to find Uncle Ye; making a trip to the Industry and Commerce Bureau will suffice."

"Agreed," Boss Abao nodded decisively.

Boss Abao certainly had his temper; while Seeing Lingzi was pondering, he was pondering too. This outbreak of conflict also gave him some food for thought. Although he still couldn't reach the point of making decisive cuts, the current situation was what it was. He was naturally clear that the fundamental reason for Seeing Lingzi's departure was his own years of ambiguity.

Therefore, in the original drama, at this time he truly did shut down Night Tokyo. It was just that Teacher Ge was slow in renting a house; had he been faster, by the time Seeing Lingzi returned, Night Tokyo would have already been transformed into a different business. After Seeing Lingzi returned and told Boss Abao to withdraw so that everyone could be clear-cut in the future, Boss Abao agreed directly. Although there was still some deep melancholy, ultimately he did not try to retain her.

So now, regarding Wang Yan taking over Night Tokyo, Boss Abao had not the slightest objection. He didn't want to be reminded of people by seeing objects; if nothing unexpected happened, he would rarely come here again. He already had Yang Xue Zhi, which had made him unable to let go for so many years, forcing himself to want Yang Xue Zhi to see clearly what kind of person President Bao was in 1997, the year of their ten-year promise. He didn't want to add another Seeing Lingzi to make himself even more unsettled...

The conversation between the two made the atmosphere at the scene not very good. Because everyone had currently defaulted to the assumption that Seeing Lingzi would most likely not return, sadness was inevitable.

But amidst the sadness, Teacher Ge said, "Little Northeast, I indeed did not misjudge you; you are the most conscientious. I know you are busy and can't attend to such a small shop; rest assured, I will definitely watch over it for you."

"Do we need to be so realistic? We still don't know what the situation is over on Seeing Lingzi's side," Ling Hong said with a face full of displeasure.

"Then what can we do?" Tao Tao propped up his head listlessly. "It's been two months already; we've considered both good and bad outcomes, we've felt bad, we've gotten drunk, and we've reminisced together. Haven't we all already accepted that Seeing Lingzi isn't coming back? Wang Laoban is taking over Night Tokyo, and it won't close. In the future, we can all gather at Night Tokyo often; that would count as a beautiful remembrance of Seeing Lingzi."

"Listen to how you talk, as if Seeing Lingzi were dead," Wang Yan said, shaking his head with a smile. "Alright, the cake has been bought; it shouldn't be bought in vain. Little Monk, stir-fry a few dishes. Let's all eat a bit and celebrate for Seeing Lingzi."

"Got it," Little Monk answered readily. He had been lying nearby listening for a long time; originally he was half her master, and now he was about to become the boss, so he must provide service up to standard.

Xiao Wen and Xiao Qin were not idle either; they trotted along with Little Monk to the kitchen to help. At times like this, one must have initiative...

Very quickly, Little Monk prepared eight hot and cold dishes and served them. Long tables were pushed together in the restaurant, and everyone sat together. First, they divided the cake, properly singing 'Happy Birthday' to the absent Seeing Lingzi, before formally beginning to eat and drink.

After mentioning Seeing Lingzi a few times, the topic gradually shifted to the future development of Night Tokyo.

"Oh my, Wang Laoban knows that when he first came to Shanghai, Night Tokyo wasn't fully renovated yet. At that time, Boss Abao didn't have as much money as he does now, nor was he as busy, so he saved on some costs during the renovation. Moreover, renovations weren't that particular back then; it was just opening a small restaurant, so having a kitchen and tables and chairs was enough; no one thought that much. So it was all Boss Abao dragging me to do hard labor, doing quite a lot of work."

Tao Tao recounted this, then turned to ask, "Wang Laoban, the place has been renovated for three years now; if you take over, shouldn't we renovate it properly? As for me, I have nothing to do anyway, so I can come help."

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Let's just make do with it for now. Anyway, it's not some high-end restaurant; even if we renovate it, the food will still be cooked by Little Monk, so the taste will be the same. Furthermore, we've known Seeing Lingzi for so many years; she just left, and if Night Tokyo changes drastically immediately, wouldn't she feel bad if she returns and sees it? Let's keep it as it is for now; wait until it's truly untenable, then it won't be too late to renovate properly."

"Right, right, right, Little Northeast makes sense," Teacher Ge said. "Seeing Lingzi not returning now doesn't mean she won't return in the future. Moreover, everyone is familiar with the current layout and furniture of the shop. If we renovate, we won't have this current feeling anymore."

Ling Hong smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Wang Laoban is actually a nostalgic person."

"So you've always thought I was heartless?"

"Of course not. You, Wang Laoban, are so wealthy; if you were heartless, you would have left long ago; why would you still come to Jinxian Road to listen to our nagging? It's just that now that you've taken over Night Tokyo, you seem even more sentimental."

Boss Abao shook his head with a bitter smile: "I understand now; you're talking about me, aren't you?"

"Oh my, does Ling Hong have that much scheming? Swindling Seeing Lingzi's money was the limit. We all know that you, Boss Abao, don't lack this bit of money from Night Tokyo. Actually, the one most unhappy about Seeing Lingzi's departure is you; we all understand."

Tao Tao took over the conversation, intending to mock Ling Hong casually once more.

Ling Hong could only glare unhappily and eat large mouthfuls of food to vent her anger; after all, she did do the thing, and she was indeed the trigger; she could never escape this in her lifetime. As long as she remained here, Tao Tao and Teacher Ge were sure to bring it up every few days.

In fact, during the past period, these words had been spoken no few times; she had even become somewhat immune to them. The initial feelings of guilt and embarrassment had already been worn away.

Boss Abao smiled slightly, raised his cup, and began drinking wine in gloomy silence.

Teacher Ge said, "This is something to blame you for, President Bao. For so many years, everyone has been clear about Seeing Lingzi's thoughts. Yet you, on the contrary, have made no statement whatsoever over all these years. When doing business together, everything was clear; when dissolving the partnership, everything was also clear. You simply wasted her years in vain."

"I never had those thoughts. Initially, opening this Night Tokyo was to thank Seeing Lingzi. You all know that back when I went to Tokyo, without Seeing Lingzi, who knows what would have happened? That was my first foreign trade order; there were three hundred people in the Little Ningbo factory who needed wages paid; it wasn't easy. Seeing Lingzi helped me so much; of course, I had to express gratitude."

"Don't explain; the more you explain, the blacker it gets," Teacher Ge said impatiently, waving his hand. "I don't know what you wealthy people are thinking. You, President Bao, seem as if you don't get close to women. But when it comes to Little Northeast, it's quite the opposite; the number of women is uncountable. This is truly..."

"You old rascal, you can even drag this onto me?" Wang Yan really had been hit by stray fire.

"Then am I stating facts or not?"

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement and did not argue.

Tao Tao asked in surprise, "Then I find it strange, Wang Laoban. You've been prosperous for three years, with so many women; how is it that you still don't have any children? My words may sound harsh, but I'm considering this for your sake, Wang Laoban; shouldn't you go to the hospital and get checked?"

Wang Yan was truly torn between laughter and tears: "Do I have to report every single thing to you all?"

Ling Hong asked eagerly, "Oh my, so does this mean there is already a child? How old is it? When will you bring it back for us to see?"

"It hasn't been born yet; only a few months pregnant, resting the fetus in Hong Kong. Perhaps there will be a chance in the future," Wang Yan replied with a smile, glancing at Boss Abao, who was drinking wine by himself...

Thereupon, everyone began discussing children. Teacher Ge thought of his deceased wife, Tao Tao thought of the accident during his wedding, complaining again that Fang Mei had shown no signs after so many years, and also inquired about Ling Hong's marital prospects, among other things.

Finally, the talk turned to Boss Abao, but Boss Abao was unwilling to mention these topics much, so he began persuading Wang Yan again, hoping Wang Yan would list Shanghai Hongyun...

Wang Yan smiled...