Chapter 977: Return to Shanghai

"You haven't asked about my past yet."

Beidi lay in Wang Yan's embrace, her slender back covered, her gaze fixed on the bright sunshine outside the window.

Cradling his precious treasure with one hand and twirling Beidi's beautiful hair with his fingertips, Wang Yan said, "I guess you don't want to bring it up. When you left back then, even if you weren't aiming to become a capitalist, you certainly weren't aiming to be a waiter at the Peninsula Hotel. Although no job is high or low, noble or base, in the mainland, workers who were once the masters of the nation no longer speak with such confidence.

You worked as a waiter at the Peninsula Hotel; knowing that domestic development has been quite good in recent years, you still refused to return. Most likely, your departure back then was rather decisive. Now, you don't want to go back and be looked down upon. After all, here, your friends and family don't know your situation; they all think you're doing well. With no acquaintances here, being alone is actually quite free and easy.

It is because of the past that you are who you are now. There is no need to be overly attached to the past; this is a turbulent era of great change, and what matters more is looking toward the future."

"You are right. But I want to tell you, in Shanghai, my name is Xuezhi." Beidi let out a long sigh, and before Wang Yan could speak, she asked, "So how shall we look toward the future?"

"I think we should first get up and eat, then move my luggage to your place; after all, the room rate here is quite expensive."

Beidi said nothing, simply tilting her head back and staring wide-eyed at Wang Yan.

"Alright, I understand what you mean."

Wang Yan reached out to stroke her face. "First, find a place, set up a small workshop, register a company, and give you a thirty percent share. Next, I'll have people in Shanghai send over a batch of seasonings, and I'll blend some herbal tea packs. We'll give a batch to some shop owners for free to let them taste; I guarantee that after brewing one pot, they will actively come to us to purchase stock.

By then, we'll buy some machines, hire more hands, and earn profit bit by bit, coin by coin; we'll get rich gradually. Simple, right?"

"But if we bring people in, won't your herbal tea formula become known? Then others with more money and lower costs will compete with us; how can we contend?"

"Pay the employees high salaries and explain the stakes clearly. Earning several hundred thousand at once versus earning steadily for decades—they can tell the difference. Besides, you said Hong Kong has triads. I've heard even celebrities have been kidnapped; so whoever steals my formula, their house catches fire. How does that sound?"

"I think I made a wrong decision."

"Too late." Wang Yan laughed heartily. "Don't be so pessimistic; I won't harm you. It's just that in the early stages of starting a business, messy troubles are inevitable, making you feel hopeless, which is normal. Moreover, even if we fail in Hong Kong, I have assets worth over a million in Shanghai; I can support you for life. I can also write a will for you: if I get hacked to death by triads, all my Shanghai properties go to you, since I have no relatives anyway."

"Don't say that; it's unlucky."

"Let's get up, pack up, and settle at your place. This afternoon, we'll scout for a larger location and register the company quickly. Let's get things done soon; the sooner we finish, the sooner we earn money."

What else could Beidi say? Having reached this point, she agreed, got up, paid no mind to Wang Yan's gaze, went to the bathroom to wash up... and took one last look at the scenery outside the Peninsula Hotel window.

Wang Yan and Beidi ate together at the hotel; originally, he hadn't planned to eat there. But Beidi said she had never eaten there as a guest, and not caring about the gazes of her colleagues from just yesterday, she ate with great relish.

Since she didn't care, Wang Yan naturally cared even less.

After finishing this meal, Wang Yan checked out, dragged his suitcase, and together with Beidi, hailed a taxi heading further north.

Beidi lived in Sheung Shan Estate in Tsuen Wan; heading east leads to Sha Tin. Long ago, Brother Yan made his debut over there, and of course, Tsuen Wan was also his territory.

However, obviously, Tsuen Wan is not his territory now. When triads fight over turf, it's not as clearly defined as with the state; they are mixed together. With dozens of large and small gang organizations in Hong Kong, plus various small hooligans, things are still quite chaotic.

Wang Yan followed behind Beidi, observing the surrounding environment with great interest. Thus accompanying Beidi all the way, they arrived downstairs, took the elevator up.

Often in life, minor troubles are unavoidable.

For instance, as soon as the elevator doors opened, several slouching young men were giggling together; upon seeing Beidi, they each whistled.

Beidi, of course, would not provoke trouble, nor could she afford to; pretending not to hear, she pulled Wang Yan out of the elevator, intending to leave immediately.

Obviously, Wang Yan was not one to indulge bad behavior.

He gently pushed Beidi aside, letting her lean against the outer wall of the elevator, then stepped forward and delivered a kick, sending the leading young thug stumbling backward until he slammed into the wall, slid down slowly, and collapsed on the ground with a thud. Followed by four hard slaps that sent the other four spinning to the floor.

"Who do you run with?" Wang Yan stepped on the leader's ankle; before the man could speak, he continued on his own, "Never mind, even if you tell me, I wouldn't know them. I'm not denying you a chance; I'll wait downstairs for you. You have one hour to bring your big brother over. To be honest, I'm from the mainland and haven't seen triads before; you'd better find someone with decision-making power for me to meet, otherwise when you return, you'll be in deep trouble. Understood? Hmm?"

The man let out an "Ah," then nodded repeatedly while suppressing his pain.

"Go quickly, don't keep me waiting too long." Patting the man's head, Wang Yan dragged his suitcase again, pulled the bewildered Beidi, and said, "Let's go, what are you standing there dazed for?"

Beidi came to her senses, quickly shook off Wang Yan's hand, and hurried toward her apartment.

Once inside, she slammed the door shut with a bang: "You..."

"Don't worry, I won't harm you." Wang Yan smiled, stepped forward, put his arm around her, and sat on the edge of the bed. "I can be certain this isn't the first time they've done this. You are alone, a beautiful woman, and cannot afford trouble. But now you have me; starting from yesterday, you are my woman, and I am your man. For any man, if someone flirts with his woman right in front of him, he shouldn't just do nothing.

Of course, I know they are small hooligans, and behind them are big hooligans. But you must understand, I am not reckless. If I had no confidence, I wouldn't be here in this room with you; I would be fleeing with you. Rest assured, I can handle this."

"Hundreds or even thousands of people; how can you handle them?"

"Just wait and see."

How could he handle them? Of course, by kicking their damn asses.

Clearly sensing Beidi's aversion, Wang Yan did not blame her; she was just a frail woman, trembling with fear at the thought of various terrible scenarios, and the source of that fear was him, Wang Mou, so her aversion was normal.

Therefore, Wang Yan did not stay there to be an eyesore; he went directly downstairs, bought ice cream, and waited in a shady spot.

Fortunately, Wang Yan didn't wait long; within half an hour, an old Crown sedan led the way, followed by several dilapidated vans. The car doors banged open; besides a few holding clubs, most were bare-handed, yet the dozens of them looked quite imposing.

Beidi watched from the corridor upstairs; she saw Wang Yan approach and speak a few words to the leader, then seemingly the negotiation fell apart. Wang Yan pressed his cigarette butt onto the leading thug's head, then kicked the man flying into the minions behind him.

She saw Wang Yan snatch a club and single-handedly beat dozens of men; it didn't take long before he knocked down more than ten, while the rest stayed far away, daring not to approach...

Then she saw Wang Yan light another cigarette, chatting and laughing with the leader who was sprawled on the ground. Within ten minutes, a police assault vehicle arrived; Wang Yan and the leading thug said something to the police, who seemed to warn them, then drove away...

Everything happened very quickly, all within about twenty minutes, yet Beidi's mood experienced several drastic ups and downs. She didn't quite understand how someone like Wang Yan could possibly have gone hungry back in his hometown.

Sunlight fell upon her face as she looked at the man below. For an instant, she suddenly wished she could return to thirty-eight hours and forty-six minutes ago; when that man invited her for an evening stroll, she should have said not "I get off work at six-thirty," but rather, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wang."

But it was only for an instant, because immediately after, she became even more resolute. Also, it seemed she had no other path to walk...

When Wang Yan saw off that group of thugs and leisurely returned, she asked, "What did you say to them?"

"Cooperation for mutual benefit."

"How can we cooperate?" Beidi was utterly bewildered. "They are involved in prostitution, gambling, and drugs. You might be able to fight dozens of them alone, but they have guns. No matter how good you are at fighting, one bullet can kill you; what will you do then?"

Wang Yan shook his head, sat down, lit a cigarette, and opened the small window inside the room: "Don't worry about things that haven't happened. If I dare to do it, it means I have confidence. That group just now was a small gang scraping by under the 14K. They run two small gambling dens, a brothel disguised as a hair salon, and the rest involves pirated videotapes, cassettes, and loan sharking. They told me they don't traffic drugs, but I don't believe them; however, I'll deal with them later.

As for how to cooperate, it's actually simple. They find a large workshop location; we first establish a company, then use that company to set up a herbal tea company. They invest five hundred thousand in exchange for a ten percent share. Afterwards, I provide the herbal tea formula, and their group handles production, promotion, and sales; we just give them ten percent of the profits."

Beidi's brain processed this for a moment, then she suddenly realized: "Isn't this just robbery?"

"No, no, no, it's giving them a chance to go legitimate. Even major gangs have hard times, let alone small gangs like them trying to survive in the cracks? Moreover, we won't just make herbal tea packs; in the future, we will build factories, develop finished herbal tea beverages, bottled mineral water, and so on. Calculate it; what a huge business this is!"

"Will they believe that?"

"If even you don't believe it, how could they?" Wang Yan smiled. "In the end, they fear my fists. I told him that if he disagrees, I'll break his five limbs, make him a skateboard, and send him out to beg."

"Aren't you afraid he'll come back later with more people to trouble you? Shoot you in the dark?"

"See, worrying about things that haven't happened again. I can only tell you, I am not afraid. The specifics depend on how things unfold later. Relax; when they see money, they treat it closer than their own fathers. Once we build things up little by little, they will be more obedient than anyone else. And haven't you noticed that I've already solved your concern about the formula leaking? Now that problem is solved, yet you want to worry about another; can you even keep up with your own worries?"

Beidi was stunned; she indeed worried about the formula leaking, but she hadn't expected Wang Yan to solve the problem this way. However, she had to admit that although this method still carried a risk of leakage, it was obviously safer than hiring workers herself. After all, if it was truly as Wang Yan said, that would be a legitimate source of wealth; just the regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, and Macau would be enough for them to earn enough to become rich people.

Once the formula is sold, the enraged gang boss will likely kill the entire family.

She let out a long sigh and nodded: "I'll do whatever you say." Her words carried more than a hint of helplessness, for she had no control; what else could she do if she didn't listen?

"Rest assured, I won't swindle you." Wang Yan extinguished the cigarette in his hand. "Let's go, take a walk and buy some daily necessities. Starting a business is hard; we'll be staying here for a while. Once we make money, I'll get you a better place—first a thousand-square-foot mansion, then aim for Tai Ping Shan."

"Having one's own house on the island is already great; how would I dare to dream of Tai Ping Shan?"

"If you don't even dare to think it, how can you ever succeed? Let's go, this small room is uncomfortable to stay in."

Betty smiled, picked up her small bag again, and left the place together with Wang Yan...

After an intimate night passed in the cramped, narrow room, Wang Yan and Betty washed up and went downstairs, only to find the gang boss who had been beaten yesterday waiting there.

Seeing Wang Yan emerge with Betty, he broke into a grin that crinkled his eyes like chrysanthemum petals, stepped forward, and greeted them: "Brother Yan, Sister-in-law, good morning."

Wang Yan nodded. Betty didn't quite understand the situation, but out of politeness, fear, and other factors, she reluctantly nodded in response.

"This is Dao Zai; just call him that from now on."

"Yes, Sister-in-law, just call me Dao Zai. Here's my business card; if anything comes up, call me anytime, and I'll definitely settle it for you, Sister-in-law."

Looking at this man in his forties who was still putting on a fawning smile, Betty took the business card and put it in her bag. She truly couldn't understand how Wang Yan managed to communicate with such a seasoned gang boss. A man in his forties, yet still having the audacity to call her "Sister-in-law" with such a shameless face.

Seeing that Betty had accepted the card, Dao Zai smiled even more broadly. He said, "Brother Yan, I've found a place; it's a warehouse with fairly large space, enough for our initial production. Also, the five hundred thousand is ready; it's in the trunk of the car."

"Let's get breakfast first, then go see your warehouse, after which we'll find a lawyer to sign contracts and register the company. You'll need to put effort into this aspect and be willing to spend money. After seeing the warehouse, I'll write down the Chinese herbs and other raw materials we need; you advance the money for the first batch of goods, and I'll reimburse you once the business gets rolling."

"It doesn't matter if you don't reimburse; I'll follow whatever Brother Yan arranges."

"Even between brothers, accounts must be clear. When I say we're cooperating to make money, I mean cooperating to make money. The five hundred thousand is your equity investment, not something I extorted from you. Tomorrow, gather all your underlings at the warehouse; I need to teach them some sense. You're forty-five; it's just luck that you haven't been hacked to death yet. Let me tell you one last time: do not touch drugs. If you do, stay far away from me; don't affect me."

"Brother Yan, I swear, I absolutely haven't touched them. I don't even have channels to distribute goods; those people wouldn't look twice at someone like me. Brother Yan, I'm just happy to scrape together a living."

"You'd better be, otherwise you'll find it hard even to die."

Patting his shoulder, Wang Yan opened the car door, let Betty sit in the back row, and sat on the other side himself. Dao Zai quickly jumped into the driver's seat and drove obediently...

Gangsters don't necessarily fear the police, but they will definitely fear bigger gangsters. This Dao Zai was exactly like that; a man in his forties with a wife and children, dozens of brothers following him to earn a meal, he cherished his life greatly. Yet he refused to admit he was old and always wanted to accomplish something. Wang Yan had grasped this balance, giving such a small-time gang boss a chance. Of course, Dao Zai had to seize that opportunity. There was no why; if he didn't seize it, he couldn't survive. It was that simple.

Older gangsters could also improve; Dao Zai proved very reliable. Not only did he find a warehouse, but he had already cleaned it. It wasn't spotless, but certainly not very dirty, definitely sufficient for use. Furthermore, he didn't wait until the next day; during breakfast, he had already notified his underlings to come over.

Regarding the matter of being a gangster, Wang Yan was quite experienced. Of course, Wang Yan wasn't telling these small gangsters how to grow into big gangsters; rather, he was telling them to obey laws and regulations and engage in legitimate work, only picking up weapons to defend their wealth when bullied. The process would certainly not be pleasant; there would inevitably be some troublemakers, so they would inevitably have to suffer pain for a week or so.

In addition, Wang Yan weeded out those who used drugs and those involved in gambling, letting them continue operating massage parlors, gambling dens, and other pirated businesses. The remaining members were relatively reliable; although inevitably lazy and gluttonous, a good beating would fix them. Using these people and their families as workers was quite good.

In the afternoon, Wang Yan found a lawyer, signed contracts with Dao Zai, and also signed contracts with Betty. They established Xuezhi Investment Company, under which they registered Xuezhi Tea Drink Company and Long Teng Investment Company; the latter was specifically for reverse investment into the mainland, ensuring consistency in naming. However, the procedures would take some time to process. The lawyer fees were all paid by Dao Zai; if Wang Yan had to pay even one extra cent, it would mean he lacked capability.

At the same time, he gave Dao Zai the ingredients and the formula, letting him purchase raw materials and begin production and mixing in advance; once the company was approved, they would immediately start promoting in the Tsuen Wan area...

That night, Xuezhi was very proactive and very energetic.

Afterwards, she hugged Wang Yan, gave him a kiss, and murmured, "Thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

"For Xuezhi Investment..."

"We haven't made any money yet; you're thanking me too early."

"Still, thank you."

"Sleep now." Wang Yan gently patted her smooth back.

Betty snuggled closer into his embrace, found a comfortable position, and finally fell into a deep sleep...

The tea drink company progressed rapidly; after all, small gangster gangs didn't care about human rights; small gangsters were the most ideal workers. When Wang Yan glared, Dao Zai behaved obediently; when Dao Zai glared, the underlings below behaved obediently.

Moreover, Wang Yan had provided jobs for the families of the small gangsters. To be honest, it was good enough that they weren't causing trouble for their families; how could they expect to earn normal wages for their relatives? Therefore, the small gangsters felt quite honored. Their families handled the raw materials in the back, mixing them according to different formulas, while they took the finished products out to promote to various restaurants and stalls of all sizes, all full of motivation.

What Betty did was naturally management; she coordinated in the factory, arranged production, tallied customers, scheduled shipments, and conducted daily financial inventories. Overall, she was very fulfilled.

Just as Wang Yan had said, once those shop owners used it for the first time, as long as they had a correct understanding of herbal tea, they would absolutely never use their own formulas again but would choose to buy Xuezhi Tea Drink's products.

Wang Yan had a rich variety of products; he had played all sorts of tricks with herbal tea, after all, he was himself a master of traditional Chinese medicine. Daily regulation and maintenance, fever and colds, menstrual issues, appetite stimulation, cooling and heatstroke relief, replenishing qi and nourishing blood, and so on, and so forth. Different functions meant different costs and different prices. Of course, they weren't truly miraculous; one could only say they had decent effects.

After all, this wasn't truly prescribing medicine but making herbal tea beverages; the cost was fixed, so some relatively expensive medicinal ingredients were inevitably lacking. Besides, with such a small packet boiling a large pot, serving one bowl per person, and still feeling therapeutic effects—that would truly be Wang Yan being awesome.

The key points of his improvement were, on one hand, richer and more effective targeted products, and on the other hand, better taste; being delicious was the crucial factor.

Therefore, in just one week, they had already opened up the market, with sales increasing day by day. This thing was like barbecue seasoning; once one shop bought it, nearby shops doing similar business had to buy it too, or their business would suffer. Once everyone was pulled to the same level, the situation returned to what it was before.

During this process, merchants didn't increase their costs by much; it was just ten or eight yuan, after all. Since they had to buy ingredients for mixing themselves anyway, buying in scattered quantities was even more expensive than Wang Yan's bulk purchasing price advantage.

Wang Yan's selling price was indeed relatively higher, but it matched his product quality; he wasn't exploiting the shop owners or stall holders.

At the same time, diners got better herbal tea to drink, and Wang Yan exploited the gap in between to make huge profits through small profits but quick turnover. This was a win-win-win situation; no one lost, everyone benefited. Even Wang Yan's factory here provided quite a few job opportunities, and guided some gangsters onto legitimate paths. Looking at it this way, Wang Mou had accumulated much merit.

Selling well in Tsuen Wan showed Betty and Dao Zai the future, so a group of small gangsters formally spread out across the whole of Hong Kong to promote, using Dao Zai's two old broken vans from before for delivery, developing with vigorous momentum.

At the same time, Wang Yan didn't forget about the seasoning matter; there were barbecue and roast meat shops in Hong Kong too, quite a few of them, after all, barbecue wasn't an exclusive specialty of northerners. He contacted Little Jinbao Mama, then liaised with foreign trade, exporting to Hong Kong at a mainland price of ten yuan. Here, Xuezhi Investment registered another distribution company, but the people doing the work were still those small gangsters; they went to restaurants to promote.

The price was naturally doubled; after all, Hong Kong was wealthy, and the people's consumption power was strong. Spreading the cost of barbecue seasoning made it almost negligible. Besides, the shipping fees Wang Yan sent over weren't cheap either; all had to be factored in.

The promotion of the seasoning, like the herbal tea, resulted in calls from all relevant shops adding orders. Overall, sales were very good. The workforce grew stronger day by day; part were workers from society, and part were underlings developed by Dao Zai. He had been very prominent recently.

What Wang Yan did was leadership at a higher level; his work was naturally easy. However, he wasn't idle either; instead, he took Dao Zai's five hundred thousand equity investment money and traded stocks on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He was quite short of money himself; since everyone else was working, he might as well go earn some in the stock market.

His stock trading was far more awesome than Ah Bao's. He didn't rely on insider trading or capital advantages; merely through various understandings and observing all kinds of market trends, he could judge rises and falls. Because when he played the stock market, he wasn't playing the market; he was playing the people behind it.

Of course, his capital was small, attracting no attention and causing no stock price volatility. In fact, it wasn't just the Hong Kong stock market; occasionally he also traded futures, currencies, and even US stocks.

Anyway, going out early and returning late every day like this, over a little more than a month, the five hundred thousand gained a zero, becoming five million...

From the initial gambling, to later anxiety in her heart, to now where the future seemed truly bright, Betty had experienced all this in just over a month. She had to admit that the past month spent with Wang Yan was even happier than when she had left the mainland and come to Hong Kong back then.

During the day, she worked, managing the increasingly growing company, feeling joy as she watched income increase day by day after each daily inventory. At night, she was with Wang Yan again, engaging in high-quality, soul-shattering intimate exchanges that made her feel as if she were ascending to immortality and dying with pleasure. Afterwards, she would sleep until dawn, marking the start of another day. She had never been so fulfilled, so happy to strive for tomorrow. Yes, she considered this happiness.

So far, this man whom she had met only three times, whom she had thought about for one night before rolling into bed with him and entrusting herself to gamble on the future, had already made her a handsome profit.

Now, he was about to leave. She had to admit that she had become very dependent on this man.

Folding clothes one by one, helping pack his luggage, she said, "Is it necessary to bring so many things back?"

"These are all items friends asked me to purchase; it wouldn't be good to disappoint them." Wang Yan smiled, fiddling with another large suitcase. "You seem very down; can't bear to part with me?"

After a moment of silence, Betty still nodded: "When will you come over next time?"

"After the New Year, then. It's not as if we can't afford plane tickets. Even if I'm not worried about the business here, I still have to come see you."

Wang Yan pointed to several sheets of paper by the table, "The specific development plans are all written there; just follow them. Currently, the most urgent task is to build a factory and increase production capacity. Simultaneously proceed with the research, development, and production of herbal tea beverages; as long as the beverages are made well and the market is opened, even if our herbal tea formula leaks out, it won't have much impact."

"My suggestion is to build the factory in Shenzhen; costs are lower there, and since we need to cover the two Guang regions, it's more convenient. Later, when exporting to Hong Kong, raising the price a bit won't be a problem. I already transferred one million into the company account yesterday; arrange it as you see fit."

"If you encounter situations you generally can't handle, find Daozai. You've known him so long, you can see he will definitely do his utmost. To speak seriously, even killing a few people wouldn't be a problem for him to arrange, though of course you cannot do that. If even Daozai can't handle it and the situation is quite severe, then try to stabilize the situation and drag it out; I will come over to handle it immediately."

"You need to broaden your mind, be confident, and dare to make decisions. Even if the decision is wrong, it just means losing some money; nothing major. Don't fear trouble either; ensure your own safety, and everything can be resolved."

"I'm thirty-one years old, not a child."

Wang Yan smiled, fastened his suitcase, "Alright, I'm leaving. When you have time, rent a larger house in a better environment; living here is still uncomfortable."

"Understood." Beidi finally fastened the other suitcase that had long been packed.

She took the initiative to approach, cupped Wang Yan's face with both hands, and kissed him.

It was a long kiss; Wang Yan stroked her face, "I'm going. See you next year; take care."

"Take care."

Beidi did not go downstairs to see him off; she looked down from the corridor, watching Wang Yan carry two large suitcases down. Daozai and his underlings, who had been waiting downstairs, diligently stuffed the boxes into the car. She smiled, waved at Wang Yan, and watched him get into the car and depart...

Until Daozai's old, dilapidated Crown disappeared, she still hadn't left, remaining leaning there. The smile vanished from her face again; she was melancholy. She gazed blankly at the distant buildings and the distant sky; perhaps she was thinking of the interesting events of the past month or so, or perhaps of a beautiful future, but ultimately, she was smiling.

She returned to the room, packed up some things, and went out, deciding to rent a better house today and return the public housing...

In Night Tokyo, Tao Tao asked, "Teacher Ge, when exactly is Wang Laoban coming back?"

"How would I know? Didn't you call him?"

"Don't mention it. He said if I call him again to annoy him, he'll deal with me when he returns. Oh my, Wang Laoban fights ten-plus people alone; how would I dare call him?"

Ling Hong curled her lips, "Who makes calls like you do? Calling once a day; do you want to die? Isn't phone credit free? If Wang Laoban answered five of your calls, that's already very good temper. If it were me, I would have twisted your dog head off long ago."

Seeing Seeing Lingzi said, "Teacher Ge, didn't you say this morning that you ran into Little Jinbao's mother?"

"Oh right, this morning Little Jinbao's mother was about to go out, and I happened to be going down for breakfast, so I asked her when Little Northeast would return. She said Little Northeast called her a few days ago, asking her to ship more goods over. She asked Little Northeast when he'd be back, and he said soon."

Teacher Ge said, "Oh my, Little Northeast is a man of his word. It's already September; before he left, he said he would personally cook dishes for us to eat, so he must be returning in these few days."

"I don't know if he brought back the bag he promised me..." Ling Hong turned her head again and said to Tao Tao, "It's all your fault; why make so many calls for no reason? Now I feel too embarrassed to even call and remind him."

"Oh my, can't I be curious? From childhood until now, let alone Hong Kong, I haven't even left Shanghai. Wang Laoban went to Hong Kong; of course I want to know what it's like over there."

"Can't you wait until he returns to ask?"

"Then why can't you wait until he returns to say it? I also asked Wang Laoban to bring back some local specialties, you know?"

Tao Tao felt he couldn't argue with Ling Hong any longer, so he turned and said, "Seeing Seeing Lingzi, did Ah Bao say how much he made from stocks?"

"Does it need saying? Can't you calculate it yourself?" Ling Hong curled her lips in great disdain, "Electric Vacuum is now five hundred yuan; when Wang Laoban bought it, it was ninety yuan. Two hundred thousand has become one million."

"Oh my, Wang Laoban has such good luck. He's just like me; neither of us understands stocks. He just bought some casually and made a huge fortune; I'm so envious my eyes are red. It's all Fang Mei's fault; when I went back then, I said I wanted Ah Bao to help buy some stocks, but Fang Mei refused no matter what. Now look, Wang Laoban has become a millionaire, and I still have to go back to sell seafood; truly..."

Ling Hong let out an 'ai' and said, "I remember Wang Laoban said he likes the western-style houses on Julu Road. Now that he suddenly made one million, he's definitely going to move, right?"

Tao Tao said, "Definitely; he could have moved long ago. Who, having that much money, would still live in Teacher Ge's small house of a few dozen square meters?"

"What's wrong with my small house? Small houses are cheap." Teacher Ge glared unhappily, but the next moment couldn't help sighing, "Little Northeast is a good person; he has so much money and is so busy; I wonder if after he moves, he'll still associate with us."

"He'll definitely associate with us; Wang Laoban already said we are friends. When he first came, he had nothing; it was Teacher Ge who helped him." Tao Tao paused, thought for a moment, and continued, "It's just that he might not come often; his business has reached Hong Kong; how would he have time to come to Night Tokyo to chat idly with us?"

Seeing Seeing Lingzi shook her head and smiled, "You're all thinking wrong; Wang Laoban definitely won't change; he will come if he should. You all say he's busy, but haven't you noticed that this person loves idleness the most? He just isn't willing to do so much work; otherwise, how could he casually hand over the seasoning formula, which is such a secret, to Little Jinbao's mother?"

"Of course it's to make more money," Ling Hong said without thinking.

"If the formula were known by others, he wouldn't earn a single cent, unless he's willing to pedal a tricycle out again to set up a stall and roast lamb skewers. Wang Laoban has great vision and great boldness. He has a kind of carefree attitude about everything; haven't you noticed? He was indeed a bit sloppy before, but later he changed his style and settled on his clothes; although he looks like President Wang now, I find he hasn't changed at all; still just as composed and lazy."

"Besides, Teacher Ge is still drinking Wang Laoban's Moutai. Yes, Teacher Ge helped Wang Yan with some work. But how much can this old rascal actually do? Wang Laoban provided food and drink every day. Later, when Teacher Ge wasn't needed and Wang Laoban was busy with work and didn't come over himself, wasn't he still carrying cases and cases of Moutai over to me? So, I say Wang Laoban will definitely come to Night Tokyo often in the future. If you don't believe me, let's make a bet."

"Bet on what?" Tao Tao asked.

"One hundred yuan."

"I think Little Northeast will definitely come to Night Tokyo in the future; he has the most conscience; I'm with Seeing Seeing Lingzi." Teacher Ge completely forgot that countless times he had said, 'Little Northeast, you have no conscience'...

Tao Tao and Ling Hong exchanged a glance: "I think Wang Laoban will come occasionally."

"Me too."

"Good." Seeing Seeing Lingzi clapped her hands, "It's settled then; we'll settle up during the New Year. Should we bet again on where Wang Laoban will spend the New Year?"

"Then he'll definitely come; he has no relatives. Counting it up, oh, I have the best relationship with Little Northeast." Teacher Ge happily took a sip of Moutai.

"Clearly I have the best relationship with Wang Laoban," Tao Tao said, extremely unconvinced.

Ling Hong found it utterly incomprehensible: "Oh my, do you two need to go to the hospital for a check-up? How old are you? You're even fighting over this? Acting as if Wang Laoban likes men; truly, it's disgusting..."

Her face was full of disgust.

Teacher Ge and Tao Tao exchanged a glance with each other; both shivered, feeling extremely disgusted...