Chapter 995: Little Jiangxi

Fei Xiang’s appearance indeed made San Yang’s name spread rapidly across Shanghai in a short time, becoming wildly popular.

Lingzi, Linghong, Tao Tao, and others were selling pirated clothes here; after Wang Yan helped out past lunchtime, he left the buzzing Night Tokyo—he wasn’t here to join the frenzy.

With nothing else to do and the midday break already over, with only two hours until dinner, Wang Yan drove again to Huanghe Road.

As soon as he arrived at Huanghe Road, he saw a crowd of young men and women lining up for interviews as hosts or waitstaff; even at Jingxiu’s place, a group had gathered, asking around about the situation. Jingxiu happily enjoyed being surrounded by the girls, grinning from ear to ear.

Wang Yan, being sensible, didn’t park this time beside Jingxiu’s phone booth, but instead pulled up in front of Zhizhen Garden.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Li Li at the entrance of Zhizhen Garden, draped in a fur shawl, wearing a fitted skirt that hugged her hips, adorned with jewelry—radiating a dazzling, elegant opulence.

Opposite Li Li stood a younger woman in a waitress uniform with short hair, speaking to Li Li, whose expression remained blank.

At the entrance of Jinmeilin, Lu Meilin nibbled sunflower seeds, equally expressionless, watching to see whether Li Li would accept the woman trying to leave her shop.

But upon seeing Wang Yan get out of the car and meet his gaze, she called out loudly: “Boss Wang’s here! If you’ve got time, come eat at Jinmeilin too.”

Receiving Wang Yan’s friendly wave in return, Lu Meilin turned and walked back inside…

But Lu Meilin’s voice drew Li Li and others’ attention; seeing Wang Yan approach, Li Li smiled: “Boss Wang, here for dinner so early?”

“Nothing much to do, just came to sit a while.”

Wang Yan’s intentions were never hidden; Li Li knew exactly why he was here. As he drew closer, the breeze from his steps carried a scent—Li Li sniffed, then frowned: “Boss Wang, why do you smell like grease and smoke?”

“I swung a wok all afternoon at Night Tokyo,” Wang Yan chuckled, shaking his head, ignoring Li Li’s odd look, and turning to the short-haired girl staring fixedly at him: “What’s going on?”

“The waitress over there quit and wants to come work here. Heard she took the boss’s gold jewelry and refused to return it, so she’s trying her luck with me.”

“I didn’t take it—he gave it to me voluntarily. Lu Meilin can’t control her man, so she’s picking on me.”

“What’s your name?”

“Boss Wang, I’m Wang Qian, from Jiangxi. Everyone calls me Little Jiangxi.” Her face lit up with desperate hope.

“You know me?”

“I worked at Jinmeilin for over two years. Boss Wang ate there twice—first time I hadn’t started yet, second time I was off, and after that he never came back, so you never saw me. But when you came to Huanghe Road, others told me about you, so I knew.”

Wang Yan nodded. She’d been here over two years ago; whether he’d noticed her now or not meant nothing to him.

He smiled: “You want to get rich?”

“Yes!” Little Jiangxi nodded without hesitation.

“What can you do?”

“At Jinmeilin, I sold the most alcohol—nobody sold more than me. I only have junior high education; my family couldn’t afford more, so I came out to work. But I was always a good student. I might not know many things, but Boss Wang, if you give me a chance, I’ll learn anything.”

Wang Yan didn’t commit: “Come in. Have dinner with me.”

Minmin, the hostess of Zhizhen Garden, nudged her, snapping her out of it; she hurriedly said: “Thank you, Boss Wang, thank you, Boss Wang.”

“Boss Wang still want a regular table?” Manager Pan asked beside him.

Wang Yan nodded, stepping forward to leave—then Li Li spoke: “Minmin, take her over first. I’ll chat with Boss Wang.”

“Yes, Boss Lady.”

Minmin responded and led Little Jiangxi inside.

Watching Little Jiangxi glance curiously around the interior, Li Li smiled warmly at Wang Yan, who had paused: “Boss Wang, interested in this waitress?”

“Which kind of ‘interested’?”

Li Li’s eyes held a hint of playful reproach: “Then which kind, Boss Wang? I think Little Jiangxi’s quite pretty—very attractive. But I’ll warn you: she just told me she has a boyfriend—he’s the chef at Physician.”

“See? You’re still thinking of that kind. As for her having a boyfriend… if I asked her if she had one, would she tell me yes or no?”

“Boss Wang isn’t that vulgar, is he?”

“She’s an ambitious woman.”

“Many are ambitious, but few get the chance.”

“I can give her the chance. Whether she succeeds is up to her,” Wang Yan smiled. “Only after that does your ‘vulgarity’ come into play. Some women need comfort, care, protection. Others don’t—they just need what they want.”

“What if she wants too much?”

“Those greedy people usually end up with nothing,” Wang Yan said, smiling as he patted Li Li’s arm. “You’re different. You’re the kind who needs care.”

“Little Jiangxi must be getting impatient, afraid I’m saying bad things about her. Boss Wang, you’d better go over,” Li Li stepped back, gesturing politely.

She didn’t know what Wang Yan was thinking—whether he was interested in her or not. Otherwise, even if he admitted to having other women, he wouldn’t so openly seek another right before her face—it felt inappropriate.

She had no doubt about Wang Yan’s intentions toward Little Jiangxi; based on her brief observation, even if Wang Yan had no interest, Little Jiangxi would strip naked and climb into his bed—she had nothing else to offer.

Yet even under these circumstances, Wang Yan calmly told her she was different—that she needed care. It was truly…

Wang Yan didn’t pressure Li Li; he smiled at her and turned toward the regular tables, sitting across from Little Jiangxi, who had been watching him intently.

“Boss Wang, have some tea,” Little Jiangxi eagerly poured.

Wang Yan turned his teacup, watching her until her face grew uneasy, her eyes darting, unsure what expression to wear—then he spoke calmly:

“What do you most want to do? Don’t lie. Say exactly what you think. Be bold—even say you want to fly to the sky.”

Little Jiangxi fell silent for a moment, then said: “I want to own my own restaurant. I want to be the boss lady.”

“Bigger.”

“Then open a big hotel—like the Peace Hotel or the International Hotel—with rooms and meals. Boss Wang, I’m not like you big people who travel everywhere—I have little experience, only junior high education, no college knowledge. I left home and worked only in restaurants—I know the ropes a bit. You told me to be bold, but beyond a big hotel, I can’t think of anything else.”

Wang Yan asked: “If you were to open a restaurant or hotel, how would you do it?”

“I’d first need to understand the situation—find a good location, suitable property…”

Little Jiangxi chattered on; over a dozen dishes arrived. With Wang Yan’s permission, she ate intermittently, talking while she ate.

At first she was excited—after all, Wang Yan asked how to open a restaurant; she naturally assumed he’d give her one. But as she spoke longer and he gave no response, her initial flood of words dried up. Her confidence faded, replaced by nervous uncertainty—whether to keep talking or not. Her voice grew quieter, until finally she fell silent, quietly eating.

“That’s it?” Wang Yan asked.

“Huh? Ah…” Little Jiangxi stammered.

Wang Yan reached into his pocket, pulled out his car keys, and placed them on the table before her: “There’s a bag in the front passenger seat. Go get it.”

“Yes, Boss Wang!” This time she answered quickly, snatched the keys, and stood up swiftly. The pressure in front of Boss Wang was too much—she needed to breathe.

It wasn’t rush hour yet; Li Li hadn’t gone upstairs to rest. She stood with arms crossed, watching Little Jiangxi’s expression—she felt only her anxiety, tension, and panic…

Little Jiangxi stepped outside, opened the car door, took out the heavy handbag, locked the car, stood there breathing deeply for dozens of seconds, steadied herself, then hurried back inside. As she passed Li Li, she kept her head down, expressionless.

“Got it, Boss Wang.”

Wang Yan set down his chopsticks, took the bag, and pulled out two stacks of cash, placing them on the table: “Take these twenty thousand. Ten thousand to buy a mobile phone, another ten thousand to move to a better place. The remaining ten thousand is your operating fund. Within a month, find a suitable location for a hotel and write down your plan.”

Then he pulled out a pen from the bag, wrote a note, and placed it atop the money along with two business cards: “This card is my lawyer—call him if you have questions. This one is my assistant’s. Once you’ve planned it and found a location, call him. This note is my phone number—come back if you’re unsure. Understood?”

“Understood. Thank you, Boss Wang. I won’t let you down—I won’t make you lose money.”

Wang Yan gestured: “Eat.”

“Thank you, Boss Wang, I won’t eat—I’ll go pack and move first, then start looking for a hotel location tomorrow.” With trembling hands, Little Jiangxi picked up the money, tucked the two cards and the note into her pocket, bowed deeply to Wang Yan, found Minmin to get a black bag to carry the cash, then left, hailed a taxi, and vanished.

Li Li walked over, signaled the waitstaff to remove Little Jiangxi’s dishes, and brought new chopsticks and bowls. She asked: “Boss Wang, you’re generous—meet someone once, casually hand out twenty thousand.”

“You’re not trying to make me pay for dinner, are you?”

Seeing Wang Yan’s skeptical look, Li Li chuckled: “Didn’t expect Boss Wang to be so funny. Don’t worry—whenever you come to Zhizhen Garden, it’s my treat.”

She added: “I’m curious—what exactly did you say to her?”

“She said she wanted to own a restaurant and be the boss lady. I told her to think bigger—she said she wanted to open a hotel. Twenty thousand: ten for a mobile phone, ten for a location, plus a business plan.”

“Do you think she can do it?”

“No one succeeds right away—it takes time to adapt and improve.”

“You’re confident about hotels?”

“Whether I’m confident about hotels doesn’t matter—it’s real estate I truly believe in. I’ve told Bao Zong and others before: property will appreciate. With urbanization, city land prices will rise. In cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, prices will skyrocket. To open a hotel, you need to buy or even build a building. I believe that over time, whether the hotel succeeds won’t matter much.”

“But hotels do have potential. With years of opening and development, the number of hotels has grown from hundreds to thousands, including internationally renowned chains. Service quality has improved, offerings have multiplied. With the current economic growth and rising tourism, future growth will be even higher.”

“Especially now, in this era of rapid development—truly day by day, new changes. In such a climate, running a hotel, as long as it’s not terrible, even if you lose money, it won’t be too much.”

Wang Yan patiently explained to Li Li, making it clear.

Li Li nodded, fully grasping Wang Yan’s core idea: buy a few more buildings, let Little Jiangxi tinker, see what she can make of it.

“You really trust Little Jiangxi with a hotel?”

“Didn’t I say even if she loses, it won’t be too much? Give her a chance—see if she can do it. Overall, no loss.”

Watching the casual Boss Wang, Li Li suddenly realized: he had genuine refined taste—not vulgar at all. If he’d only wanted something physical, twenty thousand already would’ve been enough—Little Jiangxi would’ve stripped willingly. But Wang Yan didn’t do that—he supported her to open a hotel.

What frightened her was that when she tried to see Wang Yan through Little Jiangxi’s eyes, she realized she’d fall madly in love with this man who deserved to be shot…

She ate two bites mechanically, then changed the subject: “Today, Fan Zong and Bao Zong’s San Yang IPO sold out, and they even brought Fei Xiang to perform at Huilian Shopping Mall. Boss Wang knows, right?”

“Otherwise, why do you think I was cooking at Night Tokyo?”

Wang Yan explained to Li Li, who looked surprised: “It was Lingzi from Night Tokyo who sent the cooks out to check the market. Bao Zong had left a batch of San Yang goods there, and she wanted to test demand—so she sold some. Then she remembered I could cook, called me, sounded like she was dying, and when I arrived, she made me the chef.”

“Boss Wang can cook?”

Li Li didn’t mean simple home cooking—she meant professional culinary skill. Wang Yan smiled and nodded: “Maybe a notch below your chefs, but decent. I rarely cook—just every New Year, when Night Tokyo’s staff takes a break, I step in to cook with them.”

“I thought Boss Wang only grilled lamb skewers well—didn’t know you could cook so well. If there’s a chance…” Seeing Wang Yan’s smiling eyes, Li Li stopped. Because the chance wasn’t something he gave—it was something she gave herself.

She awkwardly returned to San Yang: “Actually, I probably know something about the batch of clothes Bao Zong sent to Night Tokyo.”

“Go on,” Wang Yan prompted gently.

“If I’m right, the batch at Night Tokyo was high-quality counterfeit San Yang…”

Li Li’s words weren’t surprising. She mentioned how, last time Bao Zong came to eat, she’d given him a counterfeit garment as a gift—which explained why the official launch date was moved up so early.

“How did the counterfeit clothes get to you?”

“Fan Zong leaked it—what secret remains? A few days after Fan Zong and Bao Zong reached an agreement, someone came to me with counterfeit clothes, asking me to help find distributors. I thought Bao Zong was more useful, so I gave the clothes to him as a gift.”

“Aren’t you afraid of trouble?”

“If I feared trouble, I wouldn’t be on Huanghe Road.”

“You’ve got guts,” Wang Yan smiled. “Will the Shenzhen crew help you?”

“There’s still some face to be saved,” Li Li said softly.

At that moment, Manager Pan walked over, greeted Wang Yan first, then spoke: “Madam Wang, General Fan just called—he’s coming tonight to host the Three Sheep celebration dinner at Zhizhen Garden and has reserved four private rooms.”

“Then what’s there to hesitate about? Zhizhen Garden is always welcome…”

At that moment, Wang Yan’s brick phone on the table rang.

Li Li turned back, smiling brightly: “I bet it’s General Fan.”

Wang Yan nodded with a smile and picked up the phone: “Hello, Wang Yan.”

“Oh, Old Fan, I’m having dinner at Zhizhen Garden right now—Li Li’s right across from me. I just heard you’re taking over the whole place for the Three Sheep celebration. The miser’s finally willing to pluck a feather.”

“Fine, I’m a free man anyway—I won’t leave. I’ll wait for you to come over and have a drink. What? You say you’ve won the beauty’s heart? Don’t worry, she won’t run. Gotta go—this is draining the battery.”

After hanging up, Wang Yan waved the brick phone at Li Li, as if to say: See what General Fan said.

Li Li shook her head with a smile, not caring at all: “You’re right—General Fan really is a miser plucking feathers. Four private rooms—that’s at least ten thousand yuan. Looks like money really gives men courage. Now that Three Sheep made money, General Fan’s suddenly generous.”

“Are you poking fun at me?”

“Of course not. I know you’ve always been generous. Jingxiu told me when you first came to Shanghai, you had only a few hundred yuan, yet you smoked Zhonghua cigarettes and drank Maotai. Most people would split a single cent in two—but you? You only live for today, never think of tomorrow.”

Wang Yan chuckled and nodded: “I figured there were more opportunities here—eventually, fortune would come.”

“A capable person never fares poorly anywhere.”

“The era is the main factor. Ability only sets the lower limit—it can’t determine the upper one.”

“Makes sense.”

Li Li nodded, stood up, and said, “Take your time eating—I’ll go attend to things.”

…

Wang Yan ate quickly. After finishing, he sat drinking tea. Li Li never came back to chat with him.

As the lamps lit up, Huanghe Road came alive. People who had spent the day riding the tide of the era arrived in groups, enjoying themselves on Huanghe Road to reward their hard day’s work and seek opportunities for tomorrow.

Miss Wang also arrived—she couldn’t very well miss the Three Sheep celebration dinner. But seeing the familiar car parked outside Zhizhen Garden, she hesitated…

“What, afraid to face me?”

A familiar voice sounded beside her ear, startling Miss Wang. She spun around without a word and punched him: “You scared me half to death! Who’s afraid of you?”

“You’ve been standing here for five minutes.”

“Can’t I wait for someone?”

“Who?”

“Neither Boss Bao nor General Fan have arrived yet. I’m waiting for them to come together before going in. What’s wrong with that?”

Wang Yan reached out and tapped her nose: “Still stubborn.”

Though they’d already kissed, here on the street of Huanghe Road, such intimacy with Wang Yan still flustered Miss Wang—her face flushed instantly.

“Talk, don’t touch. I’ll call the police and have you arrested.”

Without looking at him, she turned and walked toward Zhizhen Garden.

“Miss Wang has arrived—welcome,” Li Li greeted guests at the entrance with a smile.

“Hmph!” Miss Wang shot her a disdainful look and walked past without acknowledging her.

Li Li shrugged and smiled, casting a knowing glance toward Wang Yan.

Wang Yan shrugged and followed Miss Wang upstairs to the private room.

As soon as Miss Wang entered the room, she circled the table and sat directly across from Wang Yan, arms crossed, refusing to look at him.

Wang Yan lit a cigarette, sat across from her, and said, “Huh? Why aren’t you wearing the pearl earrings Boss Bao gave you?”

“I forgot. Is that not allowed?”

Wang Yan understood: most likely, after kissing him, Miss Wang had voluntarily returned the pearl earrings. With no feelings left for Bao, Mei Ping’s advice was useless.

He said: “Of course it’s allowed. I’ll buy you a pearl necklace later. Pearls suit pearls—perfect match.”

“I don’t want it!”

“Mm.”

“I said I don’t want it!”

“I heard you.”

“You’re not allowed to buy it.”

“Look, we’ve known each other three years. When I gave you those glasses, I told you then: whether I give something has nothing to do with whether you want it. I want to give it—what’s wrong with that?”

Wang Yan went on: “By the way, speaking of glasses—you’ve worn those for three years. You should replace them. Styles may have changed. I’ll buy you a new pair.”

“Ugh, you’re driving me crazy!” Miss Wang fumed inwardly, restless and irritated.

Just then, General Fan walked in smiling: “Oh my, Miss Wang! Did Boss Wang upset you? I must scold you, Wang—Miss Wang is such a fine girl; you shouldn’t make her unhappy.”

Wang Yan smiled: “You’re in high spirits, aren’t you? Full of pride.”

“Oh my, Three Sheep sold out—Hulian ordered four hundred thousand units from me…”

Tonight’s star was General Fan. With Three Sheep’s explosive sales and millions in profits looming, General Fan, brimming with confidence, drank without being urged—and soon got drunk.