Chapter 17: Inspecting the Flowing Light Pavilion!

Nine o'clock in the evening.

Gu Shanhe finally finished preparing the video materials for tomorrow.

He stretched, his bones cracking audibly.

Staring at the computer screen for four consecutive hours had nearly blinded him.

This video was more complex than any of the previous ones.

Qi Jiguang's life was too long—from resisting the Japanese pirates in the southeast to guarding Jizhou and Liaodong in the north, from the Mandarin Duck Formation to the hollow enemy towers, from high-spirited youth to poverty and illness.

Gu Shanhe spent over two hours just organizing the materials, not to mention editing and adding the soundtrack.

"That's it, I'll deal with it tomorrow."

He turned off the computer and went downstairs to find something to eat.

There was a noodle shop downstairs that had been open for over a decade; the owner was a woman in her fifties who made honest, hearty noodles.

Gu Shanhe didn't dare come here when he was poor, but now that he had money, he came every day.

"Boss, one bowl of beef noodles, add an egg."

"Coming right up!"

The noodles were served quickly, steaming hot, with thick slices of beef and a rich broth.

Gu Shanhe lowered his head to eat, his mind still on the Qi Jiguang materials.

"Mandarin Duck Formation... wolf-brush... hollow enemy towers..."

He muttered while eating, and the people nearby looked at him with strange expressions.

Gu Shanhe didn't care; after finishing his noodles and paying, he strolled back to his rented apartment.

After washing up, he lay down on the bed.

Tomorrow's business can wait until tomorrow!

……

The next day, eight o'clock sharp.

Gu Shanhe was woken up on time by his alarm.

He rolled out of bed, washed up briefly, and went downstairs to buy breakfast.

Two steamed buns, one fried dough stick, and a cup of soy milk.

After eating by the roadside, he took out his phone and called a taxi.

"Driver, to Liuguang Pavilion."

"You got it."

The driver was a middle-aged man in his forties.

"Young man, going to work at Liuguang Pavilion? That's the best hotel in Jiangcheng; anyone who can work there has real skills."

Gu Shanhe smiled but didn't speak.

An hour later, the taxi stopped at the entrance of Liuguang Pavilion.

Gu Shanhe got out and looked up at the building in front of him—

A thirty-plus-story skyscraper with a glass curtain wall that shimmered in the sunlight.

A red carpet was laid out at the entrance, with two rows of uniformed staff standing on either side, heads held high and chests out, looking like a military parade.

Manager Wang stood at the very front, dressed in a suit and tie, his hair meticulously combed.

Seeing Gu Shanhe step out of the taxi, he was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted and hurried over to greet him.

"Mr. Gu! You've arrived!"

Gu Shanhe nodded.

Manager Wang hurriedly stepped aside to lead the way:

"This way, please, this way. All the staff are waiting at the entrance to welcome you."

Gu Shanhe walked across the red carpet, and the staff on both sides bowed in unison:

"Welcome, Chairman!"

The sound was uniform, buzzing in Gu Shanhe's ears.

He walked forward without changing his expression, though he thought to himself: This display is quite something.

Manager Wang introduced as they walked:

"Chairman, Liuguang Pavilion has a total of thirty-six floors, thirty-two above ground and four underground."

"The first floor is the lobby and café, the second is the Chinese restaurant, the third is the Western restaurant, the fourth is the banquet hall, the fifth is the conference room, the sixth through twenty-fifth are guest rooms, and the twenty-sixth through thirty-second are the executive floors and presidential suites. The underground levels are the parking lot, SPA center, swimming pool, and staff canteen."

Gu Shanhe gave a hum of acknowledgment and followed him inside.

The lobby was magnificent, with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, dazzling to the eyes.

The front desk was made of marble, and several young women in uniforms stood behind it; seeing Gu Shanhe enter, they hurriedly bowed.

Gu Shanhe glanced at them and continued walking inside.

Manager Wang took him to the elevator to tour floor by floor.

On every floor, staff were lined up to welcome him and bow in greeting.

Gu Shanhe found it novel at first, but after touring a dozen floors, he became a bit numb to it.

By the time they finished touring the entire hotel, it was nearly eleven o'clock.

Manager Wang took him to the executive office on the top floor, had a secretary bring coffee, and then handed him a stack of documents.

"Chairman, these are the turnover records for Liuguang Pavilion for the past year, please take a look."

Gu Shanhe took them and flipped through.

Liuguang Pavilion had a monthly net profit of about ten million, reaching twelve million in peak season and eight to nine million in the off-season.

Over the course of a year, the net profit was over one hundred million.

He remained calm on the surface, but inside, he was blooming with joy.

Ten million a month.

Over one hundred million a year.

And this was just the net profit.

"Manager Wang."

Gu Shanhe put down the documents,

"Notify the finance department; from now on, half of the monthly earnings are to be transferred to my account, and the remaining half will be used for the hotel's daily operations."

Manager Wang nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes. Please give me a card number, and I'll have finance record it."

Gu Shanhe took out his phone and sent his bank card number to him.

Manager Wang immediately instructed the secretary,

"Go, tell finance to transfer it now. Transfer half of this month's earnings first."

The secretary acknowledged and left in a hurry.

Before long, Gu Shanhe's phone rang.

【Your bank account ending in xxxx has received a transfer of: 5,000,000.00 yuan, please check.】

Five million.

Gu Shanhe took a look and put his phone away.

Manager Wang asked cautiously:

"Chairman, regarding the hotel's personnel changes... do you need to make any adjustments?"

Gu Shanhe waved his hand: "No need. Everything stays as it is."

Manager Wang breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, yes."

Gu Shanhe stood up: "Alright, I'm leaving."

Manager Wang hurriedly said: "Chairman, let me arrange a car for you. It will be more convenient for you to come and go in the future."

Gu Shanhe thought for a moment and nodded.

Manager Wang immediately picked up the phone,

"Xiao Zhang, drive the car to the entrance and take the Chairman back."

……

Downstairs, a black Mercedes was parked at the entrance.

A man in his thirties stood by the car, wearing a black suit, his back straight; one look and you could tell he was a veteran.

Seeing Gu Shanhe come out, he hurriedly opened the car door: "Chairman, please."

Gu Shanhe sat in the back seat, the man closed the door, walked around to the driver's seat, and started the car.

"Chairman, my name is Zhang Meng, and from now on, I will be your personal driver. Manager Wang arranged it; if you have anything you need, just let me know."

Gu Shanhe gave a hum, leaned back in the seat, and watched the street scene outside the window.

The car drove very smoothly; he could barely feel any bumps.

"Zhang Meng," Gu Shanhe suddenly spoke.

"Yes, Chairman."

"What is your monthly salary?"

Zhang Meng was stunned for a moment, then answered honestly:

"Reporting to the Chairman, it's ten thousand a month, plus a year-end bonus, so about twelve thousand."

Gu Shanhe nodded: "Work hard. I'll give you a raise in the future."

Zhang Meng's eyes lit up, and his voice grew a bit louder:

"Thank you, Chairman! I will definitely work hard!"

Gu Shanhe smiled and didn't say anything more.

After the car had driven for a while, he suddenly spoke:

"Go to the largest auto mall in Jiangcheng."

Zhang Meng was stunned, but quickly reacted: "Yes, Chairman."

With a turn of the steering wheel, the car turned onto another road.

…… ===== CHAPTER 18 =====