Chapter 115: Supply Chain, Takeover Gym (Request Monthly Votes)

Shuangqing Restaurant, second floor, Huangshan Private Room.

Every time Chen Yansen came here to eat, the room name struck him as surreal.

A Sichuan restaurant whose private rooms were all named after places in Huian Province—fitting in with local customs, at least.

“Tap-tap-tap—”

Chen Yansen knocked twice on the door, then walked in without waiting for a response.

Cao Dahua was chatting with a man with a neatly parted side-parted pompadour—thick eyebrows, a long face, small eyes, prominent brow ridges and cheekbones, dressed in a blue suit, looking anything but harmless.

“Come on, Lao Zuo, let me introduce you—this is my student, and founder of Fox Tao , Chen Yansen.”

Cao Dahua stood up, patted Zuo Hongyu on the shoulder, and smiled.

“Mr. Chen, I’m Zuo Hongyu, Deputy Procurement Director of Big Pineapple. Pleased to meet a talent like you in business.”

Zuo Hongyu rose as well, grinning sheepishly as he greeted him.

“Director Zuo, you’re too kind. Let’s sit down and eat while we talk.”

Chen Yansen studied him closely—when not smiling, his expression was stern, giving off an air of being hard to approach.

But when he smiled, he radiated sincerity and simplicity; such an unusual face, he’d never encountered before.

“Are you looking to enter the mobile phone industry?” Zuo Hongyu asked after sitting down.

“Can you handle suppliers like Qualcomm, Sharp, Sony, LG?”

Chen Yansen nodded and asked directly.

Hearing this, Zuo Hongyu immediately realized Chen Yansen’s ambitions were large—unlike Shanzhai phone manufacturers in the southeast, who wouldn’t dream of using such high-end components, preferring cheap, mass-market parts instead.

After all, sometimes the factory went bankrupt before the phone even broke, making after-sales irrelevant.

“For touchscreens, flexible circuit boards, audio components, and sensors, I have sourcing connections with international suppliers. As for chips and cameras, I’m confident I can secure deals.”

When it came to his expertise, Zuo Hongyu was utterly confident.

He’d spent over a decade hustling in Shencheng—not for nothing. Though Shanzhai phones were low-end, he’d still built up Renmai and resources; he just couldn’t match big companies on pricing or payment terms.

Besides, Chen Yansen’s phone project was still in the air—many favorable supply terms required scale to be viable.

“If a supplier messes up a component’s dimensions and you have to deliver to distributors tomorrow, how would you handle it?”

Chen Yansen nodded and followed up.

In his view, having connections and resources was one thing; handling crises was another.

“Mr. Chen, to be honest, this happens often in the industry. The standard approach is to first communicate with the original supplier to rush a new batch, then have marketing calm the distributors, and finally replace the supplier per contract terms and pursue economic compensation.”

Zuo Hongyu spoke calmly.

The implication was clear: ensure delivery first, then deal with the supplier. It seemed indecisive and unsatisfying, but it best served the company’s interests.

Because switching suppliers at the last minute would only make things worse.

“Director Zuo, you’re recommended by Teacher Cao—I trust you. Feel free to name your terms on compensation.”

Chen Yansen thought for a moment, then said generously.

“Mr. Chen, Brother Hua told me your R&D team is still being assembled—it’ll take at least three to five months to finish system development. I can join three months later, saving the company some money while I wrap up my work in Shencheng.”

Zuo Hongyu, seeing Chen Yansen’s verbal offer, paused, then smiled in reply.

“Fine.”

Chen Yansen snorted inwardly—Zuo Hongyu’s words clearly meant he was wary of the project’s stability and wanted to wait three months.

Still, Zuo Hongyu was right—his phone had no OS, no contract manufacturer, not even a name yet. Even if Zuo Hongyu joined, he’d struggle to start work.

Soon, the three raised their glasses and exchanged drinks.

While Chen Yansen interviewed Zuo Hongyu, Zuo Hongyu was also interviewing him.

A boss’s reliability often determined a project’s success or failure.

As they drank and chatted, Zuo Hongyu was surprised to find that although Chen Yansen had never entered the mobile industry, he understood procurement and sales inside out.

From girls in Shencheng to foreign women, from economic trends to smartphone development, there was no topic Chen Yansen couldn’t handle.

And his thinking was clear, his logic tight—Zuo Hongyu thought: no wonder he’d built this empire before turning twenty.

Originally planning to wait, Zuo Hongyu, after three drinks, slapped his chest and promised: “Mr. Chen, I’ll contact suppliers right away and get you a product list first—pricing and payment terms can be discussed later.”

The meaning was clear: he liked Chen Yansen and was willing to help out first.

Chen Yansen smiled and said bluntly: “If you work for me, I’ll pay you. I don’t like freeloaders.”

Zuo Hongyu insisted he couldn’t accept payment before officially joining—his refusal was firm.

Seeing this, Chen Yansen gave up pressing.

The meal lasted from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. After a full meal and drinks, the three stepped out of the restaurant.

Chen Yansen remained sober—after his physique surpassed 4, he’d tried drinking a full jin of baijiu in one go and felt like he’d drunk only two or three beers; his liver’s metabolic function had improved over tenfold.

Cao Dahua, belly bulging and face flushed, swayed unsteadily as Zuo Hongyu supported him, insisting on taking him to tour the office and have some tea.

Chen Yansen quickly stopped him, booked a room at a nearby hotel, and told them to rest first.

Otherwise, Cao Dahua’s drunken state wandering around campus might earn him another scolding from Tang Qingshan.

After settling them in, Chen Yansen stepped out of the hotel lobby, about to head back to campus, when his peripheral vision caught a “For Sale” notice on the gym’s entrance.

He walked closer—according to the owner, it was a prime location being sold as a complete package.

Chen Yansen thought for a moment and understood the owner’s dilemma—he’d visited twice, and the gym had never had more than ten customers.

The fitness culture was weak, the equipment was secondhand junk of unknown origin, all outdated; even though annual memberships cost only 800 yuan, few signed up.

Chen Yansen thought: every time he tested strength data, there were always outsiders around. Buying this gym wouldn’t cost much, and it could serve as an employee perk—perfect.

Having decided, he walked into the gym and asked the front desk: “Is your boss here? I’m interested in the place—have him come talk.”

“Just a moment, I’ll call him,” the front desk girl nodded, pulling out her phone.

About ten minutes later, an Audi A3 pulled up outside, and out stepped a short, bald-headed man in his thirties, muscular, his forearms thick with defined tendons.

“Uh… you want to buy my gym?” The bald man blinked, glanced around at the empty room, and asked, seeing only Chen Yansen.

“Yeah. If the price is reasonable, I’ll buy the whole thing.” Chen Yansen nodded casually.

“Rent is 4,000 yuan per month, paid semi-annually. Contract is with the landlord. There are 3.5 months left—I’ll count it as three months, total 12,000 yuan.”

“I spent over 80,000 on renovations. I’ve run this place for five years—depreciating at 10% annually, that’s 40,000.”

“The treadmill, elliptical, exercise bike, Smith machine, power rack, dumbbells, barbells, bench press—all bundled at 110,000. The yoga mats, jump ropes, ab boards? Free gifts—included.”

“Plus 79 annual members—you’ll have to take them over. Transfer fee is 50,000. Total: 212,000. If you’re serious, we can negotiate.”

They sat down, and the bald man counted off each item for Chen Yansen.

The man was muscular, but his mind was sharp.

Chen Yansen smiled—these broken machines looked older than Wang Zihao’s grandfather; how could they be worth 110,000? Who was he fooling?

“I’ll give you 150,000. You handle the members. I’m buying it for an employee gym—no outsiders allowed.”

Chen Yansen slashed 62,000 off the price in one go.

The 50,000 transfer fee was unreasonable too, but the gym sat right by campus—when the bald man took over, he’d paid a transfer fee himself, so he wouldn’t take a loss.

Chen Yansen knew this well—he couldn’t erase the transfer fee, so he’d have to negotiate on equipment value.

“Brother, I’m saying, a few thousand is negotiable, but you just cut 68,000 off—joking with me?”

The bald man’s face darkened, annoyed.

“The equipment’s worthless. Take it all away, I’ll give you 100,000.” Chen Yansen wasn’t swayed—he thought he hadn’t cut hard enough.

“You’re serious? Which company are you from?” The bald man, realizing he couldn’t trick Chen Yansen, chuckled and changed the subject.

“Fox Tao .” Chen Yansen didn’t hide it.

“Alright, 150,000 it is. The two part-time college students at the front desk…” The bald man paused deliberately.

“Keep the front desk staff—they can handle opening/closing and restocking drinks.”

Chen Yansen didn’t care—he took them too.

“I’ll go get a contract ready, wait a sec.” The bald man said.

“No need—I’ll call legal.” Chen Yansen waved him off; Fox Tao had hired a legal advisor besides Wang Jing.

“Alright.” The bald man’s hidden intentions vanished instantly—hearing Chen Yansen could summon legal anytime.

Soon, another man in a suit walked in, bowed slightly to Chen Yansen, and said, “Brother Sen.”

Technically, “Boss” would be more appropriate, but everyone at Fox Tao called him Brother Sen—he followed the trend.

“Take care of this. Payment goes through finance.”

Chen Yansen stood up, gave his instructions, and walked out.

Once Chen Yansen was gone, the bald man asked curiously: “Who’s this guy? You’re years older than him—why call him ‘brother’?”

“He’s the boss of Fox Tao ,” the legal advisor replied briefly.

On the way back, Chen Yansen told Xu Xingxing to find the category manager for sports and outdoor gear and get a bulk internal discount for new treadmills and fitness equipment.

“Boss, there’s no space in the startup park for all this,” Xu Xingxing whispered.

“To the right of Shuangqing Restaurant, the old Dali Gym—I bought it. Come tomorrow to inspect it, set up access cards, and make it our project’s exclusive gym.”

Chen Yansen explained.

“Boss, you bought a gym for everyone? Why didn’t you say sooner? I just signed up for an annual membership based on Du Yaoyao’s recommendation,” Xu Xingxing groaned.

“Go ask the boss for a refund—I already told him.”

Chen Yansen smiled, then hung up.

Back at the startup park, many were still working on Saturday. All interview rooms were full. Xu Dan and several recruiters were swamped—conducting interviews, signing contracts, processing paperwork, and organizing onboarding training for new hires.

Chen Yansen walked to his desk, sat down, opened the mini-fridge, grabbed a popsicle, and devoured it.

Song Yuncheng glanced at him, opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated—worried the cold treat might give him a stomachache, but seeing Chen Yansen’s blissful expression, he stayed silent.

(End of chapter)