After the Divorce, I Unlocked a Perfect Life

"Hello, President Lin. I heard from Yaoyao that you were looking for me."

Feng Huiying was very polite, as she had a clear understanding of her own position.

She was just a minor manager, not someone with any real status or standing.

Lin Jiang had spent nearly ten thousand yuan in a single night, so his wealth was self-evident.

For him to take the initiative to seek her out and politely treat her to a meal showed her a great deal of respect.

If she put on airs, it would be ungrateful of her.

"As a matter of fact, there is something I’d like to ask you about."

Lin Jiang took out the cosmetics he had prepared beforehand. "A little something for our first meeting."

"You’re too kind, President Lin. You and Yaoyao are classmates, so there’s no need for such formalities."

"It’s just a small gesture."

"Well then, thank you for your kindness, President Lin."

"Don’t mention it."

The three of them sat down. Lin Jiang pushed the menu over to them, and after a few polite refusals, the task of ordering ultimately fell to him.

Before the meal, Lin Jiang didn’t mention his intentions. He stuck to simple, polite small talk to lay the groundwork for the conversation to come.

After the food arrived and they’d had a drink, he finally got to the point.

"Manager Feng, I was hoping you could tell me how the club has been doing lately."

Feng Huiying had already discussed this with He Siyao before coming.

"It’s been doing alright. The competition is fierce these days, so it’s certainly not what it used to be."

One can never be too polite. Lin Jiang had made quite a show of respect—treating her to a meal and giving her a pricey gift—so she didn’t feel the need to be evasive.

"So... is the club considering selling?"

Feng Huiying and He Siyao looked slightly shocked.

Lin Jiang’s intention was obvious: he wanted to acquire the Haojie Business Club.

It was hard to believe that He Siyao had such an influential connection.

But just to be sure, Feng Huiying confirmed.

"President Lin, are you thinking of acquiring the club?"

"Yes."

"To be honest, our President Dai has been considering it. But things are a bit complicated. If you want to acquire the club, you might face some difficulties."

"What makes you say that?"

Feng Huiying thought for a moment. "This is all just hearsay, so I can only offer it for your reference."

"Go on."

"I heard that someone is trying to acquire our club, but they’re offering a very low price. Our President Dai refused, and things have been at a standstill ever since."

"This should be a willing buyer, willing seller situation. He should just sell to the highest bidder. Is there some other reason that’s making your President Dai hesitate?"

Feng Huiying nodded and brushed her hair back.

"I heard the person trying to acquire the club is the owner of Night Charm KTV. He’s very influential around here. He’s already put the word out that he’ll make trouble for anyone who tries to make a move on the Haojie Business Club. That’s why no one dares to contact President Dai, and the sale has been stuck in a deadlock."

’Just as I thought. The problem isn’t with the club itself, but with external factors.’

’That name, Night Charm KTV, sounds familiar, but I can’t quite place it.’

"So no one else has dared to make a move? Surely they don’t rule the entire area, do they?"

"I don’t know about the future, but I heard someone tried before. He didn’t take the owner of Night Charm KTV seriously and contacted President Dai privately. Apparently, the talks went very well, but then there was no follow-up. We haven’t heard about anyone else trying to negotiate recently. It’s very possible they were threatened."

Lin Jiang listened intently. Feng Huiying’s speculation was highly likely.

’In that case, the owner of Night Charm KTV must be quite influential and ruthless.’

"How much did Night Charm’s owner offer?"

"I heard it was under ten million, but I don’t know the exact figure."

"Could you give me President Dai’s contact information? I’d like to speak with him directly."

"You must be joking, President Lin." Feng Huiying smiled awkwardly.

"I’m just a minor manager. I’m not privy to President Dai’s phone number. But I can pass a message along. I’ll report this to our general manager and try to get you a reply as soon as possible."

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Manager Feng. Let me offer you a toast."

"You’re too kind, President Lin."

With the business discussion out of the way, the conversation became more relaxed.

The meal lasted for about an hour before drawing to a close.

He Siyao and Feng Huiying returned to the club.

Yang Tao drove Lin Jiang back.

Standing across the street, the two women watched Lin Jiang’s car drive away.

"Wow, Yaoyao, I’m impressed. I can’t believe you have such a wealthy classmate," Feng Huiying said with a smile.

"I don’t really know much about his situation. Back in school, his family seemed to be about the same as everyone else’s. He probably made a fortune in business since we graduated."

"What a coincidence, too. He comes in for a massage and runs right into you."

"I’d rather we hadn’t met yesterday. I just hope he doesn’t tell anyone about this," He Siyao said, dejected.

"From the way he talks, he seems quite sophisticated. I doubt he’d do that," Feng Huiying said.

"But I think this could be an opportunity for you. You should seize it."

"Sister Ying, are you trying to say I should get together with him so he can help me pay off my debts?"

"Of course. You’re still young, and your best assets are your face and your figure. Now that you have a chance, you should latch onto him. There’s no shame in it."

"He’s already successful. He must have plenty of women around him. Someone with my background wouldn’t even catch his eye. I should just figure out how to pay off my debts on my own."

"Well, think it over. Sigh... You’ve really had a tough time."

...

On the way back, Yang Tao was the first to speak.

"Brother Jiang, I know that KTV. It’s not far from Berkeley, and it’s a pretty big place."

"From what Feng Huiying said, the owner seems pretty powerful. He’s got the owner of the Haojie Clubhouse completely intimidated."

’Anyone who can open a club like that is usually no pushover. For him to be intimidated like this means the other party’s influence and power to threaten are immense.’

"Brother Jiang, what’s our move? I’ll follow your lead."

"We’ll stick to our plan. You go find out who the owner of Night Charm is. I’ll handle contacting the owner of Haojie Clubhouse."

"Will that woman, Feng Huiying, actually help us?" Yang Tao asked.

"Should we try to find her boss’s contact info through other channels?"

"Let’s wait for now. If she doesn’t contact me by tomorrow, go buy her another gift and send it over."

"What if she takes the gift but doesn’t do anything?"

"If she accepts it, she’ll do it. She won’t accept it if she can’t follow through," Lin Jiang said.

"I’m about to buy the Haojie Clubhouse. Do you really think she’d dare to take my gift and not deliver?"

"That makes sense."

By the time their conversation was over, the two had returned to the noodle shop. Everything was business as usual.

When Li Yuanyuan saw Lin Jiang return, she came up to him.

"Brother Jiang, I need to take some time off. I have appointments with two landlords this afternoon to negotiate the rent, so I have to leave now."

"Alright, go ahead."

"You’ve seen the properties. What’s your target price? Just give me a ballpark figure so I know what I’m working with," Li Yuanyuan asked.

"Don’t ask me. If you can’t even make a decision like this, how are you going to handle bigger things in the future?"

"Brother Jiang, you’re giving me too much credit. This is a deal worth hundreds of thousands!"

Lin Jiang smiled. "You seemed eager enough when you were watching those videos online. Why are you getting cold feet now that it’s the real deal?"

"Brother Jiang, stop teasing me. I really am a little scared."

"I’ve got your back, what’s there to be afraid of? Make the call yourself."

"Got it."

Li Yuanyuan glanced toward the back of the kitchen.

"Brother Yang, let’s go."

"Okay."

Lin Jiang handed his car keys to Yang Tao. "Take my car. It’ll be more convenient for the negotiation."

"You got it."

The two of them left. Just then, a message came in from He Siyao.

He Siyao: "Are you there?"

Lin Jiang: "I’m here."

He Siyao: "I just spoke with Sister Ying. The owner of Night Charm seems like someone you don’t want to mess with. Have you considered looking into other businesses?"