readease Chapter 797 Chen Xiao invested in a small business
Chapter 797 Chen Xiao invested in a small business
Chen Xiao hummed in agreement and didn't stand on ceremony with her.
Diao Chan had only been gone for two minutes when Ma Jian and Luffy came in.
"Boss!"
"boss!"
Chen Xiao nodded slightly: "Now that we're here, make yourself at home. There's no boss or 'boss' here!"
Ma Jian and Luffy dared not say "no," and exchanged a cautious glance, wondering what President Chen was up to.
"Sit down for a while, we'll arrange a technician for you."
The two men hummed in agreement. Were they really here for the masseuse? If they really wanted beautiful women, they should go to a nightclub. What beautiful women could they possibly find at a foot massage parlor?
The idea had barely formed when the door to the private room was pushed open, and their eyes lit up as a beautiful woman with fair skin, a pretty face, and long legs walked in. "Chen Xiao, I've given you all these cherries; hopefully, they'll shut you up!"
Diao Chan complained about Chen Xiao's words as soon as she came in because she found them too offensive.
Ma Jian and Luffy were both dumbfounded. The stunningly beautiful woman in the blue technician's uniform was undoubtedly a staff member here. How dare she speak to President Chen like that? They also "understood" why President Chen was here—it turned out there was a beauty of this caliber here.
As soon as Diao Chan finished speaking, she noticed Luffy and Ma Jian and exclaimed, "Your friends are here?"
Chen Xiao nodded, and Diao Chan then greeted Ma Jian and Luffy, "Please wait a moment, our technicians will be here shortly."
"Do you have any requirements for the technicians? Do you want them to be pretty, or have a strong grip?" Diao Chan felt that since Chen Xiao was a friend, she would try her best to make the arrangements.
Ma Jian and Luffy shouted in unison, "No requirements, no requirements, anything goes!"
Diao Chan was somewhat surprised and smiled at Chen Xiao, saying, "Your two friends are quite easy to talk to; they're obviously better than you!"
Ma Jian and Luffy were on tenterhooks. They looked at President Chen and found him still smiling, not caring at all.
Good heavens, this technician is ruthless. Normally, only Zhao Xiangjun would dare to joke like this so casually; even Xu Wu is quite careful.
"How about I call over two people I'm on good terms with?"
"Okay!"
"Sure, you can arrange it!"
Diao Chan looked at Luffy and Ma Jian again, and thought to herself that she had never met such easy-going guests.
She made a phone call: "Qianqian, come over with Sister Juan. I've already spoken to the guests."
Technician's Room
Qianqian was very happy. "Sister Juan, let's go. Xiao Chan is still taking care of us. This way, we can work an extra hour today!"
Sister Juan smiled faintly: "No matter what, we've always treated her well."
The two carried their toolboxes and said as they walked, "Xiao Chan just washed so many cherries, and it was an appointment made through her phone, so it's probably that bicycle boy we met the other day!"
"So, Mr. Liang really has no chance?"
"Are you stupid? We don't care if she changes her mind about dating President Liang or not."
“That’s right—” Qianqian nodded repeatedly. President Liang had promised to give each of them a 2 yuan red envelope after the deal was done.
The two entered the private room and politely greeted the others. The person who noticed Diao Chan merely nodded, while the two new guests sat up very straight and said politely, "Hello!"
Fill the tub with water and let Ma Jian and Luffy soak their feet in it.
Luffy and Ma Jian were also embarrassed, unsure how to start a conversation. Mainly, they didn't know how to talk to Chen Xiao. The main issue was their confusion about his relationship with Diao Chan; if it were their previous encounter at the nightclub, they could have been more relaxed.
But now, Chen Xiao and Diao Chan's occasional interactions felt strange, as if there was no distance between them at all. This feeling was very eerie, something they rarely encountered with Chen Xiao.
Not only were they strange, but Chen Xiao was too. He quite liked Diao Chan's personality, especially arguing with her; it often gave him the same feeling he had with Xiang Jun.
Because of Ma Jian and Luffy's awkwardness, the atmosphere in the private room was extremely quiet. Luffy was rather chubby, and his breathing was quite heavy, so he probably had to constantly restrain himself.
Qianqian was massaging Luffy's feet when she sensed his unease and asked, "Is the water too hot?"
"fine."
Chen Xiao turned her head and said, "If it's hot, just add some cold water. What do you mean 'it's okay'?"
"Ah—, it's not hot, it's just right!"
Diao Chan couldn't understand why Chen Xiao's two friends were so shy, but she didn't ask. Sister Juan, however, smiled and said, "Everyone's too quiet, let's chat."
Instead of asking Ma Jian, she asked Chen Xiao first, "Handsome, what do you do?"
Before Chen Xiao could reply, Diao Chan answered for him: "I work, I do sales."
"Oh, a salesperson, huh? Then it's not surprising he rides a bicycle," Sister Juan thought to herself.
"Where's this handsome guy?" This time, the question was directed at Ma Jian.
Ma Jian glanced at Chen Xiao, wondering what his boss was up to. He guessed Chen Xiao didn't want to reveal his identity, so he "cooperated" by replying, "I run my own business—"
“That’s the boss. And this one?” Sister Juan asked, looking at Luffy.
Luffy wasn't sure either, so he could only reply in a hoarse voice, "I also run my own business."
Noticing Ma Jian and Luffy's nervousness, Diao Chan said to Chen Xiao, "Chen Xiao, both of your friends are big bosses."
This remark itself was innocuous, but then Diao Chan added, "Judging by their manners, they definitely don't come here often. I'm telling you, even big bosses don't waste money here, how can you, a poor office worker, have the nerve to come here every day? Wouldn't it be better to save that money?" She was used to joking around with Chen Xiao and was completely unaware of the power of her "general criticism." As soon as she finished speaking, Ma Jian and Lu Fei felt a chill run down their spines, and the hairs on the back of their necks stood on end! They quickly exchanged a horrified glance, beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads.
"Hey beautiful! Please have mercy! You're joking with him, don't drag us into this as background noise!" Luffy cried out inwardly, feeling like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao merely raised an eyebrow lazily, a half-smile playing on his lips, his tone relaxed:
"Who told you I work a poor job? I've also invested in some small businesses outside for fun."
"Huh?" Diao Chan exclaimed in surprise, but then she realized that the person hadn't said they were just working and not investing. Besides, many people do this nowadays—they work a regular job and invest in a small project.
She didn't press Chen Xiao about what he did, but Sister Juan was more inquisitive: "Handsome, what kind of business are you in?"
Chen Xiao casually replied, "It's nothing, just small businesses, not very profitable."
It wasn't that he was showing off. All of Junxiao Group's projects were profitable if you didn't consider the fixed asset investment. However, none of them made money as fast as the rewards from his system, and they couldn't compare to Xiangjun's heterosexual blessing fund.
Upon hearing "small business" and "not very profitable," Sister Juan immediately felt a sense of kinship, and her smile became even more genuine.
"Oh my, then we're about the same!" Her voice rose a few decibels, tinged with the excitement of finding a kindred spirit.
"I've saved up some hard-earned money working here, and I've opened a small shop in the west of the city, selling rice noodles and cold skin noodles! My husband runs the shop, just to make ends meet!"
"Pfft—cough cough cough!"
Ma Jian, who was drinking water, was struck dumb by the shocking words, "We're about the same!" He was as if struck by lightning! He turned his head sharply, trying to cough up the water that had entered his trachea, but because he moved too quickly, he sprayed a mouthful of water all over the armrest of Luffy's luxurious sofa chair next to him! Water droplets splashed everywhere, but luckily Luffy reacted quickly and instinctively leaned back, so he didn't get sprayed all over his face.
Luffy was completely stunned! He stared blankly at the mess of water stains on the armrest, his mind buzzing, only Sister Juan's ear-piercing words echoing in his ears:
Are we about the same? Are we about the same?!
The little voice inside him was already screaming wildly:
My goodness! Ma'am, your cold noodle shop is light-years away from Mr. Chen's business empire! You really dare to compare yourself to him!
Sister Juan was completely unaware of the "disaster" she had caused. Instead, she became even more enthusiastic, speaking to Chen Xiao earnestly with the tone of a senior encouraging a junior:
"But that's good! You're still young, you'll have plenty of opportunities to make money in the future!" She lowered her voice mysteriously, with the certainty of a charlatan.
"Do you believe me? I can read faces! Looking at your face, I know you're destined for great wealth! You definitely will!"
Chen Xiao laughed: "I believe you, you have a good eye for people!" There was not a trace of falsehood in his words.
He didn't want to talk to Sister Juan, so he pointed at Ma Jian and said, "You show him too—"
Ma Jian has a prosperous appearance, unlike Chen Xiao who is thin and refined, looking like a recent college graduate. Ma Jian, on the other hand, looks more dignified.
“Oh my, boss!” she exclaimed dramatically. “You look like you’re in big business! Hmm… not necessarily big,” she paused deliberately, glancing at Chen Xiao with a joking tone, “Compared to your business… at least 100 times bigger, right? Hehehe!” She laughed to herself, thinking that this “100 times bigger” complimented Ma Jian without hurting Chen Xiao’s feelings (after all, it was said earlier that Chen Xiao’s business was “small”).
Chen Xiao could no longer hold back and chuckled softly, looking at Ma Jian with a playful gaze:
"Mr. Ma, is it 100 times?"
Ma Jian's expression instantly became extremely strange, as if he had swallowed a live fly. His lips twitched, and his heart was already in turmoil.
Am I 100 times more powerful than President Chen?! If I really had that ability, could the Earth even contain me?! The entire Milky Way would have to make way for me!
His face flushed red, and he could only manage to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse:
“I…I’m running a smaller business…” This was probably the most insincere and difficult thing he had ever said in his life.
Diao Chan glanced at Ma Jian curiously. He looked more mature, but he didn't look thirty, so it was normal that his business wasn't very big. But when she heard him say that his business was even smaller than Chen Xiao's "small business," she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him: it seems that starting a business is really difficult for young people these days.
Sister Juan's "physiognomy radar" certainly wouldn't let Luffy off the hook. The moment her probing gaze swept over him, Luffy, already terrified by the earlier "100 times," preemptively shouted his answer:
"Me! I run the smallest business—!"
"Huh?!" Diao Chan couldn't help but blurt out in surprise. Her expressive eyes swept over Luffy's noticeably plump figure, her face full of incredulous honesty. "Your business is so small... how can you... get so fat?" After asking the question, she suddenly realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth, waving her hands apologetically, her cheeks flushing red. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was just talking nonsense! Please don't be angry!" She was just being straightforward, and only after speaking did she remember that this was, after all, Chen Xiao's friend.
Luffy dared not be angry; cold sweat almost soaked through his shirt. He shook his head vigorously, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and hurriedly explained:
"It's nothing, it's nothing! Really, it's nothing! That's just my constitution... I gain weight even from drinking cold water!"
Qianqian remained silent, wondering why Luffy, at his age, spoke so timidly. No wonder his business wasn't doing well; he seemed to have no ambition.
However, since everyone else was talking, she couldn't just remain silent. While massaging Luffy's feet, she deliberately asked, "Boss, what kind of shop do you own?"
Luffy glanced at Mr. Chen and Ma Jian beside him and replied, "It's a clothing store."
"Oh—, you and our number 8 used to be in the same industry—"
Luffy didn't react for a moment, but fortunately Diao Chan made a self-deprecating joke: "You're bringing up that unbearable past again. I've already gone bankrupt, and you still keep reopening my wounds."
Qianqian laughed and said, "Then don't treat that as a 'scar.' It's the path we came from. If you hadn't experienced it, how could we have gotten to know each other?"
Diao Chan rolled her eyes: "Give me a break, I'd rather not know you guys. I don't want to go bankrupt, paying off debts is exhausting, and if I sit here picking my toes, I'll get spinal problems soon!"
Luffy and Ma Jian then learned about some of Diao Chan's past.
Qianqian added, "Besides, the clothing business is very difficult now. Look at my esteemed guest, he looks like he's been in business for at least 20 years, and he still hasn't been able to scale up his business. You're so young, why are you losing money?"
Diao Chan didn't take it to heart; the losses were in the past. She still humbly asked Luffy, "Could you share some secrets to making money in business?"
In a different setting, with a different audience, Luffy could talk endlessly about how he started from scratch. But with President Chen in person today, he dared not say anything, and could say anything at all. In the end, all his words boiled down to one sentence: "The secret is—Junxiao Plaza!"
After saying that, she suddenly realized the atmosphere was strange. Qianqian stopped massaging her feet, and Sister Juan let out a soft "Ah!" while Diao Chan looked speechless.
Luffy asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
Diao Chan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "It's nothing, it's just that one man's medicine is another man's poison. You made money with Junxiao Plaza, but I made money when Junxiao Plaza went bankrupt!"
Crack!
Luffy's forehead was sweating again. What's going on? How did Junxiao Plaza become the culprit for her bankruptcy? Will President Chen be angry if I bring this up?
Fortunately, Chen Xiao didn't say anything, but just listened quietly. (End of Chapter)