In the past, Chen Ergou found it hard to imagine that indulging in luxury and pleasure was also a way of doing business. Now, as he mingles with successful people who can become fast friends despite not knowing each other's background just minutes before, he still can't quite get used to it. Recently, he took some time off to read "Who Will Be China's Richest Person", which expressed high hopes for the emergence of Yahoo-style enterprises in China, and Chen Ergou was deeply moved. However, Cao Jingyue urged him to focus on doing practical business, and since Chen Ergou didn't have the necessary skills, he could only accompany the men around him with polite conversation, drinking, and revelry. Chen Ergou wasn't opposed to this kind of thing; for a man from a poor background who had never tasted foreign liquor or seen foie gras before leaving his mountain village, being able to chat and laugh with people, eat and drink without spending a single penny of his own was a comfortable enough life.
In 1912, on the street of Maso Bar, it was lively. Chen Ergou wasn't used to talking about taste, as long as there were many beautiful girls, he was satisfied. Originally, the main purpose was to bring a middle-aged bald man from Qinghe Industry's management department to relax and have fun at the bar. This middle-aged bald man happened to have some relationship with the boss of Maso Bar, so neither side had to rush to spend money. He also brought three companions to the bar. Chen Ergou's Audi A4 and their BMW X5 and BMW convertible Z4 arrived at 1912 at the same time.
In the past, Shen Hai worked in the sales department of Qinghe Industrial and was under Wei Gonggong. After Fang Jie took control of Qinghe's discourse under Chen Ergou's momentum, she moved Shen Hai to the enterprise management department. Shen Hai learned from his mistakes and knew he couldn't get close to Fang Jie, so he shifted his target to Chen Ergou. Chen Ergou had always wanted to infiltrate Qinghe, and the two of them tacitly joined forces, performing a brilliant scene of colluding with each other. This led to today's trip to the Maso bar. The circle is like this: it's hard to get in, but once you're in, it's not that complicated. Shen Hai, who has clear resources and connections in Nanjing, immediately brought Chen Ergou into his circle, which wasn't too high but at least not low either. The other three men were introduced by Shen Hai: one was Wang Quan from Jiangsu Tobacco, another was Wu Liang, a man from Shandong with a gentle appearance who wore glasses and didn't look like the typical robust Shandong man. The last one was a young man around Chen Ergou's age, probably invited by Shen Hai to avoid an awkward generation gap with Chen Ergou, as they differed in age by over ten years. His name was Huang Bo, and Shen Hai privately told Chen Ergou that this kid's maternal grandfather was a big shot in the Jiangsu Provincial Military Region.
Apart from Huang Bo, Chen Erdou and Wang Quan Wu Liang exchanged business cards, all of which were received with both hands, carefully placed in the card holder. But during this process, everyone began to weigh the weight of each name on the list. Huang Bo was dismissive of this, as an 80s generation person, he thought that carrying a LV or Gucci wallet was a hassle, let alone a business card holder.
Chen Ergou drove an unremarkable Audi A4, the kind you'd find in any corner of a first- or second-tier city. Huang Bo, on the other hand, was driving a BMW Z4. It was clear that Huang Bo wasn't someone who would normally be Chen Ergou's cup of tea. Shen Hai only realized this after they all sat down together at the bar to have a drink. What made him breathe a sigh of relief, however, was that Chen Ergou got along quite well with Wang Quan and Wu Liang - their conversation flowed easily and didn't feel forced. In the end, it was Huang Bo who ended up being the odd one out.
This young dandy, who quickly lost interest in Chen Ergou, was not a simpleton either. Maso Bar was never short of beautiful women, and because of Shen Hai's presence, the boss even came over to drink almost half a bottle with them before leaving. The big boss first instructed his subordinates, who then tacitly passed on the message to those stunning beauties who had an excellent relationship with the bar. As a result, from start to finish, Chen Ergou's table was never short of gorgeous girls, plump or slender, amidst laughter and chatter.
Huang Bo was clearly a nightlife veteran, playing games and picking up women with ease. With his own capital not bad to begin with, he chatted quite congenially with the two self-proclaimed Nanjing Normal University students, who were intelligent and charming. He didn't feel lonely at all, because that night, he might be able to take them to a five-star hotel in his Z4 and open up a big bed room. He loved this type of woman, who seemed reserved and elegant on the surface but turned out to be wild and uninhibited in bed. Huang Bo, a graduate of Nanjing University, used his good calculation skills and rich experience to get the two women drunk with dice games. He glanced at the stranger who was clinking glasses with Wang Quan not far away, and subconsciously curled up his lips. Huang Bo had originally wanted to put on a show for Shen Hai's sake, but seeing that this guy Chen Fusheng seemed to have good relationships with others, he didn't bother to pretend anymore and continued to focus all his attention on the women beside him. He quietly sent a text message to book a suite at the Tangshan Yishang Resort, which was one of Huang Bo's unique habits. For casual one-night stands, he usually chose ordinary five-star hotels like Weijing International. If it was slightly better, he would go to Sofitel Golf, and if it was even better, he would go to Tangshan Yishang Bubbles Hot Spring. But if it was Xiangxi Huaping, that meant the woman or women were his long-time targets. However, due to his family relationships with his uncle, he had never stayed at the Purple Mountain Villa or Dongjiao State Guesthouse. His decadent nightlife didn't mean he was a depraved playboy who only knew how to bully men and seduce women. Huang Bo wouldn't dare say he was perfect in this regard, but he absolutely did not touch drugs or gamble, because his uncle had long ago said that if anyone got caught doing these things, they would be beaten until their legs were broken or kicked out of the house.
The conversation was awkward, and that must be because the wine on the table wasn't enough. This is a clever trick taught by Cao Jing to Chen Ergou, after experiencing it in several social gatherings, Chen Ergou became more convinced of this point, so he desperately found Shen Hai three bottles of red wine, absolutely no mixing with other drinks, if you want to drink, come pure, not drinking red wine is also okay, drinking beer must be blown one bottle at a time. Originally slightly conservative Wang Quan and Wu Liang, under the constant instigation of Chen Ergou and Shen Hai on the same front line, each had a bottle of red wine in their belly, not drunk but completely relaxed, talking freely, this state is the most comfortable when drinking, not nauseous, also can't be fully awake, with a bit of dizziness, blurred the usual clever calculation. It seems that Wang Quan also trusted Shen Hai very much, so he spoke recklessly, venting his grievances and scolding several big shots from Jiangsu Tobacco for their unbearable behavior. Chen Ergou only then knew that this middle-aged man who enjoyed administrative treatment was originally a top official at Xuzhou Cigarette Factory, after the reorganization and merger in 2006, he was soon sent to the newly established Technical Research and Development Center as an idle official. This man with a belly full of grievances and resentment said with a cold smile: "A county official is not as good as a current official, this is a well-known truth, Xuzhou Cigarette Factory is not big, but at least I was the one who called the shots, a broken official in a technical research and development center, still can't make a final decision, there's no benefit. It was me who first proposed the 'Chinese Red Joy' Jin Nanjing strategy, when it reached the top, it became someone else's achievement, that guy is disgusting."
Chen Erdog suppressed his smile, but also didn't pretend to be sorrowful. He took a sip of wine and said calmly: "Quan Ge, since you don't like technical research and development, if you had to choose between market marketing, material procurement, production and manufacturing, which one would you choose? Or would you go to Nantong Yan Filter or Greer Industries, two wholly-owned subsidiaries?"
Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared. Chen Ergou happened to have learned about the Chinese cigarette industry under Cao Jing's arrangement, and being in Nanjing, he naturally focused on Jiangsu Zhongyan. The speaker was unintentional, and the listener was unsuspecting. Without mentioning whether Chen Ergou had any other ideas, humans are creatures of habit, curiosity, and expectation. Wang Quan, who had always been on an equal footing with Chen Ergou, suddenly lowered his posture and spoke in a serious tone, asking in a low voice: "Fusheng, do you have connections in this area?"
Shen Hai is not a fool, nor is he a rookie in the workplace. After getting to know these friends at the Jiangsu BMW Club, his relationship with them was still decent, but he didn't reveal all of Chen Erdou's secrets to them. He only told them that Chen Fusheng was his good friend, and his background wasn't simple, so maybe one day he could sit at the top of Qinghe Enterprise.
"I'll do my best, but let me make one thing clear, Brother Wang. If this works out, you're buying me a drink. And if it doesn't, don't blame me. To be honest, I'm not too familiar with the cigarette business either. My connections are all at the China Tobacco Corporation." Chen Ergou still had that seemingly enthusiastic yet slightly indifferent attitude, and his ability to brag and deceive others was a sharp tool that had caused many villagers in Zhangjiacun endless suffering. Since he had figured out Wang Quan's weaknesses, he spoke freely and confidently, with a tone as light as cloud and wind. It took a thick skin and plenty of experience to grasp the right timing."
The cleverness of this statement lies in its mysteriousness. Although it is destined to be an impossible task, even if nothing comes of it, it will still make Wang Quan, who has been making a living within the tobacco system, mistakenly believe that Chen Ergou is a powerful figure. Whether or not he can benefit from it, having someone with deep connections in the Tobacco Monopoly Bureau can't be a bad thing. So as soon as this statement was made, Wang Quan's eyes lit up with excitement, and he looked at Chen Ergou with newfound respect. Wu Liang, who was outside of the system, seemed to have little reaction, while Shen Hai observed everything calmly, nodding his head slightly, and becoming even more convinced that this new ally was worth investing in secretly.
"This matter of floating life, I'll find you later to discuss in detail." Wang Quan said excitedly.
Wu Liang glanced at Chen Ergou, wanting to speak but stopping himself, sighed and lowered his head to drink wine. This man who seemed to have a successful demeanor also didn't have an easy life. He didn't break the sky, and Chen Ergou had to maintain the image of a big boss. Shen Hai quietly made a mental note, seemingly having some plan in mind.
The biggest spenders in bars and nightclubs are not those young people who have just entered the society, or even if they occasionally splurge, they are not as valued by bar owners as a certain group of people. That is, the mature crowd between 30 to 40 years old, with high quality, good taste, strong consumption ability, and most importantly, they don't easily cause trouble in bars. If you accidentally befriend a few of them, they can also bring benefits to the bar beyond just drinking expenses. Therefore, they are the true pillars of nightclubs in the eyes of the bosses.
The boss of the Maso bar seemed to think that one bottle of wine was not enough to leave an impression on the new face, so he glanced at Chen Qingzhi, who had been standing behind Chen Ergou without saying a word, and specially sent two more bottles of good wine over. He took the time to sit down personally, and as the head of Maso, he could see that Chen Qingzhi was not an ordinary person. When looking for bodyguards, ordinary violent households would usually find men with thick arms and legs, who looked safe, even if they were just a little bit skilled in martial arts, relying on their physical advantage to take down several ordinary people. However, the master's identity would not be so obvious, and Maso's boss also knew about Huang Bo's family military background, so he was deeply wary of it. Therefore, he treated Chen Qingzhi with great hospitality, leaving Chen Ergou somewhat unprepared. The Maso side also deliberately let two of their most capable girls come over to serve them. Huang Bo was a character who had a clear goal and focused on achieving it, so he wouldn't have any objections to Maso's thick and thin treatment.
Chen Ergou never thought that one of the girls wearing sexy black stockings next to him was still a graduate student at Nanjing University, and he couldn't help but sigh with emotion. He thought back to when he was just a rural migrant who revered university students as sacred, and now he was surrounded by them, including a stunning beauty who was said to be one of the top contestants in a certain competition. Chen Ergou found this all very dull, as he had no interest in women who were good at showing off their bodies. Instead, he chatted more with the girl on his left named Su Ye, who was also a graduate student at Nanjing University. Maso, the boss of the bar, was delighted to see this scene, although he had secretly been interested in this occasional patron for some time. However, as a rule, many nightclub owners, including Maso's superior Jiang Yalou, did not pursue women who worked in their own bars, fearing that it would lead to complicated relationships. Jiang Yalou was also married to a fierce wife who was notorious for being merciless, and she had even made threats before they got married, saying that if he didn't answer her calls, he would have to pay 1,000 yuan per call, with the highest record being 10,000 yuan in one month, which she used to buy a BMW. This was often joked about in Nanjing.
"Does China really not have authentic Chivas 12 years?" Chen Ergou asked Jiang Yalou, who was always polite. Shen Hai secretly sent him a text message and only then did he know that this man, who had just bought the Nanjing Maso, had a simple family background. At least the information on the surface showed that his father-in-law was an important figure in the Jiangsu Provincial Armed Police Corps, and it's possible that he worked in the same building as Huang Bo's grandfather, just a few dozen meters apart.
"Chivas Regal 12 years is roughly one-sixth of the 12-year-old whisky, and the rest are blended with whiskies of different ages such as 2 or 4 years. It's similar to some red wines or Maotai in nature, which is true and doesn't need to be denied. However, it's not as exaggerated as what people say outside that a bottle of Chivas costs 25 yuan.
As the conversation went on, Jiang Yalou didn't elaborate further. As for how much a bottle of Chivas Regal actually costs, whether it's 50 or 100 yuan, he wouldn't dare to say clearly. Maso wasn't foolish enough to serve this batch of distinguished guests with low-end Chivas."
Chen Ergou also knew when to stop, he wasn't the kind of person who liked to kill the atmosphere with his jokes. In these social circles, he had learned what to do and what not to do through trial and error. Cao Jingjian had also reminded him about this before. Chen Ergou was no fool, so after a while, he could navigate these situations with ease.
He wasn't interested in whether Chivas Regal could sell 7 or 8 million boxes in China in a year, or whether Ma Xiao was really the best salesperson for Chivas Regal in Nanjing. What he truly cared about was how to make Jiang Yalou remember his name and save his phone number.
Chen Ergou now understood why everyone was fighting for fame. A person like Jiang Yalou, who was originally not much better than Liu Baozi in Chen Ergou's eyes, suddenly became a completely different person after becoming the son-in-law of a high-ranking military officer from Jiangsu Province. His image had increased exponentially.
To Chen Ergou now, as long as someone was a general, no matter how many stars they had on their shoulders or what department they were in charge of, they were all incredibly powerful and could do whatever they wanted. He felt that these kinds of people could crush him like an ant, but in reality, Old Man Qian wasn't necessarily weaker than the head of a provincial military district.
From a small role struggling at the bottom of Shanghai in Northeast rural areas, Chen Erdou suddenly became a pseudo-celebrity in Nanjing, just like Cao Yuchen's man. It was an absurd and thrilling adrenaline rush, because he feared it wasn't real, so he needed to work twice as hard to get something from this dog-eat-dog society.
Chen Ergou discussed the capital market, Pu'er tea, and redwood furniture, even art films. He could interject with his own unique insights, thanks to his wife's vast knowledge. Chen didn't have ambitions to be a polymath; Cao Jingjian once said he didn't need to be a scholar-type strongman. In any field, finding an entry point and specializing in one area can make you an expert. For example, studying Ferrari from its origins to performance and F1 can be done in just a few days. This society has too many people chasing grand, broad, and miscellaneous ambitions, unaware that even monopolizing a single nail can make them super-rich. Chen Ergou didn't understand these principles before, but Cao Jingjian explained them clearly, and suddenly the path ahead became clear.
Ma Sa's music is not bad, and the DJ's skin is quite attractive. Chen Er Gou, who never worries about being sentimental, suddenly thought of that clean little face, as well as Zhang Xixi, who has a big atmosphere behind her back and is more delicate than anyone else in front of people. He took a look at Su Ye beside him, whose temperament was indeed different from ordinary nightclub girls, and wondered if she also had a story that would make onlookers sigh. Chen Er Gou slowly drank the Chivas Regal, wine, whiskey, and vodka that Jiang Ya Lou had just asked someone to bring over, but in his mouth, they all tasted about the same, far inferior to the comfort of Erguotou. Jiang Ya Lou called for more wine twice, the first time asking for Chivas VSOP, which cost 1600 yuan a bottle, because this was his usual way of dealing with Shen Hai. The second time, he specifically instructed them to bring over an 8000+ Nijia, but Chen Er Gou, who was not familiar with foreign wine, didn't quite understand. However, Shen Hai and Huang Bo, those old slickers, were the most clear about it.
Jiang Yalou stepped out of the bar to catch his breath, and made a symbolic phone call home to report that he was safe. He just wanted to let his family know that he wasn't fooling around outside. After hanging up the phone, he took out Chen Ergou's business card and examined it carefully. It was very clean and simple: Qinghe Group Human Resources Department Deputy Manager, Chen Fusheng.
He leaned against his own Toyota Rizh, which was neither stylish nor eye-catching. Jiang Yalou, who rarely smoked or drank before marriage, took a deep drag on his cigarette. He liked good cars and had the money to buy a Ferrari 599 GTB, but he still had to drive this Rizh because his mother-in-law said that as the son-in-law of their family, he had to be low-key. Coincidentally, his brother-in-law was an agent for Jiangsu Toyota Rizh, so he could only smile and drive this car back home. He enjoyed chatting with Chen Ergou, not just because of his unusual identity, but also because he saw a shadow of himself in this young man who had come to Maso for the first time. In the vast sea of people, men would suddenly have a good impression of another man, which was a strange feeling that wasn't related to homosexuality or admiration. After finishing his cigarette, Jiang Yalou's mind was filled with the young man's smile, calm and mature. He observed that from the moment Su Ye sat down to when she left, Chen Ergou's gaze didn't linger on her face or other sensitive areas for more than two seconds, which meant he wasn't a man with physiological or sexual orientation problems, but rather someone with extremely strong self-control. Jiang Yalou suddenly looked shocked, "Chen Fusheng, the one who ruined the Qiao family?"
Jiang Ya Lou's hand trembled as he pulled out his business card again, and he smiled bitterly. As the younger brother of Chen Jia's eldest sister and also Qian Lao Ye Zi's adopted son, was it just enough to be a deputy director of the human resources department? (If you want to know what happens next, please log in, more chapters are available, support the author, support the official version!)
