As dusk settles, Shanghai remains as congested as ever.

Zhou An drove slowly down the street and soon arrived at the agreed address.

At that moment, Ma Junjie was standing outside waiting for him. When he saw him get out of the car, he walked over.

Chu Fang asked, "You seem very tired?"

Ma Junjie's face was etched with signs of exhaustion. His complexion was sallow, his body was thin, and his beard was short and thick, clearly unkempt for a long time, revealing an undeniable weariness.

"A little." Ma Junjie forced a smile.

The two entered the restaurant together. The waiter handed them the menu, and Chu Fang casually ordered two dishes. After the waiter left, Chu Fang's gaze fell on Ma Junjie, who hesitated for a moment before making up his mind.

“Let me get straight to the point. I remember you have an investment company, and I hope you can invest in YATANGYIGE.”

At the last exhibition, Chu Xiang boasted to him that he was an investment genius and owned Founder Investment Co., Ltd.

"Is the situation at Yatenyi Pavilion really that bad?" Chu Fang sipped his tea. "And you shouldn't be the one talking to me; you're just a manager."

They've actually reached the stage where they're seeking external investment.

“Bad.” Upon hearing this, Ma Junjie shrugged, trying to appear relaxed, but it seemed a bit forced. He spoke slowly and deliberately, “The company doesn’t have a single penny in its account right now. We haven’t received any salaries this month, and we even owe some debts.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I bought Yatenyige from my sister-in-law, and I am the legal representative of the company."

"How much did you buy it for?"

“… …” Ma Junjie was silent for a moment, “Two million one hundred and twenty thousand.”

Chu Fang raised an eyebrow, looked the other person up and down, and said in a joking tone, "I didn't expect you to be so rich. You actually spent more than two million to buy a company with negative assets."

“I sold my house and car and raised more than two million yuan.” Ma Junjie said calmly, “Some time ago, Ming became addicted to gambling and lost all the money in the company’s account. Not only did he borrow money, but he also mortgaged all the family’s house and assets. Now my sister-in-law and the others don’t have a penny. The only thing they have is a Yateng Yige store that is about to go bankrupt.”

Damn it! ... ...Chu Fang finally understood why that CEO Ming died so 'righteously'. It turned out that all his money was spent on gambling. Once addicted, no matter how much wealth he had, it was difficult to get out. Even if he earned ten million every day, he didn't dare to gamble, and he didn't even dare to learn about the rules, for fear of becoming addicted himself.

Clearly, the money in the company had run out, and the money at home was also gone. He hadn't found any clients at the trade show, had no source of funds, and was too ashamed to face his parents, wife, and daughters, so he had no choice but to end it all.

The last shred of sympathy Chu Fang felt for Ming Zong vanished completely.

For a moment, he looked at Ma Junjie, the man who sold his house and car to help his boss. He was conflicted and didn't know what to say.

Just then, the waiter brought out the dishes. Chu asked the waiter for a bottle of baijiu, unscrewed the cap, poured a glass of baijiu for Ma Junjie, and the two clinked glasses lightly. The former took a small sip, while the latter drank it all in one gulp.

Chu Fang let out a breath: "Was it worth it?"

"..." Ma Junjie drank another glass, as if he had sorted out his thoughts, and said in a relaxed tone, "When I joined Yateng Yige, it was still a studio. The boss was Brother Ming. The studio only had a few employees, and I was the youngest in the studio and didn't have much experience."

"It was Ming who personally taught me the rules of the game in the industry, how to survive, how to conceive and design, how to chat with clients, and took me around to socialize. Sigh... Ming treated me like a younger brother. As the studio gradually grew and became a company, I went from a small employee to the design manager of the company. Ming never treated me unfairly."

Everyone has a contradictory side.

When dealing with other employees, President Ming was ruthless in laying them off, which seemed heartless. However, he was very good to Ma Junjie. At the age of 25, while others were still working as laborers, he was already a manager in the company. Such achievements were inseparable from President Ming's support.

Chu Fang said, "Didn't you put in any effort? Your status, salary, and benefits weren't given to you by others; you earned them through your own hard work."

Ma Junjie glanced at him and smiled: "You achieved financial freedom in college, and you actually believe that hard work will be rewarded?"

A person who is so young and so rich cannot have achieved it through hard work alone.

“... ..."

Chu Fang opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

The other party was right; if it weren't for the 'cheat code,' I might be looking for a job right now.

He let out a sigh of relief: "Then you can't just sell everything you own to help President Ming's family. Have you lost your mind?"

"It's alright." Ma Junjie thought for a moment and replied, "Without President Ming, I wouldn't have earned so much money. Now I'm just giving back the money I earned in the past few years, but I've also gained a lot."

Over the years, working with Ming Ge, I've accumulated a wealth of connections and resources, which are invaluable. These resources alone have given me a significant advantage over my peers. Therefore, even without a house and a car, I've still gained something.

really!

From this perspective, Ma Junjie lost his house, car, and job, but he could still find a good job after leaving Yateng Yige.

But few people think like him; instead, they try every means to seek more.

Chu Fang asked, "Then why don't you just let Yatenyige go bankrupt? Why do you need my investment?"

“I grew from a studio into a company, and I don’t want to see the company go bankrupt. Moreover, if the company goes bankrupt, those employees will lose their jobs, which will affect many families.”

At this moment, Chu Fang didn't know whether to say that Ma Junjie was loyal and righteous, or that his thinking and logic were different from normal people.

Chu Fang wanted to pour himself a drink to toast the man in front of him, but after a few words, Ma Junjie finished a bottle of baijiu. So he had to ask the waiter for another bottle, fill the man's glass first, then pour himself a glass, clink glasses lightly, and then drink it all in one gulp.

"Hiss..." He took a deep breath, composed himself, and said, "Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. I don't want to hear it. Since you want me to invest in Yatenyige, then tell me what advantages Yatenyige has."

Ma Junjie took a document out of his briefcase and handed it to Chu Fang, but then stopped halfway through. He put it in front of him, pointed to the document, and said, "This is my investment report on Yatengyige. It's full of rules and regulations. When I came here, I was thinking about how to get you to invest in the company."

"But right now, I'm embarrassed to show it to you. The whole company is like a hot air balloon with many leaks, as if it's about to fall from a height of 10,000 meters at any moment. Not only are there no money in the account, but we also owe debts to other companies. All of the company's projects have been suspended, the construction teams have already left, and employees with a little ability are all looking to leave the company."

"Without funds, the employees are demoralized, projects are halted, and the company is just an empty shell."