Watching his girlfriend leave so heartlessly, Hu Baiyan felt a sense of powerlessness. For an ordinary working man like him, a dowry of 200,000 yuan was like asking him to pluck stars from the sky—an impossible task.
A group of colleagues at the factory gate looked at him with pity. Let alone Hu Baiyan, they wouldn't be able to do it either. But fortunately, the bride price in their area was not as high as in Jiangxi Province, otherwise marriage would have been impossible for them.
Chen Ze, who had just walked over, saw everything clearly. Although he didn't agree with this high dowry practice, he couldn't comment too much on local customs.
Chen Ze stepped forward and patted Hu Baiyan on the shoulder, comforting him, "Brother, don't be too sad. If the bride price is high in Jiangxi Province, we can find a girl from another province."
Hu Baiyan turned to look at him, "You are...?"
Chen Ze laughed and said, "Brother, I'm the person you rescued by accident while fishing last night. Didn't I just call you? I came here today specifically to thank you."
When the topic of last night came up, Hu Baiyan suddenly realized: "The streetlights were too dim last night, and I didn't get a good look at what you looked like, so I didn't recognize you."
"It's alright, my name is Chen Ze, I'm a local from Guangcheng. Let's go, let me thank you properly today, I'll take you out for a big meal."
"Do you have any alcohol? I'm in a bad mood and want to have a drink."
Chen Ze put his arm around his shoulder, a warm smile on his face: "Brother, don't worry, there's plenty of alcohol."
Chen Ze pulled him into the car, then stepped on the gas, and the car sped away from Sanxin Paper Box Packaging Factory.
During the ride, the two chatted and Chen Ze learned that his savior was named Hu Baiyan, a native of Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, with a high school diploma.
He originally thought of giving Hu Baiyan a thank-you fee of 20 to 30 million, but then he felt it was inappropriate. Giving too much might harm Hu Baiyan, while giving too little would be beneath his own worth.
It would be better to help him start a business and become his own boss. That way, you won't have to worry about people digging up this kind of thing and gossiping about it later.
The car soon arrived at the famous seafood restaurant in Guangcheng. A private room had already been reserved for him. As they pushed open the door, the two went inside, where Fatty and Chen Hao had been waiting for him for a long time.
Upon seeing Chen Ze enter, the fat man immediately stood up and greeted him, "Brother Ze, you've finally arrived." Chen Hao also stood up, his eyes curiously scrutinizing Hu Baiyan.
Chen Ze introduced, "This is my savior, Brother Hu Baiyan."
Fatty and Chen Hao quickly stood up to greet everyone. After everyone took their seats, the food and drinks were served quickly. Hu Baiyan drank in silence, one cup after another.
Chen Ze tried to persuade him, "Brother Hu, I know you're upset about the bride price. I have an idea. I'll invest in a cardboard packaging company that you're familiar with. You can manage and operate it, and we'll split the profits proportionally."
Hu Baiyan put down his wine glass, somewhat hesitant: "This... I'm familiar with cardboard box factories, but I don't know how to manage them. What if we don't make money and end up losing money?"
“Brother Hu, you can learn if you don’t know. With your abilities, you’ll definitely be fine. Don’t worry about losing money. I know many factory owners in Shenzhen. I’ve told them to find you to cooperate with them. You definitely won’t lose money.”
The fat man chimed in, "Yes, Brother Hu, Brother Ze has a lot of connections in Shenzhen, so you don't need to worry too much."
Hu Baiyan's heart skipped a beat. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly said, "Then I'll give it a try. If I mess it up, don't blame me."
"Don't worry, Brother Hu. There's no technical skill required to set up a cardboard packaging factory. It's a low-end manufacturing industry. You can easily manage it by hiring a few skilled workers. Plus, you'll have plenty of orders. It'll be hard to lose money."
At this moment, Hu Baiyan felt much less gloomy and seemed to see new hope. If he continued to work in the factory, he would probably need to save every penny for ten years to earn enough for a dowry of 200,000 yuan.
With the help of a benefactor, I believe it won't be long before I can make a name for myself.
After a satisfying meal, Chen Ze took a phone call and instructed the fat man, "Fatty, take Brother Hu back for me. He lives near the bottom of Luoxi Bridge."
Where are you going?
“I invested in that Nanguang Catering company, and they called to ask me to come over. It just so happens that I haven’t visited the company in a long time, so it’s time to go and take a look.”
The fat man reluctantly sent Hu Baiyan back after hearing that Chen Ze was in trouble.
Chen Ze arrived at the entrance on the first floor, opened the car door, and got in.
Chen Hao joked, "Brother Ze, it's not safe for you to go alone. How about I go and protect you?"
"Get lost! I don't believe I'm that unlucky as to be kidnapped the moment I step out the door." With that, he stepped on the gas and the car sped away.
A moment later, Chen Ze walked into Nanguang Catering Co., Ltd., arrived at the door of the general manager's office, and knocked three times.
A pleasant voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Pushing open the door, I saw a dignified woman dressed in a black business suit, with long, black hair casually draped over her shoulders. Her fair face was framed by a pair of bright, large eyes, and her mature, sophisticated aura exuded a kind of beauty.
Lan Shuiyao, 27 years old, from Nancheng, Guangxi Province, is an undergraduate student and Yun Ruoxi's best friend. She is a mature and stable type.
"Mr. Lan, what's the matter that you called me over for?"
"You are... Boss Chen Ze?"
When they first met, Chen Ze gave her a gentle smile and extended his right hand to shake hers: "That's right, I am Chen Ze. You must be Lan Shuiyao, Ruoxi's best friend."
After shaking hands with him, Lan Shuiyao complained, "Boss, it's been so long and you haven't come to the company to check on things, not even made a phone call. You don't care about this catering company at all."
"Mr. Lan, I'm investing in more and more companies in Shenzhen, and I'm simply too busy to handle everything," Chen Ze said apologetically.
"Boss, would you like plain water or coffee?"
"Coffee, no sugar, please."
A short while later, a cup of hot coffee was placed in front of him.
"Boss, Guangdong East Roast Meat Catering Co., Ltd. said they want to acquire our Nanguang Catering Chain. They have come three times already, but since you, the big boss, are not here, we have not been able to talk."
Acquire Nanguang Catering? He felt that if the price was right, he would sell the catering company. He had invested in more and more companies, and because it was too far from Shenzhen, he simply didn't have time to manage this company, so he might as well sell it.
"Mr. Lan, how much are they asking for?"
"Boss, they only said on the phone that they would give 30 million."
She had barely finished speaking when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The person who came was a receptionist. "Mr. Lan, people from Guangdong Roast Meat Catering Company have arrived."
Lan Shuiyao instructed, "Take them to the VIP reception room."
"Okay, Mr. Lan."
"Mr. Lan, is Mr. Wu, our company's second largest shareholder, in the company?"
"Yes, boss. Vice President Wu is always the first person to open the company door every day."
“Okay, then go and tell him to come to the VIP reception room to discuss things. I’ll go and talk to the people from the Guangdong roast meat restaurant first.”
After saying that, Chen Ze got up and left Lan Shuiyao's office.
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