After leaving the school, Chu Chen first went to check out the University Town to see if there were any small storefronts suitable for selling various merchandise in the future. He could arrange for two of his underlings to man the shop, and those two could also coordinate the food delivery service, since the shop shouldn't be too busy during peak meal hours.
As for selecting the shop assistants, Chu Chen thought Blondie would be a good choice for the job.
Humming a little tune, Chu Chen strolled leisurely through the University Town.
"This storefront looks good—big enough and in an obvious location. If I'm going to open that merchandise shop, this kind of place is the best choice," Chu Chen calculated in his mind.
He pulled out his phone, intending to save the store's information, when a call came in.
"Brother Chen! Brother Chen! We're rolling in it!" Blondie's excited voice came from the other end of the line, making Chu Chen's ear buzz.
Chu Chen couldn't help moving the phone a bit further away. "What is it? Calm down and tell me slowly."
"Brother Chen, the brothers have been running deliveries today, and we're practically run off our feet!" Blondie's voice was filled with excitement.
"Over a hundred brothers, the wheels on the electric scooters are practically smoking! Our phones are ringing off the hook, and ten guys aren't enough to answer them all!" Blondie vividly described the booming scene. "Conservatively speaking, just this lunch rush alone will make over twenty thousand! Add dinner to that, and we'll definitely clear more than fifty thousand!"
As Blondie spoke, his voice was even trembling slightly.
"You kid, you don't calculate accounts that way," Chu Chen said with a smile, shaking his head. "For a three-yuan delivery fee, you have to give the brothers two yuan, and then there's our cost for the electric scooters and phones."
"Still, our business is definitely making money, and we'll make even more in the future!" Chu Chen said in a firm tone.
"Brother Chen is brilliant! Following Brother Chen means there's meat to eat!" Blondie howled with excitement.
"All right, kid, don't just focus on being happy. Tell the brothers that today is Friday, and since the dorms don't lock their doors tonight, we're throwing a celebration banquet!" Chu Chen instructed.
"Be there sharp at nine. Nobody is allowed to miss it!" Chu Chen added.
"You got it! Long live Brother Chen!" Blondie excitedly hung up the phone.
Chu Chen put away his phone, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He knew this was just the beginning.
He continued strolling around the University Town, carefully observing the conditions of the surrounding shops.
"With so much foot traffic on this pedestrian street, it would be great if I could rent a storefront around here," Chu Chen thought to himself.
He looked around all the way as he walked, but unfortunately, after walking for ages, he didn't see a single storefront with a "For Rent" sign hanging outside.
"Do I really have to find an agency?" Chu Chen felt a bit gloomy.
"If all else fails, I'll just ask Blondie and the guys to see if they have any connections," Chu Chen thought.
Just as he was preparing to head back, his phone suddenly rang.
Chu Chen took out his phone and saw that the call was from Uncle Zhou.
"Uncle Zhou? Calling me at this hour?" Chu Chen was a bit surprised, and he casually answered the call. "Hello? Uncle Zhou?"
"Young Master, the Old Master... just talked with Assistant Shen at home, and in the end, they've decided on that development project in the Western Suburbs!" Uncle Zhou's voice was filled with worry and anxiety.
"What?" Chu Chen's grip on the phone tightened abruptly, and his brows furrowed deeply.
"Young Master, you have to fight for it!" Uncle Zhou sighed, his tone full of helplessness. "Otherwise, there really won't be any place for you left in the Chu Corporation, and it will all be taken by the Second Young Master!"
"Uncle Zhou, thank you for telling me this," Chu Chen just gave a faint smile. "Even if there's no place for me in the Chu Corporation, I can still carve out my own path!"
"But..." Uncle Zhou wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Chu Chen.
"Uncle Zhou, don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Chu Chen said in a firm tone. "I won't let my mother down!"
"Sigh, Young Master, I hope you can truly apply yourself—that's the only way you can live up to Madam in heaven," Uncle Zhou said earnestly.
"I know, Uncle Zhou." Touched deep down, Chu Chen thanked Uncle Zhou once more before hanging up the phone.
Chu Chen knew that Uncle Zhou had always been very good to him.
After his mother passed away, Chu Jixiong only cared about dallying with Luan Mengya; you could say Chu Chen was practically raised by Uncle Zhou when he was little.
In his past life, after he ran away from home, Uncle Zhou was even more anxious than Chu Jixiong, always calling every few days to check on his health.
You could say Uncle Zhou was the only person he cared about after leaving home.
It was just a pity that later on, Uncle Zhou grew old, retired to go home, and when he fell ill, his sons didn't care about him either, dragging it out until he was critically ill. By the time Chu Chen rushed back, Uncle Zhou had already passed away from illness, and in a fit of rage, Chu Chen beat the living daylights out of Uncle Zhou's sons at the funeral hall.
In this lifetime, Chu Chen would definitely take good care of Uncle Zhou and let him spend his twilight years in peace.
However, thinking that the Chu Corporation was preparing to develop the Western Suburbs, Chu Chen figured it was time for him to take action as well.
Chu Chen called Chu Jixiong and hit him up for money right off the bat: "Hey, Dad, give me a million."
"What? One million?" On the other end of the line, Chu Jixiong's eyes bulged. "Are you out of your mind? Do you think money grows on trees?"
Yet Chu Chen looked completely unfazed. "One million shouldn't be that much to you, right?"
"The company's working capital is meant for serious business, not for you to squander!" Chu Jixiong flatly refused.
"Just treat it as a loan to me, and I'll pay you back next year." Chu Chen's tone was relaxed, as if he were discussing something utterly trivial.
Chu Jixiong sneered, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. "Lend it to you? How is that any different from throwing money into the water?"
Chu Chen was starting to get a little impatient. "If worst comes to worst, I'll write you an IOU. If I can't pay back the million, you can just deduct it from my living expenses! That's only ten months' worth of living expenses anyway."
Chu Jixiong hadn't expected this brat to actually plan on borrowing money, and he couldn't help feeling somewhat irritated. "What do you want so much money for? Can you even afford to pay it back?"
"You never cared about me anyway, so why are you asking so much now? Are you worried about me or about the money?" Chu Chen retorted, a trace of mockery in his voice.
"You..." Chu Jixiong was so angry his blood pressure was practically rising. "You're my son. If I don't care about you, who am I supposed to care about?"
"Don't you have another son?" Chu Chen's breezy remark struck like a sharp blade straight into Chu Jixiong's heart.
After a brief silence, Chu Chen spoke again, a hint of craftiness in his tone: "How about this, old man? Let's make a bet. If your development of the Western Suburbs goes smoothly, you won't give me any living expenses for the following year—we'll call the million even, and I'll even throw in an extra two hundred thousand as interest. If the development doesn't go smoothly, you'll just write off this million as having lost it to me."
The moment Chu Jixiong heard that, he knew what the kid was plotting, and he immediately sneered. "You still think developing the South Suburbs is more suitable than the Western Suburbs?"
"Our Chu Corporation has examined so much data these past few days; obviously the returns on the Western Suburbs are much greater." Chu Jixiong began listing the advantages of the Western Suburbs, trying to convince Chu Chen.
"Are you going to take the bet or not, old man?" Chu Chen impatiently interrupted him, his tone full of provocation. "You aren't getting old and losing your nerve, are you?"
"When you ask me for money, can't you say something nice? Calling me 'old man' right to my face—who taught you that?" Chu Jixiong was so mad his beard and hair were bristling, yet he was utterly helpless.
"All right, my dearest dad, I was wrong. Do we have a bet or not?" Seeing when to stop, Chu Chen immediately switched back to a grinning tone.
"A bet it is!" Chu Jixiong was thoroughly disgusted by him, yet couldn't help wanting to teach this unbothered, heaven-defying son a lesson.
"That's settled then, old man, fork over the cash!" Chu Chen seized the opportunity instantly, terrified that Chu Jixiong might go back on his word.