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墨書 Inktalez
Yesterday, after I finished my call with Lu Qiang, he arranged to meet me at He Xing Street, where my friend’s shop is located. My friend, Xi Xiang, has a rather cheerful name and a cheerful demeanor to match. Standing at nearly six feet tall and weighing close to two hundred pounds, he has a round face that adds to his jovial appearance.
I met Xi Xiang when I was working in real estate. He had opened a cake shop, and I helped him find a place to rent. We hit it off and became friends. Whenever I passed by his shop, I would definitely stop in for some pastries; his skills in baking are as impressive as his character.
At He Xing Street, I stood outside a cake shop named "Flying Fatty," waiting for Lu Qiang to arrive. The name is quite humorous; I actually suggested it to Xi Xiang because of its uniqueness. Many curious young women come to take pictures with the "fatty" and post them on social media, creating a nice advertising effect for him. Some people even find the shop interesting enough to visit just for the desserts, satisfying their curiosity.
Because of this popularity, my visits to Xi Xiang's shop are always free; his baking is truly exceptional. However, his success has made other local pastry shops envious, leading them to resort to petty tactics—like claiming someone got sick from eating Xi Xiang’s cakes.
“Brother, you’re here! Why aren’t you coming inside? I’ll get you some pastries,” Xi Xiang called out as he spotted me standing at the door. His shop has seen better days; it used to be bustling when it first opened, but now it’s not as busy, though there are still plenty of customers.
“Oh, I’m waiting for someone. But why don’t you go ahead and prepare something? I’ll introduce you to someone reliable shortly,” I replied with a smile. Although Xi Xiang is a few years older than me, his chubby cheeks and baker’s attire give him an endearing look—almost like a big teddy bear.
“Reliable person? Who is that? Don’t joke around! My girlfriend will blow up if she finds out!” Xi Xiang seemed startled by my words. Hearing this made me speechless; he has a girlfriend who is quite attractive, and while he treats her well, I can’t shake the feeling that she takes advantage of him by frequently asking for money—she seems rather materialistic.
“Come on, just go inside and get those pastries ready!” I urged him. I genuinely wanted to advise him about his girlfriend because I felt she wouldn’t treat him well in the long run. But knowing Xi Xiang’s stubbornness and straightforward nature, I figured it was best not to meddle too much—he might give me an earful if I did.
“Okay,” he replied obediently before turning back into the cake shop. But don’t let his cute demeanor fool you; when this honest guy gets angry, he can be quite intimidating. There was an incident where someone caused trouble in his shop, and he ended up knocking the guy down hard enough that it almost crushed him! This incident led to rumors that "Flying Fatty" was violent and even attacked customers.
As a result, many customers stopped coming to his shop, and he had to pay two thousand yuan in compensation. His girlfriend gave him quite a scolding over that incident! He promised never to let things escalate like that again.
“Hey! Brother, why are you here so early?” Just then, Lu Qiang drove up in a nice Benz.
“It’s not early; I just got here too. Sorry for bothering you, Lu Ge,” I said with a grin.
“It’s no trouble at all,” Lu Qiang replied with a smile before glancing at the cake shop behind me.
“Flying Fatty?” he said with surprise before chuckling and jokingly adding, “Just don’t let it fall; it could be deadly!”
I laughed heartily at his joke and reassured him it was all in good fun as we headed into Xi Xiang’s cake shop together. Upon seeing Xi Xiang’s cheerful face again, Lu Qiang couldn’t help but laugh once more; there’s something inherently funny about Xi Xiang's appearance that brings joy to those around him.
I then introduced Xi Xiang to Lu Qiang. Upon hearing that I was introducing him to someone from Tian Ye Group, I noticed that Xi Xiang seemed a bit displeased. I knew his character; he didn't like people like Lu Qiang. However, since it was my introduction, Xi Xiang still welcomed him warmly.
"Fatty, why don't you tell Lu Ge about your situation? He can arrange everything for you," I said to Xi Xiang. He chuckled and replied, "No need, Xiang Dong. It's just a small matter. Lu Ge is a person who handles big affairs; let's not trouble him over this."
"Hey! That's not right, brother. What do you mean by 'big affairs'? We're all brothers here. If there's nothing going on, then it's fine, but if there is something, just let me know and I'll definitely help you out," Lu Qiang said generously. I knew that Lu Qiang was helping Xi Xiang out of respect for me and also for Zheng Yu; after all, Zheng Yu's influence was considerable. I also understood that Xi Xiang didn't like interacting with people like Lu Qiang, but it didn't matter. Even without me, Lu Qiang would still find a way to take advantage of Xi Xiang. With my involvement, once Lu Qiang helped him resolve this issue, they wouldn't have any further interactions.
"Alright then, I'll trouble you, Lu Ge," Xi Xiang said with a hearty smile. Although he didn't like it, I knew that he was also troubled by the fact that there were always people causing trouble for him. So he accepted the help. Besides, if his girlfriend found out that I brought Lu Qiang to assist him and he refused the help, it would definitely lead to some conflict!
Then Xi Xiang explained the specifics to Lu Qiang. Once Lu Qiang understood the situation, he immediately made a call to one of his subordinates and told Xi Xiang to wait ten minutes.
Ten minutes later, all those who had previously offended Xi Xiang rushed into his shop to apologize and even returned the twenty thousand yuan they had scammed from him—talk about efficiency!
Xi Xiang accepted their apologies and then Lu Qiang ordered them all to withdraw from He Xing Street! They were not allowed to open any more pastry shops there! However, Xi Xiang stopped him and insisted on fair competition instead. Eventually, he let them leave; he didn't like bullying others.
"Wow, Lu Ge, you made this seem so easy," I said with a smile after those people left. Lu Qiang laughed heartily in response and said, "How could this not be simple? Are you looking down on me when you say that?"
"Haha!" I laughed along with him. While there was a hint of bravado in Lu Qiang's words, it made sense considering he was a Lesser Boss in Tian Ye Group.
"Lu Ge, thank you! Thank you! I have some really delicious cake here; if you ever want some cake in the future, come by my place anytime!" Although Xi Xiang didn't particularly like people like Lu Qiang, he was genuinely grateful towards those who helped him out. He might not say much in formalities, but his sincere words showed his appreciation.
"No need to be polite, brother. Here’s my business card. If anyone comes looking for trouble again in the future, just show them this card and ask if they know me. If they don’t recognize it, have them call me," Lu Qiang said with a smile as he pulled out his wallet and handed over a business card. I raised an eyebrow at the card; it seemed quite useful. It turned out that Lu Qiang's business card was similar to those of Zheng Yu and He Wei—was it possible that their department had standardized their cards?
Later on, when I asked Lu Qiang about it, he confirmed that it indeed was standardized across their level; each rank had different cards issued to them. He told me that a Tian Ye Group Helmsman-level business card could sell for as much as one million yuan in Kyoto! Because it wasn't just an ordinary card; it represented powerful connections!
However, selling them was strictly prohibited. If anyone was caught using their business card without permission to leverage Tian Ye Group's name for personal gain, the consequences would be severe.
"Alright then! Thank you so much, Lu Ge!" Xi Xiang said as he took the business card with gratitude. "You’re welcome," Lu Qiang waved off the thanks casually. After enjoying a few of Xi Xiang's signature pastries in his shop and finding nothing else of interest, Lu Qiang and I decided to leave.
On the way back, Lu Qiang drove me home.
"Lu Ge, thank you for everything today. Do you know any fun places we could go to this afternoon?" I asked with a smile, wanting to show my gratitude after he helped me out. It was also a good opportunity for me to get closer to Lu Qiang and learn more about him.
Lu Qiang chuckled and said I was being too polite. I replied, "There's no need to be polite. It's only right that I treat you to a good time." He smiled back and said, "Well, since you want to hang out with me, I’ll take you somewhere. But I know you just became the general manager not long ago, so there’s not much in your pocket yet. How about this: I’ll treat you today, and when you’re doing well, you can treat me next time?"
As Lu Qiang drove, he looked at me with a grin. I was taken aback for a moment; it was clear he intended to take me somewhere upscale! He must have figured that I couldn’t afford it right now.
I knew his willingness to help me stemmed entirely from Zheng Yu’s influence. Zheng Yu's status put pressure on Lu Qiang, and since he wasn’t very social, he recognized my unique position. He couldn’t get close to Zheng Yu directly, so he aimed to befriend me as a way to curry favor with him.
Since Lu Ge was considering my situation so thoughtfully, I decided not to protest further. "Thanks, Lu Ge," I said with a smile. While maintaining appearances is important, it’s crucial not to overextend oneself. It was obvious that Lu Qiang wanted to take me somewhere expensive, but I only had a few thousand in my pocket—no need to embarrass myself.
Still, I was curious about where Lu Qiang planned to take me. His expression suggested that this place was definitely not ordinary.
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