Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 11
11
Leaving Sun Jin’s house, Cheng Youqing’s assistant’s “big brick” phone kept ringing incessantly. Cheng Youqing found the thing ugly and cumbersome, never wanting to carry it herself, always leaving it to her assistant.
She took the phone from her assistant’s hand. The company had a pile of matters waiting for her attention. As she got into the car, she suddenly recalled what Zhou Chenghuan had said about the balance of constitutions between Alphas and Omegas.
But she only thought about it briefly before dismissing it entirely.
Cheng’s Group was at a critical stage in developing a new product. She had spent the last of her funds to acquire exclusive technology from abroad. Although confidentiality measures weren’t strict at the moment, as long as they could seize the market first, they’d claim the biggest slice of the pie. Once the VCD player was launched domestically, Cheng’s Group’s declining fortunes could see a major turnaround.
By the end of the third month since Shanhe Tuling opened, as autumn deepened, business was thriving. The shop was bustling with customers daily, with average daily revenue stabilizing above 800 yuan. Luo Hetu wrote “The First Cup of Milk Tea in Autumn” in calligraphy with a brush and hung it at the shop’s entrance, launching two seasonal specials that sold out every day.
Ye Qingzhu, who was becoming adept at calculations, sat cross-legged, flipping open the ledger to settle accounts with Luo Hetu: “This month’s revenue is 20,000. After subtracting rent, utilities, wages, and taxes, the net profit is 15,000. I take 6,000, you take 9,000.”
As she spoke, she opened her purse, pulled out a stack of cash, spat on her fingers twice, and counted the money with practiced ease.
Luo Hetu: …
Ye Qingzhu’s habit of counting cash was something Luo Hetu had grown used to. No amount of persuasion could change her, so persistent so Luo Hetu would take the money to the bank herself later.
In three months, the milk tea shop had earned over 20,000 in profit—a highly lucrative business for this era. Ye Qingzhu knew that all the key ideas and recipes came from Luo Hetu, and the startup costs were also covered by her. She insisted on not splitting profits evenly, proposing a 30-70 split instead. Luo Hetu, no longer interested in selling books and content being a hands-off boss, didn’t want to take too much. After a heated argument and a round of drinks, they settled on a 40-60 split.
“Has anyone been causing trouble at the shop lately?”
“Not recently. The earlier troublemakers got a good beating from me—probably scared them off.” Ye Qingzhu flexed her well-defined arm: “I see now why you insisted on bringing me in. This business really attracts envy. I swear, I deal with more small-time punks than the Dynasty Dance Hall.”
“The Dynasty Dance Hall is run by a big shot with connections and power. You’re not a big shot—just a small milk tea shop owner.”
“Right, right. I’m just a small-time shop manager, nothing special.” Ye Qingzhu had learned Luo Hetu’s knack for keeping a low profile to avoid trouble, chuckling: “The shop’s barely breaking even, using healthy, nutritious ingredients, high costs, low margins. I’m just a shop manager who can throw a punch—not worth anyone’s attention.”
“Exactly, that’s the line to use outside.” Luo Hetu raised a big green bottle of beer, and she and Ye Qingzhu chugged one down.
Winter came, and Luo Hetu grew lazy. Jiang City, a southern city, had cold, damp winters indoors, and air conditioning wasn’t yet common in this era. Luo Hetu didn’t care—she installed two units for herself.
She had rented a decent two-bedroom apartment near Ye Qingzhu’s place for 200 yuan a month. With about 50,000 yuan saved from selling books and copyrights, and after spending 20,000 on milk tea shop equipment, she had broken even in three months. With 50,000, she could afford a small house. Lately, with some free time, she started thinking about checking out properties.
The real estate boom hadn’t hit yet, and her rush to earn money was driven by her goal of buying houses—lots of them—to live off rent. In her world, housing prices in first-tier cities like Jiang City, which was developing rapidly, were astronomical, giving her a sense of urgency.
Ye Qingzhu got her a bicycle, and while riding around to check out a few promising residential buildings, she spotted Li Baitian.
Li Baitian, just as she’d seen her at the shop before, was sprawled on a sofa, selling tickets outside a video rental store.
Suddenly, Luo Hetu felt she was pretty diligent by comparison.
A loud stereo was playing music, and Li Baitian’s head bobbed to the beat, slouched without a care. When someone approached, she lifelessly muttered, “What movie?”
This was a regular movie rental hall, like a cinema of later years. Different small rooms played different films on VHS tapes, and customers could buy a ticket for two yuan to watch a movie.
Luo Hetu: “Why’re you working here? Part-time gig?”
Seeing it was her, Li Baitian warmed up: “The video recorders and tapes weren’t selling, so the storefront was sitting empty. Figured I’d turn it into a video hall.”
Luo Hetu: …
So, this woman was already a landlord with at least two storefronts.
This was Luo Hetu’s dream, and she’d just mocked her for being lazy. Sorry, her voice was too loud.
Eagerly, Luo Hetu struck up a conversation: “Business good?”
“It’s alright, but no way it compares to your milk tea shop. It’s famous across the district. People even drive or bike from other districts to try it. Kids throw tantrums to come, and parents bring them on weekends like it’s a museum visit.”
Luo Hetu, modestly: “It’s the landlord’s good fortune rubbing off on me.”
“Don’t flatter me. When I was there, I couldn’t make a single sale from morning to night.”
“Your businesses are all about video recorders, huh? You into them?”
Li Baitian shook her head, her expression solemn yet proud: “I love movies.”
Oh.
“The only way to watch movies is with video recorders and tapes. These are my treasures. Two yuan per person? I say I should charge 20. It’s their privilege to watch such quality films.” Despite being in her mid-twenties, Li Baitian’s words brimmed with youthful bravado.
Luo Hetu got it.
Li Baitian glanced at her, grabbed a VHS tape from the shelf behind her, and handed it over: “The books you gave me were great. You’re something else. I don’t have much to offer, but I love this movie too. Take it, watch it, and bring it back, alright? I begged relatives to bring this from abroad—can’t get it here. Took a big risk. My dad would kill me if he found out.”
Luo Hetu, embarrassed: “I don’t have a video recorder at home.”
Li Baitian scratched her head in frustration. Her hair, now a slightly shorter medium length, looked sharper and more spirited, but the scratching made it a mess.
“Over there, that small one—it’s a fancy model, just came out, worth over 10,000. Take it home, use it, and bring it back. Don’t you dare break it!”
She eyed Luo Hetu’s innocent face and shook her head: “No way, I don’t trust you. Sit here, watch it here, then leave.”
Luo Hetu: …
“I’ve got stuff to do.”
“What stuff? You’re a hands-off boss at that shop.”
“I’m going to look at houses.”
“You’re buying a house? What’s the point? They’re useless. One’s enough to live in. You thought my storefront was too pricey—what kind of good house can you afford?”
Ouch, that stung, rich friend.
Luo Hetu was ushered to sit beside Li Baitian, who gleefully swapped the tape in the recorder and plopped back down.
Luo Hetu, being sensible, bought a few bottles of beer from next door. The two watched the movie, drank, and got tipsy into the evening. Luo Hetu didn’t get to house-hunt, and Li Baitian lost track of whether she’d even collected money from later customers.
Luo Hetu shook her head: “You’re running this business into the ground. I’m telling you, video halls won’t be profitable for long.”