Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 23

23

Cheng Youqing noticed that after greeting Ye Qingzhu, she left without carrying the bags of items, including the underwear, she had been holding earlier.

Behind the counter, the refined-looking alpha was the manager of the milk tea shop and, apparently, a friend of Luo Hetu. Those items were bought for her.

What a great relationship—close enough to personally buy underwear.

Cheng Youqing took a sip of her jasmine orange drink. The orange flavor was rich, mingled with a hint of jasmine tea’s fragrance—a natural, delightful taste, far better than any orange soda on the market.

Luo Hetu sure had a knack for business.

This was just a small episode. With the New Year approaching, Cheng Youqing had only taken a brief moment to accompany Sun Yinuo shopping at Sun Jin’s request. After a day of rest, she dove back into work, buried in data and reports.

Meanwhile, Luo Hetu thoroughly cleaned her own home and Ye Qingzhu’s, buying everything needed for the New Year and settling in to celebrate.

On New Year’s Eve, Ye Qingzhu, who had no family, joined Luo Hetu at her place. Ye brought two bottles of laobaigan (a strong Chinese liquor), which Luo Hetu teased her about, saying she couldn’t even splurge on better wine.

“What do you know? This is the drink for the New Year—strong enough!” Ye Qingzhu retorted.

The big, boxy color TV blared the lively Spring Festival Gala. The two shared a hotpot for their New Year’s Eve dinner. Luo Hetu had bought an electric hotpot from Qiancheng Appliances—no gas, safer. Once the water boiled, they added sheep tail fat, a northern custom. The table was laden with thinly sliced lamb, tofu skin, white radish, bok choy, braised pig’s trotters, sausages, a plate of candied garlic, a plate of pickled vegetables, and laobaigan. A sip of the liquor warmed them to the core.

Luo Hetu mused, “It’d be nice if it snowed.”

“It’s never snowed in Jiang City.” Ye Qingzhu scoffed.

As the TV played, the two ate, drank, and talked freely about anything and everything.

Ye Qingzhu thanked Luo Hetu for helping her make money. As the second boss of Shanhe Tuling, she now earned thousands, sometimes over ten thousand a month—an unthinkable sum in the past.

She added that she had saved up tens of thousands and was considering opening another shop. She wanted Luo Hetu’s opinion.

“The more shops we open, the more managers we’ll need. You’re a boss now—you can’t be everywhere at once. You need to train reliable people. If you have enough capable staff, then we can open a third shop.”

Ye Qingzhu asked, “You’re letting me decide?”

“Of course. You’re also a boss of Shanhe Tuling, and you’ve been working in the shop longer than I have. You know the market better than I do. My ideas might not suit the current trends. You’re diligent, and I trust you. If you have decisions to make or things you’re unsure about, we can discuss and figure it out together.”

Ye Qingzhu clinked glasses with her, scratching her head, too shy to say more thanks, so she drank deeply instead. She was loyal and sharp—being a small-time thug was a waste of her potential. Luo Hetu even felt the milk tea shop was too small for her. Ye Qingzhu had once led a crew of thugs that dominated the south side of the city, intimidating even Zhang Sheng’s boss. A milk tea shop didn’t match her caliber.

Luo Hetu began to entertain the idea of letting Ye Qingzhu be a real boss.

The thought sparked excitement in her eyes. Propping her chin, she studied Ye Qingzhu.

Ye Qingzhu, despite her high tolerance, stayed sharp even after drinking. Noticing Luo Hetu’s odd look, she frowned. “I don’t want to guess what shady plans you have for me, but your expression is too weird. Spit it out.”

“You mentioned before that some of your old crew in the south side are still in the game. You said you’d handle it, and I got busy and didn’t follow up. How’s that going?”

Ye Qingzhu coughed lightly, hemming and hawing.

Luo Hetu was stunned when she heard the full story, rolling her eyes dramatically.

Ye Qingzhu had hired those people under the title of milk tea shop manager, paying them monthly wages just to step in and intimidate troublemakers or handle issues with force when needed.

“You’re just encouraging them to stay thugs!” Luo Hetu exclaimed.

“They’ve got strength but no purpose. Being a thug is their life’s goal—can you understand that?”

Luo Hetu strongly disagreed. “We’re heading toward a lawful society. Thugs will either be disciplined or jailed.”

“I know that! I don’t want them to stay thugs either. I’m just giving them jobs since they can’t find any themselves. I even checked—construction sites won’t take them.”

“You’re always defending them.” Luo Hetu said.

Ye Qingzhu mumbled, “I’m just telling the truth.”

Luo Hetu paused, then asked, “How much money do you have?”

“Eighty thousand.” Ye Qingzhu answered without hesitation, warming Luo Hetu’s heart.

She really trusted her completely.

“I can put up forty thousand. A hundred thousand should be enough. Let’s open a KTV.”

Ye Qingzhu’s eyes widened. “What? Karaoke? The dance halls are controlled by big shots in every district, entrenched for years. We don’t have the power to take a bite of their pie.”

Luo Hetu shook her head. “Change your mindset. I don’t care what those bosses use their dance halls for. I’m opening this to make money. Their places have pretty alphas and omegas singing and drinking with clients—I’m not doing that. When laws tighten, all businesses will have to go legit. I’m running a clean operation. We’ll open a modern, mass-market KTV. Young people will love it.”

“What? A buffet-style KTV?” Ye Qingzhu was dumbfounded. “Selling food on the side?”

Luo Hetu couldn’t help but smack the back of her head. “Just eat your food.”

That night, they discussed the idea at length. Luo Hetu explained that while her KTV would be legit, it would likely attract attention from local bosses. A big venue would need plenty of staff, which could provide jobs for Ye Qingzhu’s old crew, giving them legitimate work.

Ye Qingzhu’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Luo Hetu suddenly said, a bit sourly, “I guess in your heart, your old crew are the ones who’d go through life and death with you. I’m just a latecomer who can’t compare.”

Ye Qingzhu: …

It took several days of buying Songji sweet duck for Luo Hetu before she stopped sulking.

When people have goals, time flies. With no family and a taste for making money, Ye Qingzhu couldn’t wait. By the second day of the New Year, she was already scouting locations for the KTV and contacting her old crew. Two days later, when she returned to Luo Hetu’s place, she found it bustling. A short-haired, refined-looking female beta, Chen Fang, and her omega girlfriend were there, playing mahjong with Luo Hetu.

Seeing Ye Qingzhu, Luo Hetu called out, “Come play. I need to cook.”

Ye Qingzhu: …

On New Year’s Eve, she’d gone easy on her and settled for hotpot. Now, she was cooking herself? Just days ago, Luo Hetu was jealous, saying Ye treated her crew better than her. But now, it seemed Luo Hetu was the one treating others better.

Ye Qingzhu pouted, reluctantly sitting down. Glancing at Luo Hetu’s winnings, she resolved to lose spectacularly on her behalf.

The female beta was Li Baitian, the thriving owner of Sunday Audio, who’d come to pay a New Year’s visit. She ran into Chen Fang, and the three had brought heaps of gifts for Luo Hetu, who invited them to stay for dinner.

Li Baitian was unusually warm and enthusiastic toward Luo Hetu, saying that Sunday Audio and Qiancheng Appliances were boosting each other’s businesses. Video rental shops in the city were struggling and would likely be obsolete in a few months.

Luo Hetu sighed, “What a rapidly changing era.”

Everything was evolving fast, and the business landscape was brimming with opportunity. Fortunately, Luo Hetu could grasp every trend and story from the book. If she weren’t so unambitious, she could achieve great things.