The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 259 Price
When it comes to high-end social venues, Zhao Xiaochui can only imagine the bizarre and fantastical party scenes in movies:

Champagne towers, swaying figures by the pool, deafening DJ music, and the occasional glimpses of extravagance like the "Hainan Rendez-Vous" in the news.

However, the information conveyed by the invitation in his hand was completely different from the image in his mind.

The almost secretive address, the abruptness of the event without prior notice, and the invitation itself adorned with pure gold all indicated that this dinner was no ordinary affair.

Considering Jiang Ying's sudden change of appointment time after he decided to close the store, the true purpose of this dinner is self-evident.

He discreetly held up the invitation, took a picture, and sent it to Zhou Yaqin. Then, he quietly put on his contact lenses. Only then, at Jiang Ying's prompting, did he sit in the spacious back seat of the Rolls-Royce.

"You're overthinking it!" The elite old lady replied almost instantly. "If it were truly tailor-made for you, the theme would never start with 'capital,' but would more likely be a 'private tasting event,' such as a rare fine wine, a unique collectible, or an authentic work of calligraphy by a master."

Zhao Xiaochui's tense heart relaxed slightly, but Zhou Yaqin's next words made him anxious again.

"However, you are indeed one of the 'protagonists' of this dinner party, it's just that your 'profession' is not enough to make them lower themselves for you."

"By the way, invitations of this caliber are usually sent out well in advance to give guests ample time to prepare. Why is yours so rushed?"

Zhao Xiaochui glanced to his side; Jiang Ying was subtly moving closer to him. He subtly shifted his body, then took out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen:

“It’s Jiang Ying. She had made an appointment before, but only said it was a home visit service. She changed the time after I decided to close the shop.”

Zhou Yaqin clearly gleaned something from the name "Jiang Ying," and instead of pressing further, she asked:
"There's something wrong with your clothes in the photo. There's a clear brand logo, and the size seems to be too big. Who bought them for you?"

Zhao Xiaochui typed: "Ou Xiaokui".

Zhou Yaqin: "When you have time, find a top-notch custom clothing designer and have them make a few outfits for you. If you still have time, go buy a ready-to-wear piece from a brand like Loro Piana or Brunello Cucinelli that doesn't have any obvious logos."

Zhao Xiaochui glanced again; Jiang Ying's gaze was subtly fixed on him. He quickly typed, "There probably isn't time."

Zhou Yaqin: "Then take off your coat and just wear a shirt. Don't worry too much about these things. In those kinds of occasions, not showing off means you're implicitly covering up your brand, and the fabrics you're wearing are all top-notch."

"In those situations, these people mainly flaunt their vision, information, and resources, rather than their wealth."

"That invitation is priceless; people value industry standing, resource control, social influence, and even family legacy more."

Zhao Xiaochui typed: "What do I have?"

Zhou Yaqin: "If you decide to cooperate with them, you'll have everything. Little Hammer, we won't give you any advice, but we will respect and understand any decision you make!"

After reading the last message, Zhao Xiaochui put away his phone, turned to look at Jiang Ying who had leaned closer, and asked helplessly:
"Sister Jiang, are you acting a little strange today?"

Jiang Ying finally calmed down a bit and said with a smile, "I'm your date, shouldn't I get used to it beforehand?"

"Female companion?" "Yes."

Zhao Xiaochui sized up the "Madam Jiang" in front of him, who was completely different from usual, and tilted his head in confusion: "Is this 'Yuanshan' very powerful?"

Hearing Zhao Xiaochui finally get to the point, Jiang Ying's smile faded slightly, and her expression became serious. She smoothed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and sighed softly:
"They might not even consider the Jiang family a threat on their own."

Seeing Zhao Xiaochui raise an eyebrow slightly, she chuckled and said, "Are you a little sensitive to the term 'Jiang family'? I can explain it in more detail, for example, my grandfather, my father, my uncles, aunts, my brother, my sister, my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law..."

"Alright, alright, Sister Jiang, please continue." Zhao Xiaochui quickly raised his hands in surrender.

Seeing that Zhao Xiaochui understood, Jiang Ying smiled slightly: "A single family is not scary. What is scary is that they are the ones in charge."

“Little Hammer, this is no longer the early days of reform and opening up. Resources, channels, and information are highly monopolized. There will never be another ‘pig on the wind’ again, and you can’t create the next Alibaba, Tencent, or JD.com just by meeting someone once.”

"If another giant is to emerge, it will only happen in a setting like this." At this point, Jiang Ying shrugged and frankly stated:

“My first business was built on such occasions, where I gained access to resources—investment, channels, and supply chains. As long as you pay the price, all the problems cease to be problems after a dinner.”

Zhao Xiaochui: "What's the price?"

"Shares," Jiang Ying said with a smile. "We all make money together, don't we?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaochui instantly understood the meaning of the "price" she mentioned. He gave a wry smile and asked with a hint of helplessness, "Why didn't you inform me beforehand?"

If it weren't for Mrs. Jiang's lavish investment of nearly ten million yuan in "Easy Walk," Zhao Xiaochui would probably have already stormed off, or even lost his temper, in the face of this business scheme disguised as "door-to-door service."

"When you decided to close the shop, did you ever discuss it with us?" Jiang Ying retorted bluntly, her tone tinged with reproach. "We all wanted to help you, because helping you is helping ourselves."

Zhao Xiaochui nodded seriously and admitted, "That's the truth. So, you and Qian Mankun, have you already started planning commercial real estate projects near my shop?"

“That’s right.” Jiang Ying admitted frankly without any concealment, “But your ‘willfulness’ has really made all of us uneasy. After all, such a large investment is based on the normal operation and healthy development of ‘easy and slow’.”

Zhao Xiaochui pondered for a moment, finding her words reasonable, and nodded again: "Anything else?"

"The troubles that 'Easy Travel' has recently encountered don't actually have a clear 'initiator'!" Jiang Ying continued to explain, "They are all spontaneous counterattacks by the industry against 'rule breakers.' Otherwise, with the influence of me, Qian Mankun, and your customers, we could easily step in and help you resolve the situation."

At this point, Jiang Ying's expression became unusually solemn. She looked directly into Zhao Xiaochui's eyes and said, word by word, "But now, with a 'leader,' this spontaneous counterattack will turn into a proactive attack. Those scattered troubles will immediately disappear, replaced by the integration of all resources from various industries to thoroughly 'strangle' 'Easy Slow Travel' if you do not compromise!"

Perhaps having anticipated this, Zhao Xiaochui was surprisingly calm upon hearing these words, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

(End of this chapter)