The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 346 One month
San Francisco.

This city, with an area only a quarter the size of the BJHD district and a population of about 80, is the heart of wealth and innovation on the west coast of the United States if calculated as the "San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley" metropolitan area. It ranks as the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States and includes the world-famous Silicon Valley.

Here, many middle-class people who are only "getting by" would be easily regarded as "rich" if they moved to other parts of the United States.

San Francisco thus became a crucial hub where global capital, technology, and ambition intertwined, and also a stark microcosm of extreme social stratification.

After a month of easy and leisurely closure.

After a month of closure, the "Relax and Slow Travel in Beijing" store is now open.

A busy street near Union Square in San Francisco.

A black luxury car quietly pulled up in front of a low-key yet well-maintained Victorian-style townhouse.

Ms. Jiang Ying, CEO of Jiang's Group, got out of the car. She had flown for more than ten hours from Beijing to this place, just to find a specific address—the massage therapist Zhao Xiaochui who had quietly disappeared in Beijing, who was said to be staying here now.

She needed him to do one last, and perhaps most crucial, treatment for her.

As she watched the villa draw closer, she couldn't help but recall the aftershocks of the devastating events that had swept across the country over the past month.

Under the dual pressure of anti-monopoly investigation and overwhelming public opinion, Leng Xiao's Ugly Donkey Group's stock price plummeted, its business contracted, and Jingxi Multimedia and Ali Flash Delivery seized the opportunity to grab market share. Leng Xiao was overwhelmed and almost disappeared from public view.
Wei Lan was completely abandoned by Jinling Capital and was pushed out as the "personally responsible person" for all the incidents, bearing most of the consequences, and her career was almost over.

As for Mr. Kim, although his family's reputation was not fundamentally damaged, the disgraceful scene involving his children on the streets of San Francisco became widely known, severely damaging the family's reputation. As a result, he had to send his children to a more secluded place for "low-key further education."

Those who participated in cyberbullying and doxxing employees of Easy Slow Travel have mostly been banned by the platform, and some of those with serious offenses have even been dealt with according to the law.

This internet controversy, which began with a relaxed and leisurely stroll and ended at this small massage parlor, has been hailed by countless netizens as a miracle of the underdog overthrowing the powerful.

As the store was deregistered and disappeared, things gradually returned to normal.

Recalling this, Jiang Ying shook her head with a wry smile; the circle she belonged to was far from peaceful.

Now, who would dare to underestimate that masseur? And how many people are hoping that the young man will return to China soon?

Otherwise, only customers like her, who have connections, time, and money, can travel overseas to visit this place.

There were no conspicuous signs at the entrance of the villa, only a brass doorbell that required a password to enter. Jiang Ying entered the password she had been given during the appointment, and the door slid open silently.

The moment she stepped inside, even the well-traveled Jiang Ying couldn't hide the surprise that flashed across her eyes.

What she saw before her was not the startup scene she had imagined, but a mature and tasteful top-notch studio.

The high-ceilinged living room has been transformed into an extremely spacious area with soft lighting. The overall style is a minimalist blend of Eastern Zen aesthetics and a relaxed, modern Californian feel. A few guests are sparsely seated in the waiting area.

A man resembling a Silicon Valley tech tycoon is resting with his eyes closed, his expensive watch subtly gleaming on his wrist.

Another well-dressed elderly lady, with an air of old money from the East Coast, was quietly flipping through a foreign magazine.

No one spoke; a tacit, unspoken tranquility and a sense of privilege permeated the space.

An Asian assistant, dressed in a neatly pressed cotton-linen uniform and behaving appropriately, quietly stepped forward, confirmed Jiang Ying's appointment information in fluent English in a low voice, guided her to change her shoes, and handed her a cup of herbal tea at just the right temperature.

The process was smooth and meticulous, just like the relaxed pace of life in Beijing.

As far as Jiang Ying knew, everything in front of her, from this Victorian-style townhouse to every carefully selected piece of furniture, belonged entirely to Zhao Xiaochui.

Most incredibly, she learned through special channels that Zhao Xiaochui had not paid a single penny for this property—this valuable property was a "medical fee" that a Silicon Valley tycoon, eager to jump the queue for treatment, was willing to transfer in order to pay for an exorbitantly priced treatment.

Instead of struggling to start a business here, he easily rebuilt a more secluded, upscale massage parlor entirely under his own ownership at the very top of this Golden Gate city in an almost legendary way.

What's most poignant is that this seems to contradict Zhao Xiaochui's original plan—he originally intended to quietly open an ordinary massage parlor in the city and make a living with his skills.

However, from the moment he was recognized by a leisurely, wealthy man from Beijing on the street, his entrepreneurial trajectory in this city of Kinmen was exactly the same as the story in Beijing—from being ignored to quietly rising to being talked about and sought after by the elite, and finally returning to the track of "one appointment is hard to come by".

There is a very simple truth in this world: as long as you have truly outstanding skills, no matter where you are, you will eventually shine with an brilliance that cannot be concealed.

Zhao Xiaochui doesn't need advertising; word-of-mouth recommendations from his top-tier clientele are the strongest barrier and the most effective advertisement.

Jiang Ying had an idea: this place was actually more suitable for Zhao Xiaochui to live in than China, because money and quality of life were the core pursuits of the privileged class here. In China, however, he would be hampered by countless "Uncle Laos".

Zhao Xiaochui's craftsmanship, which directly impacts the quality of life, allows him to directly touch the core of true power and wealth.

Jiang Ying sat down on the soft sofa, her gaze drawn to the huge television screen on the wall.

The video shows a live stream on YouTube, with the channel name prominently displayed as "New Relaxing Slow Travel".

The live stream wasn't about massage; it was about a 24-hour non-stop transformation campaign in the Jinghai Industrial Park in Jiangsu Province, which was now in its final stages.

The live stream, filmed in a near-documentary style, showcased details that shocked American viewers:
A brand-new automated production line is being hoisted up, and robotic arms are moving precisely under the adjustment of engineers. Its level of sophistication is in no way inferior to any high-end manufacturing plant in Silicon Valley.
The close-up shot focused on the workers' canteen, where plates were filled with steaming braised pork, steamed fish, seasonal vegetables and fruits. The food standards were far higher than those of ordinary construction sites in China, prompting a barrage of exclamations of "WTF?" and "They are hiring?" in the comments section.
The screen scrolls through a list of salaries and benefits for new employees who have signed labor contracts with the park, including a base salary far exceeding the local average, full social insurance and housing fund contributions, additional commercial insurance, and a clear career advancement path.

These figures were specially translated into English, shocking every overseas viewer watching the live stream.

(End of this chapter)