A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

In the evening, Fu Yan returned to the hotel and sent Xu Wenshu a text message.

"I've found two apartments in Houhai. I'll live in one and open a bar in the other. When are you free to come and take a look?"

I waited for ten minutes, but there was no reply.

He sent another message: "Busy?"

Still no reply.

Fu Yan frowned and dialed the number.

It rang several times before I answered.

"What?" Xu Wenshu's voice was a little muffled.

"What's wrong with you today? You've been acting strange ever since you left the bank."

"Nothing much, just busy."

"Too busy to even reply to a text message?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Fu Yan, don't call me anymore if you need to go to the bank."

Fu Yan was stunned: "Why?"

"There's no reason why, we just don't get along."

"What's inappropriate? You're my friend, why is it inappropriate for you to come with me to run errands?"

"I just feel it's not right." Xu Wenshu's voice suddenly quickened. "Alright, I have something to do here, I'll hang up now."

beep.

Fu Yan stood by the hotel room window, holding her phone, looking out at Chang'an Avenue.

He thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out where the problem was.

"Women, contradictions," he muttered to himself, tossing his phone onto the bed.

Outside the window, the traffic on Chang'an Avenue merged into a brightly lit ribbon.

Now, he has a courtyard in Houhai, and his bar is waiting for him.

As for why Xu Wenshu was angry, he decided not to think about it anymore.

Anyway, it's not the first time I've failed to understand women.

……

The transfer of ownership was faster than expected.

Yang Yi was very efficient, completing all the formalities within a week. When she handed the two keys to Fu Yan, he was still a little dazed.

A house worth 42 million can be yours simply by signing a few documents and stamping a few seals.

But standing at the entrance of the courtyard house, Fu Yan immediately faced a practical problem—the courtyard was uninhabitable.

It's not an exaggeration to say that it's uninhabitable; it's the literal meaning that it's uninhabitable.

The electrical and plumbing lines were in terrible condition. The home inspector Yang Yi hired shook his head after inspecting the place: "Mr. Fu, these lines haven't been replaced in at least twenty years. In many places, the bare wires are exposed. It'll probably trip the circuit breaker as soon as you turn on the air conditioner. The water pipes are old iron pipes, almost completely rusted; the tap water is all yellow. And these radiators, old-fashioned cast iron sheets, they won't hold up in winter at all."

Fu Yan stood in the main room, looking at the teetering incandescent light bulb above his head, and remained silent for a while.

"Change it, change it all."

"A complete overhaul would be a huge undertaking. The plumbing and electrical systems would need to be re-laid, the water and drainage systems would be replaced, underfloor heating would be added, and the bathrooms and kitchens would need to be redesigned..." The inspector counted on his fingers. "Conservatively speaking, it'll take at least two months, and could take three months."

"Can I move in before the New Year?"

"It looks unlikely."

Fu Yan sighed.

So he still has to stay in a hotel.

The situation is slightly better at the bar, since it's a shop and the previous owner also ran a bar. The plumbing and structural work can be done there; the main work involves renovation and style modification, which is much less of a project than the courtyard house.

Fu Yan made a decision: start construction on both sites simultaneously, hire two different renovation companies to do their own work, and save time.

The renovation work for the courtyard house was entrusted to Su Qing's company. They are experienced professionals in renovating old houses, and Yang Yi also highly recommended them, so they are probably a good fit.

As for the bar, Fu Yan asked Yang Yi to find another decoration team specializing in commercial spaces, prioritizing speed.

"Don't rush the courtyard house, take your time, make sure it's done well. Hurry up with the bar, try to open it before the New Year." Fu Yan signed the memo Yang Yi handed him.

Yang Yi put away the documents and adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses: "Mr. Fu, it's not convenient for you to stay in a hotel for an extended period while you're alone in Yanjing. Would you like me to arrange temporary accommodation for you?"

"No need, the hotel is fine. They have people to clean and change the sheets, which is convenient."

Yang Yi nodded and didn't say anything more.

-

With the renovation underway, Fu Yan faced another problem—he had no one to help him.

It sounds pretentious, but it's true. A billionaire boss who doesn't even have someone to run errands for him and has to handle everything himself is incredibly inefficient.

He needs an assistant.

Not the kind of person who serves him tea and water, but someone who can help him with daily affairs, liaise with various parties, arrange schedules, and occasionally make decisions for him.

Fu Yan didn't want to recruit himself, finding it too troublesome. He sent his requirements to several of the largest headhunting firms in China, with simple criteria: under 30 years old, with a finance or management background, efficient, calm, and able to accept flexible working hours.

Three days later, the headhunter sent six resumes.

Fu Yan looked at the resumes one by one in the hotel room. After reading the first five, he shook his head. They were too flashy. The resumes were filled with examples of the little red flowers they had won in kindergarten. They were obviously the kind of people who were better at talking than doing.

The sixth document was only one page long.

Name: Lin Xiaochen. Age: 28. Education: Master of Management, Yanjing University of Finance and Economics. Work Experience: Two years in the Audit Department of PricewaterhouseCoopers, then resigned.

Gone.

There isn't even a single photo.

Fu Yan stared at the resume for half a minute, then dialed the headhunter's number.

"Arrange for this person to come for an interview."

-

The interview was scheduled for the coffee area in the hotel lobby.

When Fu Yan arrived, Lin Xiaochen was already sitting there.

She wore a navy blue suit jacket over a white shirt, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she had no makeup or jewelry. She looked neat and tidy, like a white-collar worker who had just stepped out of an office building, proper and meticulous.

"Mr. Fu? I am Lin Xiaochen." She stood up and extended her hand with neither servility nor arrogance.

Fu Yan shook hands with her; her hand felt cool, and the pressure was just right.

"Please sit down."

The two sat down, and Fu Yan cut to the chase: "Your resume is very brief. Why did you resign from PricewaterhouseCoopers?"

"The working hours are too long, leaving no personal life," Lin Xiaochen answered frankly. "I'm not afraid of being busy, but I need clear work boundaries. In the auditing industry, when things get busy, it's like working day and night, and in the long run, efficiency actually decreases."

"Then why are you applying for a personal assistant position? Personal assistants don't necessarily have clearly defined job boundaries."

"Because you're the only one." Lin Xiaochen looked at him. "Working for the company means I'm responsible for the entire system, and I don't have a free will. Having you as my assistant means my workload and pace are controllable, as long as you're not someone who changes your mind constantly."

Fu Yan raised an eyebrow.

That's an interesting answer.

"I'm certainly not the kind of person who changes my mind all the time," he leaned back in his chair. "But let me make this clear: I'm not a very disciplined person. I might be doing business in the morning and going fishing in the afternoon, or I might want you to find me something to eat at three in the morning. Can you accept that?"

"Sure." Lin Xiaochen didn't hesitate. "As long as you let me know in advance, I can arrange it. Last-minute requests are a different story, but I'll guarantee the outcome."

"What about salary? How much do you expect?"

"The salary for a headhunter position is 15,000 yuan per month, which I think is reasonable."

Fu Yan looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"Fifteen thousand?" He shook his head. "Lin Xiaochen, if you do a good job, your year-end bonus will be higher than your salary. But if you don't, I won't be lenient. Is that okay?"

"OK."

"So, are you able to go to work tomorrow?"

"able."

"Okay." Fu Yan picked up his coffee and took a sip. "Your first task upon joining the company is to go to the job market and recruit someone for me."

"What position?"

"A bar manager. Must be experienced, have worked in bars like those in Beijing, and have impeccable character. I'm about to open a quiet bar in Houhai, and I need someone knowledgeable to run it."

Lin Xiaochen pulled out a small notebook and quickly jotted down a couple of notes: "What are the specific requirements?"

"A quiet bar, not a mass-market establishment, not selling prohibited items, and not engaging in vulgarity. The target clientele is mid-to-high-end, focusing on music and atmosphere. The manager needs to be able to manage people, train staff, and oversee the decor; ideally, they should be able to get started right now."

"Understood." Lin Xiaochen closed the notebook. "I'll give you a candidate within three days."