Chapter 28: Money Is Meant to Be Shown to Women

"I hear you've been chatting quite happily with a lot of girls lately, and even setting up photoshoots with them?"

In the entertainment director's office, Sha Na Li looked at Lu Yao with a playful, smiling gaze.

Lu Yao: "..."

Counting on a woman to keep a secret was indeed unrealistic.

Ever since Lu Yao's debut performance, his song had rapidly become a massive hit along Zhongshan Road, and the NFA’s slumping business had been instantly pulled back from the brink. Even though other bars wanted to plagiarize it, the NFA had a legal department to deal with that. Once Lu Yao's reputation as a draw was established, he naturally became the NFA’s new star attraction.

However, thanks to Sha Na Li’s "hunger marketing" strategy, the number of shows Lu Yao performed in a week remained low—usually three, with extra shows added only when special guests arrived. Lu Yao’s compensation had also been increased to 3,000 yuan per set. Despite the limited performances, Sha Na Li’s training sessions for him had not decreased; if anything, they had intensified.

That was why, when Lu Yao came to ask for time off on Monday and Tuesday, she hesitated before agreeing. After all, business on those nights was usually not great anyway.

After approving his leave request, Sha Na Li said with a smile, "Even though you're young, you still need to take care of your health."

Lu Yao: "..."

It seemed Sister Na Li had misunderstood. He explained, "Actually, I'm setting up these photoshoots because I plan to start a business—in e-commerce."

In 2013, the signs of an e-commerce boom were already emerging, and many manufacturers were beginning to map out their strategies for online retail. However, the true explosion of internet e-commerce wouldn't hit until the end of 2013, when the "Double Eleven" sales day would break the ten-billion-yuan mark. That event ignited the enthusiasm of every manufacturer in the country. In the years that followed, sales figures for Double Eleven would climb steadily; by 2018, they would hit ten billion in just one hour.

But at this moment, Sha Na Li had no concept of the scale of e-commerce, nor could she imagine it.

She shook her head and said, "Opening an online shop? What kind of future is there in that?" She then added sincerely, "Lu Yao, listen to me. I’ll help you break into the entertainment industry, and in less than five years, you’ll be an A-list star! That’s much better than running some online store."

Lu Yao smiled. "Thank you for the kind offer, Sister Na Li. But I really want to try starting my own business."

Sha Na Li shook her head. Perhaps once he hit a wall and got bruised, he would realize how important it was to have a benefactor’s help. But for Lu Yao, he was his own benefactor.

Sha Na Li saw Lu Yao out of the office. "Anyway, whenever you make up your mind, just come find me. I’ll be waiting."

Lu Yao grinned. "Thanks, Sister Na Li!"

He had not only secured his leave but also settled his wages for the week with her: 8,500 yuan in commissions and 6,000 yuan for his three performances.

***

In just one week at the NFA, Lu Yao had earned 14,500 yuan. If he were younger, he certainly would have gotten carried away and engaged in retaliatory spending. But having witnessed the magnificent grand eras of the future, this amount of money left him completely unmoved.

It was too little.

With this money, combined with what Sister Wang had given him and the creative bonus from Sister Na Li, Lu Yao now had over 50,000 yuan in cash. That was enough for his startup capital.

After leaving the NFA, Lu Yao called Xu Ziqiao. "Come out! I’m taking you to scout the market."

Xu Ziqiao: "Huh? Brother Lu, do you know what time it is?" It was midnight, for heaven's sake!

Lu Yao: "If we leave now, we'll arrive in the middle of the night, sleep until ten tomorrow morning, and then go scout the market." He had already planned it out perfectly. If they left tomorrow, he would have to wake up early, which was out of the question. Lu Yao was a night owl; staying up late was fine, but his brain didn't function if he had to get up early.

Xu Ziqiao: "Fine, fine. Where are we actually going?"

Lu Yao smiled. "Guanyun!"

Guanyun? As a local from the province, and coming from a business family, Xu Ziqiao knew of Guanyun. But that place was so poor it was practically desolate—what could there possibly be to find? Guanyun was a county under the jurisdiction of Lianhai City, one of the poorest in the province, where the primary income came from wheat and rice farming, and the local specialty was bean worms.

But right now, the future king of the adult products industry was being conceived and incubated on that very impoverished land. Although the social climate was still quite conservative and even local village officials didn't fully understand the business, many products manufactured in Dongwang Town, Guanyun, were already beginning to supply the Pearl River Delta.

And the reason they mainly supplied the Pearl River Delta... was because there was a "man's paradise" there. Lu Yao had never been there in his past or present life, and he didn't know if he would ever have the chance to go and enjoy himself in the future.

Not giving Xu Ziqiao a chance to question him, Lu Yao urged, "Hurry up and get to the NFA. We leave at midnight, no waiting!"

Having had the experience of investing in the stock market last time, Xu Ziqiao didn't dare to delay. He arrived at the NFA quickly. To make a better impression for business negotiations, Lu Yao had Xu Ziqiao park his Crown in the NFA’s underground parking lot, then drove the Mercedes that Sister Wang had given him toward Guanyun.

***

Shangnan City was not far from Guanyun, about 360 kilometers away. With the pedal to the floor, they could reach Guanyun in three hours if they drove fast.

On the road, Xu Ziqiao kept clutching his phone, his expression shifting between exuberant and sullen. Lu Yao acted as if he didn't notice. After they were halfway there, Xu Ziqiao couldn't hold it in anymore. "Brother Lu, I’ve run into a tough girl lately. Can you give me some advice?"

Ever since their last dinner, when Lu Yao offered a string of advice, he had been labeled a "romance strategist" and a "master of flirting" by the likes of Song Jing and Xu Ziqiao. Because of this, Xu Ziqiao had been diligently studying the "Art of War" lately. This was already a remarkable improvement; while other men were still struggling to figure out how to date, Xu Ziqiao was already talking about military strategy under Lu Yao's influence.

However, Xu Ziqiao was still in the "armchair strategist" phase and appeared incredibly naive when dealing with high-level women. He had recently added a girl who seemed quite vibrant and wanted to win her over on his own to prove he wasn't inferior to Lu Yao. But after a few rounds of back-and-forth, he found himself trapped in the game, unable to pull himself out.

Lu Yao laughed. "One pack of Hwaseong cigarettes and calling me 'Godfather'."

Xu Ziqiao gritted his teeth. "...Fine!"

At the next rest stop, Lu Yao took Xu Ziqiao's phone to check the chat history while Xu Ziqiao went to buy water and cigarettes. When he returned, he shouted "Godfather" and offered his tribute.

After scanning the girl's social media and their chat logs, Lu Yao said, "First, her social media is meticulously curated to create a 'high-net-worth, cool-and-aloof' persona. Based on this, she’s either very wealthy or just putting on a show. But regardless of which, your way of chatting with her is all wrong."

Xu Ziqiao was shocked. "Is social media really that important?"

"Then what should I do? She’s barely engaging with me, sometimes only replying once or twice a day! It was only tonight, when I mentioned I was going to scout the market with you, that she talked a bit more."

Lu Yao opened the pack of cigarettes and lit one. "That just means she’s interested in entrepreneurship and financial power."

Xu Ziqiao had an epiphany. "Should I just transfer her money to show off my wealth?" He hesitated, "Wouldn't that be too blunt?"

Lu Yao rolled his eyes. "Remember this: a man’s money is meant to be shown to a woman, not spent on her!"