Chapter 124: Chapter 123: The Long-Awaited Trip

Money flows to those who don’t lack it.

Love, too, flows to those who aren’t lacking it.

Lin Chu really hadn’t expected Yang Guangrong to send him money. Although it was just pocket money—something like a WeChat Red Packet, only the amount was quite large at one million yuan.

Still, the feeling was pretty special.

’Damn, aside from my own dad, no one has ever just given me money for free!’

Besides, this came with an extra benefit.

’I can farm money off of Yang Guangrong from now on.’

’Of course, I can forget about a tenfold return. Would that require him to call me ’Dad’? That would be completely backward, unless he was drunk.’

’But a twofold return would be no problem at all. I’d have plenty of reasons and excuses to give him expensive gifts.’

’The only thing to worry about is... damn, Old Yang might try to rush me into getting married, and I’m definitely not up for that.’

’But on second thought, Lin Chu had a way to deal with that—the moment he starts nagging, I’ll just give him a gift. Tsk, perfect. That’ll hit even harder.’

...

The trip was scheduled for tomorrow.

Today, after his workout, Lin Chu paid a visit to the company to check up on things.

It’s true that all beginnings are difficult. Zhang Peng had been run ragged lately, but thankfully, things had more or less been ironed out by now.

Starting with Dai Pingchuan, streamers had been joining the company in a steady trickle: five today, three the day before yesterday, and two the day before that.

Zhang Peng had created a group chat for the streamers and added everyone to it.

The main purpose was to make it convenient for Brother Chu to give out rewards at any time.

Whenever Brother Chu was free, bored, watching a stream, and felt like it, he could reward them as he pleased.

Keep the good stuff in the family.

The money was his, the company was his, the streamers were his, and the revenue was his—aside from the mandatory platform fees and taxes.

It was all considered an initial investment for now.

As for profits... they were already on the horizon.

The effect of a large sum was explosive. Those one hundred "Carnivals" had sent Dai Pingchuan’s popularity soaring. Now, his concurrent viewership for a single stream had stabilized at several thousand, up from just two hundred a few days ago.

In the niche category of face-changing, he was already doing quite well.

With gradual development, more streamers at the company, and a better selection of personalities and categories, moving into e-commerce streaming would be no problem at all.

That would establish a stable profit model.

—The gentry’s money is returned in full; the common folk’s money is split seventy-thirty.

In the conference room, Lin Chu didn’t take the head seat. Instead, he sat in the first chair on the left. The head of the table was empty, and Zhang Peng stood there, presenting a PowerPoint.

Over a dozen people filled the conference room, all listening intently.

The environment and atmosphere made Lin Chu quietly recall his days as a corporate drone. It felt like a lifetime ago.

After Zhang Peng finished explaining the policies and benefits for the streamers, he handed the floor to Lin Chu. "Next, let’s have President Lin say a few words. Please give him a round of applause."

A wave of applause erupted.

Dai Pingchuan’s clapping was the most enthusiastic of all.

After all, he was the first one to get a taste of the good stuff.

"President Zhang explained it very well. My point is, we need to create a ’horse-racing mechanism’ among the company’s streamers. If you perform well, you’ll get more resources and traffic. If you perform poorly, you’ll have to figure out how to improve on your own."

"We’ll create monthly rankings. Rewards, resources, and traffic boosts will be allocated according to a chart."

"Post a link in the group chat every day when you go live. If I see it and it catches my attention, then congratulations. I usually start my rewards at one hundred Carnivals, depending on my mood. I encourage you to get creative and liven things up."

Lin Chu said with a casual air.

’I have to motivate them a little, remind them of the boss’s presence.’

In that moment, all eyes were fixed on his face. The feeling was rather intoxicating.

’No wonder... fuck, all those bosses and leaders love to work overtime.’

’This feeling might be its own kind of psychological medicine.’

Lin Chu didn’t drag it out. After covering the main points, he asked Zhang Peng if there was anything else and if anyone else wanted to speak. When everything was finished, he dismissed the meeting.

’Let them at it.’

’There’s plenty of money.’

’The opportunity is right here.’

’How much they can rake in and how well they can seize this opportunity... that’s up to them.’

...

The next day, early in the morning, the group chat for the confirmed diving trip attendees was already buzzing with activity.

This trip had been brewing for a long time. After various rounds of screening, the final group was set at twenty people.

Including the thirty-person security team Lin Chu had hired, the total count was fifty people.

Originally, if everyone was paying their own way, it would have been split evenly, with no restrictions.

But now, Lin Chu was chartering a plane and a big shot was footing the bill, so naturally, people had to be screened—they even screened for looks.

Just like how exclusive clubs screen guests by appearance.

And to keep things low-key, Golden Deer Company, which was handling the charter, had set the departure point in Xiangjiang.

Peng City’s Bao’an Airport, after all, was too crowded and full of loose tongues.

It was better not to be too ostentatious with such a luxurious display. If it got reported, Lin Chu would find it a hassle.

It would just cause unnecessary trouble.

Lin Chu had never been to Xiangjiang.

Although it was just across the sea from Peng City, reachable by a high-speed train for less than a hundred yuan, he had never visited.

In his mind as a child, Xiangjiang had held a certain mystique, but now, that halo had dimmed considerably.

But even so, as he crossed the sea for the first time and sped toward the airport, watching the scenery outside the window, Lin Chu was in a rather cheerful mood.

For this trip, he didn’t bring a "girlfriend."

Personal assistant: Gu Jiayan.

Personal bodyguard: Gao Haitao.

Leading lady for this arc: Lin Xiwan.

They soon arrived at the airport. While resting in the VIP lounge, Lin Chu met up with Li Kai and the others, and he saw the entire group for the trip.

With a sweeping glance, Lin Chu’s eyes twitched slightly.

’Whoa.’

’It’s like they put together a goddamn girl group.’

The male-to-female ratio wasn’t one-to-one. It was seven men and thirteen women—more than fifty percent more women.

This was all arranged by Li Kai. He organized events year-round, so he was probably very experienced in what kind of "team" would have the most fun.

Moreover, some of the guys who weren’t in the loop or weren’t close enough were naturally excluded.

Seeing the number "seven," Lin Chu felt a pang of exasperation.

’For fuck’s sake, the seven Calabash Brothers!’

Lin Chu, Li Kai, Liu Junfeng, Lu Ming, Li Haohong, Liao Zhibin, and Zhong Yunlong.

Aside from the last two, they were all very close.

He had met Liao Zhibin before, during his first yacht trip to Dapeng Bay with Liu Junfeng. His family owned a chain of beef hot pot restaurants, making him a second-generation heir. But the restaurant business requires hard work, and he didn’t seem to party much, rarely attending drinking parties, and kept a low profile.

This was Lin Chu’s first time meeting Zhong Yunlong. He was short and stout, with dark skin—clearly a seasoned outdoorsman.

Li Kai had given a detailed introduction to him before. He was a professional diving instructor, an expert in both scuba and free diving. He knew the conditions at sea like the back of his hand and was an expert on Southeast Asia, having spent years traveling there.

A character like that was essential for the team, so Lin Chu had nodded in agreement.

As for the girls...

Naturally, none of the men had brought their girlfriends; they were all new faces.

Who would bring their girlfriend to an occasion like this? Everyone was "single."

A trip is all about fresh air, a fresh environment, fresh ways to have fun, and fresh people...

—If you want to taste a different kind of fish, you naturally have to travel a little farther.

...

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