The greatest selfishness is assuming others aren’t selfish.

Li Kai suddenly recalled that phrase. He couldn’t remember where he’d heard it—maybe from some guy playing guitar at a youth hostel years ago.

He now fully realized that Brother Chu might have actually done him a favor by serving as a touchstone for women.

Take Teacher Meng, for example. She was usually a stand-up, straightforward girl—not high-maintenance like other women. Plus, she was self-disciplined, hitting the gym every day. In her relationships, she was relatively prim and proper, especially given the vibe of their social circle. When they went out to eat, she always kept things fair and paid her way...

That was the general impression Li Kai had of her.

To be fair, a girl like that is pretty rare these days.

That was why, for so many years, the halo he saw around her had never faded.

Now, though... that impression wasn’t completely shattered, but the light had certainly gone out.

Li Kai finally understood—for a woman, the temptation to leap across social classes was a fatal one.

She needed a man who could tame her.

And naturally, the man capable of taming her would need to have some serious power on display.

’It’s not that she’s a bitch,’ he thought. ’It’s just female nature.’

If Lin Chu didn’t drive a Lamborghini and drop hundreds of thousands on a single meal, if he were only worth a few hundred thousand or a million, she wouldn’t have given him a second glance, no matter how confident or domineering he acted.

Thinking about all this, Li Kai let out a long sigh and suddenly felt a sense of release.

He was letting go of his feelings about Lin Chu.

And letting go of his own hang-ups.

Lin Chu... now there was a man whose heart was truly sealed in cement. He’d seen through the true nature of things long ago.

He stretched, glanced at the back seat, and chuckled. "Hahaha, let’s talk about this later. I’m afraid you’re going to screw it up. Do you really think he’s an idiot?"

Lin Xiwan shot back, "I don’t think he’s an idiot. I could say all this right to his face! Am I not allowed to be a little ambitious? I’m not trying to hurt him, I’m just after Brother Chu’s platform and resources. I want him to give me a leg up when the opportunity arises. What’s wrong with that? Isn’t he just after me for my looks and my body? You think he’s actually in love with me? We’ve known each other for a day!"

"And you? You’re a man pushing thirty, calling a guy in his early twenties ’Brother Chu’ with every other breath. What are you after? You just get a kick out of being his little follower?"

Li Kai: ...

The corner of his mouth twitched.

A bitter smile formed on his lips.

’Damn it.’ Some things were easy to ignore until they were put on display. Once they were, the weight was immense.

He suddenly remembered what Liu Junfeng had said to comfort him while they were drinking last night—a quote from Lin Chu, no less: "In this flashy world, all that matters is having a good time."

"Alright, that’s enough. We can talk about this later."

Li Kai replied dismissively.

He couldn’t be bothered to argue.

’Should I mention what this girl is planning to Brother Chu?’ he wondered faintly.

’Then again,’ he reconsidered, ’Lin Chu probably knows all this already. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have played his hand this way from the start.’

Sigh...

Women...

They really leave you speechless.

’Trouble. They’re all fucking trouble!’

Lin Xiwan stared out the window, her eyes distant. After a moment’s thought, she sent Lin Chu another message: "Big Brother, I had a good talk with Li Kai. He’s emotionally stable. It won’t affect your friendship. (kiss)"

...

Lin Chu had already arrived at the gym.

He glanced at the message but didn’t reply.

Train!

Hard.

Anyone who does squats knows how good they are.

A man pumped full of testosterone is a real beast.

Legs of steel and a powerful core are a man’s greatest assets.

Lin Chu focused mainly on squats. There’s a saying that beginners train chest and veterans train back. A sculpted chest and back certainly look good, and six-pack abs are obviously awesome, but for Lin Chu, those were secondary priorities.

He’d train legs first. Only when he couldn’t move his legs anymore would he work on his arms and chest, allowing his muscles to rest in rotation.

With Wang Lei’s personal guidance, his form was perfect for every exercise, maximizing the effectiveness of his workout.

He trained with Wang Lei until he was completely exhausted.

Then, after an hour-long stretching session with Zhou Hao, Lin Chu felt completely revitalized.

The gym was bustling with activity.

Wang Zhefei and Lu Ming had come along too.

The two buddies who had signed up for memberships earlier were there too, huffing and puffing through their workouts.

In the process,

Everyone was laughing and joking around, comparing muscle size and strength. The air was thick with bromance.

Of course, the stretching session with Zhou Hao was a luxury reserved exclusively for Lin Chu.

The others might get a pointer or two at most, but they still felt like they were learning and making progress.

Around four in the afternoon.

Gao Haitao returned. He had gone back to his company to prepare two employment contracts: one for the short-term team and one for himself.

They had already settled the terms in the car earlier. He would be Lin Chu’s bodyguard and driver for a monthly salary of 60,000, with an initial one-year term.

After reviewing both contracts, Lin Chu signed them and transferred the payment to Gao Haitao’s company account.

’From now on, I’ll never have to call for a designated driver again.’

’A simple, humble wish.’

’But for a party animal like me who drinks every day, a driver really is an absolute necessity.’

’Of course, with a driver, the sports car becomes less practical. It’ll have to take a back seat, becoming a big toy I only take out for a spin when I want to show off or when I’m driving alone.’

’Fortunately, the Mercedes S-Class I ordered should be here by now.’

Lin Chu sent a message to Zhang Peng to ask. Zhang Peng replied that he had already picked up the car and it was parked in the company’s underground garage. Lin Chu told him to drive it over when they met for dinner that evening.

...

A little after six in the evening.

Ensue Restaurant.

Inside a private room at Ensue, Lin Chu met Zhang Peng and the two men he’d brought with him. At first glance, Lin Chu’s expression flickered slightly. ’These two guys...’

’How should I put it... they’re both quite handsome.’

’One had the handsome look of a tanned, athletic college student, while the other had the refined handsomeness you might associate with a chic gay man.’

’No idea where Zhang Peng dug them up from.’

When Lin Chu entered the room, all three men stood up.

"President Lin."

Lin Chu gestured with his hand. "Sit, sit. Let’s order first. We can talk while we eat."

He passed around a pack of cigarettes.

This was an internal company dinner. Lin Chu had come alone; Gao Haitao hadn’t even come inside, but was waiting in the car.

Nowadays, when it came to dinner meetings, Lin Chu no longer blindly sought a large crowd. The right people were what mattered most.

After they ordered.

Zhang Peng began the introductions with a smile.

"Brother Chu, let me introduce you. This is Xue Xiaojun. Xiaojun is from my hometown—we practically grew up together. He used to work for a live-streaming company in Shen City, was a manager of sorts. The company went under in the last three years, so he’s looking to level up his career. He still has a lot of resources on hand, and he’s especially good at scouting and signing streamers. However, he’s not familiar with e-commerce sales or the supply chain side of things; that wasn’t his area."

Xue Xiaojun stood up, a broad smile on his face. "Hello, President Lin. President Zhang gave me a general overview this afternoon. You’re truly accomplished for your age. I’m honored to be able to join our company during its startup phase. I want to make my position clear right now: you set the task, you say how many streamers to sign each month, and I’ll make sure it gets done, come hell or high water."

Lin Chu nodded, his response cool and brief. "Sit. Very good."

Then it was the other man’s turn.

Zhang Peng continued, "And this is Liang Mo, from Hang City. He was a colleague at my old company. He’s skilled in product selection, supply chain management, e-commerce sales, and traffic boosting. The two of them complement each other perfectly. His previous boss held back his bonus—over 50,000 yuan—for more than a year and never paid up, then used all sorts of dirty tricks to force him to quit. On top of that, business has been slow for the last six months, so he left."

Liang Mo stood with a smile and shook Lin Chu’s hand. He was much more reserved. "President Lin, I look forward to working with you."

Lin Chu grunted in acknowledgment. "Did you ever get that bonus back?"

Liang Mo shook his head with a wry smile. "No. I used to travel a lot for business, so some of the reimbursement claims were complicated. He used that to hold me hostage, even accused me of embezzling company funds. I thought about it and decided to just let it go. No point getting tangled up with a scumbag. If I sued, after paying the lawyer’s fees for a 50,000 yuan claim, there wouldn’t be much left. And as a regular employee, I can’t afford the time cost."

"I’m not just bad-mouthing my former company," he added quickly. "This is all objective fact. Peng... President Zhang was my colleague before, he knows all about it."

He felt the need to clarify.

Lin Chu’s expression remained calm as he nodded. He thought for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed a number. "Lawyer Ah Xiong? Hey, it’s Lin Chu. Remember me?"

On the other end of the line, Li Haohong’s voice was enthusiastic. "Of course, of course! Go ahead, Brother Chu, I’m listening. Have you run into some kind of trouble?"

Lin Chu said, "You’re a lawyer, so I have a question for you. I’ve got a brother here whose previous employer has been withholding a bonus of over 50,000 yuan. I’d like you to handle it. We’re having dinner at Ensue right now. Can you come over? Is it a good time?"

Li Haohong laughed. "Of course it is. I happen to be nearby. Just wait a bit, Brother Chu. I’ll be there in twenty minutes, tops. There seems to be a little bit of traffic right now."

Lin Chu replied, "Alright, I’ll be waiting."

He hung up.

"I’ve got a lawyer coming over. When he gets here, explain the situation to him in detail. He’s a friend of mine, so you don’t need to worry about the legal fees. It’s not a big deal, so just relax."

Liang Mo’s face flushed slightly. He licked his lips, sat back down, and said, visibly moved, "Thank you, President Lin. Thank you."

He couldn’t believe it. This was his very first day on the job.

’Are there really god-tier bosses like this in Peng City?’

...

...