"You young people, do whatever you want. I'm not going to interfere," said Xu Badie, waving his hand in a magnanimous gesture. "After all, he's still young. If he wants to play around, let him play for a few years. Who didn't have dreams when they were young?"
Chen Jianhai nodded with a smile, listening to the advice, but internally, he couldn't help but think, "It's easy to say, 'Let the kid play for a few years,' but not giving him a cent for living expenses? If it weren't for me supporting him, someone else would've been forced to return home and take over the family business long ago."
The reality is, whether you're pursuing a dream or doing anything else, economic foundation always determines the superstructure. Dreams are beautiful, but they can't put food on the table! But then again, perhaps it's precisely because Xu Badie knows I have his back that he's so ruthless in cutting off Da Bo's living expenses, without worrying that his son will end up on the streets.
In any case, the fact that I managed to "abduct" Xu Bo to be my head chef, and Xu Badie hasn't strangled me yet, is already a blessing.
Despite these thoughts, Chen Jianhai was genuinely grateful to Xu Badie. The care he had received since childhood was beyond words. Ever since his parents passed away, the free premium swim rings from Shui Bobo never stopped coming. Every time a new product was released, a set would be sent over to him.
To express his apologies for "abducting" Xu Bo, and to genuinely thank Xu Badie for years of support, especially the endless supply of premium swim rings for his hotel, Chen Jianhai sincerely said, "Xu Papa, I bought some land in Zaomen and am planning to open a new hotel. The location is pretty good, right next to the Magic Century amusement park, so business should be good."
"I'm planning to operate the hotel as a property ownership model, selling rooms to the public," he continued. "Xu Papa, I'd like to give you 20 rooms."
Xu Badie was surprised by this offer. The property prices in Zaomen are not cheap. Although he hadn't dabbled in hotels or real estate, he had friends who did. Currently, standard property ownership hotel apartments in Zaomen range from 33,000 to 40,000 yuan per square meter. And what Chen Jianhai was planning wasn't a 25-48 square meter apartment but a real vacation hotel, with rooms at least 80 square meters each. Given the hotel's location next to the Magic Century, it's likely that the price per square meter could rise to 100,000 yuan in the future.
Adding to that the 8%-10% annual profit share from total room fees, the 20 rooms he was offering were equivalent to a significant amount of money.
Even though Xu Badie had expected Chen Jianhai to offer some "strawberries," he hadn't anticipated such a generous offer right off the bat.
"Are your funds sufficient with such rapid expansion?" Xu Badie asked, concerned.
"They are, Xu Papa," Chen Jianhai quickly replied. "If it weren't for your help and support over the years, my hotel wouldn't have made it this far."
He continued sincerely, "I've never known how to repay you, but now I finally have the chance. Please accept these 20 rooms."
Though Xu Badie didn't respond immediately, Chen Jianhai could tell that he was moved. After all, the hotel in Zaomen was still in its early stages, and Xu Badie probably wasn't fully convinced yet. However, when the hotel construction begins, he planned to send the contract over for Xu Badie to sign, which would be more sincere than anything else.
Suddenly, a voice in the KTV rang out, "Who ordered 'Farewell to a Comrade'?!"
"That would be me!" Chen Jianhai quickly put down his glass, grabbed the microphone from someone else, and began singing passionately:
"Farewell to a comrade, a journey of a thousand miles. Silently, with tears in our eyes, the sound of camel bells rings in our ears. Comrade, oh comrade! My dear comrade..."
As Chen Jianhai sang with all his heart, Huang Baichuan and the others nearly cringed at the sound. My goodness, they've heard bad singing in their time, but nothing as bad as this. Without knowing the lyrics, they would've never guessed he was singing "Farewell to a Comrade"!
On top of that, on a rare day like this when everyone finally got together, this young man could've chosen something lively to lift the mood. But no, he had to go with something melancholic, with "tears in our eyes" and "camel bells in our ears."
Unable to bear it any longer, Xu Badie walked up and cut the song off. Suddenly, the KTV screen switched to a scene of energetic girls flipping their hair and singing and dancing with gusto.
"Who cut the song?!"
Chen Jianhai was furious! He was singing his heart out, pouring his soul into the performance, and someone dared to cut his song! But then he saw Xu Badie standing by the song selector.
Chen Jianhai: silent, obedient, well-behaved, voluntarily handing over the microphone.
But Xu Badie didn't even glance at him, casually tossing the microphone aside. He loosened his shirt collar and stepped into the center of the stage, dancing to the music. The upbeat and lively rhythm, colorful visuals, bright flashing KTV lights, and the sweet voices of the girl group members overwhelmed Chen Jianhai.
In Chen Jianhai's stunned gaze, Xu Badie moved with such precision, his dance steps perfectly in sync with the beat. Every movement was crisp and clean, his limbs forming angles that could only be described as a "human protractor."
"Xu Papa... is this how you party?"
Chen Jianhai felt his worldview shattering. He instinctively looked at Huang Baichuan, who shrugged, as if to say, "See? I wasn't lying."
Chen Jianhai turned back stiffly, almost wanting to pull out his phone and record this scene to send to Xu Bo. But reason prevailed; if he wanted to live a long, happy life, he should resist the urge.
Still, he had to admit, Xu Badie was an excellent dancer with strong stage presence. The big bosses in the room were already somewhat drunk, having discussed and confided in each other. Now, with Xu Badie leading the charge, the atmosphere in the KTV room instantly ignited.
These usually reserved executives, worried about high blood pressure, gout, hair loss, and their children's relationships, all let loose. Some started dancing the Gangnam Style, others did disco, some broke into breakdancing, while others just wiggled around aimlessly.
Even Huang Baichuan let loose, grabbing a cowboy hat from who knows where and improvising a bullfighting dance.
Chen Jianhai watched in disbelief, sucking in a breath, "Who would've thought these big shots all had hidden talents? Truly, they were masters in disguise!"
The legendary Nanjiang CEO Dance Training Class was not a myth! Watching these masters give an impromptu lesson, Chen Jianhai decided to join in the fun. He jumped into the dance floor with a powerful performance of the "Mighty Calabash Brothers," pushing the room's energy to its peak!