Chapter 184: Boss Jiang, Please Help Me Get Rich

In the glittering banquet hall there were around twenty tables each filled with clinking glasses and bursts of laughter.

Jiang Qin was sitting right at the very last table at the end nearest to the entrance.

The others at his table were all unknown faces there just for the free meal rushing around with wine glasses trying to butter up anyone they could find and put on an eager face to meet cold shoulders.

That’s how business is when the time calls for it you have to cast aside your dignity.

Dignity is something that can be tucked away at home in the beginning stages and put back on once you’ve made it big.

Those lucky enough to find someone to flatter are fortunate the table still had a few people anxiously sitting there with no one to suck up to.

But among them Jiang Qin stood out as the most different.

Before the food arrived he focused on cracking sunflower seeds after it was served he concentrated on eating his entire presence detached from the situation.

Once the wine started flowing and the greetings wrapped up everyone loosened up and the bragging officially began.

The Linchuan business tycoons each showed off their prowess in fantastical flights of fancy to rounds of applause.

That’s when he made his move taking off his jacket and picking up a wine bottle he stealthily circulated the hall like a ghost not speaking not boasting lightly approaching each target.

Business people have their own small circles not open to just anyone.

Just like Jiang Qin who only sought out circles he was interested in to listen in on.

“Who are you?”

“A hotel server here to attend to you distinguished business leaders so you can focus on chatting while I handle the wine.”

Jiang Qin reached over to grab the wine bottle and poured a glass for the man who asked then continued eavesdropping.

The boss who questioned him didn’t suspect anything since the servers were all dressed in black so he dove back into industry discussions and self-aggrandizement naturally passing his glass back when it was empty.

Hm?

Where did he go?

That kid who said he was here to serve me wine and called me a distinguished business leader where did he get to?

“The boss of the foot bath city Mr. Wang it turns out he loves chanting Buddhist scriptures.”

“The boss of Xile Banquet Hall and Juxian Building Mr. Liang is a vegetarian.”

“The hotel owner Mr. Xu is a germaphobe he doesn’t even use the napkins and brings his own handkerchief.”

“The boss of the Western restaurant and cafe Mr. Zheng doesn’t drink wine only tea and his favorite food is street barbecue.”

“…”

After making a round Jiang Qin returned to his seat and silently recited a few key points feeling like each of them was a walking contradiction.

An hour later halfway through the Linchuan Chamber of Commerce banquet Jiang Qin couldn’t help but slip out to find a corner by a window to get some fresh air.

Can’t take it anymore.

Even a braggart like him couldn’t handle listening to an hour of non-stop boasting.

They could really talk especially the self-proclaimed retail king Mr. Chen who got drunk later his flushed face going on about selling cotton shoes to Africa selling toilet paper to India.

There’s always someone better he should sell humanity to the Japanese and humility to the Koreans instead.

“Boss I collected all the useful business cards.”

Wei Lanlan had already taken down the signboard and pulled out all the business cards inside holding a thick stack in her hand.

“Mm put them in your bag for now then go have something to eat at the third floor buffet I’ll reimburse you later.”

“What about you?”

Jiang Qin stretched “President He hasn’t left yet I can’t leave now it would be too disrespectful I’ll meet you in the parking lot later.”

“Okay.” Wei Lanlan nodded.

“Right don’t let those bosses see you so there are no slip-ups when we talk business later.”

After saying this Jiang Qin re-entered the banquet hall until it ended before going outside with He Yijun.

President He wasn’t much of a drinker so his mind was still clear and for the life of him couldn’t figure out what Jiang Qin had come here to do.

Not drinking not flattering.

Though he did circles a few times around the hall he didn’t say a word just pouring wine for anyone he saw what was the point of that?

“Are you sure you don’t need me to get you a business card?”

Jiang Qin shook his head “Those are all big shots my scale is too small for them to take notice having their card is useless forget it.”

He Yijun couldn’t help but sigh “I really can’t figure you out after all.”

“President He where’s your driver do you want a ride back in my car?”

“No need the driver should be here to get me already I’ll stand at the entrance for some fresh air to clear my head you go on ahead.”

The cold winter night wind blew hard Jiang Qin got in the car with Wei Lanlan and drove out of the underground parking garage casually picking a roadside spot to park and switching on the light carefully flipping through the business cards one by one he picked out the irrelevant industries leaving only the useful ones and jotting down a few keywords with a ballpoint pen.

Old Zhou and the others were right short-term memory is easily forgotten a good memory is no match for pen and paper.

“Lanlan do you think this business card is made of gold?”

Jiang Qin pulled out a gold business card from a real estate developer and asked.

“No way at most it’s just gold-colored.”

Wei Lanlan couldn’t believe someone would mix gold into a business card that would be idiotic.

Jiang Qin also felt it was unlikely but was still a bit disappointed deciding he would try burning it when he got back to check.

It didn’t matter if it was fake these useful business cards were his biggest gain tonight each one had the potential to become a stepping stone for the future.

Bang bang bang–

Just then there was a slow knocking on the window Jiang Qin thought it might be a traffic cop so he opened the window and looked out only to see He Yijun’s complex expression.

He flushed red after drinking furrowing his brow looking a bit like Zhong Kui.

At this moment He Yijun’s gaze fell on that thick stack of business cards silently staring for a while before shifting to Wei Lanlan in the back seat.

“Director Wei?”

“President He what a coincidence…” Wei Lanlan greeted awkwardly.

After confirming her identity He Yijun couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

He had felt from the start that the check-in girl at the entrance looked a bit familiar and had wanted to take a closer look but was stopped by Jiang Qin.

Thinking back on it now the biggest trap had already been laid at the entrance everyone falling into it one after another.

Nice move this Jiang Qin really had some good tricks up his sleeve.

He indeed didn’t want the business cards what he wanted was for everyone to obediently hand them over.

“President He why are you here?” Jiang Qin couldn’t help but ask.

He Yijun laughed “I had just gotten into my car and when I reached here I saw your car not moving and thought you might have run into some trouble so I got out to check I really didn’t expect… it’s truly eye-opening.”

“Your kindness is much appreciated.” Jiang Qin buttered him up.

“I wanted to say if you don’t get rich who the hell can?”

“Would you believe me if I said I picked up these business cards?” Jiang Qin said with a straight face.

He Yijun said only an idiot would believe that “It’s not that I can’t figure you out it’s that I underestimated your ambition.”

“How could that be I hardly ate anything and didn’t touch the drinks I have a small appetite.” Jiang Qin said humbly.

“Cut the crap just satisfy my curiosity how did you come up with this brilliant idea?”

Jiang Qin got out of the car and pulled He Yijun to the roadside “Didn’t you say it yourself the people coming put on airs look down on others and especially love to show off at times like this I simply gave everyone a chance to brag conveniently benefiting myself in the process that’s all.”

After hearing this He Yijun had an expression of disbelief “Just because of that one comment?”

“For me useful information doesn’t need to be much one sentence is enough.”

“You…”

He Yijun was at a loss for words.

His original words were the chamber members were mostly uneducated had bad tempers were prone to looking down on others especially in social settings like this where everyone came to show off so as a young hothead Jiang Qin should say less and observe more.

A normal person would focus on the “say less observe more” part right?

Who would latch onto the lead-up that was just meant to set the stage and deeply analyze it?

But Jiang Qin managed to grasp a point he himself had never considered turning an absolute disadvantage into an absolute advantage.

He Yijun had been in business for many years and suddenly felt he had been too honest if he had a mind as devious as Jiang Qin’s multiplying his assets by a few hundred times would be no problem.

“President He I really didn’t mean to hide it from you.”

“As long as Boss Jiang remembers to bring me along to get rich in the future.”

Jiang Qin grinned “You’re too kind I’m still counting on you to vouch for my credibility you’re my backer in Linchuan.”

“What do you mean?”

“After the new year if any bosses Xu, Liang, Wang, etc. ask about me please put in some good words for me and don’t mention that academic star stuff.”

He Yijun was also a businessman and immediately understood after hearing this.

The business cards were in hand but Jiang Qin’s identity as a college entrepreneur was too weak to catch the eye of those big bosses so when he went to negotiate with them later he would likely downplay his student image and package himself as a partner of Wanzhong Mall instead.

This way Wanzhong Mall’s reputation would invisibly become his credit endorsement.

Frankly if it wasn’t for He Manqi’s trip to Linchuan University He Yijun definitely wouldn’t agree to this.

It was true that they were partners but that was a company to company relationship but now his daughter immensely admired someone who seemed to be Jiang Qin’s girlfriend and vowed to become a study goddess like that sister this was no longer purely business.

“We’ll talk about it later.”

“Much appreciated President He.”

He Yijun gave Jiang Qin a complicated look before getting back into his own car taking out his phone to call Yue Zhu and have her prepare a recent shipping record for the group buy.

Yue Zhu didn’t know what He Yijun wanted to do but still found Xu Mei who was in charge of warehouse shipping and had her organize a record.

After getting the record Yue Zhu flipped through it first her expression showing some surprise.

“The group buy’s shipping volume has been this high recently?”

“Yes especially after they expanded to the University of Science and Technology market the volume nearly doubled already matching our weekday offline orders.”

“Looks like we underestimated the purchasing power of the college market.”