Chapter 46 Owning a Car

Chapter 46: A Car

The women's clothing store was an instant hit, delighting not only Wang Chuang and his team but also Huo Zongzhuo.

Huo Zongzhuo called Jiang Luo, greeting him, "Boss Jiang."

Jiang Luo retorted, "Big Boss Huo, the Supreme Emperor."

This drew a laugh from Huo Zongzhuo.

Huo Zongzhuo said, "I'll be back in Haicheng in a few days. Let's have dinner together then to celebrate your brand's successful launch."

Jiang Luo immediately quipped, "Oh, I get it. Another gift coming my way."

Huo Zongzhuo chuckled on the other end of the line, "Being too smart isn't always good; it spoils the surprise."

Jiang Luo teased, "You're so rich, nothing you give me would be a surprise."

Huo Zongzhuo joked back, "How about I get you a puppy? May everything you do go 'woof, woof, woof'!"

Jiang Luo feigned a bad connection, pretending not to hear. "What was that? What? Didn't catch that."

Huo Zongzhuo repeated, "I said, 'woof, woof, woof'."

Jiang Luo replied, "Alright, a little dog."

Huo Zongzhuo caught on, laughing, "You little rascal."

That day, Wang Chuang was not on a business trip to Jinling and was also at the company.

After work, the two rode together in Jiang Luo’s car back to the communal apartments at the silk factory.

On the way, Wang Chuang, in the passenger seat, chatted with Jiang Luo, "Is the workshop adequately staffed? Can the clothes be produced in time? I hear the department store calls daily, saying the warehouse is out of stock."

Jiang Luo grunted in affirmation, "The workshop is small, and we're short-staffed. We're definitely pressed for time."

"It's fine for now. We only have one store, so we can keep up with demand."

Wang Chuang asked, "Should we consider expanding the workshop?"

They chatted the entire journey.

Upon arriving at the silk factory's communal apartments, they parked downstairs and got out.

Coincidentally, Zhao Mingshi was just emerging from the stairwell.

Zhao Mingshi looked up and immediately spotted Jiang Luo getting out of the car. He froze, his face a mask of disbelief: Was that Jiang Luo? He had a car? He drove?

Zhao Mingshi was utterly astonished, his steps involuntarily halting.

Jiang Luo naturally saw Zhao Mingshi as well.

But he didn't linger, merely glancing before averting his gaze and heading upstairs with Wang Chuang.

As they walked, Wang Chuang mused, "I wonder what Mom cooked today." Jiang Luo casually replied, "We'll eat whatever she makes."

The two walked right past Zhao Mingshi.

Zhao Mingshi stood there, dumbfounded, turning his head in surprise, his eyes tracking Jiang Luo's retreating figure up the stairs.

He…

Him?

Zhao Mingshi could never have imagined Jiang Luo driving a Mercedes.

How was that possible!

That was Zhao Mingshi’s immediate reaction.

Just a good-for-nothing delinquent!

That had always been Zhao Mingshi’s firm belief.

Once Jiang Luo's figure disappeared up the stairs, Zhao Mingshi blinked, withdrew his gaze, and looked at the black car parked nearby, his expression deeply complex.

He knew Jiang Luo was in business now.

He had heard Zhao Guangyuan and Su Lan mention it before at the Zhao family home.

But Zhao Mingshi believed a delinquent was always a delinquent—there was no way he could amount to anything. Yet now…

A Mercedes?

Zhao Mingshi found it utterly inconceivable, staring at the car for a long time.

Could Su Lan and the others have given it to him?

Did Jiang Luo demand it from the Zhao family?

Zhao Mingshi was convinced this must be the case.

He pursed his lips, bit his lower lip, his eyes darkening, his expression sinking. Only then did he turn and walk away.

He returned to school, deciding the first thing he would do was use the security booth's landline to call Zhao Shuo and ask if Su Lan and the others had bought Jiang Luo a car.

Why should he get one?

The more Zhao Mingshi thought about it, the angrier he became.

He fumed, why should Jiang Luo be able to ask Su Lan and the others for a car? Cars were so expensive!

He had grown up in the Zhao family and hadn’t spent hundreds of thousands of yuan of their money, had he?

Why should Jiang Luo have a car?

His monthly allowance was only five hundred yuan!

The more Zhao Mingshi thought about it, the angrier and more resentful he became.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Wang Chuang pointed downstairs and gave Jiang Luo a questioning look: "Is that the one who was swapped with you at birth?"

Jiang Luo couldn't be bothered to answer yes or no.

Wang Chuang then knew it must be him.

As they walked, Wang Chuang remarked, "That family in the west really hit the jackpot; they produced a brilliant student who got into Fudan University."

He then teased, "This son is something else. Even though his biological parents are poor, he's still willing to acknowledge them."

Jiang Luo quipped, "Are you enjoying his misfortune or mine?"

Wang Chuang replied, "Hey, I'm just making conversation. I don't care if he got into Fudan or not—it's not like I did."

Arriving at the doorstep, Wang Chuang called out, "Mom! What's for dinner today?"

Wang Chuang's family was having chicken again today—not just one, but three cooked at once, with six drumsticks. Not only Wang Chuang and Jiang Luo, but Bai Ting and Wang Junwei also had drumsticks in their bowls. What can you do? They had money now, and there was no reason they couldn't afford to eat three chickens at once.

Eating together in the kitchen, Bai Ting, Wang Junwei, Jiang Luo, and Wang Chuang discussed their plans to leave the silk factory.

Wang Junwei: "I asked around; you can drive a minivan for hire now. The minivan business is pretty good these days, especially around the train and bus stations."

Bai Ting: "I also asked some friends. We could open a small restaurant, selling steamed buns in the morning and stir-fried dishes for lunch and dinner."

Jiang Luo ate and listened, while Wang Chuang eagerly jumped into the conversation with his parents about the topic.

Wang Chuang's view was that the minivan idea was alright—after all, you don't have to run on your own legs, just sit in the car and turn the steering wheel. It's relatively easy, and the money is better than working as a factory worker. Not bad.

He was less enthusiastic about the restaurant idea, though, because he had a middle school classmate whose family ran a restaurant. The parents were extremely busy, working day and night, from early morning till late, earning money through backbreaking work.

Wang Chuang thought for a moment, then looked at Jiang Luo and suggested, "How about having my mom join the company too?"

"She could be a clerical worker or learn accounting from Old Xue."

Bai Ting and Wang Junwei naturally looked at Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo said casually, "Of course, she can come if she wants."

But...

Jiang Luo looked up at Bai Ting: "Auntie, I have a suggestion. Hear me out, and if you think it works, you could try what I'm saying."

"What?"

Jiang Luo: "Open a café and sell coffee."

"Sell coffee?"

All three of them found it strange.

Bai Ting knew about coffee—that bitter stuff with a weird taste. She'd tried it and couldn't get used to it.

Wang Chuang immediately said, "What's the appeal of that business?"

Bai Ting: "Coffee is very bitter, not tasty."

Wang Junwei: "Yeah, especially hard to drink."

Jiang Luo explained: "You're not selling coffee; you're selling style, a bourgeois sensibility."

"This isn't a milk drink. People here aren't accustomed to it yet."

"It's a foreign thing; it hasn't been in the country for long."

"Style?"

"Bourgeois?"

They didn't get it.

Wang Chuang shook his head.

Jiang Luo painted a picture for them: "Imagine sitting by the Huangpu River, enjoying the breeze, taking in the scenery, with a cup of foreign coffee—doesn't that sound rather 'unusual,' 'special,' 'stylish'? Very 'bourgeois,' wouldn't you say?"

The three of them: "…?"

Wang Chuang clicked his tongue: "Can't picture that scene. What does 'bourgeois' and 'stylish' mean? What are you talking about?"

Bai Ting: "Does it make you seem like a foreigner?"

They didn't understand.

Wang Junwei shook his head.

Jiang Luo gave up on describing it and said plainly: "Find a good location, decorate the shop nicely, sell coffee for 3 yuan a cup, make a 2-yuan profit on each. Even selling just 200 cups a day, that's 400 yuan profit."

Wang Chuang quickly interjected, "We make 400 yuan profit on a single garment."

Jiang Luo: "I'm not finished."

"Go on, tell us."

Jiang Luo continued: "If business is good, you'll definitely sell more than 200 cups a day."

"Then get a camera, take photos of customers drinking coffee in the shop, charge another 2 yuan per photo—that's another source of income."

"You could also sell sandwiches and fries alongside the coffee."

"Even if you do just okay, you could still bring in 700-800 yuan daily."

"Running this kind of shop isn't tiring. No early starts, no late nights."

This part made sense to Wang Junwei and the others.

Bai Ting muttered, "Would people actually buy coffee?"

"Because it's bourgeois? Because it's stylish?"

"Probably only foreigners here in Haicheng would buy it, right?"

There are cafés on East Nanjing Road and Huaihai Middle Road—foreigners buy there.

Jiang Luo didn't push them to understand or to open a café as he suggested.

In Jiang Luo's mind, Wang Junwei and the others could do whatever they wanted, as long as it wasn't too difficult.

After all, both he and Wang Chuang could make money now.

Jiang Luo changed tack: "Look, you can really do anything, give anything a try."

"Or just come to the company, all of us together."

Bai Ting: "We'll give it some thought."

Wang Junwei: "Yeah, we'll think about it. No rush anyway; it's not like we're leaving the factory tomorrow. We have time to think it through properly."

He added: "We know you're busy. You focus on your work; don't worry about us. We're two adults; we can handle things ourselves."

Zhao Mingshi got back to school and indeed used the landline at the security booth to call Zhao Shuo's mobile phone.

Zhao Mingshi didn’t ask directly, circling around the topic instead, mentioning that he had run into Jiang Luo today and seen him driving a Mercedes-Benz.

Finally, Zhao Mingshi said, "I thought it was a new car you bought, bro."

Zhao Shuo was taken aback: "Jiang Luo driving? You saw it yourself? Are you sure it was him? How could he possibly have a car?"

And an expensive Mercedes at that.

Zhao Mingshi continued testing the waters: "Could it be that Mom and Dad wanted to make it up to Jiang Luo and bought it for him?"

"Of course it wasn't Mom and Dad."

Zhao Shuo immediately denied it: "Mom and Dad have been extremely busy lately, too busy to even keep track of where Jiang Luo is. How could they possibly spend hundreds of thousands to buy him a car?"

"Oh, I see."

Zhao Mingshi immediately felt relieved.

Zhao Shuo hurriedly pressed: "Where did you run into Jiang Luo?"

Zhao Mingshi: "Near the staff building at the silk factory. I went there for a meal today."

…

After hanging up and thanking the security guard, Zhao Mingshi left happily—as long as it wasn't from Mom and Dad, it was fine.

But after walking a few steps, Zhao Mingshi stopped to think: If it wasn't from Mom, Dad, or Big Brother, then where did Jiang Luo get the car?

Stolen?

Zhao Mingshi imagined the worst, thinking that since Jiang Luo was a delinquent, if he could drive a car now, the way he got it must be shady.

When Big Brother finds out, he’ll look into it, and then Mom and Dad will know too.

When they learn Jiang Luo is still up to no good, they’ll surely be even more disappointed and dislike him even more, right?

Zhao Mingshi thought with a scoff and happily headed toward the dormitory building.

Little did Zhao Mingshi know that after Zhao Shuo heard about Jiang Luo having a car, he called Zhao Guangyuan, wondering if it really was Zhao Guangyuan who gave him the car.

And Zhao Guangyuan, being a leader, had vision and breadth of mind.

When he heard that Jiang Luo had somehow gotten a car and was driving it, he thought for a moment and said, "If he can rent a truck, of course he can rent a sedan. There's nothing strange about it."

"Your brother is doing business now, so he definitely needs a car to keep up appearances. It's normal for him to have one."

Zhao Shuo thought that made sense.

Zhao Guangyuan added, "As long as he's doing business, it's fine. Your Mom and I have been too busy lately to pay attention to him."

"When things calm down, I'll reach out to him, apologize, clear the air, and give him some business funding and connections. I'm sure he'll understand and forgive us."

Zhao Shuo: "If he's doing business, he must have registered a company, right?"

"I'll ask my friend at the Industry and Commerce Bureau later to see if we can find out what company he's running."

Zhao Guangyuan: "That's fine too. We should know, otherwise we won't feel at ease."