"Well, look at yourself. You always take things so seriously."
Qin Feng could not help. He had to tell Sister Flower about the matter of asking for money from Ji Jiangshan.
After hearing this, Sister Flower was silent for a while. "You beat his son, but then you asked for five million dollars?"
"Well, that's right."
Qin Feng smiled. "This is not my fault. Originally, I really didn't want to clash with Ji Dongchen, but he couldn't help himself. I could only defend. If it were not for Ji Jiangshan trying to appease me, since Ji Dongchen had provoked me several times, I would not have been able to spare him."
"After so much money being taken away by you, aren’t you afraid that Ji Jiangshan will be angry and secretly harm you?" Sister Flower anxiously asked. “He will never let that much money go without a price. He absolutely will be watching you."
"He dare not try anything. Anyway, I have plenty of time, while he has money. This time it’s five million, next time will be 10 million. After a few times, I will empty him.”
Qin Feng smiled. "Sister Flower, don't worry. In my view, this is not much money for him. It’s not worth considering, not worth wasting a thought on it."
"Not much for him?" After Sister Flower listened, she was silent for a while, "Five million, not five hundred yuan, is not much? Qin Feng, what the hell are you thinking? I have serious doubts about your true identity."
"Ah? You suspect me of being…what? Who could I be? A hacker? A spy? A thief? A wanted man?" Qin Feng had laughter in his voice as he said this. "I am whatever you say I am. I'll listen to you."
"Qin Feng, I know you’re a good man, and I also know that you have your own ideas. I don’t want to change that, nor do I want to force you to say what you don’t want to say, but I am really worried about you. I fear that you will fall onto the wrong path and be used by others or you will get into irreparable trouble. The waters of Tianhe are very deep, and you can see that old bosses like Zhao Jun have become untenable. The new waves push forward the old waves, and new forces continue to rise, and the links are intertwined. Relationships re very complex and not as simple as they seem on the surface."
Qin Feng knew that Sister Flower had always been very good for him. He said seriously, "Relax, I won't mess up. I know what you want. You just want to be a good boss and be happy to make money."
"It's great to have so much money to do our own business." Sister Flower smiled very brightly, like the lilies in full bloom.
Seeing her so excited, Qin Feng was also happy. "Right? When I got the money, I thought you would be very happy, because it is a step closer to your dream."
"My dream?" Sister Flower asked unexpectedly. "How do you know my dream?"
If, as is tradition, the goal is only to make a profit, young people will continue to go places full of trouble. Bars are spaces for chaos and bad decisions. You want to gradually change everyone's perception of what a bar can be. It would be very difficult to do this, but you seem so confident in your vision. Even if you can't change the business methods of other bars, you can have your unique vision and add something new to this country."
Qin Feng roughly described Sister Flower’s dream to her. It was beautiful, but also very lofty.
The disapproval of the customers, the fierce competition of the industry, the operating costs, and so on would remain a reality whether or not the dream came true. No one could make a dream kingdom out of thin air. It was not impossible to try something new, but a lot was required before they could even start to try.
"You know me, but I know others might think this is a joke. No one will take my idea seriously or think I can do it. Even I think it's a bit of an impossible thing to do. Every year, countless adolescent boys and girls go to bars to indulge in bad habits. They might have been good children, but in a few months' time, they can fall to the bottom with drug use and misogyny and violence. Sometimes their lives even end, but this problem still doesn't seem to get attention and care from our whole society. Juvenile crime rate is rising year by year, in large part because of the evil they can find in bars."
Sister Flower sighed and said, "I have been in Free Man for so many years, and every day I see new children and the children who leave. They are so vigorous, up with the morning sun, but some have been completely ruined. A waiter said that when the Free Man doesn't have a lady that will go out with guests or doesn't provide ice, they turn around and walk away. Simply drinking and listening to DJs can't satisfy them. They crave more exciting things, and that’s what leads them into crime! Those who still provide such things are the scourge of the future of China."
Sister Flower seemed to feel extreme heartache. "I've been running a bar for so many years, so I should give my opinions. If China really can support my bar idea, I think it will save at least 30% of the young people who walk the line between a good future and a ruined one. Do you agree?"
"Absolutely," Qin Feng said. "I am afraid for the children. Now they don’t just go to Internet cafes or game halls as kids their age did a decade ago. They’ve been going to bars since junior high school and brush up with bad aspects of society. They should be focusing more on their grades than some of the terrible activities they’re getting into."
"Well, it’s a big topic. We’re far from changing society, but at least we can start trying. Any dream comes slowly and step by step. We have to start by opening the first bar, right?" Sister Flower smiled. "Besides, I can talk to you about this so I am very happy. I feel encouraged by your approval, and I’m confident that I’ll continue to follow this path. I know that it will be difficult, or even impossible to achieve it. But I will keep working on it until I’ve tried everything."
"Well, people should have dreams like you, even if they are difficult to achieve. It’s good to remain optimistic. We should all do what we can, and everything else is left to God's mercy."
Qin Feng continued. "Come, let us wish, the future can come true, and dream come true."
"Cheers!"
They clinked their glasses and then both drank.
This night was really special for Sister Flower. Accompanied by Qin Feng, with his encouragement and protection, she felt that the world could be warm.
After a full meal and more talking, Sister Flower was really tired. She went to the master bedroom to lie down but did not close the door.
Qin Feng had also drunk a lot, but he still kept clearheaded. He stood at the door, looking at the graceful Sister Flower on the bed wearing only a thin, semi-transparent nightgown, the skirt barely covering her bare ass. If he wanted to go in and hug her, he knew Sister Flower wouldn’t say no.
But Qin Feng turned around and left. He closed the door of the second bedroom and went to sleep.
-----
After a few days, Qin Feng accompanied Sister Flower to look for a suitable building in the Tianhe. Eventually, they found what they were looking for.
Seven or eight years ago, the Sunshine Hotel, covering more than 3,000 square meters, was renowned in the Tianhe. In decoration and service, it was second to none. At that time, if you had a meal there, you would have pay at least three thousand per table. Everyone who went there was rich, powerful, a big boss or a leader. Even as recently as five years ago, the economic situation was relatively good. Eating and drinking out was popular. The Sunshine Hotel could make tens of millions easily.
But then something happened. The owner of the Sunshine Hotel pissed off someone important. A dozen commercial vehicles filled with people came in the night. They smashed the Sunshine Hotel inside and out overnight, and then brought the hotel owner to the northeast of the Tianhe. It was said that they chopped his head and threw it into the river. There were many rumors, but no one really knew the truth.
"This building has been vacant for five or six years, and no one dares to rent it. It’s cursed. After the death of the Sunshine Hotel’s boss, there was a southern boss who rented the hotel to turn it into a hostel, and the result was his death in a car accident the following year. He went directly under a tanker, and his Mercedes-Benz was flattened. After that, no one dared to rent this house again, even though it’s an excellent building in an excellent location, the rent is ten times lower than it was seven or eight years ago. Still, no one’s dared to touch it."
Sister Flower said to Qin Feng, "If it were not for this matter, this house would be absolutely perfect. It's unfortunate…”
"If nothing had happened, the rent would not be so cheap, and we wouldn't have a chance to rent it," Qin Feng said. " Human effort is the decisive factor. Do you believe those rumors and curses? I don't care about them even if they are true."
"But in business, you really have to be superstitious. If you haven't heard of something like this before starting, that's all right, but once you’ve heard it, it’s strange to not pay attention."
"It’s because of this mentality that no one’s dared to touch it over the years! Think about these two accidents. First, the owner of the Sunshine Hotel, he picked up someone else's girl or something, provoked the wrong person, and was taken away. This is a normal dispute. Where's the curse?
Second, the car accident. He was drunk driving, surely. At that time, nobody checked drivers under the influence. He drove a Mercedes, drank alcohol and dared to take the expressway. Isn’t that bullshit? The cars on the expressway are so fast and there’s no place to pull over. Can a car accident be a curse? What do you think? Is that really evil?"
Qin Feng finished his calm analysis.
"That’s all true. But while doing business, I still feel we should be careful, in case the place really is cursed. There is a supernatural element in this world. A lot of events are beyond our ability to explain, and it would be too late if something actually happened," Sister Flower obstinately said.
"Don't be afraid. I grew up without believing in curses. Nothing happened at all, and I get myself in a lot of challenging situations," Qin Feng said. "This is the most cost-effective place in the whole Tianhe. It has been abandoned for so many years, but fortunately the decorations can still be used. The exterior wall is very old, but we can make a frame wall. Renovation will not cost us much money. Five million could build a large area. Most importantly, the rent for such a good house and location is only $500,000! The two-story foot treatment place across the road was only five hundred square meters and the rent was $250,000. This place is nearly 3,000 square meters."
"The rent is low, but the landlord is simply trying to rent it out to invigorate this place. Once there is a consistent owner who can hold the place down, the price will skyrocket. The landlord will surely be looking for more money if we get this business going."
Sister Flower didn't have the courage to rent this building. Although Qin Feng’s $5 million was easy to get, it didn’t appear out of nowhere either. They only had one chance to start a business. If they failed, it would be difficult to rise again, so they must not make any missteps during this time.