vstars Chapter 495: A Pitfall?
Chapter 495: A Pitfall?
He wore bell-bottoms, a floral shirt, an exaggerated "afro" hairstyle, shiny leather shoes, and a watch on his wrist that gleamed silver in the sunlight, polished to the point of being a mirror.
Good guy!
With this look, if you were to carry a dual cassette recorder and stand on the street, you'd be guaranteed to be the most "cool" guy within a hundred meters, an absolute eye-catching weapon!
It's absolutely dazzling...
Zhong Yuemin scrutinized the newcomer from head to toe several times before speaking with some uncertainty:
"Xiao Gao, this...this is your brother?"
Compared to the image of the teacher in my memory—wearing glasses, dressed simply, and somewhat dull and pedantic—it's like a complete transformation, as if I were to be reborn!
Gao Yue frowned, looking at her brother's overly "fashionable" outfit.
"Brother, why are you dressed like that? Like a..."
She swallowed the last three words, "little hooligan."
Gao Cheng, however, was completely oblivious. On the contrary, he was somewhat smug and even spun around to show off.
"How about it? Not bad, right? Trendy enough? This outfit was all carefully picked out for me by Xiao Hong!" He proudly pointed to the woman beside him.
Gao Yue's gaze then fell on the woman named "Xiao Hong" beside her brother.
Upon seeing this, his brows furrowed even deeper.
This woman's name is Lin Hong. I've seen her a few times before. It's not that she's not pretty; on the contrary, she's very striking.
Her long, slender legs were encased in tight jeans, and a simple shirt was tucked into her waist, making her waist appear incredibly thin. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, and she wore bright red lips. With her delicate features and oval face, she was definitely a beauty in the making.
But Gao Yue just felt that there was something indescribable about this woman. Her eyes were shifty, revealing a shrewdness and restlessness, and she didn't seem like someone who could settle down and live a stable life.
"Brother, you've come here... is there something you need?" Gao Yue suppressed her unease and asked.
"That's right,"
Gao Cheng rubbed his hands together, a smile spreading across his face.
"Xiaohong and I found a storefront we liked today. The location and size are pretty good, and we've basically agreed on the rent with the landlord. It's just... it's just that we're a little short on funds. Hey, little sister, could you lend your brother some money to tide him over? I'll pay you back as soon as the restaurant opens and makes money!"
"...No, brother,"
Gao Yue was speechless.
"You can't even scrape together enough money to rent a door?"
"Oh dear, well... I just bought a new motorcycle!"
Gao Cheng pointed to the brand-new motorcycle parked next to him, a little embarrassed.
"In addition, the storefront we found this time is a two-story building with a large area and a good location, so the rent is naturally a little more expensive. So, even after piecing together the money, it's still not enough."
Gao Yue felt a throbbing pain in her temples:
"Brother, you can't even afford the rent now. There are so many expenses to come, like restaurant renovations, buying tables and chairs, kitchen utensils, hiring staff, utilities, and other miscellaneous bills. What are you planning to do?"
"But there's still Little Red!"
Gao Cheng pulled the woman beside him into his arms, brimming with confidence.
“Xiao Hong works with me. She has some money invested outside and can’t get it back for a while, but it will be soon, in the next few days!”
Little sister, don't worry, as soon as the money arrives in Xiaohong's account, I'll pay you back with interest. I won't shortchange you on any interest..."
"This isn't about interest!"
Gao Yue was so angry she could barely speak.
"You...you're just..." She was completely speechless.
Who does business like this? It's utterly reckless and impulsive, acting on a whim. With this kind of attitude, how can they expect to make money? Even a fool could guess that in the end, they'd most likely lose everything and be left with a mountain of debt.
She was at her wit's end and turned to Zhong Yuemin, who had been standing by with his arms crossed, watching the show.
Zhong Yuemin received the signal, cleared his throat, and said:
"Brother Cheng, how about this? Let's go take another look at that storefront you mentioned, and see what it's like. That way, Xiao Gao will have a better understanding, right? We can talk about borrowing money after we've seen it."
Upon hearing that there was a chance, Gao Cheng nodded quickly:
"Okay! Let's go take a look now, that storefront looks really nice!" He said, reaching for his motorcycle.
"Let's park the motorcycle here for now,"
Zhong Yuemin pointed to his car,
"I'll drive you there; it'll be more convenient."
So, Zhong Yuemin drove, Gao Yue sat in the passenger seat, and Gao Cheng and his girlfriend "Xiao Hong" squeezed into the back seat. The car started and drove away.
On the way, Zhong Yuemin noticed through the rearview mirror that the woman named Xiao Hong in the back seat was glancing at him from time to time with a scrutinizing and probing look in her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
After driving for about half an hour, we arrived at the location. The storefront was indeed in a good location, situated at a crossroads with heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
The space is quite large, with two floors and a frame structure, offering ample room for renovation. However, if you want to open a restaurant, the existing layout is basically unusable, and you'll have to do a major renovation from start to finish, which will definitely cost a lot.
"So, little sister? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Gao Cheng pointed to the storefront, full of confidence.
“Opening a restaurant in this location, as long as the food isn’t bad, business is guaranteed to be good. Let me tell you, there are quite a few people interested in this spot. If we hesitate any longer, it might be rented out tomorrow, and that money…”
"Brother, how about we reconsider..." Gao Yue still felt it was inappropriate.
"Xiao Gao,"
Zhong Yuemin picked up the conversation, his gaze sweeping around the storefront.
“Your brother is right. This location is indeed a good place to open a restaurant, with a guaranteed flow of customers.”
Gao Yue looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Zhong Yuemin shook his head slightly at her, indicating that she should calm down, and then said to Gao Cheng:
"Brother Cheng, now that we've found a place, let's not delay. Why don't you call the landlord out now and we can discuss the details in person? If there aren't any major issues, let's sign the lease today and secure the space first. How about that? We can talk about the money after we sign the contract."
Gao Cheng was overjoyed upon hearing this:
"Sure, Mr. Zhong, that's great! I'll go make the call right now!" He scurried over to the convenience store next door and used the public phone to contact the landlord.
Taking the opportunity, Gao Yue leaned closer to Zhong Yuemin and said in a low voice, "Mr. Zhong, you... why did you help my brother finalize this? My brother is obviously..."
Zhong Yuemin subtly made a "pressing down" motion beneath him, his eyes carrying a deeper meaning:
"Don't rush, let's wait and see."
Not long after, the landlord arrived. He was a shrewd-looking young man wearing a leather jacket. After a few brief pleasantries, the landlord produced a pre-prepared rental agreement.