Chapter 133: Masterminding from Behind the Scenes [Please Vote for Monthly Tickets!]

Soon, Zhang Wenhao began to understand the reasoning behind some of Chen Feng's specific arrangements during the dinner. For instance, the manually rotating dining table that he had Zhang Zhi prepare proved to be an excellent tool for fostering intimacy among the guests.

Whenever someone tasted a particularly good dish, they would politely spin the lazy Susan, starting from Chen Feng, allowing the plate to pause briefly before each person, while saying courteously, "Try this dish; it's quite good."

During the meal, the ten business executives each took turns drinking with Zhang Wenhao. Fortunately, Zhang Wenhao had an exceptional tolerance for alcohol, and by the end, despite having consumed nearly two jin of liquor, he remained completely unaffected.

After the meal, Zhang Zhi offered to arrange a men's spa, which he claimed was the establishment's most distinctive service. While the others readily agreed, Chen Feng spoke up: "Zhang Zhi, please prepare a steam room for Wenhao and me, and bring some fruit and drinks as well."

Zhang Zhi nodded immediately and replied, "I will arrange it right away."

Chen Feng then added, "Take care of these gentlemen first; don't stand on ceremony with us."

One of the real estate executives couldn't help but ask, "Brother Feng, aren't you going to join us?"

Chen Feng waved his hand and smiled, "That's not really my thing, and besides, my injuries haven't fully healed yet, so strenuous activities aren't suitable."

The others understood perfectly and exchanged knowing smiles. Zhang Zhi then led the executives to the club's entertainment area and had the lobby manager personally escort Zhang Wenhao and Chen Feng to the steam room suite.

The steam room suite was essentially a luxury hotel suite, featuring a living room, a study, and a bedroom, along with a state-of-the-art steam room. It was said that all the luxury suites here were designed with either a steam room or a private hot spring.

As Zhang Wenhao and Chen Feng sat on the benches in the steam room, wearing loose bathrobes, Chen Feng remarked, "Zhang Zhi will likely come over in a moment."

Zhang Wenhao asked with a smile, "Do you think he will mention equity to you tonight?"

Chen Feng smiled faintly. "He knows how to handle things; I'd say it's a near certainty."

Zhang Wenhao nodded, "I agree. He is very meticulous in his work."

Chen Feng leaned back on the bench, placing a wet towel over his face. "I don't really care for his money, but this place is decent. I might have him reserve a few suites for me to use whenever I want to drop by."

The two chatted casually. When the smart control panel on the wall of the steam room signaled an incoming call, Chen Feng pressed the button, and Zhang Zhi’s voice came through: "Brother Chen, everything over there has been settled."

Chen Feng gave an affirmative grunt and said, "Come in."

After ending the call, Chen Feng stood up and said to Zhang Wenhao, "Let's go to the living room and have a chat with him."

When they reached the living room, Zhang Zhi had already pushed the door open, wearing an eager smile. He walked over, pulled out two exquisitely crafted gold cards, and handed them to the men. "Brother Feng, Wenhao, please take these. Each card corresponds to two suites that will be permanently reserved for you. These rooms will no longer be available to the public. Whenever you want to come here to relax, you don't need to call ahead—you can come anytime."

Chen Feng nodded and accepted the card. Zhang Wenhao followed suit and expressed his thanks.

Chen Feng invited Zhang Zhi to sit down and said calmly, "These people may not be much outside, but here in Jiangcheng, they are standard wealthy local figures. If you keep them happy, your business here will gradually take off."

Zhang Zhi nodded repeatedly, saying respectfully, "It's all thanks to your support, Brother Feng."

To Zhang Zhi, these ten executives were of great significance. First, they possessed immense spending power. With Chen Feng's introduction, these ten individuals alone would generate at least twenty to thirty million in revenue for his ecological park annually. That didn't even include their own social circles. If the park could be associated with Chen Feng's name, many others would likely flock here, making the profit potential enormous.

Furthermore, these high-level successful individuals possessed not just money, but vast connections and potential resources. Zhang Zhi had certainly gained a great deal today.

Zhang Zhi then took the initiative to say, "Brother Feng, you know my situation here; opening up the market isn't easy. I hope you can put in some effort to treat the Hanlin Ecological Park as your own business. Starting today, you have a 30 percent stake in this park. I will have my lawyer draft a formal contract and send it to you tomorrow."

Chen Feng waved his hand with a smile. "Old Zhang, you don't need to be so formal with me. With this card you gave me, I can bring friends over whenever I'm free. As for the 30 percent equity, I won't take it; I would feel ashamed to accept it."

Chen Feng's words were not a genuine refusal, but a test. He was giving Zhang Zhi a way out. If Zhang Zhi took it, he might save on the dividend payout, but if he did, Chen Feng would categorize him as someone "not capable of great things."

However, Zhang Zhi did not take the bait. Instead, he said firmly, "Brother Feng, you must accept this equity. Tomorrow, I will have the lawyer draft the contract, sign it, and stamp it, and I will bring it to you myself. Whether you accept it or not, this place has a share for you."

Chen Feng smiled slightly without speaking, then changed the subject: "If any of those ten people don't get a membership here within a week, let me know."

Zhang Zhi nodded immediately.

Chen Feng checked the time. "It's getting late. Wenhao and I should head back. We'll come by again when we have time."

Zhang Zhi didn't bother with superficial pleasantries and nodded, "Brother Feng, Wenhao, whenever you have time, just come by. If you need a car, just give me a call. Those two cards are already activated. Whether I am here or not, as long as you two arrive, the entire Hanlin Ecological Park will treat you as the most distinguished guests."

Chen Feng patted him on the shoulder and smiled, "You have a good heart. Go back to your work; we'll talk next time."

After changing their clothes, Zhang Wenhao and Chen Feng left, with Zhang Zhi escorting them all the way to the parking lot. Sensing that Chen Feng had consumed some red wine, he offered, "Brother Feng, let me arrange a designated driver for you."

"No need," Chen Feng waved him off. "I only had two glasses of red wine; it's fine. You go back."

Zhang Zhi watched them get into the car and waited until it drove away before turning back.

Zhang Wenhao gained a new level of respect for Chen Feng today. He hadn't realized that Chen Feng had such a precise grasp of these people's psychology. With such skill, coupled with the support of the Su family, it was only natural that he held a top position in Jiangcheng.

While driving, Chen Feng said to Zhang Wenhao, "Tomorrow at noon, I'll take you to the largest beverage agency in Jiangcheng. We'll get the first-tier wholesale price from them and negotiate to receive the goods first and settle the payment later. Then, we'll go to Melody KTV, have them clear out all their existing alcohol before business starts in the afternoon, and then see what they need, draw up an order list, and send it directly to that agency to arrange delivery."

Zhang Wenhao nodded, "Understood."

Chen Feng smiled and asked, "Do you have a general process in mind?"

"Yes," Zhang Wenhao replied. "I'll get a list from Melody, use it to order from the agency, verify the quantity and accounts when the goods arrive, and then have Melody settle the bill."

Chen Feng nodded. "Correct. However, remember to find a few reliable people to record the sales at Melody every day. From the moment they open until they close, someone needs to be there, and they need to be sharp. Just watching how much alcohol leaves the supermarket at Melody isn't enough; they might secretly bring in stock and hide it elsewhere to bypass the supermarket. You'll need someone to patrol the rooms. I think you need at least six people, working in two shifts of three, to keep a close eye on everything."

Zhang Wenhao understood perfectly. He and Chen Feng were snatching a large piece of meat from Zhou Xinquan; if they didn't watch closely, Zhou would definitely try to pull some tricks.

Chen Feng dropped Zhang Wenhao off at home. Instead of going upstairs immediately, Zhang Wenhao took out his phone and called Li Nan.

As soon as the call connected, Zhang Wenhao said, "Li Nan, think about which of our male classmates can be completely trusted, and who are also sharp and meticulous."

Li Nan asked curiously, "What's wrong? Why are you asking?"

"It's for a good reason," Zhang Wenhao said. "Think about it, and see if you can get six people together, including yourself."

He added, "This is a way to make money, so they must be absolutely trustworthy."

Li Nan said excitedly, "A way to make money? Okay, don't worry. I'll think about it tonight; finding five other people shouldn't be a problem."

Zhang Wenhao nodded and continued, "If you have a definite list, send me a text. If everything is fine, contact them and ask if they are willing to earn some money. It's not hard work—they'll just be stationed at a KTV to sell alcohol."

Li Nan asked in surprise, "Sell alcohol at a KTV? Are you crazy? They don't even let people bring their own drinks in, and you want to go inside their venue to sell alcohol?"

Zhang Wenhao laughed, "You'll see tomorrow." He added, "Each person will work five or six hours a day, with a meal provided, and the pay will be at least three hundred to start."

"That much!?" Li Nan was even more shocked. Three hundred a day was definitely a high wage in Jiangcheng, and from Zhang Wenhao's tone, it sounded like three hundred was just the starting point.

Zhang Wenhao smiled, "Just do as I say; I'll explain the details tomorrow."

Li Nan was both excited and curious, but knowing that it couldn't be explained well over the phone, he said, "Alright, I'll text you later."

By 11:00 PM, Li Nan sent the five names to Zhang Wenhao's phone. Two were classmates from his old class, and the other three were new friends from Class 21. Zhang Wenhao thought carefully; all five were loyal to their friends and generally reliable. He called Li Nan back and said, "Contact them tomorrow and ask if they're willing. If they are, have them meet at your place tomorrow afternoon and wait for my call."

Li Nan laughed, "Got it. I'll call them when I wake up tomorrow. But I don't think anyone will refuse—with such high pay, they can earn almost ten thousand a month."

Zhang Wenhao smiled, "Remember to tell everyone that the pay is settled daily."

"Got it!"

Zhang Wenhao did his own math. A large-scale KTV like Melody had around two hundred rooms. During the peak season, they were basically full in the afternoons and evenings. Each room would host at least two or three batches of customers a day. With two hundred rooms, that's four to five hundred batches. Even if each batch spent only two hundred on alcohol, that would be nearly one hundred thousand in sales.

Moreover, large rooms and VIP suites had minimum spends, often requiring at least a thousand in alcohol. One hundred thousand in daily sales was a certainty, possibly even more. Since the retail price of alcohol at KTVs was usually double the market price, if calculated at market rates, that was fifty thousand in sales.

Since Zhang Wenhao would be supplying Melody at market retail prices, those fifty thousand in sales would be equivalent to him selling at his first-tier wholesale cost. The profit between the wholesale cost and the fifty thousand market price would be entirely his. Making ten thousand a day shouldn't be a problem.

The dinner Chen Feng hosted today also gave Zhang Wenhao food for thought. Chen Feng wanted him to "borrow a chicken to lay eggs" to make money from these bosses, and he also warned him not to try to get rich overnight. But with no business, no channels, and no startup capital, how could he achieve this? Zhang Wenhao felt stuck.

However, the task for tomorrow would bring in significant income. If he did that well and saved some money, he could find proper channels to connect with those bosses and find a smaller way to make money.

Making money wasn't the most important thing, but Zhang Wenhao wanted to test his ability to use relationships for legitimate profit. Chen Feng's actions today were truly impactful. Zhang Wenhao's first goal was to emulate Chen Feng—not necessarily to make as much money, but at least to be able to navigate and manage the various relationships behind it all.