Chapter 21

Chapter 21

In the evening, the busiest commercial street in Shen City lit up. Its brilliant lights reflected off the surface of the river it ran alongside.

A black car slowly separated from the stream of vehicles and stopped before the main entrance of Peace Hotel. When the doorman saw the car’s brand, his eyes shone. He eagerly stepped forward to open the car driver’s and the passenger’s doors.

A young man, looking to be in his twenties, emerged from the driver’s seat. He was wearing a fancy flower print shirt and jeans, his hair was slicked back, and his leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine. He had a freshly lit cigarette in his mouth. After getting out, he straightened and glanced around, eyes narrowing at the sight of two tall, foreign women walking by. He gave them an ambiguous smile but looked away without reluctance.

He threw the car keys to the doorman, patted himself about for money, and stuffed a 50-yuan banknote in his hand. After that, he immediately circled the car, hurrying to the side of the young man who came out of the passenger’s seat. “This car is fucking boring. Tomorrow, you’re going to drive,” he said.

His companion didn’t even bother looking at him, only nodded to the doorman, and said, “Thank you.” At the same time, he refused the offer to help him carry his bag.

“Xiao Chi.” As the car was driven away and the two walked towards the hotel’s entrance, the young man in the flower shirt continued to chatter: “What was wrong with Yan City? We didn’t need to come here so early! I was supposed to have a horse race tomorrow, I even bet with people, and what? And fucking nothing, I’m going to lose by default since I fucking had to take a plane…”

“Hu Shaofeng.” Xiao Chi kept walking, not looking at him. His fluffy, curly hair swayed with his steps, brushing against his indifferent face. “Either put out that cigarette or shut up and don’t talk to me.”

Hu Shaofeng paused mid-word, freezing in place. After a few seconds, he found that Xiao Chi was still moving and had absolutely no intention of waiting for him, so he had no choice but to press the cigarette against an ashtray in the garbage can then chase after him. “Hey, can’t you walk slower?”

As the girl at the front desk checked them in, her gaze stayed on Xiao Chi’s face almost the whole time. She reluctantly completed the formalities. “Here’s your key card, sirs. Have a pleasant stay at our hotel.”

They got a suite on the top floor. Hu Shaofeng, who was in the mood to make trouble, instantly ridiculed, “A suite? We’re both men, a twin room would’ve been fine!”

Xiao Chi thanked the receptionist, lifted his bag, and turned to leave. Hearing his friend’s words, he replied calmly, “I’m afraid of affecting your performance.”

Opening the door, he stood in the entrance and examined the shared room. The first thing he did was throw the ashtray on the table into a drawer and glare at Hu Shaofeng, who was reaching for his pocket. “If you dare smoke in here, both you and your cigarette will depart this room right through this window.”

Hu Shaofeng was usually wilful and arrogant, but while he could disobey his parents, he didn’t dare disobey the person he proclaimed to be his best friend. He let go of the lighter he’d already touched and raised hands in surrender. “Fine, fine! Whatever you command, master.”

He thought, You don’t smoke, you don’t have fun with women… Xiao Chi, in the end, what is it that you enjoy in your life?!

Tortured by his nicotine addiction, Hu Shaofeng fell on the sofa, tossing and whining. Finally, he sat up feebly, saying, “Hurry up and say what you want to say, I want to go to my room and smoke!”

Xiao Chi poured himself a cup of warm water, drank it in an exasperatingly slow fashion, then kicked the bag he’d dropped on the floor towards the sofa.

The bag was surprisingly heavy. Hu Shaofeng had to expend effort to drag it to himself.

“Go to the bank and turn this into usable funds. Get as much credit as possible,” Xiao Chi’s unique metallic voice answered.

Hu Shaofeng nodded and carefully unzipped the bag.

It was filled with stacks of hundred yuan bills.

Once the bus entered Shen City, even the heavily carsick Gao Sheng and Deng Mai forgot their nausea and joined Zhou Haitang in gaping through the windows. This place was developing even faster than Qunnan City.

After getting off, Lin Jingzhe took the three hungry youths to a noodle shop near the station. Gao Sheng stared at the price list in shock: “What the heck, a bowl of noodles actually costs one yuan here? Are you serious?”

In Liyun Town’s noodle shops, you could eat very well with forty cents!

When they finished eating, Lin Jingzhe hailed a taxi and reported a familiar address to the driver, then settled comfortably in the passenger’s seat, enjoying the drive. Shen City began to grow rapidly since it had been designated a Special Economic Zone some ten years earlier. Though there was still no indication of the future monstrous housing prices, reaching hundreds of thousands yuan, the city already looked much more modern than most of the cities in this era.

The three brats in the back seat were as excited as Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Gardens, especially once the car entered the main business district and the old-style residential buildings in the background disappeared completely, replaced by the new high-rise apartments and skyscrapers scattered around.

The taxi turned onto a ramp, leaving the main road, and stopped in front of the most brightly lit building. The doorman promptly stepped forward, opened the car doors, and offered to carry their luggage. This eager service left Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang completely overwhelmed. Even Deng Mai, the most “worldly” of them, couldn’t help but look at the mainstay of their small group, silently asking for help.

Lin Jingzhe paid the fare and got off. Signaling them not to panic, he took his bag from the trunk and handed it to the doorman: “Thank you.”

Then he walked towards the familiar entrance. He had visited Peace Hotel several times in his last life; while it had been renovated, it hadn’t changed much from the present.

Feeling strange, the taxi driver couldn’t help but take another look. The group came to the most luxurious hotel in Shen City and paid for the ride like the rich would, neither hesitating nor haggling, yet dressed very plainly and acted like country bumpkins first time out of their village. The only exception was the young man in the passenger’s seat, exceptionally handsome but with an imposing, almost intimidating aura around him. From the moment he got on, he only quietly leaned against the window looking absent-minded, but the taxi driver didn’t dare make even the smallest detour.

Is this a wealthy young master taking care of visiting poor relatives? The temperament of children from rich families really is different… He wondered idly, stepping at the gas pedal as the doorman motioned at him to hurry up and move along.

When the youths stepped into the hotel and were about to approach the reception desk, Gao Sheng finally came back to himself. He grabbed Lin Jingzhe’s arm: “We’re not staying here today, are we?!”

Lin Jingzhe raised an eyebrow. “Where else?”

Deng Mai, dazzled by the opulent interior decor, gaped at him. He glanced left and right and said, lowering his voice, “You can’t be serious! This place looks freaking expensive!”

Zhou Haitang eyed a potbellied man in a suit talking loudly on a cell phone, who looked like some company’s boss, then his gaze fell to the cloth shoes on his own feet, handmade by his mother and beginning to have holes from wear. Discouraged, he discreetly pulled Lin Jingzhe’s clothes. “Yeah, the guests here all look very rich. Let’s stay somewhere else—when we were in the taxi, I think I saw a hostel near here…”

Lin Jingzhe waved his hand, signaling for them to be quiet. He took out his wallet and booked a suite for five nights, which cost six hundred yuan despite it being an ordinary double-room.

Six hundred yuan, a whole six hundred yuan!!!

Six pink banknotes were handed to the receptionist as if it was nothing, and the three youths, watching from behind Lin Jingzhe’s back, almost fainted. They were in a daze all the way to the suite.

Lin Jingzhe thanked the hotel staff person who brought their luggage, then took a change of clothes from his bag. “Watch TV or something, I’m going to wash,” he said casually, seeming to have no idea how much money he had just spent.

As if somebody poured a basin of cold water on him, Gao Sheng jerked, awake at once. He grabbed Lin Jingzhe, screaming, “Go and cancel the room right now!!! Quick, or they will refuse to refund the money!!!”

Deng Mai and Zhou Haitang also woke up. They exchanged glances and saw the same shocked disbelief in each other’s eyes.

Six hundred yuan! This place cost over a hundred a night! Zhou Haitang’s father slaved away at the thermos factory yet earned only two hundred a month—that meant Lin Jingzhe spent what for ordinary people was three months’ salary just now! Simply for accommodation!

In fact, the way Lin Jingzhe had been spending money today terrified them: the noodles cost one yuan a bowl, the taxi ride more than ten, and the hotel didn’t even have to be mentioned. Did he freaking think he was made of money? Even somebody from a 10,000-yuan household would become broke in no time!

The three were so frightened they didn’t even marvel at the luxurious hotel suite but surrounded their friend, loudly demanding he went downstairs and canceled their stay. Lin Jingzhe, who hadn’t rested at all during the long journey but kept thinking and making plans, was exhausted in both body and mind. He had no choice but to hide in the bathroom and lock the door, head aching from all the nagging.

He took his first genuine shower after being reborn; neither his grandfather’s nor his friends’ houses had something this fancy in the bathroom. Savoring the long-lost sensation of hot water pouring down his body, he closed his eyes and fell into meditation.

He didn’t come to Shen City simply to have fun with his friends or broaden their horizons—he had a much more important reason. His purpose was the soon-to-open stock exchange.

The nineties were an era of economic boom, filled with opportunities. These opportunities were, however, fleeting and not easy to grasp.

Lin Jingzhe had no choice but to admit he wasn’t very smart, or his previous life wouldn’t have taken the course it had. If he had known he would one day return to this era, he would’ve unhesitantly chosen to learn programming in his last life. If he had, then due to the knowledge of future technology and development trends, he would’ve been able to seize a substantial part of the IT market now, while the future giants were still fledgling businesses.

Or he could’ve memorized as many winning lottery numbers as possible, and use the winnings to buy a large number of real estate in Yan City or Shen City. Then, he wouldn’t have to worry about the money until his death, even if he chose to lead a life purely of leisure.

Unfortunately, he was only an ordinary person—clever, but nowhere close to a genius; with some astuteness, but not enough; not timid, but not a daring man either. While he knew the general development of history of the past—now future—twenty years, he had never studied it in depth.

Stocks and shares were the quickest way to get money he could think of.

He finished washing and put on a bathrobe. Combing back his damp hair with his fingers, he blankly stared at the young face in the mirror, rosy from hot water.

He calculated the funds available to him at the moment. The inheritance from his grandfather, the subsidy he received for donating antiques, and his own savings had totaled a little over 20,000 yuan; after what he spent on this trip, he had about 19,000 yuan left.

It seemed like a lot of money, but it actually wasn’t much. Even if he invested it all in the stock market, the short-term return would be too little to let him feel safe.

The stock market in China in 1990 wasn’t yet thriving. It could hardly be compared to the prosperity of twenty years later when it was the second-largest in the world, but even then, if you wanted a fortune, you had to have sufficient capital. With barely ten or twenty thousand, what you could get were scraps at best.

By the time Lin Jingzhe came out of the bathroom, it was already late. The suite was perfectly quiet as if the earlier hubbub had been a lie. He turned the corner, and the sight he found made his heart soften: the three brats, still shouting not too long ago for Lin Jingzhe to check out, were huddled in the king-sized bed in the outer room, fast asleep.

The long, tiring journey obviously exhausted them. Lin Jingzhe turned off the lights and adjusted the AC temperature to make sure they wouldn’t be cold.

Then he made himself a cup of black coffee, drank it, dried his hair, changed into a fresh set of clothes, took a room card, and left, careful to not make a sound.

Shen City was liveliest after night fell.

The hotel lounge was full of businesspeople, wearing suits or dress suits. They talked in low voices or exchanged business cards, and the atmosphere brimmed with endless energy and enthusiasm. Lin Jingzhe, appearing between them in a loose t-shirt and casual pants, stood out like a sore thumb.

However, he seemed oblivious to it. After showing his room card to the staff, he went straight to a table near the window, sat down, and ordered a low-alcohol drink. He didn’t drink it though but carelessly pushed it away, then took a magazine from a magazine rack and leafed through it.

It was the latest issue of a finance and economics magazine. It had a feature on the stock exchange about to open in Shen City, but the author appeared to have a bit of a bias. It seemed he wasn’t optimistic about the future development of the stock market; several times, the article mentioned the huge crash from a few years ago.

Lin Jingzhe skimmed through it. Before he turned the page, a pair of perfectly polished leather shoes appeared in the corner of his vision, coming his way. He looked up at the visitor, catching a flash of surprise in his eyes.

The man wore a conservative suit and carried a suitcase. Coupled with his slicked-back hair, portly figure, and temperament, he looked like a stereotypical businessman.

His gaze fell at the untouched drink on the table, then returned to the young man. “Hello, are you… Mr. Lin?” He asked, his tone somewhat uncertain.

He’s here. Lin Jingzhe closed the magazine and casually gestured to the seat across the table: “Please have a seat.”

You mean, this really is ‘Mr. Lin’?!

The man looked visibly surprised—it was obvious he hadn’t expected the person he came to meet to be this young. It took him a few seconds to process then promptly stretched out his hand: “Hello, how do you do? I’m Tian Dahua, you can call me… Uh, Little Tian would be fine.”

“Mr. Tian.” Lin Jingzhe ignored Tian Dahua’s gaffe. He signaled to the waiter to bring back the drinks menu he had just taken away and said calmly, “I’m sorry for making an appointment this late, but I only arrived in Shen City this afternoon.”

His composed attitude calmed Tian Dahua’s unsettled heart.

The man ordered a cocktail, sizing Lin Jingzhe up in the dim lights of the lounge. For a moment, he thought he fell a victim to a child’s prank, but once he looked closer, he noticed that the other side’s young appearance was deceptive—the youth’s demeanor, every word and action, showed he was steadier than Tian Dahua himself.

During the many years of his career in Shen City, he had been dealing with the rich and elite every day, and had come in contact with uncounted members of the privileged class. The person sitting in front of him undoubtedly had the same temperament as these people.

Which powerful family or big leader’s child is this? Tian Dahua didn’t dare be casual. He said with a smile, “Mr. Lin is much younger than I thought. To be honest, I was really shocked when I saw you just now.”

Lin Jingzhe smiled, but there was no emotion on his face. His youth was both a handicap and something he could use to his advantage. He had been making plans since the day he decided to return to Shen City.

He got in contact with Tian Dahua after checking in, by stuffing a fifty to the concierge. Since the man was able to develop business in Peace Hotel, the best in the city, he must be extremely capable. Lin Jingzhe, newly arrived in Shen City, had little money and no connections, but had a crazy plan. What he needed was exactly someone like Tian Dahua, a helper with means and an extensive network of contacts to smooth the way.

He got straight to the point: “Mr. Tian, I want to register a company.”

In that era, in rapidly developing cities like Shen City, countless people rushed to throw themselves into the surging waves of the business sea. Used to it, Tian Dahua nodded. “You have found the right person, this is one of the things I do. What kind of company? How much will be the registered capital?

“Real estate company.” Lin Jingzhe seemed to ponder for a moment, then said in a light tone as if the exact amount didn’t matter, “The capital… let’s say, 200,000 yuan.”

Tian Dahua paused—this wasn’t a small amount. However, upon consideration, for the children of the big families, this much money might be nothing at all. He hesitated for a while, calculating, then began with some awkwardness, “Mr. Lin, uh, you need to know that the risk of the intermediate guarantor is very high. Though I will give you a discount, with the registered capital of 200,000, the minimal fee will still be this much.”

He showed the amount on his outstretched fingers, keeping an eye on Lin Jingzhe’s face to check his reaction, but the young man just smiled and comfortably reclined in his seat. “Deal.”

A financial guarantee for three months would cost 10,000 yuan. Taking into consideration the average income in this era, it was an exorbitant fee. However, for Lin Jingzhe, it was still within the affordable range.

Tian Dahua was delighted. He had never seen someone look this relaxed spending this much—as he suspected, the young man was truly rich!

Beaming, he immediately said, lest the customer changed his mind, “You have no objection to this figure, I’m relieved. It might seem expensive, but you won’t be able to find anyone both as reliable and affordable as me in the whole city. Where is your office? I’ll prepare the contract of guarantee for tomorrow!”

Lin Jingzhe said with a smile, “I haven’t remembered the address yet.”

He took a napkin, wrote down a number, and handed it to the other man. “This is my room number. Call me tomorrow evening—by then, I should have all the other details sorted out. Will this be fine?”

Tian Dahua nodded eagerly. “Yes, of course.”

Lin Jingzhe smiled approvingly. He took three hundred yuan out of his wallet, put it on the table, and stood up. “That’s settled, then. Since it’s already late, I won’t take up more of your time, Mr. Tian. The drinks are on me.”

He raised a hand to stop Tian Dahua’s attempt to push the money back to him. His index finger tapping on the table, he gave the man a smile, polite yet showing he won’t be opposed: “Please, Mr. Tian. Since we’re cooperating now, there will be other occasions to meet—next time, you can treat me. Good night.”

Tian Dahua hurriedly rose to bid him farewell. “Good night, Mr. Lin, I hope you rest well.”

He stood by the table and watched Lin Jingzhe’s back as the young man leisurely walked into the depths of the hotel. The youth was wearing the most ordinary casual clothes, but it only made him seem even more unfathomable.

His gaze fell back on the tabletop. Three hundred yuan?

These two drinks cost a hundred yuan at most. Sure enough, he was a rich young master who had no concept of money!

The next day, Lin Jingzhe got up early, took his three friends, and commenced a tour of Shen City’s offices for rent.

As it was getting close to noon and the sun’s rays became increasingly scorching, making them sweat, he finally found what he was looking for.

It was a mid-tier office building, not very large, with small-scale companies upstairs and downstairs. The office space for rent was less than a hundred square meters, on the middle floor, and not very expensive—only one thousand a month. The last tenant probably went bankrupt and closed down, leaving behind a bunch of office furniture that no one wanted.

Lin Jingzhe immediately signed a month’s lease—this place was perfect.

Seeing him spend another thousand, the three youths almost fainted again. They even began to suspect Lin Jingzhe suddenly went crazy. If he hadn’t, why would he rent an office out of the blue?!

Lin Jingzhe didn’t explain his plans to them. After sending away the person from the Investment Promotion Agency, he contacted the building manager and hired several hourly workers to do the cleaning. In the evening, when Tian Dahua called, he reported the office address to him.

Tian Dahua was still cautious. Not blinded by the 10,000-yuan fee dangling in front of him, he insisted on signing the contract in the office. Seeing its size and cleanliness, he finally let go of the last worry lingering in the back of his mind.

The two sides happily signed the documents. That done with, Tian Dahua paced around Lin Jingzhe’s separate office, looking out the window at the panoramic view of the city.

He was envious of the children of the big families, who had enough capital to start their own company after barely becoming adults. Given time, they would surely achieve success.

After repeatedly checking all the official seals, Lin Jingzhe carefully put the contract away. “Mr. Tian, am I supposed to pay the fee after receiving the business license?”

Tian Dahua nodded: “Indeed.”

“Then can you help me with one more thing? I’m too lazy to look for someone else if I don’t have to.” Lin Jingzhe left the desk and went to the area in his office meant for entertaining guests. He began to make tea, saying casually, “My company wants to take a loan. As I’m not familiar with Shen City and have no contacts here, I’d like to ask you to take care of this for me.”

He smiled faintly, looking into Tian Dahua’s eyes: “Naturally, your troubles won’t be without reward, but since it’s just arranging a loan, you won’t charge me as much as for the guarantee, right?”

The man wasn’t suspicious. It was perfectly normal for private companies to borrow money, not to mention small, newly founded enterprises like Lin Jingzhe’s. In recent years, the state had strongly encouraged individuals to start businesses. Applying for a business loan was quite simple—with an official business license in hand, it would probably take minutes.

Tian Dahua knew Lin Jingzhe was not tight-fisted, so he was very willing to be “troubled.” He agreed immediately. “This is but a small matter. We’re partners now, so of course, I will help, you don’t even need to ask. How much do you want to borrow?”

“Not much,” Lin Jingzhe said. “Half a million should be enough.”

Tian Dahua gave him a breezy smile. “No problem, just give me a bit of time!”

Lin Jingzhe nodded. He poured boiling mineral water into a small teapot, rinsing the tea leaves, dumped the first infusion out, then poured hot water in again. His moves were deliberate and elegant. Once the tea finished brewing, he poured it into an exquisite little teacup.

The loan seemed to be just a trivial thing, not deserving any more of Lin Jingzhe’s attention. He gestured to Tian Dahua with a smile: “Have a taste, Mr. Tian?”

Translator’s Notes:

Special Economic Zone (SEZ) – any of several localities in which foreign and domestic trade and investment are conducted without the authorization of the Chinese central government in Beijing. Special economic zones are intended to function as zones of rapid economic growth by using tax and business incentives to attract foreign investment and technology. (Source, Wikipedia)

10,000 yuan household [万元户] – a household with total annual income of 10,000 yuan or more (considered a large amount in the 1970s, when the term became established; depending on the region, it was still a large sum in 1990).

The privileged class – “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” as George Orwell wrote. Basically, the government and Party’s bigwigs.