Zhao Mingming said, "Sis, your outfit is elegant yet sexy, but I'm afraid Mom and Dad will scold you if they see it."
Zhao Qiang sized up the two women with a smile on his face. They were dressed in decent vests with V-neck cotton shirts, occasionally revealing their navels, and pencil pants that accentuated their round buttocks. They weren't exactly sexy, far less so than Xu Xiaoya and Luo Wei at the New Year's party back then. With Zhao Qiang's protective eye, it was perfectly acceptable; otherwise, he would have ordered them to go back and change.
"Let's go." Zhao Qiang didn't want to wait any longer.
After getting into the BMW, Sun Dongming said, "Let's go to Yelaixiang. It's open as long as it's not closed. Most other karaoke bars won't be able to open until after the seventh day of the new year."
Zhao Mingming explained to Zhao Qiang, "Ye Lai Xiang is the largest bar in Baiyuan City. It not only operates a bar and performance venue, but also has a karaoke room and underground activities such as gambling. However, ordinary people cannot enter the VIP rooms."
As soon as I entered the parking lot of Yelaixiang, a security guard wearing a headset informed the lobby: "Five guests, three men and two women, prepare to receive them."
Before the five even entered the Night Fragrance Garden, a welcoming waiter was already bowing and waiting, saying, "Welcome, sir and madam, what kind of service would you like?"
Zhao Mingming asked casually, "Is there a performance in the lobby?"
The waiter said, "There will be a two-person comedy show in ten minutes." These kinds of shows are very popular in entertainment venues nowadays, especially the ones with suggestive content.
Sun Dongming said, "Then let's go take a look, and then go sing some songs and play a couple of rounds later."
So the waiter led the way, and the five of them entered the hall, which was actually a miniature theater. Colorful lights flashed constantly, and under the lights, one could vaguely see faces reeking of alcohol. There were about twenty tables, and now nearly half of them were full. On the stage directly in front, two women were leading a dance, and the loud heavy metal music was deafening. Some guests couldn't sit still and crowded around the stage, swaying and dancing along. Looking at their intoxicated expressions with their eyes closed, one could say that life was worth living if it was like this.
There were naturally dedicated receptionists in the lobby who led Zhao Qiang and his group of five to a table with a good location. Sun Dongming snapped his fingers and said loudly, "Bring beer, cold dishes, dried fruit, and fresh fruit as you like, and be quick about it."
Zhao Mingming said to Sun Dongming, "Damn, you're paying for all this? I'm short on cash."
Sun Dongming laughed and said, "Isn't the big boss with us? Let your brother-in-law pay the bill, and we'll just do more work for him later."
Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin were itching to get started, their bodies swaying unconsciously to the music. Just then, the beer arrived. The two girls didn't drink, so they discussed with Zhao Qiang, "Let's go dance for a while. This music is so tempting. It's been so long since we've gone wild. Can I ask for leave? I'll come back to keep you company later."
Zhao Qiang laughed and said, "Go on, let's have some more drinks and have some fun."
So Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin threw off their coats, grabbed hands, and ran to the front desk, swaying along with the two crazy girls leading the dance. The two had experienced this kind of nightlife quite often in Yihai, but the entertainment venues in Yihai were not as luxurious, and the sound system and lighting were not as high-end. There were also fewer people, so the atmosphere was naturally weaker. But the current lively scene was simply a fatal temptation. Even people who couldn't dance were willing to sway freely to the music.
Zhao Mingming gulped down a large glass of beer, then tossed a piece of beef jerky into his mouth, chewing as he said, "Brother-in-law, what do you think? Do you think this industry has a future?"
Zhao Qiang said, "This is just a basic industry. In my opinion, the right path is to expand into modeling, signing stars, making music, and making movies."
Sun Dongming said, "Damn, that's too lofty an ideal. Let's talk about it after we've established a foothold in Baiyuan."
(Thanks to Royal Ancient God, Want to Be Loved Hard for the reward, and thanks to Luanlai, fengg1i, Embassy Diao San Radio Station Fu Asu for the monthly ticket support)
Volume 2 [504] Investigation
【5o4】Investigation
Ten minutes later, Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin ran back. The two girls had flushed faces, as if they had been drinking, and were extremely excited. They sat on either side of Zhao Qiang, grabbed the beer on the table and drank it. It seemed like they had done a lot of exercise.
"It's so much fun!" Chen Xinxin said, after all, she was a girl and her crazy nature was very strong.
Zhao Ling said, "Yes, Zhao Qiang, come and dance with us for a while. We've been eating too much rich food these past few days, we need to get some exercise."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'd better save my energy. You guys do your dancing, and we'll go sing karaoke later."
Chen Xinxin said, "Okay, I'm known as the karaoke queen, and Zhao Ling is known as the KTV killer. I'll definitely show you what I'm made of."
Zhao Mingming, unable to resist the music, pulled Sun Dongming to join the head-banging group. Zhao Qiang, meanwhile, leisurely sipped his drink, his gaze sweeping over the almost distorted faces. People these days are under too much psychological pressure, so this kind of frenzied exercise is the best way to release it. Here, each person spends at least 100 yuan a night, and the profit from that 100 yuan is at least 50 yuan. A beer that sells for 3 yuan outside is usually 8 to 10 yuan here. Add in dried fruit and cold dishes, and the income is quite considerable.
Of course, Zhao Qiang didn't care about making this little money; it was just the foundation for his entertainment business. Only with such a solid foundation could he further strengthen and expand his business, and then enter the modeling and entertainment industries. Initially, he would definitely have to burn through huge sums of money. Zhao Qiang didn't want to get funding from Hu Qian anymore, so he had no choice but to find a way through Chen Guangwei.
Zhao Qiang has no shortage of technology. His super biochip has extremely strong computing power. Zhao Qiang already has many ideas, and he can easily earn tens of millions by selling some to the Chen family. Moreover, he is also going to show the Chen family his strength, which is a necessary means to make them take him seriously.
With Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin's looks and their crazy, energetic dance moves, a group of men quickly gathered around them. Fortunately, Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming were there to protect them, so no accidents happened. After dancing for a while, they felt a little tired and returned to the table. Not long after, the Errenzhuan (a type of folk opera) performance started. Zhao Mingming wasn't interested in it and strongly suggested that they go sing.
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's go. We need to go home and rest after playing for a while. It's getting late."
Chen Xinxin said with dissatisfaction, "We finally get to go out and have some fun, it should be at least midnight."
Zhao Qiang could only agree: "Okay, let's make it a 12 o'clock deadline. Let's go sing karaoke first, and then go check out their casino here."
The five of them left the performance hall, and before they knew it, a man was following them. Zhao Qiang was initially quite relieved that Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin hadn't caused any trouble in that chaotic place, but soon someone started tailing them.
"Ladies, please wait!" The person behind hurried up to catch up.
Zhao Qiang, Zhao Mingming, and Sun Dongming stepped in front of the two women, asking, "What is it?"
The man who caught up said, "It's a misunderstanding. Please don't be nervous. I'm a talent scout here. I saw that the two ladies danced exceptionally well and would like to invite them to perform here. They can earn between three hundred and one thousand yuan each night, depending on the performance. The performance will only last two hours. I wonder if the two ladies would be willing to accept this offer?"
Zhao Mingming cursed, "Go to hell, I wouldn't do it even for ten thousand."
The man's expression changed: "How could you swear at me?"
Zhao Mingming said, "You made my sister wear... to perform for those men, and you're cursing too. It's normal for me to curse back, but if you keep nagging me, I'll beat you up." Zhao Mingming's temper was naturally not mild, and she would start arguing after just a few words.
The man said coldly, "Sir, watch your tongue. Besides, you have no right to make decisions for these two ladies. This performance is art, not the kind of vulgar things you imagine. Sacrificing oneself for art is honorable and worthy of praise."
Zhao Qiang pushed Zhao Mingming aside and said to the man, "Sorry, my friend has this temper, but they really won't perform. Sorry, let's go." Zhao Qiang said the last sentence to Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming, who were eager to make their move, as if they were afraid the world wouldn't be chaotic enough.
The man watched the five figures leave and sneered, saying, "It's a real shame that such good material isn't being used for a performance."
On the way to the karaoke bar, Zhao Qiang sighed, "Beautiful women are always a source of trouble wherever they go. No wonder the ancients said that beauty is a curse."
Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin pinched Zhao Qiang's arms, one on each side: "Fine, you're mocking us."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'm praising you guys, okay? But you're not allowed to come to places like this without me by your side, understand?"
The two women stuck out their tongues and said, "We know, you're really strict." Turning their heads, they exchanged a glance and chuckled to themselves. The craziness here was addictive to them, and they had already planned to come back another time. However, with Zhao Qiang being so strict, it seemed they would have to sneak around.
After singing, Zhao Qiang spent money to get a VIP card, which allowed him to smoothly enter the casino in the basement. The fact that the casino could be run in a semi-public manner was enough to prove that Ye Lai Xiang had an extraordinary background. Without protection, one could not do this. Zhao Qiang only took ten minutes to figure out the "market conditions" of the entire casino.
There are many types of gambling here, including machine gambling such as baccarat and slot machines, and people gambling, such as playing mahjong and poker. It looks a bit chaotic, like a vegetable market. And yet, you still need to buy a VIP card, which is practically an extra extortion.
Sun Dongming said, "Although we have a VIP card, it's a regular card, so we can only play some tricks in the lobby. If we want to enter the VIP room, we need to have a high amount of gambling funds and someone to introduce us."
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "Forget it, we'll play here for a while and then leave. Mingming, go exchange five thousand yuan for chips. We'll go home when we've played them all." Five thousand yuan isn't a small amount. Some people only lose fifty or sixty yuan in a single round of Texas Hold'em. Fifty yuan can be used to play slot machines for a while as long as you're not greedy, so five thousand yuan is enough to lose for a while.
Zhao Qiang only took one card representing 100 yuan, and gave the rest to the other four people. Everyone played according to their own preferences. Zhao Qiang looked at each betting method for a while. In fact, he felt that there were opportunities to take advantage of these betting methods. However, Zhao Qiang was not there to sabotage them, so he just played a game casually and didn't care how they operated.
About half an hour later, Zhao Mingming came to find Zhao Qiang first. He had already lost everything. Soon after, Sun Dongming also came over. A little while later, Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin returned dejectedly. It was clear that everyone had lost. Zhao Qiang threw the chips in his hand to Zhao Mingming and said, "Exchange them back, let's go."
Zhao Mingming took it with delight. He counted it and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother-in-law, you won five thousand?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I knew you guys would lose everything, so I won it all back beforehand."
With Zhao Qiang's X-ray vision glasses, super computing power, and energy control, winning money was a given for him. He was just unwilling to lose five thousand yuan like that, so he won a few rounds.
Sun Dongming said, "Brother Qiang, you're practically a gambling god! How about we play a little longer? If you win more, we'll have enough capital to start our entertainment company."
Zhao Qiang flatly refused: "No, we'll find another way to get the funding. Since you're interested in this line of work, you absolutely cannot let yourselves get too caught up in it. If you can't do that, I think you should go back to where you belong."
Seeing the severity of Zhao Qiang's words, Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming dared not insist any longer and obediently followed Zhao Qiang to exchange their chips and leave.
Looking at the time, it was still early before midnight, so Sun Dongming suggested going for barbecue. There was a famous barbecue street in front of Baiyuan Central Hospital that was open until 2 a.m. The BMW drove straight there. Chen Xinxin and Zhao Ling were a little tired from dancing, and the two girls didn't want to eat a lot of meat in the middle of the night, so they stayed in the car.
Zhao Qiang, Sun Dongming, and their companions found a clean restaurant and booked a private room. Zhao Mingming opened another bottle of wine and said, "Let's have some more. We'll go back and lie down on the bed to sleep. Brother-in-law, you can drink too. My sister is driving."
Zhao Qiang didn't refuse. Soon after, the barbecue skewers were served. The three of them drank a few glasses of wine, and Zhao Qiang asked, "We're starting an entertainment company. What preparations do you think we should make?"
Sun Dongming said, "Money is the most important thing. Without money, you can't rent a place or hire people."
Zhao Mingming said, "Protective umbrella. Since you're in the entertainment industry, there are bound to be shady things you do, so you need to build good relationships with the higher-ups first. But brother-in-law, you can talk to the municipal party secretary and the mayor, so I don't think there will be any major problems."
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "Being able to speak to someone is one thing, but them giving me face is another, so don't be careless."
Zhao Mingming asked, "Then what should we do?"
Zhao Qiang said, “Let me divide the work. Mingming, your personality is too volatile and you are not suitable for political work. You should recruit a lot of people. In addition to boosting the reputation of our nightclub, we will also need them for welcoming guests and male waiters in the future. Dongming, you should find opportunities to get in touch with leaders at all levels of the government and try to bring them into our group. Only by establishing a foothold in Baiyuan City can we expand outwards.”
Sun Dongming said, "Okay, my mother has some connections that we can use."
Zhao Qiang said, "I will also use Chen Guangwei's name to create momentum for you. I will get the necessary funds in the next few days."
Zhao Mingming said, "No problem, I'm best at taking on younger brothers and fighting."
Zhao Qiang reminded Zhao Mingming, "While your skills are more than enough to deal with Yang Peng, you're still far from being able to handle some ruthless characters."
Zhao Mingming said, "I'll improve if I fight a few more fights."
Zhao Qiang said, "Your progress on your own is not enough, and you might even die before you improve."
Zhao Mingming said helplessly, "What else can we do? I don't dare to make guns. These things are strictly investigated. If we have a strong protector, we can get a few for self-defense, but we don't dare to show them off in normal times."
Zhao Qiang smiled and took two items out of his bag and placed them on the table. "One for each of you. They can come in handy in a critical moment."
Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming picked it up, puzzled: "What is this? Such an exquisite pistol, is it real or fake? If it's real, how many bullets can it hold? If it's fake, what use is it to us?"
Zhao Qiang took out a compressed pistol, but after his further modifications, it was no longer the same as before. The medium and high power levels were removed, and now it was just a compressed gun that could only injure people. Its volume was reduced to several times, and its appearance was like a revolver-shaped toy lighter. However, the cylinder was fixed and could not move at all, so judging from its appearance alone, it was 100% a fake.
Zhao Qiang picked up one of them, hooked the trigger with his ring finger, and pulled hard. A burst of flame shot out of the barrel of the revolver. Zhao Qiang lit a cigarette and started smoking.
Volume 2 [505] Things to Save Your Life
【5o5】Life-saving items
Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming said, "Oh, it's a lighter. What use is this thing in a critical moment? For smoking? Or for starting a fire?"
Zhao Qiang didn't answer, but instead used his index finger to pull the trigger again, pointing the gun at a chair in the corner of the room. With a loud bang, debris flew everywhere; the chair in the corner had been smashed to pieces by an invisible force.
Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming were dumbfounded. How could a toy lighter suddenly unleash such power?
Hearing the loud noise inside, the boss rushed in. Zhao Qiang calmly took out several hundred yuan and slammed it on the table, saying, "It's nothing, just a broken chair. Don't come in unless I tell you to."
A broken chair is only worth a few dollars. The boss picked up the money on the table with a smile, then turned and left without a word. Even if he smashed everything inside, this money would be enough to compensate him. It's a barbecue restaurant, and the utensils are cheap street vendor goods.
Zhao Mingming finally spoke up and asked, "What's going on? Am I seeing things?"
Sun Dongming curiously picked up the other gun. He carefully covered his ears and pulled the trigger, but with a snap, only a flame came out of the barrel.
Zhao Qiang said, "This is high-tech military special agent equipment. It uses compressed air and can only fire once every fifteen seconds." The reason for changing the reload time to fifteen seconds is that there was no other way. With the reduced size, the compressor power naturally decreased. In addition, changing the air intake time to fifteen seconds can reduce the possibility of this gun being secretly exposed. A three-second reload compressed gun will make a whistling sound when it takes in and compresses air, while this low-powered air compressed gun can hardly be heard taking in and compressing air.
Zhao Mingming took the air compressor gun from Zhao Qiang, moved another chair to the corner, and carefully pulled the trigger, but it still only produced a flame. He said angrily, "Why doesn't it work?"
Zhao Qiang said, "The trigger has a fingerprint recognition function. We need to register the fingerprint information of both of you first. If the fingerprint recognition is incorrect, then this gun is just an ordinary handgun lighter and will not expose the secret."
Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming simultaneously pointed out their fingers: "Quickly help us input it so we can test its power."
Zhao Qiang first entered his own fingerprint to enter the management mode, and then entered the left and right index finger fingerprints of Sun Dongming and Zhao Mingming into both guns. After exiting the management mode, he handed the guns to them and instructed them: "Be sure to use your index finger to pull the trigger, otherwise it will still be a lighter."
The two nodded: "Understood." Then Sun Dongming signaled Zhao Mingming to fire the first shot. Zhao Mingming covered his ear with one hand and slowly pulled the trigger with the other. With a loud bang, the chair in the corner shattered into a pile of wood chips. Zhao Mingming was thrown to the ground by the recoil, mainly because he was caught off guard.
"My God, that was incredibly powerful!" Zhao Mingming exclaimed as she got up from the ground.