Chapter Forty-Nine: The Code of the Times Club

Chapter Sixty-Five: The Era Code Club

Zhuo Nan didn't have to worry about any of these matters. Long Kun was now playing the role of the boss with impressive flair. Even his entourage—Spare Ribs, Hou Fei, Fox, and the rest—were all decked out in sharp suits, courteously greeting the guests invited for tonight's event.

As for the ribbon-cutting, Zhuo Nan naturally had no part in it, and he didn't care in the least. This bar was, after all, the capital with which Long Kun and his group planned their foray into the underworld; Zhuo Nan had no intention of interfering much in these affairs.

At this moment, Nan sat alone in a corner, holding a glass of Long Island iced tea. It's worth mentioning that the bartender had been hired by Long Kun at a high salary from another city—skilled bartenders were hard to come by these days. Unfortunately, her looks were only average; otherwise, our Nan would certainly have been sitting at the bar.

The ribbon-cutting was scheduled for 9:28 p.m.—an auspicious date and time, as was customary. With over forty minutes to go before the ceremony, most of the people in the bar were guests invited by Long Kun. Zhuo Nan was bored to death. He was tempted to sneak backstage for a glimpse of the models changing, but feared getting kicked out as a lecher. So he remained glued to his seat—though not for long. Soon, a tall and elegant woman in professional attire approached him.

Yang Yilin was a senior executive talent whom Long Kun had "invited" to join the company. "Invited" was putting it mildly; in truth, it had taken a blend of coaxing, deception, and thinly veiled threats to bring her on board. There was a story behind why Long Kun recruited her.

At the time, Long Kun had been tasked with hiring new staff at the talent market. The sign read "Longhua Leisure and Entertainment Co., Ltd." With Spare Ribs and Hu Li at his side, all three dressed to the nines, they sat there exuding authority. But every applicant who approached immediately turned on their heels—especially after catching sight of the scar on Long Kun’s face, which was enough to set anyone’s heart pounding with dread. After an entire morning, not a single résumé had been collected.

Frustrated, Long Kun turned to Spare Ribs and said, "You keep watch here. I'm going out for a smoke. Damn it, not a single person all morning."

Spare Ribs quickly nodded. "Go ahead, Kun. Hu and I will hold down the fort."

Long Kun raised his hand and gave him a slap. "How many times do I have to tell you? Call me President Long."

The two exchanged a glance. "President Long, you go ahead. With me and Manager Hu here, you can rest assured."

Nearby, the manager of another hiring company, glasses perched on his nose, glanced at Long Kun. Their eyes met. "What are you staring at, four-eyes?" Long Kun barked.

The man quickly dropped his gaze to the résumés. But this only stung Long Kun's wounded pride further. He swore at Spare Ribs and Hu Li, "I don't care how you do it, but you must hire a deputy general manager today. If you can't, you’ll both be back in that dump by the vegetable market tonight."

"Come on, Kun, don’t be like that," they pleaded.

"Cut the crap. This is your problem now. I'm going for a smoke," he said, cigarette dangling from his lips as he walked out.

Left behind, the two looked at each other. Well, today, even if they had to drag someone back, they would get it done. Neither wanted to spend another night at the vegetable market.

Not long after Long Kun left, Yang Yilin approached the recruitment booth. She saw several positions posted on the board; the most prominent was Deputy General Manager, with a monthly salary of five thousand yuan. For someone desperately short on cash, this was tempting. She held a master’s degree in economics and management from Deqing University, but had already been turned down by several companies for lack of experience. Those willing to hire her offered only secretarial roles. A master’s degree holder working as a secretary? Ridiculous—unless it was for the CEO or the chairman, and Yang Yilin was well aware what those roles typically entailed.

Spare Ribs and Hu Li, though not exactly good-looking, were much less intimidating than Long Kun. Sitting there in their suits, they managed to pass as proper professionals, so Yang Yilin was not immediately put off.

"Gentlemen, good afternoon. I’d like to apply for the Deputy General Manager position. Here is my résumé—please have a look." She smiled as she explained her intentions.

The two men, who had been daydreaming moments before, were jolted back to reality by the sight of a beautiful woman. Instantly, they looked like love-struck fools. Fortunately, Hu Li was quick on the uptake and discreetly nudged Spare Ribs.

"Miss, hello. I am the recruitment manager for Longhua Leisure and Entertainment. Please, have a seat." Hu Li slipped into character with impressive speed.

Yang Yilin gracefully smoothed her skirt and sat across from them. "May I ask what industry your company is involved in?"

People often called Hu Li a sly fox, and he certainly lived up to the name. He leaned back theatrically, flipped through her résumé, and said, "Miss Yang, your qualifications are outstanding..." His eyes, however, were fixed on her chest as he spoke.

"Our company is a newly established entertainment business, focusing on the bar industry. You know what a bar is, right?" He ended with a question so inane it bordered on the absurd.

Of course Yang Yilin knew. She smiled politely. "Manager Hu, I’m familiar with bars. In fact, over the next decade, the bar industry is set to become one of the hottest in entertainment, with tremendous growth potential."

Spare Ribs and Hu Li exchanged glances, each thinking the same—this woman was both capable and attractive. They had to hire her.

"Miss Yang, we’re very impressed with your abilities. Why not sign a contract now and start work immediately?" Hu Li blurted out. He was in no mood to hesitate; bringing back a deputy general manager was his top priority. Anything to avoid another night at the vegetable market.

Yang Yilin was caught off guard. "So soon? I haven’t even seen your company yet..."

"There's no need," Spare Ribs interjected. "Here’s the employment contract. Look it over, and if you have no objections, sign it. Five thousand a month, year-end bonuses. If you need accommodation, we can arrange it."

She hesitated, glancing over the contract. "But..."

"Miss Yang, enough with the buts. Our company just invested over two million in a new bar on Beiping Road. Both our hardware and service are top-tier in the country. Our chairman has spent years abroad and has fully integrated international bar culture into our business. Next, he plans to expand from Deqing to the rest of the country. Think about it—such a promising company with high pay. If you don’t join now, when will you? Besides, this is the highest salary in Deqing." Spare Ribs was amazed at the eloquence of Hu Li’s pitch—it sounded way too sophisticated for him. It must have been South’s coaching.

Indeed, Zhuo Nan had anticipated that it would be difficult to attract talent with just this crew, so he had coached Hu Li in various contingency pitches, to be used depending on the candidate.

Yang Yilin listened, confused and overwhelmed. She scrutinized the contract, torn between the risk of being scammed and the lure of a real job. The two men in front of her might be part of a pyramid scheme, but what did she have to lose? She only had a hundred yuan left to her name.

When she hesitated too long, Spare Ribs snapped, "Are you signing or not?"

Startled, Yang Yilin quickly scrawled her name. As soon as she did, Spare Ribs and Hu Li burst into laughter and high-fived each other. Seeing their reaction, Yang Yilin was filled with regret—she must have just been duped into a pyramid scheme.

After their laughter subsided, Hu Li looked at her seriously. "Vice President Yang, you’re now officially our Deputy General Manager. The rest of the recruitment is your responsibility."

Yang Yilin was confused. "What about you two?"

"We—ha! We’re finally free! Vice President Yang, it’s all yours. Recruitment materials are on the table. Good luck, we’re off." Hu Li grinned as he spoke.

"Wait, I—" Yang Yilin wanted to object, but the words wouldn’t come. Her mind was a jumble.

"Quit stalling and get to work." As he spoke, Spare Ribs dropped a pile of recruitment documents into her hands. "We’ll bring you lunch at noon. Just stay put and do your job."

Pyramid scheme—what else could it be? That was obvious. Yang Yilin was in dire straits. Her father had been diagnosed with cancer last year, and her family had spent all their savings on his treatment, to little avail. She had finally graduated with a master’s degree, hoping for a high-paying job, but a month had passed, her money was nearly gone, and she still hadn’t landed anything good. Just yesterday, she’d received word that her mother had fallen ill as well—no diagnosis yet, but the family was out of money. Yang Yilin wondered if she would have to sell her body. She had set herself a goal: if she couldn’t find a decent job today, she would resort to desperate measures. But instead, she’d ended up in a pyramid scheme.

She wanted to leave but feared repercussions for breaking the contract she’d just signed. She studied it closely and was surprised to find that it seemed perfectly legitimate—far more formal than anything a scam artist would draft. Not that she’d ever seen a real pyramid scheme contract, but she imagined they’d be much more slipshod.

With a sigh, Yang Yilin resigned herself to staying put for now. At worst, she’d wait until the two men returned at noon and try to negotiate her way out, perhaps offering them her last hundred yuan in exchange for her freedom.

Just then, Long Kun returned from his smoke, catching Spare Ribs and Hu Li as they were heading out. "Where do you think you’re going? I told you to hold down the fort—are you trying to run off?"