Chapter 12: Chapter 10, First Career (Please Collect)_1
Translator: 549690339
Leaving the restaurant.
Tang Qing didn't go home.
Instead, he went for a walk in People's Park across the street.
The weather was quite hot, so Tang Qing bought an ice cream to nibble on as he walked.
He had completed half the System Task.
The contract was reclaimed and filed by the system.
This was one of the system's small features. Any contract related to system loans could be kept in the system for easy retrieval when needed later.
It was very convenient.
As for the Risk Assessment Report,
The system required a hard copy.
He planned to write it when he got back home at night. There was no rush as its completion won't lead to any level up. In the meantime, he contemplated on how to pay off the outstanding loan and earn money.
The first idea that came to his mind was starting a business.
But what kind of business?
He hadn't even considered options like an internet cafe or a supermarket.
Five years ago, he could have started such a business, but now, the return would be too low. Moreover, he still had school, and didn't have time to manage it. For the moment, he couldn't find anyone reliable to help him out.
After several laps around the park,
Tang Qing still hadn't come up with a solution.
Just as he was getting ready to head home, he suddenly stopped in his tracks when he saw Chuanyu Restaurant, where he had lunch.
Right.
He could open a restaurant!
He didn't know how.
But someone else knew!
He remembered his good buddy from his previous life -- Li Kai. His family made their fortune from the restaurant business. He vividly remembered Li Kai's father opening a Sichuan-style restaurant in South City's Clearwater Road a month from now.
That area was the city's largest gathering place for migrant workers,
With many factories and civilian residences nearby.
Given the quality of Li Kai's father's cooking and the restaurant's excellent location, the business was booming and had recouped its investment within half a year. This was despite the fact that they had purchased the shop space. You can imagine how profitable it was.
In the end,
In 2009,
With the city expansion, the restaurant was demolished resulting in a compensation of a few houses.
Later on,
In 2010,
Li Kai's father sold all the houses he had amassed over the years.
He cashed out over ten million RMB, bought a huge shop in a new building complex next to Red Flag Market. Spanning almost a thousand square meters over three floors, he opened a seafood restaurant.
The business scaled up over time.
Eventually, it even became a chain.
Before he was reborn,
Li Kai's family had assets worth nearly one billion RMB.
Later, Li Kai's father became a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Qingyan City. Li Kai himself, enjoyed the life of a rich second generation child, always treating Tang Qing to extravagant meals whenever he came back home. However, after starting work, Tang Qing visited less frequently.
Li Kai was a good person.
The two of them had always been good friends.
Li Kai had even invited Tang Qing to join their company several times, but Tang Qing knew that mixing friendship with a superior-subordinate relationship could make things complicated. He also had faith in his future prospects, so he declined every time.
But that wasn't the point.
The main point was that he heard that Li Kai's family was short of funds at the moment.
The more Tang Qing thought about it, the more he felt it was feasible.
Not only could he complete the task, but his money could also appreciate in value in the restaurant. He didn't have much free time. It wasn't so much that he wanted to earn a lot of money, he just didn't want to let his money sit idle.
Moreover, it wouldn't take up his own time.
Once he had decided, he had to act fast.
There wasn't much time left.
Immediately,
Tang Qing hurriedly took a taxi home.
He went in search of Li Kai's phone number among his textbooks.
Eventually, he found it on the last page of his first-year Chinese textbook.
...
At Li Kai's home,
Li Jianguo, with a face full of worry, was smoking cigarette after cigarette in his bedroom.
Ever since his wife fell ill and passed away last year, he had been staying at home looking after his son. He had some savings from previously running a restaurant in another province, so there was no urgency for him to earn money for the family.
However, he couldn't remain idle forever.
He had a son to take care of.
So, he decided to go back to his old profession and open a restaurant.
But after investigating potential locations for over half a month, he faced a difficult choice. One location was excellent but too expensive, while another was within his budget but not as desirable.
"Hello, who is this?"
Li Kai, who was watching TV, picked up the phone from the tea table.
"Li Kai?"
"Yes, it's me. Who's calling?" asked Li Kai suspiciously.
He had never seen this strange number before.
Especially because it was a mobile number. Although mobile phones were more common now, they were still not cheap, and the people who generally contacted him used their home landlines.
I heard this is indeed Li Kai's home.
Tang Qing also let out a sigh of relief.
Glad they haven't changed their phone number.
"I am Tang Qing, is your father at home?"
"Oh, it's Old Tang! It's the holiday season, shouldn't you be hanging out with your childhood sweetheart rather than dropping a call here. Speaking about it, my dad is at home. What's up?" Li Kai teased.
The whole class knew about Tang Qing's childhood sweetheart.
They often joked about it.
Even the teacher had specifically called Tang Qing's uncle to school to urge him to focus on his studies and not to be involved in a premature love relationship.
"That's great, that's great." Tang Qing let out a sigh of relief, "Tell your dad that I need to talk to him about something. We can discuss the details later. You should first tell me your home address as I don't even know where you live."
Seeing that Tang Qing clearly had some urgent matter.
Li Kai then informed him of his home address.
He hung up the phone.
Just at that moment.
Li Jianguo came out from the bedroom.
"Kai Zi, who was that call from?"
"It was my classmate, Tang Qing. He said he needed to talk to you about something. He asked for you to wait at home for him. But he didn't mention what it was about." Li Kai replied.
He, who had already started his senior year, did not fancy the nickname 'Kai Zi'.
But who can he blame? The person who nicknamed him was his own father.
So, he just put up with it.
"Did you do anything wrong?" Li Jianguo asked.
Usually, when parents are sought after, it typically involves complaints.
Li Kai innocently looked at his father, "How can that be? If I did something wrong, would I let him come to our house?" As a child, he often had classmates who complained about him at their doorstep, but as he grew up, he lost interest in bullying others.
"As long as you haven't done anything wrong, that's good." Li Jianguo nodded.
Then suddenly, he remembered something.
"Tang Qing? Is he the one who you said has a childhood sweetheart?"
Li Jianguo had heard that his son has a classmate who has a childhood sweetheart, which was why he could recall who Tang Qing was.
"Right, it looks like he's quite anxious, he was quite worked up." Li Kai replied.
...
Not long after.
A taxi stopped in a small alley outside Li Kai's home.
Tang Qing looked at Li Kai's somewhat dilapidated old house and knocked on the main gate.
The door was opened very quickly.
The person who greeted Tang Qing was Li Kai himself.
Li Kai was not tall, just 1.6 meters tall. Tang Qing, who knew what would happen in the future, was aware that this guy would continue growing taller in the next few years, eventually reaching almost 1.9 meters tall, becoming a lot more handsome.
Young, rich, and tall.
Handsome Li Kai.
Later, he got involved in a lot of romantic debts.
As he didn't go out today and the weather was hot, Li Kai wore a pair of shorts and sandals and was bare-chested.
He looked at Tang Qing in surprise.
He found it strange that in just a few days, this guy seemed to have become whiter and was dressed in a set of clothes that didn't look cheap. Such a transformation was a bit overwhelming when compared to the Tang Qing who used to wear school uniforms.
However, he could still confirm that this was Tang Qing.
So, he walked forward and patted on Tang Qing's shoulder, "Gosh, Old Tang, you're becoming handsomer by the day. You got a little whiter too. You don't look like our Tang Qing after a makeover."
"Yeah, I am just a bit more handsome, a tad whiter, a bit taller, and only slightly better in studies compared to some people."
Tang Qing, who was well aware of Li Kai's personality, retorted immediately.
"Alright, come in quickly. It's deadly hot outside." Li Kai jokingly complained.
He didn't respond to Tang Qing's comment.
Because what Tang Qing said was true.
If they were really going to compete on who was better, they would end up comparing their private parts, which would be truly embarrassing.
Upon entering the courtyard.
Li Kai's home wasn't large.
But the courtyard was quite spacious.
A patch of land in the yard was planted with seasonal vegetables, which looked rather good.
Entering the room.
Tang Qing met with Li Jianguo.
"You must be Tang Qing, do come, have some fruit. I have heard from Li Kai about you, his good buddy. So Li Kai has mentioned that you wanted to see me?" Li Jianguo warmly greeted Tang Qing with a smile.
"Yes, I heard from Li Kai that you are planning to open a restaurant, Uncle?" Tang Qing got straight to the point.
"Yes, I do have that plan. What's up?" Li Jianguo asked curiously.
"The thing is, Uncle, I am wondering if you might need an investor?"
Tang Qing sipped on the tea that Li Kai had made for him.
"Why didn't your parents come?" Li Jianguo immediately brightened up upon hearing the word "investment".
"This is my own business. I plan on gaining some experience. I wonder how much you are short of, Uncle?" Tang Qing said seriously.
"Yourself?" Li Jianguo was shocked.
How loaded must a family be?
To provide such an enormous amount of money to their child studying in his senior year for some practice. They wouldn't be trying to trick him, would they? But based on Tang Qing's outfit and how he's his son's classmate, he wouldn't likely trick him about such a thing.
"Yes, I can fully decide on my own. My family won't be involved. Let's first talk about your plan."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone