The Brother-in-Law Arrives

Shuiyun Pavilion was set to open in mid-October.

Right now, they were still busy organizing various tools, training employees, and handling early-stage marketing.

Having nothing better to do, Chen Pingsheng spent his time running around with his wife, Song Yanxi.

His fruit store had already started its prepaid recharge system this month. Whether he showed up or not, the money kept flowing in.

Taking advantage of this free time, he decided to learn more about the beauty industry.

At noon, Chen Pingsheng drove his newly bought Brabus to treat Zhou Chun and the others to Beijing roast duck.

There were more than ten people, so his sister, Chen Qi, drove another car to accommodate everyone.

These girls from the southern province hadn't had the chance to properly explore the capital yet.

Since he was free, he figured he might as well take them sightseeing.

The Forbidden City, museums—none of Beijing's landmarks should be missed.

On the way, Chen Qi asked him, "Bro, didn't you invest in the entertainment industry too? Can you take us for a visit?"

"What's so interesting about film shoots?"

Chen Pingsheng, the experienced 'driver,' remained steady:

"If you guys want to meet celebrities, just wait until my Tengying Entertainment opens. I'll take you then."

Chen Qi was surprised. Was her brother planning to start an entertainment company now?

Was he really entering the industry?

"Bro, since when did you have that kind of ability?"

"It's not about ability, just pure luck."

Chen Pingsheng chuckled. "Back in the day, your sister-in-law and I met a young extra. You know me—my academic background isn't great, but my judgment is top-notch. The moment I saw that girl, I knew she had the makings of a big star. So, I followed her lead and stepped into the entertainment world."

"She's still filming right now, but once she's done, I'll introduce you all."

"Sounds good!" Chen Qi grinned. "The biggest star I've ever met in my life is Chen Yingjun from our own family."

"Oh? You even met him? Not bad."

Chen Pingsheng boasted, "Just wait until I establish myself in the entertainment industry. Then I'll introduce you to Yang Mi and Liu Shishi."

Both actresses were immensely popular at the moment, especially Yang Mi.

Her drama Palace was airing on the Mango TV network in the southern province, making waves nationwide.

Chen Qi was a huge fan.

If he could somehow invite her to Shuiyun Pavilion for a breast care treatment, they wouldn't even need marketing.

The place would explode with customers.

After all, "Big-Bust Mi" wasn't just a nickname for nothing.

Of course, Chen Pingsheng was just casually bragging in front of the girls.

He never expected his wife, Song Yanxi, to suddenly perk up with interest.

This silly wife of his—what was she thinking?

Did she really believe they could afford to invite Yang Mi? The advertising costs alone would be astronomical.

After returning to Shuiyun Pavilion, they didn't go anywhere else.

In a few days, his eldest sister, Chen Yao, would be arriving with her husband, and he had to go pick them up.

He also needed to help them find a storefront.

His sister's matters had to be handled personally.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chun dragged him in for a shoulder and neck therapy session, followed by a kidney care treatment.

No misunderstandings—this wasn't one of those shady "598 half-dragon" services.

It was a legitimate therapy designed to enhance male kidney function.

After testing, it turned out he was slightly sub-healthy, which could affect his sleep quality and energy levels at night.

Nothing serious—just minor issues.

If he visited regularly, a few months would show significant improvement.

Beauty salons weren't just for women; they also helped men address sub-health issues.

The benefits were plenty—the only drawback was the cost.

The treatment package Zhou Chun recommended to him cost over a thousand yuan per session in Shacheng.

At Shuiyun Pavilion in Beijing, it would be priced at least 2,680 yuan per session.

Only the truly wealthy could afford it.

A single session wouldn't yield noticeable effects, but a ten-session package could reportedly extend "intimate activities" by five minutes—

And that was the intense kind of five minutes.

This was the benefit of regular maintenance.

Chen Pingsheng felt that investing in this salon was absolutely worth it—

After all, he could frequent the place himself.

On October 8th, just after the National Day holiday, his sister Chen Yao and her husband finally arrived.

They brought along heaps of luggage, intending to settle in permanently.

Her husband had been a driver in Shacheng, starting with illegal taxis before switching to Didi.

Now that he was here, he planned to buy a car and continue driving for Didi.

Running a store together as a couple was risky—if business was slow, they'd be in trouble.

For him, having a car meant having a sense of security.

Chen Pingsheng had never actually registered for any ride-hailing apps before, but with his brother-in-law's guidance, he set up an account on his phone.

When selecting a car, he thought about it and entered his Brabus, a B-class Mercedes.

Now, he was officially a luxury car driver.

His brother-in-law hadn't brought his car from Shacheng, and the ones Chen Pingsheng had at home weren't suitable—

Most of them had turbocharged engines, which guzzled fuel and weren't cost-effective.

For Didi drivers, the go-to choices were either BYD or Volkswagen.

His brother-in-law patiently explained the latest ride-hailing policies and how to exploit platform subsidies.

At peak times, he could earn over 2,000 yuan a day—

A pretty solid income.

They planned to sell their old car in Shacheng and buy a ten-thousand-yuan Volkswagen in Beijing.

As for the license plate, that was up to Chen Pingsheng to handle.

That was no problem at all.

Once their small convenience store was set up, his brother-in-law could continue driving part-time for a stable income.

Since they didn't have a place to stay in Beijing, he asked Song Yanxi to buy them an apartment nearby.

He had already bought a house and gifted a car to his younger sister, along with a quarter-share of Shuiyun Pavilion.

Naturally, his eldest sister deserved the same treatment.

The apartment was a three-bedroom, one-living-room unit,

120 square meters, located in Shijingshan District.

Fully furnished—

Chen Pingsheng would never buy an off-plan property.

For their store, he found a place right next to his fruit shop.

It was a little over 100 square meters, with a transfer fee of 480,000 yuan—

Non-negotiable.

He paid the amount and covered the rent for a full year.

With no rent pressure in the first year, his sister would easily make at least 500,000 to 600,000 yuan.

After all, the annual rent alone was over 300,000 yuan.

Once his sister's matters were settled, it was already mid-October.

Shuiyun Pavilion was about to open, but he didn't attend the ceremony.

With his wife handling everything, it wasn't necessary.

In the fruit industry, however, a major scandal broke out—

And it wasn't good news for them.

A fruit chain company in Pengcheng, with registered capital exceeding ten million,

Vanished overnight after illegally raising over a billion yuan in funds.

The impact was massive.

Ironically, their business model was somewhat similar to his.

Fruit retail, as a traditional industry, had two main ways to quickly acquire capital:

First, through store promotions and recharge programs,

attracting customer funds for expansion.

This was exactly what the Pengcheng company did—

Except they went overboard.

Prepay 1,000 yuan and get 30% off.

Prepay 5,000 yuan and get 50% off.

Some even offered a 70% discount.

Clearly, from the start, they never intended to run a long-term business.

The second method was securing advance payments from wholesalers.

As a company grows, middlemen looking to collaborate often need to invest upfront—

Essentially prepaying for inventory.

The company's sudden disappearance affected over 100,000 members in Pengcheng.

Some had a few hundred yuan left in their accounts; others had thousands.

The boss simply vanished, leaving behind a catastrophic mess.

Dozens of wholesale fruit suppliers were also impacted,

With losses ranging from millions to tens of millions.

People were protesting daily at government offices, making a huge scene.

The aftermath was severe.

Even Chen Pingsheng was summoned for several "talks" and had no time for Shuiyun Pavilion's grand opening.

Unsurprisingly, due to this scandal,

news outlets and financial channels began heavily condemning illegal fundraising practices.

As a result, Tengsheng Fruits, Nongguoyuan, and other similar businesses were ordered by the authorities to halt all recharge programs on the same day.