Gao Hu Comes to the Capital

The next day.

Chen Pingsheng and Song Yanxi drove their Panamera to Shijingshan Street.

His elder sister was opening her store today, and it wasn't just their family who came to support her.

Liu Fen and Song Huamin also joined them.

As the saying goes, "Even distant relatives come when wealth is involved."

Chen Yao, the eldest sister, was all smiles. Her husband, Xiao Ping'an, had been earning a decent income driving for a ride-hailing service. Now, with their small convenience store opening, their family was moving up another level.

Of course, they never dared to dream as big as Chen Pingsheng, who was opening large fruit supermarkets all over the place, setting up entertainment companies in the Second Ring, and even investing in high-end beauty businesses.

Their only focus was on running this small store well. If they could steadily earn a few hundred thousand yuan a year, then by the time their child started middle school, they could bring them to the city.

A solid plan.

"Big Sis, congratulations on your grand opening."

Chen Pingsheng clasped his hands together and said, "I didn't prepare a red envelope for you, so I'm giving you this car instead."

His family had no shortage of cars, and this second-hand Panamera was just sitting unused.

The casual way he gifted it left Liu Fen, standing nearby, wide-eyed.

If we're talking about family ties, as his mother-in-law, wasn't she just as close as his own sister?

Unfortunately, the past had already strained their relationship. If not for that, given how rundown her old Volkswagen was, shouldn't this son-in-law have gifted the Panamera to her instead?

It's not fair to favor one side over the other.

Chen Yao was taken aback. "Little brother, we already have a car. You don't have to be so generous."

"Oh, come on. You took care of us when we were kids. Besides, Brother-in-law's car is for work, picking up passengers. This one is for your personal use."

"Big Sis, just take it. Do you even realize how many cars my brother has? His garage is practically overflowing. If he doesn't start giving some away, how's he supposed to buy new ones?" Chen Qi chimed in.

"You know me too well, hahaha."

The family headed inside.

The convenience store wasn't big, just a little over 100 square meters.

But on a bustling commercial street like this, it was more than enough. Right next to it was a massive Tengsheng Fruit Supermarket, thriving with business.

Chen Pingsheng didn't stay long. After lunch, he headed home.

Liu Fen, however, lingered behind.

When her daughter was alone, she started throwing exaggerated glances.

"Sweetheart, is your garage really full?"

Her meaning was obvious—if it's too full, she'd gladly help make some space.

Any car would do. After all, if he was giving away a used Panamera, the rest in his garage must be worth millions.

If she could get one, she'd have the perfect excuse to stroll around and show off to the relatives every day.

"You actually believe that?"

Song Yanxi wasn't about to give her an opening.

Yes, they had a lot of cars, but they were all bought with real money. It wasn't like they were just handing them out left and right.

Besides, back when her family was struggling, even coming over for a meal meant getting scolded and sent away.

She remembered.

Now, she'd let her see but not touch.

Liu Fen's face turned red with embarrassment, and Song Huamin pulled her away.

"Don't humiliate yourself. No need for this."

Besides, at her age, if she really did get a new car, even the local scammers would have a hard time pulling their usual tricks on her.

That afternoon, since Song Yanxi had nothing to do, she tagged along with Chen Pingsheng to Tengying Entertainment in the Second Ring.

Bai Xin had been diligent, keeping the place spotless.

Seeing how massive the company was yet only having two employees, Song Yanxi found it rather baffling.

The place felt too empty.

Bai Xin walked over and said, "Boss, two small production teams came by this morning looking for you. They were hoping for investment. Here are their business cards."

Hiring a young cleaning lady who could double as a tutor and a personal secretary—definitely money well spent.

"What kind of projects are they working on?"

"Low-budget web dramas."

Ever since word got out that they were investing in The Journey of Flower, they had made it known they were open to funding other productions.

People started coming to them for investment.

These projects usually required just a few million yuan—not enough to make a fortune, but also not much of a loss.

Chen Pingsheng wasn't particularly interested.

"Boss, have you seen the news? LeTV established its own entertainment company this year. They even brought in countless A-list celebrities as shareholders, including some big-name directors. Even the guy behind Tiny Times joined them."

How could he not know?

This year, one of the hottest entrepreneurs was Lei Bu Si, who took Xiaomi global in just a few short years.

The other was none other than Jia Bu Si, who was expanding at a ridiculous pace, shouting about "ecosystem integration."

Lei Bu Si followed a classic internet entrepreneurship model, changing how traditional mobile phone sales worked and combining it with his incredible fan marketing.

Xiaomi phones were always out of stock, mastering the art of scarcity marketing.

But Jia Bu Si… that guy was harder to read.

By all accounts, LeTV's stock was soaring. Investors were scrambling to get in, including the infamous son of a billionaire, Lao Wang's kid.

Yet despite all that, Jia was still expanding like a madman—making TVs, making phones, and even planning to build cars.

It was as if he wanted to kick Apple with one foot and punch Tesla with the other, all while messing with Lei Bu Si in between.

He was on fire, but it looked like he was about to explode too.

Unlike Li Ka-shing's businesses, which could withstand any storm, LeTV didn't have a single stable revenue stream.

That was dangerous.

There was a reason why BTA (Baidu, Tencent, Alibaba) dominated the internet for so long.

The entire industry had formed factions.

Any internet startup either aligned with one of the three giants or got acquired.

That was the only way to survive.

Why? Because their core businesses were unshakable.

Alibaba had e-commerce.

Tencent had social media and gaming.

Baidu had search and advertising.

As long as those pillars stood, even if they burned money elsewhere, they remained untouchable.

LeTV, on the other hand, didn't have a single profitable business.

It looked suspiciously like a Ponzi scheme.

"Let's just focus on our own business. Those big shots are in a whole different league."

Chen Pingsheng was realistic.

He was just a fruit seller who dabbled in entertainment.

No way he could compare to billionaires like Jia.

Two more days passed, and November arrived.

Beijing's temperature dropped to around ten degrees Celsius, and people had started wearing down jackets.

Just as Chen Pingsheng finished breakfast, he received a WeChat message.

"Old Chen, still hiding under your blanket? Get your ass to the train station and pick me up."

That shameless bastard Gao Hu had arrived.

Chen Pingsheng told Song Yanxi he was heading to the train station.

He drove his big Lincoln Navigator.

Whenever Gao Hu returned to Shacheng, he had everything planned out to perfection.

The best food, the most expensive foot massages, and the most exclusive karaoke joints.

He was generous to a fault—whenever he was around, his friends never had to spend a dime.

Now that he was visiting Beijing, Chen Pingsheng had to return the favor.

A brothers' night out was no place for a wife.

He'd bring him home for dinner later. Since Gao Hu was here to meet a potential girlfriend, he'd probably behave.

Turns out, Chen Pingsheng was dead wrong.

At the train station, the moment Gao Hu got in the car, he patted the Lincoln Navigator.

"Old Chen, all our classmates back home said you struck it rich in Beijing. I didn't believe them, but damn, they weren't lying. Driving a million-yuan luxury SUV! Paid in full or on installment?"

"Do I look like someone who needs to finance a car?"

Chen Pingsheng chuckled. "So, you wanna eat first or visit my company?"

"Food's everywhere. First, take me to Heaven on Earth. Always heard about it but never had the chance to go."

"That place is gone. But don't worry, I'll set up something even better tonight. I'll show you the real nightlife in Beijing."

"What do you mean real? You make it sound like I'm some country bumpkin."

"Heh, you actually are. The stuff you played with before? Doesn't even compare."

Chen Pingsheng smirked. "Just so you know, the women tonight are all from TV. If you can play, that's up to them."

"What?!" Gao Hu's eyes widened. "Man, if I didn't know you for years, I'd think you were full of shit."

"Heh, in Beijing, if you have money, nothing is out of reach. Tonight, I'll open your eyes."

He knew Gao Hu had been doing well back in Shacheng, even opening branch stores.

Getting him to visit wasn't easy.

"I have to make him understand my true strength."

Upon arriving at Tengying Entertainment in the second ring, this guy immediately spotted Bai Xin, his eyes nearly popping out.

"This is what you call a janitor?"