Fei Ying Entertainment

Who would be looking for him so urgently?

Chen Pingsheng felt a bit puzzled.

Although he had some money now, he didn't have many wealthy friends in Beijing. Mainly because he disliked attending social gatherings and even more so, engaging in pointless networking.

With an entertainment company under his name, it would have been easy to expand his connections—just by dining out frequently with his actresses. But that wasn't his style. Making money wasn't about having meals with the right people.

Taking the business card from Bai Xin, he found it was quite exquisitely made—golden, shiny, and stylish.

Perhaps it was confidence, but the card only contained a name and a phone number, nothing else.

Using his company's landline, he dialed the number. A young man answered.

"President Chen, right?"

"Yes. And you are?"

Chen Pingsheng remained polite. Everyone knew that Beijing was a deep pond filled with snapping turtles.

"Oh, I'm Wang Yanfeng from Fei Ying Entertainment. You've heard of Fei Ying, haven't you?"

The guy sounded quite arrogant, but honestly, Chen Pingsheng had never heard of it.

Covering the receiver, he turned to Bai Xin. "Ever heard of Fei Ying Entertainment?"

Bai Xin thought for a few seconds before gasping. "Fei Ying?"

"They're a big deal?"

She shook her head, but her expression darkened. "Not exactly, but Fei Ying is known for being ruthless. Their tactics are terrifying. Remember that male actor who became famous recently?"

"Fei Ying wanted him for a film, but the script was trash, so he turned them down. Less than a month later, they set him up—bribed his driver, framed him for soliciting prostitutes, and sent him straight to jail."

Bai Xin sighed. "Now, everyone in the industry fears Fei Ying. It's a shame about Wang Haibo. He was talented, had great character, and every actress he worked with had nothing but good things to say about him. But Fei Ying still ruined him."

So, they were just a company that thrived on underhanded tricks.

Picking up the phone again, Chen Pingsheng replied calmly, "Fei Ying Entertainment is quite famous—I've certainly heard of you. But what do you want from me?"

"Naturally, a business deal. Your company is investing in Hua Qian Gu, right? Fei Ying would like to buy a stake. What do you think, President Chen?"

The guy's tone was overly confident and greasy.

A typical rich kid playing entrepreneur.

Chen Pingsheng despised these types. They started businesses while standing on their parents' shoulders, already at the top from day one. They never experienced the struggles their parents went through.

Their confidence was misplaced, their arrogance unbearable. If your parents were on their level or higher, they might treat you with some respect. If not, they'd look down on you—maybe even pity you.

Rich second-generation entrepreneurs always relied on fancy theories from books or high-end conferences. They never stepped out of their comfort zones to understand what customers truly needed.

"I'm very much against it. Not interested."

Regardless of their intentions, Chen Pingsheng hung up immediately.

There was no way he'd work with a shady company like that.

---

Meanwhile, in a Guangdong hotel…

A stunning woman with long, wavy black hair took deep breaths as she straddled the man beneath her. She noticed that after answering the call, his expression had soured even more.

These damned second-gen rich kids.

She had worked so hard to make him chase after her. Now that they were finally in a hotel, she was putting in all her effort—yet he still dared to get distracted?

Oh, she was going to make him regret that.

"Brother Feng, you promised I'd be the lead in Hua Qian Gu."

So she was an actress too. Now that their business was done, she draped a sheer shawl over her shoulders, revealing just enough to make Wang Yanfeng's heart race.

Guangdong was nothing like Beijing—it only had one season: summer. The only cold days were around Chinese New Year.

"Don't worry, I keep my promises."

The irritation in Wang Yanfeng's eyes vanished in an instant. In Guangdong, everyone knew his father was a real estate tycoon.

Fei Ying Entertainment was just a side project. Eventually, he would return to inherit the family's real estate empire—that was the real business.

But now, someone had dared to hang up on him?

Unforgivable.

And it wasn't even someone with status or connections—just some nobody.

Who the hell was Chen Pingsheng to hang up on him?

He decided he would personally go to Beijing and teach that guy a lesson.

Everyone knew that early real estate tycoons never had clean hands. No one would take you seriously if you played by the rules.

For example, you couldn't even get rid of stubborn homeowners refusing to move out.

One of Wang Yanfeng's most ruthless moves had been burning down half a village.

No one ever found out he was behind it. The worst that happened was him stepping down from his family's real estate company for a while.

His father, of course, took care of everything.

Now, running Fei Ying Entertainment, he had played with plenty of small-time actresses. But having his offer rejected for a film?

These arrogant actors really didn't understand how real estate tycoons operated.

When people crossed them, they didn't just blacklist them—they ended careers permanently.

To Wang Yanfeng, Teng Ying Entertainment was nothing more than an ant he could crush with ease.

And ants needed to understand their place.

He immediately made plans to head north.

Teng Ying Entertainment was new, but he had already investigated them.

The company's founder had started out selling fruit on the streets.

It reminded him of that guy from Shenzhen, surnamed Yao—another businessman who started small and was now making waves in the capital market.

Even crazier, that fruit seller was now challenging Vanke, the world's largest real estate developer.

That was just absurd.

Vanke was widely recognized as China's top real estate company.

But after going public, its shares had become highly fragmented, giving Yao an opportunity.

If he actually managed to take down Vanke, he'd become a legend overnight.

So, maybe he shouldn't underestimate these "street rats."

Still, Wang Yanfeng wasn't going to let this go.

If he didn't teach Chen Pingsheng a lesson now, what was stopping others from rejecting him in the future?

---

Meanwhile, Chen Pingsheng was minding his own business, unaware that trouble was coming his way.

But that was normal. You couldn't make money in business without making enemies.

His fruit business, Teng Sheng Fruits, had started in Shijingshan. Along the way, countless small fruit shops had been crushed under its expansion.

Small businesses simply couldn't survive against giants.

But with Lu Zhen's Legend about to air on the country's most-watched TV station, things were looking up.

Zhao Liying had come to see him with good news.

"Brother Chen, I'm heading to the southern province for Lu Zhen's promotional tour."

The show she was appearing on was China's biggest entertainment variety show—Happy Family.

Chen Pingsheng had no reason to stop her. This was a great opportunity to boost her fame.

"Liying, I actually have something to discuss with you."

He continued, "I recently opened a Fei Yang Yang Hotpot chain in Beijing. I'll need your influence for promotion. This year, I'm investing ten million, and next year, I plan to add another hundred million. If you're interested, I'd like to offer you a 15% stake."

"This is my first time venturing into the restaurant business. My goal is simple—I want to build one of China's top ten restaurant chains within three years."

"And within five years, I plan to take it public. Your shares will remain yours no matter what happens."

Zhao Liying agreed without hesitation.

"I trust you, Brother Chen."

She could easily afford ten million.

Her paycheck for Hua Qian Gu alone was 12 million.

Chen Pingsheng smiled. "Then go ahead. The southern province is actually where my wife and I grew up. Fei Yang Yang will meet its targets—I'll make sure of it."

Being a celebrity wasn't without risks.

One major scandal could destroy even the brightest careers.

That's why so many actors invested in real businesses.

But very few actually succeeded.

Only a small handful can truly excel.

After Zhao Liying went to the southern province for promotions, Tengying Entertainment had even less to do.

Most of the productions approaching them—nine out of ten—were destined to lose money.

This wasn't just a wild guess; it was an analysis based on his golden finger.

Among the big productions, only Yang Mi's Three Lives, Three Worlds could turn a profit.

Yang Mi was a true queen, undoubtedly one of the top stars in the entertainment industry.

Bringing her under his wing as a long-term spokesperson for Shui Yun Jian wouldn't be easy.

He had found the queen to endorse the chest; now, he still needed someone for the hips.

At the moment, there wasn't a suitable candidate, so he'd have to keep a close watch.

With Zhao Liying in the south and Bai Xin busy filming Hua Qiangu, there was suddenly nothing much happening at Tengying.

He wasn't about to sit around waiting for a profitable project to come knocking.

Instead, he decided to visit Gao Hu.

The first Fei Yang Yang restaurant was about half a month away from completion.

Chen Pingsheng, without hesitation, waved his cash and immediately secured four more locations in Shijingshan.

With that, he completed this year's planned ten-million-yuan investment into Fei Yang Yang.

At the moment, everyone was still in training mode.

The chefs were focused on refining the menu, while he was most concerned about serving times.

The waitstaff, naturally, were training in customer service.

Their training ran from 8 AM to 7 PM daily, and it wasn't unpaid—everyone received their regular wages as if the restaurant were already open.

This was the advantage of having capital. A large upfront investment ensured that everything could be perfected before launching.

Gao Hu, being a true player in the Shacheng food scene, had an outstanding network in the chef community.

He immediately recruited over a dozen top chefs. When they heard four more restaurants were opening, word spread quickly, and nearly fifty chefs were brought on board in no time.

It all came down to connections and, more importantly, the fact that Chen Pingsheng was actually willing to pay.

During training, head chefs received a minimum salary of 18,000 yuan, chefs 12,000 yuan, prep cooks 5,000 yuan, and servers a uniform 6,000 yuan—with meals and lodging included.

He even rented a five-story building in Shijingshan as Fei Yang Yang's headquarters: three floors for staff accommodations, two for training.

Chen Pingsheng personally worked with them to refine the restaurant's serving time standards.

Take, for example, their signature fish hotpot.

If they slaughtered and cooked the fish on the spot, it would take at least 20 minutes—far too long.

Their solution? Still adhere to the fresh-kill standard, but prep everything a day in advance and freeze it.

This would slightly impact the fish's natural freshness, but dramatically reduce serving times.

After all, Fei Yang Yang's brand identity was all about quality food at great prices.

Fast service meant good service.

No matter how warm and heartfelt your hospitality was, if customers had to wait 20 minutes for their food, it was pointless.

Chen Pingsheng set a strict standard: for a typical table ordering three meat dishes and five vegetable dishes, everything had to be served within ten minutes—no exceptions, no matter how busy the restaurant got.

In the budget dining industry, speed of service was everything.

Once speed was guaranteed, they could focus on improving taste as much as possible.

This was Fei Yang Yang's absolute benchmark.

If they couldn't meet it, he'd rather delay opening until they perfected the system.

He had the money. He could afford to wait.

Under his pressure, Gao Hu and his team spent every day brainstorming ways to increase efficiency while maintaining quality.

Once they developed the best methods, they trained all the chefs to follow strict standardized procedures.

Chen Pingsheng might not fully understand the dining habits of high-end customers, but he knew everyday people's needs inside out.

First, it had to be affordable.

Then, it had to be fast.

Lastly, if it tasted decent and the service was passable, that was good enough.

This order of priorities couldn't be reversed. Getting it wrong meant failure.

He understood this so well because he had once been just another ordinary working-class customer.

People were busy making money, their lives already hectic.

If they took the time to eat out, they weren't going to sit around and wait.

Price was always the first consideration.

That's why Fei Yang Yang had a firm policy: no dish could have a profit margin higher than 35%.

As long as the restaurant didn't lose money, making a profit wasn't the priority.

After all, anyone playing the capital game wasn't looking to squeeze profits from customers.

That wouldn't even be capitalism.

The real game was making money in the capital markets.

A 35% gross profit margin in the restaurant business? That was the absolute industry minimum.