Having eaten and drunk their fill, the group was full of energy.
Chen Lei was the first to suggest they all go hang out at his bar.
"My bar has a new bartender. He’s got some slick moves, and he makes some of his own signature cocktails."
"Why don’t you all come with me to check him out? You can be my guinea pigs for his new drinks."
At this, Zhang Chi’s and Yang Qiniang’s eyes immediately lit up.
Both of them were interested in watching flair bartending.
No one else had any objections.
Only Chen Jun fastened his previously loosened cufflinks, saying to the group with a smile:
"I have something to attend to in a bit, so I’ll sit this one out. Let Chen Lei show you a good time."
The others nodded eagerly.
To be honest, if Chen Jun had come along, everyone’s enthusiasm would have been cut in half, at least.
It wasn’t that Chen Jun was unwelcome.
The main issue was that the eldest brother of the Chen family had too powerful of a presence.
Strictly speaking, he wasn’t really part of their social circle.
With a man like that present, everyone would feel too constrained to let loose.
Of course, Chen Jun didn’t actually have anything to do; he had simply noticed their discomfort.
Besides, Chen Jun was long past his youthful, party-loving days.
And he understood all too well how precious time was.
So he decided not to tag along and join the fun.
Chen Lei’s gaze fell on Lin Feng.
Lin Feng nodded. "Don’t worry, of course I’m going."
"I want to see what this new bartender’s skills are like!"
Everyone had driven to the restaurant for dinner.
And no one had been drinking.
So, they all drove their own cars to Chen Lei’s bar.
Yang Qiniang slid quite naturally into the passenger seat of Lin Feng’s car.
"Brother Feng, did you really close a five-hundred-million deal?"
One of the reasons Yang Qiniang had been too distracted to fully enjoy his meal was his sheer astonishment at the massive deal.
Especially since it was a deal struck between Lin Feng and the future leader of the Chen Group.
The impact of this was far greater than that of any fine cuisine.
Lin Feng nodded and floored the accelerator.
The Ferrari moved so fast down the open road it almost left an afterimage.
"Of course, but Chen Lei’s introduction was certainly a factor."
"Just relax. Our investment firm’s reputation is growing, so we’ll have more and more capital flowing in from now on."
"Always remember, we’re just the managers of this capital. Only the profits we earn from it are the empire we’re building for ourselves."
Lin Feng said meaningfully.
Yang Qiniang felt a sudden jolt.
He was pulled out of his earlier state of elation.
’It’s just as Lin Feng said.’
’There’s no need to focus on the amount of investment capital we receive.’
’What matters is how much profit the firm can generate with that capital.’
’What’s truly ours is what’s left over after paying the investors their share.’
’Take the two percent return guaranteed to Brother Lei, for example.’
’Strictly speaking, Lin Feng had generated a seven-fold return on that ten million.’
’He only needed to give up two percent of that to satisfy Brother Lei’s demand.’
’All the remaining profits went to the firm.’
As he thought of this, Yang Qiniang suddenly remembered a question he had been meaning to ask Lin Feng:
"Brother Feng, what rate of return did you offer Chen Jun?"
"Just five percent a month."
Lin Feng answered casually upon hearing the question.
But when Yang Qiniang, sitting beside him, heard this number, he was completely floored:
"Five percent? That’s so high!"
"When Vice President Li’s team was managing investments, a monthly return of six or seven percent already meant taking on huge risks..."
The more Yang Qiniang learned about this industry, the more profoundly he understood the balance between risk and reward.
Lin Feng hit the brakes, executing a stylish drift that brought the car to a halt right in front of Chen Lei’s bar.
Before getting out, Lin Feng glanced at Yang Qiniang. "With a sum this large, I’ll naturally be managing it myself."
"Just like last time, I’ll be investing it in the United States stock market."
Hearing this, Yang Qiniang was suddenly reminded of Lin Feng’s previous thrilling investments in the United States stock market.
You could say he practically doubled his money in just a day or two.
That was a testament to Lin Feng’s skill.
However, Yang Qiniang was well aware that the United States stock market had been sluggish lately.
If one were to invest during this period, no one could guarantee whether the market would trend up or down.
In other words, the investment risk was currently quite high.
It would be very easy to lose one’s entire investment.
Yang Qiniang was about to speak, but when he looked up, he saw that Lin Feng had already gotten out of the car.
The others were waiting for him and Lin Feng at the entrance to the bar.
So, Yang Qiniang swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
’Besides, the two of them were in the same company and saw each other every day.’
’He could find another opportunity to bring this up with Brother Feng later.’
...
「Inside the bar.」
The new bartender’s moves were indeed impressive.
And in just a few short minutes, he had carved several beautifully shaped cups out of ice.
A mixture of potent liquor and other ingredients was poured into the ice cups.
Lin Feng picked up his "Icy World" and downed it in one go.
Instantly, the burn of the potent liquor filled his mouth.
But after the burn, a mellow, fruity aroma coated the tip of his tongue.
Savoring it revealed a rich, mellow flavor, almost like a milkshake.
The ice cup gave the drink an icy-cold mouthfeel.
And it preserved the freshness of each flavor to the fullest.
’This is a good drink.’
Lin Feng smiled and nodded, setting down the glass. "This drink is really good. It looks like you found the right bartender."
A pleased expression appeared on Chen Lei’s face. "I paid a high salary to poach him from a bar overseas."
"Even though I’m not that dedicated to managing this bar, I do appreciate talent!"
Seeing Chen Lei’s self-congratulatory expression, everyone else couldn’t help but laugh.
The atmosphere was just right.
Lin Feng settled onto the sofa and gave Yang Qiniang a meaningful look.
After all, Yang Qiniang’s briefcase contained the documents.
They were detailed records of the investors’ returns for the past month.
"Oh, right. Last time I was at Brother Lei’s bar, I made a deal with each of you."
"The one-month period is up, so I should show you the relevant paperwork."
Upon receiving Lin Feng’s signal, Yang Qiniang immediately distributed the documents.
Chen Lei had, of course, already been given his copy.
When the others received their reports and saw the two percent return listed, they were all a bit stunned.
Honestly, at the time, every one of them had felt the same as Chen Lei; they hadn’t expected to earn that much in just a month.
They had just seen it as a bit of fun and a way to support their brother.
But now that they were actually holding the money and the records, they were utterly shocked.
"Not bad! In just one month, you really made this much for us!"
Zhang Chi raised his eyebrows as he held the financial records.
Zhang Chi had originally invested five million.
A two percent monthly return meant he had directly pocketed a hundred thousand yuan in profit.
To be honest, while one hundred thousand yuan wasn’t a lot of money,
if that five million were deposited in a bank,
it would probably take over a year to achieve the same return.
But with Lin Feng, it only took one month!
And everyone present was well aware that Lin Feng and Yang Qiniang’s company hadn’t been established for very long.
To achieve such a high rate of return right out of the gate was a sign of extraordinary ability.
So, when the others received their records, they exchanged glances and, almost in unison, placed the files back in Yang Qiniang’s hands.
"In that case, just keep it in your hands, Brother Feng."
"Just consider it my personal slush fund."
Zhang Chi said, taking the lead.
The others all nodded.
They all essentially did the same thing.
After all, the money they had been able to put up was just spare cash they had on hand.
Now, seeing that Lin Feng’s company could bring in such high returns, they might as well just let it continue to grow in Lin Feng’s hands.
He wasn’t surprised by this outcome; after all, the wealthier people are, the more of a mind they have for financial management.
So Lin Feng didn’t refuse, simply saying as a general suggestion:
"Since everyone trusts me, I’ll continue to invest this money on your behalf."
"I will deposit the two percent return into each of your accounts every month."
No one else had any objections to this arrangement.
Zhang Chi even hesitated for a moment before investing another five million.
The others also chipped in with further investments, some more, some less.
As a result, by the time they left the bar, Lin Feng had over ten million more yuan in hand.
This was the additional capital they had just invested.
Although it paled in comparison to Chen Jun’s five-hundred-million-yuan investment, but for an investment firm, one could never have too much money.
Since they had been drinking, Chen Lei thoughtfully called for designated drivers for everyone.
Although Chen Lei seemed flighty and careless when it came to business, as a friend, he was quite meticulous and considerate.

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