"How come you three came together? Aren't you busy today?"
As Chen Pingjiang arrived in the downstairs living room in the morning, he saw Zhou Guanghan and the other two already waiting.
Dai Sheng respectfully said,
"Boss, our bar is opening this weekend. The three of us specifically came to invite you to attend the opening ceremony."
"Decorated so quickly? It hasn't even been a few months."
"If we don't hurry, it'll get hot soon, and the peak season will arrive, and we won't be able to open."
There's no doubt that the bar's peak season is summer.
Firstly, the weather is hot, people are reluctant to go out during the day, and they spend their energy at night.
Moreover, in summer, beautiful women dress coolly, which makes men eager to stir.
Chen Pingjiang asked,
"Is everything that needs to be prepared ready?"
"Staff and drinks are all set, we can open anytime."
Chen Pingjiang nodded,
"Then I'll go over this weekend."
It's not surprising news for a big shot to open a bar; didn't Ma Yun also open a bar? Besides, many celebrities also like to open bars.
Whether it's for the purpose of supporting good friends or being a major shareholder themselves, attending the opening ceremony is essential.
If these three don't have their own backing and lack other resources, whether the bar can thrive is truly questionable.
...
Night fell, and Tiangong Bar, located not far from 1912 Bar Street, opened today.
Starting from 4 PM, many flowers and pink balloons were placed at the bar's entrance.
Strictly speaking, Tiangong Bar's location is not ideal, tucked away in a corner.
However, Chen Pingjiang invested 150 million, being rich and willful, and the resulting effect is far superior to Soho's bars by more than one level.
Currently, there are no new bars in Dongjiang; they are all old brands, and the sense of fashion is simply not enough.
Most crucially, parking is incredibly difficult; every time you park, you have to go to the back alley.
Tiangong Bar is different; one person occupies a five-story building, and there are 30 parking spaces at the entrance.
However, there are parking requirements here; it's only for regular customers, VIPs, or those driving luxury cars.
It's impossible for ordinary cars worth 100,000 or 200,000 to enter.
"Holy crap, this bar's decor is pretty awesome. How come the main entrance is designed like a palace?"
"It's been under renovation for a long time. They said it would open today at the end of last month. I plan to go in and check it out later."
"..."
To echo Dongjiang's identity as an ancient capital of six dynasties, Tiangong Bar was renovated to resemble a palace, featuring a city within a city and a building within a building structure.
Inside, there are Nantianmen, Guanghangong, Lingxiaobaodian, Yaochi, etc., each with a distinct style.
The total building area reaches 15,000 square meters, making it currently the largest bar in Dongjiang.
Among these, Nantianmen is the main entrance of Tiangong Bar, including a platform.
Guanghangong is where beautiful women reside.
Zhou Guanghan and the other two arranged the dressing rooms and changing rooms here, and installed a particularly large floor-to-ceiling glass.
Yaochi is the buffet restaurant section, also serving as a central kitchen.
They specifically hired head chefs from various cuisines and a Michelin-starred French chef.
Lingxiaobaodian is the main hall area, including the dance floor, stage, booths, etc.
Inside and out, Tiangong Bar is resplendent and brightly lit, with the entrance illuminated.
A dragon and a phoenix at the entrance symbolize prosperity and good fortune, looking majestic and imposing, further highlighting its status.
Frankly, most people wouldn't dare to go in after seeing this grand display.
The bar's opening attracted many onlookers.
Young master Wang Cong, who was recently playing in Dongjiang with his girlfriend, chuckled as his sports car drove past:
"Damn it, a small place is a small place. Dongjiang's bars are far inferior to those in BJ and Shanghai, not even as good as Lin'an. Now there's another bizarre bar, made to look like a palace, glittering and full of nouveau riche vulgarity."
The girlfriend in the passenger seat covered her mouth and laughed,
"This kind looks very tacky. Young people probably won't like it; it's all for those greasy old men."
At this time, Wang Cong was just in his early twenties, full of vigor.
Coupled with the booming real estate market in the past two years, his family's assets were rapidly climbing, giving him a bit more arrogant demeanor.
He would constantly engage in online flame wars on Weibo, disliking this, finding that uncomfortable, and would start confronting anyone who made him uncomfortable.
It wasn't until the real estate winter arrived later that he became much more low-key.
When the car arrived at Soho, the doorman quickly helped Wang Cong and his girlfriend open the car doors, then obediently parked the car.
Several couples at the bar entrance also gathered around.
"Cong Ge!"
"Young master."
Wang Cong nodded lazily, put his arm around his girlfriend, and walked into Soho's entrance.
"Li Bing, if you hadn't insisted on dragging me to Dongjiang for a visit, I really wouldn't bother coming. What's so fun about Dongjiang's nightclubs?"
The young man named Li Bing, with a streak of dyed yellow hair and dressed in hip-hop style, smiled apologetically upon hearing this:
"It certainly can't compare to Shanghai and BJ, but tonight I've arranged with the bar owner to make sure everything's good. I heard he brought in an incredibly awesome DJ team from Southeast Asia, and all the performances have been re-rehearsed."
These few entered quite early; Soho hadn't opened yet.
A waiter led them to the VIP area on the second floor.
A U-shaped sofa, about ten meters long, faced the center of the dance floor.
"Even though it hasn't opened yet, there shouldn't be so few people, right?"
Wang Cong wondered.
Li Bing smiled awkwardly,
"Mainly, a new bar just opened nearby, and many people went to see its opening ceremony."
Wang Cong couldn't help but laugh,
"You mean that bar I saw when I drove by, the one with an entrance made to look like a palace?"
"Yes, that one, called Tiangong."
"Oh, that name's pretty awesome. So, should I learn from Sun Wukong and cause a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace?"
Just then, someone else chimed in:
"It popped up suddenly. I had people check its background, but everyone said they didn't know anything. However, that boss probably has some money, spending roughly 150 million in total. Some people who went inside said the renovation was good. It has a disco, a slow-rock area, a buffet restaurant, and a private club."
Wang Cong gave a dry laugh,
"Definitely a nouveau riche, either a mine owner or a coal boss. Isn't there a bunch of mines in Ma City next to your Dongjiang? Maybe some bumpkin from there set it up. A bar is a bar, but they also have a private club and a buffet restaurant? They've completely lost the bar culture."
"How about we guys go check it out later?"
"No, why rush to show support for someone else?"
There were twenty minutes until the opening.
After a round of drinks, everyone started playing on their phones.
Not long after, Wang Cong's girlfriend let out an "Oh?" and handed her phone to Wang Cong beside her:
"Cong Ge, look at this trending Weibo search. Isn't the bar in the photo the one we just passed... Tiangong?"
"Where? Where? Let me see."
The people around them all opened Weibo on their phones.
Wang Cong took the phone and looked closely.
The title of the trending search was:
"National Heartthrob and Richest Man Chen Pingjiang Low-Key Attends Bar Opening Ceremony."
Another trending search was:
"Chen Pingjiang Partners with Friends to Open a Bar, Investing Nearly 200 Million."
At this point, Wang Cong felt quite embarrassed.
He had just criticized them as bumpkins and nouveau riche, and he didn't expect the boomerang to come back so quickly.
Can Chen Pingjiang be called a nouveau riche or a bumpkin?
What did that make him?
To some extent, Wang Cong actually admired Chen Pingjiang.
The main reason was that Chen Pingjiang was richer than his father.
As for startup stars, Wang Cong didn't care.
If someone had less money than his family, he'd feel superior.
But if someone was truly powerful and rich, he couldn't be arrogant.
"I said the scale was so grand, so it was him. No wonder,"
Li Bing said, then suddenly realized something and subconsciously looked at Wang Cong nervously.
Wang Cong had just disparaged Tiangong Bar so much and even insulted its owner.
Anyone with an ounce of sense wouldn't dare praise Tiangong now, otherwise wouldn't it be slapping Cong Ge's face?
"His main base is in Dongjiang. Aren't your parents prominent figures in Dongjiang? Don't you know him?"
Wang Cong asked curiously.
The few second-generation rich shook their heads,
"Hehe, Cong Ge, to be honest, our level is quite far from Chen Pingjiang's. Even my dad isn't good enough. Xiao Qian, his dad might be okay."
The second-generation rich man named Xiao Qian waved his hand,
"Don't look at me. In my dad's words, this person is very mysterious. The chamber of commerce they usually participate in has invited Chen Pingjiang to attend meetings time and again, even willing to offer him the vice-chairman position, but he looks down on it."
"It seems our richest man is very arrogant, not really giving face to anyone."
Finally, Li Bing commented fairly,
"Although that person is two years younger than me, he probably really looks down on people like us. But he does have the capital to be arrogant. I guess the people he hangs out with are like Xiao Mage and those guys?"
This group were all shrewd people.
Chen Pingjiang couldn't hear them anyway, so what did a few complaints or gossips matter?
But Wang Cong was right beside them.
Praising Chen Pingjiang might trigger Wang Cong's displeasure.
Unexpectedly, Wang Cong smiled:
"Your families are all in steel, machinery, and those industries, while he's in the internet. It's not strange that people from different circles don't get along. Besides, what skills do you all have? Don't you all rely on your families? Mr. Chen is different; he started from scratch and built such a large business in just three or four years. And you're still upset with him? To put it bluntly, are you worthy?"
The few sycophantic rich second-generations present were instantly a little dumbfounded.
They thought,
"Cong Ge, why the hell aren't you playing by the rules?"
Didn't you just come in and say the bar someone else opened was very tacky?
We followed your lead and flattered you, but you turned around and sold us out?
What they didn't know was that Wang Cong merely had a bad temper and was somewhat reckless, but that didn't mean he was stupid.
Chen Pingjiang's level was not one he could contend with, and having an extra friend like him wouldn't be bad.
Moreover, the Weibo platform he used belonged to Chen Pingjiang, and most importantly, his recently established IG team was still counting on official support from LOL.
Offending Chen Pingjiang—wasn't that just crazy?
Everyone outside said Chen Pingjiang was the true God of Wealth; whatever project he undertook, he made huge profits.
He had just received 500 million in startup capital and was looking for projects everywhere.
If he could get in touch with Chen Pingjiang...
Thinking of this, Wang Cong narrowed his eyes, and his gaze became fervent.
(End of chapter)