Chapter 382 - 253: An Old Husband and a Young Wife, a Wife-Doting Maniac

Chapter 382: Chapter 253: An Old Husband and a Young Wife, a Wife-Doting Maniac

An older man with a young wife, a man of considerable wealth who seemed to absolutely dote on her.

’A brand-new "human specimen" for me to analyze,’ Lin Chu thought, silently running through his logical deductions.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere grew more casual and lively.

"Brother Yuan, here, let me toast you. I have a truly excellent impression of your company, and that’s mainly because of Haitao. I was just looking for a driver at first, but after working with him for a while, I found everything went smoothly. It’s the little things that reveal the bigger picture, and it’s clear you’re great at managing your people."

Lin Chu began to subtly steer the conversation toward business.

"That’s not my accomplishment; it’s the country’s. As veterans, their integrity, discipline, and ability to get things done are all beyond question."

"Of course, how a person conducts themselves comes down to personal character, and Xiaogao is very capable on his own."

With both bosses praising him, Gao Haitao felt a little embarrassed. He offered some modest words and proactively toasted each of them.

"I don’t have any special skills. It’s all thanks to the guidance of my leaders. I’m in my thirties, and I’ve met two great benefactors. All the good luck seems to have fallen on me."

"Right after I left the service, I met President Yuan. I’ve been with him for ten years, working my way up from a security guard to a manager."

"Now, for the next decade, President Lin is promoting me to General Manager. I just hope I can do my utmost and not disappoint him."

Gao Haitao was beaming, his words tinged with a genuine sense of awe.

His luck was incredible!

Yuan Fang and Lin Chu couldn’t help but smile.

"President Lin, what does your family do?"

Yuan Fang suddenly asked.

Lin Chu’s expression flickered at the question. He smiled and said, "Just an ordinary family. I guess you could say I’m self-made, ha..."

Yuan Fang gave him a long, searching look. His brow furrowed slightly as his knuckles tapped gently on the table.

"Strictly speaking, the security industry isn’t capital-intensive. It’s network-intensive."

"Frankly, without powerful connections, it’s impossible to land a lot of contracts."

"’Once a person leaves, the tea grows cold.’ That’s a fundamental rule."

"Forget about external business. Internally, you’ll have to deal with the branch managers. Each one is like a warlord with his own little fiefdom. They’ll be a huge headache for you. In our line of work, there really aren’t many ’good guys,’ ha..."

He was finally getting down to business, but he clearly wasn’t optimistic. His words were brutally direct.

’Little brother, you don’t have the background for this. You’ll have a hard time managing it. You’ll most likely lose money, and you won’t even be able to control your own people.’

Despite this, Lin Chu actually felt a sense of appreciation for him. This was, after all, a very responsible way to act.

’But, of course, Yuan Fang had no idea what his true objective was.’

’He wanted the people.’

’Not the business.’

’The only question now was how to convince him. That required some careful thought.’

"President Yuan, you’re worrying too much. I’m not actually that interested in the domestic operations. What I want is the overseas division. As for making money, it doesn’t necessarily have to be profitable in itself. The profits will come from the assets it protects. Security is the greatest value."

Lin Chu explained with a smile. These were details Gao Haitao couldn’t have conveyed properly; he had to handle this part of the conversation himself.

Hearing this, Yuan Fang immediately understood.

’Lin Chu has other overseas businesses to generate profit.’

’The security company would just be there to protect them.’

But even though he understood, his brow furrowed once more.

’His plan had been to find a suitable buyer for the entire company, wash his hands of it, and enjoy his life. He hadn’t expected an offer for just a small piece of it, not the whole thing.’

’But...’

’The overseas operations accounted for less than 10% of the company’s revenue.’

’Besides, the company’s most valuable assets were its licenses and the network of connections its branch offices had built up across the country over many years.’

’The overseas division wasn’t particularly competitive, just average.’

’And without the support of the domestic infrastructure—the backend systems, personnel training, and so on—the overseas division would be a lone, isolated piece on the board.’

"President Lin, how about this..."

"Brother Yuan, I was thinking..."

They both fell silent, lost in thought. A moment later, they looked up and spoke at the exact same time.

"You go first."

Yuan Fang waved his hand with a smile.

"Alright."

"Here’s what I’m thinking: we form a partnership where I invest to become a shareholder. We’ll establish an overseas division that operates independently but is still backed by Shield. Internally, you promote Haitao and give him a few years to grow into the role—stretch out the timeline until he can gradually get the domestic fundamentals under control."

"As a rule, we won’t touch the heads of the domestic branch offices. What I want is influence, not profit."

Of course, Lin Chu was also tempted by Shield’s domestic network.

It was practically a gold mine!

’He hadn’t even realized it before.’

The heads of the branch offices across the country were essentially the local power players in their respective territories.

This meant he could, out of thin air, extend his influence across the entire country.

That said, it would still take time to manage and integrate. Yuan Fang was right—these people might not submit to his authority and would be difficult to control.

’But people are driven by self-interest. With enough incentive, what’s so hard to control?’

’He could bring them new opportunities, not just try to take a slice of their existing pie.’

’That was his greatest core advantage.’

"Hmm?"

Hearing Lin Chu’s proposal, Yuan Fang was genuinely impressed.

He was impressed by that one line—"What I want is influence, not profit."

"Alright. I’m in basic agreement."

This plan was better than what he’d been thinking. Yuan Fang considered it for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

Lin Chu: ...

’This man seemed so refined and gentle on the surface, but when it came to making decisions, he was utterly ruthless and decisive.’

’Another contradiction.’

Tsk.

’Impressive. Very impressive.’

"Darling, can I have some more caviar...?"