Chapter 176: I'm Done Pretending, I'm Laying My Cards on the Table

Wang Yong erupted in anger, slamming the table as he shot to his feet. He pointed at Bai Ze and started cursing.

"Say that again if you fucking dare!"

"I could say it a hundred times and it would still be true. Everyone knows what you're like..."

Wang Yong snatched a wine bottle and charged at Bai Ze.

Seeing that things were about to get ugly, Chen Erbao rushed over and held Wang Yong back.

"Brother Yong, don't! There's no need! We're all classmates..."

Zhao Hai also stopped Bai Ze, pulling him away from the confrontation.

In truth, there was no need to stop Bai Ze. He wouldn't have dared to fight Wang Yong anyway.

With Wang Yong's 1.8-meter frame, he could beat the shit out of Bai Ze in a real fight.

The women also stood up in a panic.

"We're all classmates, don't do anything rash!"

With everyone intervening, the two couldn't fight. They just muttered a few curses at each other and sat back down.

Still furious, Wang Yong slammed the wine bottle on the table, got up, and pushed the door open to leave.

"You guys go ahead and eat. I need to sober up!"

Since Wang Yong had already paid the bill, Chen Erbao wasn't worried about him skipping out. He gave another one of the guys a look, who took the hint and followed Wang Yong out.

Wang Yong had drunk a fair bit. It would be a problem if he went out and started a fight with someone else.

With Wang Yong gone, the atmosphere immediately turned awkward. Bai Ze couldn't sit still either, afraid that Wang Yong would come back later to settle the score. He quickly made an excuse and took off.

Once the two hotheads had left, the table grew much quieter. Everyone broke off into small groups, chatting softly.

"Zhao Hai, how have you been lately?"

Chen Erbao had already had a few drinks but was completely unaffected. He asked Zhao Hai while picking at the dishes.

Zhao Hai had done his fair share of drinking in the army, so he was just getting started.

"Sigh, Brother Bao, don't even ask. My parents are driving me nuts at home, nagging me all day and trying to set me up with a wife. If it wasn't for this reunion today, I'd be having dinner with a blind date right now!"

It was clear Zhao Hai was frustrated. He handed a cigarette to Chen Erbao and lit one for himself.

Chen Erbao asked casually,

"How about coming to work with me?"

"Brother Bao, just say the word. I'll do whatever you want, as long as I don't have to stay home!"

Zhao Hai was completely on board, patting his chest decisively.

"Do you have any old army buddies sitting at home without work? I'm preparing to open a security company. It's going to be a decent size—I'm thinking an investment of thirty to fifty million. You think there's potential in that?"

When Zhao Hai heard "thirty to fifty million," his jaw dropped.

"Damn, Brother Bao, how much money have you made? You're just casually throwing around thirty to fifty million for fun?"

He was genuinely astounded. 'His own father had worked his whole life and had only just barely scraped his way to becoming a hundred-millionaire. How old was Chen Erbao? Only a year older than him, and he was already at this level?'

Chen Erbao smiled modestly.

"The cosmetics company made a little money, nothing worth mentioning... Think about my offer. Bring over all your retired army buddies. I guarantee their salaries will be more than satisfactory. We're planning to open in about a week."

"Don't worry, Brother Bao, it's no problem at all. As soon as I put the word out... I can't promise thirty or fifty guys, but I can definitely get you around twenty veterans. There's just one condition..."

He trailed off, hesitating.

Chen Erbao laughed and playfully cursed, "You punk! If you've got something to say, spit it out! Stop being so wishy-washy!"

Zhao Hai steeled himself. "You have to make me a junior manager... otherwise, my dad will never let me take the job!"

Chen Erbao burst out laughing. "Look at your grand ambitions... I'll put you in charge of the entire security company. There's only one condition: the quality can't be compromised!"

"Don't you worry, Brother Bao. This is exactly what we were trained for in the army. It definitely won't be a problem!"

Zhao Hai promised, patting his chest in assurance.

Having solved a major problem, Chen Erbao breathed a sigh of relief.

'Tonight wasn't just about reconnecting with Zhang Yiyi and seeing if anything might come of it. There was another reason: he planned to ask Zhao Hai to solve the personnel problem for his new security company.'

'Regular security guards could be hired from anywhere, but the instructors and upper management had to be professionals. Retired veterans were the perfect fit!'

In fact, the instructors at several well-known security companies in Hongyuan City were almost all retired veterans with years of experience.

"Brother Bao, what's your cosmetics company called? It must be huge for you to be making this much money, right?"

"It's just a startup, a small company... You've heard of the Dream Fantasia mud mask, right? I developed it."

"Holy shit!"

"The Dream Fantasia mud mask!"

"That's *your* company???"

It wasn't just Zhao Hai who was stunned; the group of women across from them also cried out in astonishment.

Chen Erbao had underestimated just how famous the Dream Fantasia mud mask had become.

Never mind other cities; the streets and alleys of Hongyuan City itself were plastered with advertisements. Buses, shopping malls, the subway, the internet...

These ubiquitous ads had made the Dream Fantasia mud mask a household name in just a few short days!

Wang Qinqin's eyes lit up. "Chen Erbao, is that mud mask really as miraculous as they say...? I've been trying to order it for days, but I can never get one!"

"Yeah, the demand is insane. Scalpers are selling them for fifteen thousand a pop..."

Chen Erbao was at a loss for words. There was no way to eliminate the scalpers for the time being; he could only deal with it step by step.

"I was in a rush today, so I didn't bring any samples. Next time we have dinner, I'll bring a pack for each of you to try. If you like it, I'll even upgrade you to a free membership, so you'll get a discount on future purchases!"

The membership system was something Bai Xiaoqing had come up with. It cost twenty thousand to become a member, after which you could enjoy discounts on all of the company's products.

The women were thrilled to hear this, and Wang Qinqin, afraid Chen Erbao might go back on his word, quickly said:

"It's a deal, then! You can't take it back. Are you free next week? We'll treat you to dinner, and you can bring a couple over for us to try!"

"Next week... I'm actually leaving on a business trip tomorrow. I should be back in about a week!"

"Then in a week it is!"

Wang Qinqin said without a moment's hesitation.

Chen Erbao smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. The quality and results will absolutely live up to your expectations."

Zhang Yiyi knew that Chen Erbao had a package in the trunk of his car, but it was a gift intended for her. When she saw that he didn't offer to get it and share it with everyone else, she felt a sweet warmth spread through her heart.

As everyone was chatting, Wang Yong returned.

The moment he walked through the door, he heard everyone gathered around Chen Erbao, chatting excitedly. A fresh wave of resentment washed over him.

'I'm the one who paid for this damn dinner, and this punk is stealing all the attention?'

'And on top of that, I got fucking humiliated and turned into the clown of the show!'

'Fuck!'

Although he was cursing inwardly, Wang Yong put on a cheerful expression. "What's all the happy chatter about?"

Wang Qinqin said, "Wang Yong, do you have any idea how successful Er Bao's company is? He's the one who developed the Dream Fantasia mud mask!"

Wang Yong froze for a second. It took him a moment to recall what the Dream Fantasia mud mask even was. He looked completely incredulous.

"You've got to be bullshitting. The Dream Fantasia mud mask is..."

He trailed off. 'Wait,' he thought, 'if I remember correctly, there's a factory for the Dream Fantasia mud mask in Bailong Village... Isn't that Chen Erbao's hometown?'