Chapter 301: Paying a Visit

Around noon, Chen Erbao pushed open the door and emerged with Zhang Yiyi, whose face was flushed red.

The time for his meeting with Zhao Hai was approaching, so Chen Erbao knocked on the adjacent door, picked up Xie Lei, and drove to the restaurant.

"Xie Lei, this is my college classmate, Zhang Yiyi. She's also my girlfriend. She might get involved with the security company down the line."

Chen Erbao introduced them in the car.

The hefty Xie Lei broke into a huge grin. "Hello, Sister-in-law! I'll be in your care!"

His use of "Sister-in-law" made Zhang Yiyi blush again. "Hello!"

The three of them soon arrived at the restaurant. Just as they got out of the car, they spotted Zhao Hai.

"Er Bao, over here!"

Zhao Hai had the same buzz cut as always and was in high spirits, his eyes darting about intelligently. When he saw Zhang Yiyi beside Chen Erbao, he let out a knowing chuckle and gave Chen Erbao a meaningful look.

"Er Bao, you're really something else!"

Chen Erbao laughed and gave him a playful slap. "Let's talk inside."

The group walked into the restaurant, and a server led them to the private room they had booked.

"Er Bao, up for some drinks?"

Zhao Hai couldn't drink while he was in the military, so he'd been abstaining for years. After getting out, he started drinking quite often.

"I have to drive later, so I'd better not drink today…"

"Come on! We brothers haven't gotten together in years. Just have a little. We can have Miss Zhang drive!"

Seeing Chen Erbao hesitate, Zhang Yiyi said with a smile:

"Er Bao, go ahead and drink if you want to. I'm a really good driver!"

"Alright then, let's have a few."

Chen Erbao agreed.

Zhao Hai gave him a speechless look. "So that's how it is? You only dare to drink after the lady gives her permission!"

"Heh heh…"

Chen Erbao shot him an annoyed glare.

When the server began bringing out the dishes, Zhao Hai waved his hand grandly and declared, "Bring us two bottles of your best liquor!"

The manager nodded with a wide smile and scurried out.

"Er Bao, the shrimp here is delicious. Quick, try some!"

Zhao Hai urged.

Chen Erbao picked one up with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. With a few deft movements of his tongue and teeth, he shelled it completely.

Chatting and laughing, the group began to eat.

Before long, the manager returned with two bottles of Maotai. The moment the caps were twisted off, a rich, mellow aroma filled the air.

Zhao Hai took the glasses, filled them for Chen Erbao and Xie Lei, and the three of them toasted.

"Wow, this stuff packs a punch!"

Zhao Hai downed his glass in one go. His face grew ruddy as he spoke with a look of pure satisfaction.

But Chen Erbao's body had long since been transformed. To him, downing a glass of liquor was no different from drinking water.

If he didn't want to get drunk, he just had to circulate his Spiritual Power the moment the alcohol entered his system, and he could instantly expel it from his body.

Following local custom, the three toasted two more times. Only after the third glass did they begin to discuss serious matters.

"Er Bao, tell me about this security company of yours. What's the plan?"

Chen Erbao set down his chopsticks. He mulled it over for a moment before speaking.

"To be honest, I'm mainly getting into the security business for my own convenience. Developing the plantation on Bailong Mountain requires a lot of security personnel, and the ten or so factories for the mask company also need protection. The demand for manpower will only increase. It's not a viable long-term solution to keep outsourcing. Besides, if I control my own security company, I'll have men at my disposal if anything happens. It'll make handling things much easier!"

Zhao Hai was taken aback. "You're not planning to make money off of it?"

"It'd be best if it does, but even if it doesn't, I can afford to keep it afloat. In fact, if you're interested, I can put you in charge of the company. You can run it yourself. If you run it well and turn a profit, the lion's share is yours!"

Zhao Hai hesitated upon hearing this.

The main reason he was so invested in this was his desire to build a career for himself without relying on his family. But now, it seemed Chen Erbao had no real ambition to grow the company.

Chen Erbao took a sip of tea and continued, "The company won't just be relying on you. Yiyi's father has connections and can recruit a group of discharged veterans. I also have some influence in Hongyuan City and even throughout Jiangnan Province. If it's run properly, it should be profitable."

Hearing this, Zhao Hai gritted his teeth. "Alright. I'll follow your lead. But I don't want to take any money from my family. The initial investment…"

"I'll take care of all the funding. Don't worry."

Zhao Hai breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a thumbs-up. "Looks like I'll have to start calling you President Chen! Er Bao, out of all our college classmates, you're by far the most successful. Incredible!"

"Hahaha, I've just been lucky!"

"…"

The three men drank for a while longer. At one point, Zhang Yiyi peeled a shrimp for Chen Erbao and fed it to him, making Zhao Hai watch in envy.

While Zhang Yiyi was in the restroom, Zhao Hai whispered, "Er Bao, I never would've thought you'd be the one to land our university's famous campus belle! You're the man!"

"Yiyi and I have mutual feelings. It was a natural progression!"

"Right, right…"

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the group left the private room.

"Er Bao, I'm going to head back and contact my old army buddies now. What about finding a location for the company?"

"I'll have someone take care of that. You just focus on making contact. Once you've reached them, have them come straight here."

"Alright, I'm heading back then."

Although Zhao Hai had drunk a fair amount, his mind was incredibly clear. He planned to go home first to have a word with his father and resign from his current job.

After Zhao Hai left, Chen Erbao first drove Xie Lei home, then took Zhang Yiyi back to her place.

"Yiyi, does our dad smoke? I can't show up empty-handed later!"

Chen Erbao said with a chuckle from the passenger seat.

Zhang Yiyi rolled her eyes at him, unable to suppress a smile. "Who's 'our dad'? I haven't agreed to anything yet!"

While they were stopped at a red light, Chen Erbao leaned over and gave Zhang Yiyi a kiss on the cheek.

"We've already, you know… Calling him Dad should be fine, right?"

Hearing his words, Zhang Yiyi's face reddened slightly. Remembering the morning's shameless activities, she became flustered. "What 'you know'? Don't be ridiculous! Nothing happened between us!"

"Heh!"

They pulled up to a tobacco and liquor store, where Chen Erbao went in and bought a carton of Zhonghua cigarettes and two bottles of good liquor.

"My dad loves to drink. Don't you go and get him drunk later!"

Zhang Yiyi advised.

Chen Erbao gave a wry smile. "I already drank quite a bit myself. Aren't you worried about *me* getting drunk?"

Her beautiful eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. "Zhao Hai's face was beet red, but you look like you haven't had a drop. Still trying to fool me? You can really hold your liquor!"

"I do alright, I do alright!"

Chen Erbao was bursting with pride at being praised by his woman.

When they arrived at the base of Zhang Yiyi's apartment building, Chen Erbao carried the gifts, and the two of them entered the elevator.

During the elevator ride, Zhang Yiyi called home.

"Hello? Dad, my classmate and I are here… Uh-huh, I know~"

After hanging up, Zhang Yiyi smiled and helped Chen Erbao with the liquor bottles. "My dad says you're the first male classmate I've ever brought home. He wants to have a 'good talk' with you!"

"That's great! I'll be sure to win our dad's approval!"

"You're impossible…"