Financial freedom starts with smiling at life

Chapter 299 It's best not to mess with President Jiang's friends!
The group had been playing mahjong all night and were very sleepy, wanting nothing more than to go back and catch up on their sleep.

Old Pi said that the Emergency Management Bureau came to inspect the fire safety, but there wasn't much of a problem; at most, they would be fined. Nobody took it seriously.

"Mr. Jiang, I'll be going now, let's meet again later!"

Old Pi took a taxi home by himself.

When he arrived home, several uniformed comrades were already waiting at his door.

"Are you the owner of this shop?" a young man asked Lao Pi.

Old Pi smiled and nodded, opened the door, and invited them in for an inspection, cooperating fully.

Anyone with even a little social experience would not choose to go against the authorities.

Unless it's outrageous or excessive, people usually choose to cooperate.

After a few colleagues looked around, they concluded, "This shop of yours has a serious problem."

Old Pi frowned slightly. In the past, it was only occasionally that the local police station would come to the store to give a heads-up if there were any problems.

It's not a large-scale styling studio; it's just a shop attached to a small building I bought.

As for fire safety issues, there definitely are.

But judging from the tone of those comrades, it felt like they were inspecting a factory or enterprise, and Lao Pi felt it was a bit harsh.

With such a small storefront, it's unlikely.

"Comrade, the fire extinguisher is here. I will check and replace it regularly," Old Pi instructed.

A young comrade took notes while explaining the problems: "The circuits are aging, and the lighting equipment is aging."

Fire exits are not clearly marked and there is too much clutter.

The store lacks clear fire safety signs.

The store contained too many flammable items, such as sprays and hair dyes.

......"

They listed seven or eight items directly.

"Boss, your store needs to be closed for rectification! Contact us after the rectification is complete, and we will come back for a follow-up inspection!"

I gave him a rectification notice to sign and put his fingerprint on.

Old Pi signed the document and pressed his fingerprint in a daze.

He hadn't even reacted by the time the inspectors left.

All I could think was, "Holy shit!"
I have absolutely no idea what's going on.

But I didn't think too much about it. It didn't matter whether the shop was open or not. I was just getting by. I went upstairs to catch up on some sleep.

I was sleeping when I suddenly woke up.

I thought of Lu Cong, the young woman who suddenly showed up and spoiled the fun when I was having hot pot with Xiao Jiang and the others last night.

One of the founders of Black Forest Styling Studio, a company with over eighty stores in the city, including thirty in this district alone.

Not long ago, Lü Cong started some kind of association and invited him to join.

But he didn't go.

Later, they approached him privately again, inviting him to become a partner at Black Forest and offering him shares.

He still refused.

The second time I came to him, I didn't mention the partnership. Instead, I asked him to raise the prices, at least to match the prices of Black Forest's flagship store.

He was speechless and completely ignored Lü Cong.

After returning from Shanghai where I helped Xiao Jiang style Liu Yifei, I was pestered by the founders of Black Forest.

Endless.

It came again last night.

Looking back now, the tone of Lü Cong's words last night sounded like he was giving him an ultimatum.

My studio was inspected this morning and I was asked to make rectifications.

It's highly likely that Lü Cong and his gang started it.

In this industry, it's all too common for people to report each other and stir up trouble.

The relevant personnel were aware of the purpose of these tip-off calls, but once they answered the calls, they couldn't ignore them.

Old Pi felt increasingly uncomfortable the more he thought about it.

It wasn't that he cared about whether his shop could continue operating, but rather that he couldn't stand being played by a woman.

I got out of bed, got dressed, and rode my Harley-Davidson cruiser to the Black Forest Studios.

"Is Lü Cong here?" Old Pi strode in.

"Sir, do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked, chasing after him. "Sir, Mr. Lü is not available right now!"

"Let him in!" Lü Cong said to the receptionist as he opened the office door.

With a smile, he invited, "Old Pi, welcome to come and give us your guidance."

Reach out to Old Pi.

Old Pi ignored him and went inside, saying, "Don't give me that nonsense."

Did you make the call to report this?

Lu Cong poured Lao Pi a cup of hot water and handed it to him. "What's the hotline for reporting? Has something happened to Lao Pi?"

How serious is it?

I have some connections in the district, do you need me to ask around for you?

"How you play your game is none of my business. Whether you create fortified interests or price wars, I won't participate."

I'm just running this little shop to make a living, and I just don't understand, what have I done to offend you, or what interests have I infringed upon?

"Stirring up trouble again and again, this is going a bit too far, Mr. Lü!"

Old Pi spoke angrily, reminding Lü Cong.

"Old Pi, we just think it's a waste that you have such good skills and are running a small shop." Lu Cong showed a pitying look.

"Speak like a human being!" Old Pi disliked this hypocritical attitude the most.

“Okay!” Lu Cong spread his hands and said, “Black Forest has been losing high-end users. Guess where they went?”
Most of them went to you, Lao Pi, because the prices on your mini-program are even lower than the prices charged by our stylist director.

I also want to ask you, Old Pi, can you give me an explanation?

Old Pi laughed, "Your store is just rubbish; you can't even keep your own customers."

Lu Cong's face instantly darkened.

"I operate two days a week, serving two customers a day, and I don't have more than twenty customers a month."

They'd rather book an appointment two or three months in advance than come to your store. Lü Cong, have you thought about why?

Old Pi stood up and said, "This is what you call reputation!"

He took a few steps toward the door, then turned back and pointed at Lü Cong, saying, "If you keep pulling any tricks behind my back, don't force me to slap a woman."

Lu Cong was severely scolded and his reputation was immediately ruined.

She bit her lip and watched Old Pi leave.

Xie Jun, the driver standing at the door, witnessed the scene before him and was unsure whether he should knock.

"Mr. Lü...Mr. Lü!"

The driver, Xie Jun, addressed him softly.

"What is it?" Lü Cong turned around and shouted.

He took his anger out on the driver.

"It's eleven o'clock," Xie Jun reminded him. "You need to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new store."

"Okay!" Lü Cong took a sip of water, picked up his bag, and went out the door.

Xie Jun followed.

"You're asking for it!" Lu Cong sat in the car, picked up his phone and made a call. "Hey, Captain Wu, it's me, yes, Xiao Lu."

Here's the thing, I heard that a styling studio here is engaging in price gouging.

One of my customers complained to me that they were engaging in false advertising and concealing the true cost of their products.

This situation is seriously disrupting the market, and your market supervision bureau must crack down on it severely.

Rest assured, we are law-abiding citizens and can withstand inspection. We welcome Captain Wu's guidance at any time.

Okay, Captain Wu, I'll thank you in person another day..."

Before he could finish speaking, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes.

"What are you doing?" Lü Cong asked Xie Jun.

Xie Jun cleared his throat and turned back to say, "President Lü, let's forget about it."

That old man is a friend of President Jiang. By stabbing him in the back like this, you are forcing President Jiang to step in and help resolve the matter.

"In that case, we'll be hoisting ourselves by our own petard."

"President Jiang? Which President Jiang?" Lu Cong blushed instantly upon hearing these words. He was already in a bad mood, and the driver was even speaking up for an outsider. "Are you my driver, or whose driver?"

Is it General Manager Jiang who pays your salary, or am I paying your salary?
Xie Jun, is your brain filled with shit?

Xie Jun said in a deep voice, "You can scold me all you want, but I still hope you won't cause trouble for President Jiang's friends."

Last night, when I went with you there, I saw President Jiang drinking with them, and that's when I thought I should remind you.

Let's leave it at that; this matter can still be resolved!

"You traitor! You keep calling him 'President Jiang' all the time. What did President Jiang do to you? Why are you speaking up for him like this? A bunch of cronies really think they're someone important!"

Xie Jun suddenly punched the passenger seat.

This startled Lü Cong. "What do you want to do?"

Xie Jun asked, "Does your husband know about your affair with Director Sun of the Emergency Management Bureau?"

Lu Cong stared at Xie Jun in shock, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Xie Jun bluntly stated, "You're right, you're my boss, and I make a living under your wing."

So for so long, I've been living with my eyes closed, pretending I didn't see anything.

I don't want to get involved in your private life.

But today I hope you won't make things difficult for President Jiang's friends.

Lu Cong's palms were sweating and her body was trembling slightly; of course, she was afraid that these things would be exposed.

I trusted Xie Jun too much before, and took him with me to all sorts of social events.

I don't know when he found out about these things.

"What's your relationship with this President Jiang? Why are you so concerned about him?" Lu Cong asked.

Xie Jun: "President Jiang treated me to a meal."

Lu Cong looked puzzled.

Would a meal make you act like his dog?
I cursed in my heart.

"My monthly salary isn't even worth as much as one of his meals?"

Xie Jun smiled and said, "You don't understand what that New Year's Eve dinner meant to me."

The engine was turned off immediately.

He opened the car door and said, "Mr. Lü, if you're not satisfied with my attitude today, you can fire me."

I can just find another job.

"Hey... Xie Jun, come back!" Lü Cong shouted loudly.

Xie Jun lit a cigarette, turned his back to her, and waved to her.

For him, as long as he has that New Year's Eve dinner, he has the courage to live in this city and do any job.

"grass~"

Lu Cong swore.

Take off your high heels and get into the driver's seat to drive.

After parking the car at the branch, I took out my phone and searched online for the terms Xie Jun mentioned, such as "General Manager Jiang" and "New Year's Eve dinner".

My eyes widened instantly when I found it.

Could the General Manager Jiang that Xie Jun mentioned be the owner of Beicheng Hotel?

That New Year's Eve dinner was the one that Beicheng Hotel prepared for all homeless people for free during the Spring Festival.
Lu Cong's hair stood on end, and he trembled with fear.

President Jiang is a big shot; we can't afford to offend him.

Suddenly I remembered the young man I drank with Lao Pi yesterday.

I didn't pay attention at the time; I was too busy trying to intimidate Old Pi and show off.

This is like showing off in front of the true god, completely ignoring the true god!

I never imagined that someone like President Jiang would eat in a place like that!
Lu Cong was getting a little nervous. If he really pushed Lao Pi too far, Xie Jun's words might come true. If President Jiang intervened, things would be difficult to handle.

If things go wrong, my affair with Director Sun might be exposed.

Lü Cong quickly made a phone call to Director Sun.

(End of this chapter)