Film and Television: Bao Zong has finance in his left hand and entertainment in his right.

Based on Du Honggen's understanding of Lu Meilin, he knew that it would be very difficult to make Lu Meilin admit defeat.

Du Honggen also understood that Liu Xiaobao and Li Li had neither asked Lu Meilin for compensation nor demanded that she publicly apologize. They had only asked Lu Meilin to apologize to Li Li in this private room, which was already considered to be very considerate of Lu Meilin's feelings.

If Lu Meilin can't even fulfill such a small request, Du Honggen wouldn't believe that Lu Meilin would really give up in the future!

So even though he knew it would be difficult to get Lu Meilin to apologize, Du Honggen still tried to persuade her.

This time, however, Du Honggen whispered in Lu Meilin's ear.

It's unclear what Du Honggen said to Lu Meilin, but after Du Honggen finished speaking, Lu Meilin, who had been furious, suddenly calmed down.

Moreover, Lu Meilin actually bowed to Li Li and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Miss Li, I was wrong today. Please forgive me this time. I promise I will never cause trouble for Zhizhen Garden again."

Seeing this, Li Li didn't hold a grudge. When Lu Meilin actually bowed and apologized to her, she quickly went over and helped Lu Meilin up.

"It's good that Sister Meilin doesn't hold a grudge against Lili. We can still be good neighbors and make money together!"

When Sister Huang and the other three saw Lu Meilin, they all bowed their heads and apologized. Moreover, they received Li Li's forgiveness. The four of them stopped being silent and immediately apologized to Li Li as well.

Since Li Li didn't even care about Lu Meilin, the "main culprit," she naturally wouldn't pursue the responsibility of Sister Huang and the other three.

After a few words, everyone shook hands and made peace.

Seeing that Li Li and the others had reached a reconciliation, Liu Xiaobao burst into laughter: "That's more like it! There's no end to the money to be made on Huanghe Road. Why not make it together? Why fight tooth and nail, hurting both our feelings and our money?"

Du Honggen chimed in with a smile, "Boss Bao is right. Money can never be earned enough. It would be so much better if we could all make money together peacefully. Let's not hurt each other anymore!"

The crisis at Zhizhen Garden has been resolved, and Liu Xiaobao suddenly called out to Du Honggen.

"Mr. Du, it's rare for us to meet. Since we've run into each other today, why don't you come next door with me? I'd like to talk to you about something in private!"

Du Honggen was taken aback. He didn't understand what Liu Xiaobao wanted to talk to him about, but he didn't refuse.

Du Honggen greeted Lu Meilin and then followed Liu Xiaobao to the next private room.

Du Honggen was sensible enough to follow Liu Xiaobao into the private room alone after Liu Xiaobao said he wanted to talk privately. As for the twenty-odd burly men he brought, he left them all outside the room.

Now that it was just him and Liu Xiaobao in the private room, Du Honggen didn't hold back and immediately thanked Liu Xiaobao.

"Mr. Bao, thank you for the IOU. But I wonder what brings you here today?"

Chapter 28 Investing in Du Honggen (Please add to your favorites and give flowers)

"Mr. Du, let's talk about this later. I'd like to ask you a few questions first."

"Please feel free to ask, Mr. Bao. I will answer all your questions to the best of my knowledge!"

Liu Xiaobao stopped beating around the bush and asked directly, "First question, Mr. Du, how many people work for you?"

Du Honggen was taken aback, not understanding why Liu Xiaobao asked him this, but he still answered Liu Xiaobao truthfully.

"I have a total of thirty-six men under my command. If you include their underlings, then there are over a hundred of them!"

"My second question is, Mr. Du, how many businesses do you own? Are they enough to support all the people under your command?"

"Boss Bao, to be honest, although I own a transportation company, a dance hall, and a video arcade, I can only barely feed my brothers and can't help them make much money."

"My third question is, Mr. Du, do you want to become a true big brother figure?"

"Of course I want to, but I know my own limitations. With my abilities, I can manage small-scale operations, but I'm afraid I'm not qualified to do anything big!"

After asking three questions and hearing Du Honggen's answers, Liu Xiaobao had a better understanding of the situation.

"Mr. Du, you are indeed not qualified at the moment, but I can help you. It just depends on whether you are willing to cooperate with me."

"Mr. Bao, you're going to help me?"

"That's right, if you're willing, I'll help you become a real big brother!"

Du Honggen pondered for a moment: "I wonder what kind of cooperation Mr. Bao is referring to?"

"I'll give you two million to expand your industrial chain, so you'll have more income and be able to make more money with your team!"

Du Honggen was taken aback: "Two million? How will the interest be calculated?"

Liu Xiaobao smiled and shook his head: "No interest required. This two million is not a loan to you, but an investment in you. I will only need to own 30% of all your businesses, and I will not interfere with your operations. When you make money, you can give me a share of the profits at the end of the year!"

Du Honggen was taken aback, but he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch: "President Bao, why are you helping me?"

Liu Xiaobao admitted.

"First of all, Mr. Du, you have a solid foundation, so with the right support, it would be easy for you to rise to the top. Secondly, I have high hopes for you, Mr. Du. Through today's events, I can see that you are a thoughtful person who knows when to advance and when to retreat. I believe you will not let me down. Finally, there's my personal motive. I hope that by helping you now, you will repay me when I need your help in the future! I've made my intentions and goals clear. So, Mr. Du, would you like to cooperate with me?"

Du Honggen did not answer Liu Xiaobao immediately; he lowered his head and began to think.

Liu Xiaobao wasn't in a hurry. He just kept drinking his tea and waited for Du Honggen to figure things out.

A moment later, Du Honggen looked up at Liu Xiaobao and said, "Okay, Mr. Bao, I agree!"

"Very good, congratulations, Mr. Du, you didn't miss this opportunity today!"

Now that the cooperation had been reached, Liu Xiaobao didn't completely stand idly by. He gave Du Honggen a few suggestions, telling him to use the money to open a few more karaoke bars, pubs, and ice rinks.

Just as Liu Xiaobao said before, the more venues there are, the more income will naturally come.

With more income, Du Honggen and his men can earn more money.

The reason Liu Xiaobao allowed Du Honggen to set up so many shady businesses was precisely because he knew that Du Honggen and his men were involved in the underworld.

Those people generally lacked intelligence; they only possessed strength and courage.

Only such a place can match their own capabilities and allow them to occupy a larger territory.

Otherwise, even if Liu Xiaobao allowed Du Honggen to start a legitimate company, given the abilities of his subordinates, they probably wouldn't be able to handle the work in each department!

Therefore, these gray industries are more suitable for Du Honggen and his subordinates, and these industries can also make money in the current era.

The reason Liu Xiaobao helped Du Honggen was not because he wanted to become the controller of the underworld; he didn't want to become a target of the "anti-gang and anti-evil" campaign in the future.

He simply knew that this world had a dark side, so he felt it was necessary to have such a group of his own people in the underworld, just in case.

Moreover, Liu Xiaobao will do as he said: he will only invest and receive dividends, and will not participate in Du Honggen's business operations, so as not to be implicated if Du Honggen does anything in the future.

After finishing their business, Du Honggen didn't linger because he still had to appease Lu Meilin. He arranged a time with Liu Xiaobao to collect the money and sign the contract, and then left.

At this moment, Li Li entered the private room and personally served Liu Xiaobao the dishes.

The dishes were simple, just as Liu Xiaobao had ordered: one meat dish, one vegetable dish, one soup, and a bowl of rice.

"Finally, the food is here! I'm starving!"

As he spoke, Liu Xiaobao picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in his mouth, completely oblivious to the fact that Li Li was watching from the side.

Li Li gracefully sat down opposite Liu Xiaobao. She didn't ask what Liu Xiaobao and Du Honggen had just talked about; she simply thanked Liu Xiaobao sincerely.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Bao, for your help today. I will remember this great favor."

Liu Xiaobao glanced at Li Li and smiled, "Have you seen Lu Meilin and the others off?"

"Yes, I'm too ashamed to stay any longer, so naturally I have to go back."

Liu Xiaobao could imagine Lu Meilin's predicament when she left Zhizhen Garden, but he really didn't take Lu Meilin seriously.

Liu Xiaobao simply smiled and said to Li Li, "The predicament is over. I wish Miss Li Li's Zhizhen Garden even greater success in the future!"

Li Li smiled sweetly and said, "I hope Mr. Bao can come more often in the future and take care of our Zhizhen Garden's business."

"Once Zhizhen Garden has found a chef, I'll come and try the dishes when I have time!"

Chapter 29: Sanyang and Dongmei's Product Launch (Please add to your favorites and give flowers)

March 1, 1993.

This was supposed to be an ordinary day.

But for President Fan and Boss Ma, it was a pivotal day that marked a turning point in their lives.

Today is the day their "Sanyang" and "Dongmei" brands are launched on the market.

Success! They will create a national brand, and their business will flourish from then on.

If they fail, they will suffer a heavy blow and probably will never dare to touch the clothing industry again.

Therefore, both General Manager Fan and Boss Ma attach great importance to this day, and they are quite nervous and apprehensive.

They had clearly agreed to meet here after the Shanghai Union Department Store opened at 8:30 a.m.

However, both General Manager Fan and Boss Ma arrived at the Hulian Shopping Mall at 7:30 AM, demonstrating how much they valued today's product launch.

Since the Hulian Department Store was not yet open at this time, General Manager Fan and Boss Ma could only wait outside.

The two were seen squatting by the door, eating steamed buns and talking.

"Boss Ma, how much stock has your 'Dongmei' prepared today?"

"We've already delivered 150,000 pieces to the Hulian Department Store warehouse, but my factory still has 50,000 pieces in stock. Mr. Fan, what about your Sanyang brand?"

“Our ‘Sanyang’ started production much earlier than your ‘Dongmei’, so naturally I have more goods than you. However, I only delivered 150,000 pieces to Hulian Department Store, and another 200,000 pieces are stored in the factory’s warehouse.”

"It seems you're quite confident, Mr. Fan, that you dare to hold so much inventory in your hands."

“I’m not confident in myself, I’m confident in Mr. Bao. If Mr. Bao says he can make our brand successful, then he definitely can. So I need to stock up on some goods so that we won’t be unable to supply them when the time comes.”