He won 900 million in the lottery.

The night of restlessness followed by decadence has come to an end.

I ultimately didn't take the girl away, and left amidst her resentful expression.

Li Tie was drunk and left with his girl in a daze. He may have forgotten, or he may have done it on purpose, but he didn't mention that he had given me 4000 yuan to take that girl away.

the next day.

I was still asleep when Li Tie called.

"Tianyi, get up and come to the company."

"Okay, I'll be there in an hour."

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I need to eat breakfast, take a taxi, and it will take exactly one hour to get to his place.

While I was eating breakfast, I received another phone call.

Liu Haitao: "Where are you?"

Me: "Let's eat breakfast."

Liu Haitao: "You didn't even invite me to breakfast."

Me: "I'll call you abalone and lobster, but I'm afraid you won't like the spicy soup and fried dough sticks."

Liu Haitao: "Send me your location."

Ten minutes later, Liu Haitao drove up to me.

"Boss, a bowl of meat soup, a basket of steamed buns, and a tea egg."

Me: "Why are you in such a leisurely mood today?"

Liu Haitao: "Brother, you're not being fair. You came back from Shanghai without saying a word, and only called me after you had a big meal and drinks with President Li."

I protested my innocence: "I had just gotten off the high-speed train when Mr. Li called me and picked me up directly from his company. And you know what? Mr. Li's really powerful now; his company is so high-end and impressive!"

Liu Haitao: "Him?"

His tone was full of disdain.

If you were a stranger, you would definitely think that Liu Haitao looked down on Li Tie, but in reality, Liu Haitao did look down on Li Tie, but only in terms of his economic situation and earning ability.

It's not about character level.

I sensed something was up, so I asked, "What's wrong? What's going on? I'm planning to go to his company later to see if it's for work or to open a franchise or branch."

Liu Haitao: "No, my friends all know he owns a big company, but he hasn't invited us to visit. What do you think is the reason?"

My voice faltered. What else could it be? Maybe Li Tie felt his business wasn't high-class enough and didn't want his friends to know.

Either the business is risky and he doesn't intend to do it for long, but just wants to make a quick buck.

Li Tie called me privately, either because he wanted to get me to make money, or because I'm easy to fool...

Me: "Let's go, we're going the same way. Give me some ideas. If all else fails, you provide the money, I'll provide the labor, and we can start a company together."

Liu Haitao: "Either is fine."

On the way to Li Tie's company.

Li Haitao, driving, asked, "Is this a short-term return or are you staying?"

Me: "I'm not leaving. I can't make it out there. I'd rather go back to my hometown and relax."

Liu Haitao: "You should have come back a long time ago, brother. It's not easy to make a living out here. All my friends are back home, where we can eat, drink, and have fun all in one place. It's so much more comfortable."

Me: "Make money, of course! How can you be happy if you don't make money?"

Liu Haitao: "It's like when you go out to play, you have to pay for everything. The eldest and second eldest pay for the rest, and we only have to pay for one out of ten meals. The more capable you are, the more you should do."

I glanced at Liu Haitao; this guy prioritizes loyalty above all else and has an idealized view of friendship.

No one will tolerate a parasite friend forever, unless his role is the clown, responsible for providing emotional relief.

It's not that being a clown is bad.

At least I don't think so.

"We're here. Let's go through the underground parking garage."

"Does he work here?"

"yes."

"That's great. By the way, did you tell Li Tie?"

"Of course we'd give advance notice! He's General Manager Li now, and he's going to someone else's territory. How could we not give him advance notice?"

Liu Haitao gave a thumbs up: "President Shen is so thoughtful."

"Hello, boss!"

Amidst Liu Haitao's surprise, he entered Li Tie's office.

Another devastating blow!

Liu Haitao's expression was truly fascinating; I saw the same look on his face as when I arrived.

"Mr. Liu, please have a seat."

Li Tie and the others felt somewhat distant, largely due to the passage of time and their shared drinking and dining.

"Mr. Li, such a big fuss, and you didn't even inform us brothers. We could have sent you a flower basket or something for the opening."

Li Tie: "It's just a small matter. I still thank you, Mr. Liu, for gracing us with your presence and having tea."

Tea is a culture.

In the office, Li Tie was still brewing tea in front of that extravagant tea table.

"Mr. Liu, you see, I learned my tea-making skills in Shanghai. They say there, if you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. If you want to make big money, you have to have class."

Me: "Does Shanghai also use low-quality tea from Pinduoduo?"

Li Tie: "No, they used really good tea. I drank it once and I still remember the taste."

Me: "Why not use good tea?"

Li Tie: "It's too expensive. I don't think it's worth it. Many people don't understand tea. Just by watching my tea-brewing routine, I can fool a lot of people. It's all tea leaves, good or bad, and they can't tell the difference."

I thought to myself, just like last night when I took the girl out, Li Tie ultimately decided not to pay the 4000 yuan for me. Was it not worth it?

I wasn't angry; it was just a thorough understanding of the facts.

This is self-awareness.

I admit I felt a little awkward that Li Tie's 4000 yuan didn't end up on me.

This is partly related to my decision not to join him, maybe one in ten thousand. I'm not the kind of petty person.

last night.

Li Tie treated me to meals and drinks; it wasn't for nothing!

First, he showed me the market for his product, and that people were joining as franchisees.

Secondly, he wanted to demonstrate his strength to me.

The atmosphere at karaoke last night was so great. The bill for the six of us was 3600 for the girls and 1200 for the drinks.

Despite spending so much, he didn't introduce his own business that night.

Li Tie's tea-making skills were truly impressive, and Liu Haitao was also drawn to them.

"Have some tea."

Two teacups were placed in front of me and Liu Haitao.

"Try it."

I gestured for Liu Haitao to drink some tea. Liu Haitao picked up the cup, took a sip, and then drank it all in one gulp.

I thought to myself, "Could this guy be thirsty because he drank too much salty hot and sour soup this morning?"

Liu Haitao: "Another cup, please."

Li Tie poured Liu Haitao another glass.

He drank it all in one gulp.

Liu Haitao: "Delicious!"

Li Tie finally smiled. Liu Haitao was from a wealthy family with a privileged background. His comment that the tea was delicious was a form of affirmation of Li Tie's tea-making skills.

I'm truly impressed by Liu Haitao. This guy knows absolutely nothing about tea; he drank two cups purely to quench his thirst.

Let's chat for a while over tea.

Li Tie: "General Manager Liu, shall we go to the sales department and give them some guidance?"

Liu Haitao: "Sure, let me take a look around."

Li Tie: "Would President Shen come along too?"

Me: "You guys go ahead, I'll have some tea."

While the two of them were out, I took a moment to browse Douyin (TikTok), and news about cracking down on fake fans suddenly popped up.

Making powder is suspected of being a crime.

- Crime of infringing on citizens' personal information: The act of "followering" (or "followering" in online communities) relies on the illegal use of citizens' personal information, such as using web scraping technology to capture user data from platforms, purchasing databases of citizens' personal information from others, or packaging and selling user data collected during the "followering" process to criminal gangs. These actions may constitute the crime of infringing on citizens' personal information.

This is a borderline business.

Suspected of selling citizens' personal information.

Fifteen minutes later, the two returned, and I discreetly put away my phone.

Liu Haitao was perhaps impressed by the scene at Li Tie's company, and he was full of admiration the whole way.

"This is my company's financial statement for the first three months."

Only now, as an outsider, can I see things clearly.

All of Li Tie's success follows a fixed pattern.

From the moment you enter the company—the welcoming ceremony, the tea table, the tea-making, the visit to the sales department, the financial statements, and finally the brutal blow—few people can escape this!

The whole process of Li Tie joining the company demonstrates one thing: making money with this model is too easy!

An idea popped into my head: if nothing unexpected happens, I'll invite Liu Haitao to dinner tonight, along with the franchisees, so that Liu Haitao can witness the franchisees paying for and signing the contract.

Li Tie: "Mr. Liu, are you free tonight? We can have dinner together. A few franchisees are coming."

Liu Haitao: "Tonight won't work, it's my wife's birthday. I'll come another day. Mr. Li, such a good business opportunity, why didn't you say so earlier? Let's have a chat later, and I'll earn some pocket money with you."

Li Tie: "They're all friends, it's only right."