I just want to sell products, but you're forcing me to perform talents.

Chapter 195 I was taking a dump, and I was so scared I peed myself!

Ye Xian was stunned: "You invested in this Haizhou Old Wine before?"

Ding Zhan touched his nose and didn't reply.

Ye Xian almost burst out laughing like a pig.

The blind war god truly lived up to his name.

This winery looks like a bottomless pit, yet Ding Zhan actually invested in it?

How blind must someone be?

Ding Zhan gritted his teeth and admitted, "When I came back for the New Year, some friends pulled me together for drinks. I drank too much, and then you sent me a case of Haizhou Laojiu, right? Some friends said that Haizhou Laojiu is a local company and it's been having some difficulties lately, so why don't we lend a hand?"

"And then, you stuck your head into the pit?"

Ye Xian clicked his tongue in amazement: "What kind of friends do you keep?"

Ding Zhan was somewhat dejected: "Damn it, that lousy friend of mine is Liu Yong's nephew."

Ye Xian then asked, "How much money did you invest?"

Ding Zhan gritted his teeth: "500 million."

Ye Xian burst out laughing: "I was thinking that when you said you were going to retire, you suddenly decided to come back out of retirement. I thought I was some kind of genius, that with a single commanding presence, heroes from all over the world would flock to me. Turns out you lost everything back then!"

Ding Zhan took out a cigarette, intending to light it, but then remembered that Ye Xian couldn't tolerate secondhand smoke, as it was bad for his lungs and throat, so he could only hold it in his hand: "Haizhou Laojiu is a liquor I loved to drink when I was young, so I didn't want this factory to go bankrupt like this. I thought that if I put out 500 million, it would at least be enough to keep the factory afloat, but who knew that Liu Yong was a scoundrel. He spent all the money, and the employees didn't receive a single penny of their wages."

"He's definitely trying to scam you out of money this time. Either you invest money or you help him sell alcohol. Whatever you do, it won't end well."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xian's smile vanished. He had thought he had truly encountered a boss who cared about his employees' needs, but it turned out to be a heartless boss.

Not only are they heartless, they're utterly rotten.

Ye Xian looked at Ding Zhan and saw that he was clearly unwilling to give up. He asked, "Do you want to keep this factory, or do you just want to get your money back?"

Ding Zhan hesitated for a moment, then said, "If it were before, I would definitely want the money back. But now that I'm with you, this 500 million isn't a big deal."

Haizhou Laojiu (Haizhou Old Wine) was a very good winery. It was made from grains and tasted really good. Anyone who drinks regularly can tell just by trying it. It's just that the factory was ruined by people like Liu Yong.

If we can find a way to revive the factory, allow Haizhou Laojiu liquor to continue operating, and incidentally solve the employment problem for hundreds of people, I think that would be the best outcome for everyone.

Ye Xian understood that Ding Zhan had an emotional attachment to Haizhou Laojiu; otherwise, he wouldn't have invested 500 million yuan in it.

After thinking about it, Ye Xian felt that this matter was not a bad thing. What he wanted was to start a business. Whatever he did was fine. Although he didn't like drinking, he couldn't stop a drunkard like Ding Zhan from buying alcohol.

The ultimate goal of celebrities is to sell products, and the ultimate goal of selling products is to run a real business.

A blogger who doesn't engage in real business will inevitably fail in the end.

"Here's what we'll do: tomorrow you go and investigate the actual situation first. Tell them directly that I want to buy the winery, and then have them seal up the accounts and conduct an audit to find out their debt situation."

I originally planned to shut down this distillery and switch to something else. Since you like Haizhou Laojiu, then try your best to keep it from going out of business. If the situation really gets worse and it has to go out of business, then I'm sorry I can't help it, after all, my financial resources are limited.

Even if I help them sell their products, it has to be after I buy the winery, and they have to produce and market the wine according to my ideas before I'll sell it.

Ding Zhan was overjoyed. He truly loved Haizhou Laojiu and certainly didn't want it to collapse like this. Since Ye Xian was willing to get involved in this mess, then the Haizhou Laojiu distillery should be saved.

The two chatted for a while, and then Qiu's mother finished delivering the goods.

Ye Xian returned to the stage and sat down, about to sing a song with a fan via live stream.

The fans in the live stream started making noise.

[Understanding Others' Clothes: Brother Xian, you promised to tell a new story today?]

[There are always women trying to sleep with me: Brother Xian, you won't let me sing the new song or tell the new story, aren't you getting a little too arrogant!]

[Female benefactor, please wait: You old fool, I've been waiting in the live stream for two hours for your new story!]

[Chrysanthemum's Three Wraths: Is this really a ghost story?]

……

Ye Xian suddenly realized, "That's right, it's time to tell a new story today."

After thinking for a moment, Ye Xian smiled and said, "I have two stories here, one is a ghost story, and the other is a historical story. Which one would you like to hear?"

[Reading this: It has to be a ghost story! I graduated so many years ago, why would I listen to history?!]

[Do whatever you want on the kang (heated brick bed): The women's chatter in *Dream of the Red Chamber* makes me sleepy, so it has to be a ghost story! To wake me up!]

[The female benefactor has been fertilized: Wait a minute, let me call my female...friend over first. Ghost stories aren't important, the important thing is the atmosphere.]

[Burning Chest Hair: Holy crap, I accidentally ate a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection). I also want a female friend... to listen to ghost stories with.]

……

Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Ye Xian could only nod and say, "Alright then, let's start with ghost stories."

"My ghost story is called 'Painted Skin,' which I heard when I was a child. Please don't take it seriously."

"Let me ask you a question first: If you met a beautiful woman on the street who begged you for help, saying she was being abused by her husband's family, would you help her?"

[Love is a deep, treacherous river: Holy crap, this is too good to pass up! I have to save them!]

[The Gossipy Gentleman: These days, whoever meddles gets into trouble! Do you really think anyone's going to offer themselves in return?]

[Uncle Cannon: Exactly! A lot of scams start like this! Brother Xian, your story won't fool me!]

[I'll deal with this later: I have an anti-fraud app; I'll just report it!]

……

Seeing everyone's comments, Ye Xian chuckled and said, "In our society today, with the explosion of information, everyone is bound to be wary of scams like this. But in the real world, many people will lend a helping hand, because people are inherently kind."

This story tells of a scholar named Wang from the ancient Dayuan Prefecture. Early one morning, he went out and encountered a beautiful young woman of about fifteen or sixteen years old…

Ye Xian recounted the story of "Painted Skin" in a captivating manner, and the number of viewers in the live stream, which had previously declined due to a lack of interest in storytelling, gradually began to rise again.

When Ye Xian recounted how Wang Sheng tiptoed to the window and peeked inside, only to see a demon spreading a human skin on the bed and drawing on it with a colored pen, the comments and donations in the live stream all stopped.

Ye Xian also stopped at this opportune moment.

"Guess why this evil spirit is drawing on human skin?"

[A Thousand Miles a Day: Ahhh, Brother Xian, you scared me to death! I was taking a dump and I peed myself!]

[Stir-fried noodles without MSG: After such a straightforward introduction, I thought it was just a risqué story about a womanizer who cheats people out of money and sex. Who knew you were actually telling a ghost story, Brother Xian!]

[Get out of here, I'm going to fart: This story is called "Painted Skin," does that mean this ghost is going to wear human skin?]

[A renowned poet: Brother Xian, don't scare me! I can't sleep tonight, you have to come keep me company!]

……

Li Xin and Duan Fei, who had been intently listening to the story, nervously gripped each other's hands: "Brother Xian, could that young lady really be a demon in human skin?"

Ye Xian chuckled, a sinister and terrifying smile playing on his lips: "That's right, you guessed correctly! That monstrous demon with its pale green face and jagged, saw-like teeth used its hands to lift up the human skin and put it on, instantly transforming into a beautiful young lady."

And this young lady was none other than the woman who had been having a fleeting affair with Wang Sheng for over a month!

"Aaaaaahh ...

Li Xin and Duan Fei screamed at the same time.

……

P.S.: Today's Recap

Haizhou aged liquor inventory: 6005 bottles

Back to the normal three-chapter update schedule, but the manuscript is completely gone! Let me catch my breath~

(End of this chapter)