A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

Fu Yan squinted as he looked at the lights on the opposite shore of the lake.

"There's a courtyard over there, and a sign that says 'Room for Rent' is hanging at the entrance."

Xu Wenshu followed his gaze and looked over: "Your eyesight is amazing! You can see across the lake?"

"I have good eyesight."

"...Have you been looking for a shop since you got off the plane?"

"Not entirely, we even had a meal in between."

Xu Wenshu was amused by his words: "Alright, let's go to the hotel first. We can look at apartments tomorrow."

"Tomorrow won't work; I need to go to the bank tomorrow."

What are you going to the bank for?

"Save money."

Xu Wenshu almost choked on her own saliva: "How much cash...did you bring back?"

Fu Yan thought for a moment and then said a number.

Xu Wenshu stopped in her tracks.

A breeze blew across the lake, causing her scarf to flutter.

"How much did you say?"

"Don't repeat yourself, it's kind of scary." Fu Yan put his hands back in his pockets. "Let's go, let's go to the hotel first, we'll talk about tomorrow's problems tomorrow."

He strode forward, leaving Xu Wenshu standing alone.

It took her a while to catch up, her voice trembling slightly—not from the cold.

"Fu Yan, are you crazy?"

"He's not crazy, he just has a lot of money."

"A bit too much??"

"Alright, alright, stop shouting. There are people watching you."

Xu Wenshu took a deep breath and lowered her voice: "I'll go to the bank with you tomorrow."

"No need, I can..."

"I'll go with you." Her tone left no room for negotiation. "I don't feel comfortable letting someone like you go to the bank alone."

Fu Yan glanced at her and didn't refuse again.

"Okay, then you'll be my driver tomorrow."

"You haven't given me money for gas yet."

"One hot pot meal isn't enough?"

"That's not enough, we need to add a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe)."

"...You really know how to do business."

The two walked along the lakeside, the snow crunching under their feet.

The nights at Houhai are both quiet and lively.

A song drifted from a bar in the distance; it was Pu Shu's "Those Flowers".

Fu Yan overheard this, but didn't say anything and continued walking.

His "final destination" awaits him in some corner of this street.

The next morning, Xu Wenshu appeared downstairs at the hotel on time.

It was the same Passat, the same camel coat, but today she wore light makeup and looked much more energetic.

Fu Yan opened the car door and sat down, smelling a faint scent of perfume.

"Oh, you're wearing makeup?"

"I drew it at work." Xu Wenshu started the car. "What did you think?"

"I didn't think anything of it."

"Fasten your seatbelt."

Fu Yan obediently hung up, took out his phone and checked his text messages: "Go to the National Bank headquarters on Chang'an Avenue first."

"Headquarters?" Xu Wenshu glanced at him again. "You've got quite the entourage."

"It's not that I have a big reputation, it's that I have a lot of money. Only their family can afford to entertain me." Fu Yan leaned back in his chair. "Last year, their bank president personally flew to San Francisco and talked to me for three days."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let me transfer the money back," Fu said casually. "Only a handful of banks worldwide can handle cross-border transfers of tens of billions of dollars. They want this business, and I happen to want to bring my funds back to China—a win-win situation."

Xu Wenshu tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

She knew Fu Yan was rich, but every time she heard him casually mention it, it still felt unreal.

"However, I'm a little worried." Fu Yan suddenly frowned.

"What are you worried about?"

"It's a tradition for Americans to renege on agreements. With hundreds of billions of dollars flowing across borders, if they try to sabotage it, intercepting it for six months to a year, I can't really complain."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"What's the use of being afraid? Luckily, relations between the two countries are still okay right now, otherwise I really wouldn't dare to transfer the money." Fu Yan sighed. "I'm just going to check on the progress today; I won't feel at ease until the money is in my account."

……

The headquarters of the National Bank, that gray building on Chang'an Avenue.

When Fu Yan and Xu Wenshu entered the lobby, the lobby manager immediately came to greet them.

"Mr. Fu? Our bank manager, Mr. Zhao, is already waiting for you in the VIP room. Please follow me."

No appointment is needed; the bank manager will wait for you directly.

Xu Wenshu followed behind Fu Yan, thinking to herself: This is quite a display of wealth.

The VIP room was on the third floor, elegantly decorated, with a complete set of Kung Fu tea utensils on the coffee table. Bank Manager Zhao was a man in his early fifties, his hair neatly combed. Upon seeing Fu Yan, he immediately stood up and extended both hands.

"Mr. Fu, welcome back to China! You must be tired from your journey."

"President Zhao, it's been a long time." Fu Yan shook hands with him. "The last time we met was in San Francisco; I had quite a bit of your steak then."

"Haha, I'll treat you next time. Peking duck from Yanjing is just as good." Bank Manager Zhao laughed and invited him to sit down, then glanced at Xu Wenshu.

Fu Yan introduced, "This is my friend, Xu Wenshu."

"Xu Wenshu?" Bank Manager Zhao was taken aback. "Xu Wenshu from CCTV-2?"

Xu Wenshu smiled and nodded: "Hello, President Zhao."

"I've heard so much about you! My wife watches your program every day." President Zhao became even more enthusiastic and personally poured tea for the two of them.

After a few pleasantries, he got straight to the point: "President Zhao, I'm here today for just one thing: has the money arrived in your account?"

President Zhao's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Mr. Fu, rest assured, as of yesterday afternoon, the entire $10.3 billion has been received. The remaining amount is still in the process of being processed and should be in place by the beginning of next month at the latest."

Fu Yan visibly relaxed and leaned back in his chair: "That's good. I was worried they'd hold us back, considering the amount..."

"Rest assured, we have smooth channels with the Federal Reserve, there won't be any problems," Governor Zhao said confidently. "In addition, regarding the asset allocation plan you mentioned earlier, our team has already completed a draft, which we will send to you for review later."

"Those aren't urgent," Fu Yan waved his hand. "I have a few things I'd like to ask you for help with today."

"You said."

"First, the house. I need a courtyard house, not too big, just two courtyards, but it needs to be clean and in a good location. I also need a place to open a bar, either a courtyard house or a street-front shop, preferably near Houhai, in a good location."

President Zhao nodded: "That's no problem. We have long-term partnerships with several real estate agencies. Although courtyard houses are scarce in Houhai, it's not an issue with your budget. I'll have someone start screening today and provide you with a plan within three days."

"Secondly, the cars. I bought them before returning to China, and they're currently waiting for customs clearance at Tanggu Port. Two cars, one SUV and one Audi A8. I need the bank's help with the paperwork, like registration."

"This is even simpler. I'll have someone handle it today, and it should be done in as little as three days."

President Zhao answered readily, which put Fu Yan at ease.

For banks, these are all trivial matters. A customer with tens of billions of dollars in cash can have anything, let alone two cars or two houses, even twenty cars or twenty houses, and they will handle it without batting an eye.