Hell Game: Starting from Metropolis

he said seriously.

"Well, I can only accept this as an honor."

Lin Zhengzong readily agreed.

"I greatly admire this calligraphy. I wonder if Mr. Lin would be willing to part with it?"

Liu Zheng continued.

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhengzong became wary.

“This piece of calligraphy of mine is really not worth much money. If you like it, please take it. Consider it as making friends. However, a friend’s friend is not necessarily my friend. I hope you can understand that.”

He considered it for a moment before speaking.

"Of course, I do things one thing at a time. There's a price for buying calligraphy, and there's a reward for making a recommendation."

Liu Zheng said with a smile.

"Please have some tea, my two distinguished guests."

At this moment, Yinghu brought over two cups of tea from outside and handed them to the two men with a slight bow.

"Thank you. And who is this?"

He looked at Yinghu, who had walked behind Lin Zhengzong, and asked.

“This is my eldest apprentice, Yinghu, who is also like my adopted son. I always consult with him about anything.”

Lin Zhengzong explained.

The implication is that there's no need to kick Yinghu out; it's willing to listen to anything.

"I see. Indeed, a great teacher produces a great student."

Liu Zheng praised again.

"May I ask how you gentlemen are addressed?"

"One cannot hit a smiling face," Lin Zhengzong had no choice but to ask.

"My name is Liu Zheng, and this is my boss, Niu Ma."

he introduced.

"So it was Mr. Liu and Mr. Niu... uh, Mr. Niu Ma."

Lin Zhengzong met the fierce eyes of the ox and horse and quickly changed his words.

"Humph!"

The oxen and horses proudly raise their heads.

"I wonder what brings Mr. Liu to contact the Gaga Shuang Bathhouse?"

Lin Zhengzong asked.

"Here's the thing, a friend of mine has a relative who works in the bathhouse area. She made a small mistake and was detained by her boss. My friend trusts me and asked me to help get her relative out. I went to consult Red Pig, and it gave me some advice, saying that the Gaga Shuang Bathhouse might be able to help, so it sent me here to you."

Liu Zheng briefly explained the whole story.

"Bathhouse Street? Mr. Liu, could the boss you mentioned be Granny Tang?"

Lin Zhengzong asked.

"Since Mr. Lin has guessed it, I won't hide it anymore. That's right, my friend's relative does work at the Hundred Ghosts Bathhouse under Granny Tang's management."

He nodded.

"So that's how it is. No wonder Red Pig asked Mr. Liu to ask GaGaShuang Bathhouse for help."

Lin Zhengzong suddenly realized.

Anyone familiar with Bath Street knows the complicated history between Gaga Shuang Bathhouse and Granny Tang.

"That's right. I wonder if Mr. Lin would be willing to do me this favor?"

"this."

Lin Zhengzong was somewhat embarrassed.

Helping to make connections also consumes favors; if the two parties don't reach an agreement, the Gaga Bathhouse might become his enemy.

He wouldn't even ask Gaga Shuang Bathhouse for help to attract business for his own massage parlor, let alone for a stranger like Liu Zheng.

"Mr. Lin may not know me very well since this is our first meeting. Whoever is willing to help me is my friend, and I never let my friends suffer losses."

"Mr. Lin, please feel free to tell me what trouble you have. I may not have many other skills, but my ability to help people solve problems is well-known."

"Of course, the ability to cause trouble for others is also officially recognized."

Liu Zheng touched the two medals on his chest and said in a kind tone.

Lin Zhengzong's gaze sharpened.

He certainly didn't recognize the Gold Star Tank Medal, but the one belonging to a city hall employee's family member proved that he did.

The Bloody Restaurant and the City Hall were like two mountains pressing down on Lin Zhengzong's back, and he instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

"Business has been slow at my shop lately."

Lin Zhengzong remained silent for a long time before finally forcing himself to speak.

"Simple, just get two membership cards for me and my boss, and we can top up whatever amount we need."

Liu Zheng immediately said.

"It's not about topping up the card. If it's just about money, I still have some savings. It's just that with no customers coming, my apprentices' skills are bound to fall into disuse, and their morale is bound to decline."

Lin Zhengzong shook his head.

"That's easy. Mr. Lin, please wait a moment while I make a call."

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Deputy Director, it's Mr. Liu on the phone. I'll go out and answer it."

The call connected, and Wang Manni's voice came from the other end.

"Go ahead and ask Mr. Liu for me."

A steady, middle-aged male voice spoke.

After a series of footsteps, Wang Manni's voice rang out again.

"Mr. Liu, what can I do for you?"

She asked respectfully.

"Since you became manager, you haven't organized any departmental team-building activities yet, have you?"

"Not yet. Manager Wang's departure was too sudden, and I've been busy handing over the work he left behind."

Wang Manni replied.

That was really rushed. They were in the middle of a meeting when someone delivered takeout and they died. Who could have imagined that?

"Then let me arrange some team building activities for you."

"That's wonderful. May I ask what Mr. Liu's plans are?"

Wang Manni asked.

“There’s a ‘genuine’ massage parlor on Queen Street. The technique is top-notch, and the owner is very welcoming. I’ll preload a membership card here. After get off work today, you can bring your staff here to relax. Arrange all the services you need. If you run out of money on the card, just let me know, and I’ll reimburse you.”

Liu Zheng said.

"How could I possibly let you spend money?"

"You're on my side, so your subordinates are my subordinates. What's wrong with spending a little money? Okay, it's settled then. The more people the better, and we can call on people from other departments as well."

he warned.

"Okay. Then I thank you on behalf of the employees."

"Okay, I have something to do, I'll hang up now."

Liu Zheng hung up the phone.

"Mr. Lin, I've already brought you at least several dozen customers, all of them white-collar workers from the Donghe Center. As for how many you can keep, that depends on your abilities."

He said to Lin Zhengzong.

"Don't worry, I will definitely make them satisfied."

Lin Zhengzong said excitedly.

"Now, can we talk about the GaGaShuang Bathhouse?"

Liu Zheng leaned back slightly on the sofa, exuding an aura of dominance.

Chapter 350 My great-grandmother's bubble bath is a metropolis specialty.

"My father and the father of the owner of the Gagashuang Bathhouse were fellow students, having entered the same martial arts school around the same time."

After getting his membership card, Lin Zhengzong composed himself and began to tell his story.

"At that time, the old master suddenly passed away without having time to make arrangements for his funeral, and he had no immediate family members. The brothers fought fiercely for the position of master of the martial arts school."

"Later, the Public Security Bureau came and shut down the martial arts school, and the brothers went their separate ways."

“My father was on good terms with the father of the owner of Gagashuang Bathhouse, so we went to work together as bathhouse attendants.”

"After working for a few years, the father of the owner of Gagashuang Bathhouse became ambitious and didn't want to earn this kind of hard-earned money, so he asked my father to start a business with him."

“My father is cautious by nature, so he didn’t agree, but he still gave him all the wages he had saved up, just to fulfill the fate of our fellow apprentices.”

"Later, the father of the owner of Gagashuang Bathhouse actually made money and gave my father a share of the profits. My father used this money to open a massage parlor, which is this 'authentic' massage parlor."

Lin Zhengzong recounted the past in detail.

"That doesn't make sense, doesn't the word 'authentic' come from Boss Lin's name?"

Liu Zheng discovered the blind spot.

"Oh, I see. There's a rule in my family that everyone who's in charge is called Lin Zhengzong. Even if they weren't called that before, they have to change it to Lin Zhengzong once they become the head of the family."

“For example, Yinghu, after I pass the boss position to it, it will have to change its name to Lin Zhengzong.”

Lin Zhengzong explained.

"Ok."

What he actually wanted to say was that if Yinghu became Lin Zhengzong, then Lin Zhengzong would no longer be human.

But considering the strange rules of the Lin family, it's not even certain whether the first generation of Lin Zhengzong was even human.

Thinking of this, he felt relieved.

After all, it's a metropolis, so it's normal for the way people pass on their lineage to be a little unconventional.

"The father of the owner of GaGaShuang Bathhouse also asked my father if he would like to work with him. After hesitating, my father still refused. After that, the two lost contact."

"It wasn't until the last time that GaGaShuang Bathhouse had a business deal with Grandma Tang, which resulted in a shortage of staff for the opening, that the owner of GaGaShuang Bathhouse approached me to borrow people."

"Out of consideration for my fathers' friendship, I led some men to provide support for a while until they had enough manpower."

Lin Zhengzong continued.

"Since you've been friends for generations, why didn't you bring in some people to invest when they were short-staffed?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Hey, saying we're family friends is really just a matter of kinship from the older generation. Besides, Bath Street is outside the city, where you can make a lot of money, but the risks are also high. Who knows when the Public Security Bureau and the Market Supervision Department might shut it down."

"I can keep my little massage parlor in the city, and even if I don't make a lot of money, I won't starve."

Lin Zhengzong shook his head.

The "authentic" massage parlor is in a good location. Even if it can't continue operating, it can be rented out, which would be enough for him and Yinghu to live on.

As for the other apprentices, all we can do is give them a sum of money and let them fend for themselves.

However, Lin Zhengzong did not want to do this unless absolutely necessary.