How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 218

Yang Chen parked his car and went to the stands to find Wang Zijun and Wang Qianni.

Wang Zijun smiled and invited Yang Chen to sit between him and his sister.

“How is it? What do you think of the Ferrari 812’s performance?” Wang Zijun asked with a smile.

Yang Chen nodded and said, “It’s good. It’s the culmination of their latest technology, so everything should be top-notch. As a sports car, I can’t really fault it.”

Wang Zijun leaned closer and whispered, “Do you like it? I’ll give you one.”

Yang Chen chuckled. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. What’s up? Tell me.”

Wang Zijun laughed. “Brother Chen is straightforward. I heard that you’ve recently become a major shareholder of Haicheng Jinjiang Development and are planning to bid for the ‘North City Development’ project. That’s a huge project, a 100 billion investment. Your company can’t handle it all alone, right? Can you include us? We’d have a better chance of winning the bid together. A lot of real estate companies want to get in touch with you, but they don’t know who Yang Chen is, so they’re going to Xue Yinong. Has Xue Yinong mentioned it to you?”

Yang Chen nodded. “He has. Those companies’ demands are too much. I’d rather not have their money than cooperate with them. For example, China Merchants Real Estate wants to take the lead and have us just follow. I can’t do that. If I don’t have the final say, I’d rather not do it. I’m not going to throw money around for others to play with while I just watch. Even if I make money in the end, I won’t feel like I participated or accomplished anything. I’d be unhappy.”

Wang Zijun said, “I understand. We don’t have so many requirements. Just let us invest and distribute the dividends according to our investment ratio. If we succeed this time, we’ll definitely become a top-tier local brand in Haicheng. So, Brother Chen, please, take us with you. If you agree, I’ll order an 812 for you tomorrow. Oh, and I’ll throw in my sister too. How about it?”

Yang Chen turned to Wang Qianni, who looked expectant. “Why do I feel like that last sentence was the real selling point?”

Wang Zijun and Wang Qianni laughed.

Wang Qianni said, “A luxury car and a beautiful woman, all yours. Isn’t that enough sincerity? Alas… I’m so pitiful. I have to sacrifice myself for the family’s benefit at such a young age and bear responsibilities I shouldn’t have to. Just don’t abuse me in the future. I don’t dare ask for anything else.”

She made a wiping-away-tears gesture.

*She’s such a drama queen. I can’t stand it.*

*But then again, if Haicheng Jinjiang Development really handles the entire 100 billion investment, the financial pressure would be immense, and they’d be bearing all the risks, which isn’t good business sense.*

*It’s like making a movie. If the total investment is 300 million, any entertainment company with a little strength could afford it.*

*But in reality, it’s never just one company. There are usually a dozen or even dozens of companies investing together.*

*Why?*

*Because a movie’s box office is unpredictable. If one company bears all 300 million in production costs, it’s over if the movie flops.*

*The worst thing for a company is a broken capital chain. Even a company as big as Hengda [Evergrande Group, a large Chinese real estate developer] can’t operate without money in its account.*

*So, if dozens of companies invest together, even if the box office isn’t great, they won’t lose too much. At worst, they’ll just get a smaller share of the profits.*

*Running a company isn’t gambling. It’s not about trying to get rich quick, betting everything on an unpredictable future.*

*It requires steady, solid work, trying to ensure profits and minimize risks as much as possible.*

*So, it’s not that Yang Chen doesn’t want to cooperate with other companies, but that he doesn’t want them to overstep their roles and take over.*

*If, as Wang Zijun said, his family just contributes money and receives dividends according to their investment ratio, without demanding any other rights, then cooperation could be considered.*

*For a 100 billion project, the Wang family could contribute at most 300-500 million, which wouldn’t be a large share. Might as well bring them along.*

“How much is your family planning to invest?” Yang Chen asked.

Wang Zijun crossed his index fingers. “1 billion.”

“Really? I thought you’d contribute at most 300-500 million. Where did you get so much available capital? Let me be clear, I don’t want unsafe funds. Even if your sister gave me twins right now, I couldn’t accept your unsafe funds,” Yang Chen said.

Wang Zijun laughed. “Brother Chen, don’t worry, it’s completely safe. I said that if this project succeeds, we’ll reach a new level. So, we’re selling off other projects as quickly as possible to focus on this one. 1 billion is about the maximum we can raise while ensuring we don’t run into any problems.”

Yang Chen nodded. “Okay! I’ll consider it. I’ll talk to Xue Yinong later and let you know when I have news.”

Wang Zijun said, “Okay! Then I’ll thank you in advance, Brother Chen. I’ll order an 812 tomorrow and transfer it to your name as soon as we win the bid.”

It was almost lunchtime.

Chen Lijun called and invited them to dinner.

This was an international racetrack, and there were restaurants with cuisines from all over the world.

Since Chen Lijun was treating, he made all the arrangements.

Chen Lijun drove ahead to a Japanese restaurant.

He chose this place because, to celebrate the car race, the restaurant had air-shipped a 600-pound bluefin tuna that morning.

The cuisine might not be anything special, but bluefin tuna was relatively rare, and Chen Lijun thought Yang Chen would like it, so he had already pre-ordered 100 pounds of fish.

They were going to have a full tuna feast, with sashimi, sushi, and even steamed fish. Each person would have 25 pounds to devour. They would try every possible way to eat it, and the leftovers would be packed up for Yang Chen to take home.

The restaurant was crowded, mostly with Japanese people.

Wang Zijun and Chen Lijun spotted an acquaintance named Zhang Jiacheng. He used to be the leader of their group, and they were both his followers.

Zhang Jiacheng’s family was in the investment business, but they were different from Li Xiang.

Li Xiang mainly made money by speculating in stocks through insider trading, while Zhang Jiacheng’s family made money by investing in companies with the potential to go public [IPO – Initial Public Offering].

For example, if they thought Company A had IPO potential, they would invest heavily, injecting as much capital as possible in exchange for shares.

After Company A had been listed for three years, they would inflate the stock price and cash out.

They operated this way, completing an investment cycle within 3-5 years, generally earning 5-10 times their investment.

This method heavily relied on the team’s vision. If they misjudged a company, the invested money was basically impossible to recover.

However, because the investment cycle was long and they didn’t have much capital themselves, even though their rate of return was high, their total assets were less than 10 billion.

Five years ago, Zhang Jiacheng went to MIT to get an MBA. After graduating, he worked on Wall Street for two years. Now he had returned to put his knowledge into practice.

Chen Lijun asked the waiter to take Yang Chen and Wang Qianni to the private room while they went to greet Zhang Jiacheng.

After all, he was their former leader.

Chen Lijun said, “Brother Cheng, when did you get back?”

Wang Zijun said, “Brother Cheng, long time no see.”

Zhang Jiacheng said, “Yo, it’s you two. Damn, long time no see. Haha…”

Zhang Jiacheng spread his arms and hugged Chen Lijun and Wang Zijun, really acting like a big brother.

At that moment, the waiter said, “Mr. Zhang, the remaining 100 pounds of tuna is reserved by this Mr. Chen. Please discuss it with him. We can only give it to you if he’s willing to share some. If he’s not, we definitely can’t give it to you.”

Zhang Jiacheng laughed. “Isn’t this a coincidence? I’m entertaining important guests. Can you give me 80 pounds of that 100 pounds of fish? Is that okay?”

Chen Lijun replied with a troubled expression, “It’s not that I don’t want to give you face, Brother Cheng, but I’m also entertaining important guests. And I told him in advance that we’d have a full tuna feast today. If I give you 80 pounds, we won’t be able to have a full feast, and I won’t be able to explain it to him. Don’t make things difficult for me, okay?”

Zhang Jiacheng smiled and nodded, but the smile faded, and he asked calmly, “Then how much can you give me?”

Chen Lijun figured that since they were having a full tuna feast, each person needed at least 20 pounds. Whether they could finish it or not was another matter, but they had to have enough, and they had to pack some for Yang Chen to take back.

So, he said, “I’ll leave 20 pounds for you, Brother Cheng. You can eat it with other dishes, that’s enough. We’re having a full tuna feast, so we can’t eat it with other things. We definitely have to reserve enough fish.”

Zhang Jiacheng’s face darkened instantly, and he withdrew his hand.

Wang Zijun quickly smoothed things over. “How many friends do you have here, Brother Cheng?”

Zhang Jiacheng said, “About 20. Do you think 20 pounds is enough? One pound of meat per person, who can eat enough? Chen Lijun, this guest is very important to me. I’m back in China for a business deal. Just help me out and give me 80 pounds. You keep 20 pounds. I’ll remember this favor, okay?”

Wang Zijun was speechless. If 20 people wanted to eat well, they really needed a lot of fish.

Chen Lijun was very embarrassed. If he hadn’t told Yang Chen in advance that they were having a full tuna feast, he could have given Zhang Jiacheng more, but he had already promised a full feast. He was worried about upsetting Yang Chen.

Although Chen Lijun didn’t want to offend Zhang Jiacheng, he was even more afraid of making Yang Chen unhappy.

At that moment, Yang Chen walked over.

“What’s going on? Is there no food?” Yang Chen asked.

Chen Lijun quickly replied, “Brother Chen, it’s not that there’s no food. I made a reservation in advance, so there will definitely be food. Let me introduce you. This is Zhang Jiacheng, who used to take me and Brother Jun out. Brother Cheng, this is my guest, Yang Chen, Brother Chen.”

Zhang Jiacheng smiled and shook hands with Yang Chen, saying, “Brother Chen, hello. You’re very handsome. What do you do?”

Yang Chen smiled and replied, “Hello, Brother Cheng. I’m a ride-hailing driver. Nothing special.”

Yang Chen wanted to mention his businesses, but he felt it was inappropriate. Who reveals all their holdings?

But if he didn’t, Yang Chen worried that Zhang Jiacheng would look down on him and cause trouble.

*Damn it, this is awkward.*

Zhang Jiacheng looked at Chen Lijun, puzzled. *Was this kid out of his mind? How could he treat a ride-hailing driver as an important guest?*

At that moment, Zhang Hai, who was standing next to Zhang Jiacheng, whispered in his ear, “Brother Cheng, I found out that this guy just gets his car modified at Chen Lijun’s shop. There’s no special relationship.”

Zhang Jiacheng smiled and nodded, as if he understood.

*Since he was just a ride-hailing driver and didn’t have a strong connection to Chen Lijun, he could be ignored.*

Zhang Jiacheng smiled and said to Yang Chen, “Brother Chen, I have 20 friends who want to eat tuna. But the restaurant only has 100 pounds left that Chen Lijun reserved. Can you give me the fish and eat something else? I hope you can help me out.”

Just now, he had only wanted 80 pounds, leaving at least 20. Now that he knew Yang Chen was just a ride-hailing driver, he didn’t even leave those 20 pounds, wanting all 100. He was really opportunistic.

Yang Chen smiled and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Brother Cheng, but that’s not possible. I just told my friend that I’d bring her tuna tonight. If you take it all, we can’t eat it now, and I won’t be able to explain it to her when I get back. How about this, we’ll give you 21 pounds. You have 20 friends, plus you, that’s 21. One pound per person is enough to taste it, okay?”

Zhang Jiacheng sneered.

Zhang Hai immediately said, “What right do you have to decide? This is the meat that Chen Lijun reserved. Why are you interfering? Do you think you’re someone special, ordering people around?”

Chen Lijun immediately scolded, “Who the hell are you? You have no right to speak here. Shut up!”

Zhang Jiacheng’s face turned gloomy, and he withdrew his hand. “He’s my friend, Chen Lijun. Your wings have hardened, and you dare to talk back to me?”

Yang Chen could see that Chen Lijun was a little afraid of Zhang Jiacheng, so he said, “I’ll buy it at double the price. Don’t make things difficult for Chen Lijun. I’m telling you now, I won’t give you even a gram!”

Yang Chen put his arms around Chen Lijun and Wang Zijun and started to leave.

Zhang Jiacheng gave Zhang Hai and the others a look.

Zhang Hai and the others quickly stepped forward to block their way.

Chen Lijun turned around and said, “Brother Cheng, what does this mean? Are you not letting us leave? We’re brothers, is it necessary to make things so difficult for me?”

Zhang Jiacheng said, “Okay, we’re brothers. I won’t make things difficult for you. I’ll also offer double the price. Sell me that 100 pounds of fish. Since we’re brothers, you won’t sell it to him and not sell it to me, right?”

Yang Chen said, “Zhang Jiacheng, do you understand the situation? That 100 pounds of fish is mine now, not his. What are you buying from him? If you want to talk to me, understand?”

At that moment, the store manager came and tried to ease the tension.

Wang Qianni was getting anxious in the private room, so she came out to go to the bathroom.

Coincidentally, Li Tao also came out to see what was going on, and they met.

Li Tao was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward. “Qianni, we meet again. What a coincidence.”

Wang Qianni smiled perfunctorily and nodded. “It’s a coincidence. Sorry, I’m going to the bathroom.”

Li Tao stopped her again. “I have something to tell you. That Ferrari 812 doesn’t belong to him. Don’t be fooled. I heard from a friend that the car belongs to Chen Lijun. He’s getting his car modified at Chen Lijun’s place, and Chen Lijun lent him the 812 to drive. There are a lot of scammers out there. Don’t be fooled by appearances.”

Wang Qianni rolled her eyes. “Thank you for the warning. I’m going to the bathroom. Please let me pass.”

Li Tao nodded, embarrassed, and stepped aside.

Seeing Wang Qianni’s impatience, Li Tao thought, *That doesn’t make sense! She cares so much about that Ferrari. Shouldn’t she be angry when she hears that he borrowed the car to deceive her? Why doesn’t she seem to care at all?*

Li Tao shook his head and went to the front hall to see what was happening.

When he saw Zhang Jiacheng arguing with Yang Chen, he was delighted.

*This guy is making trouble with Zhang Jiacheng, isn’t he asking for trouble?*

*If he could make this guy look bad in front of Wang Qianni, she’s such a strong person, she definitely wouldn’t give him another chance, right?*

Li Tao ran over. “Brother Cheng, what’s going on? Buffett is getting impatient and said that if he can’t eat, he’ll go to another restaurant. He’s really hungry.”

*Buffett?*

*Damn, really?*

Everyone’s attention turned to Zhang Jiacheng. His guest was Buffett?

Zhang Jiacheng quickly said, “You heard that, my distinguished guests are getting impatient. Chen Lijun, give me an answer now. Are you giving it to me or not? I don’t have the patience to argue with you anymore. Don’t force me to embarrass you in public, regardless of our past friendship!”

Chen Lijun’s eyes flickered, and he was clearly scared.

Yang Chen said, “Can’t you understand? The 100 pounds of meat he reserved has been transferred to me. Why are you making things difficult for him? Ask me!”

Zhang Jiacheng was furious and picked up a plate from a nearby table, ready to smash it at Yang Chen.

Chen Lijun quickly stood in front of Yang Chen, using his head to block the plate.

*If he hadn’t done that, Yang Chen’s reflexes would have allowed him to dodge and even counter Zhang Jiacheng.*

*But by blocking like that, he blocked Yang Chen’s counterattack.*

Chen Lijun took a solid hit and squatted down, covering his head.

Yang Chen kicked Zhang Jiacheng to the ground.

Zhang Jiacheng’s men rushed up.

Before Wang Zijun could react, Yang Chen had kicked them away with several consecutive kicks.

Li Tao was unlucky. He flew more than three meters and landed in front of Wang Qianni, who had come to see what was going on.

Wang Qianni stepped over Li Tao, ran over, stood in front of Yang Chen, and shouted, “What are you doing? Are you fighting? Come on, fight me! What’s the matter with so many people ganging up on one person?”

Wang Qianni was very brave.

Yang Chen pulled her back and stood her behind him, saying to Chen Lijun, “You got hit by a plate, don’t you feel dizzy?”

Chen Lijun glanced at Yang Chen and suddenly understood, quickly falling to the ground.

Zhang Jiacheng and the others got up and called out everyone from the private room.

A total of 21 people surrounded Yang Chen and his group.

Among them were three foreigners, but they looked only 20 years old, not the Buffett everyone imagined.

*Damn it, they just had the same last name as Buffett. That grandson Li Tao deliberately misled everyone.*

The manager quickly shouted, “Everyone! Everyone! Don’t be impulsive! If you continue, I’ll have to call the police, and you’ll have to deal with it at the police station.”

No one wanted to go to the police station. It was better to resolve things privately.

After the three foreigners understood the situation, they said they didn’t need tuna and could eat steak instead.

Zhang Jiacheng rubbed his stomach, pointed at Yang Chen, and said, “You just wait. I have important guests today, so I won’t argue with you. We’ll settle this another day. And you, Chen Lijun, I gave you face, but you didn’t want it. You’ll bear the consequences. Don’t say I don’t care about our past friendship!”

Zhang Jiacheng started to leave.

Yang Chen raised his foot and pointed at Zhang Jiacheng’s nose with his toe. “You want to leave after hitting someone? There’s no such thing.”

Then, Yang Chen switched to English and said to the three foreigners, “My three foreign friends, do you think it’s right for Zhang Jiacheng to leave after breaking someone’s head? If necessary, let’s go to the police station together.”

Li Tao immediately said, “What are you pretending to be? You borrowed Chen Lijun’s Ferrari 812 to show off in front of Wang Qianni. Does anyone not know that?”

Yang Chen chuckled. “Wow, you even know that. Oh, so you like Wang Qianni?”

Wang Qianni quickly explained, “He’s just a tactless jerk. Ignore him.”

Li Tao asked, frustrated, “Qianni, why are you protecting him so much even though he’s deceiving you?”

Wang Qianni said, “I like him, is that enough? I didn’t reject you directly because of our parents’ friendship. Why are you so shameless? We’re all friends. Do you think I don’t know he’s driving Chen Lijun’s car? Do you think you’re so smart?”

Li Tao looked embarrassed and didn’t dare to speak.

The three foreigners looked at each other. After a brief discussion, they demanded that Zhang Jiacheng apologize and pay for medical expenses.

They wanted to make money, not enemies, and they didn’t want trouble at such a critical moment.

Zhang Jiacheng was stunned. “Mr. Gates, Mr. Buffett, Mr. Schulte, please don’t worry about this. I’ll handle it.”

*Damn, they have Gates and Buffett, very arrogant.*

Buffett said, “No, no, no, Mr. Zhang, you know that we care most about the character and safety of our partners. It was wrong of you to hit someone. If you don’t take responsibility, I’ll think you’re irresponsible, and we won’t dare to cooperate with you.”

Gates said, “That’s right! It was wrong of you to force people to give up the fish, and you took the initiative to hit someone. If you don’t take responsibility, I think you’re irresponsible. If we face risks or losses in the future, will you not dare to bear the consequences? Also, I hate going to the police station. Do you understand?”

Schulte said, “I also hate going to the police station. I was arrested by the New York police many times. I told myself I’d never enter a police station again, no matter which country. I have a competition this afternoon, don’t cause trouble. If you’re angry, deal with it after we leave, okay?”

Zhang Jiacheng nodded and signed a check for 200,000 and handed it to Chen Lijun. “This is for medical expenses. Sorry, brother, I was impulsive. I was going to hit him, but you stood up, and I couldn’t stop myself.”

Chen Lijun was about to accept the check when Yang Chen said, “200,000, are you giving money to beggars? Why don’t I smash your head and give you 200,000?”

Zhang Jiacheng gritted his teeth. “You’re asking for it! I have guests here today, so I won’t argue. But we’re not done!”

Yang Chen chuckled. “No problem, I’m waiting. Chen Lijun, you still have to modify my car and participate in the competition. You’ve lost too much. Is 200,000 enough? If not, I’ll introduce you to Zhang Xiang, a lawyer, and sue him directly! As long as you don’t settle, he’ll be detained for a while.”

Zhang Jiacheng clenched his fists, furious.

Li Tao whispered in his ear, “Brother Cheng, give it to him first, then take it back later. Chen Lijun won’t dare to cash it. Let’s not upset Buffett. After we send them away, we’ll settle with this guy.”

Zhang Jiacheng thought it made sense. Chen Lijun wouldn’t dare to cash the check. It was just a formality.

So, Zhang Jiacheng re-issued a check for 1 million and handed it to Chen Lijun, then said to Yang Chen, “You wait, we’re not done!”

He greeted Buffett and Gates and left.

*Forcing others to give up their reservation and hitting people if they didn’t agree… It’s been a while since I’ve seen such an arrogant rich second generation.*

Wang Zijun said, “Brother Chen, you and Qianni go back to the private room. I’ll take Lijun to the hospital.”

Yang Chen nodded and took Wang Qianni back to the private room.

Wang Zijun helped Chen Lijun to a private clinic outside the racetrack to treat his injuries.

Chen Lijun said, “This is troublesome. That Zhang Jiacheng is vindictive and will retaliate against Brother Chen.”

Wang Zijun said, “Don’t worry, Brother Chen is stronger than you think. Zhang Jiacheng better be careful. If he attacks Brother Chen, he’ll regret it. This check is tricky. Should we cash it?”

Chen Lijun said, “How dare I! If I cash it and transfer the money, Zhang Jiacheng won’t let it go. I can only hope Brother Chen can handle him.”

Due to various problems, the address has been changed to Please bookmark the new address to avoid getting lost

The web version of the chapter content is slow, please download the iRead app to read the latest content

Please exit the transcoding page, please download the iRead app to read the latest chapter.

I’m providing you with the fastest update of What’s Wrong With Me Being a Ride-Hailing Driver?, Chapter 218 Encountering an Arrogant Guy Who Steals Fish for free reading.