Stay Home Daddy: I Was Reborn After My Daughter Passed Away
Chapter 676 - 671 From Catching Up to Threatening

Chapter 676: 671 From Catching Up to Threatening

He got straight to the point without beating around the bush with redundant gibberish.

General Manager Zhao also smiled when he heard this, then turned to Gu Chen and said,

"The main thing is that I had heard about Boss Gu a long time ago, but I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t had the chance to invite Boss Gu over. So, taking advantage of the time today, I thought of having Boss Gu come and visit."

"After all, from a certain perspective, we’re in the same industry, so it’s necessary to make friends." He said this to Gu Chen,

Gu Chen nodded in response. However, he didn’t take it to heart; he wasn’t foolish. He knew that his summons today was definitely not for this small talk.

"I wonder how your bar business is doing," he asked Gu Chen, but however you put it, there was a feeling of feigning ignorance.

Gu Chen also casually smiled when he heard this.

"Thanks for the concern, General Manager Zhao. The bar business is doing okay and just managing to get by—not comparable to your level, though. In Haicheng, your enterprise is a leading one."

If the gentleman wanted to engage in pleasantries, then Gu Chen would accompany him with prolonged conversations because such courtesies wouldn’t cost him a dime.

Upon hearing this, General Manager Zhao immediately shook his head and quickly replied, "Don’t scare me now, Boss Gu. I have some understanding of your bar’s business.

It’s only been a few days since the opening, and it has already surpassed our nightclubs. No wonder Boss Gu, with your acumen, it would be a waste not to be in business.

If you were serious about any industry, your competitors would starve to death."

He then cheerfully said this to Gu Chen, and though it sounded like praise, Gu Chen knew that was not the case.

"General Manager Zhao, you flatter me too much. No matter what, I’m just an ordinary citizen. People are just after the novelty for now, and they will get tired of it after a while," Gu Chen hurriedly gestured, not admitting to any significant expertise.

"Look at you downplaying things. Your bar had substantial investment. If you hadn’t anticipated it, you wouldn’t have put in so much money, right?"

Having finished speaking, Gu Chen was momentarily unsure how to respond—it seemed that anything he said would be incorrect.

But this guy was certainly clever in his implications, basically wanting to tell Gu Chen that his business was obstructing their revenue.

"Actually, I quite envy you all. Industries like yours tend to be stable and reliable, unlike us who have to bear the risks. I’m a stranger in this business world.

Getting to where I am today is purely luck, not like you, General Manager Zhao, who relies on true capability," he cheerfully said to General Manager Zhao.

General Manager Zhao simply laughed it off upon hearing this, clearly not taking the matter too seriously.

After all, only a fool would believe such patronizing words.

Everyone was just chatting and laughing, not taking it seriously.

"Boss Gu, inviting you here today was for a small matter; I planned to discuss it with you, just not sure if it’s convenient for you."

At this moment, this person finally stopped with the pleasantries and gradually began to discuss the real issue. Gu Chen perked up his ears, curious as to what he wanted to talk about.

"To be frank, I didn’t just invite you on my own behalf today but also on behalf of two other nightclub owners. To put it plainly, the three of us would like to invite you by yourself.

The other two are currently unavailable, so I represent all three of us."

After hearing this, Gu Chen nodded; he knew that this man definitely had the other two’s intentions in mind today.

"Alright, then I’m all ears to hear what the three of you have to discuss with me," Gu Chen said directly.

"It’s nothing much; we’re mainly interested in the business of your bar and are thinking about investing some money into it."

After saying this, Gu Chen narrowed his eyes.

Investing money appeared to be a pretext, but the real intention was probably to seize control.

"I’m really sorry, but thank you for your support from the three of you. However, our bar currently doesn’t lack funds, so regarding investment, I appreciate the gesture, but let’s forget about the cooperation," Gu Chen said decisively and outright refused without hesitation.

Upon hearing Gu Chen’s words, it became apparent that the expression on that person’s face turned sour in an instant.

"Boss Gu, they say that harmony breeds wealth and cooperation leads to mutual wins. If we invest some money, wouldn’t it be better to run the business together?"

There was a particular significance to his words. Gu Chen felt it was similar to what he had guessed before coming. When he was talking to Broken Brow earlier, he thought it would be just a mixture of threats and placating words, and it turned out this guy was indeed using such tactics.

Unfortunately, while such talk might work on others, it had little effect on Gu Chen. He did not yield to either soft or hard approaches—he simply ignored both.

"Cooperation and investment seem a little redundant to me. Given the current scale of our bar, bringing in another partner won’t be beneficial,"

"But to look at it from another angle, there are many ways to cooperate. I’m quite interested in your nightclubs. I wonder if I could invest with the three of you instead?" Gu Chen asked in return.

The question carried a significant whiff of provocation,

as it seemed he was challenging them in the same breath.

"Boss Gu, I don’t understand what you mean by that," the man’s countenance suddenly darkened, and he was clearly very dissatisfied with Gu Chen.

"No hidden meaning, you three mentioned mutual wins, and I think this is the only way to achieve that," Gu Chen said bluntly.

"Boss Gu, do you realize what it would mean to stand against us? The consequences could be beyond your imagination. Hasn’t anyone told you that all three of us come from Haicheng?" he suddenly said to Gu Chen.

Listening, Gu Chen simply laughed,

"I’m aware that you three are from Haicheng but what I don’t understand is, what’s so special about Haicheng?" he asked in return.

The question provoked him even more,

"Boss Gu, you should know that we have our own business association in Haicheng, and our association has countless members, not just all over the country, but even internationally.

Do you have any idea of the extent of our business association?"