Chapter 37: Candor

Ge Zhongtian had to give up on his questioning, though he remained somewhat surprised by the outcome. His secretary was a veteran of the road; how could a problem that stumped him be solved in minutes by this kid who looked like a student?

"Boss, this young man is truly capable," Qian Guo said, reporting back with a happy expression.

Chu Nan smiled. "The starter motor was having some issues. The pinion gear wasn't engaging with the flywheel. You just need to get it to engage, and it'll start."

"So you used the hammer to force the pinion gear to engage?"

"Exactly."

"Did you hear that? Learn something. You won't be this lucky next time," Ge Zhongtian scolded his secretary.

"Understood, Boss. I promise I'll study up on car mechanics when I get back," Qian Guo replied, sweating profusely.

"Young man, what is your name? Where are you from? You've really done me a huge favor today!" Ge Zhongtian shifted from his previous expressionless demeanor, gripping Chu Nan’s hand warmly with a kind look on his face.

"Hehe, I'm Chu Nan, sir."

"Chu Nan, is it? Take these 200 yuan as a fee for fixing the car." As he spoke, Ge Zhongtian pulled two hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and held them out to Chu Nan.

"No need, it was just a small favor," Chu Nan said, waving him off. "By the way, you should take your car in for a check-up when you have the time."

"Yes, yes, the car does need a check-up," Ge Zhongtian said. "But a favor is a favor; you should still take the money. Consider it a service fee—I can't let you work for free."

Chu Nan replied with a flat expression, "If you really want to pay, 200 yuan won't be enough. You’d have to pay two million."

Ge Zhongtian paused at these words and looked at Qian Guo. "This young man is quite the joker."

"What joke? Who wants your 200 yuan? Brother Chu here handles business worth hundreds of thousands in minutes; why would he care about 200 yuan? Take it back," Huang Qi chimed in, unable to watch any longer. Two hundred yuan felt like an insult.

"That wasn't our intention; we just wanted to express our gratitude."

"Sir, if you really want to thank me, do something useful. Contributing to society would be far more meaningful than giving me 200 yuan." With that, Chu Nan turned to Huang Qi. "Brother Huang, let's go."

"Young man, I promise I will do more useful things," Ge Zhongtian’s voice called out from behind.

"Boss, that kid is quite interesting!" Qian Guo couldn't help but laugh. "But his words—could it be that he knows who you are?"

"Not necessarily. After all, his companion didn't seem to realize it," Ge Zhongtian shook his head.

"Qian Guo, look into his background for me, and see if he has been buying and selling real estate lately." A glint of curiosity flashed in Ge Zhongtian’s eyes. The way the young man carried himself didn't look like a student at all, and his companion mentioned he was involved in real estate. An inexplicable feeling stirred within him.

"Understood." Although he was surprised by the Mayor's curiosity, his job as a secretary was to carry out his boss's ideas, not to question them.

"Brother Huang, you didn't say much to that man earlier, did you?" Chu Nan asked suddenly while on the motorcycle.

"Oh, he asked me what you did for a living, and I told him I didn't know."

"Anything else?"

"I just mentioned you've been buying real estate lately."

Chu Nan gave a bitter smile. "Brother Huang, didn't I tell you? Don't talk about that lightly to others."

"Ah, sorry, sorry! I'll be careful next time." Only then did Huang Qi remember. He felt a sudden wave of guilt, realizing it seemed like he hadn't taken Chu Nan's words to heart. Still, he didn't understand why it couldn't be talked about, so he couldn't help but ask, "It shouldn't be a big deal, should it?"

"It might not be a big deal if you told someone else, but do you know who that man is?"

"Who?"

"The second-in-command of Jiangcheng."

"Second-in-command? The Mayor?!" Huang Qi’s face changed instantly.

"Yes."

"He oversees Jiangcheng's economy. He's very sensitive to real estate dealings like this..." Chu Nan said with a wry smile.

"I see. But I didn't tell him where you were buying. Jiangcheng is so big; many people are buying property, so he probably won't give you a hard time. Besides, didn't you just help him?"

Chu Nan said, "You're right, and I'm not blaming you. I just wanted to remind you that you need to learn to keep secrets for your business partners. I treat you as a partner because I trust you."

Huang Qi stopped the motorcycle upon hearing this.

"Brother Huang, what are you doing?" Chu Nan asked, puzzled.

*Slap!* Huang Qi struck himself hard across the face, leaving it swollen. He had clearly hit himself with genuine force.

"Brother Huang, what are you doing?" Chu Nan was stunned. Even he could hit himself, but he wouldn't do it in front of others—it was simply too embarrassing.

"Brother Chu—no, Chu Nan, don't stop me. You're right. Buying property is a private matter, and I was careless talking about it to a stranger. It was my mistake. Please forgive me. If you're still unhappy, hit me a few times!" Huang Qi said with sincere intensity.

"Brother Huang, I'm not blaming you. No need for that."

*Slap!* "If you won't hit me, I will!" Huang Qi slapped himself again. "Chu Nan, I promise, from now on, anything involving business secrets will never be shared with anyone else."

"Alright, I forgive you," Chu Nan nodded. "Actually, Brother Huang, the reason I told you so much is because I want to start a business after university, and I want to bring you along. I wonder if you're interested."

"I... am I allowed?" Huang Qi was stunned for a moment, then said with a complex expression, "I just leaked your real estate dealings..."

"But didn't you lose your job helping me look at properties? Consider this my way of making it up to you," Chu Nan said. "By the way, I said I'd give you a share of the profits for helping me—I'll give you the money now. I have exactly five hundred thousand left."

"Brother Chu... no, Boss Chu, I cannot take this money under any circumstances. Even if you didn't bring me into the business, I wouldn't have accepted it. Don't put me in a difficult position," Huang Qi said, firmly pushing away Chu Nan's bag. "If you give me the money, you're not treating me as a friend."

"This..."

"No 'this' or 'that.' Boss Chu, you've decided to bring me into the business, and I will follow you faithfully. Besides, doesn't a startup need capital? Let's treat this money as the company's funds." A pure smile appeared on Huang Qi's face.

"In that case, I'll hold onto it."

"That's more like it."

"But you need to think carefully. Following me in this startup means the first year or two might yield no profit, and we could very well go bankrupt."

"I believe in Boss Chu," Huang Qi chuckled. "Besides, if you can pull out millions on a whim, why fear failure?"

Chu Nan’s mouth twitched. He ultimately didn't have the courage to say that the money was all borrowed. This meant he was currently penniless and owed a certain girl millions.

"In the future, just call me Brother Chu or use my name."

"Alright, Brother Chu!"