99. The Tycoon's Way

With money now in his pocket, Bai Haonan’s first move was to hand half of it over to Qian Niu. “How many times have I told you? When you’re chatting, don’t waste time with endless nonsense. Strike when the moment’s right—either she comes to you, or you go to her!”

Qian Niu wasn’t particularly surprised; he was used to Bai Haonan’s lavish ways. Grinning broadly, he accepted the money and slipped it into his pocket, saying he’d ask around some more.

Bai Haonan, ever generous, despite only having this modest sum left, still invited all the young players on the team out to eat together. The flattery and praise he received made him feel light-headed; if he’d had more cash, he probably would have taken everyone to a nightclub to party all night.

This was Bai Haonan’s philosophy: live for today, drink for today.

So, in his merriment, he drank a few extra bottles. The next day, when he arrived at the Yu residence, he’d originally planned to save some money to hit a nightclub and pick up a girl to blow off steam—but now, there was hardly anything left.

With over twenty people involved, for a big spender like Bai Haonan, the money vanished quickly.

Bai Haonan was skilled at courting women and never paid for company, but there had to be dinner, drinks, and a hotel room. He decided to learn from this experience and be more cautious next week.

Unintentionally, this extended the time he spent away from women.

Following the address Yu Jiali had left yesterday, Bai Haonan was a little surprised. The Yu family, a big name even Coach Zhong had heard of, didn’t live in a villa or fancy estate. Instead, their home was on the edge of a sprawling, chaotic urban village—a dense residential area filled with haphazardly built structures squeezed into every nook and cranny. Even after reaching the supposed destination, Bai Haonan looked up for a long time, eventually asking a cigarette vendor nearby for directions. He was told the place was actually about ten meters away but required walking around a large cluster of buildings to reach a seven- or eight-story building that looked like the most orderly one on the edge of this urban village, closest to the bustling commercial district. Across the street stood a brand-new commercial area.

A standalone building like this in the city’s busy district was the Yu family’s home. Bai Haonan found it baffling but drove closer. After the enthusiastic security guard checked his license plate and name, the gate was opened for his white car. Bai Haonan hadn’t been to many villa communities, but this grand urban mansion challenged his previous notions. It resembled the local sports bureau’s office building and the parking lot out front, capable of holding at least twenty cars, surrounded by luxury vehicles.

Yu Jiali really was wealthy.

But what came next was another shock—this was true wealth.

A young woman dressed in ordinary sportswear came down to greet him. Bai Haonan noticed that many windows in the building seemed to have people discreetly peering out. He pointed and asked, “The whole family lives in one building?”

Yu Jiali, accustomed to such questions, looked up and explained calmly, “My parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, plus housekeepers, chefs, drivers, security guards—there are usually over seventy people living here.”

Having grown up mostly with his father and later under the care of a nanny named Chen Sufen, Bai Haonan found it hard to imagine how so many people could live together.

Yu Jiali seemed to sense his surprise and continued without missing a beat: “But I’m my father’s only daughter. The group’s holding company is controlled by my father and me. The investment company is entirely under my independent management. We’re just used to the whole family living together, but there are no financial entanglements. My father sorted all that out a long time ago.”

Bai Haonan caught the meaning and lowered his voice: “I’m not trying to get involved with you. What does all this have to do with me?”

Yu Jiali cooperated and lowered her voice too: “If you’re going to partner with me as a project shareholder, of course you need to understand these things to avoid any doubts.”

Bai Haonan finally admitted, “I don’t know anything about business—I’m just a low-level coach.”

Yu Jiali was considerate of his pride: “It’s precisely because you have a unique fitness method—your originality—that you need to be familiar with all aspects of the business. As for management, just hire professional managers. It’s simple…”

Bai Haonan felt as if she were talking down to a child, but his attention was already drawn to the small private elevator before him.

From the parking lot, a few steps led into the building, which resembled a scaled-down luxury hotel, except there was no reception desk. On the wall of the “lobby” hung a massive panoramic painting of rivers and mountains, majestic in scale. Housekeepers dressed similarly to hotel cleaning staff silently maintained order. Several elegantly dressed men and women sat on large sofas chatting and smoking. When Yu Jiali passed by with the young man, all eyes turned to them, and when they met Bai Haonan’s gaze, some nodded and smiled.

They stepped into a tiny elevator, barely two square meters. Bai Haonan noticed it was very similar to those in high-end hotels, and there were four such elevators operating simultaneously.

The family’s aesthetic seemed influenced by hotels. Yu Jiali quickly checked her reflection in the mirrored stainless steel elevator walls and explained, “This was installed by my father ten years ago and renovated three years ago. You know, our generation didn’t have much formal education or exposure to aesthetics. We just picked what hotels we’d stayed in recently and liked, and copied that. Mainly, it was for my grandparents—they’re old and it’s hard for them to climb stairs. The elevator installation required a full renovation.”

After a week of training—not a desperate weight loss plan—Yu Jiali’s body fat was still under control. She had never really managed her figure before, so the changes were slight, but the girl in the stainless steel reflection was already shyly enjoying the sight.

In a few words, the elevator smoothly reached the sixth floor. Stepping out, Bai Haonan felt as if he had arrived at a hotel, but not some foreign high-end chain—this place had a distinctly domestic character. The thick plush carpet muted footsteps. He couldn’t quite articulate it, but he asked, “Have you ever thought about moving somewhere more convenient?”

The light was slightly dim, so he took off his sunglasses and hung them on his crew neck T-shirt.

Yu Jiali chuckled lightly. “Our ancestors have lived here for many generations. If we left this street and village, it would be inconvenient to get food and supplies. This place…”

It felt more like a reception hall. Yu Jiali guided Bai Haonan to sit in a circle of single armchairs and apologized, “A few leaders came by just now, so please wait a moment. Meanwhile, I had someone collect some fitness center construction plans for you to review. See which one you think fits best.”

At that moment, a housekeeper brought tea and drinks—a selection of seven or eight varieties, all chilled or hot and ready. Bai Haonan played it safe and chose mineral water.

While speaking, Yu Jiali picked up a freshly bound booklet about two fingers thick from the side table between the armchairs. It resembled a project tender document. She flipped through colorful printed pages showing half a dozen or so simple fitness center plans, covering various sizes and types. Even Bai Haonan, clueless about business, could tell that since the night before, Yu Jiali had already arranged for people to research, filter, and compile all this material. Perhaps that was the secret to her success.

Yu Jiali, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, leaned in to see which page caught his eye. “You like this one? The one with a pool and sauna…”

Bai Haonan had wanted to joke that fitness centers were great places to pick up girls, but now, holding this booklet, he found himself unable to speak.

After a long pause, he finally fished out a reason from his limited thoughts: “The location… it might be hard to find a good storefront. I heard these places really depend on the location.”

Yu Jiali smiled confidently, picked up a remote from the table, and with a soft ‘shhh’, a wall of dark red velvet curtains slid open automatically, revealing a large floor-to-ceiling glass window. Outside was a vibrant, bustling commercial street—the exact opposite of the messy urban village. Towering buildings, advertisements, and signs clearly outlined the boundaries of the business district. Yu Jiali pointed toward it and then pulled out a thick stack of dark red booklets from under the table. “Here—these are the property certificates for shops in this area. Pick whichever you like!”

Bai Haonan, who had never even seen a property deed before, was wide-eyed and speechless. Looking back up at Yu Jiali, he found her more and more beautiful with every glance.

Honestly.