Chapter 66 Striving for a Career Breakthrough

Chen Guangliang arrived at Sincere Department Store on East Nanking Road and then walked up to the East Asia Hotel on the fourth floor.

Department stores in this era already represented a highly comprehensive commercial model, boasting a one-stop-shop experience for dining, shopping, and entertainment.

The fourth floor of the Sincere Department Store building housed the restaurant, while the fifth floor operated as a hotel. Together, these two floors were known as the East Asia Hotel, considered to be an establishment of high-end standing.

"Boss Zhu."

"Boss Chen."

Chen Guangliang exchanged greetings with Zhu Guangsheng, and the two sat down together in the spacious dining hall of the East Asia Hotel.

Their previous encounter could be described as a friendship forged through conflict. Chen Guangliang had persuaded Zhu Guangsheng to sell his plot of land in Zhabei to Gu Zhuxuan, thereby helping him avert unnecessary trouble.

Following Chen Guangliang's advice, Zhu Guangsheng had indeed sold his Zhabei property and reinvested the capital into land in Southern Shanghai, thus dodging a double threat—both Gu Zhuxuan's intimidation and the looming shadow of war.

Because of this, the two had actually become friends.

"Boss Zhu, how is your search for land in Southern Shanghai progressing?"

Zhu Guangsheng smiled and replied, "I'm still looking around. However, I must say that the geographical location of Southern Shanghai is indeed quite favorable. Situated close to the commercial districts of the foreign concessions, its overall value is even higher than that of Zhabei."

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "That is only natural! Everyone always says being close to the railway station is good, thinking primarily of transportation convenience. Little do they realize that the closer a place is to a railway station, the more mixed the crowd of shady characters, making public security much worse. Furthermore, since ancient times, a hub accessible from all directions is bound to become a contested battleground for military strategists."

Based on his own knowledge, the January 28th Shanghai Incident in 1932 would directly reduce Zhabei to rubble. Forget about commerce; everything there would be completely ruined.

Therefore, his suggestion for Gu Zhuxuan to invest in Zhabei land was, in reality, a way of leaving himself a strategic retreat.

Zhu Guangsheng said with a grateful tone, "Regardless, my friend, you essentially saved my life. Whenever I look back on it, trying to go toe-to-toe with Gu Zhuxuan would have only brought me ruin. I only blame myself for not thinking things through at the time. Fortunately, the one Gu Zhuxuan sent was you!"

Chen Guangliang replied, "Boss Zhu flatters me too much. At the time, I was merely acting under someone else's coercion and had no choice!"

Zhu Guangsheng nodded. As they ate their meal, drank fine wine, and chatted, they found themselves hitting it off remarkably well.

During their conversation, Zhu Guangsheng remarked, "My friend, with your intelligence and talent, there is really no need to fixate on the rickshaw business. As far as I know, running a transport business means dealing with all sorts of riffraff. If you want to stay safe and sound, you ultimately have to submit to working under major underworld bosses. In the long run, even if you manage to make money, your social reputation will take a heavy hit!"

Chen Guangliang was momentarily startled, feeling as though Zhu Guangsheng had struck a chord deep within his heart.

The rickshaw trade was unrefined and prone to being misconstrued as the domain of street thugs and hoodlums.

And indeed it was—was Chen Guangliang not currently in the process of building up his own "crew"?

Such concerns were secondary, however. The crucial point was that if he wished to ascend into high society, he could not rely on the rickshaw business as his primary foundation.

As for speculating in real estate, that wasn't truly a "operating business" in the strict sense.

Chen Guangliang said sincerely, "You are entirely right, older brother. I will indeed consider expanding my business ventures into other fields later on."

Zhu Guangsheng smiled. "That's the spirit! You're still young, so opportunities will always be there."

Afterward, the two conversed about everything under the sun, seeming almost like friends who had transcended the generational gap.

Mainly, Chen Guangliang's breadth of vision and knowledge were by no means inferior to that of a seasoned middle-aged merchant like Zhu Guangsheng, which filled Zhu Guangsheng with deep admiration.

In truth, the business Zhu Guangsheng ran was far from shabby. He owned three grain shops, and as a time-honored brand, their business was exceptionally brisk. Moreover, he possessed a keen eye for investing in real estate and property, making him quite a wealthy man in his own right.

...

Chen Guangliang already possessed three plots of land near Yuyuan Road and Jing'an Temple Road, measuring three mu and seven fen, three mu, and thirteen mu respectively, totaling 19.7 mu of land.

He held extremely high hopes for the land in this area—so much so that it could be described as finding an absolute steal.

Following a period of careful analysis, he concluded that this vast area was, first of all, situated on the western side of the foreign concessions, designating it as a zone for high-end residential housing. Although these areas technically lay within Chinese-administered territory, they were gradually being incorporated into the concessions by the Public Concession via the tactic of "road-building beyond concession limits."

In particular, Jing'an Temple Road (West Nanking Road) ran straight into East Nanking Road, spanning a distance of only four kilometers. This made the entire area a veritable "hidden treasure."

Of course, while this region currently boasted some high-end residences, they were largely concentrated in the part closest to the concessions—namely, near the Jing'an Temple and the eastern section of Yuyuan Road.

As for the plots of land Chen Guangliang had acquired, they were all located on the western side of Yuyuan Road (the section farther away from the commercial hustle).

On this day.

Chen Guangliang came to his plot of land west of the river (the future residence of Wang Boqun). Because the area was still largely a potter's field filled with untended graves, it served as a secluded spot for them to practice shooting in secret.

Over the past few days, Chen Guangliang had familiarized himself thoroughly with the operations of loading and ejecting bullets in his Luazi handgun, and he intended to test-fire a few rounds in this remote location.

"Boss, it's set up!"

Zhou Xinggao called out after placing a pear atop the stone of an old grave.

He didn't seem concerned at all that Chen Guangliang, a novice shooter, might accidentally blow him away.

Knowing his own limitations, Chen Guangliang waited until Zhou Xinggao had stepped back to his side before raising his weapon to fire.

"Bang... bang... bang..."

Three consecutive shots rang out. The pear remained untouched, but the bullet seemed to have struck someone's gravestone instead.

It was of little consequence, however; this entire area was a barren graveyard that would be entirely excavated and redeveloped for housing within the next few years.

"Boss, after you fire, don't recoil backward. It makes it too hard to aim!"

Zhou Xinggao began coaching him on the spot.

Chen Guangliang wanted to protest that this was exactly how people shot guns in the television dramas of his past life; could he have been mistaken?

Even so, he deferred to Zhou Xinggao's acknowledged expertise in this domain. After firing a few more rounds, he finally hit the pear.

"Boss, your stance is solid and your physical strength is ample. If you practice a few more times, your marksmanship will soon be considered quite impressive!"

Chen Guangliang laughed. "It's not that serious... Let's leave this place first, lest someone hears the gunfire and comes investigating."

Nodding in agreement, the group of four departed the scene.

Along the way, Zhou Xinggao reiterated, "Boss, seriously, if you practice for just a few more months, even I might not be a match for you!"

Chen Guangliang turned back and said seriously, "Some methods are best left unused for a lifetime. Do you understand the principle behind my words?"

Having followed Chen Guangliang for quite some time, Zhou Xinggao understood the underlying meaning. Although his boss ran a "rickshaw business," he consistently steered clear of the underworld's filth and grime.

Such means were meant solely for self-preservation, never for harming others.

"I understand."

Chen Guangliang patted Zhou Xinggao on the shoulder and said, "Gu Zhuxuan has a capable subordinate named Wang Xinggao—his name sounds rather similar to yours. That man is an old soldier turned rogue, possessing brute strength and accurate marksmanship, and is highly favored by Gu Zhuxuan. Yet he engages in human trafficking, selling daughters of our Chinese people overseas and into the various spring gardens of Shanghai... Mighty as he may be, his days are numbered. If you don't believe me, let's wait and see."

Back in the Northern Expedition Army, Zhou Xinggao had surely been a rough soldier himself, but a man naturally takes on the character of the master he serves.

Therefore, he replied, "The boss is right. You kill me, I kill you—sooner or later, karmic retribution will catch up."

Dropping the subject, Chen Guangliang changed the topic. "I'm planning to acquire twenty unlicensed rickshaws for operation recently. Later on, you can put up two hundred silver dollars to buy a stake, which will give you a ten percent share."

Moving forward, Chen Guangliang did not intend to remain fixated solely on the rickshaw business; rather, he was looking for avenues of breakthrough.

Thus, he needed a core group of trusted individuals to oversee the rickshaw operations for him, including men like Xiangdong and Zhou Xinggao.

Li Chao already held a ten percent share, Zhou Xinggao would now buy another ten percent, and Chen Guangliang intended to allocate a five percent share to Xiangdong, alongside another five percent split among Lin Feng and his brothers.

And the pattern would continue for any future ventures!

For the time being, Chen Guangliang was able to leverage real estate speculation to steady Gu Zhuxuan, while maintaining a loyal band of subordinates capable of intimidating minor thugs, all while his rickshaw business was managed by trusted shareholders.

In the short term, he should encounter virtually no trouble at all!