Reaching the age of thirty, my income randomly doubled-Chapter 728 - 536: The Incident Involving Gao Hu

Chapter 728: Chapter 536: The Incident Involving Gao Hu

Thought about it all night.

Chen Pingsheng couldn’t come up with a suitable temporary job, so he simply stopped bothering to think about it.

The next day, his wife took Little Third Chen Lu out for a stroll, as she did every day.

She claimed it was to help him build courage, but every time she’d return sobbing and teary-eyed.

Little Third couldn’t be more pitiful—what did he ever do to deserve being bullied?

Sure, he was timid, but did he bother anyone?

The little guy was actually quite well-behaved, whether it was being bullied by his sister or someone else. He’d cry briefly and then be fine again.

Today, Song Yanxi had nothing much to do, so she decided to take him to visit their grandmother.

Meanwhile, Chen Pingsheng drove off to visit Old Chen, who had taken fifty million from him to open the Red Star Restaurant.

The interior design was quite unique, styled entirely after the 1960s.

They had even added a nostalgia theme with a supply and marketing cooperative and a photo studio inside the restaurant.

These retro-style restaurants were quite trendy nowadays—some did well, some didn’t, all depending on execution.

Chen Jianjun, despite being advanced in age, had been restless since moving to the Magic City, dragging Peng Ying along to start a business with him.

Their grandparents were deeply familiar with those bygone times, so stepping into the restaurant truly felt like a journey back to the 60s and 70s.

Whether the business thrived or not wasn’t important; what mattered was that his parents were happy.

Chen Pingsheng lent a hand for a while before returning to his own company.

Just as he got back, his little cousin Jiang Peiyao came looking for him, complaining that her parents were pressuring her hard to get married and hoping he could step in to mediate.

“Brother-in-law, in the entertainment industry, who gets pushed by their parents to find a partner before they even turn twenty-five?”

“You can’t judge by the entertainment industry’s standards. Back home, someone like you is already considered an old maid.”

Jiang Peiyao froze for a moment, realizing her brother-in-law clearly had no intention of helping.

“I’m still so young; there’s no way I want to find a partner yet.”

“When you first showed up, I said the same thing to you. But now it’s been four or five years since you got here, and my second daughter is already five years old.”

As Chen Pingsheng sipped his tea with goji berries, he couldn’t help but think his little cousin was quite pretty. If she wanted a partner, there’d be no shortage of suitors lining up.

“Brother-in-law, can’t you just talk to them for me?”

“I can help with other things, but this one is really beyond me.”

Chen Pingsheng gave her a suspicious look. “Don’t tell me you like women, do you?”

Such things were hardly surprising in the entertainment industry.

Jiang Peiyao’s face turned bright red. Like women? Not even remotely! Originally, she’d hoped Chen Pingsheng could lend her a hand, but seeing him like this, that was clearly off the table.

After she left, Chen Pingsheng still felt uneasy and specifically asked Lin Qiunan to check on her situation over in Hengdian.

This girl was really something else. While most parents feared their daughters would date recklessly, she hadn’t dated anyone at all—it was no wonder her parents were worried.

Tons of girls her age in the entertainment industry, especially those with great resources, still publicly appeared single.

No need to speculate; they all had sugar daddies behind the scenes.

Some were businessmen, others wielded political power. If a female celebrity frequently acted in romantic scenes with male stars yet no negative news ever came out—

Well, there was nothing more to say than “haha.”

The only reason his little cousin could keep her hands clean in the entertainment industry was that Tengying Entertainment had its umbrella over her.

If not, she would’ve already been roped in by someone.

Helping her find a match? That he could consider.

Helping her talk her parents down? Forget it!

Seriously, he wondered again if this little cousin of his actually liked women.

As Chen Pingsheng sat in the office for a while, Chang Fu came looking for him.

“Old Chen, Gao Hu is about to land in big trouble!”

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“What now?”

“He got involved with someone he shouldn’t have, and now her man is pulling every string to ruin him.”

“How did it get to this?”

Chen Pingsheng furrowed his brows. Gao Hu had always been into messing around, but he usually avoided married women—had it really come to this?

“He called me, saying he met the woman at some party. She claimed she was single, but the reality? She had a man. And not just any man—her partner is insanely rich.”

Chang Fu added, “The restaurant chain Gao Hu’s been running is hemorrhaging money. His investors are all pretty disheartened.”

“So what are you suggesting?”

“You’re the only one who could still help him. If you step in, maybe he could weather this storm.”

“And why do you think I’d help him?” Chen Pingsheng replied neutrally.

Chang Fu sighed, “Come on, I know you well enough. Others might not, but I do.

Sure, Gao Hu messed up. But let’s be real—if not for you keeping some level of order, I might’ve made the same mistake. It’s just how men are wired. Gao Hu’s unforgivable move was bailing on Tengying Group and poaching half of Fei Yangyang’s staff, almost forcing it to shut down.”

If not for your strength, Fei Yangyang might’ve been ruined entirely.”

“You really don’t understand me.”

Shaking his head, Chen Pingsheng said, “I’ve always emphasized that wealth requires discipline. You listened; Gao Hu didn’t. His betrayal of Fei Yangyang and Tengying Group doesn’t mean much to me anymore.

But if I step in to save him, how are the people he hurt supposed to feel? And don’t forget, Tengying Group now employs 700,000 staff worldwide. Gao Hu’s actions didn’t just affect me—many top executives know what he did. If I bail him out, what impression does that leave on Tengying?”

A company’s values might seem intangible, but if a leader or CEO dares to undermine them,

The backlash can be unimaginable over time.

Look at Big Ali’s slogan, “To make it easy to do business anywhere.” Now even they struggle.

That one feature, Taobao’s pay-for-traffic feature, left 80% of small merchants in agony—paving the way for Pinduoduo.

And then there’s Baidu, with its auction-based healthcare ads chasing profit.

Can you tell me if its stock ever recovered post-Wei Zexi?

Chen Pingsheng found it hard to explain these concepts to Chang Fu. He had always warned Gao Hu, telling him to address his penchant for trouble before it cost him.

Let alone trying to sustain an independent restaurant empire.

Being the boss wasn’t easy.

Chang Fu understood Chen Pingsheng wouldn’t be stepping in this time. Back when Gao Hu left, nearly eighty other executives had to be let go as collateral damage.

If Chen Pingsheng intervened now, how would those executives feel?

Besides, Gao Hu had crossed an incredibly powerful individual this time.

Had he stayed in Tengying Group,

People might have spared him out of respect for Chen Pingsheng.

But now? No chance.

Gao Hu really had run out of luck.

Originally, his “Chef Gao” hotpot chain had been groomed to compete directly with Fei Yangyang.

In the beginning, it seemed unstoppable, led by the same elite team of ex-Fei Yangyang executives.

They crushed the competition, seemingly invincible.

But while the war raged up front, the rear was catching fire.

The more they expanded, the greater the losses.

Finances were a mess; marketing was falling apart. Within six months, the team that had left with him was full of regret.

The promised equity never materialized, and now even payroll was overdue.

Gao Hu, in poor spirits, turned to booze and women as an escape.

In late February, he met an unbelievably attractive woman at a party.

She took his business card and slept with him that very night. Then again, and again, and again.

Until her man showed up, and he realized he was in massive trouble.

The woman wasn’t single at all—she was the kept mistress of an older Magic City tycoon.

The man, though not in the restaurant business, was a well-known stock manipulator in both Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Enraged, he sent the woman off to Myanmar.

Nobody knew what she was doing there, but odds were slim she’d be coming back.

As for Gao Hu? No way the old man was letting him off easy.

If Gao Hu were still one of Chen Pingsheng’s brothers, even after this, the most he’d face would be a scolding and the need to apologize over tea.

But now? The whole financial world knew he’d betrayed Tengying Group’s founder.

And having dared to touch his woman, this matter was now unresolvable.

This was why Chang Fu had urgently come looking for Chen Pingsheng—he didn’t have the ability to fix it.

The Magic City’s elite were plentiful. Even if they didn’t interact much, there was a basic level of mutual respect.

But only if you were in the same circle as them.

Clearly, Chang Fu wasn’t quite there yet.

Were he to step in for Gao Hu, he wouldn’t even be allowed inside the door.

Playing with someone else’s woman—especially someone that rich?

This was a death sentence anywhere, a universally acknowledged line you just didn’t cross.

It was beyond Chang Fu. The only one who could help was Old Chen.

Letting out a sigh, all Chang Fu could do was lament Gao Hu’s terrible luck.