Chapter 102: I Still Need Brother Chen’s Help

"Fried chicken, fried chicken, buy one get one free!"
"Delicious, fragrant fried chicken! Don’t miss out as you pass by!"
Black Tiger’s underlings were also getting excited, calling out with all their might to attract customers.

But the dense crowd outside had their attention firmly fixed on the women swaying and striking seductive poses. No matter how hoarse the underlings shouted, not a single person stepped inside to buy anything.

This atmosphere persisted for over an hour. Black Tiger’s once proud expression grew darker, and the voices of his underlings became weak and dispirited once more.

And that wasn’t the end of it. A squad of police officers pushed through the crowd and approached.

"What are you all doing here?"

"We received reports from the public—someone here is behaving indecently."

"To do such things in broad daylight, in front of everyone! It’s simply an eyesore."

Very quickly, Black Tiger, his underlings, and all the women posing provocatively were taken away from the scene.

With the women gone, the surrounding crowd scattered noisily, leaving only a mess behind.

The incident caused a huge stir. Naturally, Chen Huajiang heard about it too.

"Simply asking for trouble," was all Chen Huajiang had to say about it. At the same time, he became curious about that Zhang Xiaobing.

To come up with such an idea at this time was no small feat. Some might say, "Isn’t it just using women to attract attention? That’s nothing special."

But in today’s society, even establishments with a reputation for vice wouldn’t dare go this far.

First, the atmosphere of the whole society was still rather simple and conservative; moral standards were strict. Second, what might be considered a moral failing in later years was now a legal issue.

Any person with a sound mind wouldn’t dream of using such a method to draw attention and drum up business. For Zhang Xiaobing to suggest it—if not to harm Black Tiger, then he was likely deeply influenced by foreign trends.

This was the reason for Chen Huajiang’s curiosity, though it was only curiosity; he didn’t dwell on it further.

Days passed. During this time, Ermao came to see Chen Huajiang twice. The first time, he borrowed two hundred yuan; the second, three hundred—saying he needed it to get Black Tiger out.

Indecency cases could be big or small; they were classic "flexible charges," and there was room for negotiation.

A week later, Black Tiger was finally released, but his shop was on the verge of shutting down. The chef had run off, and the place’s reputation was in ruins.

Now, when people passed by, it wasn’t just a matter of giving the shop a wide berth—they’d even spit in its direction.

"Ah, every trade has its master; every industry produces its own champion."

"This incident has taught me a lesson. I, Black Tiger, am truly not cut out for the restaurant business."

"Go find Brother Chen," he sighed in the shop, facing his underlings, whose faces were all gloomy.

He had no other choice. If he kept being stubborn, his men would lose heart and desert him, just as the chef already had. If there were no benefits, would they stay with him?

Black Tiger wasn’t foolish; he understood the importance of money.

So, Black Tiger and Ermao went to see Chen Huajiang.

"Brother Chen, you have to help me this time. Sigh, I’ve really lost big this time..." Black Tiger said, grabbing Chen Huajiang’s hand and sighing heavily as soon as they met.

This was his way of showing humility—letting Chen Huajiang know he’d surrendered. If Chen helped him, they’d still be brothers, equals.

"Tiger, what are you saying? You were tricked by a schemer, that’s all," Chen Huajiang replied, giving his arm a friendly slap and feigning dissatisfaction. "No need to sigh over such a small matter. How could I not help my brother?"

"Exactly! It was that brat Zhang Xiaobing who gave me such a crooked idea. Got me into all this—" Black Tiger gritted his teeth, then shook his head, giving up on thoughts of revenge. "Forget it. That kid has connections. It’s not wise to offend him right now."

This only made Chen Huajiang more curious, so he took the opportunity to probe further.

Black Tiger wasn’t hiding anything now. In his eyes, Zhang Xiaobing was no longer a promising talent, but a useless fool.

So he told Chen Huajiang everything about Zhang Xiaobing.

After listening, Chen Huajiang was amazed—damn, another famous figure!

The reason Chen Huajiang didn’t know Zhang Xiaobing before was because in later years, Zhang Xiaobing went by another name: Zhang Xiao.

The name Xiaobing was too plain, so he changed it later.

Around the year 2000, Zhang Xiao was a prominent figure in Nanming City, a well-known entrepreneur. At his peak, he was worth nearly a billion yuan. But his downfall was swift—investment failures in 2002 led to bankruptcy, and he became an infamous defaulter.

Later journalists investigated Zhang Xiao thoroughly; his various exploits made headlines in major newspapers and tabloids at the time.

Zhang Xiao was no great scholar—not only did he never finish elementary school in the country, but his degree was a fake one his uncle procured from a shady university in Hong Kong, bought with cash.

Zhang Xiao’s uncle, Zhang Tianguang, was the right-hand man of Hong Kong tycoon Liu. With this connection, Zhang Xiao represented Liu’s fan products in the nineties and made a fortune.

Later, he invested in his own fan factory and expanded rapidly. But he underestimated the pace of domestic development. By 2000, air conditioning was becoming widespread, competition in the fan industry was fierce, and Zhang Xiao’s factory couldn’t keep up—eventually collapsing.

But that was only the broader context. The core reason was chaotic management, too many women, nepotism, and severe asset losses.

That’s why the tabloids covered his story so thoroughly—his dramatic rise and fall became notorious.

Otherwise, in later years, many businesses went bankrupt—how many were so thoroughly reported?

"What is it, Brother Chen? Do you know Zhang Xiaobing?" Black Tiger observed Chen Huajiang’s expression and asked curiously.

"No, not really. Just thought the name was too rustic—he’s bound to suffer for it. ‘Little Soldier’—what a low-grade name," Chen Huajiang joked, deftly steering the conversation elsewhere.

Soon, the two of them arrived at Black Tiger’s shop. The underlings were already waiting inside. When Chen Huajiang entered, they were visibly excited, all eyes on him.

Whether the shop could be revived, whether losses could be turned around—no one was sure. But at this moment, Chen Huajiang was their only hope.

"This location is actually excellent," Chen Huajiang began. "Turning a profit won’t be too hard. But my suggestions might not be easy for you and your men to accept."

He’d already made up his mind and had a plan—after all, the first time he’d visited, he’d known Black Tiger would surely fail.

"Boss Chen, say whatever you have in mind. No matter what the plan, I’ll listen," Black Tiger replied through gritted teeth, nodding firmly at Chen Huajiang. "The shop’s already half dead anyway—may as well try anything. If it doesn’t work out, I won’t blame you."

The underlings nodded in agreement.

"That’s the place!"

"Fellow villagers, let’s go in and demand an explanation!"

"Yes, demand an explanation!"

At that moment, a noisy commotion erupted outside, and a large crowd poured into the shop.