Reinventing the Salon
But the benefits were obvious. With this influx of funds, the plan Chu Fei had previously discussed with her—transforming the storefront—could now be put into full swing. Before, she'd worried that switching too fast and too decisively would drive away all their old customers, leaving the shop in a prolonged slump of losses. After all, their little business couldn't handle that kind of upheaval. But now? Totally different story. Backed by solid capital, Chu Fei could reshape things however he pleased. And with his special talents, customers wouldn't be an issue anyway.
Over lunch, everyone hashed out the next steps while eating, quickly nailing down the details. What put He Peiling most at ease was that after the meal, they all headed to the bank together to open a company account. Then Zhang Lin promptly transferred two million without batting an eye—proof they weren't joking around.
Buoyed by that security, He Peiling returned to the shop that afternoon and gathered all the girls. She announced the store would be renovated and that the previously discussed changes were now official. Once reopened after the remodel, they wouldn't take that kind of business anymore, so the girls had to decide now: stay or go.
"I'll give each of you two months' salary. You can keep staying in the dorms during that time. Those who want to stay, just rest up. Those who don't, go find new work."
Chu Fei was at the meeting too. Seeing the girls hesitate, he stood up decisively. "Let me be clear upfront: when the store reopens, I'll adjust all the girls' salaries. Anyone willing to stick with me? I won't shortchange her."
Even with the salary bump, it fell far short of what the girls hoped for. Selling their bodies was the quickest way to cash in, and they were all in the youth game—high pay was why they did this line of work, planning to cash out after a few years. They didn't have the guts to bet on Chu Fei, or the time. Once they learned the remodel would take about two months and that even health massages would be scrapped for good, they weighed it carefully and chose to leave. Staying meant basically switching careers.
Pretty much everyone left except He Shishi and Lin Juan.
He Shishi and Lin Juan stayed for two reasons: they believed in Chu Fei, and he'd promised each a 1% share going forward, plus roles managing different areas.
So during the two-month remodel, Chu Fei planned to send them all to specialized training schools.
With all that drama, no one felt like working that afternoon. The departing girls headed back to the dorms to pack and hunt for new gigs, but with just He Shishi and Lin Juan, they couldn't cover the whole place. He Peiling simply closed up shop.
Seeing he had nothing else to do, Chu Fei figured he'd return the car to Li Bing. But as he reached the parking lot, he spotted someone he knew.
Jiang Ning.
Yeah, the girl from the "blind date" a couple days back. She was with a guy right then, but it looked like he was harassing her. Jiang Ning's face was pure panic, shaking her head desperately. She tried to leave, but he grabbed her arm, refusing to let go. She was on the verge of tears.
Chu Fei pulled the car out first, then circled around and eased up beside them. He rolled down the window and leaned out a bit. "Ningning! There you are. Been calling you nonstop—why no answer? Hop in. Didn't we say we'd catch a show tonight?"
"Ah..." Jiang Ning spotted Chu Fei and lit up with relief. She yanked free of the guy's arm and dove into the car, slamming the door.
"Afei, it's all his fault—he's been hounding me! I couldn't even reach you!"
"He a classmate of yours?"
Chu Fei raised a brow at the guy, who stared back in surprise. Spotting the BMW, though, he kept his mouth shut, scowled, and stormed off.
"Mm..."
Once they were out of the complex, Chu Fei glanced at the head-down Jiang Ning. "Where to? I'll drop you."
"I don't know... Chu Fei, thank you!"
"No big deal. Just helping out." Chu Fei waved it off. "Head home for now?"
"I don't wanna go back!"
"What's up?"
"That guy... my family set it up too. I feel nothing for him, but he won't stop bothering me. And my folks seem to like him. They shoved me out when he showed up!"
"Oh!" So you're still getting pushed into all these setups. Is it you, or your parents with the issue? Chu Fei fell silent after that. None of it concerned him anyway.
"Where you headed?" Jiang Ning peeked at him cautiously, breaking the awkward quiet.
"Meeting a friend."
"A girl?"