Chapter 22.1

Lin Jingzhe needed the business license and loan as soon as possible. So, since his valuable client was in a hurry, Tian Dahua wasted no time. After drinking only one cup of tea, he rushed out with his copy of the contract.

Lin Jingzhe was left alone in his Great Promises Enterprise’s office. He finished the pot of tea, washed it, wiped his hands and walked to the window.

The office buildings in this era were not like the skyscrapers of the next century, with sweeping views from higher floors that overlooked the entire city. Nevertheless, due to slow urban development, Lin Jingzhe’s view was mostly unobstructed even though his office was only on the seventh floor. He could easily see the old, dilapidated residential buildings in the distance.

The bamboo laundry poles crossed over each other, suspended above the narrow alleyways. The clothes and sheets hanging from them fluttered feebly in the evening breeze, like seaweed in calm coastal waters.

Lin Jingzhe closed his eyes. He really hated this kind of scenery as he inevitably associated it with himself.

He turned away from the window. He preferred to spend his time on more constructive endeavors, rather than indulging in self-pity and recalling the hardships of his past life. He reviewed everything that had happened since the moment he set foot in Shen City, from meeting Tian Dahua, to sending him away just now, and carefully scrutinized every detail, every action, every word and expression. He had to be completely certain he hadn’t missed a factor that could make his plan fail.

Staying at Peace Hotel to create the illusion of economic strength, finding a broker to be a guarantor for his fundless company, then using said company to borrow money from the bank—his scheme was like a tightrope walk over an abyss, not allowing even the slightest misstep.

Ignoring other dangers, Tian Dahua, alone, was dangerous enough—the man was a crafty old fox, not easy to handle at all. The only reason he had acted so humbly when dealing with Lin Jingzhe was because he was wary of his mysterious background. Would Tian Dahua be able to take over business in a coveted property like Peace Hotel and dare be a guarantor for a stranger who had just arrived in the city without enough ability, strength, and connections on both light and dark sides of the society?

Lin Jingzhe had no doubt if he couldn’t pay the guarantee fee when the time came, Tian Dahua would both vent his anger and easily recover all losses.

Dealing with this type of person was akin to dancing on the tip of a knife.

In the late eighties, many people became wealthier, accelerating the socio-economic development. The government tried to promote this trend by relaxing many policies that previously restricted privately-owned companies. This resulted in a few years of utter chaos.

Lin Jingzhe dared to take such risks only because the year was 1990. In the early nineties, the private sector developed so rapidly the laws being passed to adjust to the situation couldn’t catch up. The government was too slow to keep up with the emerging unofficial market rules. Currently, many practices, which would be explicitly banned in later years, still belonged to a gray area of not being regulated by the law.

During this period, doing business was extraordinarily simple—as long as you had some capital, guts, and brains, you could snatch a piece of meat from the pot.

It was an extraordinary time and years later, countless people sorely regretted missing the party. Lin Jingzhe knew it wouldn’t last long, and nothing like it would ever happen again.

Shen City’s true golden era would begin in another two years, that is, in 1992.

With the unstoppable influx of foreign capital, the unspoken rules would be quickly cleared up, and brokers like Tian Dahua would be made an example of to frighten others. In the stock market, the business circle—the rule of law would spread to every nook and corner. By then, Shen City Stock Exchange would shine so brightly it would dazzle, and though innumerable participants would go bankrupt, many others would become rich overnight.

However, if Lin Jingzhe had arrived at that time, it would’ve taken him ten weeks, not one, to earn capital from his 20,000 yuan.

With Tian Dahua accompanying Lin Jingzhe, handling the formalities was a walk in the park. The man had a wide network of contacts and cooperative acquaintances everywhere. With barely any twists and turns, Lin Jingzhe received all the required documents.

His response was straightforward—the same afternoon, he handed over the promised 10,000 yuan to Tian Dahua, plus another thousand as an additional thank-you fee.

Tian Dahua was already completely convinced of his generosity, so after all the formalities were completed, he immediately applied for a loan in his name, choosing a local international bank.

In the early nineties, many banks were often unable to complete their lending quota since few people took out loans. It was before the ‘92 reforms, when the laws had not been rectified and improved yet, so the verification process was very lax. Tian Dahua was a guarantor who had worked with this bank often; due to him smoothing the way, Lin Jingzhe didn’t have to present documents like his financial statement, which banks would require for risk assessment in later years.

It would take a few days for the submitted documents to be examined and approved. Li Jingzhe took advantage of the delay to reactivate the landline in his office, which had been cut off after the last tenant went bankrupt. He also went to the market and bought an assortment of office supplies to make the office look as if people actually worked in it.

When he brought his friends there again, they were taken aback by the changes. Deng Mai noticed the framed business license hanging on the wall and asked in surprise, “Big Bro, are you really going to open a company?”

Lin Jingzhe looked at him with a faint smile, “Can’t I?”

“Of course you can! I think you will definitely do great!” Deng Mai replied immediately. After everything that had happened, he blindly worshipped Lin Jingzhe.

Gao Sheng, distressed by Lin Jingzhe’s lavish spending, came up to his side and asked in a low voice, “Jingzhe, aren’t you a bit hasty? It’s summer vacation now, but who is going to manage the company when the school year starts? You? Aren’t you going to university?”

Zhou Haitang might’ve been ignorant about business, but he still knew that the risks were huge. He couldn’t help but chime in, “Yeah, and what about money? The rent for this place is a thousand a month, and when you get employees, you would need to pay them too. Do you have enough money for this?”

Lin Jingzhe impatiently waved his hand. “Let’s talk about this later. Today, I have a meeting about a project I intend to undertake. The people from the other company will come here directly. I haven’t had time to hire any staff yet, so I need you to help me and pretend to be my employees.”

Gao Sheng, a simple youth who had grown up in a small, rural town, was alarmed. “You want to lie to them?”

“How can you call this a lie?” Lin Jingzhe brought his three friends to Shen City for this very reason. He knew exactly how to fool them. “You can see everything with your own eyes—have I rented the office or not?”

“…You have.”

“Is the business license real?”

“It is…”

“Is my company officially registered?”

“…Uh, yes?”

“Then how exactly would I deceive them?”

Gao Sheng turned this question over and over until his head began to ache but still couldn’t come up with an answer. He looked at the license, then at Lin Jingzhe. Since it was all real, everything was fine, right?

Lin Jingzhe sat on the desk and crossed his legs. Seeing the three youths’ knitted brows and agonized expressions, he smiled slightly and patted a neat stack of folders beside him. “Anyway, my company’s success or failure depends on your acting skills—don’t drop the ball on me.”

The bank called shortly after they finished rehearsing.

Lin Jingzhe picked up the newly reactivated phone and made an appointment around closing time. The bank inspectors were punctual to the minute.

Lin Jingzhe deliberately went to the door to greet them. The bank staff were visibly surprised by his youth, but once they entered, the neatly arranged interior quickly drew their attention.

It was a small, open office, fully supplied, with three employees busy at their desks. They glanced up at the visitors curiously.

The inspectors seemed to casually chat with Lin Jingzhe, but they were actually paying close attention to everything around them. After confirming the company’s official seal, they inquired about its future development. Naturally, Lin Jingzhe smoothly answered every question.

The young boss had the vibe of an experienced old hand and his breadth of vision was completely incongruous with his age. Upon realizing this, the inspectors finally relaxed, reassured by his confidence. The loan was not large, only 500,000 yuan, so a tour of the office and a short chat was enough for them to decide that there were no problems. The inspection team leader raised his camera. “Then, President Lin, can we take a picture for our records?”

Lin Jingzhe nodded. “Of course, feel free.”

The man took several photos. None of the three young men raised their heads even once, seemingly engrossed with their work. Lin Jingzhe’s words about his success or failure hinging on them scared them so much that they didn’t dare let their guard down for even a second.

After the photo session finished, the bank inspectors made their final evaluation—they confirmed the small company currently had at least three permanent employees, which seemed like a small number, but was already more than what most small, private enterprises in this era hired.

Apart from the exceptionally young boss, the rest of this small company was as ordinary as a drop of water in the ocean; there was nothing more to see. Once the inspection was complete, the leader glanced at his watch and bid his farewells, politely declining Lin Jingzhe’s dinner invitation.

After sending them off with a smile, Lin Jingzhe closed the door of his “company,” cleaned spotlessly by a part-time cleaning lady, and the raised corners of his mouth gradually fell.

The last rays of the setting sun penetrated through the glass, painting the back of his hand with a golden sheen.

Sensing their questioning gazes, he silently glanced over his shoulder at the three young men. As his friends’ expressions grew increasingly tense, he finally revealed a soothing smile.

“It’s all right.” He knew the bank verification process had ended. As for the result… he had done his best—the rest depended on fate.

Lin Jingzhe turned and leaned on the door, crossing his arms and smiling. “Pack up, I’ll take you out to dinner.”