Chapter 138: The First Entrepreneurial Venture.

At 11:40 in the noon, Xu Lin walked out of the recording studio, sweating profusely.

"You have worked hard!" several people exclaimed together.

Even Chu Fengyi, at this moment, admired Xu Lin's perseverance. He stood inside, singing non-stop for more than two hours.

He sang it more than a dozen times in a row, with slight variations each time, switching between high and low notes, which made her heart ache.

During their usual martial arts training, she always held back, so as not to injure him too much, after all, he was her husband.

"Have some water." Ji Yun also handed him a cup, and Xu Lin took a sip.

But when the water went down his throat, it felt a bit sore.

"Um, I have a lunch appointment, so I'll head off first."

With a hoarse throat, Xu Lin said to Guan Mingchen, realizing his voice was already a bit raspy.

Fortunately, he managed to preserve it during the last part, but now recording seems like a waste.

"Alright, take this and have a sip, it'll ease things up a bit," Teacher Guan handed him a small blue bottle.

He took it and had a sip. It tasted like mint, but it wasn't medicinal. It went down his throat very smoothly.

"Quite tasty... my throat isn't hoarse anymore?"

"This is very handy; I used it before. Here, take it. You can use your morning time, and in the afternoon, I'll arrange the recording for Qingchan quickly."

"Alright. What about you two?" Xu Lin glanced at Chu Fengyi and Ji Yun, thinking that the two of them must be bored and annoyed.

"We're going to play for a while, then maybe go to the mall to buy some things."

"Alright."

"Xu Lin, do you want me to drive you there?"

"No need, I'm going to the place where I had dinner yesterday. My bike is still there, I'll just ride back home. I'll take a taxi to get there."

"Okay, ride safely."

Xu Lin walked out of the room surrounded by three girls.

Guan Mingchen saw Xu Lin walking away, then she curiously glanced at the three girls, and then touched Chu Qingchan beside her.

"Qingchan, aren't you and Xu Lin boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Oh... why are you suddenly asking? I never said he's my boyfriend."

"I see. Well, you better hold onto him tight. The competition pressure is quite high, once it's gone, it's really gone."

Teacher Guan spoke as if she were an experienced person, saying, " I think Xu Lin is a good kid, good-looking and talented. Of course, you know more about his personality from your interactions."

"Yeah, he's a really good person, but..."

She hesitated to mention Xu Lin's flirtatious nature, fearing it might give Teacher Guan a negative impression of him.

Although he is fickle, he never hurts girls and is very gentle. In fact, you have to consider multiple aspects when judging a person.

"What's wrong?"

"There are so many girls who like him, maybe a dozen or more, but I don't care! As long as he likes me, it doesn't matter how many girls there are. If he doesn't like me, even if no girls are chasing him, he'll still leave."

Chu Qingchan made a light joke, but as Xu Lin went downstairs and got into the taxi, he suddenly sneezed. "Are they talking about me?"

He picked up his phone, glanced at the time, and realized it was 11:30, they had agreed to meet at 12. He had half an hour left. The taxi ride would only take 15 minutes as long as there was no traffic.

However, half an hour later, Xu Lin could already see the sign of the restaurant through the window, but the car was still stuck in place.

"Mister, can I get off here? I have something urgent."

"Sure, that'll be 10 yuan."

"Here you go."

"Do you need a receipt?"

"No, thank you."

After getting off the car, he also walked along the road towards the distance, finally entering the restaurant at 11:55.

"I'm looking for Mr. Cui; he opened a private room."

"Mr. Cui... let me take a look. Fengxiang No.3."

"Thank you."

He arrived at the private room and found the door open. He lightly knocked on the door and entered.

Inside the private room, there was only a middle-aged man in a checked suit. He wasn't tall, but quite well-built, at least the size of his dad and father-in-law combined.

However, despite his impressive appearance, he recognized him immediately. He was indeed the person in charge, identical to the photo.

The other party saw him and also stood up, and came towards him, opening his arms enthusiastically.

"Mr. Xu? So young and handsome! I didn't expect that!"

"Mr. Cui, hello, hello." Xu Lin also went up and hugged him. He's even softer than Chu Qingchan. Is this the power of fat?

"Please, have a seat."

"Okay, but why did you order so many dishes? It's extravagant."

"Don't worry about it, just have a seat."

They sat down side by side, and the other party poured him a cup of tea.

"I have to drive later this afternoon, so I won't be drinking alcohol today."

"I'm not much of a drinker either. We can chat while we eat. Since you've come from afar, let me offer a toast." Xu Lin also raised his tea and took a sip, showing respect.

"Alright, brother Xu. How old are you this year?"

"I'm 20 this year."

Because many procedures require a certain age to be eligible, and if he says he is a high school student, the other party might hesitate.

"You're really young, then don't call me brother, call me Uncle Cui instead. I'm already 50 years old. Are you still in school?"

"No, I've started working now. Currently, I'm writing online to earn some money. Recently, a friend's parents both lost their jobs temporarily, so I want to help out a bit."

"I haven't had a formal job myself, so I can't arrange anything for them, but suddenly seeing the advertisement here, I just wanted to ask."

"Oh, I see. You've got a good eye. Not to brag, but our brand may not be famous in Dongshan, but in the Northeast, it's quite formidable. Coming to Dongshan, it's just a matter of time."

"So, are you willing to give me a store for free? If it weren't for seeing you in person, I really wouldn't believe it."

Xu Lin is still very optimistic about the future of this chain of spicy hot pot brands, after all, he came from the future, and Linshui's takeout sales ranking in the top three for several years has already proven that.

"Haha, to be honest, I rent out this house for at least 40,000 yuan a year. Then, adding franchise fees and training expenses, it's at least 10,000, so altogether it's 50,000."

"But you know, after struggling outside for so many years, when you think of hometown, the feeling is just different. Last year, I decided to come back and open a shop."

"But unfortunately, at that time, I wasn't responsible for this area, and the market development hadn't started yet. Without expanding to prefecture-level cities, it naturally couldn't extend to small towns, and I didn't have the time to manage it myself."

"But when I saw your message this time, I immediately thought, since I want to open a shop in my hometown anyway, it's not just about making money, I just want to open a shop."

"So I came to you, thinking that you are a local in Linshui and also a young person, and I happen to have a shop in my hands."

"I've decided to give you a surprise. Actually, it's not permanently free. The shop is only free for the first year. I also need to make money."

"Haha, thank you! I'm already grateful for the first year! Most people wouldn't think like you; they would just focus on making money."

To be honest, he really didn't expect this stroke of luck. It feels like a pie falling from the sky moment, and the other party seems genuinely sincere.

"It won't take long to make money. Once your family's shop is up and running, it will attract more customers to the area as well."

"Eat slowly, I'll take you to see my shop later."

"Okay."

As the two chatted and ate, Xu Lin's first venture into entrepreneurship officially began.