Li Houliang's brain was already overloaded as he watched Zhou You sitting there laughing heartily.
What's so funny? Was opening a training gym easy for me? If I hadn't been impulsive back then, only an idiot would've started one. It's been years, and just when I'm finally making a bit of money, I run into this house-selling mess.
Who knows what else is coming down the road? I don't even want to do this anymore. I'm exhausted.
"Youge, I don't have money to hire a massage therapist or a nutritionist!" Li Houliang thought Zhou You was worrying about that.
"You've been running this training gym all by yourself?" Zhou You asked curiously.
"Yeah, I won a gold medal back then, made a bit of money, and got hot-headed, opening this boxing gym." Li Houliang nodded.
"Want to make it bigger and stronger? Need me to invest?" Zhou You cut straight to the point. He was too tired—why beat around the bush with a martial artist?
Li Houliang finally caught on that Zhou You was planning to invest.
He dashed over to Zhou You, holding a tiny teacup in his massive hands: "Youge, interested? Please, have some tea."
"Mainly, your conditions here are too poor. Your skill level's decent, and you're a good guy—I've felt that deeply this past month. I want you to add more people and equipment, but you don't have the money." Zhou You was also frustrated.
"Youge, how about I sell it to you? I won't ask for much—two million is enough!" Influenced by this incident, Li Houliang really didn't want to keep going. It was already tough, barely breaking even. If Zhou You could buy him out, he'd even work for him.
"Tell me, what part of this is worth two million?" Zhou You was amused by him. Everything here was bulky and crude—how much could it be worth?
Li Houliang was left awkward, not knowing whether to stand or sit. His dark face even turned a faint purple.
"Well, this, this..." Li Houliang stammered.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him: "Youge, I'm worth two million! From now on, I'll be at your beck and call.
"If you tell me to catch a dog, I won't chase a chicken.
"When you go out, I'll carry your bag.
"When you check into a hotel, I'll keep watch."
A burly, rough man suddenly putting on this act made Zhou You a bit uncomfortable. He quickly interrupted him.
He was afraid Li Houliang might say: "When you're working out, I'll push your butt."
That kind of cringeworthy line!
"What do you mean? Planning to have me support you for the rest of your life? You've picked yourself a nice job."
"Come on, what's the real reason? Brother Liang, we've known each other this long—this isn't like you." Zhou You told Li Houliang to sit down; standing was too imposing.
"Youge, you really have sharp eyes. I've had a girlfriend for a long time, and now she's pushing me to get married every day. But I've sunk all my money into this boxing gym. I eat and sleep here—where would I get the money to buy a house!" Li Houliang lowered his head, hands on his knees, sighing endlessly.
"I know this sounds greedy. If you hadn't bought the house, I might be even worse off. We martial artists all know a saying: 'Learn the arts of civil and martial, sell them to the imperial house.'
"Now it's peacetime, and there's no good way out. Running a martial arts gym barely keeps me alive—getting rich is impossible. I've got achievements and some influence, but there are plenty without any who end up as bodyguards or security guards.
"If Youge gives me a hand now, it's a huge favor. From now on, this worthless life of mine is yours!"
Li Houliang's last words were resolute, carrying a hint of burning his bridges.
He'd thought it through deeply in that short time. Miss this chance, and there'd be no next one. According to their career path, becoming a hired thug would be a good outcome. Selling his life to a billionaire like Zhou You wasn't a loss.
Zhou You was thrown off by Li Houliang. It's peacetime now, and I'm a law-abiding good citizen—what do you mean by that?
I'm a law-abiding citizen!
But he was still young, and who knew what the future held? Chinese history had never seen a century of peace without war.
Besides, if he ever traveled, having a few people around would put his mind at ease.
"Brother Liang, that's a bit much. But after knowing you this long, I know you're genuine."
"How about this? I'll put in two million—one million for you personally, one million for renovating the boxing gym. Use the full 2,000 square meters. I'll take 60% of the shares, you get 40%."
When Li Houliang heard this, his eyes nearly turned red. He'd just thrown out two million casually—his real expectation was that he'd sell for 500,000.
If he really had to move, those second-hand equipment pieces weren't worth much.
This outcome was something he'd never imagined. He'd get money, keep shares, and have follow-up investment for upgrades.
"Youge, you're a righteous man. I'm a bit rough and don't know fancy words—just watch my actions from now on!"
Li Houliang stood up, cupped his fists, and said solemnly.
Zhou You also stood up and patted Li Houliang on the shoulder: "Brother Liang, there's plenty of time ahead. Let's take it slow!"
With that, he headed off to train.
Just as he stepped out, a voice came from behind: "Youge, what about the rent? How do we calculate that?"
Zhou You stumbled in annoyance: "Damn it, you big dummy—I'm the major shareholder. Am I going to pay rent to myself?"
Li Houliang heard that and chuckled stupidly behind him. Without rent, he'd save a lot of money each year.
After training, Zhou You went home.
Li Houliang was a bit excited and called Wang Ping: "Brother Ping, thanks!"
Wang Ping was confused: "Brother Liang, have you been drinking?"
"Haha, thanks for introducing me to Youge—he's the benefactor of my life!" Li Houliang was genuinely grateful. Without Wang Ping's introduction, he didn't know what his future would be.
"Of course. Youge is my benefactor too. What's up? Tell me the good news." Wang Ping was itching with curiosity. Anything that caught Zhou You's eye was usually good.
But from Li Houliang's tone, it seemed like a big deal.
Li Houliang briefly explained the whole story: buying the house, investing, the million.
Wang Ping was envious, but only envious. After all, Li Houliang had real skill—a gold medal carried weight. He wasn't doing badly himself either, about to expand, so he couldn't help but warn:
"Brother Liang, I'm a bit jealous. But you need to perform well from now on. We're in the same boat—since I introduced you, if anything goes wrong, I'll suffer too!"
"Of course. If I don't seize this chance, I'd be an idiot. I'm going to tell your sister-in-law. When I buy the house, I'll invite you over for a drink." Li Houliang hung up.
He hurriedly called his wife: "Honey, how much was that house you looked at last time?"
"Why are you asking? We don't have the money to buy it!"
"Just tell me how much!" Li Houliang was unusually assertive.
"800,000."
"We'll go buy it in a few days. Your husband has money now. I'll get you a car too—you can't keep taking the bus to work every day."
On the other end, instead of being happy, her voice dropped, as if she'd covered the receiver: "You haven't done anything illegal, have you? If there's risk, leave quickly! Don't worry about me!"
Hearing how worried his wife was, Li Houliang found it both funny and touching. He quickly explained the situation again.
After his wife heard it, she relaxed a bit: "Come home tonight and tell me all about it. There's a reward!" She hung up.
Haha, Li Houliang shook off the gloom of the past few days.
He stepped outside and shouted: "Everyone get in the ring. I'm taking on five!"