Riding my beloved little scooter, It never gets stuck in traffic. Riding my beloved little scooter, I'll be home in a flash. It keeps me away from worries and sorrow.
Zhou You hummed a tune, lightening his spirits. In life, the most important thing is to be happy. He might not have the chance now, but someday he'd find a way to mess with the music industry out of spite.
Here he was, a billionaire—soon to be a tens-of-billionaire—zipping around on an electric scooter, feeling nothing but joy.
He was now a regular at the hotel. Even the security guards greeted him with smiles. What could he say? He was just that impressive. The guards had no choice, really. Zhou You kept handing out swimming vouchers left and right; he was too hospitable to refuse.
"What's up? Didn't I tell you to handle things on your own from now on?" Zhou You pushed open the door and couldn't help but grumble, a bit annoyed. He'd already said not to bother him—didn't they know how lazy he was?
Seeing Zhou You's irritation, the two stood up.
Wang Ping glanced at Wang Fangfang. No way around it—in this situation, Wang Fangfang had to step up first.
"Brother You, it's like this. Last time I mentioned that a lot of hotels reached out to us, wanting us to handle their operations. We've settled on a few, but we wanted you to give the final okay," Wang Fangfang said, pouring him a glass of water and guiding him to a seat.
"How many?" Zhou You asked, seeing their uneasy expressions. He couldn't stay mad—they were adults with their own pride, and this was, after all, a sign of respect for him.
Who could blame him for being the major shareholder, not just a simple investor?
"Five, spread across different districts, including Yaohai," Wang Ping quickly added, not wanting to stay in the background any longer, or he'd lose face.
"Pick one per district, that's fine. Just don't put them too close together. You two can decide that. From now on, no need to ask me about stuff like this. I trust you!" Zhou You gave a simple suggestion and set the process for the future.
The two exchanged glances, hesitating and falling silent.
Zhou You could tell something was off. He knew they hadn't spilled the key point yet. He stayed quiet, waiting to see who'd crack first, secretly amused—finally, something interesting to play with.
The three stared at each other, the awkwardness growing. In the end, Wang Ping couldn't take it anymore. The other two had a close bond, but he was stuck in the middle, barely able to breathe.
He reached for the water cup on the table, took a small sip—tactical hydration. "Brother You, here's the thing. Since we're taking on a few more hotels, we're short on staff. A lot of senior and junior classmates want to come on board and join the effort."
Zhou You was confused. "That's a good thing. Bring them all in, corner the market on talent, and the market will be yours to command!"
Wang Fangfang saw Wang Ping beating around the bush, not getting to the point. She knew he was worried about making Zhou You angry, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Brother You, last time you mentioned building a coalition of interests. I think relying on salaries alone to grow big and strong will be tough. We're thinking of setting aside a small portion of shares as incentives."
"That's a great idea. I remember telling you last year that all new swimming centers should adopt this model. But you need to get the share ratio right. I don't know the specifics, but it can't be too high at the start. Base it on years of service and operational performance." Zhou You really didn't understand this stuff, so he just outlined the basics for them to figure out.
Besides, the swimming center business wasn't like a tech company—you couldn't just copy their methods.
"Take the shares proportionally. I'll put in 5% first, and you each contribute 1.5% to create a share pool. That should be enough for the short term. Work out the rest of the details yourselves, and you can also factor in the coaches' qualifications and past performance."
Seeing that Zhou You wasn't angry at all and even offered advice, Wang Ping breathed a sigh of relief. He realized he didn't know Zhou You well enough and had been too petty.
"Brother You, hearing you say that puts us at ease. I was wrong earlier—I was worried you'd be upset. After all, you invested in all the swimming centers. I was lucky to get a stake, and giving shares to newcomers felt like pushing my luck." Wang Ping apologized sincerely.
They didn't communicate enough and had underestimated him. Zhou You decided to lay his cards on the table: "You both know I have plenty of other projects, but I'm just an investor—I don't get involved in operations.
"The swimming centers are just for fun. They matter a lot to you, but not so much to me. Seeing how well you're doing, I've got an idea. It's not fully formed, but take it as a reference.
"Pretty soon, we'll have the Luzhou market wrapped up. What's your next move? Consolidate the market or expand further? Either way, you can't do it without people.
"I don't lack money. Seeing this grow so well, I want to build a reputation. There's a place in the central plains called Pangdonglai that shares profits with employees and customers. Our industry is service-based too, even if daily engagement isn't high. I want to do the same—share profits with employees. As long as you can attract talent, I'm willing to give up shares. The only question is whether you're willing to let go."
Zhou You finished and smiled at the two. He'd always hated those exploiters who made tons of money and still weren't satisfied, squeezing people dry.
Now he had a chance to test this out. It all depended on whether they had the guts. After all, Zhou You was too lazy to do it himself—they'd have to execute it.
The two listened quietly, growing more stunned with each word, feeling ashamed of their own petty concerns. When Zhou You finished, Wang Ping couldn't hold back his excitement: "Brother You, if you pull this off, the entire province's swimming circle will thank you!"
Wang Fangfang chimed in eagerly, "It's totally doable. Our province isn't a big swimming hub—the team's only twenty or thirty people year-round. That's a small enough pool to absorb internally. As long as the pay's decent, plenty of people would jump at the chance!"
"How's your performance this year?" Zhou You had never asked before, but now was a good time to check.
At that, both of them beamed with pride.
"Pretty good. The guesthouse held steady, and the other two aren't as strong, but overall it's solid. That's why so many hotels reached out. Total revenue is just under 8 million, but after salaries, operating costs, and winter prep expenses, net profit is around 2 million." Wang Fangfang knew Zhou You didn't want too many details, so she gave him the gist.
"Enough to cover the new swimming centers' operating fees?" Zhou You asked.
"Enough, and we'll even have a bit left for year-end dividends," Wang Ping said happily.
"Alright then, let's do it the way we discussed!" Zhou You sealed the deal.
The swimming world was small. If word of Zhou You's plan got out, it would earn him a ton of goodwill.
Swimmers who trained together day in and day out formed deep bonds, especially after entering society. They tended to stick together because the circle was so narrow.
Seeing their agreement, Zhou You felt great. Doing something meaningful was far more satisfying than just making money. Especially now, when he could earn a little cash while helping so many people—how could he not be happy?
Helping others is the root of happiness.