150: Chapter 150 A Small Gathering of Brothers

The Old Place BBQ Restaurant still looked the same.

The entrance had a new sign, but the inside remained unchanged. Plastic stools, folding tables, and that menu on the wall with black ink on red paper—its corners had long since curled up. The air was thick with the pungent scent of cumin and chili powder, the aroma born from the smoky heat of charcoal fires.

When Li Xin arrived, Luo Maifa was already there.

He was sitting at the table against the wall, with some grilled skewers already laid out before him—lamb skewers, oysters, grilled meat, peanuts, and so on, along with a few bottles of beer. Seeing Li Xin push the door open, he stood up, opened his mouth, but in the end, only said, "You're here?"

"Haha, I'm here, I'm here." Li Xin walked over with a smile and sat down opposite him.

Luo Maifa looked him up and down several times before speaking with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Brother Xin, you've lost weight!"

"Have I?"

"You definitely have. Your face has no meat on it anymore."

"Sigh, don't even mention it. The food outside can't compare to home cooking, so naturally, I lost weight." Li Xin raised his hand in a gesture of helplessness.

"Stop making excuses. I bet you've just been living it up with wild nights out."

Li Xin smiled and didn't respond. Luo Maifa pushed a bottle of beer toward him. He took it; the cap had already been removed, so he picked it up and took a swig.

"Where are Yang Hong and Qiang Zi?" he asked.

"Yang Hong is on his way; he said traffic is a bit heavy. Qiang Zi went to pick up Tiezhu, they'll be here in a bit."

The two of them sat and drank a few sips of beer. The proprietress of the BBQ restaurant brought out a plate of grilled kidneys from the kitchen and placed them on the table. She glanced at Li Xin and said with a smile, "Handsome, it's been a long time since you were here."

"Yeah, I went on a long trip."

The proprietress nodded and turned back to attend to her work.

Luo Maifa picked up a lamb skewer, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. "What exactly did you do on this trip? You've been so secretive about it."

"What else could I do? I went out to make my way in the world."

"Haha… well, you better take care of yourself. The world is a dangerous place—be careful not to get your kidneys harvested." Luo Maifa looked at him with a wicked grin.

"Stop cursing me. If anything really happens, you'll be the first one I settle scores with!" A mischievous smile spread across Li Xin's face. "You're the one who needs to be careful. Don't let your Ah Mei drain you dry."

Luo Maifa clutched his chest in exaggerated fashion. "Good grief, you really have a sharp tongue. My constitution is sturdy; I could handle wild nights out every day without a problem."

"Heh, that remains to be seen."

Li Xin raised his beer and clinked it against Luo Maifa's. After about ten minutes of chatting and laughing, Yang Hong finally pushed the door open and walked in.

He was wearing a dark blue polo shirt and his signature black-rimmed glasses, carrying a laptop bag in his hand. Seeing Li Xin, he nodded and walked over to sit down.

"Traffic was bad, I'm late." He tossed his laptop bag by his feet, opened a cold beer, and filled his glass.

"No worries. How's the company?" Li Xin asked with a smile, still holding the iron tongs for poking the charcoal.

Yang Hong pushed up his glasses as bubbles rose along the side of his glass. "It's going well. Our user base just broke one hundred million. We finished a round of financing last month, and the valuation is at twenty billion."

Hearing this, Luo Maifa immediately leaned in. "That's awesome! Last time I was out for a meal with some people, as soon as I mentioned I was his brother, their eyes lit up, and they toasted me three extra drinks!"

A playful smirk tugged at the corner of Li Xin's mouth. "Not bad, using Yang Hong's name to bask in the glory everywhere. Shouldn't we punish you with a few extra drinks later?"

"Drink, we must drink!" Yang Hong chimed in at the right moment.

Li Xin looked at Yang Hong and asked, "Haha, which firms invested in the company's financing?"

"Hillhouse and Sequoia both came in. This round's valuation is more than double the last one." Yang Hong raised his beer and took a sip.

"The money you invested back then has increased several dozen times over now."

Li Xin nodded, a smile on his face; he was genuinely happy for his brother.

Back when the company was just starting out, a few of them had crowded into that small office in the Science Park, working overtime until midnight. Now, the valuation was twenty billion, and in a few more years, it would be even higher.

Not long after, he saw Qiang Zi walking towards them, followed by Zhao Tiezhu. Qiang Zi looked the same—sturdy, with his hair shaved very short, wearing a black T-shirt.

Zhao Tiezhu was half a head shorter than him but also sturdy. His face was much rounder than before, and he was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"Brother Xin, we've missed you to death." Qiang Zi walked over, sat down next to Li Xin, and patted his shoulder.

"Quit with the smooth talk!"

Zhao Tiezhu stood by the table, rubbing his hands, looking a bit reserved. "General Manager Li, long time no see."

Li Xin glanced at him. "Long time no see. Please, sit down. Just call me by my name; we're all brothers here."

Zhao Tiezhu grinned and sat down opposite him. Qiang Zi poured him a glass of beer; he took it, held it with both hands, and took a big gulp.

"Tiezhu is doing amazing now," Luo Maifa said from the side. "He's opened many branches; his breakfast shops are all over Shenzhen."

Zhao Tiezhu waved his hands. "Not at all, just a few small shops. Compared to you guys, I'm nowhere near."

Qiang Zi added, "He's so busy every day that his feet barely touch the ground. He gets up at four in the morning and doesn't sleep until eleven or twelve at night. I told him to hire someone to manage it, but he doesn't trust anyone else."

Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head. "I feel reassured when I watch it myself. Back when I had nothing to eat, I dreamed of opening a shop. Now that I've opened several, I'm even more afraid to slack off."

Li Xin looked at him, remembering the first time they met. Back then, there was confusion in his eyes. Now, it was different; he was spirited, and he spoke with confidence.

"How many shops do you have now?" Li Xin asked.

"Seven," Zhao Tiezhu said. "All in Shenzhen. I plan to expand to surrounding cities next year."

"Let me know if you need money."

Zhao Tiezhu shook his head. "The cash flow is fine for now; I can keep it running on my own. When it's time to really expand, I'll come to you."

The group ate and chatted. Platters of skewers came one after another, and bottles of beer were opened one by one. Luo Maifa did the most talking, bragging about everything from the company to his family, from his father's health to the latest movie he'd watched. Yang Hong chimed in occasionally, but mostly listened. Qiang Zi didn't say much, but every word he said was to the point. Zhao Tiezhu was the quietest, sitting there eating and grinning from time to time.

Halfway through the meal, Yang Hong put down his chopsticks and looked at Li Xin.

"You're back this time, so you're not leaving for a while, right?"

"Pretty much. I'll see how things go first. I might need to rest for a while."

"That's good. You've been running around outside for too long; it's not a bad idea to take a break." Yang Hong nodded and asked again,

"Then, about the company, do you want to go and take a look?"

Li Xin thought about it. "Tomorrow, perhaps. It would be good to go take a look; I haven't been to the company in a long time."

Yang Hong nodded and didn't say anything more.

Luo Maifa chimed in, "And my dad's logistics company, you have to go see that too. He talks about you every day, saying you're a great benefactor."

"Alright, I'll visit both."

The next morning, Li Xin arrived at Yang Hong's company.

The office was still in that building in the Science Park, but it wasn't on the same floor as before. They had rented the entire building. The reception, conference rooms, and open office area were decorated in a modern style, but there was nothing superfluous. That was Yang Hong's style: practicality first, no flashy nonsense.

Yang Hong took him for a tour. The technology department, product department, marketing department, operations department—every department was filled with people. The sound of keyboards, discussions, and telephone rings blended together, making one's nerves tense just listening to it.

"How many people now?" Li Xin asked.

"Over six hundred." Yang Hong pushed open the door to his office. "We're still hiring, expected to reach eight hundred by the end of the year."

The office wasn't large: a desk, a computer, a chair, and a small bookshelf against the wall. Yang Hong sat down, turned on the computer, and pulled up several reports.

"These are last year's financial reports, and this year's too. Take a look. Previously, you were always running around abroad, so all the major and minor affairs here were handled by General Manager Li Jiayi."

Li Xin took them and looked through them. Revenue was up, profits were up, user numbers were up; every metric was increasing. It wasn't the explosive kind of growth, but a steady upward trend, with a solid foundation.

"How's the cash flow?" he asked.

"Quite healthy. It's been a positive flow all along. Since last year, we haven't needed to dump money into it anymore. This round of financing is mainly to lay out our expansion overseas."

Li Xin nodded. "I can see that the pace is controlled very steadily. Focusing on expanding overseas is a wise choice."

Yang Hong smiled with emotion. "Yeah, after struggling for so long, the company is finally on the right track, and it's time to boldly venture outward."

Li Xin's lips curled slightly, and he smiled. "Go ahead and do it. I believe there will be good results."

"Hmm, I'll take your word for it!"

In the afternoon, Li Xin went to Uncle Luo's logistics company.

Xinfa Logistics was no longer in that dilapidated little warehouse. They had rented a large logistics park in Longhua, occupying an entire floor. Dozens of trucks were parked at the entrance, with the words "Xinfa Logistics" painted on the bodies—white characters on a red background, very eye-catching.

Uncle Luo was in his office brewing tea, waiting for him.

It had been half a year, and Uncle Luo looked much better than before. His face had filled out, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were shallower. He was wearing a dark gray polo shirt, and his hair was combed neatly.

"Come, come, sit." Uncle Luo poured him a cup of tea. "This is some newly arrived Tieguanyin; have a taste."

Li Xin sat down and raised his hand to thank him. "Thank you, Uncle Luo."

He picked up the teacup and took a small sip. "The aroma is very rich. Good tea, I like it."

"Haha, as long as you like it. You ran to quite a few places on this trip, didn't you?" Uncle Luo poured himself a cup, picked it up, and blew on it.

"I did run to quite a few."

"You, you're really busy." Uncle Luo took a sip of tea. "Maifa has mentioned Yang Hong's company to me. He said the money you invested has increased quite a bit now."

"That's the company's doing; it has nothing to do with me."

Uncle Luo waved his hand. "You are just too humble. If it weren't for that money of yours back then, my company would have closed down long ago. How would we be where we are today?"

Li Xin didn't respond. He picked up his teacup and took another sip, his gaze sweeping over the medals and certificates hanging on the office wall. Outstanding Logistics Enterprise of Shenzhen, Model Unit of Integrity in South China, Top 100 Private Logistics Companies in China... one by one, they covered the entire wall.

"How is the business now?" he asked.

"It's developing quite well now." Uncle Luo put down his teacup. "We've basically covered the South China region, and we're preparing to expand to East China next year. The cash flow in the accounts is abundant, and banks are willing to grant credit, so we don't have to worry about money."

"That's good."

The two sat in the office for over an hour, chatting about the company's current situation and future plans. Uncle Luo, getting into the spirit of it, took a thick business plan out of his drawer and spread it out on the coffee table for him to see.

Li Xin flipped through it without reading it in detail, but he could tell that Uncle Luo truly regarded this company as his life's work for the rest of his days.