Forcing Me to Be a Godly Tycoon, Right?

"After that, my clothing company kept putting out smash hits, and now it makes me thirty to forty million a month."

"And then there’s the entertainment company. You know that super popular female singer Xiao Fei, right? She’s our company’s top artist. Right now, she alone brings in a net profit of twenty million a month for us."

Speaking up to this point, Zhang Jingdong looked at Zhang Lihua’s face full of admiration and disbelief, then once again openly fixed his gaze on her pretty face. "So, how about it, now do you feel like I really do have quite a talent for making money?"

After listening, although Zhang Lihua felt that Zhang Jingdong was a bit arrogant, she had no choice but to admit that he truly was exceptionally gifted when it came to making money.

After all, if even he didn’t count as exceptionally gifted, then looking across the whole world there wouldn’t be many people left who could be called gifted at making money.

So she couldn’t help but nod. "...All right, you really can count as a top-level master at making money."

"And I’m a little curious: how do you spot these big-money businesses?"

Seeing that she was asking in earnest, Zhang Jingdong said, "Actually, the most important thing isn’t how you discover these big-money businesses, but how you manage to make them work. Because a lot of people know about the businesses I’m doing, it’s just that the vast majority of them can’t pull them off."

"So what you really need to ask is how I managed to make these businesses work. That’s the real key to making big money."

Zhang Lihua blurted out, "Then how did you pull these businesses off?"

Zhang Jingdong spread his hands. "If someone else were asking, my answer would only be six words... because I’m a genius."

"But since it’s you asking, I’ll give you a proper answer. Still, I can’t answer for free—you’ve got to agree to one little request from me. That okay?"

Zhang Lihua didn’t suspect anything, and she really was very interested in Zhang Jingdong’s business dealings right now, so she nodded directly. "...Okay."

Seeing that she’d taken the bait, Zhang Jingdong then said with a straight face, "Whether a business can be made to work basically comes down to three words."

"First is interest. There’s a saying that interest is the prerequisite for success in any kind of work. Only if you have a strong interest in a business will you throw yourself into it wholeheartedly."

"Second is talent. As the saying goes, an army of thousands is easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by. In the process of doing business, having the right person can to a large extent determine whether this business can be made to work."

"For example, back when I was starting the entertainment company, if I hadn’t discovered Xiao Fei, my entertainment company might still have failed to get off the ground even now."

"The last word is ambition. When we do business, we have to have the ambition to become a dragon or phoenix of the industry. There’s a saying: set your sights on the Moon, so that even if you don’t make it in the end, you’ll still fall among the stars."

Seeing Zhang Lihua nod, Zhang Jingdong continued, "And right now, I feel like this mall project and branch store project in your hands both fit all three points."

"First, as a woman, you naturally have an interest in malls."

"Second, your restaurant has been open in our county for so many years and is still in a very healthy profit state. That alone proves you’ve already studied this line of business very thoroughly."

"So I’m willing to invest these thirty million in you, because I believe you’re definitely going to make these two businesses work!"

The first few sentences left Zhang Lihua feeling enlightened, while the latter ones kind of lit a fire in her.

So she uncharacteristically got a little worked up and nodded. "...I’ll give it everything I’ve got. I won’t let you down."

Zhang Jingdong was secretly delighted, then smiled and held his hand out toward her. "I believe in your ability, and I believe in your determination... here’s to a happy partnership in advance!"

Still immersed in her excitement, Zhang Lihua didn’t suspect anything, and reached out to shake his hand.

This time, unlike the first time they shook hands, Zhang Jingdong didn’t let go right away; even after holding it for a full thirty seconds, he still hadn’t released her.

Only then did Zhang Lihua sense that something was off. She lowered her head and glanced at their joined hands, then, both shy and annoyed, said, "...Let go of me!"

Zhang Jingdong still didn’t let go, instead saying, "I can let go of you, but you have to answer two questions honestly."

Zhang Lihua had no way out, so she said, "...Fine, ask."

"Do you like men who are capable?"

Zhang Lihua hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully, "...Yeah."

"Then do you think I’m a capable man?"

Zhang Lihua instantly saw through his little scheme and gave him a sidelong look. "You... you’re setting me up!"

Looking all innocent, Zhang Jingdong said, "How am I setting you up? It’s not like I’m asking whether you like me this time. I’m just asking whether you think I’m a capable man. This question... what’s wrong with it?"

As he spoke, he gave their joined hands a little shake. "You’d better answer honestly, or I’ll spend the whole rest of the day holding your hand. I’d be more than happy to, anyway."

Zhang Lihua had never met such a shameless rogue before, yet she just couldn’t bring herself to get angry with him.

So she forced herself to calm down a bit, then said, "All right, you... you are. You can let go of me now, right?"

Zhang Jingdong chuckled and reluctantly released her hand.

Then, in a casual tone, he said, "Classmate Zhang Lihua, do you still remember how, before I answered your question just now, you agreed to accept one little request from me?"

"You..."