From Wage Slave to Tycoon

After leaving the park, Chen Fei drove straight into the city.

"Sir, where to now?" Chen Fei asked, turning his head after pulling into a temporary parking spot on the side of the road.

Su Chen, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality.

He glanced around and realized they were in the downtown area of Zheng Island. To his surprise, Chen Fei had parked directly across the street from San Yuan Canteen.

Seeing the familiar sign, Su Chen slapped his forehead. "How could I have forgotten about this?" he muttered.

After his experience with San Yuan Canteen, Su Chen had wanted to do something to help. But he had been so busy lately that the matter had completely slipped his mind.

"Chen Fei, how is San Yuan Canteen doing these days?" Su Chen distinctly remembered giving special instructions to have supplies sent over periodically.

Hearing Su Chen’s question, Chen Fei seemed to only just realize he’d parked near San Yuan Canteen. He quickly replied, "Sir, we send a batch of supplies over every week."

"San Yuan Canteen is now serving many more elderly people who live alone and homeless individuals than before. It’s also attracted a few local volunteers from Zheng Island."

"Sir, why don’t we go over and take a look? I’m sure the owner, Chen Hao, would be thrilled to see you."

Su Chen didn’t reply. He just gazed through the car window toward San Yuan Canteen, where he happened to see the owner, Chen Hao, sweeping with a broom.

After a long silence, Su Chen finally said, "Let’s not. It would just be a bother for them."

After a pause, he continued, "Let’s just drive back to Shanghai. We can take our time and make a trip out of it."

The drive from Zheng Island to Shanghai was just under 1,500 kilometers, a sixteen-hour trip that could be done in a day.

However, the route passed through four provinces, many of which contained famous tourist destinations like Tianjin and Zibo. This was the perfect opportunity to do some sightseeing.

Chen Fei, ever agreeable, glanced at the fuel gauge. Seeing it was only half full, he suggested, "Sir, let’s hit a gas station first. We can also grab some snacks for the road."

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Sure, go ahead and sort it out," Su Chen said casually, his eyes still fixed on San Yuan Canteen.

After a quick search on his phone, Chen Fei started the car and headed for the nearest gas station.

As they drove past San Yuan Canteen, Chen Hao, who was still sweeping, looked up at the Mercedes G-Wagen on a strange impulse. But after a quick glance, he turned back to his work.

"Did you rob the gas station’s convenience store?" Su Chen joked, eyeing the several large bags of snacks in Chen Fei’s hands.

After stowing the bags, Chen Fei scratched his head and said sheepishly, "I was just worried you might get hungry on the road, sir!"

Su Chen chuckled and shook his head. He had glanced at the haul and seen an incredible variety of snacks. Things like braised pig’s trotters, chicken feet, and chicken wings were each in their own bag, meaning one of the large bags was filled with nothing but those.

’Forget finishing it all,’ he thought, ’we probably won’t even get through half of it by the time we get back to Shanghai.’

But it was all out of Chen Fei’s good intentions, so what could Su Chen say? He couldn’t very well chew him out for wasting money. He wasn’t that much of an idiot.

Once the tank was full, Chen Fei wasted no time and headed straight for the nearest highway on-ramp. Su Chen, meanwhile, settled into the back seat and started gnawing on a pre-packaged pig’s trotter.

’Have to admit,’ he thought, ’this is actually pretty good.’

Night fell. After more than five hours on the road, Su Chen and Chen Fei finally reached their destination for the day: Tianjin.

Tianjin, also known as the "Gateway to the Capital" and the "Home of Quyi," was famous for three things in Su Chen’s mind: Goubuli steamed buns, crosstalk comedy, and its giant fried dough twists!

Crosstalk was practically in their blood. It was said you could grab any random local off the street, and they could perform a whole routine of speaking, imitating, teasing, and singing for you.

As for the giant fried dough twists, the vendors were like one of the country’s most famous and mysterious organizations. You could spot them all over China, driving small trucks with glass-encased beds displaying arm-thick dough twists that turned heads everywhere they went.

Interestingly, for a while, a rumor spread online that these truck-driving vendors were actually child abductors. It got to the point where many parents would warn their kids to be careful whenever they saw one of the trucks.

"Sir, should we find a place to eat first, or head to the hotel and get settled?" Chen Fei asked, turning his head.

Su Chen gazed at the passing nightscape. "Let’s go to the hotel first," he said. "We had plenty of snacks on the way, so I’m not that hungry."

"Besides, we’re new to Tianjin and have no idea where to find the best food. Let’s get settled in first, then we can figure it out."

Chen Fei hadn’t driven the entire five-plus hours from Zheng Island to Tianjin. Su Chen had taken the wheel for two hours, and by trading off, they both stayed fresh. It also gave them a chance to eat snacks and recharge.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei immediately pulled into a temporary parking spot and began searching for five-star hotels in Tianjin on his phone. Soon, an image of a palatial hotel caught his eye.

"Sir, how about this one? It’s near the Hai River, with plenty of attractions and food streets nearby," Chen Fei said, handing his phone to Su Chen.

Su Chen took the phone. The pictures were indeed enticing. A slight smile touched his lips when he saw the name. It seemed that whenever he traveled, he almost always ended up at this hotel: the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.