Chapter 1104: Chapter 414: Beauty Workshop
Regarding the top-tier clubs in the Magic City, Zhou Wang had heard about them when he was in Beidou.
This was mainly from what Old Zhang, the current manager of Jingwang Club (Beidou), had mentioned.
Zhou Wang couldn’t quite remember Old Zhang’s real name, but he used to be the manager of the Chang’an Club in Beidou and was poached through a top industry headhunting company.
Zhou Wang was impressed by him, mainly because this Old Zhang, whose true age was hard to determine, was quite something. When discussing salary, he openly stated that his base annual salary was just one yuan, with performance bonuses coming from a 10% increase in annual pure profit from the club’s daily operations after he took over.
Furthermore, “daily operating income” didn’t include membership fees, and only the incremental amount was counted.
This meant that, starting from when he joined, assuming that after a year, the club’s annual profit increased from a hundred million to two hundred million, he would earn an annual salary of ten million. Conversely, if the club’s annual profit didn’t change a year later, he would only get one yuan.
Although Zhou Wang, by sheer hard work, had already laid a solid foundation for the operations of Jingwang Club, and it was evident to the discerning that the future of Jingwang Club was promising, Zhou Wang still appreciated Old Zhang’s courage to set up such a bet agreement.
Moreover, according to Qingkui, after Old Zhang joined, he was almost present at Jingwang Club 24/7, personally handling all matters big and small in the early stages, and his attitude was very commendable.
According to Old Zhang and Zhou Wang’s casual chat, in Huaxia, there are actually only a few cities with a real ecological foundation for top-tier clubs. Beidou leads in prestige, Magic City in extravagance, Hong Kong in history, and Peng City in fashion.
The club history of Magic City is slightly inferior to that of Hong Kong, but it can also be traced back to the early 19th century, mainly in the concession areas, except back then the main patrons were expatriates.
Among the general upper-class in Magic City, even if there wasn’t a concept of clubs at the time, various nightclubs, clubs, and other entertainment venues had already begun to sprout early in Magic City.
For over a hundred years, the opulent trends have never ceased along the banks of the Huangpu River.
With the arrival of the new century, as an international city bustling with the wealthiest individuals, there are just nine well-known top-tier clubs alone, including Yongfu Club, Roosevelt Private Club, M1NT, Securities General Association, and more, exceeding the number of the four major clubs in Beidou.
But at this time, Guo Bing wasn’t taking Zhou Wang to any of those.
“Brother Dog, those clubs you’re talking about have too much of a business atmosphere. They’re more for people to drink tea and talk business, which isn’t suitable for us… uh, I mean, not suitable for me. Of course, you can adapt anywhere, sir.”
Guo Bing chuckled with a light cough, “But this top-tier club, which is almost unknown outside its circle, truly focuses on leisure and relaxation. Back then, the old man never took me there, fearing I would become indulgent and lose myself…”
“So where exactly is this mysterious club you’re talking about?”
Zhou Wang glanced at the undulating river around them, never expecting that after a meal and a detour, he’d end up on a yacht again.
This was a small yacht exclusively used by the club to transport guests, without any visible markings. The two boarded from the Bund and had already turned into the Suzhou River from the Huangpu River by now.
“Don’t worry, Brother Dog, it’s not far, just around ten more minutes… I’m not even sure if the club had an official name, but I’ve only heard it referred to as Building No. 9. Oh, the club also has a famous nickname!”
“What is it?”
“‘Beauty Workshop’, impressive or what?”
Guo Bing chuckled slyly.
…
“Impressive” in Magic City dialect means “amazing.”
Zhou Wang wasn’t sure how amazing the so-called “Beauty Workshop” was, but now he was truly feeling quite dizzy.
Already not feeling his best, the half-hour boat ride had Zhou Wang feeling he was on the verge of throwing up.
Fortunately, Guo Bing hadn’t lied to him. After about ten minutes, the yacht finally began to slow down, turned into a private marina near a commercial complex named “Suhe Bay,” and docked.
On one side of the dock, a middle-aged man in a suit and vest, accompanied by two young men looking like waiters, was waiting. Seeing the two disembark, the middle-aged man greeted them with a smile.
“Mr. Guo, hello, nice to meet you, I’m the deputy manager of the club’s public relations department. My name is Ma Zhiyuan, or you can call me Old Ma; it’s less trouble than remembering names.”
“Hello, Manager Ma. My dad should have talked to you, right?”
Guo Bing, likely having received instructions from Guo Wangshan, was rather courteous to Ma Zhiyuan.
“Mr. Guo has already informed us, Mr. Guo, don’t worry. I know it’s your first time here, and I’ll do my utmost to ensure you have an unforgettable experience!”
After Ma Zhiyuan’s laughter, he turned to Zhou Wang, his smile subtly growing warmer as he extended his hands to Zhou Wang. “You must be Mr. Zhou from Beidou, hello, hello!”
When Ma Zhiyuan extended his hand, Zhou Wang noticed he was wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5990, a watch in the secondary market costing around eight to nine hundred thousand. From this detail alone, one could glimpse the strength of this club.
After all, the position of deputy manager of the public relations department wasn’t exactly a high managerial position, at most just a middle-level management.
But what truly surprised Zhou Wang was Ma Zhiyuan’s tone. He smiled meaningfully, “It seems you know who I am.”
But Brother Guo’s introduction wouldn’t have been so detailed, even telling Ma Zhiyuan where he came from. Clearly, either Ma Zhiyuan did some research after Guo Wangshan greeted him, or Ma Zhiyuan had heard of his name before.