Chapter 351: The Office Opens (Part Three)

Wang Haitao pulled out his phone and made a call. Five minutes later, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline rushed down and grabbed the hand of a well-dressed passerby. “Are you Mr. Wang? Thank you for saving our office in our time of need.”

The passerby looked confused. “I’m just here to eat at the restaurant next door.”

Wang Haitao waved. “Over here, over here!”

The middle-aged man realized his mistake, then grabbed Wang Haitao’s hand. “I’m sorry, so you’re Mr. Wang. You do look impressive!”

“Take us up to see the place!”

Chen Shi asked in surprise, “You bought it?”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” Wang Haitao replied with a smile.

“More like where there’s money, there’s a way,” Chen Shi corrected.

The office was tiny, consisting of just two connected rooms, with a small restroom nearby. The only advantage was ample sunlight pouring through the large windows, which had “Master Information Consulting Office” written on them.

Chen Shi asked, “Is it just you here?”

“I couldn’t pay the employees, so they left. If you hire them, I have their personnel files. They’re all reliable veterans.”

“Let’s take a look!” Wang Haitao said.

Chen Shi waved his hands frantically, thinking Wang Haitao’s enthusiasm would fade quickly and not wanting him to waste money.

After looking through the files and contracts, the manager offered cigarettes and tea. Chen Shi reached for the pack of premium Zhonghua cigarettes, but pulled his hand back, telling himself, “Restraint! Restraint!”

“Why is business so bad?” Wang Haitao asked.

“We had a steady flow of clients, but rent increased recently, and expenses piled up. Plus, my elderly father got sick.”

Chen Shi thought to himself that the poor management was obvious, but the owner wouldn’t admit it directly.

Chen Shi whispered to Wang Haitao, “I doubt this place will be profitable. If you want to try it for the experience, I won’t stop you, but it might need to be sold again soon.”

“Don’t leave me alone in this. I don’t know anything; I can only be your Watson.”

“More like peanut butter!” Chen Shi laughed. “Alright, I’ll play along for a couple of days. But I’ll still go back to driving my taxi afterwards.”

“Great, great!” Wang Haitao was delighted. He told the manager, “We’ve already paid. Bring the transfer contract now, and let’s sign it.”

“Absolutely!” the manager agreed eagerly.

After officially transferring ownership, the manager explained a few things, packed up, and left. Before going, he said, “I wish you both great success and prosperity. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.”

“Thank you! Take care,” Wang Haitao nodded.

They sat on the couch for half an hour before Wang Haitao asked, “Why hasn’t anyone come?”

“No ads, no clients.”

“Right, ads!” Wang Haitao called his secretary to arrange advertising.

Of course, no clients came that day. Chen Shi went back to driving his taxi, and Wang Haitao went to work. The next morning, Wang Haitao called excitedly, “Mr. Chen, remember to come to the office today. We have clients!”

Wang Haitao’s advertising method was blunt; he hired part-timers to place ads on cars in parking lots.

In the information age, money can solve problems with a phone call, so calls came in the next day.

When Chen Shi arrived, he saw workers setting up furniture, plants, a refrigerator, coffee machine, water dispenser, computers, and a copier. He asked, “Spending so much, can we make it back?”

“Losses for the first three months are normal.”

“But overall, it’s cheaper than other entertainment for you rich folks.”

“Mr. Chen, I told you not to mention my wealth!”

With the new items, the office felt much more comfortable. However, waiting for calls was boring. Chen Shi said, “Didn’t you say we have clients?”

“Last night, we got two calls about cheating spouses, but I turned them down.”

“Oh…” Chen Shi pointed to the window. “We could put a treadmill here; waiting for calls is boring.”

“A treadmill? How about more computers?”

“Install some games, set up a bar to sell drinks and instant noodles.”

“That would make it an internet cafe?”

They laughed, and Wang Haitao snapped his fingers. “Hey, that’s an idea! This place could be both an internet cafe and a detective office, making double the profit.”

“Forget it, it’s hard to get a license for internet cafes now.”

“Then let’s turn it into a coffee shop. I noticed there are three coffee shops on this street, which means there’s demand.”

“You do have some business sense.”

Just then, a call came in. Chen Shi answered, and a child’s voice asked, “Are you private detectives like Kogoro Mouri?”

“Not even close.”

“That’s fine. My mom hid my New Year’s money. She said she was just keeping it for me, but now I want to buy a game console, and she won’t give it to me… I’m so mad!”

Chen Shi chuckled, “Kid, just call the police for this.”

“The police said they don’t handle it.”

“Neither do we.”

“How can you be so irresponsible?”

“You even know the word ‘irresponsible’? Impressive!”

“I’m in fifth grade. I also know phrases like ‘birds of a feather flock together,’ ‘partners in crime,’ and ‘the fox borrows the tiger’s might.’”

“Very impressive. Study hard, and you can buy all the game consoles you want in the future!” Chen Shi hung up with a smile.

Twenty minutes later, another call came in. A deep male voice said, “My wife is cheating on me!”

“Congratulations!” Chen Shi hung up again.

Wang Haitao laughed, “Even if we don’t take the cases, be more polite!”

“You take the next one.”

The next call was for Wang Haitao. The caller whispered, “Can you deliver a package for me? I’ll give you a commission.”

“What kind of package?”

“Can I say that on the phone? You know, that kind of thing!”

“Sir, we don’t do anything illegal.”

“Screw you!” The caller hung up angrily.

Chen Shi said, “Write down this number and report it to the police!”

All morning, they received six calls about cheating spouses and two about lost dogs, all of which they turned down. Wang Haitao calculated on paper, and Chen Shi asked, “What are you figuring out?”

“Costs,” Wang Haitao said with a smile. “The ads cost about fifty per call. We wasted over five hundred this morning. If the afternoon is the same, with rent, utilities, and furniture, we need at least one job worth three thousand today to break even.”

“That’s unlikely! If we get nothing today, I’m out. I advise you to cut your losses and switch businesses.”

“Don’t lose hope! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Chen Shi smiled wryly, knowing that no matter the loss, it was insignificant to Wang Haitao.

Wang Haitao suggested they go out to eat. Just then, a call came in. Chen Shi answered, and a woman asked, “Is this a detective office? I want to know if there’s a way to get early access to the college entrance exam papers.”