Chapter 285 - 214: When Connections Begin to Form

Chapter 285: Chapter 214: When Connections Begin to Form

"@everyone, No. 9 Fishing Boat Seafood Restaurant, let’s go! I’ve booked the whole place, so everyone must show up! Considering we just ate, we’ll keep this one simple. Mostly drinking and talking business."

After getting in the car, Lin Chu sent a message to the group chat.

He had asked Gu Jiayan to book it.

Even though it was nighttime, money could solve anything. He had set a minimum spending requirement of 9,800 per table for eight tables. With the cost of drinks on top of that, the restaurant had no problem setting aside a private hall for them.

The class had 60 people—54 men and 6 women. It was practically an Arhat Array.

Lin Chu was long accustomed to this kind of large-scale wining and dining. He didn’t seek it out, but he certainly didn’t resist it—after all, there was a rebate.

Besides, it was the first day of school.

And then there was Lu Ming’s startup project.

Sitting in the back of the Rolls-Royce, Kong Qi watched President Lin, a man nearly ten years his junior, so full of vigor and spending money like water. A wave of emotion washed over him.

’A university instructor’s monthly salary is just over ten thousand. This meal has to cost several hundred thousand, right?’

’That’s several years of my salary.’

As someone who had studied economics, he naturally knew that if you wanted to make money, you had to go where the money was.

Of course, the stock market definitely didn’t count.

He didn’t even know how he’d lost so much in his own stock account; all the theories had proven useless.

"Are you planning to tell everyone about the startup project today?"

Kong Qi asked casually.

Although Lu Ming was leading the project, Kong Qi directed the question straight to Lin Chu.

Lu Ming didn’t see any issue with this at all. He turned his head, his eyes asking for guidance.

’On this matter, of course, they’d listen to Brother Chu.’

Lin Chu glanced at the two of them. "Sure, why not? It’s not a bad thing. Would it be better to announce it in the university’s name?"

"That... is definitely not possible."

Kong Qi was taken aback and hurriedly refused with a smile.

’That approach is way too wild, isn’t it?’

’It would go from a "grassroots initiative" to a "university mandate." If anything went wrong, I’d be the one taking all the blame.’

Seeing Lin Chu staring at him, he added a little sheepishly, "It would never get past Principal Hao. And if word got out, something good would turn into something bad. I think the conditions we have now are more than enough."

"Haha..."

Lin Chu chuckled. "I was just kidding. What are you so nervous about?"

He brushed it off lightly.

Kong Qi played along with a smile.

Lu Ming now thought that this instructor was pretty spineless. ’He wants to make money but isn’t very willing to put in the effort. He has that classic intellectual vibe.’

"I don’t think it’s necessary either," Lu Ming chimed in. "This kind of thing should be completely voluntary—whoever wants to join can join. Forcing it would be pointless and just drag down our image."

Lin Chu nodded casually and smiled. "Alright, it’s settled then. You handle the organizing, and I’ll just be in charge of the food, drinks, and fun."

They arrived at the restaurant shortly after.

A crowd of early arrivals had gathered at the entrance, chatting and laughing as they went inside together.

The atmosphere now felt much more relaxed and cheerful than before.

It was their first class gathering, and on the very first day of the program at that. Everyone was quite excited, but no one had expected Boss Lin to be so generous—booking the entire restaurant for people he’d just met and stocking the tables with Maotai.

This kind of setup felt a bit like a company’s annual gala.

But this was supposed to be just a late-night snack!

Lin Chu’s eyes swept across the room, seeing that almost everyone had arrived.

"AHEM, AHEM. Let me say a few words. All the various leaders were there earlier, so it wasn’t convenient to talk. Plus, they thought we were too noisy, so I figured we might as well come out to eat. For the next two years, we’re all a team. Since you all elected me as class president, I’ll make my position clear: if you have a problem, just say the word. If I can help, I will. I’ll raise my glass first. To everyone... may your wealth roll in!"

Lin Chu raised his glass, spoke with a hearty laugh, and then drained it in one go.

’This is the kind of setting where it feels good to talk. This is when I’m most in my element.’

’In the future, I’m never sitting at a "main table" like that again, not unless I’m the one in charge.’

The crowd laughed and cheered, and some even applauded sporadically.

Lin Chu didn’t waste any more words and sat down as soon as he was done.

Now, everyone could relax.

Watching his display, Gu Jiayan, who was sitting beside him, pursed her lips, unable to help but scoff internally.

This very "underworld" air he had about him felt completely out of place with the elite atmosphere of the Peking University MBA program.

But this was Lin Chu’s true nature.

No matter how much money he had, this was who he was to the core.

At that moment, an idea struck Kong Qi, and he stood up and began to speak with a smile.

"I’d also like to say a few words. As this class’s instructor, my job is primarily to serve all of you. I hope that in these next two years, every student will gain something valuable from this program."

"Also, I have some good news to report. This afternoon, our classmate Lu Ming proposed an excellent startup idea: for our class to work together on a startup project over the next two years. I took him to report this to Principal Hao, and the principal has already approved it. And I’ll be joining in as well."

"Furthermore, President Lin is also a strong supporter of this endeavor."

"So, this is the main topic for our dinner tonight. With that, I’ll let our classmate Lu Ming take the floor."

Kong Qi felt that he still needed to publicly endorse this matter.

After all, it truly was a good thing.

He couldn’t use the university’s name, but as the instructor, his words still carried some weight.

It was a personal endorsement.

His words immediately piqued everyone’s interest.

Lu Ming picked up where he left off, then smiled, stood up, and began to repeat what he had explained earlier.