Chapter 497 - 279: The Temptation of Becoming Official

"Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, curry, bak kut teh, and Indonesian basil..."

Qi Sheng was humming a cheerful tune.

Watching his rowdy friends goofing around on the plane, he was in an excellent mood.

To keep his girlfriends from tagging along, Qi Sheng had been putting in a lot of effort lately.

Luckily, his Physique and special attribute were at their peak.

That was the only way he could barely withstand the women’s combined assault.

It went without saying that Qi Sheng wouldn’t be on his best behavior while he was away.

After giving Qi Sheng a warning shot in their own way...

...they could only watch as Qi Sheng slipped away at the speed of light to go carousing with his ’bad crowd’.

Of the group, Jiang Nan had it the worst.

After all, he was Qi Sheng’s future brother-in-law and was nearly nagged to death by his own sister.

Jiang Nan had to make a slew of promises to keep a tight rein on Qi Sheng.

Only then did he secure his sister’s promise to help him handle the inevitable grilling from his own fiancée.

Thinking about how he would soon be starting a life with just one person forever...

...made this bachelor party seem all the more precious.

Wang Han held up a bottle of mineral water with mock seriousness and began to lay out their itinerary.

"First, we’ll land in Bangkok and spend a day there. Then, we’ll spend a day each on Phuket Island, Bintan Island in Indonesia, and Vabbinfaru Island in the Maldives before heading home."

"And for this entire trip, we have Chairman Qi’s generous support to thank. We won’t have to spend a dime to experience a private jet and the services of the Banyan Tree series of hotels."

Four days was the absolute limit Jiang Nan had been able to negotiate for.

Unlike the other playboys in the group, he was a man about to enter the sacred halls of marriage.

"You guys are impossible. Let me make it clear: I’m just here to accompany you."

Jiang Nan coughed lightly.

He still wanted to maintain his image in front of his future brother-in-law.

"That’s a real shame. I already lined up a few girls studying in Thailand for you. They’re total knockouts—gorgeous faces, perfect bodies."

"Since you’re not interested, I guess I’ll just have to enjoy them myself."

Wang Han could easily see through Jiang Nan’s act, his tone a mix of mock regret and amusement.

"Damn it! I’m already risking life and limb by coming out with you guys."

"If anyone tries to steal my girls, I’ll fight them to the death!"

Jiang Nan dropped the act, his true nature as a wealthy young heir reemerging.

His fiancée should understand him wanting to go wild just this once.

Men are men, after all. Few can resist temptation.

It would be a lie to say Jiang Nan wasn’t envious of how freely Qi Sheng lived.

He considered this pre-wedding trip a chance for one last hurrah.

Seeing Qi Sheng, who hadn’t even landed in Bangkok yet, already living it up...

The flight attendant in his arms was indeed very attractive.

’All your bros are here, and you’re hogging her all to yourself.’

’Isn’t that a little unfair?’

...

When Qin Qingyi saw that Qi Sheng was finally showing interest in her, she nearly fainted from excitement.

She had been by Qi Sheng’s side for so long.

Her greatest dream was to become one of the members of Qi Sheng’s "girlfriend club."

Yet months had gone by without Qi Sheng showing the slightest bit of interest in her.

If not for Qi Sheng’s generosity and the relaxed nature of her work...

...she would have been tempted to quit.

A woman’s youth is at its most valuable for only a few short years.

If she continued to waste away her time here...

...her options would only dwindle.

"I’ve been watching your performance over the past few months. If you..."

"I’m willing!"

Qin Qingyi nodded eagerly before Qi Sheng could even finish.

"I plan to transfer you to a subsidiary company as a supervisor in the administrative department. Are you willing to do that?"

Qi Sheng crossed his arms and looked at Qin Qingyi with a smile.

"Huh?"

Qin Qingyi was a bit dumbfounded.

She had thought Qi Sheng was going to make her his personal assistant.

Just like Liu Shiwen and Tang Qian.

Whenever Qi Sheng needed anything, those two were always at his beck and call.

But from the look of it, Qi Sheng didn’t seem to be joking.

Although being a supervisor in an administrative department sounded decent enough...

...it was a far cry from the perks Liu Shiwen and the others enjoyed.

"Are you... dissatisfied with me in some way?"

Qin Qingyi asked cautiously.

"Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. You look so aggrieved."

Seeing that Qin Qingyi was on the verge of tears, Qi Sheng smiled and shook his head.

He had a newfound appreciation for the saying that women are made of water.

"From now on, you’ll be like Tang Qian and the others. You can start as my personal assistant."

"Your probationary salary will be 50,000 a month. It’ll increase tenfold once your position becomes permanent."

Qi Sheng didn’t specify what was required to become "permanent," but Qin Qingyi understood instantly.

’Did she even need to guess what would happen between a boss and his personal assistant?’

Still, this was the exact arrangement she had been dreaming of.

’A permanent position means a monthly salary of 500,000.’

’Heavens, she wouldn’t have dared to dream of such a number.’

’As expected of a multibillionaire!’

’His generosity is just off the charts.’

Qin Qingyi had been by Qi Sheng’s side for some time.

She had been envious of the perks Qi Sheng’s other girlfriends received for so long she’d almost become numb to it.

Even Tang Qian, who was treated the ’worst’, got 500,000 a month in pocket money.

His favorite, Tan Hua, got as much as 2 million a month.

From Qin Qingyi’s humble perspective, she truly couldn’t fathom it.

Just how extravagantly would one have to live to spend two million every single month?

Just the thought of 500,000 a month was enough to make her want to excitedly brag to everyone she knew.

’What’s that? I’m not permanent yet?’

’This trip, without all those other "madams" around, is my best chance.’

Qin Qingyi set a small goal for herself.

’Before we return to China, I have to successfully secure my permanent position.’

...

After the plane landed and they passed through security...

...they got into the cars arranged by the Banyan Tree Hotel and enjoyed the local sights and sounds along the way.

Qi Sheng had never been to Thailand before.

He’d only heard rumors about the local "specialty": kidney harvesting.

For an ordinary tourist, it would certainly be dangerous.

But Qi Sheng’s bodyguards were no pushovers.

Besides, Thailand is a country where owning guns is legal.

The bodyguards, who couldn’t obtain their preferred weapons back in China due to regulations, were now fully equipped.

If someone was foolish enough to cross them, the bodyguards wouldn’t hesitate to send them to hell.

Jiang Nan and the others had been a little concerned about security before they landed.

But seeing Qi Sheng’s thorough arrangements, they completely relaxed.

Five Cadillac Escalades escorted the two Maybachs in the middle.

The spectacular motorcade they formed drew frequent stares from onlookers.

By the time the motorcade arrived at the entrance of the Banyan Tree Hotel.

The hotel’s general manager, Dan Liang, had already been waiting for a long time.

"BOSS, welcome to Banyan Tree Bangkok."

Dan Liang opened the car door, his attitude exceptionally humble.

"Old Fu, did you see that? Now that’s the kind of prestige our Chairman Qi commands!"

"He even has hotels from his own group to stay at when he’s just out having fun. How can you even compete with that?"

Wang Han slung an arm around Fu Songyang’s shoulder, his tone full of awe.

"Well, Ah Sheng is our friend. That’s all that matters."

Fu Songyang was more philosophical; he wasn’t envious, nor could he ever hope to be.

Previously, Jinshi Capital had made a high-profile investment in the Banyan Tree Group at a valuation of 2 billion US Dollars.

At the time, many considered the deal to be somewhat overvalued.

In hindsight, Jinshi Capital’s foresight was incredibly sharp.

Thanks to the boost from the "sleep buff," the revenue of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts skyrocketed.

Not long ago, the Accor Group had again proposed an investment in the Banyan Tree Group.

Their valuation was an even higher 4 billion US Dollars, yet the Banyan Tree Group decisively rejected the offer.

It wasn’t just Accor; Hilton and Marriott were also interested in buying a stake.

In fact, they were even interested in acquiring the Banyan Tree Group outright.

In less than a year, the Banyan Tree Group’s market value had increased a full tenfold, from 400 million US Dollars.

This just went to show how terrifyingly helpful the "sleep buff" was.

Meanwhile, Qi Sheng, the subject of their discussion, was carefully observing this Banyan Tree Hotel, one of his group’s properties.

After he took the helm of the Banyan Tree Group...

...the general manager positions at Banyan Tree and other hotels under its umbrella were successively filled by Chinese nationals.

These hotel groups had previously preferred to hire Westerners for their management teams.

But the Banyan Tree Group was destined to be different.

Dan Liang was one such capable leader, scouted by Banyan Tree Group CEO Chen Ye.

Since becoming the general manager of the Banyan Tree Bangkok, his performance had been particularly impressive.

This particular Banyan Tree had been open for quite some time, and its decor was somewhat dated.

Its room prices had stagnated.

Dan Liang insisted on raising the price for entry-level rooms to the 3,000-per-night tier.

Relying on the outstanding sleep experience and superior service...

...its reputation and occupancy rate not only avoided a decline but actually increased.

Even when guests were dissatisfied, their complaints were more often about the hotel’s hardware.

Many tourists checking into the hotel were quite curious to see the staff’s enthusiastic reception for the new arrivals.

Tourists from China, in particular, were gossiping uncontrollably.

Ever since Chen Ye took over as CEO of Banyan Tree Group, he had required overseas Banyan Tree Hotels to be staffed with an adequate number of Chinese national employees.

Chinese tourists had long since become the world’s largest source of tourism.

Yet, hotels abroad had never been particularly attentive to the service needs of Chinese tourists.

The Banyan Tree was previously no exception, with very few Mandarin-speaking staff.

That is, until Chen Ye began to implement bold, sweeping reforms within the Banyan Tree Group.

Only then did the service in this area begin to improve.

As for the results? Hearing familiar regional dialects all around, one suddenly felt as if they hadn’t even left China.

The hotel had already prepared rooms for Qi Sheng and his group well in advance.

As the big boss, Qi Sheng was naturally given the hotel’s sole presidential suite.

Jiang Nan and the others stayed in the spa suites, the next tier down.

The other accompanying bodyguards, including Qin Qingyi and the two pilots, were also provided with rooms.

Qi Sheng first took a shower and changed into a cooler short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Wearing a pair of flip-flops, he was ready to do as the locals do.

In December, the average daytime temperature in Bangkok was still over 30 degrees Celsius.

At night, it was relatively cooler.

It was considered the best season of the year for a vacation.

This was also the peak tourist season for visitors from Europe and America.

As he had entered the hotel earlier...

Qi Sheng noticed quite a few blonde-haired, blue-eyed tourists from Europe and America also lining up to check in.

This Banyan Tree was considered the only five-star all-suite hotel in downtown Bangkok.

It held a strong appeal for tourists seeking a high-end lodging experience.

People who found the prices too expensive weren’t Banyan Tree’s target demographic anyway.

Dan Liang had prepared Thai baht in advance, making it convenient for Qi Sheng’s group to use when they went out later.

"BOSS, I am the tour guide arranged by President Shan, Zhou Ya. You can just call me Xiaoya."

When Zhou Ya saw Qi Sheng emerge from the presidential suite, she nervously hurried forward to greet him.

"Hello."

Qi Sheng gave her a cursory glance.

’Appearance score: a solid 80. Not bad.’

’Her special score is a bit low, only a 75.’

’Good thing she isn’t a biochemical host. Otherwise, I’d have to seriously consider stripping Dan Liang of his general manager position.’