I am not just a tycoon

But with so many people present at the meal, and Shen Yuan not having much fondness for them, he simply decided to wait and talk to Li Yuhang in private later.

Li Yuhang scanned the crowd, noticing not a single one engaged in conversation, and felt a chill in his heart.

In the end, he turned his gaze to Lin Guangyao, hoping he would buy a share. If not 700,000, then an investment of 200,000 to 300,000 could also work.

After all, among those present, aside from himself, Lin Guangyao's family was in the best situation.

Everyone's gaze also followed Li Yuhang's as it landed on Lin Guangyao, expecting him to say a few words and put an end to Young Master Li's hope.

Lin Guangyao, noticing everyone's eyes were on him, cursed inwardly but felt that he couldn't lose face with so many people watching, so he plucked up the courage to speak:

"The thing is, Young Master Li, I feel like it's not yet time to invest and buy shares. If you're having cash flow issues, actually, we could all chip in a few tens of thousands to get the shop up and running, and you could repay us when you've made some money."

"After all, it's definitely unfair to you if we invest midway."

"In this way, you won't be at a loss once you start earning money, right, everyone?"

Lin Guangyao spoke with apparent magnanimity, but in his mind, he thought how could he possibly invest 700,000 when his monthly allowance wasn't even a hundred thousand.

Even if he had that kind of money, his family would definitely not agree.

Moreover, everyone had already seen Young Master Li's level of investment skills. The previous hot pot restaurant and KTV ended up in a mess, and now he wanted to open a speakeasy? How was that any different from throwing money into the sea?

Lending tens of thousands had been carefully considered by him; after all, they had hung out together for quite some time, and with Young Master Li's character, he was sure to repay the loan.

However, after he spoke, Lin Guangyao started to regret it. His monthly allowance was just a few tens of thousands, and if Li Yuhang truly wanted to borrow, it would really hurt him.

He had been careless, truly careless.

Indeed, the few "good brothers" at the table all shot Lin Guangyao looks that could kill.

If you're rich enough, you could have loaned him the money privately. Why the hell did you have to get everyone involved?

For fuck's sake! We all rely on our families, and our allowances aren't enough to get by!

Li Yuhang sighed inwardly. His original intention was to bring people into the partnership. If it was just about borrowing money, there would be no need for it.

It seemed he had overestimated these so-called "brothers," especially Lin Guangyao, who talked rubbish. Li Yuhang was clearly talking about investing, yet Lin Guangyao insisted on discussing borrowing money to get through a hard time.

Li Yuhang felt a pang of disappointment. Over the years, he had been maintaining these so-called brotherly relationships, only to find out at the crucial moment that not one of them could help him.

Shen Yuan watched everyone's subtle expressions and found it all so ironic. Although he had already seen the true colors of these people, as an onlooker, he still felt that his childhood friend deserved better.

Li Yuhang was too naive to pin his hopes on them.

These people were all relying on their parents, living the high life every day; how could they possibly think about investing?

Lin Guangyao said he would lend the money, but it was obvious that it was due to the presence of so many people and for the sake of his own face.

Especially with a high-class beauty like Chen Na at the meal, peacocking isn't just for attracting the opposite sex; men are no exception.

But when it came to the moment of transferring the money, probably none would lend.

"Borrowing money is for later, we're not at that step yet."

Li Yuhang, feeling somewhat dejected, sat back down, "Since everyone doesn't have this idea, let's just forget it."

Hearing Li Yuhang give up on persuasion, everyone breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

That's more like it!

Eat when it's time to eat, drink when it's time to drink, what's with all this talk about investing?

Just as everyone thought the matter had been put to rest, Shen Yuan suddenly spoke up, "How about I invest a bit?"

Shen Yuan had anticipated before coming that he could still make money from the speakeasy even if it operated at a loss, and he needed to invest his money quickly.

Shen Yuan didn't care much about the money. After all, it was dedicated investment capital that couldn't be used elsewhere. Besides, based on the System's usual behavior, after investing this 1 million, there was a high probability of higher investment funds becoming available.

Shen Yuan had intended to discuss this privately with Li Yuhang, but seeing these people's true colors, he just couldn't hold back anymore.

If you have no money, just say so, instead of putting it so nicely, talking about "first borrowing money to get through tough times" and "midway investment is definitely unfair to you" and "this way you won't be at a loss."

Is this bullshit supposed to be human talk?

Lin Guangyao, hearing Shen Yuan say he wanted to invest, couldn't help but scoff, "Shen Yuan, you must be fucking around, right? Young Master Li is talking serious business here."

You must be joking. This guy was just bargaining over the cab driver taking an extra three kilometers earlier, probably still hurting over those few bucks of cab fare.

And now he suddenly says he wants to invest in Young Master Li's speakeasy? Does he have a split personality from his family going bankrupt or what?

The others present also felt that this boast was a bit too much; that was 700,000 yuan after all.

If it were Lin Guangyao willing to invest, everyone might believe it, but we all know the situation at your home, Shen Yuan.

Even Li Yuhang was skeptical, thinking Shen Yuan was just trying to liven up the mood. No one knew better than him whether his childhood friend had money or not.

"I'm planning to invest about 700,000 yuan, so I'll own 30%, and you'll own 70%. After that, I won't be very involved,"

Shen Yuan said earnestly, not appearing to be joking at all.

This damn guy really doesn't slip up when he starts bragging. Lin Guangyao couldn't help but laugh, "Are you okay? If you can't afford it, you'd better back out now. Do you need me to reimburse you for the cab fare?"

"Shen Yuan, don't make jokes like this. It's not like we just met you today."

"Yeah, bragging is pointless."

"I think you're still not awake from your nap. Why don't you go to the restroom and wash your face to clear your head?"

"Young Master Li is definitely not feeling great right now, and you're still saying all this."

For a time, the previously silent crowd began to speak out, spurning the "bragging" Shen Yuan, with some even taking Li Yuhang's side to feel indignant for him.

Chen Na, who was present, watched this scene with her brain nearly short-circuiting.

She understood when Li Yuhang mentioned attracting investments, but now she was completely lost.

Why was everyone assuming Shen Yuan was bragging when he said he wanted a 30% stake?

Just yesterday, Shen Yuan had placed an order for an 880,000 yuan Defender through her and even paid a 50,000 yuan deposit.

Logically, for someone with the financial capability to do that, investing 700,000 yuan shouldn't be unusual at all.

Xie Haijie hadn't said much all night, but now seeing everyone barrage Shen Yuan, he joined in with a heavy tone, "Bro, I'm a few years older than you, and I should have more life experience, so I understand the importance of knowing one's limitations."

"But what you're doing now isn't just about knowing your limits; it's sheer audacity."

Who would have thought this damned Xie Haijie would start throwing around idioms.

Others talking about Shen Yuan was one thing, but hearing her boyfriend Xie Haijie also making fun of him, Chen Na felt like her social awkwardness was flaring up.

The Shen Yuan you're all mocking ordered a full-payment Defender from me just yesterday.

Why don't any of you believe him?

Unable to hold back, Chen Na nudged Xie Haijie's arm, trying to hint to him to stop talking.

But Xie Haijie was on a roll and turned his head, irritated, "Why do you keep pushing me?"

"....."

Chen Na suddenly felt disheartened and regretted attending this dinner.

Shen Yuan quietly watched their performance, not replying but silently opened his phone, found the China Construction Bank app, and transferred 700,000 yuan to Li Yuhang.

For some reason, ever since the System had appeared, there was no limit to his bank transfers.

The same had been true when he helped his family repay debts: he had transferred 290,000 yuan in one day, and it was the same now with 700,000 yuan going through without any caps.

It seems the System really is powerful!

After transferring the money, Shen Yuan offhandedly said to Li Yuhang, "I've transferred 700,000 yuan, check it."

"Shen Yuan, are you serious..."

Li Yuhang didn't know what Shen Yuan was playing at, and he was only halfway through speaking when he noticed his phone screen light up.

A notification had come in.

Li Yuhang subconsciously picked up his phone, opened it to read:

[Industrial and Commercial Bank of China]Your card ending in 5854 received a deposit of 700,000 yuan on May 13 at 19:42, current balance is...

Li Yuhang was stupefied, his eyes widened as he carefully confirmed the deposited amount.

One... ten... hundred... thousand... ten thousand...

There were five zeroes behind it; it really was 700,000 yuan!

Li Yuhang stared at the screen, his face full of disbelief.

Noticing the change in Li Yuhang's expression, Lin Guangyao frowned and asked, "Young Master Li, what happened?"

Without answering, Li Yuhang just handed over his phone, "You look for yourself....."

...