"My brother and Qin He, you've already met. These two are my brother's best friends," Gu Ranran said, linking arms with Yang Hao and pointing at Yan Chen. "This is the young master of the Yan family from Haicheng, Yan Chen. I call him Brother Chen."
Yan Chen sat on the sofa, not moving. He merely glanced at Yang Hao with slightly cold eyes, suppressing the urge to scoff.
Yang Hao's posture was very polite. He stood before Yan Chen and extended his hand with a smile, saying, "Brother Yan."
Yan Chen waved his hand in the air. "How old are you? You call me big brother, but you don't even know who's older between us."
Yang Hao seemed a little embarrassed. He withdrew his hand and scratched his head, laughing. "I'm twenty-eight this year."
Zhu Chan'er said coldly from the side, "My boyfriend means you're not qualified to call him brother. How can you not understand what he's saying?"
The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment. Gu Ranran puffed out her cheeks, her face full of anger, wanting to argue with Zhu Chan'er, but Yang Hao stopped her.
Yang Hao, appearing gentlemanly and understanding towards Gu Ranran, gently shook his head and whispered something in her ear. Gu Ranran's anger subsided, but she still glared fiercely at Zhu Chan'er.
Qin He watched from the side and sighed inwardly. It seemed that only Yang Hao's words could placate Gu Ranran now.
After introducing Yan Chen, Gu Ranran turned to Xiao Liyan and introduced him to Yang Hao, "This is Xiao Liyan. I usually call him Brother Liyan. You can call him that too."
Yang Hao turned to Xiao Liyan and extended his hand similarly.
Xiao Liyan, who was sitting on the sofa, put down his wine glass and stood up to shake Yang Hao's hand, offering a gentle but distant smile. "Hello."
An Rui, standing beside him, also smiled faintly at Yang Hao.
With all eight people now present, they soon began to drink and chat. An Rui and Zhu Chan'er were talking in low voices about jewelry.
An Rui had recently opened a jewelry store and was very interested in some well-known jewelry designers, hoping Zhu Chan'er could help introduce them.
Qin He sipped her wine, occasionally chiming in, but her gaze was always fixed on Gu Ranran and Yang Hao.
Yang Hao couldn't interject into any of the conversations, whether it was An Rui and Zhu Chan'er's topic or Gu Qishen, Yan Chen, and Xiao Liyan's. He sat beside Gu Ranran, his expression somewhat awkward, though it was unclear if this awkwardness was deliberately displayed.
Gu Ranran clearly noticed Yang Hao's discomfort and kept chatting with him in a low voice, even feeding him fruit from time to time.
Qin He became increasingly impatient. She was certain that Yang Hao's approach was similar to certain manipulative women; he was deliberately playing the victim. This show of weakness, paradoxically, made Gu Ranran pity him even more, her maternal instincts kicking in, making her feel the need to protect him. His fragile yet strong demeanor made it seem as if he had already made significant sacrifices for love, even though he had done nothing.
After several rounds of drinks, Gu Qishen, Yan Chen, and the others had finished discussing potential projects in Qingcheng.
Xiao Liyan looked up at Gu Qishen. "My bar is doing well lately. I'm planning to open another one in the North District. Can you help me scout for suitable properties?"
Mentioning bars, Yang Hao suddenly perked up. He turned to Xiao Liyan and interjected with a smile, "Brother Liyan, what kind of bar do you own?"
Xiao Liyan smiled politely. "Ye Lan Bar."
Yang Hao's eyes lit up. Ye Lan Bar was arguably the most luxurious bar in Qingcheng. Not only did it have requirements for its patrons, but all its decor was top-notch in Qingcheng, and within the country's first-tier cities, it could be considered among the best nationwide.
A flicker of excitement stirred within him. Even though he and Gu Ranran had discussed opening a bar with an investment of 150 million, it was nowhere near the same league as Xiao Liyan's Ye Lan.
Yang Hao thought for a moment and then smiled. "Brother Liyan, what about your original bar?"
Xiao Liyan seemed slightly surprised. "The original one is doing well. I just want to open another one in the north. Is something wrong?"
Yang Hao quickly made up his mind. "I was wondering, Brother Liyan, Ranran and I are also planning to open a bar, but there are many things we don't understand. We'd like to learn from you. And since Ye Lan Bar is so famous, can we directly franchise yours?"
Qin He let out a cold laugh hearing this. Ye Lan Bar was indeed famous, ranking in the top three nationwide, but it was Xiao Liyan's brainchild. Unlike Gu Qishen and Yan Chen, Xiao Liyan had built his fortune through his own hard work and endeavors. For years, he had never offered franchise rights.
After Yang Hao finished speaking, Xiao Liyan continued to smile faintly, his eyes cast down.
Yan Chen, standing nearby, frowned and looked at Yang Hao. "If you want to franchise, how much are you willing to pay as a franchise fee?"
Yang Hao seemed surprised, and his innocent expression was perfectly timed. "I thought you were Ranran's brother."
His words seemed to hang in the air, and he looked at Gu Ranran with a hint of awkwardness. "Perhaps, Brother Liyan can just name his price?"
The situation having reached this point, Gu Ranran nodded beside him. "Brother Liyan, you can set any price."
Xiao Liyan smiled at Gu Ranran with the demeanor of an older sibling looking at a younger sister. "Given my relationship with your brother, if your brother wanted to open a bar, I would have no problem giving him the one in the south."
Seeing Yang Hao's face brighten slightly, Xiao Liyan's tone shifted. "However, since it's your boyfriend who wants to open it, even between brothers, we have to be clear about finances. I haven't allowed anyone to franchise Ye Lan before, so I don't have a price in mind yet. I'll have someone look into it when I get back. Given Ye Lan's current reputation, the franchise fee alone would be at least tens of millions annually, and I would also have requirements regarding the equipment and size of your establishment."
Qin He's eyes flickered as she looked at Xiao Liyan. "So, how much do you estimate they would need to spend?"
"The current Ye Lan Bar in the south has the most advanced equipment. Just the two top-tier sound system designs that I commissioned cost over a hundred million." Xiao Liyan smiled. "While I can't calculate it precisely now, including miscellaneous expenses like site selection, it would be at least two hundred million."
"Two hundred million? That's beyond your budget," Qin He turned to Gu Ranran.
Gu Ranran had never cared much about money. "It's alright, even if it's a bit over. Brother Hao's talent will surely help him earn it back in the future."
Yang Hao looked at Gu Ranran, a glint of greed in his eyes, but his face was still plastered with a sheepish smile. "Ranran, maybe we should reconsider. The investment would be too much."
An Rui across from them suddenly chuckled. "I just heard Qin He mention that you plan to open a bar with an investment of 150 million. If 150 million isn't too much, then another 50 million shouldn't be a problem. I'm just curious, Mr. Yang, what family are you from? Instead of inheriting your family business, why are you interested in opening a bar?"