However, Li Chonglou did not give an answer, only shook his head.
Qiu Yuan looked at him quietly and didn't say much in the end.
Just as the two descended to the lobby, the胖子 (pàngzi - fat man) Xu Duowen suddenly appeared.
"Brother, may I know how to address you?"
His demeanor had completely changed compared to before. His face was beaming with a bright smile, as if he had met an old friend of many years.
Li Chonglou looked at him with confusion, "Aren't the people gone? You should be able to operate normally now."
Li Chonglou thought he was still there to cause trouble. It wasn't uncommon for smiling faces to be more insidious than cold ones nowadays.
Xu Duowen quickly explained, "Brother, please don't misunderstand. It was our attitude that was problematic earlier. Here, on behalf of Fu Man Lou, I apologize to you."
Xu Duowen, along with a group of employees, bowed to Li Chonglou in unison. This completely confused Li Chonglou.
It was Qiu Yuan who whispered from the side, "Fu Man Lou is a chain store. They are known for their service, and employees are most afraid of customer complaints. Did you have any conflict just now?"
Hearing this, Li Chonglou immediately understood the situation and couldn't help but chuckle, "Don't worry, I haven't taken it to heart. Let the past be the past."
Li Chonglou truly didn't take the incident to heart. After all, the胖子 hadn't really offended anyone. He had merely acted rationally in a moment of urgency, which was understandable.
Furthermore, Fu Man Lou was the most luxurious place in this small town. Li Chonglou didn't know how long he would stay here, so leaving a good impression would be beneficial. Perhaps he would need their help in the future.
However, he underestimated Fu Man Lou's internal mechanisms. When Xu Duowen saw that people from Qingniao had voluntarily withdrawn shortly after Li Chonglou arrived, he understood that Li Chonglou had come to help resolve the issue.
Even though this entire situation might have been related to him, if it were reported, the superiors wouldn't investigate the origins. They would only look at the outcome.
In other words, he had to make Li Chonglou satisfied today to let him leave!
With this thought, Xu Duowen's expression immediately became resolute. Without a word, he took out a gold card from his pocket and handed it to Li Chonglou, saying, "Brother, this is our highest-level VIP membership card. From now on, as long as you hold this card, you can always enjoy a fifty percent discount! You also get three free services per month, and all consumption is free, regardless of the amount!"
This generosity even astonished Qiu Yuan beside him.
He had been in the town the longest. This car wash business had existed before Fu Man Lou moved in. However, being a low-key person, he hadn't expanded his network and thus hadn't had much interaction with Fu Man Lou.
But as far as he knew, this branch store had only issued three VIP cards since its opening. The holders of these cards were all high-ranking officials or influential figures!
Li Chonglou, who was merely an employee at their store, was actually getting one?
Qiu Yuan wasn't envious, he just found it perplexing. As the saying goes, there must be a reason for unusual events. He was afraid there might be a trick involved.
Qiu Yuan quickly winked at Li Chonglou.
Unfortunately, being an honest person, he wasn't good at conveying these signals. To Li Chonglou, it looked like he was being urged to accept it quickly.
Since Qiu Yuan, the host, was hinting at it, it should be a good thing.
Li Chonglou nodded and finally reached out to accept the gold card.
"Then thank you. My name is Hua Dong, Hua from Huaxia, Dong from the East."
Xu Duowen's smile grew even brighter. He quickly extended his right hand and shook Li Chonglou's firmly.
"So, it's Brother Hua Dong. I'm Xu Duowen. If you need any help in the future, feel free to ask."
Li Chonglou nodded with a smile.
Xu Duowen glanced at Qiu Yuan. The town was small, and he had already established his connections. Therefore, they knew each other.
"Boss Qiu, may I ask what your relationship with Brother Hua is?"
Qiu Yuan sighed inwardly, but still explained their relationship.
Upon hearing that Li Chonglou was just an employee at his car wash, a flicker of surprise flashed in Xu Duowen's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and then returned to normal.
After a brief chat, Li Chonglou excused himself, citing other matters to attend to, and left Fu Man Lou with Xu Duowen's warm send-off, accompanied by Qiu Yuan.
As soon as they stepped outside, Qiu Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Brother Hua, I told you not to accept it earlier. I suspect there might be a trick with this VIP card."
Li Chonglou was stunned.
"Ah? I thought you meant for me to accept it quickly."
The two looked at each other.
Qiu Yuan realized it might have been his fault and cleared his throat.
"It's also possible that I was overthinking. Fu Man Lou has a good reputation. There shouldn't be too much of a problem."
This piqued Li Chonglou's curiosity, and he asked, "Manager, why do you say that? Does this card have some untold secret?"
Qiu Yuan shook his head, "Not exactly. It's just that as far as I know, only three people currently possess the VIP status here. One is the director of the main police bureau, Cai Biao; another is the town mayor, Luo Yun; and the third is a top tycoon, Mr. Sha, who left from here."
Li Chonglou immediately understood his meaning.
To think that all of them were influential figures. Considering that, it was indeed problematic for him to receive one.
What was a card of benefits just a moment ago had become a hot potato in Li Chonglou's hands after Qiu Yuan's explanation.
However, since he had already accepted it, he couldn't return the card now. At least not at this moment.
"Then I'll find a suitable opportunity to return it."
"Actually, it's also possible that I was overthinking. Why don't you see how things go first?"
With the situation as it was, there was nothing else they could do.
Afterward, the two remembered that Wan He and others were still waiting for them at the store, so they hurried back.
In the manager's office of Fu Man Lou, one of Xu Duowen's confidants was also puzzled.
"Boss, why did you give him the last VIP card? Wouldn't it be better to give it to the young master of Qingniao?"
Xu Duowen sat on the sofa, leisurely sipping the freshly brewed premium tea.
"Young Master Qing is not from here. If it weren't for the circumstances, I doubt he would have come. Giving it to him is no different from throwing it into the sea."
Each branch store indeed had a limited quota. Their town only had four slots. It wasn't as if they gave them to anyone who held power or influence.
In the end, the VIP status was a benefit for the local store owners, a tool to win people over.
The confidant still didn't understand, "Then why give it to him?"
He had just heard that this person named Hua Dong was merely an employee at the car wash, in terms of status and position, he was worlds apart from the first three cardholders.
The confidant couldn't understand why Xu Duowen would bring out the last VIP card for such a minor misunderstanding.