After Hu Zhenghua’s introduction, Yang Jian and the dozen or so bosses at the club exchanged phone numbers, which would be convenient for future debt collection.
After touring four private rooms, Hu Zhenghua led them to a room equipped with a computer, television, and two rows of sofas.
“Mr. Yang, this is the resting area for the bosses’ drivers. Your people can stay here usually, where they can go online, watch TV, and drink tea. If any guests need to borrow money, there are pagers in each room, and the attendants inside will proactively contact you.”
Hu Zhenghua had considered everything and placed great importance on their involvement. The entry of their company could alleviate his pressure and accelerate the club’s cash flow.
Song Jianmin then raised a question: “Mr. Hu, can’t we move freely between rooms?”
“It’s best not to move around casually, as some of our guests have sensitive identities and do not wish to be disturbed.”
“That won’t do. You should know the rules of credit lending, right? We need to monitor the financial status of our clients. If a client who borrowed from us wins money, they must repay it on the spot. We can’t let them take the borrowed money away.”
This was the first time Yang Jian had heard of this rule, and Hu Zhenghua clearly didn’t understand it well either.
Brother Mao nodded at this point: “Little Hu, Mr. Song is right. There is indeed such a rule on the floor. Many people come to the casino just to get cash flow. They don’t repay if they win, or they lose a small amount and take away most of it, then delay repayment, eventually converting it into high-interest loans with a monthly interest rate of three or five fen. This will reduce the income of credit lending companies and also decrease their capital flow.”
“I understand. Then you just need to be mindful of your words and actions, and don’t offend the guests.”
Song Jianmin smiled: “Mr. Hu, don’t worry. We are very experienced in credit lending, and people who borrow money won’t be dissatisfied with us. As the saying goes, ‘He who eats your mouth shortens his words, and he who takes your hand is soft.’ Even if they have objections, they will only keep them in their hearts.”
“That’s fine. The main thing is that you cannot have overly intense conflicts with guests at the club.”
Hu Zhenghua no longer dwelled on these details. After a few simple instructions, he went downstairs with Brother Mao.
“Jianmin, you have more experience than me in credit lending rules, and you’ve understood the situation here. What are your thoughts?”
Although Yang Jian had experienced the process of credit lending at Xunsi River, those clients were all acquaintances and controllable, so the lending process was naturally smooth. However, he wasn’t sure how to operate here since he didn’t know any of the clients.
“There are no major issues. Since we are not familiar with the clients, if anyone borrows money and doesn’t repay it on the spot, we will follow them.”
“What does ‘follow them’ mean?”
“‘Follow them’ means that after the client leaves the floor, we arrange for someone to accompany them to their home or bank to collect the money. If we become familiar with the clients in the future and know their home addresses, then we won’t need to follow them. We will ask them to remit the payment back or bring it the next day.”
“What if they don’t come the next day? Do we send someone to their door?”
“We can communicate with them and allow them to delay for a few days, but they will have to pay daily interest.”
Yang Jian nodded: “I understand this. The last time I collected debt from Sixi, it was similar. But what did Brother Mao mean by credit money being converted into high-interest loans?”
“Our profit from credit lending is much higher than that from high-interest loans. Some people, due to credit issues, cannot borrow high-interest loans with three or five fen interest rates from elsewhere, so they come to the casino to borrow credit. Then they delay repayment. If you pressure them, they will plead with you. If they truly have no money to repay, they will request to convert it into a private loan with monthly interest payments. In such a situation, you have to agree because you can’t force the money out.”
“So that’s how it works. A five fen interest rate is quite high.”
“Even if it’s high, it’s not as high as ours. If someone borrows ten thousand yuan at five fen interest, they only need to pay five hundred yuan in interest per month. But if they borrow our credit money, it’s five hundred per day. You tell me, which is more worthwhile?”
“So, are we also charging five hundred for ten thousand yuan here?”
“Of course. This is the general market rate. If it’s a client with a particularly good relationship, we can charge a little less, but not less than three hundred.”
Damn it, they’re so black-hearted. Although Yang Jian was now part of a credit lending company, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly. This wasn’t credit lending at all; it was outright bloodsucking.
It seemed that gamblers not only lost money at the casino but also a significant portion had to pay exorbitant interest on borrowed credit. To win money at the casino was truly a joke.
“Yang Jian, there’s another issue. This club operates twenty-four hours a day, so we need people on duty around the clock. This means we don’t have enough manpower. In a while, I’ll be going to Hancheng with my brother to prepare for the Emperor Company, and our staff will be even fewer. You should arrange for two trustworthy relatives to come over.”
Song Jianmin had thought of all the future problems.
“Two? How many people do you plan to use?”
“Ideally, six people would be best, working in three shifts. Additionally, the resting staff can accompany clients to their homes to collect money. But to save costs, four people can also work, especially since the conditions here are good, they can sleep, and credit lending isn’t tiring.”
Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, “How about I ask my two cousins to come? They are the same age as Biao Biao, and they are very smart, but they don’t have any experience on the floor.”
“It’s fine. I’ll train them during this time, and they’ll quickly get familiar with the procedures. As for meals, it’s too expensive here. The food expenses for a few people would be over a thousand yuan a day, which isn’t cost-effective. I have an idea. Your sister’s family lives nearby. Could she cook for us and deliver the meals? We can give her three hundred yuan a day, and food expenses will be calculated separately.”
“I need to consider this matter. I can’t let my father know that I’m involved in casino matters. Including my cousins, I need to brief them beforehand not to reveal any information about this place to our family.”
“Alright, we’ll eat here for a couple of days first. You make a decision as soon as possible.”
Song Jianmin was a thrifty person. Over two hundred yuan in food expenses per day was too extravagant. Most ordinary workers didn’t earn that much per day.
After settling the three of them, Yang Jian went downstairs. He still needed to go back to buy materials and prepare for the repair shop’s opening tomorrow.
As soon as he reached the first-floor lobby, he saw Yu Feng walking in with three fashionably dressed young women.
“Sister Feng, you’re here too.”
Yang Jian stepped forward to greet her.
“What the heck, Yang Jian, what are you doing here?”
Yu Feng was clearly surprised. This place hadn’t been open for long, and not many people knew about it. Moreover, those who came here had assets of no less than a million. The main reason was that the consumption here was the highest in the county town.
“Sister Feng, this young man is so handsome! Can you introduce us?”
Before Yang Jian could answer, the young women beside her crowded around him, clearly interested in this tall, handsome, yet somewhat youthful and dashing young man.