Super Tycoon: I Beg You, Stop Pulling Stunts

Chapter 255: Chapter 204: The Prestige of ”Mr. 1.8 Billion

The guy was a decent fellow. The prices he gave were fair, though of course, he was also quite shrewd.

The message he’d just sent was very long.

It read like a formal debriefing.

”Hello, President Lin. I’m writing to report something. The guest list from our dinner party the other day, as well as news of the Gold Old Friends Tournament, has been leaked by someone. I got a call yesterday asking if I was willing to sell my membership card.”

”I only paid sixty thousand for it back when I signed up, and now there’s less than half a year of validity left. But as we discussed the price, they kept raising their offer, eventually reaching five times the original amount—three hundred thousand. And from the way they were talking, if I’d agreed, they probably would have gone even higher.”

”I’m thinking this is probably some other clubs up to no good. They’ve got their eyes on our tournament’s prize money and want to bring in some pros to make trouble for you. Even though the rules clearly state that only long-standing members can compete, there’s a loophole: the membership cards can be resold.”

”What’s more, this forces a divide between two groups of members. For long-standing members like me, having our cards bought out at a massive premium is an offer we can’t refuse. It’s hard for you to get in the way of someone making money.”

”But if you just let them sell, it’s clearly unfair to the remaining members. A bunch of outside experts will come in, wipe the floor with our players, and run off with the prize money. Everyone will definitely be resentful. You’re caught between a rock and a hard place.”

”I can’t think of a good solution, but I was worried you might not be aware of the situation, so I wanted to give you a heads-up. By the way, I haven’t sold my card.”

After reading it, Lin Chu licked his lips. He snapped out of his ”1.8 Billion Bro” reverie and was pulled back into the rhythm of work.

’Something like this could actually happen?’

Sometimes, he had to admire the money-making schemes these Peng City hustlers came up with. They really would rack their brains for any possible angle.

He was just trying to host a nice, internal Gold Old Friends Tournament for his members, and someone had already found a loophole and was pulling a stunt like this.

’Zhang Shuai’s guess is probably right.’

’The only ones who’d pull a stunt like this would be other golf clubs.’

’But with over a dozen clubs in Peng City, it’s hard to say which one is behind it right now.’

’And this loophole... it really won’t be easy to close.’

’This isn’t just about money.’

’If I handle this poorly, the great atmosphere that’s formed among the long-standing members could fall apart in an instant.’

’After all, getting in the way of someone’s windfall is like murdering their parents.’

...

His stomach was growling. Time to eat first.

He called Gao Haitao to bring in some breakfast, then gave him the day off to go home and rest.

While eating breakfast, Lin Chu screenshotted Zhang Shuai’s message and sent it to Xin Fu. ”Are you aware of this situation?”

A few seconds later, Xin Fu called him back.

His tone was grave. ”President Lin, I was just about to tell you about this. There are two clients in the clubhouse lobby right now who want to transfer their memberships. They also asked if they could participate in the Gold Old Friends Tournament after the transfer. My guys sensed something was off and just told me.”

”We can’t let them get away with this. The tournament will become a joke, and we’ll look like total suckers.”

”My idea is this: we let them transfer the memberships according to the existing rules and pay the twenty percent processing fee. However, if they want to participate in the Gold Tournament after the transfer, they must also purchase a renewal for next year’s highest-tier annual membership. That’s 2.8 million. Compared to the ten-million-plus prize pool, it at least increases their cost.”

’Xin Fu really is experienced.’

’To come up with a countermeasure so quickly...’

’And it would even boost sales.’

”That could work.”

”Handle it that way for now. I’ll head back to the club in a bit and see if I can think of a better solution. Even so, we still lose out. The people they bring in will definitely be top-tier players. If it turns into a complete rout, our long-standing members will be humiliated. And what if after they clean up, they just transfer the memberships right back? We’d still be a laughingstock.”

”But if we forbid transfers, a lot of our members won’t stand for it, and it’ll make us look petty. In the golf club business, once people think you’re stingy, it’s hard to recover.”

”Do we have any top-tier amateur players among our own members?”

Lin Chu asked in a low voice.

’Xin Fu’s plan only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. It’s just a stopgap for the current situation.’

’But the core problem remains unsolved.’

Hearing Lin Chu’s question, Xin Fu fell silent for a moment. He realized that the scenario Lin Chu had just laid out was entirely possible.

If that happened, they would be completely on the defensive.

”As for skill level, it’s hard to say. Since they’re planning on stirring up trouble, they’ve certainly found top-tier players, possibly even former pros. Our long-standing members definitely can’t compete. Besides, we can’t do what they’re doing and hire our own ringers. That would be rigging the game.”

”Maybe... we should just shut down this loophole completely?”

Xin Fu said with grim determination, taking a deep breath.

’It’s better to just shut it down. We might take a hit to our reputation and some members might complain, but it’s better than the alternative.’

”Stall them for a bit. I’m heading back now. We’ll talk more when I get there.”

Lin Chu said, then hung up.

’Just playing defense is too passive.’

’Besides, taking a hit to my reputation for no reason isn’t my style. It feels like I’m getting played.’

’This is so frustrating. Someone’s messing with me, and I don’t even know who it is. I can’t even get a glimpse of my opponent.’

’So damn frustrating!’

’However, every crisis can be turned into an opportunity.’

’It all comes down to how you play your hand.’

With that in mind, Lin Chu quickly finished his meal, changed his clothes, and headed straight for the club.

’Which son of a bitch came up with such a dirty trick?’

’Seriously, that’s just low.’

...

On the way there, Lin Chu turned the matter over and over in his mind.