Yusuf Zuck was not afraid that Earl Shepherd might embezzle his money because although others were not clear who Yusuf Zuck was, Earl Shepherd had a very clear idea. Even though Earl Shepherd didn’t partake in the Las Vegas incident, he knew it was Yusuf Zuck’s doing.
So when he thought about embezzling Yusuf’s money, he also had to consider whether he would still be alive to spend it. That’s why Yusuf wasn’t worried about him.
Of course, if Earl did well and earned a lot, there would be no need for embezzlement, because the salary Yusuf offered him was absolutely a huge temptation.
With a ten percent profit share, it was akin to partnering with Yusuf. He was putting in sweat equity, which didn’t require any capital investment.
And it was because of that ten percent that Earl readily agreed. His ambitions were equally great, so why not give it a shot while he was still young? He believed he was no worse than anyone else.
After reaching an agreement, they continued their conversation for over three hours before ending it. Earl had to deal with his current tasks first, and once he was done, he would start operating.
Yusuf told him that whether he needed money or people, a simple notice would do, but he had to handle the company procedures himself.
Earl readily agreed as their collaboration had just begun, and he also held very high hopes for it.
After parting with Earl, Yusuf immediately headed to Guo Lin’s home-style restaurant. He had called Samuel Ross in the morning to gather everyone, especially the later joiners, Floyd Hart and the Five-Tencent gang, for dinner to meet them that evening.
As the boss, he couldn’t always be absent.
There were also two newcomers, one recommended by Benedict Cooke and the other by Dream Morrow.
As dusk fell, Sara Zuck had already returned home, so Samuel and the others indeed had time to come out.
When Yusuf arrived at the restaurant, the dishes had already been ordered, and everyone was present, except for Jerome Hart who didn’t come. His clinic was about to open and he was busy. He sounded a bit down when they spoke on the phone in the morning, mentioning he had argued with his girlfriend and wouldn’t come to dinner that night.
Samuel, Marco, Dream, Five-Tencent, Floyd, and the other two were strangers, but seemed to be in their twenties, and nothing much could be discerned from their appearances.
"Yusuf, introduce us," Samuel said with a smile as everyone stood up when Yusuf walked in. "We already know Floyd and the Five-Tencent gang; this guy’s name is Uriel Arellano, he’s a fellow townsman of Marco’s. He served in a special forces unit for eight years, then changed to a non-commissioned officer and demobilized last year."
"Hi, Yusuf," Uriel extended his hand for a handshake with Yusuf. He was just about 1.7 meters tall and had a somewhat tanned complexion, but Yusuf felt the calluses on his hand when they shook hands.
"How come there are still calluses on your hand? Haven’t you been out of the service for over a year?" Yusuf asked with a smile.
"Been doing farm work at home," Uriel scratched his head sheepishly.
"This is Grey Petty, from your hometown, Dream’s former classmate!" Samuel continued the introductions.
"Hi, Yusuf." Grey seemed a bit nervous. Although they were from the same province, there were too many "fellow townspeople" from Shandong, so he just treated Yusuf as his boss.
"He’s a classmate from my provincial sports school, with a really solid foundation," Dream interjected.
"Hmm, you look quite strong!" Yusuf said, shaking hands with Grey.
Judo practitioners have a solid base, and Grey was the type with thick arms and calves, exuding a sense of strength.
"I retired several years ago," Grey said with a bashful smile.
"He’s been working as a security guard these years, at a shopping mall back in our hometown," Dream continued to elaborate.
"Oh," Yusuf Zuck nodded, well aware of the sports school’s situation. It’s one in a million for an athlete to achieve fame and success. So many athletes never set foot on an international stage their whole lives, only ever being sparring partners. That’s why many retired athletes lead such pitiful lives, with no guarantee for even basic living needs.
And it’s not like in the eighties or nineties, when you’d get a job assignment after retiring from a sports school. Nowadays, there’s no such thing as assigned placements anymore. Even if you want to be a PE teacher at an elementary school, you need connections, pathways and money. Without these three, no matter how qualified you are, you can’t get the job.
So it was perfectly normal for Grey Petty to become a security guard after retirement.
"Yusuf... Yusuf... Brother Yusuf, I... I..." At this moment, Floyd Hart, who had been standing all along, began to speak. As soon as he opened his mouth, the tooth-aching sound came out, and he couldn’t finish a single sentence.
"Bro, grandpa, could you please, like, sing it out?" Yusuf Zuck said, while gesturing for Grey Petty, Uriel Arellano, and Floyd Hart to take a seat. "Take a seat, everyone. From now on, we’ll be eating from the same pot. Coming together means we’re brothers, and besides, there are no strangers here anyway. So, there’s no need to be polite. I’m not one for many words, otherwise Dream and Marco wouldn’t have introduced you guys to me."
"Right, go on, Floyd," Yusuf Zuck indicated that Floyd could continue.
"I just meant to say, maybe I don’t need to introduce myself, huh..." Floyd sang out.
"Hahaha." With just one sentence, Floyd had everyone in stitches. If he did introduce himself, he’d have everyone else holding their breath. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N0veI.Fiɾe.net
"Brother Yusuf, I need to toast you a few drinks later. I’m thrilled to finally be working with you," Floyd Hart expressed excitedly.
"Thrilled my ass. Just don’t screw up when it counts, and the same goes for everyone else. We can be sloppy normally, but we can’t afford to screw up at critical moments," Yusuf Zuck put things bluntly.
Everyone shook their heads. "Screwing up," as so phrased by Yusuf Zuck, referred to failing to accomplish the tasks he assigned.
"You four probably also heard from Samuel Ross and the others that the main reason you’re here is to protect my sister. She’s studying at the Beijing Film Academy. It’s not about her being delicate; it’s that I’ve pissed off some people. I’m not afraid of them myself, but I’m worried they might target my sister. So, I’d appreciate your help this winter."
"About the salary and accommodations, Samuel has told you, right?"
"Told us, told us," all four nodded in unison.
"Hmm, your salaries will be settled at the Ruiz Family market. You’re new here, so tomorrow, each of you goes to the Ruiz Family’s shop and takes out ten thousand in cash. This money isn’t salary; consider it travel and loss compensation for coming from far away."
"Also, I want to make it clear that I will not make you do anything illegal, and you must never do anything illegal. Save the salaries you earn. Don’t be like Floyd, blowing all your pay on a threesome right after getting it. Alright, that’s all I got, let’s start eating."
Floyd immediately said, "I... I... I don’t have a girlfriend, and my family doesn’t need my money. If I don’t take care of my physical needs, I’ll... I’ll get acne!"
"You should work on that stutter of yours. With the way you are, excitedly stuttering all the time, who’d want to date you?" Yusuf Zuck joked with a laugh.
"I do want to stop, but I just can’t..." Floyd said with a face full of distress.
"Come on, come on, Floyd, tell us, do you stutter when you’re having a threesome?" Samuel teased.
"About... about that, it really pisses me off. Once... one time, a girl asked me if I was up for an all-nighter. I tried to say, yes... yes... yes... Then the girl laughed and asked me for money upfront. But what I was trying to say was, hell no, where would I get the money from? I almost got beaten up over it."
"Hahaha." Floyd, that guy, was like a fortune cookie, making everyone burst into laughter. The atmosphere instantly became much warmer.