chapter 15 Prepare to recruit troops ===

Faced with such a dilemma, Hannah Lin was momentarily at a loss. As she pondered, her gaze inadvertently fell on Alexander Xu, who was idly sitting nearby. A smile suddenly appeared on her worried face: "Alexander, who do you think is more suitable?" Chloe Song was taken aback, clearly not expecting Hannah to hand the decision over to Alexander, a notorious playboy. With his reputation, wouldn't he obviously choose Victoria Qin? She's more attractive and younger, and aren't all playboys superficial in their choices? "Ah, what about who is more suitable?" Alexander asked, confused. "Have you not been listening to us?" Hannah rubbed her forehead and repeated her question, "I'm asking you, if you had to choose between Victoria Qin and Sofia Li as the spokesperson for our clothing brand, who would you pick?" "Definitely Victoria Qin," Alexander replied without hesitation. Chloe snorted disdainfully, thinking she knew he would choose that way! "Oh, why would you choose Victoria Qin? Do you have any ulterior motives for her?" Hannah teased. "What motives could I have? I don't even know her. I just think Victoria Qin's name sounds less tacky, that's all," Alexander retorted, finding the decision obvious. Sofia Li? What a common name! Hannah and Chloe were stunned by his response. You don't know Victoria Qin? Don't all playboys dream of getting her into bed? And they had never heard of choosing a spokesperson based on the name! Annoyed by his attitude, Chloe coldly remarked, "Everyone else's name is tacky, except yours?" To her, playboys were all brainless fools! Any faint attraction she had felt towards Alexander immediately vanished. "At least I think Miss Song's name isn't tacky," Alexander replied nonchalantly, his tone laced with teasing. Chloe might be beautiful, but her arrogance made him uninterested. Chloe glared at him with disgust and turned back to Hannah, "Ms. Lin, please consider it carefully and call me once you've decided. I don't want to stay here a moment longer. Just seeing him makes me lose my appetite!" In her eyes, Alexander was nothing but a pretty face without any redeeming qualities. If wanted to describe Alexander Xu's shortcomings, she could effortlessly list a bunch, such as: ignorant, vulgar, shameless, lascivious, prodigal, arrogant, and domineering... "Hmm, then you can go. I'll give you an answer tomorrow morning," Hannah nodded. Alexander had intended to ask Chloe for Daniel Song's phone number, hoping to get some retired soldiers from him, but seeing her expression, he figured it would be futile. After Chloe left, Hannah walked over and sat beside Alexander on the couch, smiling, "Choosing Victoria Qin as the spokesperson, are you sure there's no personal agenda?" "None at all! I don't even know her," Alexander affirmed. "Haha, seems you're not doing a great job as a playboy, not even knowing Victoria Qin!" Hannah chuckled. "Why should I know her? I don't need to recognize every woman in the world," Alexander shrugged. To him, it didn't matter who became the company's spokesperson. "Alright, let's change the subject," Hannah shifted the conversation, looking at him, "You look quite good in that suit, almost made my heart flutter! Did you notice Chloe was staring at you for quite a while?" "Please, I came to talk about serious matters!" Alexander blushed slightly. "Haha, you're blushing?" Hannah laughed joyfully. Who would have thought the Playboy would blush? "I really do have something important to discuss!" Alexander insisted, quickly stating his purpose, "I want to start a security company but don't know how. 'Old man' told me to ask you for advice." The "old man" he referred to was William Xu, the nickname he used for his former master, now seemingly transferred to William. "You want to start a security company?" Hannah stopped joking, showing a hint of confusion, "Why suddenly this field? The security industry is not easy to enter." In fact, Hannah wanted to discourage him, but considering he was finally deciding to do something productive, she didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm. After all, the Xu family wouldn't be affected much whether or not the company succeeded. The important thing was Alexander's change from his previous hedonistic lifestyle. "It's just for fun," Alexander replied, obviously unable to tell her about his plan to acquire weapons. Starting a security company, especially one offering armed services, having guns would not raise suspicion. However, these would be ordinary firearms, not the lethal weapons he was planning to procure. "Alright, if it's for fun, then I'll tell you about it," Hannah said, not caring about the profitability, only about his change. "Before starting the company, you need a name, and a location, then apply for various certificates. You can have someone do these for you," Hannah paused, then continued, "After that, set up departments like finance, human resources, etc., and for a security company, some special departments are needed..." For the next hour, Hannah patiently taught him the essentials of starting a company, sharing some of her experience. Initially attentive, Alexander soon lost focus, his thoughts wandering. He had only intended to legally recruit some people, not realizing the complexity involved. Had he known, he might have just formed a gang instead! "Are you even listening to me?" Hannah asked, seeing his lackadaisical demeanor. "Ah, where did you leave off?" Alexander quickly pretended to be eager to learn. Hannah sighed, "Forget it, I'll handle these things for you. Just take care of recruitment. Because of the company's nature, it needs approval from the city bureau. Given your past, it's unlikely they'll approve, so you better operate behind the scenes." "No problem!" Alexander understood, not caring about the company's ownership as long as he controlled it. "Have you chosen a location for the company?" Hannah inquired. Alexander nodded, "I've found a place, between Prosperous World headquarters and our home. It's convenient. I'll have someone start renovating soon." Once the tedious tasks were handled, the rest would be easy. As for the weapons, he had his own expertise. "What do you mean 'find someone'? We have a renovation company under Prosperous World. I'll make a call," Hannah said. "Why use outsiders when we have our own resources?" she thought, surprised he didn't know about the family's renovation company. "Ah, we have a renovation company?" Alexander was genuinely unaware. Hannah sighed inwardly at this perfect reflection of his father, oblivious even to his own family's assets. "Alright, just handle what I told you. I'll arrange the renovation. They'll contact you about the specifics," Hannah concluded, eager to send him off before she lost her patience. "Fine! I'll supervise the renovation," Alexander stood up, smiling. Supervise? His own company didn't need him for that. Hannah thought resignedly. In truth, she didn't know Alexander needed to personally oversee the training facilities. What ordinary renovation company would know how to build specialized training centers? Without Daniel Song's help, recruiting retired soldiers meant only one option – the Veterans Service Center, a place dedicated to helping ex-military personnel find jobs. As Alexander entered, the hall was bustling. Some were retired soldiers seeking jobs, and others like him were looking to recruit. Casually strolling around, he observed the crowd, occasionally nodding or shaking his head. Suddenly, a robust figure caught his attention. The man, towering over 1.85 meters, was taller than Alexander. His face bore a long scar, and his eyes were sharp. Bulging muscles threatened to tear his shirt, exuding a formidable aura. However, he walked slowly, apparently due to a problem with his right leg, relying on his left for support. He seemed solitary in the crowd, walking back and forth alone. While others were engaged in discussions, he was the only one wandering aimlessly.