Chapter 262: Chapter 261 Slap in the Face (1)
Li Wenda had his eye on a storefront located on the commercial street. The location was somewhat off from the central area where the big brands gathered, but it was right next to the entrance of a large supermarket, which was an advantage.
According to Li Wenda’s plan, as long as the sign was conspicuous enough and some public seating was set up outside the store, people tired from shopping at the supermarket could come and rest their feet, and casually browse the maternity and baby shop. Additionally, the storefront faced a small plaza built by the supermarket, which could host parent-child activities during holidays, inviting kindergarten kids to put on a stage for a maternity and baby fashion show, or even a playful photography exhibition.
Shi Yang brought Qu Chaozong to meet with the staff responsible for the rental affairs. After they carefully examined the layout upstairs and downstairs, they found out the area was not as large as imagined. Most importantly, if the second floor was to be remodeled into a photo studio, there would be no temporary warehouse to store products.
Shi Yang shared his concerns, and the staff, upon hearing them, hurriedly said, "The door on the first floor connecting to the supermarket used to be an office. It was relocated because it was too far from the hallway entrance, making it inconvenient. If you wish to rent the storefront, I can help you apply to the management to allocate that office space for you as a temporary warehouse."
The staff made an effort to get the keys, opened the door, and led them on a tour.
The office area was very spacious, but indeed, as the staff mentioned, it wasn’t very useful to the supermarket because this room was a dead space left over from improper supermarket renovation planning. Apart from the door, it had no windows, and it had a very low ceiling.
Shi Yang carefully inspected it but didn’t immediately agree to the lease. He told the staff that the price was a bit high and left just his phone number, indicating that he needed to think it over.
The staff was unusually enthusiastic, likely because the location wasn’t very ideal, and being right next to the supermarket entrance made renting out the storefront challenging. So, as Shi Yang was leaving, the staff subtly hinted that the price was negotiable.
Qu Chaozong got into the car with Shi Yang and then asked, "So, what do you think?"
Shi Yang stretched lazily, his hand on the steering wheel, "Not bad. I like it. That bonus office can be split; one half for a temporary warehouse, and the other half remodeled into a fitting room. That way, the usable area in the store would be larger."
Qu Chaozong was just about to say something when Shi Yang’s phone rang. It was a call from Li Shulin.
Shi Yang gave Qu Chaozong a knowing look before answering, "Hey, Brother Li!"
Li Shuren’s voice came through the phone, "Little Shi! Where are you?"
Shi Yang replied in a muffled voice, "Feeling frustrated, just driving around."
Li Shuren paused before asking, "Are you in the provincial capital?"
Shi Yang: "Yeah, I am."
Li Shuren said, "Got time later? I found a new Hunan cuisine restaurant with a great taste. Want to join for a meal? It’s been a while since we last met, let’s get together."
Shi Yang: "Sure, Brother Li, but I’m with Chaozi right now."
Li Shuren: "Bring him along. It’s a good opportunity for the three of us to have some drinks tonight. I’ll send you the address later."
Shi Yang agreed, "Alright, see you tonight."
Shi Yang hung up the phone, letting out a long sigh.
Qu Chaozong looked at him like that, squinting, and asked, "Do you really think the old fox can help us?"
Shi Yang’s eyes glinted with a cleverness and shrewdness beyond his years, "We are the most lucrative money tree under Li Shuren. My money is all invested in the maternity and baby shop, and the operation depends entirely on Naughty Castle’s revenue. If Qian Yonggui cuts off my income sources, it’s like uprooting Li Shuren’s money tree. Do you think he would just stand by and watch?"
Qu Chaozong took a deep sigh, "That may be true, but Naughty Castle and the installation business have been halted for almost a week already. We’re losing quite a bit."
Shi Yang sneered, "If you don’t sacrifice anything, you can’t reap the rewards. If I don’t let Qian Yonggui save some face, he’ll never stop causing trouble for us as long as the day we haven’t sold Naughty Castle comes. You know, it’s always easy to meet King Yan but hard to deal with the little devils. If we can’t bring him down, we shouldn’t completely tear our relationship apart."
Qu Chaozong grumbled, "I just can’t accept this. How much money have we lost this past week! It’s so damned frustrating!"
Shi Yang patted Qu Chaozong on the shoulder, "We have plenty more days to make money in the future. Once the business back home is fully transferred, it won’t matter if it’s Qian Yonggui or anyone else; they’ll no longer have anything to do with us. Just treat him like a fart and let it go, okay?"
Qu Chaozong snickered, laughing and swearing, "Asshole!"
The Hunan cuisine restaurant Li Shuren reserved was in the northern district, a somewhat remote location, but as soon as the car pulled up to the parking slot in front of the restaurant, you could immediately understand what it meant by ’the fragrance of wine is not afraid of alley depth’.
The parking spots were already jam-packed, so Shi Yang had to park on the opposite side of the road just like other latecomers.
Li Shuren had arrived at the private room early and warmly welcomed Shi Yang and Qu Chaozong when they arrived.
The three sat around the table, and after a few rounds of drinks, Li Shuren finally cut to the chase and asked, "Little Shi, neither Tianyu nor Old Third has sourced any goods from me lately. You’re not planning on switching suppliers, are you?"
When Li Shuren asked, he already had a simmering anger.
The installation of Naughty Castle was booming in both the provincial capital and cities and counties. The channels were thoroughly opened, and it was a flourishing time for business. Yet, Shi Yang suddenly halted the supply at this crucial moment. When Li Shuren heard about it, his first thought was that Shi Yang had directly contacted the factory in Wenzhou and no longer intended to procure goods through him as a distributor. In plain words, Shi Yang had grown wings and intended to kick Li Shuren, the small bridge, aside and walk on the sunshine avenue directly, intending to turn his back this time.
Shi Yang downed the beer in his glass, sighed, and said, "Brother Li, do you think I’m that kind of person? Burning bridges is not something I would do."
Li Shuren was taken aback. He also noticed that the atmosphere during this meal was somewhat tense, with both Shi Yang and Qu Chaozong having gloomy, troubled expressions.
Li Shuren refilled Shi Yang’s glass and cautiously inquired, "Little Shi, with our relationship, if not brothers, we’re definitely close buddies, right? Is there something you can’t tell your elder brother about? I’m telling you, both you and Chaozi are too young and have too little experience. Some things you encounter and see as a high hurdle could be just a small bump that you can easily step over, from my perspective."
Li Shuren asked, "Little Shi, what difficult situation have you encountered? Tell your brother so I can help you with some advice."