Chapter 204: Chapter 175: The Rougher the Seas, the Pricier the Fish

Chapter 204: Chapter 175: The Rougher the Seas, the Pricier the Fish

Inside Starbucks, Shen Qingning listened to Cheng Zhu’s words, her cool and detached face slightly tense.

She had indeed been very nervous while video-calling Xu Yun just now, but she believed she had masked it pretty well.

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What annoyed her the most, however, was that Cheng Zhu was completely relaxed when meeting her stepmother.

That was partly why she had felt a bit of disappointment earlier.

To make matters worse, he went ahead and called her out on it, watching her with an expression as if he were watching a play!

“Do I?” Shen Qingning stubbornly replied, lifting her eyes to meet his gaze.

Her aura was as strong as ever, but right now it was all about putting on a brave front.

“Alright, alright.” Cheng Zhu laughed and took a sip of coffee, looking down.

Shen Qingning, seeing his demeanor, felt her sense of loss spreading in her heart.

Because in her opinion, boys of this age would usually try to “hide” a girl they liked in front of certain people.

Such as when facing parents.

Cheng Zhu’s behavior was far too natural; he didn’t mind letting his own mother know that he was spending time alone with a girl.

It gave the impression that they were just friends, pure and innocent, with nothing to be ashamed of, no fear of others asking too many questions or overthinking things.

Not like her at all. Cheng Zhu wasn’t a bit nervous when meeting her stepmother, but Shen Qingning herself was somewhat jittery.

At this moment, after Cheng Zhu took a drink of coffee, he began to say, somewhat vaguely, “Actually, I’ve been pretty nervous all afternoon.”

He just didn’t specify whether he was nervous about renting the shop space or something else.

“Hmm?” Shen Qingning looked up. “Can’t tell.”

“Well of course, a man’s feelings aren’t easily shown on his face!” Cheng Zhu boasted, “Didn’t auntie also fail to notice?”

The aloof girl gently bit her straw, flatted it with her teeth, took a tiny sip of coffee, and then uttered a soft “oh.”

After Cheng Zhu made his point, he changed the subject.

“Speaking of which, the two times I’ve opened a physical store, I was, in effect, renting your family’s shop space,” he said with a smile.

The shop by the school gate was a gift from Mr. Shen to his daughter, essentially giving her a bit more pocket money from the rent.

Star City also had investment from the Shen family.

“Actually, the claw machine and milk tea shop fulfilled my little sister’s wish. You indirectly helped her dream come true, no wonder she insisted I share my only candied haw with you,” he casually mentioned.

“Actually, I thought Little Youzi wouldn’t really like me,” the proud girl confessed, perhaps because the person they were discussing was the most innocent child.

“Huh? Why?”

“It seems like I’ve never really been good with kids. The younger cousins in my family all prefer playing with my brother and Jiang Wanzhou.”

“Well of course, you always look so stern, barely show any emotion, frown at nothing, and seldom speak any kind words…” Cheng Zhu continued to babble on.

“See, you’re frowning again,” he said with a grin.

“Even Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Minglang seem to be quite afraid of you,” Cheng Zhu added with a slight shrug.

“To me, it seems like you’re not in the least bit intimidated,” Shen Qingning thought to herself, rather irritated.

Cheng Zhu continued, “My sister actually likes you quite a bit, though I’m not sure why, that’s just the situation.”

“Then she probably likes Lu Lu even more,” Shen Qingning looked at him with challenge in her eyes.

“I’m not sure about that, but… it’s possible?” Cheng Zhu met her gaze without fear.

“But just because she doesn’t like you the most in the world doesn’t mean she doesn’t like you, right?” he remarked.

Shen Qingning remained silent, simply taking another sip of coffee.

At that moment, Cheng Zhu noticed Wu Yuzhou walking out of the perfume shop across the way.

It seemed Wu Yuzhou spotted them immediately, sitting inside Starbucks.

The two of them together certainly drew a lot of attention.

But this time, Wu Yuzhou merely nodded slightly at Cheng Zhu, who was looking at him, and did not seem interested in coming over to join them.

Shen Qingning followed his gaze, turned her head to look outside, and then said to Cheng Zhu, “The location of this shop is indeed very good, having your milk tea shop here means the people outside the mall can also see it.”

“But do you really think it’s a good idea to open across from Starbucks?” she asked, somewhat curious.

She wasn’t sure if Cheng Zhu was simply vying for the shop space earlier or if that was genuinely his belief.

Because, from a normal business perspective, it really wasn’t a good thing.

Regardless of what everyone thinks of Starbucks, it has been operating at this price point for many years.

You, a newly-established milk tea brand, selling at twice the price of regular milk tea, with no public acceptance, and opening right across from Starbucks, most people would think it’s a dead end!

Even bluntly said, many people would think: “Is this owner an idiot?”

Cheng Zhu smiled upon hearing this, and frankly said, “I do think it’s a good thing.”

The fact that Starbucks is across the street is just perfect.

I’m targeting Starbucks!

“Why?” asked Shen Qingning.

“It’s a bit complicated to explain in a few words, let’s wait until the shop opens, and then I’ll explain it to you slowly. I actually enjoy engaging in battles where the situation is complex.”

“Sometimes, seemingly disadvantageous situations can actually be used to one’s benefit.”

“As they say, fortune favors the bold,” Cheng Zhu quoted a familiar phrase.

Then, with a swagger in his tone, he added:

“Eminent economist Gao Qiqiang once said: ‘The greater the storm, the pricier the fish!'”

Shen Qingning was unfamiliar with this name and felt she had never heard of this economist.

But seeing Cheng Zhu so full of confidence, she didn’t say much.

In her view, Cheng Zhu seemed to be quite adept at taking unconventional approaches and blazing new trails.

Since that’s how he truly felt, she was more at ease.

…

…

By five o’clock in the afternoon, Cheng Zhu and Shen Qingning found a hot pot restaurant in the mall and started having dinner together.

Cheng Zhu had also only found out today that Shen Qingning liked spicy food.

“Do you know, spicy isn’t exactly a flavor, it’s more of a pain sensation,” said Cheng Zhu, looking at the spicy broth.

“Hmm? I think I’ve read that somewhere,” replied Shen Qingning, as she added beef brain to the spicy pot.

“Sour, sweet, bitter, salty, these are flavors, but spicy isn’t,” Cheng Zhu explained. “But it’s strange, many people like spicy food, just like you and me.”

“Don’t talk as if we have a masochistic tendency,” Shen Qingning said with a glance, continuing to add tripe to the boil.

“I didn’t mean that,” Cheng Zhu stirred his seasoning dish with his chopsticks.

He checked the time on his phone, noticing it was after five, and sent a WeChat message to Ye Zi.

“Are you still at the hotel?” he asked first.

“No, I’m eating nearby with Liu Jiani and the others,” Ye Zi replied.

“Is the filming plan for the next few days all set?”

“It’s arranged.”

“Let me see it,” said Cheng Zhu.

The factory at Guan Yun had already been rented, and a new batch of machines had been added.

And Guan Yun’s becoming the QQ lingerie capital of the world had its own unique advantages.

For some special reasons, the area had no shortage of experienced textile workers.

That is to say, there were plenty of workers available.

Many who have managed factories with a lot of manual processes know all too well that hiring is always a troublesome issue.

But for Cheng Zhu, everything was now ready to go.

Once the sell show was all arranged, it would be time to enter the overseas market.

Ye Zi soon sent over the schedule spreadsheet.

Cheng Zhu quickly glanced through it; the timing was tight, probably because Ye Zi felt the boss was in a hurry.

“Okay, shoot it like this,” Cheng Zhu replied.

“Mhm,” Ye Zi finally said to Cheng Zhu, “Boss, Liu Jiani wants to add you on WeChat, can I give her your contact?”

“Okay,” Cheng Zhu asked, “Did you talk about anything after I left?”

“We just talked a few things about the product design of our store, she’s a fashion designer, so she’s probably interested. When she heard that the clothes in our shop were designed by you, the boss, she was quite amazed,” Ye Zi reported truthfully.

Cheng Zhu understood: It turns out that after I left, you helped me sport an ego!

—You have a new [Sporting an Ego] order, please check.

But speaking of which, these bestsellers in Persistent Visit must be hot for a reason.

If you say there was no clever design or impressive details, that’s impossible.

Moreover, having a penchant for designing somewhat sexy clothes, Liu Jiani could certainly sense the intricacies of QQ products.

Lady Siri, she could probably see, in addition to innovative design, the products also boast… practicality?

In short, they’re attractive and functional, simply perfect!

He quickly received a friend request from the half-French Liu Jiani.

After approving it, he checked out this woman with a striking figure’s Moments, which featured pictures with all sorts of beautiful women.

Most of them were foreign.

“Wow, it looks like she’s got quite a few resources at hand,” thought Cheng Zhu.

Shen Qingning watched Cheng Zhu staring at his phone, not knowing who he was chatting with.

After a while, she reminded him, “Eat something first. It’s getting overcooked.”

“Oh, okay,” Cheng Zhu put down his phone.

Halfway through the meal, a server from the hot pot restaurant came over with an instant camera, saying, “Hello, we’re running a free Polaroid photo event. Would you like to take a picture together to commemorate your visit?”

“Do you want to take one?” asked Cheng Zhu.

If it were Lin Lu, he wouldn’t even need to ask. She would definitely want to take a picture.

Shen Qingning, who typically didn’t like having her photo taken and never posted pictures of herself on social media.

At Persistent Visit, when she was photographed, she was a bit stiff and didn’t appear very natural.

Unexpectedly, her response was, “Whatever, I’m fine with either.”

“Then let’s take one,” suggested Cheng Zhu.

“How about the handsome guy and beautiful girl sit side by side?” the female server recommended.

Cheng Zhu and Shen Qingning were currently sitting opposite each other.

“Sure,” Cheng Zhu agreed cooperatively and sat next to Shen Qingning with enthusiasm, but they still maintained a certain distance from each other.

When the picture was taken, he raised his right hand and made a “ye” sign.

Then he noticed Shen Qingning was very stiff, so he lifted his other hand and playfully made a “ye” sign next to her head.

Shen Qingning, aware of his mischievous hand gesture behind her, said nothing and instead subtly tilted her head towards where he made the “ye” sign.