She sat in her seat, grinning foolishly.
Su Lin shook his head. At a time like this, it was better to stay silent. Otherwise, if he shattered Lin Xiaowan's beautiful fantasy, she would definitely fly into an embarrassed rage.
Neither of them spoke along the way. Su Lin and Lin Xiaowan arrived at the hospital.
Xia Shiyu was already waiting for them at the hospital entrance.
"Su Lin, Xiao Wan, why are you two here?"
Xia Shiyu was somewhat dazzled by Lin Xiaowan's outfit.
Lin Xiaowan's figure was especially good, and unlike her usual girlish style, she looked brimming with youthful energy today.
"Xiao Wan, you look so beautiful dressed like this."
Lin Xiaowan smiled modestly. "Not at all. Xiao Yu, you're the pretty one."
Su Lin waved a hand. "You're both beautiful, so stop flattering each other."
"Hehe! Su Lin, you look very handsome today too. I couldn't really tell when we were at school before, but after changing into this outfit, you seem so much more mature."
Su Lin smiled when he heard that. "Xiao Yu, are you saying I wasn't mature enough before?"
Xia Shiyu hurriedly shook her head. "No, no, no. I mean, you were mature before, but you still looked like a student. But dressed like this today, not only do you seem mature and steady, you don't look like a student anymore. You have so much... charm. You're really handsome!!"
"Mm, that's more like it."
Lin Xiaowan rolled her eyes at Su Lin and pinched his arm. "Enough already. You just want to hear people praise you. What kind of habit is that?"
"Hehe!! Xiao Yu, have things been arranged on your dad's side? Nothing unexpected will happen if you come out with us, right?"
Xia Shiyu nodded. "Don't worry, Su Lin. My dad has already fallen asleep, and even if he wakes up, I can't really help with anything. I just need to be back before eight tonight."
"Good. Then let's go shopping." Su Lin waved his hand.
"Sure. I happen to need to buy some things. We've run out of a lot of stuff at home." Xia Shiyu smiled.
She could tell that something was changing between Ye Feng and Lin Xiaowan, but she did not care in the slightest.
She could also sense that some of Su Lin's actions toward her went beyond friendship.
But so what?
Xia Shiyu could not imagine what the future would bring, nor did she want to know. She only knew that being with Su Lin and Lin Xiaowan made her happy, and that every day was joyful. That was enough.
As for matters of love, she could leave them to time.
Xia Shiyu got into the car, and Lin Xiaowan followed her into the back seat.
She patted Su Lin's seat. "Su Lin, it's time for you to tell us. What exactly is this about?"
The corners of Su Lin's lips rose slightly. "Xiao Wan, do you remember the proposal I mentioned before?"
"You mean your proposal for us to start a business together?" Lin Xiaowan realized.
Su Lin nodded. "I've already found the project. We're opening a chain supermarket!!!"
"A chain supermarket? Like Walmart?" Lin Xiaowan cried out.
She had not expected Su Lin to make such a big move. He was jumping straight into chain supermarkets.
This was not something a twenty-eighty split could afford to play with~!!!
Su Lin nodded. "That's right, a chain supermarket using that kind of model."
Su Lin slowed the car and began explaining his concept for the chain supermarket.
Agreement Reached—Please Send Flowers and Votes
After Su Lin finished speaking, both Lin Xiaowan and Xia Shiyu fell silent.
Su Lin's idea was extremely comprehensive. It could be said that he had considered every aspect of opening a supermarket.
Only after Lin Xiaowan had finally digested what Su Lin had told them did she ask, "Su Lin, then what are Xiao Yu and I supposed to do? We're just senior-year students. Other than getting decent grades, we don't have any special strengths."
Su Lin shook his head. "No. Neither of you realizes just how much potential you have."
"Putting everything else aside, Xiao Wan's abilities are obvious. Your logical thinking is clear, you're good at taking the initiative, and you're skilled with words. If we open a supermarket, I think there won't be any problem leaving negotiations with suppliers to you."
"The goods supplied by a supermarket's suppliers are one of the main factors determining whether it can survive. If someone else holds that resource, it is like having your throat gripped. So if you want to join us, Xiao Wan, I think negotiating with suppliers is the most suitable role for you."
"As for Xiao Yu, she's careful and economical. She can make every penny count and prevent money from being wasted. That makes her the best choice for handling finances."
"What about supermarket management? Su Lin, you aren't planning to do it yourself, are you?" Lin Xiaowan asked, looking at him.
Su Lin smiled. "I definitely won't personally handle management. Someone is more suitable than I am."
"Someone more suitable than you? Who?" Lin Xiaowan asked curiously.
"You both know him too. Chen Yang from our class. He may not be great at expanding the market, but he can manage operations."
"Oh! Chen Yang... If you hadn't mentioned him, Su Lin, I probably wouldn't even remember him."
"Yeah, Chen Yang doesn't usually have much of a presence in class. But I don't know when it started, he stopped going to the cafeteria for food after school in the evenings." Xia Shiyu recalled.
"He stopped going to the cafeteria for food? Su Lin, that should be your doing, right?" Lin Xiaowan asked with a half-smile.
Su Lin nodded and said, "Chen Yang has made quite a bit of money following me. He can now cover his family's entire expenses by himself, so he doesn't need to go get food anymore."
"Tsk, tsk... Su Lin, stop being modest. Even the finest horse needs a good judge. Without you, Chen Yang might still be eating cold cafeteria meals."
"What other good deeds have you been doing in class?"
Su Lin waved his hand. "Nothing else, really. Nothing else."
"Su Lin, then what will you do?"
"Right, Su Lin, what will you do?"
Seeing both girls looking at him, Su Lin smiled. "Naturally, I'll take charge of the big picture and coordinate everything."
"Pfft!! Doesn't that mean you won't be doing anything?" Lin Xiaowan rolled her eyes at him.
"How could I be doing nothing? Xiao Wan, do you know how to negotiate with those suppliers? Does Xiao Yu know how to arrange the finances? Does Chen Yang know how to manage a company? None of you do. Without someone coordinating the overall situation, the supermarket would close within three days of opening."
Lin Xiaowan felt that something about Su Lin's words did not sound quite right, but it also seemed to make sense when she heard him say it.
What Su Lin really wanted, however, was to become a hands-off boss.
In the original story, Ye Feng would open a company here and another one there, then once they got going, he would throw them all to Xia Shiyu. Xia Shiyu would manage everything in perfect order.
And Xia Shiyu had likewise grown from knowing nothing at all.
So Su Lin was not worried about the two girls' abilities in the slightest. He was more worried that his own development would not be fast enough to keep up with their growth.
"Aren't you afraid Xiao Yu and I will run your company into the ground?"
Su Lin smiled. "So what if you do? I have the means to let you lose money and learn."
"But honestly, I think the two of you have what it takes to handle this job."
Xia Shiyu was somewhat timid. She shook her head. "Su Lin, I can't do it, can I? Xiao Wan was at least a class officer from childhood and has management ability. I'm different. I've never managed anyone, much less handled finances."
"Xiao Yu, stop refusing. Don't forget, you signed a contract with me long ago." Su Lin said with a smile.
"Ah~!"
"It'll be fine. I'll supervise from the side."
After saying that, Su Lin looked at Lin Xiaowan. "Xiao Wan, what do you say now?"
Lin Xiaowan gave Su Lin a smile and said, "Of course I'll join something this interesting. How could I be left out of starting a business?"
"What about Xiao Yu?"
"Hehe, Su Lin, didn't you say so yourself? I've already signed a contract with you. Don't worry, I'll make sure every transaction is accounted for and won't let anyone waste your money." Xia Shiyu said with a determined expression.
"Good~~! Then let's go find a suitable location now."
After parking the car, Su Lin, Xia Shiyu, and Lin Xiaowan walked down the street together.
Since they had agreed to Su Lin's invitation, Lin Xiaowan and Xia Shiyu both began observing their surroundings seriously.
A chain supermarket needed not only a good location, but also ample space and heavy foot traffic, so it was not easy to find a suitable building.
"Su Lin, you must have already decided where in Jiangning District would be suitable for opening a supermarket, right?"
Su Lin nodded. "There are two locations I like. I've even picked out the buildings, but there's no way around it. Those buildings are people's homes, so they won't be easy to buy."
"Ah! You plan to buy them outright?"
"Of course. If we rent, what happens if business does well this year and the landlord raises the price next year? It's better to buy a building. That will save us a lot of money, and it'll be easier to get loans later."
"A loan? Su Lin, don't you already have more than ten million? Why do you still need a loan?"
Su Lin smiled. "Xiao Wan, do you think more than ten million is a lot? Once chain supermarkets begin expanding, growth becomes explosive. When several or even a dozen stores open at the same time, do you think ten million will be enough?"
"And that's assuming everything goes smoothly. If someone sees supermarkets making money and wants to open one too, then we'll have to fight a price war. At that point, ten million wouldn't even be enough to burn through in a day."
"Mm! It sounds so exciting." Lin Xiaowan said eagerly.
"Hehe, that's only healthy competition. What if it turns into malicious competition?"
"This... It's just opening a supermarket. Is it really that dangerous?" Xia Shiyu asked in surprise.
"Of course it can be, but there definitely won't be that much trouble for now."
"Mm! Su Lin, which building are you talking about? Why don't I give it a try? Maybe I can negotiate it down. If I can make it happen, we'll be able to avoid a lot of detours." Lin Xiaowan said hopefully.
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