Yukinoshita's Correction Method

"Hmm?" Yukino Yukinoshita turned to face Dong Yunshan. "What do you mean?"

"My father-in-law was very supportive of me handing over one of the branches to my sister, and even offered to invest more..."

"Additional investment? That won't do. According to the agreement, there's a limit to the amount that can be invested to avoid diluting your equity." Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly. "You didn't agree to 29119, did you?"

Yukino Yukinoshita didn't want Dong Yunshan to make unnecessary concessions because of their relationship.

"Not yet." Dong Yunshan shook her head. "I said I needed to come back and discuss it with you."

"I..." Yukino Yukinoshita Dong Yunshan a grape into her mouth. "Hmm?"

"Let's hear about the benefits of this investment first."

"Hmm..." Yukino Yukinoshita ate a grape, "Are you planning to open more branches?"

"We'll still have two branches, one in Kyoto and Tokyo." Dong Yunshan paused. "The Kyoto Branch will be managed by my sister, while the Tokyo Branch will be managed by you."

"Me?" Yukino Yukinoshita was taken aback. "Me?"

Dong Yunshan understood Yukino Yukinoshita's meaning almost instantly.

The first sound was of surprise that he was the one in charge of operations.

The second sound indicates that he is considering whether he is capable of handling the task.

"Wait..." Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly. "This is... a roundabout strategy?"

Dong Yunshan and Yukino Yukinoshita explained in detail their purpose in handing over the Tokyo Branch to Haruno Yukinoshita.

So after a brief moment of surprise, Yukino Yukinoshita immediately began to ponder how her involvement in managing a branch would affect Dong Yunshan's plans.

Due to the immense potential of Cloud Snow Tea, the Yukinoshita Family desires to control the fully grown Cloud Snow Tea. To achieve this, they need to acquire as much power as possible before Cloud Snow Tea reaches its full potential, without hindering its growth.

Conversely, it would be necessary to reduce the power of Dong Yunshan, the founder, marginalize him, or even exclude him.

In response to this situation, Dong Yunshan proactively entrusted one of its branches to Haruno Yukinoshita independent operation. Regardless of success or failure, this would allow Dong Yunshan's value to be further realized.

Because the Yukinoshita Family wants the matured Cloud Snow Tea, as long as Dong Yunshan proves that Cloud Snow Tea's growth is inseparable from him, then in order to avoid affecting Cloud Snow Tea's growth, the Yukinoshita Family will protect Dong Yunshan's rights on their own.

Therefore, the key to this plan is to demonstrate the value of the Dong Yunshan.

As long as Dong Yunshan is capable enough, this plan will definitely succeed.

If Dong Yunshan wants to relinquish power, the Yukinoshita Family will be the first to object.

However, if we include Yukino Yukinoshita's independently operated shop, the situation becomes completely different.

"No." Yukino Yukinoshita stared at Dong Yunshan. "I don't want to."

"Think about it again..."

"If I were to manage the Tokyo Branch, your plan would be impossible to implement," Yukino Yukinoshita calmly analyzed. "Originally, the Kyoto Branch you managed could be compared to the Tokyo Branch managed by your sister, and the difference in sales directly reflected your personal abilities. But if I were to manage it, your abilities would be difficult to truly be seen."

"Not necessarily..." Dong Yunshan blinked. "What if both stores are in bad shape—oh no!"

"That's a loss. The failure of one branch is a completely different concept from the failure of two branches. Even if you can salvage it, it will cause many negative consequences." Yukino Yukinoshita covered Dong Yunshan's mouth. "Moreover, given the existing brand influence, even if the branch is relatively unsuccessful, it will still take at least two or three months to recover. Compared to the previous two branches, this method takes far too long."

"But... don't you want to?" Dong Yunshan grabbed Yukino Yukinoshita's small hand, "The chance to compete against my older sister?"

Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her cherry lips slightly. "Is this the key reason for your hesitation?"

"Hmm... it's one of them."

"My sister and I..." Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her eyes slightly, "A long time ago, I did have the idea of competing with my sister. Or rather, I wanted to replace my sister and become the heir of the Yukinoshita Family."

"So now..."

"Things are different now." Yukino Yukinoshita's icy blue eyes reflected Dong Yunshan's face. "Back then, what I wanted was what my sister had. But now, what I have is what I want. I've gotten what I wanted, so naturally I won't be eyeing what my sister has anymore."

After getting what she wanted, Yukino Yukinoshita realized that she hadn't really wanted to inherit everything from the Yukinoshita Family.

She acquired the necessary skills under her mother's tutelage, but lacked the opportunity to utilize them.

Because they don't know what they can do or what they really want, they take their older sister as their role model and mistake what the older sister has for what they want.

He tries to prove his own worth by replicating his sister's success.

But that's all in the past.

After obtaining what she truly desired, Yukino Yukinoshita finally understood why her older sister had always been in her way.

Perhaps... her older sister understood her thoughts even earlier than she did.

Chapter 605 Path Dependency

Yukino Yukinoshita's explanation was a bit convoluted, but Dong Yunshan understood it quickly.

Dong Yunshan once learned roller skating with a friend for a while.

One move involves jumping, spinning 360 degrees, and then landing.

Dong Yunshan tried many times, but it was always just a little bit off.

He stared at his friend's movements, trying hard to replicate them, but he could never do it perfectly.

It wasn't until his friend asked him, "Why do you only turn right?"

Dong Yunshan only kept turning right because he saw his friend turn right.

After being reminded by my friend, I tried turning left.

Success on the first try.

What Dong Yunshan wants is to jump and spin 360 degrees like her friends.

But he was new to roller skating and didn't know how to do it, so he could only try to copy the other person's moves.

The result was that instead of completing the action, it became copying the friend's behavior.

Yukino Yukinoshita wants to realize her own value, but she doesn't know how.

Seeing that her older sister had gained recognition, she could only learn from her.

The result was that he went from realizing his own potential to replicating his sister's success.

The logic behind the two things is similar.

Dong Yunshan's decision to turn left, like Yukino Yukinoshita's choice to run for Student Council, is an attempt to break away from past path dependencies.

Once Dong Yunshan has completed the movement, there's no need to replicate his friend's movements. With more practice and study, he'll naturally learn how to turn right.

Yukino Yukinoshita has found her own direction, so there's no need for her to replicate her sister's success. By thinking more and trying more, she will naturally know how to realize herself.

"I understand what you mean. You're no longer fixated on the duel with your sister, and you don't want it to affect my plans." Dong Yunshan helped Yukino Yukinoshita tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "But... how are you going to refuse?"

"I..." Yukino Yukinoshita opened her mouth, then suddenly fell silent.

If she were to tell her parents directly, she wouldn't want to run the Tokyo Branch.

No matter how resolute she is, or how much she emphasizes that it is her own idea, her parents will still believe that it is Dong Yunshan's idea.

They would only interpret it as meaning Dong Yunshan.

Because in the past, Yukino Yukinoshita never missed any opportunity to compete with her older sister.

If they suddenly refuse now, their parents will naturally assume it's due to the influence of the Dong Yunshan.

Indeed, it was because of Dong Yunshan that Yukino Yukinoshita felt there was no need to have a showdown with her sister.

But in her parents' eyes, it was simply that Dong Yunshan was unwilling to hand over the branch to her.

No matter how clearly Yukino Yukinoshita explained it, she couldn't stop her parents from having such thoughts.

"This is my decision," Yukino Yukinoshita angrily. "What do they think...?"

Yukino Yukinoshita paused in her voice.

Does she really not care about her parents' opinions?

Is it really possible to completely disregard one's parents' opinions about Dong Yunshan?

"Let's put the competition aside, and not even consider your father-in-law's feelings." Dong Yunshan fed a grape to Yukino Yukinoshita. "Now there's an opportunity to get involved in the actual operation of Cloud Snow Tea. Do you want to miss it?"

Yukino Yukinoshita, with a grape in her mouth, took a while to remember to eat it. "I really want to get involved in the operation of Cloud Snow Tea; I learned a lot from that last time."

"How so?"

"Because my sister disguised herself so perfectly, plus some information I've come across in the past, um... and your previous style, I always felt that the operation of Cloud Snow Tea was inevitably tinged with some falsehood." Yukino Yukinoshita put her finger to her lips. "However, after that incident, I found that being truthful is just as popular, and more effective than the concealment and deception commonly found in business."

"Once you try it yourself, you'll find that the reality is quite different from what you imagined." Dong Yunshan looked into Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes. "So this time, would you like to get more involved?"

Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips. "With my current abilities, running a branch independently is still..."

Dong Yunshan reminded him, "And I'm here too."

"Then what about your plan?" Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes showed worry. "You helped me, and the success of the store can be attributed to your support or to my efforts. That makes it difficult to reflect your value and ability."

"My plan can be postponed a little, or executed in a different way; there's always a way." Dong Yunshan smiled. "But the most important thing is... I'm actually a little unwilling to give up."

"Hmm?" Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes flickered slightly. "You want to have a duel?"

"That's right." Dong Yunshan's lips curled up. "I have to say, my father-in-law's move is truly impressive. Faced with his suggestion, I couldn't even think of a suitable solution in a short time. It feels a bit like... I'm still stuck in the stage of street brawls and fights, while my father-in-law is already engaged in urban construction and street planning."

"I feel unwilling to accept this..." Yukino Yukinoshita saw her past self in Dong Yunshan, so she immediately understood his current state of mind. "I don't want to just run away like this, I want to face it head-on and then overcome it."

"We were only at a disadvantage before, but if we avoid fighting now, then we've truly lost." Dong Yunshan nodded. "Since my father-in-law made the first move, even out of politeness, I should accept it."

"I told you I'd gone too far in correcting you." Yukino Yukinoshita pinched his cheek. "You've even picked up my old personality traits. I'm not as competitive anymore, but you've become competitive."

"So," Dong Yunshan said with a smug smile, "My correction is also very effective."

"I'm talking about you now." Yukino Yukinoshita lightly poked his cheek as a warning. "With your current mindset, it's hard for you to control your pace, and you'll easily lose your way."

"That's absolutely right. I almost lost my way before." Dong Yunshan murmured, hugging Yukino Yukinoshita. "When I heard my father-in-law's suggestion, I felt like I was going to lose no matter how I thought about it."

Agreeing to my father-in-law's suggestion means abandoning my own plans.

Disagreeing with his father-in-law's suggestion would appear as a lack of trust in Yukino Yukinoshita, and would also discourage Yukino Yukinoshita from helping him.

"When I'm thinking alone, it really feels like no path leads to success," Dong Yunshan gently brushed Yukino Yukinoshita's nose. "But when we're planning together, it feels like any path will work."

Before communicating with Yukino Yukinoshita, he needs to worry about the misunderstandings his actions might cause Yukino Yukinoshita.

But since he could communicate openly with Yukino Yukinoshita, such worries no longer had a fertile ground to grow.

No wonder my father-in-law wanted to have a private talk with me.

If Yukino Yukinoshita Yukino Yukinoshita been present at the time, she would have rejected it on the spot, and Yukinoshita's father's proposal would naturally have been ineffective.

Chapter 606 In-depth Communication

"It's not that simple." Yukino Yukinoshita gently kissed Dong Yunshan to stop his playful nuzzling. "Don't be so carefree just because I'm here."

Dong Yunshan blinked. "With you here, what do I have to worry about?"

Yukino Yukinoshita puffed out her cheeks slightly. "For example, what if you didn't demonstrate your abilities well this time, and then someone wants to further diminish your power?"

"Then let's abandon this brand and start a new one." Dong Yunshan's eyes gleamed. "Let's call it Sweet Cloud Honey Snow, using real tea, real milk, and real fruit, focusing on low prices. We can succeed just as well."

"Easy for you to say~ and Sweet Cloud Honey Snow..." Yukino Yukinoshita blushed. "Too blunt."

"Is that called Honey Snow Sweet Cloud?"

"Isn't this just a change of order?" Yukino Yukinoshita pressed down Dong Yunshan's fidgeting hand. "Seriously, think about what would happen if my sister and I each ran a branch store?"

"Let's start with the worst-case scenario: both branches fail, resulting in huge losses."

"There's been a lot of online buzz about the branch stores. Many people have mentioned Cloud Snow Tea Cloud Snow Tea in posts about stores that imitate it. We shouldn't suffer huge losses after the branch opens..." Yukino Yukinoshita paused, "Those comments weren't posted by you, were they?"

"I only found a little bit," Dong Yunshan gestured with a fingertip universe, "Most of it is the customers' honest opinions."

"... So you've already completed the initial pre-launch promotion, and the possibility of both branches failing is low." Yukino Yukinoshita unconsciously moved Dong Yunshan's small hand. "Hmm~ If that really happens, although it's not good for the development of Cloud Snow Tea, it will also better demonstrate your value."

As Yukino Yukinoshita said before, the failure of both stores together would cause losses and have a negative impact.

"I'm confident I can mitigate the negative impact," Dong Yunshan nodded. "As for the losses... it'll be my father-in-law who suffers the financial loss."

Yukino Yukinoshita gave him a light tap. "Then there's the situation where one succeeds and the other fails."

"If your sister's Kyoto store succeeds and your Tokyo store fails..." Dong Yunshan started with the worst-case scenario, "That means your sister is more capable than you. Considering the support behind the scenes, your sister, whom your mother-in-law supports, is more capable than you, whom I support."

"Whether you help me or not, your personal abilities will be questioned, and those who want to marginalize you will become even more unscrupulous." Yukino Yukinoshita pressed her temples as if she had a headache. "This outcome might be worse than both stores failing."

"The first thing to decide is..." Dong Yunshan's freed hand quietly began to explore, "Should I help you or not?"

"Hmm~" Yukino Yukinoshita bit her lower lip lightly, "What do you mean, help or not help?"

"If I don't help you, you'll have a stage to perform on, and you can do whatever you want, but the risks are relatively high," Dong Yunshan further explained. "If I help you, it will give you a certain advantage, but it will also make you seem less capable."