Yukinoshita's Correction Method

It's hard to say which is better, but neither would be complete without the other.

Dong Yunshan picked up her chopsticks and ate silently.

"I've been through your age too, so I understand how you feel. I had many friends when I was young, and I enjoyed that feeling." A look of reminiscence crossed Xue's father's eyes. "But quantity is not quality. Most things in society are decided by a small number of people. If you like how you feel now, you might as well enjoy it for a while longer. But if you want to grow to the point where you can make decisions, you have to let go of what you should let go of."

Dong Yunshan put down her chopsticks. "I'm finished eating."

"Huh?" Xue's father was genuinely surprised. "So fast? Another one, please."

"No need," Dong Yunshan shook her head. "I've already put down my chopsticks."

Xue's father paused, his hand holding the wine glass still.

"Calm down." Dong Yunshan took a breath. "Someone told me to calm down before I came, and I even said I was very calm."

Xue's father put down his wine glass, waiting for Dong Yunshan to continue.

"Even someone as emotionally stable as me couldn't help but feel a bit off when I recognized the partner at Keiyo Finance." Dong Yunshan tapped her temples lightly with two fingers together. "Luckily, I calmed down in time, which is why I heard what they just said. It seems that staying calm is helpful; it helps me make more accurate judgments."

"Oh?" Xue's father chuckled. "Tell me about it."

"I used to only disagree with my mother-in-law's ideas, but now I clearly realize that I also disagree with my father-in-law's ideas," Dong Yunshan chuckled. "Just like you didn't acknowledge my efforts, so..."

Dong Yunshan recalled her first meeting with Yukino Yukinoshita.

At that time, the two disliked each other and each wanted to correct the other into the way they thought the other was right.

What did Shizuka Hiratsuka say back then?

Oh, right.

"Since neither of us agrees with the other..." Dong Yunshan raised his clenched fist in front of his father-in-law, "Then let's prove our respective righteousness through actions!"

Staring at Dong Yunshan's fist, Xue's father's lips twitched.

For a fleeting moment, he wanted to chuckle.

But it only lasted for a fleeting moment.

His clenched fist pressed against Dong Yunshan's fist, a burning light shining in his eyes, and Xue's father revealed a bright smile, "Good!"

Watching Dong Yunshan stride away, Xue's father finished his beer, shook his head with a smile, and poured himself another full glass.

As he brought the glass to his lips, Xue's father paused, his voice low and deep. "Good."

It exudes the composure of an adult.

Taking a small sip, Xue's father seemed thoughtful, then smiled and said, "Alright."

That seems a bit frivolous again.

Xue's father shook his head and snorted coldly, "Fine."

That's too cruel.

A mysterious smile appeared on his lips. Xue's father remained calm and composed, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Alright."

Something still doesn't feel right.

Xue's father coughed lightly twice, adjusted his voice, and looked up to meet the chef's gaze. "Which state do you feel is best?"

"Which one is best depends on your needs," the chef said, wiping his hands on his apron. "But the way you just said that to him, it most reminded me of your younger self."

"I was young then," Xue's father said, finishing his drink and staring at the empty glass with a sigh. "Youth is truly wonderful."

"It would have been better if we had realized this when we were younger." The chef took away the glass. "No more drinking today."

"No, wait!" Xue's father waved, "I'm in a good mood today."

"You'll get nagged by your family if you drink too much." The chef didn't intend to return the glass. "This is the perfect state to go home in; I can say some sweet nothings that I wouldn't normally say."

"We're an old married couple, why would we talk about those things..." Xue's father grabbed his coat, his gaze falling on the cufflinks of his shirt, and suddenly smiled, "Not being young is fine too."

--

"... That's roughly the process." Dong Yunshan finished speaking, picked up his glass, and downed his cola in one gulp. "Simply put, I rejected my father-in-law's mediation and issued a challenge."

In the family restaurant, Yukino Yukinoshita sat next to Dong Yunshan, while Iroha Isshiki and Yui Yuigahama opposite her.

Komachi Hikigaya and Saki Kawasaki had to go home to take care of their younger siblings, so they didn't participate in the after-school dinner.

"Hearing about your wedding, I thought you had your future in-laws very well taken care of..." Iroha Isshiki looked at Dong Yunshan in disbelief, "But... it turns out they're about to fight?"

Yui Yuigahama looked worried. "Is this really okay?"

"It's precisely to avoid a recurrence of this problem that we need to make our stance clear at this time." Yukino Yukinoshita her fingers to her temples and sighed softly. "The more serious problem now is financing; it's all my fault for misjudging..."

Dong Yunshan reminded him, "Your judgment is correct; Keiyo Finance is indeed a good fit. My parents-in-law both think so too."

Yukino Yukinoshita: "It's all my fault for being right..."

"If everything is correct, what's there to complain about?" Dong Yunshan put his arm around Yukino Yukinoshita's shoulder. "We can't just ignore the best option and choose something worse, can we?"

"The Revitalization Foundation and Chiba Venture Capital are only relatively weak, so choosing these two isn't a bad option..." Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head. "They just won't work. If they can get involved with Keiyo Finance, infiltrating the Revitalization Foundation and Chiba Venture Capital would be a piece of cake."

"Things aren't going well on either side," Iroha Isshiki, sipping her drink. "Following this logic, no matter which investment institution we approach, we can't avoid their interference."

"Quantity is ultimately not quality. Most things in society are decided by a small group of people." Repeating what Dong Yunshan had just said, Yui Yuigahama facing cancellation and the current predicament of Cloud Snow Tea, her expression dejected. "The adults make the decisions at the top. No matter how many of us there are, we can't change anything..."

Dong Yunshan tapped his temples lightly with two fingers together. "Quantity is ultimately not quality, but quantitative change can lead to qualitative change."

"Hmm?" Iroha Isshiki asked impatiently, "Senpai, you've come up with a solution?"

Dong Yunshan nodded. "I do have a small, immature idea."

"Don't even think about it." Yukino Yukinoshita said sternly, "Your idea involves the crime of illegally accepting public deposits."

"Wait a minute..." Yui Yuigahama looked bewildered. "He hasn't said anything yet, how did you know?"

Yukino Yukinoshita stared at Dong Yunshan: "You want to raise money directly from your friends, right?"

Dong Yunshan nodded.

Yui Yuigahama: "You actually know that...?"

Yukino Yukinoshita said with a serious expression, "The Capital Investment Act prohibits promising fixed returns and raising funds from an unspecified number of people. Violations may constitute the crime of illegally absorbing public deposits."

Dong Yunshan raised one eyebrow. "So I just asked my friends for help and then didn't promise any returns?"

"That won't work either." Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath. "How much are you planning to raise?"

Dong Yunshan: "How often can we hold a fundraising event like this?"

Yukino Yukinoshita immediately gave the answer, "Three months."

Dong Yunshan thought for a moment, "That would be one quarter, at least 500 million yen."

"According to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, raising more than 100 million yen generally requires financial registration," Yukino Yukinoshita cautioned. "And registration would trigger the raising of funds from an unspecified number of people."

Dong Yunshan blinked. "You just said it was in principle, right?"

"A private placement with only a few investors, meaning fewer than forty-nine people, is exempt from registration." Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly. "In other words, you need to find forty-nine friends who are willing to invest more than ten million yen in you."

Dong Yunshan said casually, "More or less."

"Very different," Yukino Yukinoshita added. "This number is calculated based on the number of people being persuaded, not the final investors. Even if only twenty people actually invest in the end, if you have invited more than forty-nine people during the process, you have already violated the rules."

"So we need to be absolutely certain before sending out invitations. Ultimately, there are twenty... let's say twenty-five investors, that's an average of twenty million yen per person." Dong Yunshan scrolled through his phone's contacts. "One, two, three... twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty... that's enough."

"So there's more?" Iroha Isshiki stared at Dong Yunshan. "Are we really the same age? No, are we really classmates? It seems like there's already a thick barrier between us."

"Well..." Yui Yuigahama managed to come up with a reason, "Doesn't Yunshan always say he has a lot of friends?"

"I thought he was just saying it," Iroha Isshiki leaned back weakly in her chair. "Who would have thought it would actually happen?"

Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips. "You met them all when you were running the Odd Jobs Agency?"

"Not entirely, there are some you know," Dong Yunshan explained, "Like the chef I met when I had dinner with my mother-in-law."

Yukino Yukinoshita still vaguely remembered. "I remember we only exchanged contact information..."

"Later, Cloud Flash Delivery started doing cold chain transportation, shipping seafood from Chiba to that area, so I contacted them." Dong Yunshan gestured a couple of times. "Over time, everyone benefited quite a bit, and our relationship became closer."

"Anything else?"

Dong Yunshan led her through her memories, "Do you remember Jack Ito, the manager of the Starbucks across from Tokyo 'Cloud Snow Tea?"

"Hmm." Yukino Yukinoshita nodded.

"I remember too." Yui Yuigahama. "He later went to see the manager of the Starbucks across from the Cloud Snow Tea Chiba main store."

"Yes, it's him. I felt he was quite capable, so I contacted him." Dong Yunshan explained briefly, "He has some savings and wants to start his own tea brand, but he hasn't had a direction. I suggested he come to Cloud Snow Tea, but he said he'd rather invest than work for someone else—and coincidentally, the opportunity has come. Also, there's the guy who lent us the lights and sound system this time; I saved his life back then..."

After Dong Yunshan finished introducing one person in a few words, the number of people exceeded twenty in no time.

"It does seem feasible." Yukino Yukinoshita bit her lower lip lightly. "But we still need to be careful with the specifics. First, we need to communicate one-on-one, without using intermediaries or publicizing it. Second, we absolutely cannot use a [loan + interest] model. Finally, we need to control the number of people involved—I'll prepare the necessary procedures and documents as soon as possible..."

Chapter 799 Never mind.

"To put it simply," Dong Yunshan Suga the Orange C Food from Suga, "I'm going to visit some friends and secure a certain amount of investment. Once Cloud Snow Tea expands and becomes profitable, we'll share the profits proportionally. Furthermore, with my personal credit as collateral, I'll also provide assistance should they encounter any trouble."

"Hmm..." Suga glanced at Dong Yunshan, hesitating to speak.

Dong Yunshan glanced at him. "Say what you want to say."

Suga cleared his throat lightly. "Are we going to collect protection money?"

Dong Yunshan: "... Hmm?"

"Finding someone to collect money and solve people's problems," Suga retorted, "Isn't it just protection money?"

Dong Yunshan: "... There's also a profit-sharing aspect."

"That's what I don't understand," Suga, looking puzzled. "Why should we get a share of the profits if the money is earned through our own abilities?"

"Just collecting protection money, huh?" Dong Yunshan took a big gulp of coffee. "This earns more than collecting protection money, and it's not illegal."

"You really need to read more books," Suga couldn't help but sigh. "Knowledge can change your sentence."

"That's called fate," Dong Yunshan corrected. "Drive, let's go."

"Okay."

Dong Yunshan took several days off, and things went much more smoothly than expected.

On the one hand, it was due to the network and credibility that Dong Yunshan had built up over a long period of time; on the other hand, it was due to the documents prepared by Yukino Yukinoshita.

This includes, but is not limited to, all current data for Cloud Snow Tea, a clearly defined "Silent Partnership Investment Agreement" outlining shared risks, a "Business Plan" explaining the use of funds and expected returns, and a "Confidentiality Agreement" to prevent information leakage...

Every clause in every document effectively dispels investors' doubts, avoids potential disputes, and ensures legality and compliance.

On the third day, which was the last day of February, Dong Yunshan had raised far more funds than its initial target, enough to support Cloud Snow Tea's rapid expansion for a quarter.

In this way...

"Go back to school first." Yukino Yukinoshita's voice was anxious on the phone. "Mom's here; it's about financing."

When Dong Yunshan returned to the school's reception room, the situation inside was similar to before; everyone was still there.

Iroha Isshiki, filled with indignation;

Saki Kawasaki, her face grim;

Yui Yuigahama;

The worried Komachi Hikigaya;

Yukino Yukinoshita;

Haruno Yukinoshita, utterly bored;

Shizuka Hiratsuka, her brows furrowed;

And... Snow Mother with her gentle smile.

Now, Dong Yunshan has also sensed that something is amiss.

The air in the reception room was noticeably heavier than before.

"What's wrong?" Dong Yunshan came up behind Yukino Yukinoshita and put his hand on her thin shoulder. "Is communication not going well?"

Yukino Yukinoshita gently grasped Dong Yunshan's hand, and a slight change finally appeared on her expressionless face.

But her glistening lips trembled slightly, yet no sound came out.

"The ball plans still need further revisions... but this situation was expected." Iroha Isshiki clicked her tongue without any regard for her image, then looked at Dong Yunshan with worry in her eyes, "The problem now concerns you..."