Chapter 55: An Eccentric Man

As soon as Yang Xiaoyu heard me say that, she stood up directly and hugged me, shouting non-stop, "Brother Yang, I love you to death!" This scene immediately drew sidelong glances from the few girls diligently cleaning the shop. Several doubtful gazes pricked at me so sharply that I quickly pushed Yang Xiaoyu, who was clinging to me, away.

I shook my head and sighed, "Everything needs innovation to achieve a breakthrough, and I happen to lack that gambling spirit anyway. Our shop's business is sluggish right now, so we might as well let you go all out. If we fail, we can just take a different path in the future. If we succeed, even better—everyone wins and rejoices."

Actually, I had once consulted Zhao Kewen about this business direction. After all, her bar was thriving. Facing my somewhat serious question, Sister Kewen also put aside her usual carefree demeanor. After thinking for quite a while, she told me, "The business world is a casino. Whether you succeed depends on how accurately you grasp the timing and how thoroughly you fight... To put it bluntly, this is a massive gamble. Win, and you start from scratch and sit upon wealth and glory; lose, and you go bankrupt with your family torn apart."

"What are the odds of winning or losing?"

"What odds could there be? Even with the best opportunity, if you invest your money in the wrong place, you still lose. Even in the hardest predicament, if you choose the right path, you still win. However, if you really must have a probability, it's fifty-fifty. Luck is a very important element in doing business."

I nodded, understanding a little more in my heart. Spoken broadly, every shift in policy represents the transformation of the entire commercial environment. Spoken narrowly, every holiday that influences promotions could be a gamble staking everything.

"Brother Yang," seeing me stand there in a daze without speaking for a long time, Yang Xiaoyu tentatively called out in a soft voice.

Her voice pulled me back from past memories and speculations into reality.

"Xiaoyu, why don't we take a gamble?" I turned my head and looked at Yang Xiaoyu with a serious expression.

Seeming startled by my suddenly changed attitude, Yang Xiaoyu was silent for a moment before asking, "What do you mean? How do we gamble?"

"Christmas is in ten days. Since we've decided to hold some events then, let's not hold back. Let's do it on a large scale. It would be best to unite some other small shops for mutual benefit and interaction." A train of thought gradually formed in my mind. Although not yet entirely clear, the central idea had taken shape: utilizing the ripple effect to cooperate with other small shops for an event, promoting one another for mutual benefit. On the one hand, we could use the social network of surrounding old shops for publicity; on the other hand, we could use the enthusiasm of new shops to increase the quality of the event.

"At that time, we could also have Sister Fox's bar help out together, just like when we opened," Yang Xiaoyu also seemed to grasp the logic behind it, saying somewhat excitedly, "A one-stop shop for eating, drinking, and having fun, adding promotional trump cards like shopping vouchers—it's an absolute sure-win business."

I nodded in agreement with Yang Xiaoyu's statement. However, there was still one most crucial problem unsolved...

"But how do we solve the problem of our event budget?" Yang Xiaoyu put away her smile and grabbed her soft, purple long hair with some distress. "Even if many shops are willing to join and cooperate, the funding issue remains our primary obstacle. No matter how much other shops are willing to concede, we certainly can't pull off a trick out of nothing."

What Xiaoyu said was precisely what I was thinking. Financial backing is the most fundamental hard strength of a shop. If you don't bring something to the table, how can you expect everyone to put in a joint effort?

"Brother Yang, what do you think about this issue?"

Neither did I pay attention to Yang Xiaoyu's question nor did I have clear answers yet. At this moment, two solutions crossed my mind. First, continue borrowing money or taking out a loan, staking everything on this single gamble. However, the risk of doing so was simply too great. I was not Zhao Kewen; I could not bring myself to risk my entire net worth. The scariest thing when away from home is owing people things—once you start, there is no end. The second method was to stage a "Stratagem of the Empty City"—not for the customers, but put on for the other shops to see. Even if the inside was hollow, as long as we faked it with a gorgeous exterior, and as long as the other shops agreed to join and we could hold out until Christmas day, once the funds began to flow, everything could be done seamlessly... which was what Yang Xiaoyu called "pulling off something from nothing."

I shook my head hard, subsequently feeling that such an idea was terrifying, practically ruthless in its pursuit of development. Such an approach even violated my own conscience.

I sighed. One step at a time for now. Preparations for the event had to start today, and as for shop alliances, I would only know the result by asking in person.

"Xiaoyu," a somewhat familiar voice, though I had forgotten where I had heard it, suddenly rang out in the shop. I jerked my head up and met the eyes of the voice's owner.

"Bai... Bai what's-his-name?" Seeing the literary-looking young man before me, I couldn't recall his name for a moment. "Give me 'The Taste of Love', double the price for you to make it yourself."

"Bai Sheng." Bai Sheng also saw me, waving and gesturing for me to come over and sit down. "I remember you're the boss of this shop, Xiaoyu's older brother."

I sat across from him, nodded, and asked, "Are you still pursuing my sister, kid?"

To be honest, Bai Sheng possessed a particularly gentle temperament, looking scholarly, refined, and quite handsome—the kind of level where single girls walking down the street would cast sidelong glances of secret admiration.

"What kind of talk is that? Xiaoyu and I are a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven. I'm not here to pursue her; I'm just here to take her back." Bai Sheng pushed his glasses up as he spoke, wearing a narcissistic expression.

"I won't say much else, but I give you full marks for that act." I was utterly speechless at the persona he was portraying. Yang Xiaoyu, to put it mildly, had the looks and an A-grade figure. I really didn't know where he got the confidence to utter such wild words. Yet, his tone of voice was quite similar to mine back when I was in school.

"Here you go, your 'Taste of Love'." A petite and pretty female waitress placed the cold drink on the table, then flashed a sweet smile and turned away.

Seeing this waitress's attitude, I couldn't help but nod. Indeed, it had an essential difference from the others hired previously; whether in movement or expression, she was casual and unpretentious, showing she genuinely treated the customers with care.

Bai Sheng eagerly pulled the cold drink over, inserted the straw, took a fierce gulp, and then turned flushed and red-faced. Putting down the straw, he said loudly, "Xiaoyu, this is definitely not made by you. I said I'd pay double just for you to make it yourself."

Hearing Bai Sheng say this, Yang Xiaoyu could finally no longer hold back. She walked over from the counter, slammed her hand heavily onto the table in front of us, leaned forward slightly, stared at Bai Sheng, and said, "Take back your damn money. This cup is on me. Leave immediately and take care of yourself." After saying that, Yang Xiaoyu turned around gracefully and left, leaving a dumbfounded Bai Sheng staring blankly at the spot where she had just been standing.

"My man, I'm not just saying this, are you out of your mind?" I truly admired this eccentric man. From which planet did this comic relief immigrate? He didn't even understand this basic human courtesy. Did he pop out of a split gourd?

"How do you mean?" Bai Sheng looked at me with an expression eager for instruction.

"How do I mean, your sister? Does Xiaoyu look like someone who only cares about money?" Seeing Bai Sheng's sudden realization, I instantly went speechless. This was the typical mindset of a rich kid, belonging precisely to the category Yang Xiaoyu detested the most.

"Alright, I think you should stop chasing my sister. Look at you—no chance. Your accumulated score from the first two impressions has dropped below the baseline." I stood up and walked back to the counter, looking at the unhappy Yang Xiaoyu, and whispered to her, "I ran a brief background check on this guy before; he seems to be a rich, handsome guy, just looks a bit blockheaded."

"Brother Yang, actually this isn't the second time he's come here looking for me. While you were gone those few days, he came almost every day. It's driving me crazy," Yang Xiaoyu whispered into my ear. "If this keeps up, Angel Fish is going to be tortured into Crazy Fish."

Hearing her explanation, I realized there was such a backstory. That Bai Sheng seemed to be using the worn-out tactic of wearing someone down with persistence... but that was way too cliché. If his family had money, couldn't he think of some creative ideas? No wonder he couldn't chase my sister; with his words and actions, even if my sister agreed, I wouldn't.

Just as the two of us finished whispering, the door of the cold drink shop was pushed open once more. Luo Qing walked straight in, wearing a black waist-cinching down jacket, a black leather skirt with leggings, and black high heels on her feet, a head of fiery red long hair still dusted with unmelted snowflakes. A queen-like aura directly swept through my small shop.

Looking up at the expressionless Luo Qing, I could only smile apologetically and wave at her. Yet she sat down by a window as if she hadn't seen me at all, turning her back to Yang Xiaoyu and me.

"Boss Yang, what's the situation here?" Yang Xiaoyu seemed to have thought of something. "Could she be here specifically to beat you up?"

Listening to Yang Xiaoyu's half-joking words, my face also felt somewhat burning. Indeed, whenever Luo Qing and I met in this cold drink shop, nothing good ever happened. Arguments and breakups had all taken place right inside this very shop.

"Brother Yang," Bai Sheng waved at me again from afar.

Helplessly walking over, I heard Bai Sheng whisper, "That woman is gorgeous. You didn't hire her as an actress to hold down the fort, did you?"

I looked at the rambling Bai Sheng and dropped a sentence: "An eccentric is an eccentric. You need watering, classmate." Then I walked away.

Not knowing what game Luo Qing was playing this time, I didn't bother to provoke her either. At that moment, as I leaned against the counter, I suddenly felt my phone vibrate. Pulling it out, I saw a message sent by the female knight herself: "Come over." The message was very simple, containing only two words.

Yet I didn't obey her command to go over. Instead, I tapped my phone a few times and sent back: "I just came back to work on my first day. Be good, don't make trouble."