Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!-Chapter 100 - 89: The Aroma of Tea

Chapter 100: Chapter 89: The Aroma of Tea

“I’ll only keep this shop open for at most half a year,” Cheng Zhu told everyone.

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This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

At the moment, at a milk tea shop outside the school, Cheng Zhu was sitting with Shen Minglang and others.

This cousin and Jiang Wanzhou had clamored to come check out the shop Cheng Zhu had rented, saying they wanted to offer him some advice. Tonight, the two of them had driven over together.

Shen Qingning and Lin Lu were also called along, and they met at the milk tea shop at eight o’clock.

As a result, once these two brothers sat down outside the milk tea shop, they didn’t feel like moving at all and had no intention of going to check out the sushi restaurant.

...

“I just glanced at it when I drove by,” Shen Minglang said.

“Add one!” Jiang Wanzhou nodded in agreement.

And then, that was it.

“Wait, wasn’t it you who kept saying ‘Three lousy deputies can match a Zhuge Liang’ on the way here?” Cheng Zhu said, a bit annoyed.

Shen Minglang and Jiang Wanzhou exchanged glances; they had glanced at the sushi place outside but indeed could not come up with any constructive advice.

Familiar with Cheng Zhu, Little President Jiang sipped his milk tea and said, “Well, even if we gave some suggestions, would you listen?”

“Heh, you know me, of course I wouldn’t,” Cheng Zhu responded bluntly.

Shen Qingning and Lin Lu were sipping their lightly sweetened milk tea on the side, listening to their bickering.

When Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Minglang inquired about his future plans for the shop, Cheng Zhu didn’t hide anything from his friends and directly said he planned to keep the shop open for just a few months.

“What? Why?” Lin Lu asked, puzzled.

“No reason, because this kind of shop is destined to make a quick buck,” Cheng Zhu replied.

“But you had me sign a lease agreement for a year,” Shen Qingning looked at him, equally perplexed.

Since you hadn’t planned on keeping the shop running indefinitely, we could have signed a monthly rental agreement. Why pay a year’s rent all at once?

Cheng Zhu grinned and said, “It’s simple, when I don’t want to continue, what if someone wants to take over?”

“Damn, you sneaky bastard!” Shen Minglang couldn’t help but laugh and curse a bit.

He knew there were some business owners who played these kinds of tricks.

Some shops are destined to be popular only briefly.

But some investors are deceived by this superficial burst of success.

Whether it’s diluting their shares or selling the shop outright, there might really be someone willing to take over, maybe even people lining up to do so.

The resale price often ends up being higher than the initial investment!

It’s a pretty normal business phenomenon, not even necessarily a shady practice—it’s really just one person’s willingness to play against another’s.

The typical “buy high, sell low” strategy isn’t so different.

None of the people present had expected Cheng Zhu to have approached it this way from the start!

However, the prerequisite for such a maneuver is that the shop must be extremely popular for a few months.

In this regard, they all weren’t very optimistic.

Shen Qingning and Lin Lu knew about a small arcade that had closed outside the school.

Shen Minglang understood that making money from young people could sound easy but was actually very difficult.

Jiang Wanzhou was even more knowledgeable—his family had once invested in a large arcade.

Even a complete, diverse arcade like that is challenging to keep going, let alone a shop with just claw machines. It really didn’t seem promising.

But Cheng Zhu was determined to proceed with his new project starting tomorrow, and it wasn’t the moment for everyone to speak discouragingly.

They all just thought about possibly helping out when the time came.

What they didn’t know was that Cheng Zhu had only shared half of the story; there were still many important reasons he would choose to sell the shop later.

But there was no need to mention those now, as the shop hadn’t even opened yet.

Meanwhile, Xu Shao and Zhang Qiqi left the upscale sushi restaurant at twenty past eight.

Xu Shao had been chatting with the owner for quite a while; Zhang Qiqi had grown impatient early on, but had to keep a smile on her face.

Stepping out of the restaurant, Xu Shao looked back and lamented, “Qiqi, our first time eating out was here.”

“That’s right,” Zhang Qiqi replied perfunctorily, though in her mind she thought, “And then the restaurant will be gone; think about what you feel towards me then.”

In her list, Xu Shao ranked in the top three.

He might talk big and often got sentimental, trying to seem mature, but he really was generous and quick to fall head over heels, always dreaming about a bright future.

The type that was easy to reel in.

Xu Shao felt that the two of them had left many beautiful memories in that sushi restaurant.

To Zhang Qiqi, though, it was just a place to take pictures to show off on social media.

After all, for her university friends around her, posting about a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hang City might not impress them much. But this sushi restaurant outside the school was different; it was known within the school as one of the most expensive spots right at the gate.

Seeing Xu Shao stand there lost in emotion for over a minute, Zhang Qiqi thought, “Such a lot of nonsense from a grown man, all that pretension, really annoying!”

Xu Shao didn’t want their evening to end just yet and suggested, “How about we get a milk tea or a shaved ice? Of course, I mean in the mall.”

“I’d rather head back to the dorm for now, I still have stuff to write tonight,” she told Xu Shao with a smile, “Maybe just get a fruit juice from the store later.”

“Sure,” Xu Shao agreed.

As they approached the fruit juice shop, they could see Cheng Zhu and the others sitting across the street.

Following her gaze, Xu Shao noticed Shen Qingning and Lin Lu’s features, and he felt a deep sense of amazement.

It couldn’t be helped; both girls were naturally more attractive than Zhang Qiqi, and always stuck together, frequently seen out and about. Two such gorgeous girls together provided a visual sensation greater than the sum of its parts.

As mentioned before, both ladies had enrolled when Xu Shao had already graduated, so this was his first time seeing them in person.

Since Lin Lu and Shen Qingning appeared at the milk tea shop, there had been quite a lot of head-turning; the business at the shop even picked up a bit.

Many passersby were curious about the three men at the same table: who were they?

Looking over, the table looked like: goddess, goddess, dressed-up flirt, somewhat effeminate man, and… huh, this guy’s mom is kinda handsome, ha!

People naturally ignored Shen Minglang and Jiang Wanzhou, feeling that these two stood no chance with the goddesses.

Only the guy in the black T-shirt, who was chatting and laughing with them, was the target of envy.

Damn, he really should be dead! It’s the gun ban that saved your life, you know? Otherwise, I’d have dealt with you by now!

“They’re pretty, right?” Zhang Qiqi suddenly said.

“Cough!” Xu Shao quickly averted his gaze, half-heartedly replying, “You’re my ideal type, they’re not my style.”

Honestly, if it had been earlier, seeing Shen Qingning and Lin Lu might really have turned his head.

But how could it be the same now?

Qiqi and I are just one step away!

I’m about to succeed!

At a time like this, to be swayed by external factors—wouldn’t that just be idiotic?

Definitely got to secure the beauty within reach first!

“Let’s buy some milk teas to take back for my roommates; they love milk tea,” Zhang Qiqi added a new rationale, “We’ve been watching them so long, they must have noticed. It’d be awkward not to go over and say hello.”

“Uh, okay,” Xu Shao nodded.

Zhang Qiqi was the first to walk forward, moving so fast that Xu Shao, who hadn’t immediately reacted, fell behind by several steps, widening the distance between them.

“Hello, two juniors, we meet again,” she greeted Shen Qingning and Lin Lu with a beaming smile.

They really weren’t familiar, having only seen each other a few times; they hadn’t even added each other as friends, just acquaintances with whom they’d nod in passing.

But many girls tend to do these superficial courtesies.

After greeting Shen Qingning and Lin Lu, Zhang Qiqi immediately turned to Cheng Zhu, lifting a strand of her hair with a smile, “Cheng Zhu, what a coincidence, meeting again.”

Her eyes stayed on Cheng Zhu, tilting her face about fifteen degrees to the left with a smile that hit the right degree of warmth, giving off a slight sense of closeness.

Back at the sushi restaurant, this guy had seemed quite aloof. Whether he really hadn’t seen her, or pretended not to see her, not bothering to chat with her, wasn’t clear.

But it was certain; after that, some roommates who were with him had greeted her. He had stood outside the sushi shop waiting for his roommates without any intention of coming in to chat.

The guy just stood there, far away, without moving.

Generally speaking, under such circumstances, seeing each other privately like this, now with two other beautiful girls present, most men would try to appear even more indifferent to other women.

Like Xu Shao, who despite being almost smitten by Shen Qingning and Lin Lu, still insisted, “Qiqi, you’re my ideal type.”

It’s called the survival instinct, something men typically learn.

All this was within Zhang Qiqi’s expectations.

Yet she still chose to stand here, showing in front of Lin Lu and Shen Qingning that she was interested in Cheng Zhu.

No, it wasn’t just a show; she truly was interested in Cheng Zhu.

But Cheng Zhu’s performance, contrary to what she had expected, was quite different.

In the sushi restaurant, he had shown indifference, but now, he grinned, his expression warm, and his eyes made direct contact with hers, not moving from her delicate features, seemingly deeply captivated.

Cheng Zhu responded, “Oh hey, Senior Sister Zhang, didn’t expect to see you again so soon!”

Zhang Qiqi looked at him, a thought flashing in her mind: “What is he playing at!”