"Xia Jianguo? Aren’t you already Xue Yang’s lackey? Why are you calling me? I have no time to listen to you brag," Wang Doudou said.

Xia Jianguo desperately tried to explain, "Young Master Doudou, I have always been loyal to Yonghui Supermarket. Originally, when Yonghui Supermarket changed hands, I thought about resigning too. But as you know, I’ve worked at Yonghui Supermarket for decades. It’s not something I can just walk away from. I thought maybe the new owner could really turn it around. I never expected..."

"Never expected what?" Wang Doudou interrupted, his tone laced with impatience.

"I never expected that Xue Yang had no intention of keeping Yonghui Supermarket running. Instead, he’s planning some major renovation," Xia Jianguo said, his voice filled with anxiety.

"What do you mean he has no intention of keeping it running? Hasn’t he been running all those promotions that made Yonghui famous in Yancheng? A lot of other supermarkets are copying him. I even heard that stores in other cities are imitating his methods," Wang Doudou said, confused.

Xia Jianguo sighed heavily. "That’s just it. It should have been a good thing, but he just decided to stop. Out of the blue, he announced a temporary closure for renovation. Young Master Doudou, are you really going to just stand by and watch Yonghui Supermarket be destroyed like this?"

"Shut up! You think I want to? I’m abroad right now and can’t get back," Wang Doudou snapped, the thought irritating him. The old man actually pulled a fast one on him and confiscated his passport. Otherwise, he would have already returned to the country. How could he just stand by and watch Xue Yang ruin Yonghui Supermarket!

Hearing this, Xia Jianguo knew it was hopeless to ask Wang Doudou for help. He remembered how comfortable his life had been when Wang Doudou managed the supermarket. That kid was a naive young fool who believed anything anyone told him. Now with Xue Yang in charge, comfort was out of the question. He didn’t even dare to be a minute late. Sometimes, he worried about being seen if he sat down for an extra couple of minutes. Did he really have to resign? He was unwilling to accept this.

...

The next day, Yonghui Supermarket abruptly announced that it would be closing for a period of renovation. This news quickly sparked intense discussion and unease among the customers.

"Why are they closing all of a sudden? There wasn’t any notice."

"Exactly! Will they even reopen? There’s no definite word."

However, amidst the chattering and anxious customers, someone made a suggestion. "Hey, don’t be so down. I hear Hongsheng Supermarket is also having a sale, and their discounts are just as good as Yonghui’s. Let’s go check it out!"

"Really?" someone in the crowd responded excitedly.

At the mention of even better discounts, the enthusiastic elderly shoppers immediately shifted their focus. Forgetting all about Yonghui Supermarket’s closure, they hurried over to Hongsheng Supermarket, afraid they would miss out if they were a moment too late.

Watching the crowd come and go, Cui Hao said with a touch of grievance, "Godfather, you see? This is reality. The moment a more attractive offer appears elsewhere, our place loses all its appeal and becomes worthless." His tone conveyed a helplessness about the fickle nature of people, as if commenting on their faithlessness.

Xue Yang gently patted his shoulder and said comfortingly, "Water flows downward, and people strive upward. That’s an eternal truth. Have you found the renovation team yet?"

"Ming Yue already had the bidding company send out the request. We’ve recently received several quotations from renovation companies. We should have a final decision in the next couple of days," Cui Hao replied.

Hearing this, Xue Yang was pleasantly surprised by Cui Hao’s competence. "Not bad. You even thought of that."

Cui Hao gave a sheepish smile and scratched his head. "It was all Ming Yue’s idea. I don’t know much about this stuff."

Xue Yang nodded. He had guessed it was Ming Yue’s handiwork. After working at Wang Corporation for so long, she was bound to have some resources and connections. This really did save him a lot of trouble.

"I’ll leave this matter entirely in your hands," he said.

Hearing this, Cui Hao couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Godfather, aren’t you coming to the bidding meeting?" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Xue Yang shook his head gently. "No, I’m not going. I’ve been busy for the last few days, and it’s time to get back to class. I don’t want to fail my finals."

Cui Hao smacked his forehead. "Crap! Finals are almost here! How could I forget something so important? Godfather, if you’re going back to class, what about me?"

Without turning back, Xue Yang replied casually, "I’ll sign you in."

"This isn’t about signing in!" Cui Hao said anxiously, following after him. "It’s about me failing!"

However, Xue Yang’s figure was already receding into the distance, disappearing from Cui Hao’s view.

Cui Hao rushed back to the office and found Ming Yue. "Ming Yue," he said urgently, "can you handle the bidding on your own?"

Ming Yue looked up at him, a little confused. "What’s wrong? Why the rush?"

Cui Hao took a deep breath. "I just realized finals are coming up. I have to get back to class, or I’ll be in big trouble if I fail."

Ming Yue smiled faintly, as if remembering something. "I almost forgot. You and Xue Yang are both just sophomores."

"You’re just realizing this now?" Cui Hao asked, deadpan.

Ming Yue blinked, then grinned mischievously. "Go on, get back to class. I can handle something as simple as the bidding."

The next day, Xue Yang saw Cui Hao in the classroom, right on time. He wasn’t surprised to see him, as he knew Ming Yue was capable enough to handle everything.

The other students, however, were quite curious about the sudden appearance of Xue Yang and Cui Hao. During their absence, many students had bought discounted items from Xue Yang’s Entrepreneurship Center 303 and couldn’t stop praising the deals. Some had also visited Yonghui Supermarket and learned that it also belonged to Xue Yang. Their admiration for his business acumen grew even deeper.

They were all still studying hard for their futures, while someone like him had already paved his entire path. Was this the gap between people? Sigh... In this lifetime, they’d never be able to catch up to Xue Yang, no matter how hard they tried.

Cai Keke was one of these witnesses. By helping Xue Yang with his livestreams, she had unexpectedly gained a significant number of fans. Her Weibo account became quite lively, bringing her considerable benefits. Through this process, her understanding of Xue Yang’s talent and wisdom deepened, and she couldn’t help but feel a deep respect for him.

At the same time, she understood that a relationship between them was impossible. The gap between them was simply too wide. And then there was his girlfriend...

Cen Xue noticed Cai Keke’s expression but said nothing more.

Some people are just not meant to be. No matter how hard you try, it’s useless. Thinking about it too much only brings unnecessary sorrow.