Chapter 47: The New Boss Takes Action

"That bad?"

Jason frowned, looking slightly puzzled.

"That shouldn’t be the case. This location is excellent. There are several large malls nearby, and the area has a high flow of customers. Normally, a shop here should be making at least $30,000 to $50,000 in net profit every month!"

He paused before asking, "Have you considered why the sales are so poor? Is it the quality of the milk tea, or is there a problem with the service?"

Emily bit her lip, hesitating.

"Well... I’ve analyzed it carefully. I just don’t know whether my conclusions are correct."

Emily had graduated from a prestigious university and had once been a senior executive at a large company before getting married.

After marriage, however, she devoted herself entirely to raising her daughter and taking care of her family. Over the years, her professional skills had gradually become rusty.

Then her husband cheated on her, and she decisively divorced him.

At first, she thought her previous qualifications and work experience would be enough to help her find another good job.

Unfortunately, reality proved otherwise.

Many companies rejected her the moment they learned that she had spent several years as a housewife and was raising a young daughter. Some interviewers didn’t even bother listening to her qualifications before turning her away.

Because of this, although Emily had many ideas about improving the shop’s operations, she rarely dared to voice them.

If her suggestions worked, the previous owner might praise her, but there was no guarantee her salary would increase.

If they failed, however, she could easily be blamed and fired.

She couldn’t afford to lose this job.

Her young daughter was still at home, depending on her.

Seeing her nervous expression, Jason smiled reassuringly.

"It’s fine. The fact that you’ve thought carefully about the shop’s problems and formed your own analysis already puts you ahead of most people."

"Whether you’re right or wrong doesn’t matter. Just tell me what you think, and we can analyze it together."

Emily looked at him gratefully.

"Yes, Boss. Thank you."

She took a breath before continuing.

"I think there are several reasons. For example, most milk tea shops are selling very similar products now. Everyone is copying the popular traditional milk tea style, and the taste may not suit customers here."

"But there’s another very important reason..."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Unfair competition from the shop next door."

"Oh?"

Jason turned his head toward the Big Pinwheel Tea Shop next door.

Through the window, he spotted a middle-aged woman working behind the counter.

She had narrow, slanted eyes, prominent cheekbones, and a sharp, angular face that gave her an unfriendly appearance.

Jason’s eyes narrowed.

Isn’t that Olivia’s mother?

A cold smile appeared in his heart.

In his previous life, he had learned quite a bit about Olivia’s family.

Her father, David, was an unemployed loafer who spent most of his time drinking and gambling, turning the family’s home into a complete mess.

Her mother, Linda, ran this tea shop. Almost all of the family’s income came from it, and the profits were used to support their household expenses.

Her older brother, Michael, was a local gang leader who had around ten men under him. He was eventually arrested during a citywide crackdown.

Her younger brother, Ryan, had graduated from a vocational school and worked in a factory. Later, he got a so-called "spiritual sister" pregnant, causing a huge scandal.

What a small world.

Jason sneered inwardly.

He had already decided that Olivia’s entire family would pay for what they had done.

He wasn’t going to change his mind.

And now that her mother’s tea shop was right next door, he could start there.

As for Michael’s beautiful wife, Jessica, who happened to be his personal trainer, he could deal with that situation separately.

Two fronts at once.

Just then, the system’s familiar mechanical voice sounded inside Jason’s mind.

"Ding!"

"A man’s career is the foundation of his position in this competitive society."

"The mother of your enemy has become an obstacle to your business through unfair competition. She must be dealt with."

"Mission Content: Use any reasonable means to make Linda’s tea shop go out of business."

"Mission Reward: Five shops in the University District. Estimated Value: Grade B."

Jason’s eyes lit up.

Five shops!

That was an extremely generous reward.

Now he had even more reason to shut down Linda’s business.

With five additional shops in the University District, his tea business could begin expanding throughout the entire area.

He had already set himself a small goal.

First, he would expand his Frost & Honey Tea brand throughout the city and establish it as his business base.

Then, he would introduce a franchise system and eventually expand nationwide.

Thinking about this, Jason already had a rough plan.

He turned toward Emily.

"Tell me. How exactly are they competing unfairly?"

Emily took a deep breath, her expression becoming angry.

"Boss, it’s like this. When our shop first opened, business was actually very good. But it didn’t last long."

"The owner next door, Linda, pours dirty water from her back kitchen directly in front of our entrance every night. The smell is terrible, and customers often complain."

"We’ve spoken to her several times, but she’s extremely aggressive. There’s nothing we can do about it, so every morning we have to arrive an hour early just to clean everything up."

Emily clenched her fists.

"And that’s not even the worst part."

"She also hired a group of young troublemakers. Every now and then, they come to our entrance and deliberately intimidate customers, causing people to avoid our shop."

"One of our male employees couldn’t take it anymore and confronted them. They surrounded him and beat him badly. He ended up in the hospital."

"And calling the police hasn’t helped much either. At most, those people are detained for a few days. Once they’re released, they come back and cause even more trouble."

Jason listened quietly.

A cold smile gradually appeared on his face.

She really was Olivia’s mother.

The entire family was rotten to the core.

"That is indeed quite malicious," Jason said calmly. "But you don’t need to worry anymore. I~"

Before he could finish, Emily’s face suddenly turned pale.

She pointed toward the entrance with a trembling finger.

"It... it’s them!"

"They must have heard that you bought the shop. They’re here to cause trouble and intimidate you!"

"Boss, please leave quickly! I’ll try to hold them off!"

She was terrified that Jason would get injured.

If something happened to him, he might abandon the shop.

And if he did, she would lose her job.

That was something she absolutely couldn’t afford.

Jason followed her gaze.

A group of young men were swaggering toward the shop, several of them carrying sticks and bricks.

They looked aggressive and clearly hadn’t come to drink tea.

Jason calmly reached out and gently held Emily’s trembling hand.

"Don’t be afraid."

"I’m here."

Emily felt the warmth of his palm, and her racing heart gradually calmed.

A faint blush spread across her face.

"Mm... You, you should be careful."

"We don’t need to get into a fight with these troublemakers. It wouldn’t be worth getting hurt..."

Normally, one person facing more than ten aggressive men would almost certainly end up in the hospital.

One of her former colleagues had already experienced it firsthand.

Yet, for some reason, whenever Emily looked into Jason’s eyes, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.

It was a feeling she had never experienced before.

Even her ex-husband had never made her feel this safe.

Jason smiled faintly.

"Don’t worry."

"If talking doesn’t work, I also know a little martial arts."