Chapter 286 - 197: Beyond Envy

Chapter 286: Chapter 197: Beyond Envy

"Oh, and President Jin, I have a suggestion for you. Shanyun Auto’s smart systems are frankly terrible. Why not partner with the Junxing Intelligent Research and Development Center?"

Jin Wuxian was instantly on guard. "What’s your connection to the Junxing Intelligent Research and Development Center?" he asked.

Lin Ya interjected from the side, "He’s with the Doctor Feng Robot Technology Group. The Junxing Intelligent Research and Development Center is a joint venture between the Doctor Feng Robot Technology Group and Junxiao Group!"

"Holy shit, Chen Xiao. So you really are in league with Junxing Auto."

Chen Xiao said calmly, "Don’t get worked up. Just consider my proposal. It’s all upside for you, with no downside!"

Jin Wuxian said scornfully, "You provide the soul, and we provide the body? And you call that ’all upside’?"

Chen Xiao retorted, "You’re being shortsighted. You can develop it in-house, you say? With what? How much money can you really raise if you go begging for investors now? You need to face reality!"

"And the reality is, you’re out of money. When you’re out of money, you have to know what to give up!"

Jin Wuxian’s face paled, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Chen Xiao knew Jin Wuxian couldn’t make the final call, but his influence over Jin Fu was certainly not to be underestimated. After all, that was his father, and he was the one set to inherit the family business.

"Think it over. We can talk about it privately when you have time."

Taking Bai Lu with him, Chen Xiao left the Shanyun Auto flagship store, leaving behind a disconsolate Jin Wuxian.

He realized he’d gained nothing from the visit; all he’d reaped was anxiety.

And Chen Xiao was the one peddling it.

After seeing Bai Lu off, Chen Xiao recalled her mischievous parting question—when was he going to take her for that essential oil massage? He felt a certain stirring within him.

He called Zhao Xiangjun to ask where she was.

Zhao Xiangjun was at Junxiao Square, where "Sa Mo" and "Ledi" were holding their grand openings this weekend.

The former was Sa Mo’s second directly-operated store in Hanjiang, while the latter was the Yino Group’s first store in the Hanjiang Region—and its first franchise, at that.

Last week, Sa Mo’s first store had its grand opening at Ganglong International. The sales reports were phenomenal: 1.2 million on the first day, 950,000 on the second, and 850,000 on the third, for a three-day total of 3 million!

This performance shattered the opening three-day sales record for any store in Yino Company, causing a massive sensation throughout the entire Yino Group.

Zhang Shijie had employees in every region across the country share the news, and for a while, messages of congratulations flooded in from all corners.

Over the past few days in Jiangzhou, Liu Haoran had been inundated with proposals from potential partners hoping to collaborate with the Yino Group on new "Sa Mo" directly-operated stores.

Meanwhile, Xia Bin was fielding numerous calls from retailers demanding more new styles and a wider variety of merchandise.

Ganglong International also issued a celebratory announcement. This success laid the groundwork for a comprehensive, nationwide partnership between the Sa Mo brand and Ganglong International. Previously, many of their store managers had been resistant to Sa Mo, only bringing it in because they were forced to by corporate. Now, however, they had fully embraced the brand.

As for the "Ledi" brand, the Yinuo Jiangzhou Branch had already begun a complete handover from Four Seasons Clothing.

The stores, staff, and inventory would be fully transferred within a single day. Of course, a great deal of prep work had already been done; the "one day" referred specifically to the physical handover of the stores themselves.

The "Ledi" at Junxiao Square, however, didn’t require such a process, as it was a brand-new store. It was opened by Zhao Xiangjun’s fourth uncle. Zhao Hui had pulled some strings, giving him incredibly low rent, while Liu Haoran had offered the most favorable franchise terms possible.

Zhao Hui felt no guilt about using his position for private benefit. After all, Junxiao Group was wholly owned by Chen Xiao and his own sister, so his attitude was one of brazen confidence.

And when Liu Haoran learned that Fourth Uncle Zhao was President Zhao’s own uncle, he offered the lowest possible wholesale discount, a generous return and exchange allowance, and even had his corporate team provide direct-operation-style management to assist with the store’s daily affairs.

Fourth Uncle Zhao could basically just lie back and count his money.

It was the second day of the grand opening. When Chen Xiao arrived at Junxiao Square, the place was swarming with people, with far more foot traffic than Ganglong International.

However, the spending power here was a bit weaker; the best-selling items were still from mid-to-high-end brands.

Xu Jia was in the break room behind "Ledi," cracking melon seeds and chatting with Zhao Xiangjun and their fourth aunt.

Knowing how busy the opening would be, Xu Jia had brought over six employees from the directly-operated stores to help. Otherwise, they really wouldn’t have been able to cope.

Fourth Aunt was so happy she could only grin like a fool.

She had never opened a major brand’s franchise store before and had no idea what it entailed, but setting this one up had been incredibly simple.

First, the franchise fee was waived. The company handled all the renovations according to its standard design and even allowed her to pay for it six months later.

Second, all the merchandise was provided up front, and she was given three months before she had to settle the payment.

Her rent at Junxiao Square was just one month’s deposit and one month’s rent up front, which wasn’t much money at all. That, she could afford.

In other words, she had only needed to put up about 100,000 yuan to get the store open.

She sighed with emotion. "If I’d known opening a brand-name store was this profitable for such a small investment, why did I even bother with that little neighborhood shop? I should’ve done this years ago!"

This made Xu Jia giggle. "Fourth Aunt, do you think just anyone can open a store like this? It’s only because it’s you! Nobody else has that kind of clout!"

Fourth Aunt stared blankly for a second before turning to Zhao Xiangjun. "What nonsense is this child, Jiajia, talking about?"

Xu Jia and Zhao Xiangjun were as close as sisters, and she visited Xiangjun’s house so often that the whole family knew her.

Fourth Aunt genuinely had no idea. If an ordinary person wanted to open a store here, they wouldn’t have even been able to get the location in the first place, let alone with such favorable rental terms.

Furthermore, the renovation costs would be at least 400,000 yuan, and that’s before the security deposit and merchandise payment to the Yinuo Jiangzhou Branch. Without 1.5 million yuan, it would be impossible to open a store like this.