My minimum living allowance is credited to my account every day with 1000 million yuan

Mr. Song smiled and said, "Well, I wouldn't say I left Junwu Plaza. I'm grateful to the leaders for their guidance and for recommending me from Junwu Plaza to Junxiao Supermarket as its general manager."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Li became anxious, "Junwu Plaza is such a great project, why were you transferred?"

Unaware of his thoughts, General Manager Song laughed and said, "Better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond. It's almost impossible for me to get promoted to general manager at Junwu Plaza. But I can become general manager at Junxiao Supermarket. This is an opportunity."

"If it were any other supermarket or hypermarket project, I definitely wouldn't go. But this is also a project of Junxiao Group, and after looking at it, I see great potential. By the way, Lao Li, you didn't go to the Junxiao hypermarket today, what a pity! It was packed with people, have you ever seen a hypermarket with a daily turnover of 1500 million? We've simply created a miracle."

"Whoa—", Mr. Li was really startled.

"1500 million a day? That would require so many people. Many supermarkets can't even make 1500 million a month."

General Manager Song reached for a skewer of lamb and invited them to eat as well, replying with a smile, "That's right. You can't simply think of our large shopping mall as a supermarket. We sell the top-quality products in each category, but the prices are not expensive, and our gross profit margin is controlled far below the industry average. Moreover, the shopping environment is no less than that of Junwu Plaza. Just think about the investment that represents."

We did a rough count today, and the average transaction value per customer is more than double that of a typical supermarket. Not only is business booming in our store, but the surrounding street is also thriving. Looking ahead, business may very well rival that of the Junwu Plaza upstairs.

"So good? It's no less nice than the Junwu Plaza upstairs? And he's the general manager." Mr. Li's heart skipped a beat, and he felt that he had made the right choice in visiting his old classmate today.

"Mr. Song, do you have any fruit drinks on display?"

Mr. Song reached for another skewer of lamb. He was exhausted today and starving. Even after several skewers, he couldn't suppress his hunger. "Yes, of course! Business is booming. Oh, our fruit drinks and the ones in Junwu Plaza upstairs are run by the same owner and under the same brand, but our businesses don't interfere with each other. Today, on our opening day, the single store seems to have made over 8 yuan in sales."

Upstairs, under the same owner, Li's father and Li Chuan exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning. They hadn't expected the Han family to quietly open three fruit drink shops. Didn't that mean they earned over 15 million a year? The thought made them even angrier. "You already have three shops, why can't you transfer one to me?"

Thinking of this, Li's father secretly made up his mind: "Hmph, if you are heartless, don't blame me for being unjust."

"Mr. Song, what do you think about opening a shop for your nephew inside?"

Mr. Song paused for a moment while holding the lamb skewers, then smiled and said, "If there's a suitable brand, that's not a bad idea."

Having been in the business world for so long, I'm adept at saying things that are essentially meaningless. This statement allows for both acceptance and rejection: if I don't want to work for you, it's because the brand you chose isn't suitable or doesn't fit our positioning. If I do want to work for you, it's because the brand is just so-so, but I'll help you out for the sake of our relationship.

But Li's father wasn't in this industry, so he didn't understand. Besides, he thought that since Song was the general manager, whether or not to open a store wasn't up to him. Little did he know that the brand placement in the commercial street was handled by the headquarters' leasing center, and the store's general manager was more concerned with the store's operations. Of course, they had some say in leasing, but not the dominant power.

"Come on, Xiao Chuan, toast Uncle Song. From now on, your fruit drink shop will rely on Uncle Song's help. Hurry up and find a brand."

"Hey, Lao Li, you're too kind. But you can't rush this. The venue has just opened, and there won't be any seats available for a while. You'll have to wait until the contract expires and see if there are any seats available."

"Huh? The contract is expiring? That's going to be a long time from now?" Mr. Li was taken aback.

Mr. Song sighed, "That's right. For new venues, the initial contract period is usually two years because they have renovations to do, so the contract period will definitely be longer. If you wanted to open a store, you should have told me two months earlier. At that time, our investment promotion work would have just started, and there would have been opportunities. Such a good project, it's too late if you wait until it opens."

Mr. Li was anxious. "President Song, please think of a solution. You're the general manager, this is a piece of cake for you. Look at your nephew, he's got nothing to do right now, could you lend him a hand?"

General Manager Song shook his head. "What can we do now? Unless one of them closes down and transfers the business to you. Normally, we don't allow subletting or transfers, but if it's Li Chuan running it, I can make an exception. But the problem is, business is so good right now, who would transfer it to you? Take that fruit drink shop you're thinking of, for example. Today, the sales of that single store reached 8 yuan. Do you know what that means? With their gross profit margin, their profit today is estimated to be over 4 yuan. Who would let go of that kind of business?"

Li's father and Li Chuan exchanged a glance. Sure enough, what Han's father said was true. His shops were really profitable, which was why the Li family was determined to acquire them.

"Mr. Song, the fruit drink shop inside—"

"Hey—President Qin, President Qin—," President Song suddenly stood up and called out.

Mr. Li's words were interrupted. Following Mr. Song's gaze, he saw a middle-aged man wearing the same work clothes as Mr. Song, who looked even more imposing than Mr. Song, walking towards them. Mr. Li guessed that the man was also there for dinner.

General Manager Song stood up to greet them, and said to Mr. Li, "We've run into a leader from headquarters. Ask the boss to bring an extra set of cups and chopsticks."

Mr. Li was overjoyed. General Manager Song was already a general manager; this head of headquarters was even more powerful, with even greater authority. Perhaps an opportunity was about to arise. He quickly told Li Chuan to go find the boss. He himself stood up, waiting to greet General Manager Qin.

Mr. Qin was busy until very late, and had almost finished his dinner, so he came out of the hotel to get something to eat. During this trip to Tianning, Mr. Song had been accompanying him the most, especially in the days leading up to the opening, when the two were together almost every day. So, he didn't stand on ceremony and came along with Mr. Song.

"Boss, this is my old classmate, Lao Li—" "Lao Li, this is our headquarters leader, General Manager Qin."

"Hello, Mr. Qin, hello, Mr. Qin—" Mr. Li shook Mr. Qin's hands with both of his, his body trembling with excitement. This was the first time in his life that he had drunk with someone of this caliber, so he was inevitably a little nervous.

"Don't be so polite, Mr. Li. Lao Song and I are colleagues, and you are his old classmate. Let's not stand on ceremony."

Li's father was surprised by Mr. Qin's approachable manner, thinking that this would make things much easier. He brought out the menu and asked Mr. Qin to add a few more dishes. In the sweltering summer heat, it was perfect to enjoy some skewers and beer outside, something Mr. Qin seemed to do often.

"When I was the national vice president of Tianfa Supermarket, I often went down to open stores and had barbecue and beer with my colleagues. When we got excited, everyone would put their feet on the table and toast together."

President Song laughed. Mr. Li, recalling the scene, thought, "Was he drunk? He was clearly drunk; who puts their feet on the table for no reason?" However, he could tell that President Qin was trying to express his generous personality and his ability to get along well with his subordinates.

Mr. Li quickly offered a few words of flattery, while President Song chuckled and said, "It's quite a coincidence, actually, both of my leaders, who have been the two people who have helped me the most, share the same surname, Qin."

President Qin smiled, knowing that he must be one of the people he was talking about. The other one? Then President Song said, "The other one is the former general manager of Junwu Plaza, who has now been promoted to regional general manager of Junxiao Commercial Management Ningxi Region."

"Oh, that's a powerful local lord, wielding great authority," President Qin said, seemingly jokingly.

President Song laughed and said, "Indeed, the regional manager of Junxiao Commercial Management has a lot of power and manages projects with annual sales of hundreds of billions. This is much more powerful than the previous regional manager of Wansheng Group."

Li's father exchanged another glance with Li Chuan. Their old classmate's connections were practically untouchable in Tianning. His old classmate's resources were their own resources—a hundred times better than the Han family's! If they were doing worse than the Han family, they might as well just kill themselves.

"Mr. Li, what industry are you in?" After all, Mr. Li was the one who was treating, so Mr. Qin naturally couldn't ignore him.

Mr. Li was just wondering how to bring up his own business when President Qin's words gave him the perfect opportunity. "I'm thinking of starting a fruit drink business. I was wondering if President Qin or President Song could offer some support?"

"Fruit drinks—?" Mr. Qin's eyes were a little strange, then he smiled and said, "Mr. Li has a good eye. This business is indeed suitable for our customers or projects like Junwu Plaza."

Mr. Li seized the opportunity, saying, "Yes, yes. I hope the two bosses can give us a chance."

President Qin clinked glasses with President Song and the others. "However, business is so good right now, whether it's Junwu Plaza or Junxiao Supermarket, there are basically no shop closures. If there's an opportunity in the future, we'll look into some privately owned businesses that might be struggling due to cash flow problems. As for companies operating these businesses, they won't leave unless we make proactive adjustments. Looking across the country, almost all brands now consider Junxiao Group's commercial properties their most important partner, without exception."

Although he wasn't actually working at Junxiao Commercial Management, he was still a member of the business world and was somewhat aware of its power and influence. Even though Junxiao Supermarket was just starting out, all its partner merchants still considered it a top-tier (T0) partner, their most valued strategic collaborator. And indeed, their gamble paid off; on the first day of Junxiao Supermarket's opening, all the companies' sales far exceeded expectations.

Individual business owners have a chance? Mr. Li was even more delighted. "Mr. Qin is right. Could some of the individual businesses in the market be moved out in advance?"

"Now?" President Qin frowned. "It's just opened, how could there be any opportunities? We have several other projects in Ningxi later, you can see if there are any suitable brands we can connect with then. But there's no chance for fruit drinks at Junxiao Supermarket, we already have established partner companies."

Upon hearing Mr. Qin's words, Mr. Li was shocked. If even the fruit drinks were out of the question, what was the point of him trying? "Mr. Qin, are all your fruit drinks produced by the same company?"

This part was also unknown to General Manager Song, who then turned to look at General Manager Qin. Although the leaders at headquarters weren't directly in charge of investment promotion, they certainly had some understanding of the situation.

After accepting a skewer of grilled pork belly from General Manager Song, General Manager Qin said calmly, "All the projects at Junxiao Supermarket are for two fruit drink companies, but they were all done by Dongjian Trading in Jiangzhou."

Dongjian Trading? Mr. Li wasn't in the industry and had never heard of the company. But he knew that the fruit drinks at Junxiao Supermarket weren't made by Dongjian Trading.

He asked, "Was this store also operated by Dongjian Trading?"

A strange look flashed across President Qin's eyes. "This store is special; it's the only one that isn't directly operated by Dongjian Trading Company."

Mr. Li, looking as if he had just expected it, filled his glass and raised it to toast President Qin. Just as President Qin brought the glass to his lips, Mr. Li said, "Since this restaurant is privately owned, I would appreciate it if you two leaders could find a way to give me a table."

Pfft—, President Qin spat it out, luckily he turned his head in time, otherwise he would have sprayed the face of Li's father on the other side.

Looking utterly shocked, he said, "Mr. Li, how could you even think of that? I advise you to abandon this unrealistic idea."

Mr. Li assumed that since the project had just opened and the shops were newly renovated, and business was good, the merchants wouldn't give up on their own. He smiled mysteriously and said, "President Qin, President Song, I know this isn't easy. But we have two leaders here to help us think of a solution. I would be very grateful."

Mr. Song thought so too, and upon hearing this, he clinked glasses with Mr. Li's father. "Old classmate, you're really exaggerating. It's just opened, and no one would leave no matter who you try to persuade. Besides, I already have two fruit drink shops downstairs, and according to the company's plan, it's impossible to open a third one."

Mr. Li smiled mysteriously, “There’s no need to open a third store. Aren’t these two stores run by the same business? Put pressure on him and make him vacate, at least one of them.”

*Pfft—* President Qin had just taken a sip of water when he spat it out again.

He stared at Li's father in shock. Did this idiot even know what he was talking about? President Qin thought he should stay away from this guy, lest he get caught up in the mess.

Standing up, he said, "Old Song, Mr. Li, I've had a long day and I'm a bit tired. I'll go back to the hotel to rest. Mr. Li, let me remind you, I'm not in charge of business development, but I do know a bit about some inside information. Think about it, companies like ours almost always require partners to be corporations, rarely individuals. All the other Junxiao hypermarkets partner with that well-connected Dongjian Trading, but this store is run by an individual. Do I even need to explain the implications? How could you possibly consider a store like this?"
Okay, I'm going back to rest. You guys continue drinking. It's good to want to do things, but think things through before you act.

After President Qin left, President Song clinked glasses with Mr. Li's father. "President Qin is right, Mr. Li. It's not that I don't want to help you. The business development is coordinated by headquarters; I don't get involved much. Besides, asking me to get rid of existing merchants is strictly prohibited within our Junxiao Group." (End of Chapter)