Super Rich: It all started when I met a young woman in a sleeper car.

Chapter 78 Ripples

The discussion inside the car gradually subsided.

The mountain shadows outside the window completely merged into the twilight, leaving only a blurry dark blue. The navigation indicated that we were still twenty minutes away from our booked guesthouse in the ancient town.

Chen Xun gripped the steering wheel and glanced at the rearview mirror.

Lin Xinyue leaned against the car window, gazing outside, seemingly lost in thought. Li Qian sat upright, also looking out the window, but her gaze was unfocused.

Yang Xiaotao, in the passenger seat, yawned and rubbed her eyes: "Big brother, how much longer? My butt is getting numb."

"Almost there," Chen Xun said, his mind flashing back to the scenes from their climb up the mountain—Yang Xiaotao leaning on him, panting; Li Qian grabbing his arm when she slipped; Lin Xinyue's profile as she looked away.

He cleared his throat.

"Well, since we're in the ancient town and have nothing to do tonight anyway," Chen Xun said, his voice particularly clear in the quiet car. "How about we take a night tour? I heard the night view of the ancient town is quite nice, and we're already here."

"Great! Great!" Yang Xiaotao immediately perked up, all sleepiness gone. "I've saved so many spots for photos in ancient towns on Xiaohongshu! The lanterns will be lit up at night, perfect for taking pictures!"

Chen Xun looked at the two people behind him in the rearview mirror.

Lin Xinyue turned her head, glanced at him, and didn't say anything.

Li Qian gave a soft "hmm".

"Then it's settled," Chen Xun said.

Twenty minutes later, the car drove into the ancient town's parking lot.

The guesthouse was converted from an old house, with a wooden structure and several potted plants in the courtyard. The owner was a middle-aged woman who was very welcoming and showed them the rooms—this time Chen Xun had a single standard room again, while the three women stayed in the family suite next door.

After putting their luggage away and tidying up briefly, the four of them went out.

It was completely dark.

The cobblestone streets of the ancient town were bathed in a warm, yellowish glow from the lanterns lining both sides, creating a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere. The streets were narrow, lined with various small shops selling embroidery, wood carvings, and pickles. Most of them were still open at this hour, but there weren't many customers.

Yang Xiaotao was excited as soon as she came out, taking pictures here and there with her phone, her yellow hair bouncing under the lantern light.

"Look at this lantern, brother! Doesn't it look like one from a Miyazaki Hayao animation?"

"Sister Xinyue, Sister Qian, come quick! This wall has such a great feel to it!"

She hopped forward and quickly left the three of them a short distance behind.

Lin Xinyue and Li Qian walked behind.

Lin Xinyue walked slowly, her red hair was tied up, her face was expressionless, and her eyes swept over the shops on the roadside, but it seemed that she was not really looking at anything.

Li Qian walked beside her, her steps steady, her purple hair flowing down her back. Occasionally, she would look up at the lanterns hanging under the eaves, or gaze at the dark river in the distance.

Chen Xun walked in the middle and looked back.

The two girls walked side by side, with about half a person's distance between them, and neither of them spoke.

The atmosphere was a bit quiet.

He slowed his pace and waited for them to catch up.

Reaching a stone arch bridge, Yang Xiaotao had already run to the top of the bridge and was clinging to the railing, shouting down into the dark river below: "Hey—is anyone there—?"

The echo reverberated through the quiet night.

Lin Xinyue and Li Qian stopped at the foot of the bridge.

Li Qian looked up at the lights on the other side of the bridge. There were several two-story wooden buildings on the opposite bank, with warm light shining from their windows, and she could vaguely see figures moving inside.

She stared at it for a long time.

Lin Xinyue didn't look across the river. She turned around and looked at an embroidery shop on this side of the bridge that was still open. Several exquisite embroideries hung in the window, gleaming delicately under the lights.

She watched in silence.

Chen Xun walked over to them.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, his voice lowered.

Li Qian looked away and shook her head: "It's nothing, just looking at the night view."

Lin Xinyue didn't turn around or say anything.

"Over there," Li Qian suddenly pointed to a wooden building on the opposite bank of the river, "it looks like a teahouse. Want to go sit down for a bit? We're tired from walking."

Chen Xun looked at Lin Xinyue.

Lin Xinyue finally turned around, her face still expressionless: "Okay."

"Xiao Tao!" Chen Xun called out towards the bridge, "Come down, let's go have some tea!"

"Here you are!"

The four of them crossed the bridge and entered the teahouse.

There were seven or eight square tables on the first floor, all made of old wood and very clean. At this time, there was only one table with customers, a few old men playing chess in the corner.

The proprietress came up to them and led them upstairs to the second floor.

The second floor was even better; the windows facing the river were open, offering a view of the dark water below and the scattered lantern lights on the opposite bank. A cool breeze blew in through the windows, carrying the dampness of the river.

The four people sat down around a square table.

I ordered a pot of ordinary green tea, plus four plates of snacks such as melon seeds and peanuts.

The tea was served quickly, steaming hot.

Yang Xiaotao cracked sunflower seeds and started chattering again about how beautiful the photos she had just taken were, and how she had to post them on her WeChat Moments, making sure to include a nine-grid layout.

Chen Xun took a sip of tea, found it too hot, and put it down.

"Speaking of WeChat Moments," he continued, "our 'themed experience zone' will also rely on WeChat Moments and Xiaohongshu to drive traffic once it's up and running. Xiaotao, you're good at this, so you should think more about how to get customers to take photos and share them."

"Absolutely!" Yang Xiaotao exclaimed enthusiastically. "The key is to design a visually appealing photo spot! The lighting, props, and backdrop all need to be carefully arranged. I think we could create a 'Nostalgic School Desk Photo Area,' with old-fashioned pencil boxes and tin frogs on the desks, and some youthful quotes written on the blackboard—it would be a huge hit!"

Lin Xinyue picked up her teacup and blew on it to cool it down: "I can make up the props shopping list tonight. We'll have to find desks at the secondhand market, and the blackboard too. The budget has to be strictly controlled."

Li Qian held her teacup, not drinking, her eyes fixed on the reflection in the river outside the window: "Just taking photos isn't enough. We need to make customers feel involved. For example, after taking a photo, they can get a free 'nostalgic postcard,' or they can leave sticky notes on the message wall. Increasing interaction is the key to increasing repeat purchases."

"Great!" Yang Xiaotao clapped her hands. "Leave the postcard design to me! I know how to use Photoshop!"

Chen Xun nodded: "Okay, let's divide the tasks when we get back. Xin Yue will be in charge of budgeting and purchasing, Xiao Tao will be in charge of design and promotion, and Li Qian will be in charge of the interactive process. I'll coordinate everything."

The discussion immediately became lively.

The three girls chatted amongst themselves, discussing what style of desk to buy, what words to write on the blackboard, what designs to print on the postcards, and where to put the message wall...

Chen Xun listened, occasionally interjecting to give directions.

The water in the teapot was refilled once.

Yang Xiaotao got thirsty while talking, gulped down a large cup of tea, and then stood up: "I'm going to the restroom, you guys continue."

She ran downstairs with a clattering sound.

There were three people left at the table.

The conversation abruptly ended.

The only sounds were the faint clatter of chess pieces being placed downstairs and the gentle rustling of the wind outside the window.

Lin Xinyue lowered her head and ran her fingertips along the rim of the teacup.

After a few seconds, she looked up at Chen Xun.

The sound was very soft, but it was clearly audible in the quiet teahouse.

"In your heart," she asked, "you've already decided to prioritize the experience zone, right? Has the plan to renovate the entire store been shelved?"

Chen Xun looked at her.

Lin Xinyue's eyes shone brightly in the dim light, showing little emotion as she calmly looked at him.

"It's not about shelving it," Chen Xun said. "It's about taking it step by step. The experience zone has low costs, quick results, and can rapidly validate market response. If the data is good, we'll have the confidence to discuss a complete store renovation with Zhou Wenbin, or even better cooperation terms. If the data is average, the losses will be smaller, and adjustments will be more flexible."

He paused, then added, "You can't go all in on a business; you have to leave yourself some room to maneuver."

Lin Xinyue didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Li Qian picked up her teacup and took a sip.

She didn't look at Chen Xun or Lin Xinyue; her eyes remained fixed on the view outside the window. But the corner of her mouth seemed to twitch very slightly, as if she understood something.

Footsteps came from the stairs.

Yang Xiaotao returned, her cheeks still damp with water droplets, it seemed she had washed her face.

"Where were you talking about?" She sat down and grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds.

"We're done talking." Li Qian put down her teacup, her tone calm. "It's about time we headed back; we have to travel tomorrow."

"Oh? So early?" Yang Xiaotao said with a hint of reluctance.

"It's getting late." Chen Xun glanced at his phone; it was almost ten o'clock. "Let's go back and rest."

Check out and go downstairs.

Stepping out of the teahouse, the night breeze was a bit cooler.

The way back was the same as the way we came, a cobblestone path illuminated by lanterns.

But the four of them went to slightly different places.

Yang Xiaotao was still walking in front, but her steps weren't as bouncy anymore, and she would occasionally turn around to urge them to hurry up.

Lin Xinyue and Li Qian walked side by side this time.

They weren't far apart, about the size of a fist.

After walking for a few minutes, Li Qian suddenly spoke, her voice very low, only Lin Xinyue next to her could hear it.

"Regarding the store management structure, the idea of decentralization you mentioned before," she said, "I think it's feasible. If the experience zone is to be accounted for independently, the processes and permissions need to be clearly defined."

Lin Xinyue glanced at her sideways.

"Okay," Lin Xinyue replied, "The purchasing rights, pricing rights, and advertising rights need to be clearly distinguished. Otherwise, things will easily get chaotic. I'll think about it tonight and draft a proposal."

"We also need to set cost control points," Li Qian said, "especially for prop wear and tear and gift distribution."

"right."

The two of them spoke in hushed tones, but at a very fast pace.

They were talking entirely about store management.

Chen Xun walked a little behind them and couldn't hear the specifics of what they were saying, but he could see that they were very close together and would occasionally tilt their heads towards each other.

It's quite different from the silent and distant state they were in when they arrived.

Back at the guesthouse, the lights in the courtyard were still on.

The landlady was already asleep, and the courtyard was quiet.

"Well, goodnight." Yang Xiaotao yawned, waved to Chen Xun, and pushed open the door to the family suite before going inside.

Lin Xinyue stood at the door and glanced at Chen Xun.

"Goodnight," she said.

"Good night," Chen Xun replied.

Li Qian followed behind Lin Xinyue, and before entering the room, she also turned around and glanced at Chen Xun.

He didn't say anything, just glanced at it, and then gently closed the door.

Chen Xun stood in the corridor, listening to the faint sounds of girls talking and moving around inside the door, and stood there for a few seconds.

Then he turned and went into his room.

Once the door is closed, the world becomes completely silent.