I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 359 Sister Chestnut is Here

Long Ruoli summarized the information she had.

First is Su Sheng.

Long Ruoli has indeed maintained a proactive and close relationship with Su Sheng for a long time.

But that was before I joined the "poor upbringing" program and met Su Cheng.

Long Ruoli knew, of course, that Su Sheng, her adopted son, was not qualified to succeed her.

After getting to know Su Cheng, she no longer needed to deliberately contact Su Sheng.

However, she did not make any intimate gestures towards Su Cheng.

Fawning over the Crown Prince won't do her any good now; on the contrary, she might be purged by President Su ahead of time.

Not just her, but anyone who tries to curry favor with the Crown Prince now will not benefit.

On the surface, she is definitely one of President Su's faction.

All she needed to know was Su Sheng's stance.

Based on her understanding of Su Sheng, she believed that he was unlikely to "rebel," and even the possibility of him wavering was very small.

Of course, nothing is absolute, and unforeseen circumstances may arise.

Long Ruoli likes Su Sheng the most; he has a clear stance and might even be used by her in the future.

Secondly, there's Su Cheng's side.

Long Ruoli believes that Su Cheng and Su Sheng are completely different kinds of people.

Take the case of handling the Ma family's assets as an example.

Su Sheng would never accept any kickbacks; all profits and assets were handed over to the group.

But Su Cheng is different. This kid definitely skimmed some money from it, and he's holding at least several hundred million yuan right now.

Tianyan was unaware of Su Cheng's actions on the island of Macau; she and Bai Zihua had covered it up together.

This includes Ma Shuning, the crackdown on the Ma family, and the subsequent handling of the Ma family's assets.

She won't bring this up in public.

These three events are a series of related events.

If Long Ruoli exposes Su Cheng's embezzlement, then the other two things will also be implicated.

Taking this matter out of context, it's not good for her.

That being said, Su Cheng didn't actually get much money; it was just a trick she and Bai Zihua used to coax the child.

It could be at least several hundred million, or even over a billion.

Any normal person with a bit of ability wouldn't just sit and watch the capital market change; they would definitely enter the market quietly.

Plus.

Su Cheng has already tasted the power.

Brainless people fantasize about making money from the stock market, but a smart person like Su Cheng would never let that money just sit in his secret account.

It's unlikely that Su Cheng will take no further action.

This is something worth noting.

Calculate it this way.

Long Ruoli felt that she was probably the person with the most information about the whole situation recently.

Bai Zihua is probably unaware that Su Sheng has joined the poverty alleviation program, nor is he clear about Su Sheng's current stance.

Even if Bai Zihua understood the situation, it wasn't good news, because Su Sheng was definitely not on his side.

Even President Su was unaware of the Australian island incident.

As for Su Sheng, he was even less aware of what had happened before. It could be said that Su Sheng had the least amount of information besides the Crown Prince. If he had to read the information on his own, it would take him quite a while.

Su Cheng was not within Long Ruoli's calculations; she assumed Su Cheng was a Mongolian who knew nothing.

Long Ruoli felt that she had a significant advantage.

If we consider the overall power of those currently involved on a global scale, she may not have the same level of authority as Bai Zihua or Su Sheng.

However, if the venue were located in Shanghai, it would be a different story.

Shanghai is her maternal home, the place where the Long family has cultivated their roots for many years.

Because she currently has the most information advantage, and she can leverage her home advantage in Shanghai.

"This is getting interesting."

……

……

Go to Shanghai.

Su Cheng sat inside a hot pot restaurant.

He had ordered all the dishes in advance, but the pot had been boiling for more than ten minutes, and Ye Li still hadn't arrived.

Su Cheng had to send a message to Ye Li to urge her: [Sister Chestnut, when are you coming? I've already asked the waiter to add soup twice.]
Ye Li replied instantly: [Don't call, we're almost there]
Su Cheng: [Where are we?]
Ye Li: [I'm in the store, where are you?]
Su Cheng put down her phone and looked around. When she saw Ye Li, she waved to her.

"Sister Chestnut, over here!"

Ye Li quickly spotted Su Cheng in the crowd.

The two sat down.

Ye Li breathed a sigh of relief: "The road was completely jammed."

"This is what the evening rush hour is like in Shanghai."

Su Cheng seemed unchanged, still wearing that familiar coat, her smile as warm as ever.

But she also felt that Su Cheng was somewhat different; her features seemed clearer, and her eyes held a deeper depth.

Ye Li's mood was like a boiling hot pot, filled with an irrepressible joy.

Over the past six months, she had gotten used to facing many things alone, but upon seeing Su Cheng, she suddenly felt a sense of ease that allowed her to let down all her guard.

She could vent to him without any reservations, and laugh freely without worrying that he would think she wasn't gentle enough. Su Cheng understood all her jokes and emotions.

Su Cheng couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

All the troubles and fatigue of the past six months seemed to be blurred and melted away by the rising steam from the hot pot.

Both were filled with the joy and peace of their reunion, enjoying the unspoken understanding between them.

At the same time, they both carefully guarded a hazy feeling that went beyond friendship.

"The clothes I bought for you are in the car. Remember to remind me to get them for you later."

"Waaaaah, after half a year I finally got the clothes that Sister Chestnut bought for me last year."

Ye Li: ???
"What are you doing? You're getting a good deal and then acting all wronged."

"Of course I feel wronged. Sister Chestnut, you have no idea how much I've suffered in Australia."

"What's wrong? Did you suffer?"

"Yes, they suffered a lot."

"Oh, so you even took pictures of me with an AMG, driving a supercar."

"Well... the photo was taken later, and it's someone else's car, not mine. I've already returned it."

"Oh."

Ye Li did not criticize Su Cheng on this topic.

She could connect with Su Cheng on a deeper level and knew that Su Cheng had been wronged, so she didn't make any more outrageous jokes with him.

But she didn't need comforting; their normal chatting, communication, and playful banter was enough.

This is how the two heal each other.

"Why were you suddenly transferred to Shanghai? I saw it posted in your group, YH International Department? And it was upgraded to K11?"

"correct."

"Is it so powerful?"

Su Cheng thought to herself, "Isn't that impressive?"

It was obtained by trading one's body.

"Why don't you transfer Xiao Zhang here too? His family is in Shanghai, isn't he?" "I'd like to, but the company won't allow it."

Su Cheng actually really wanted to transfer Qin Fen to Shanghai: "I'll try to see if I can transfer him in a couple of days. K11 should have that authority, right?"

"Okay, but don't tell him until you're sure you can get it done."

"What's wrong?"

“If he finds out, he won’t be able to concentrate on his work. Haven’t you seen what that kid posts in the group every day?”

Su Cheng burst out laughing: "Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter."

After the four of them separated, Qin Fen was the most active member of their small group chat. He would share videos, forward chat logs, ask for red envelopes, and send mushy messages like "I miss you guys."

"Sister Chestnut, say it again, and I'll record it and send it to our group."

"Get up right there!"

Su Cheng briefly explained some aspects of Yh Consulting.

Yh International Consulting has no branches, only a headquarters in Shanghai, and is another flagship company under the group.

After Su Cheng was transferred to the Shanghai platform, she was likely to be involved in international cases, which were more complex and difficult, but the rewards were also quite considerable.

"This means the group is going to treat you as a key talent to be cultivated. Do a good job."

Su Cheng knew, of course, that he was a key figure being groomed by the group, but calling him a key figure being groomed wasn't quite accurate, because the group's training of him was basically all about putting him through the wringer.

"It's not that important. The coffee shop case was related to people. When I was transferred to Shanghai, the case came with me. I was basically brought in with my own investment."

Su Cheng briefly explained the expansion of Tangli Coffee Shop.

"Wow, this Tang Li is really a good guy." Ye Li praised silently. "Although he's a bit silly, he's done so many business deals with you, and now he's expanding nationwide."

“That’s right, there are plenty of people like that in the world. If we didn’t have them, who would we make money from?” Su Cheng chimed in.

He grinned mischievously at Ye Li: "Hey, Sister Chestnut, why are you cricketing our clients too? This isn't like you at all!"

"Oh, haha, I learned it from you."

"??? Why is everything being pushed onto me?"

Ye Li snorted: "What, did you teach me that?"

Ye Li's entrepreneurial endeavors are progressing smoothly.

She negotiated with hundreds of suppliers and conducted extensive research before finally opening her first store in Shanghai.

Therefore, Ye Li was surprised and delighted when she heard that Su Cheng had also been transferred to Shanghai.

This means that, if she has time in the future, she and Su Cheng can often go out and play together.

When will it open?

"It won't be until next month. The renovation is still ongoing, so we'll take this time to finalize the merchandise area."

"Isn't it easy to handle? This is our specialty."

“That’s not the problem. The problem is that we don’t have enough money in the account. I’m still looking for a bank loan.”

Su Cheng was slightly surprised.

He didn't quite understand.

In principle, Ye Li does not need to take out any more loans, and any further loans Ye Li could take out would require the group's approval.

"There's nothing I can do, I don't have enough money. I didn't agree on the terms with some suppliers, so the amount of money tied up in inventory is much more than I expected."

“I have already discussed it with the group, and they have allowed me to use part of my own shares to raise funds.”

Ye Li received 1500 million yuan in funding from the Progressive Project at that time.

But this is far from enough for a supermarket.

Opening a decent coffee shop in Shanghai costs several million yuan, let alone a large shopping mall.

The biggest cost in this industry comes from land and construction, or long-term leases of large properties.

Large shopping malls typically start at 10,000 square meters, requiring capital of at least hundreds of millions of yuan.

Take Sam for example.

The investment in the Green Island store is approximately 11 billion yuan.

The investment in Wing Chun City is approximately 8 million.

The total investment in Dongguan is approximately 4.86 million yuan.

Sam's Club has one of its largest flagship stores in Shanghai, with a total area of ​​over 5 square meters and a total cost that is more than the combined costs of the other stores mentioned above.

However, Ye Li has a clear understanding of her own position: she will only do what she can afford.

We'll start with a scale of around ten million, and then gradually expand through further financing.

Su Cheng listened to Ye Li describe her shopping mall blueprint.

Established brands and large-scale supermarkets typically have multiple store formats to adapt to different consumption scenarios.

Pang Donglai's large stores and Hema's fresh stores are basically a combination of "restaurant + supermarket", which is a standard supermarket.

Ye Li's positioning can be seen as a smaller version and supplement to the standard store, roughly similar to the positioning of Pang Donglai Xiaopang Store and Hema Mini Store.

It primarily serves suburbs, towns, and large communities.

The location is more down-market, and the rental cost is relatively lower.

Although small, it has all the essential parts. The scale and complexity of the equipment are far lower than those of large stores, and it does not require heavy equipment such as overhead chains.

The number of employees required is greatly reduced, and labor costs are also lower.

This starting strategy is undoubtedly the most suitable for Ye Li.

"Sister Chestnut, why don't you apply for more funding from the group? That way you won't need a loan."

"That won't work. That's all the credit I have. The group won't give me any more."

Su Cheng thought she would give it to him.

Based on the tea, cigarettes, and alcohol that Ye Li gave to the old man during last year's Chinese New Year, Ye Li could easily earn tens of millions more from the Progressive Plan, possibly even nine figures.

But Ye Li was unaware of this.

"Okay, you can start looking for it first. If you have any difficulties, just tell me and I'll help you solve them."

"Oh my, what kind of economic power does our CEO Su wield now?"

"No, not really. I just think K11 should have higher authority. How many financial institutions in the group can't handle this for you? If all else fails, I know a friend in a bank in Australia."

"No need, I've already found a bank, but I'm still filtering which one has the best interest rate and offers." Ye Li pouted at Su Cheng: "Do you think I'm begging you?"

Su Cheng genuinely believed that Ye Li was struggling financially and seeking help from others.

"Oh, do I need to ask someone for help?"

"Indeed, who is our Sister Chestnut?"

"Hehe, it's good that you know."

The hot pot restaurant was bustling with noise.

The red oil at the bottom of the pot was bubbling and churning.

Isolated from all the surrounding noise, the dining table for the two became a peaceful and warm world of its own.

Su Cheng was in charge of the main dishes, and the tripe had to be "lifted up and dipped in seven or eight seconds," meaning she had to time it precisely to lift it out at its crispest and tenderest moment and place it steadily into her bowl.

The shrimp paste needs to be cooked for a while longer after it floats to the surface. Su Cheng will patiently skim off the foam to ensure that she gets the freshest taste.

While Su Cheng was focused on the hot pot, Ye Li would take out the cooked corn and potato slices and let them cool.

When Su Cheng was eating heartily and slightly sweating, she would casually pull out a tissue and hand it to him, and he would always catch it at just the right moment.

Their conversation was fragmented, relaxed, and stress-free.

One second the two were complaining about work, the next they were laughing so hard they were doubled over because Su Cheng mistook fish balls for shrimp paste.

There are no topics that require much effort to maintain between the two. They can say whatever they want, or fall silent at any time, enjoying the simple pleasure of chewing food together.

Sometimes they would look at each other and see their most relaxed and authentic selves reflected in each other's faces, which were somewhat blurred by the steam.

In this state, comfort is no longer an adjective, but a flowing atmosphere.

There's no need to pretend, no need to be polite, no need to worry about saying the wrong thing, and no need to even speak.

A heartfelt exchange is worth more than a thousand words.

(End of this chapter)