We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Zhou Bin didn't go out, nor did he try to avoid the Ye family of three.

He stood in the unfinished shop and made a phone call, leaning against the cement windowsill and holding the phone to his ear.

To put Ye Chen at ease, he planned to have this report discussed in person.

The phone rang three times.

The call connected quickly, and a slightly hoarse middle-aged man's voice came through, with the rustling sound of documents being turned in the background.

"Old Zhou, tell us."

"Mr. Lin, I'm currently in Huaicheng County."

Zhou Bin leaned forward slightly, speaking slowly but clearly.

"There's a new franchisee here. The store is in a great location, right on the prime corner next to the Contemporary Mall."

"Funding is not a problem; the decision can be made on the spot."

Mr. Lin responded with a flat tone.

"That's good. Let's sign the contract quickly. We still need a few big deals to meet the year-end performance review."

"However, this family proposed a very interesting betting condition."

Zhou Bin then changed the subject.

"They promised that in the first three months after opening, the average monthly sales of a single store would rank among the top five of its peers in the province."

"In exchange, they demanded a two-year exclusive rights to Huaicheng County, which would later be expanded to a three-kilometer radius; the return period for the first batch of unsold goods was extended to six months, and the quota was increased to 18%."

"The renovation subsidy should also be the highest level."

The sound of flipping through documents on the other end of the phone stopped.

A few seconds later, President Lin let out a cold laugh.

"Old Zhou, you've been with the company for a while now."

"Do you think I can approve such irregular conditions?"

"Exclusive within a 3-kilometer radius, 18% return and exchange rate, and even the highest-end renovation subsidy?"

"If I open this door for him today, all the franchisees in the province will come and overturn my table tomorrow."

"Rules are rules. If you can accept them, sign them; if you can't, go to the next company."

"Hang up."

Ye Jianguo couldn't hear every word on the phone, but he could sense the uncompromising indifference in the tone.

His expression changed instantly.

Chen Xiulan also gripped her husband's clothes tightly, her palms sweaty.

In the elderly couple's understanding over the past few decades, when a high-ranking leader had said something to this extent, the matter was considered completely off.

Ye Jianguo's lips moved a few times.

He didn't care about saving face anymore, and even wanted to go over and apologize, telling the other party that they didn't want those conditions anymore and that everything would be done according to the rules.

But he had only taken half a step when his arm was pressed down.

Ye Chen stood to the side and gently shook his head.

He wasn't affected by the imposing manner on the phone, and even took out two bottles of mineral water from his shoulder bag.

I unscrewed a bottle and handed it to my mother.

He took a sip from the other bottle himself.

He didn't show any urgency, nor did he urge Zhou Bin.

Zhou Bin glanced at the bottle of mineral water, then his gaze fell on Ye Chen's face.

This young man is incredibly steady.

Despite the leader's decisive refusal, he showed no sign of disappointment.

It was as if the rejection on the phone just now wasn't unexpected at all.

Zhou Bin's inner drive was also stirred up.

If he were to be dismissed by President Lin with just a few words today, he would lose more than just face.

It's even more so the market in Huaicheng County that's already being delivered to our doorstep.

"Mr. Lin, don't hang up yet."

Zhou Bin straightened up, his tone even more somber than before.

"Please let me say a few more words."

"I spent two hours this morning walking through all the main commercial streets in Huaicheng County."

"We currently have no market in Huaicheng. If we don't seize this prime location now, the cost of entering the market later will be too high."

Mr. Lin did not give a clear answer.

"What does this have to do with the conditions I approved?"

"Because the people from Metersbonwe have already come down."

Zhou Bin didn't beat around the bush and went straight for his biggest bet.

"You should know about that 200-square-meter Metersbonwe flagship store in Fengxian County."

"In Huaicheng, they have also secured a good position."

"If we don't support a successful model store in a county now, this market will be eaten up by the other side in less than three months."

"Today, this franchisee is willing to bet real money on their performance in the first three months."

"He opens the market for us, and he bears the risks himself."

"We only need to offer a little policy support to secure a store in the most central location of Huaicheng."

Zhou Bin paused at this point.

"Mr. Lin, rules are certainly important."

"But if we hand over the entire Huaicheng market to Metersbonwe just to uphold a few rules, resulting in the East China region's year-end performance being suppressed by the neighboring region, who will take responsibility when the board asks?"

There was no sound on the phone.

The documents that were being flipped through just moments ago have now completely stopped.

Only the sound of fingers lightly tapping on the table remained, one tap after another.

Ye Jianguo held his breath.

Sweat slid down his chin from his forehead, but he didn't even dare to raise his hand to wipe it away.

A few seconds later, President Lin finally spoke again.

His tone remained firm, but he no longer mentioned hanging up.

"Are they really willing to bet on a top-five finish in the province?"

"Dare you write it into the contract?"

"An additional performance-based agreement, in black and white."

Zhou Bin answered very decisively.

"Sign and fingerprint on the spot."

After a moment of hesitation on the other end of the phone, the person on the other end finally gave their bottom line.

As Zhou Bin listened, he repeated each point to the Ye family.

"Okay, Mr. Lin, let me confirm."

"First, the exclusive regional protection has been reduced from three kilometers to one kilometer, and only a six-month temporary protection period has been granted. After three months, the data will be reviewed, and if the area does not rank among the top five in the province, the headquarters may cancel the protection at any time."

"Secondly, the initial return and exchange allowance will be 15%, and the return and exchange period will be extended to six months. The remaining three percent will be made up in the form of rebates after the six-month performance evaluation is met."

"Third, the renovation subsidy will be at the highest level, and the headquarters will reimburse half of it after the store passes inspection."

"These are the three, right?"

"Okay, if they want to push further, I'll refuse."

After speaking, Zhou Bin looked up at Ye Chen.

Ye Jianguo and Chen Xiulan's hearts were in their throats.

While these conditions did not fully meet the initial requirements, they far exceeded the treatment of ordinary franchise stores.

Ye Chen leaned against the concrete pillar, meeting Zhou Bin's questioning gaze without saying a word.

He simply raised his right hand to indicate that everything was fine.

"Mr. Lin, I'll take care of this."

Zhou Bin hung up the phone, stuffed it back into his pocket, and let out a long sigh.

It was only then that he realized his back was covered in sweat.

"Xiao Ye".

"You heard the bottom line from headquarters."

"Exclusive for one kilometer only, 15% of the first batch will be returned or exchanged, the remaining 3% will be reimbursed later, and half of the renovation subsidy will be reimbursed."

Zhou Bin looked at him.

"These resources were obtained for you by me, even at the risk of being shot."

"So, are you in or not?"

Ye Chen smiled.

"Thank you for your hard work, Manager Zhou."

"Even a temporary exclusive for one kilometer is still an exclusive."

"Three months is enough to completely reorganize the market in Huaicheng County."

He agreed too readily.

Without hesitation, and without further haggling.

Zhou Bin stared at Ye Chen, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

The conditions this kid initially set out probably weren't something he expected headquarters to agree to at all.

First, push the conditions up, then wait for headquarters to push them back down.

The result we've obtained now is probably what Ye Chen truly wanted.

He had been doing investment promotion for many years, but today he was pushed to the front by an 18-year-old college student, willingly asking the headquarters for policies on behalf of others.

Ironically, he borrowed that force quite readily.

Zhou Bin shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

Thinking about it again would hurt my self-esteem a bit.