Chapter 167: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, Tens or Hundreds of Billions?

Hongkou, North District, Magic City.

The Luo family's shop was quite spacious. Aside from the fruit and vegetable sections, it also featured fresh pork, seafood, and cooked deli items—essentially functioning as a small, comprehensive agricultural market.

Situated right at the intersection of three residential communities, its daily pedestrian traffic was remarkably high.

Business was steady, and turning a profit was guaranteed.

……

"Youdu Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Supermarket."

The store sign featured a vibrant green background with glowing red characters. The name was common yet fitting, and icons of various fruits and vegetables were printed directly on the signboard for instant recognition.

Passersby frequently stopped to gaze with curiosity, and some even stepped forward to inquire about the grand opening date.

However, inquiries about the date eventually dwindled because the promotional posters had already been plastered everywhere, making the information common knowledge.

Monday, April 29th, opening in the morning.

The weekend was dedicated to stocking and organizing inventory, as well as purchasing and assembling lucky draw prizes. While refrigerators required no assembly, the electric fans and e-bikes certainly did. Zhang Long was currently pitching in, sweating alongside the staff as they put things together. Surprisingly, it turned out to be quite entertaining.

"Three e-bikes?"

"Three refrigerators?"

Some of the residents passing by were genuinely shocked. They recalled that when a certain nearby supermarket had opened the previous year, they had only offered a single e-bike as a prize, while everything else consisted of small items like foot-soaking basins. For such a small fruit and vegetable shop like "Youdu Fresh" to go this extravagant for a grand opening lucky draw—wasn't that a bit too bold?

Extravagant. A truly massive stroke of generosity.

Compared to the three e-bikes and three refrigerators, the six electric fans looked completely negligible and were simply ignored.

Just like that, even before the doors officially opened, the Luo family's shop had quickly become the talk of the town among the neighborhood aunties and residents due to its lavish lucky draw event. This prompted an even greater number of curious onlookers to come and see for themselves whether it was all real or just a marketing stunt...

With monthly rent, staff salaries, utilities, and other expenses, it was still unclear how much profit the store would actually make, yet the lucky draw prizes alone were worth around 10,000 yuan. Talk about generosity.

However, many people merely watched the spectacle, doubting whether the grand prize cards were even placed in the box.

After all, over the years, they had seen countless store opening promotions with lucky draws, but they had never actually witnessed anyone winning a major prize.

"We don't play tricks here."

Noticing the growing chorus of skepticism, Zhang Long picked up a megaphone and smiled as he spoke, "All three e-bikes and three refrigerators are right here. Pulling off a fake stunt would be way too obvious. Rest assured, as long as you're lucky enough, the winner could be you."

"Besides, although the official opening isn't until Monday, you can register for membership cards and top up your balances starting today to avoid the massive queues and slow checkouts on Monday."

"Anyone interested in getting a card early can come right up. We're running a proper business here, we aren't going to pack up and run away."

Despite his words, not many people rushed to get membership cards immediately. After all, since the store wasn't officially open yet, many people felt uncertain. Zhang Long wasn't bothered by this either; every little bit counted.

Once the two-day pre-heating period concluded, business would surely explode.

……

"Brother-in-law, eat more."

Zhang Long nodded indifferently, having already become completely immune or indifferent to Luo Xin's remark. At first, he used to reply with a polite "thank you" every now and then, but later on, he gave up. During meals, Luo Xin piled food onto his plate even more frequently than Luo Man did; it was simply impossible to thank her fast enough.

"Huh? Did you grow taller...?"

Zhang Long suddenly asked with a puzzled expression. Sitting opposite him were Luo Xin and Luo's mother. Yet judging by her sitting posture and height, Luo Xin seemed to have grown taller compared to before. Previously, she was still slightly shorter than Luo's mother, but now she appeared almost equal to her.

"Really? I have no idea."

Luo Xin was also taken aback. Meanwhile, Luo Man and her mother seemed to have made a new discovery; they immediately put down their chopsticks and made Luo Xin measure her height on the spot. Sure enough, she had grown.

He remembered that previously, Luo Xin barely scraped 158 cm, but measuring her today, she had surprisingly reached 160.5 cm.

Luo Man had started modifying Luo Xin's medication and improving her diet and lifestyle just before New Year's Day in January. It had been over four months since then, and even counting from the time Zhang Long first visited the Luo household after the Chinese New Year, it had been two and a half months.

Her complexion was rosy, her vital energy and blood were abundant, she had put on a good amount of weight, and now she had even grown 2.5 cm taller.

Wonderful. It was definitely something worth celebrating.

"I can actually still grow taller?!"

The happiest person among them was undoubtedly Luo Xin. Although 158 cm was an acceptable height for a girl, growing a bit taller was naturally better. Just like her older sister Luo Man, whose height of 165 cm looked exceptionally graceful when wearing high heels.

If people could still sprout up at age 23, then being only 19 years old meant there was naturally no problem at all. Luo Xin happily lost herself in daydreaming.

*I hope I can grow to 165 cm. Amen.*

"Take this."

That night, after taking a shower, Zhang Long slipped into Luo Man's bed. "I've already bought this apartment as well as the commercial shop. The rent transferred to me by the agency is all on this card. Keep it for your expenses or whatever you need..."

"No, I don't want it."

Luo Man snuggled closer against him. "I can charge quite a bit on my credit card every month; I can't take anything else. I can't mention this to my mom either, or it will create a heavier psychological burden for her. Earning money to pay the rent each month actually feels more comforting. Our life right now is already very good, and we are quite content."

"It also gives the whole family peace of mind."

"Alright, fair enough."

Seeing her stance, Zhang Long didn't press the matter further. After a brief moment of contemplation, he said, "I'll keep the card, and the money inside will be transferred and saved every month. In the future, we can use it as the bride price or to buy milk powder for our future baby. Hehe, how does that sound?"

"Hmph, you lecherous dragon."

Luo Man shot Zhang Long a charming, captivating side-eye before pressing her red lips to his in a kiss. It had been a full month, and tonight, their brief parting felt sweeter than a newlywed reunion—less talking, more doing.

As for future matters, they could be discussed in the future.

……

Daybreak arrived on Sunday, and the sun was already high in the sky.

Amidst Luo Xin's teasing glances, Zhang Long ate his fill before leaving. He wouldn't be helping out at the shop today; with employees and workers on hand, nothing major could go wrong.

Lunch was prepared jointly by Luo's mother and Luo Xin. Afterward, Luo's mother packed some food and headed over to the shop.

Luo Xin was left behind at home to look after the place.

She couldn't handle any heavy or tiring chores, but she could still wash the pots and dishes after lunch—a task that had essentially become Luo Xin's exclusive duty so she wouldn't feel idle.

In a way, it proved she was still a useful person.

"Sis, go to sleep earlier from now on..."

Luo Xin seemed to be hinting at something. "Last night, I got up to use the restroom around one or two, and oh my..."

Her voice came to an abrupt halt because of Luo Man's glaring stare. "Stop being curious about everything. Do you even pass by my doorway to get to the bathroom? Asking for a beating, are you?"

Fine, Luo Xin fell silent.

Actually, it wasn't a big deal—just a normal, instinctive curiosity. In this lifetime, Luo Xin would likely never experience it herself; the defects in her cardiopulmonary function could not endure the torment and pain of pregnancy or childbirth, and even a heart transplant probably wouldn't work.

Getting married and having babies was something she basically stopped thinking about.

Therefore, regarding the future of her brother-in-law Zhang Long and her sister Luo Man, Luo Xin perhaps cared even more than the people directly involved. Once they got married and had kids sooner, she would be able to play with the baby.

A younger sister acting as half a mother—that checked out.

"Bzz, bzzzz~"

On the road returning to the Bund, Zhang Long received a text message from Qian Caiying. Her flight had just landed at the Magic City airport, and the auditing, operations, and planning for the Beijing branch were fully completed.

After resting for a few days, she would resume work after Labor Day to finalize the Beijing branch before heading over to the Hangzhou branch next.

"Let's go together."

In the evening, Zhang Long met up with Qian Caiying.

"We'll see."

Zhang Long poured himself a glass of champagne and took a light sip. To be honest, he did have a plan to visit Hangzhou. Although transferring household registration didn't strictly require a personal trip back to Hangzhou—since everything could be handled via authorized proxy—making the trip in person and securing the official seals would make the process much smoother.

Otherwise, if the Hangzhou neighborhood registration office refused to stamp and release the file, transferring the registration to Magic City would end up dragging on indefinitely.

An orphan by background, he had now made a fortune.

Although he had donated 300,000 yuan to the orphanage after winning the lottery last year, it wasn't particularly significant in comparison. If his past was dug up, it could still be used as a stain against him. After all, any era had its share of moral blackmailers and keyboard warriors.

Those who achieve wealth must not act without benevolence; no matter whether you suffered grievances or injuries in your childhood, you were expected to be magnanimous.

Otherwise, unleash the keyboard warriors, and they would flame you to death.

……

"Let's talk about the branches."

Seeing that Zhang Long didn't want to discuss the trip to Hangzhou, Qian Caiying dropped the subject. "The accounts at the branch have a few minor issues, but they fall well within the normal acceptable range. Secondly, the capabilities and positions of certain relatives and friends of high-ranking executives don't quite match, or they're simply holding nominal positions..."

"By extension, the Hangzhou branch will likely be much the same. After all, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away."

"Mm, not surprising."

Zhang Long nodded noncommittally. Since ancient times, branch offices essentially operated like fiefdoms under feudal rule. Even if they were originally established by directors sent directly from headquarters, over time and through ongoing operations, they gradually evolved into private territories.

Generally speaking, as long as things didn't go too far, headquarters would turn a blind eye—unless the branch intended to defect to another brand, in which case the headquarters would bare its fangs.

Things like obeying orders only when convenient and ignoring imperial decrees were common.

During a bear market, very few financial and securities brands had it easy, so there was no need to deliberately trigger a split.

Therefore, the Beijing and Hangzhou branches of Shengxin were still largely operating within the established framework without crossing any major lines.

"Based on contribution and value..."

Ling Zhiqing, who was in charge of human resources, paused slightly before speaking. "When a man achieves greatness, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Completely eliminating this is practically impossible. However, as long as their contributions and value exceed a certain baseline and they can manage themselves without affecting operations and development, we can tacitly allow it."

"But for those who are completely useless, offer no value, and lack any ability, we won't show any leniency."

"Agreed."

Qian Caiying nodded in assent, and Zhang Long also gave a silent nod of approval. Clear water breeds no fish; expecting all executives on the left and right to be completely untainted and entirely devoted to Shengxin's development was a pipe dream.

Just like right now, if Zhang Long, who held immense value for Shengxin's growth, wanted to squeeze one or two relatives into the company...

Basically, no one would object.

The same logic applied to others: those who contributed, possessed ability, and brought value could be tacitly accepted, but those possessing none of the three had better keep quiet.

They could go take a cool breeze wherever they pleased.

……

"Third Brother, are you really going to sell it?"

That night, inside a certain hotel-style boutique apartment, an earnest persuasion was underway. "Courtyard 43 was a gift from Dad to celebrate your graduation and return home. Even leaving aside the fact that you haven't lived in it for very long, you actually want to sell it..."

"You're going to drive Dad to an early grave."

Facing his younger sister's remonstrance, the tall, resolute young man remained unmoved. "It's just a villa, and it still carries a bank mortgage anyway. Now that they've cut off my credit cards, I might as well just sell it and use the cash for investments."

"What era is this to still be clinging to a tiny patch of land? The new era demands new developments, and I believe this project has tremendous potential—super huge potential."

The young girl, sporting a ponytail and looking distinctly like an inexperienced college student, furrowed her delicate face even further.

Having spent so many years abroad, her second brother was no longer the same person; his mindset was exceptionally trendy. Wouldn't it be wonderful to take over the family business? Why on earth did he insist on striking out on his own as an entrepreneur?

Success in entrepreneurship didn't necessarily mean greater development or higher profits than taking over the family business, but what if he failed?

Tens of millions down the drain, completely finished.

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'."

The resolute young man waved his hand to cut her off. "Don't try to persuade me anymore. I won't be going back for Labor Day either. Anyway, Eldest Brother and Second Sister are handling the family business; I can't be bothered to fight them for it. I want to carve out my own empire."

"Starting with tens of millions, if everything goes smoothly, within three years it will be worth at least tens or hundreds of billions."

"Tsk, keep dreaming."

The younger sister rolled her eyes and curled her lips. Setting aside the unlikelihood of success, even if he did succeed and reached tens or hundreds of billions, that would be the total enterprise value. Without continuously maintaining a certain proportion of initial equity and avoiding constant dilution, he would at most be left with a few hundred million.

Without family backing, he wouldn't be able to hold onto it.

Of course, if her third brother's project genuinely possessed huge prospects and massive value, the family would step in to help him secure it. After all, they were father and son; no matter how much they quarreled, blood ran thicker than water.

The only question was whether he could actually succeed? There was no way to tell...

"Dreams can also manifest into reality."

The resolute young man calmly gazed out at the prosperous night view of Magic City. What if it was just a daydream? China's population was massive; the baseline for success was there, and the rest depended purely on hard work.

If he lost, he would just crawl back home; if he won, he would strike it rich.

……

Monday, April 29th, Hongkou, North District.

The Luo family's shop, "Youdu Fresh," was surrounded by crowds from early morning. Premium fruits, fresh vegetables, fresh pork, and cooked deli items drew customers in wave after wave. While membership sign-ups weren't overwhelming, the queue for the lucky draw was packed with people eagerly waiting their turn.

"Meh, lucky prize."

"Damn, another lucky prize..."

A lucky prize was guaranteed with every draw—either a toothbrush or a towel. The quality was average, just barely usable. The crowd's main focus was heavily set on winning the electric fans, refrigerators, and e-bikes. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side, and nobody was hitting the big items.

"It's been an hour and a half already. With this many people, not even a single fan has been won? This feels too fake."

"There's such a thick stack of cards in the lucky draw box, and only a handful of grand prizes mixed in. You just can't draw them..."

"How much luck do you even need to—"

"Holy shit, are you kidding me?!"

Someone suddenly let out an exclamation of astonishment, wearing an expression of utter disbelief. "1... First prize?! A refrigerator!"

The scratch-off prize cards functioned similarly to scratch tickets, but the characters for "First" and "Second" were printed in large capital letters. Evidently, this young man's luck had exploded, and he had actually won a refrigerator—a real prize!

This was a major deal. The onlookers were stunned, and since the young man was a local resident, some of them recognized him.

Real prizes, a real event, with no tricks involved.

Just like that, although the first grand prize refrigerator had been claimed, the electric fans and e-bikes were still up for grabs. The purchasing power of the crowd surged instantly. After all, higher spending meant more drawing chances, and top-ups worked the same way. Consequently, even more people rushed to get membership cards and join the lucky draw.

Shortly afterward, someone else hit the "Second Prize," which was an electric fan, driving the excitement even higher.

Throughout the entire morning of its grand opening, the Luo family's shop recorded explosive sales. Had there not been ample backup stock stored on the second floor warehouse, they would have completely sold out. It was an absolute sensation.

With its prime location at the intersection of several residential communities, once the winning of the grand prizes spread through word of mouth, even more visitors poured in.

The grand opening was an instant hit, achieving unprecedented success.

"Huh? The Grand Prize?"

Late in the afternoon, a young beauty made a purchase, topped up her membership, and drew a ticket. As a resident of the same residential complex as Luo's mother, she actually won the Grand Prize e-bike. Oh my god, she was ecstatic!

"Oh, everything is sold out?"

Luo Xin returned home from school, and Luo Man had also wrapped up work early. Looking at the empty interior of the shop, anyone unaware would have thought it had been robbed. After all, the stock prepared over the weekend was supposed to last a full three days of sales.

"Yep, completely empty."

Luo's mother sighed with emotion, not a single item left.

Although an e-bike, a refrigerator, and two fans had been won away today, every penny was well-spent.

Being generous and actually letting people win the grand prizes had successfully stimulated such a massive purchasing frenzy—it was completely worth it.

"Wonderful, congratulations."

Zhang Long received the WeChat updates from Luo Man and Luo Xin and was genuinely happy for the Luo family. From this point onward, they could truly begin to gradually achieve self-sufficiency in life.

Regardless of whether things with Luo Man eventually culminated in a full and proper marriage, at least he could feel that he hadn't let her down too much.

Life was short, and one should strive to leave no regrets.