99: Chapter 99 How many short videos do I need to shoot to break even?!

Store Owner was, after all, a shrewd businessperson who had been grinding away in Huaqiangbei for many years.

A massive deal worth millions had actually been delivered right to her doorstep.

She immediately and decisively suppressed the little thoughts in her heart.

Helping her son pursue a wife, finding a beautiful daughter-in-law from a matching family background—

In the face of massive, cold hard cash profits, all of that had to take a backseat.

The serious expression on her face vanished instantly, replaced by an incredibly radiant smile.

Even the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes bunched up because she was smiling so happily.

"Mr. Zhang, it seems you really know your stuff!"

Store Owner's tone was filled with undisguised flattery and enthusiasm.

"The equipment you're asking for is all top-tier, professional grade."

"With this set of equipment, you could walk straight onto a film set and shoot a major theatrical movie."

"Your eye for this is absolutely professional!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qi's expression remained calm and composed, without a ripple.

He looked at Store Owner and asked directly, "Do you have all of this here?"

"Yes, we do, rest assured!"

Store Owner immediately patted her chest, guaranteeing it with absolute certainty.

In reality, her shop certainly didn't have such a complete stock on hand.

Those top-tier cinema cameras and lenses were rarely bought by anyone.

After all, who would tie up so much capital just to let it gather dust in the shop? You had to account for the interest.

But this was Huaqiangbei, the largest electronic distribution center in the country.

If she didn't have it in her shop, the neighboring shops definitely would.

At worst, she could just source the goods from her peers and earn a little less on the markup.

How could she possibly turn away such a big deal delivered to her door? She wouldn't be that stupid.

"You and Lin Yuxi please have a seat here and wait a moment."

Store Owner greeted them enthusiastically, terrified of neglecting this god of wealth.

"I'll go to the warehouse to prepare the equipment for you right away, and I guarantee I'll have everything sorted out properly."

After saying this, she turned to look at her son, who was standing to the side in a daze.

"Chen Zhuo, look after Mr. Zhang and Lin Yuxi properly."

"Don't you dare neglect our distinguished guests!"

After giving these instructions, Store Owner clicked away in her high heels, hurrying toward the back of the shop.

Her retreating figure exuded an eagerness to start making money.

Chen Zhuo was stunned upon hearing this.

He stared blankly at his mother's retreating figure, his lips moving slightly.

He felt like crying but had no tears, feeling as if he had been sold out by his own mother.

Wait, Mom, didn't you just swear that you were going to help me pursue Lin Yuxi?

Why did you sell me out the moment you heard they wanted to buy big equipment?

You're leaving me here to entertain my love rival; isn't that just putting me on the fire to roast!

What kind of mother does that!

But Chen Zhuo wasn't the type to be unreasonable or stubborn.

He knew that running the family business wasn't easy, so naturally, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble at a time like this.

If he ruined a deal worth millions, his dad would skin him alive.

He could only force a smile onto his face and walk to the nearby rest area.

"Yuxi, Mr. Zhang, please have a seat here for a while."

Chen Zhuo invited the two of them to sit on the leather sofa in a dry tone.

Then he turned and went to the water dispenser, poured two cups of warm water, and brought them over.

When he placed the cups down, his hands were a bit unnatural.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuxi was sitting straight on the sofa.

There was no expression on her cold, stunningly beautiful face.

She looked exactly like an aloof goddess, making people afraid to approach her easily.

But in reality, she was completely dumbfounded inside.

She had heard everything Store Owner said clearly, not missing a single word.

The things Zhang Qi wanted were all professional-grade equipment for filming movies!

Although she didn't know the exact price, the name alone sounded intimidating.

The price definitely wouldn't be cheap; it was bound to be an astronomical figure that would make one's scalp tingle.

She was just filming a transformation short video at home.

Why would she need such exaggerated equipment!

This was simply too outrageous; it was completely beyond her scope of understanding.

She was extremely panicked inside, her hands tightly clenched into fists on her lap.

Lin Yuxi didn't speak, and Chen Zhuo naturally had no mood to make small talk now.

He looked at the powerful Zhang Qi sitting next to Lin Yuxi, feeling full of frustration.

What was the point of pursuing her now? He hadn't even heard of the equipment the other guy mentioned offhand.

He, the so-called young master of the shop, felt like a total bumpkin in front of him.

Zhang Qi leaned back on the sofa, too lazy to make small talk with Chen Zhuo.

He took his phone out of his pocket and checked the newly received messages.

His phone had vibrated several times just now, and he hadn't had a chance to look.

He opened WeChat; it was a message from that three-person work group.

In the group, the chat history between Sun Yiyao and Manager Chen Danni had already scrolled over a dozen messages.

The two of them had been chatting fervently about the specific details of opening the shop.

Sun Yiyao was originally a young girl with no business acumen.

But under the analysis of Manager Chen Danni, a financial elite, she was gradually getting the hang of things.

Seeing the harmonious interaction between the two women in the group, Zhang Qi smiled with satisfaction.

This feeling of spending money to let the women busy themselves with their own careers was indeed quite nice.

Afterward, he exited the group chat interface and looked toward his WeChat contacts.

A red dot was glowing on the contacts icon.

Zhang Qi tapped it to look and was surprised to find it was another friend request from Chen Nianshu.

This was already the second time.

Zhang Qi frowned slightly, a flash of confusion in his eyes.

He didn't hesitate at all and directly ignored the request again.

He leaned back on the sofa, feeling a bit puzzled in his heart.

With Chen Nianshu's aloof personality as a PhD candidate—

Combined with her exceptionally outstanding beauty—

She shouldn't be dwelling on an ex-boyfriend like him, right?

After all, they had broken up for so long, and he had never seen her be this proactive before.

Zhang Qi shook his head, too lazy to guess this woman's intentions.

Regardless, he wasn't lacking in top-tier women around him right now.

He had no time to graze on this kind of "revisited grass"; it was purely a waste of time.

In the rest area, the three of them sat in silence.

The atmosphere felt somewhat strange and awkward; even the air seemed to have solidified.

Chen Zhuo stood behind the counter, stealing glances at Lin Yuxi from the corner of his eye from time to time.

Looking at her stunningly beautiful profile, he felt full of reluctance yet helpless.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuxi kept her head down, staring blankly at the cup of warm water in front of her.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of that movie-grade equipment.

About half an hour or more passed.

The glass door of the equipment shop was pushed open, and Store Owner walked in, covered in sweat.

Following her were several staff members pushing two carts loaded with large cardboard boxes.

Those boxes were all printed with English labels for various types of professional equipment.

"Mr. Zhang, I've kept you waiting."

Store Owner walked quickly to the rest area, her face full of undisguised joy.

"All the equipment you requested has been prepared for you."

She pointed to the unopened boxes, her tone filled with pride.

Zhang Qi put his phone back into his pocket and stood up.

"Let's settle the bill!"

His tone was crisp and decisive, without any hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Store Owner was stunned for a moment.

"There's no rush to settle the bill, Mr. Zhang."

Store Owner hurriedly waved her hand, her smile widening.

"You should take a look at the equipment first; after all, this is not a small sum."

She had been in business for so many years and had never seen anyone pay directly without even inspecting the goods.

"We're acquaintances; I trust you wouldn't cheat us."

Zhang Qi looked at Store Owner, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

His words sounded like polite pleasantries, giving the other party plenty of face.

But in reality, it was an absolute self-confidence stemming from powerful strength.

If Store Owner really dared to take advantage of acquaintances and pull tricks on a deal worth millions—

Zhang Qi would absolutely dare to spend tens of millions to hire the best legal team in Shenzhen.

And directly sue this equipment shop until it went bankrupt.

Therefore, he wasn't afraid of Store Owner pulling any tricks at all.

Store Owner was also a shrewd person who had been grinding in the business world for so many years.

She instantly felt the inviolable, confident aura radiating from Zhang Qi.

That composure of someone in a superior position was definitely not faked.

She felt a secret shudder of awe, and her reverence for Zhang Qi deepened a little more.

However, she was indeed doing business honestly this time and didn't dare to pull any tricks.

"Mr. Zhang, you're joking. We open our doors to do business, and what we value most is integrity."

Store Owner said with a smile immediately, her attitude becoming even more respectful.

"Since you trust us so much, please come over here to settle the bill."

She walked to the cash register and picked up a long, freshly printed bill.

"The bill is here; I have listed all the details clearly."

Store Owner handed the bill to Zhang Qi with both hands, her movements very proper.

"The total is 2,653,000 yuan."

"Since you are a friend of Lin Yuxi, I'll round it down for you."

"You can just pay 2,650,000 yuan!"

Hearing this number, Chen Zhuo, who was standing to the side, gasped.

Although he knew this equipment was expensive, he was still shocked when he heard the actual total price.

Over two million yuan; that could pay for a down payment in Shenzhen!

"Hmm."

Zhang Qi didn't even look at the bill; he just nodded indifferently.

He took his bank card directly from his pocket and handed it over.

Store Owner took the bank card with both hands and efficiently operated the POS machine.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuxi, who was standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded at this moment.

What the heck?

Just buying some equipment to film short videos, and a single set costs 2,650,000 yuan?

Lin Yuxi's beautiful eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.

She quickly did the math in her head.

Currently, when she films short videos, she barely earns a few ten thousand yuan a month after working herself to the bone.

With this 2,650,000 yuan equipment, how many short videos would she have to film to break even!

This is simply using a cannon to kill a mosquito; it's too extravagant!

Lin Yuxi only felt her heartbeat accelerating wildly.

The thumping sound was so clear that even she could hear it distinctly.

She felt her face burning hot, and even her slender neck had turned bright red.

A strong sense of unease surged in her heart.

Zhang Qi had indeed spent far, far too much just to help her film a video.

How was she supposed to repay this huge debt of gratitude in the future?

But mixed within this unease was an indescribable joy.

She was a young girl, so naturally, she had vanity and a longing to be cared for by someone.

Zhang Qi was willing to spend so much money on her without even blinking an eye.

This at least meant that in Zhang Qi's heart, she was worth this price!

This feeling of being valued made her socially anxious heart tremble along with it.