Chapter 68: Favorability Maxed Out

10:00 AM.

Shuangliu Bridge.

Zheng Qian left twenty minutes early, but he was still ten minutes late.

The morning rush hour in Yebai was just too congested.

Especially Shuangliu Bridge, which is the traffic hub of all Yebai, a very large intersection. Zheng Qian spent seven or eight minutes just waiting for this one red light.

Deng Yuqing hadn't arrived yet; she was probably stuck in traffic too.

After waiting on Shuangliu Bridge for twenty minutes, Zheng Qian noticed a very interesting phenomenon.

That is, there were an extraordinary number of coffee shops in the vicinity.

Lucky X Coffee, R-Xin Coffee, Starbu K Coffee—every coffee shop brand you could name on the market was open on the street ahead.

10:00 AM was precisely the time when those white-collar workers started to feel sleepy. People were coming and going, and there were delivery riders of all different colors.

Yellow riders, blue riders, black riders; they were swarming on Shuangliu Street, lining up to pick up customers' takeout orders.

So the market for the coffee business in Yebai is actually this huge!

No wonder Deng Yuqing asked to meet him here and chose this location for the cafe.

Shuangliu Street is located in the absolute center of Yebai, much like the center of a circle. There are many commercial buildings nearby, transportation is convenient, distances are short, and delivery costs are low.

"Xiao Qian!"

Zheng Qian turned around at the sound and saw Deng Yuqing, wearing light makeup and carrying a white leather bag, jogging toward him.

A light summer breeze picked up, blowing Deng Yuqing's airy bangs. The wind made it hard for her to keep her eyes open; she had to place her left hand on her forehead just to open them slightly.

"My hair is all messed up..."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. The road was just too congested. I didn't expect this traffic light to be so long; I had to wait through three cycles to get across."

"It's fine, I just got here too." Zheng Qian helped Deng Yuqing tidy up her hair.

"Huh? Why are you alone? Where is your sister?"

"My father is preparing for surgery. She took a flight to the Imperial Capital early yesterday morning, and I stayed in Yebai to take charge of the site selection."

"If the surgery goes well, he should be able to transfer back to Yebai for recovery in a few days. By then, Shuxin and I will take care of him together."

"Oh, oh, I see."

"Where are we going to look at shops? Have you picked any out yet?"

The two walked off Shuangliu Bridge, chatting as they went.

Deng Yuqing told Zheng Qian that she had selected three shops and they were now going to look at the first one.

The location of the first one was relatively remote; it wasn't on Shuangliu Street anymore, but on the neighboring Health Street.

There were very few coffee shops on this street, only one or two. There were mostly snack shops, milk tea shops, and bakeries.

"The rent for this one is relatively cheap, around 150,000 a year, and the landlord covers the property management fees."

Immediately after, Deng Yuqing took Zheng Qian to see the second one.

This one was on Shuangliu Street, with an annual rent of 250,000, and the location was quite suitable.

But Zheng Qian was surprised to find that this empty shop was exactly opposite [Schumiller]!

Zheng Qian had asked Jin Lu what the name of the cafe she opened was, and it was indeed called Schumiller.

That coffee shop across the street was opened by Jin Lu!

What the hell, how could it be such a coincidence?

"Xiao Qian, what do you think of this one? Although the rent is a bit expensive, I quite like it."

"Uh, isn't there another one? Let's finish looking at that one first." Zheng Qian was eager to leave.

He had already seen that familiar BMW in front of Schumiller. Jin Lu must be in the shop right now. If she saw him accompanying Deng Yuqing to look at a cafe, that would be bad.

"Oh, oh, okay."

Deng Yuqing didn't think much of it, she just didn't know why Zheng Qian had suddenly become so nervous.

The third shop was also on Shuangliu Street, not far from the second one, diagonally across from Schumiller.

"The rent for this one is even more expensive, 300,000 a year, and the area is also quite large. Actually, the second one we just saw was pretty good."

"Let's go with this one!"

"Huh? So decisive? Why pick this one? I think the second one was quite good, the size was appropriate, and the rent wasn't expensive." Deng Yuqing was bewildered.

"How should I put it..." Zheng Qian scratched his head frantically, his brain racing, and finally came up with a clumsy excuse, "The Feng Shui of that first one wasn't good..."

"Pfft..."

Even the landlord laughed.

It was his first time seeing someone look at a shop like this, even bringing up Feng Shui.

"Sorry, sorry." The landlord quickly apologized for his lapse in composure, "How about this, if you can sign the contract today, I'll cover the property management fees for the whole year."

Seeing that the landlord had shown his sincerity, Zheng Qian didn't intend to argue further.

"Wait a moment, I want to have a private word with him."

Deng Yuqing gave Zheng Qian a wink, and the two stood in a secluded spot to talk about this matter.

"What is it?"

"You can't be serious, right? It's really because of Feng Shui? You actually understand this stuff?"

"Of course, my ancestors were famous Feng Shui masters. My grandfather is buried in a good burial spot in the south—you know the 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' technique? Bury the ancestor vertically, and the descendants are sure to thrive. That's why I'm so rich."

Deng Yuqing: "..."

She couldn't tell, but Zheng Qian was quite good at bullshitting.

She didn't believe in any Feng Shui, nor did she believe in fate.

The reason Zheng Qian was so rich must be because he was exceptionally capable and had seized opportunities. As for the Feng Shui stuff, he was definitely just making it up.

Rationally analyzing it, the second shop had a great location and was right opposite [Schumiller]. Schumiller was a famous coffee shop on Shuangliu Street. Renting the second shop would allow them to siphon some of Schumiller's customer traffic.

As for the third one, the location was barely satisfactory, middle-of-the-road, not as good as the second one, and it was more expensive than the second one.

The main issue was that the area was a bit too large, which didn't match the operational model in Deng Yuqing's mind.

A small cafe is a small cafe, and a large coffee house is a large coffee house. They were just starting out; they certainly couldn't be like an established shop like Schumiller, setting up such a large area to accommodate so many guests. A few tables in the shop would be enough; in the early stages, they would definitely have to stick to a takeout-focused model.

After hearing Deng Yuqing's thoughts, Zheng Qian had to admire her logic.

However, Zheng Qian still disagreed with opening the cafe opposite Schumiller.

"You are too cautious. If we're going to do this, let's do it right from the start. Don't distinguish between a small cafe and a large coffee house. Your coffee-making skills are excellent; don't be afraid of having no business."

"I believe in you."

Zheng Qian placed one hand on Deng Yuqing's shoulder, looking into her clear eyes, and spoke with confidence.

Deng Yuqing's nose suddenly felt sore, and her eyes turned red.

Except for her father, no other man had ever treated her this well.

Her heart was like raging waves; she quickly mentally simulated the rest of her life spent with Zheng Qian, even deciding where she would be buried.

"What's wrong?" Zheng Qian asked with concern, seeing Deng Yuqing silent with tears in her eyes.

"It's nothing, nothing. Then I'll listen to you." Deng Yuqing secretly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, not letting Zheng Qian see her moved expression.

[Favorability + 5]

[Current Favorability: 100]

Zheng Qian: ???