The Goddess is a Little Pitiful, I Invested in Her!

“Chairman Lu, thank you for your kind offer, but I refuse,” Lu Ming’s confident smile began to crack.

For a moment, no one knew how to respond. Lu Ming had considered countless possible answers from Qi Yun. He thought Qi Yun might be excited and ask how much funding he could get.

He also thought Qi Yun might be calculative and argue fiercely over every percentage of shares, turning red in the face.

He even thought Qi Yun might not ask anything and enthusiastically agreed.

But he never expected Qi Yun to refuse directly.

Qin Fan turned his head towards his roommate as if he couldn’t understand Mandarin.

“Did I hear it wrong? Did he refuse?” Lu Ming asked.

His roommate scratched his head and said, “I think I might have misheard too…”

Like Lu Ming, they never even considered the possibility of Qi Yun rejecting the offer.

Lu Ming looked at Qi Yun, trying to discern any hint of a strategy or a retreat in his expression. But at this moment, Qi Yun’s face remained calm and composed.

“Do you know that you may have rejected an opportunity to become a billionaire by refusing?” Lu Ming asked.

“I know,” Qi Yun replied.

“Do you also know that this business is not exclusive to you? Even if I find someone else to invest today, they could replicate it in just a month,” Lu Ming said coldly.

“That’s something I know, too,” Qi Yun replied.

“Then, I can’t see any reason for you to refuse. You got into the University of the Capital. You’re not a fool. Your refusal is like choosing the wrong answer to a first-grade question.” Lu Ming’s tone became frigid.

After listening to Lu Ming’s words, Qi Yun seemed to remember something and chuckled.

Laugh?

Lu Ming felt even more annoyed. He considered himself a patient person who could endure and wait for a good project, but Qi Yun’s reaction baffled him.

“Senior, I know the right answer very well,” Qi Yun suddenly said, “For financing, it all comes down to performance. And how is performance demonstrated?”

“Perhaps by looking at the speed of expansion? How can we expand rapidly? By finding franchisees! Having ten or twenty franchise stores in each first-tier city and three or four in each second-tier city adds up to hundreds of stores. That’s rapid expansion.” He continued.

“What’s more, we can charge franchise fees. Thirty thousand yuan per store, and with a hundred stores, that’s already thirty million yuan.”

“Not only that, but we can also sell raw materials to the franchise stores, ensuring continuous profits. The franchisees’ money is like chives, sprouting endlessly. Isn’t that great?” Qi Yun explained.

“Senior, do you think this answer is correct or not?” Qi Yun looked up at Lu Ming and asked.

Lu Ming took a deep breath.

Even though Qi Yun’s explanation was simple, it was his idea. If they wanted rapid expansion, it was indeed the best approach. Even Qingxue wanted to say something but held back.

“But senior, the consequence of rapid expansion is often an unmanageable number of franchisees and uncontrollable quality control. In the end, the franchisees might resort to cutting corners or be unable to sustain the business. As for the quality of the milk tea, it will undoubtedly decline with time.”

“But if we accept funding, we won’t be able to slow down. Capital doesn’t wait for anyone, right?” Qi Yun explained.

Lu Ming remained silent.

Don’t be fooled by his polite tone.

Qi Yun said that his investment was also aimed at rapid growth and quick returns.

If Qi Yun wanted to go slow, he wouldn’t let him. He was not doing charity.

At that point, it would be difficult for Qi Yun, who accepted the investment, to resist the ideas of a big investor.

What Qi Yun said was not even a secret. For brands with many franchisees, maintaining quality control was impossible. Many well-reputed milk tea shops in the future were mostly direct operations.

“Moreover, I can come up with many correct answers,” Qi Yun continued as if he didn’t notice his expression.

“What if the business is not doing well? We hire people! We have people line up, take a photo, and post it online. When people see how popular the shop is, they will all come!” Qi Yun said.

Lu Ming: “…”

You’re really talented!

“Not enough? If not enough, we can play with limited editions and have a ‘starvation sale.’ If everything fails, we can hype up a milk tea festival!”

“Or even more ruthless, we can reduce the wages of the tea shop employees. Milk tea shops don’t require highly educated staff. If someone can’t tolerate it, there will always be others who can.”

“With this approach, the customers won’t be satisfied. The employees won’t be satisfied, and the franchisees won’t be satisfied. But what does it matter? We’ll make money!”

“Chairman Lu, are my answers correct enough?” Qi Yun asked.

Lian Qingxue looked at Qi Yun, her fingers tightly intertwined, wearing a somewhat distressed expression. But when she looked at Qi Yun, she lowered her head, not wanting him to see her face.

Lu Ming’s expression became complex.

“Since you all understand…”

Qi Yun’s ideas even made him feel very practical. He didn’t know that what Qi Yun said was even some successful or common cases in the future.

Now, he only had one doubt. Qi Yun clearly understood, even better than him.

Why did he refuse?

“These answers are all correct, but I don’t want to choose them.” He said.

“Why?” Lu Ming asked.

“Because someone doesn’t want me to choose this way.” Qi Yun turned his head and looked at Lian Qingxue.

Lian Qingxue, who was initially lowering her head, raised it with a confused expression.

“Because of your girlfriend?” Lu Ming asked with confusion.

Lu Ming also looked at Lian Qingxue, somewhat incredulous.

Qi Yun reached out and embraced Lian Qingxue in his arms.

“Senior, let me introduce her to you. She is my girlfriend, Lian Qingxue. The name of this shop, ‘Snow Tea,’ comes from her.”

“From the very beginning, Snow Tea was opened for her. And she has taken it from a small shop to what it is today.”

“Now… if I were to ask Qingxue whether she would accept the investment, what would she say?” Qi Yun looked at Lian Qingxue, who was biting her lip.

“She would say yes, right?” Lu Ming said.

Lian Qingxue obediently nodded.

“But I know she doesn’t want to,” Qi Yun said.

“I know this girl sees Snow Tea as a witness to our love.”

“Senior, did you notice that suggestion book over there?” Qi Yun said to Lu Ming.

There was a thick suggestion book placed in the corner of Snow Tea.

“You might think it’s just a decoration, but only I know that there’s a girl who diligently reads every suggestion and replies seriously,” Qi Yun said.

“Senior, tell me, why is this girl so earnest?”

Lu Ming couldn’t find the words to answer.

“Because she’s naive and has a very unrealistic dream. In her dream, she wants everyone to love Snow Tea and make everyone who works for Snow Tea happy. She hopes that the name ‘Snow Tea’ will always remain untarnished,” Qi Yun looked at Lian Qingxue and said.

Lian Qingxue was different from him.

For Qi Yun, Snow Tea wasn’t even a career at first. It was just a money-making tool.

But Lian Qingxue was different. She was only eighteen or nineteen now. Her perspective on the world was still innocent and idealistic.

In her mind, Snow Tea was like a joyful paradise where everything was beautiful, pure, and flawless. Everyone could live happily there.

She didn’t voice it out loud because she knew her thoughts were unrealistic — a dream that could never come true.

She knew she was too greedy, wanting Snow Tea to maintain its current atmosphere and reputation while growing rapidly.

It was impossible.

And Lu Ming’s approach was indeed the best choice for Qi Yun.

……

“What you said is great, and what I said is also correct. But for me, no matter how much money or how correct the choices are, they are not as important as this girl’s perfect dream,” Qi Yun continued.

“Senior, it sounds sentimental. But I refused you not for any other reason but because when I started this shop, my only goal was to make this girl happy.”

Did Qi Yun lack money?

Certainly not.

He didn’t need Lu Ming’s investment if he wanted to expand. He improved the employees’ treatment and worked hard to train them for promotion to protect Lian Qingxue’s dreams.

Lian Qingxue stared at Qi Yun, tears slowly welling up.

“Even if it means exchanging it for a fortune of billions?” Lu Ming’s tone carried a tinge of complexity.

“It’s worth it,” Qi Yun replied with a smile.

At this moment, he spoke from his heart. If he could make Lian Qingxue happy, he would be willing to keep Snow Tea from expanding forever.

After all, he had the system. Why not be willful?