Chapter 46: The Opportunity for Takeoff

Because of Yuan Qingfeng's accusation of "theft," the dormitory was instantly thrown into chaos.

The argument among the few in the dorm became heated, with no one willing to back down.

Li Dong, overwhelmed by the commotion, glanced at Li Tie, who was still watching the scene with interest, and felt a surge of frustration.

What was wrong with this guy? Even if there were issues between him and Yuan Qingfeng, was this really the time to dwell on them?

Not to mention that they all shared the same dormitory—shouldn't the class leader step in to mediate in such situations?

If things got out of hand, it would make the entire 351 dormitory lose face. Did Li Tie really want to be proud of that?

With no time to argue with Li Tie, Li Dong stepped in to calm Yuan Qingfeng.

Taking a look at everyone, Li Dong said seriously, "Old Yuan, I can vouch that none of us took your MP3. Do you believe me?"

Yuan Qingfeng hesitated, then said gruffly, "I believe you. If you say it's not us, then it's not."

Although Yuan Qingfeng didn't have a great relationship with the others, he knew Li Dong was a straightforward person. Since Li Dong said it wasn't them, he didn't want to contradict him.

Besides, the MP3 was already lost, and continuing to argue wouldn't help.

Hearing this, Li Dong felt a bit of relief.

He was worried that Yuan Qingfeng might not spare anyone's feelings, which would have made things awkward.

Li Dong didn't know whether Yuan Qingfeng's MP3 was really taken by someone in the dorm, but he remembered seeing it on Yuan Qingfeng's desk around noon before he left.

Not wanting to delve further into the matter, Li Dong pulled out seven or eight one-hundred-yuan bills from his wallet and placed them on Yuan Qingfeng's desk.

Yuan Qingfeng's face turned red. Just as he was about to speak, Li Dong interrupted, "I don't mean anything else. I know you're not short on money, but you have to take this. Use it to buy a new MP3. Let's just forget about today's incident. We're all dorm mates, and I'm asking you to give me this face."

Without waiting for Yuan Qingfeng's reaction, Li Dong turned to Zhang Hao and the others, saying, "Let's just leave it at that. We're all living in the same dormitory; even if we can't become brothers, we shouldn't become enemies."

Li Dong didn't care about how others felt and went to bed to rest.

He wasn't paying for this to show off his wealth but simply to avoid more trouble.

A few hundred yuan was nothing to him, and if it could bring peace to the dorm, he was willing to play the fool.

If returning to the dorm every day meant constant unrest, Li Dong would have to consider moving out.

Thinking of his previous roommates at the agricultural university, Li Dong couldn't help but sigh: "Once you've tasted the sea, no other water will do."

---

The next few days went on as usual, as if the previous night's events had never happened.

The only change was that no one in the dorm was willing to help Li Tie and Yuan Qingfeng with cleaning, even if their mess was becoming unbearable.

Yuan Qingfeng didn't mind too much. He knew he wasn't popular and cleaned up whenever he had time.

Li Tie, on the other hand, jokingly complained to Xu Chen and others about the lack of loyalty, saying nobody helped with the cleaning.

But once he had said his piece, everyone went back to their own business, and Li Tie didn't bring it up again.

---

On September 25th, after the morning inspection, Jiang University's military training officially concluded.

As the female students tearfully said their goodbyes to the instructors on the sports field, the male students, unable to match the emotional display, dispersed on their own.

Since Li Dong had other matters to attend to in the afternoon, he left the sports field alone.

As he exited, he ran into a classmate.

Though curious about why Bai Su wasn't staying to bid farewell to the instructors, Li Dong didn't inquire since he hadn't interacted much with her.

He nodded to acknowledge her and was about to leave when Bai Su suddenly called out, "Li Dong, wait!"

"What's up?"

Li Dong stopped and looked back, surprised since he didn't have much interaction with Bai Su.

Bai Su nodded and said, "On the evening of the 30th, there will be a welcome party organized by the college. Our class is also putting together a few performances. I'd like you to sign up for a singing act."

Li Dong felt a bit annoyed and waved his hand, saying, "Sorry, I can't sing. Find someone else."

Without waiting for Bai Su's response, he started to walk away, not wanting to waste time with her.

Unexpectedly, Bai Su followed him and continued, "Li Dong, you can sing. The class leader said you sing very well. Why don't you want to contribute to the class?"

Li Dong frowned. "Li Tie said that?"

Thinking back, he realized he hadn't sung in front of anyone before. Perhaps Li Tie was referring to the times he hummed some old songs after talking to Qin Yuhan on the phone. Was that what Li Tie had mentioned?

Not wanting to bother with Li Tie's loose tongue, Li Dong shook his head again and said, "I'll be busy that day. Find someone else."

As he tried to leave, Bai Su followed him again, which made Li Dong very irritated. Why was she pestering him?

Li Dong's expression darkened as he said sternly, "Bai Su, I've already said I'm busy. Please stop following me!"

Taking advantage of Bai Su's momentary confusion, Li Dong quickened his pace and quickly disappeared from her sight.

It was only when Li Dong was out of sight that Bai Su bit her lip hard, feeling a mix of frustration and anger. This was the first time a guy had been so impatient with her.

---

Li Dong didn't think much of Bai Su's reaction.

He found a quiet spot and called Sun Tao.

Sun Tao briefly updated him on the supermarket's operations, saying everything was going well, both in Dongping and the branch stores.

With this information, Li Dong asked, "Brother Sun, what do you think about opening a Yuanfang Supermarket in Pingchuan?"

"Pingchuan?"

Sun Tao hesitated for a moment. Having worked in Pingchuan for over a decade, he was very familiar with the city.

For a moment, Sun Tao was tempted to say it was a great idea, wanting to show those who had mocked him after he left how successful he could be upon his return!

But after some thought, Sun Tao decided to be honest, "Mr. Li, Pingchuan is a provincial capital and a highly competitive area. There are already four large chain supermarkets in the city. With our current strength, entering Pingchuan might not be worth the effort."

"I understand what you're saying."

Li Dong sat down and lit a cigarette, taking a drag before continuing, "But for Yuanfang to grow, Pingchuan is an unavoidable choice."

Pingchuan, as the provincial capital, was essential for Yuanfang to establish a presence and build its reputation if it wanted to expand.

Li Dong didn't mention that he planned to set Yuanfang's headquarters in Pingchuan.

Dongping was too small; it wasn't suitable to serve as the headquarters.

Entering Pingchuan now was like seizing an opportunity from a tiger's mouth; waiting a year or two would mean missing out entirely.

With large supermarkets still establishing themselves and not having built up a significant customer base, Yuanfang could still grab a piece of the market. If they waited too long, they would be left with nothing.

Sun Tao took a long time to consider before finally saying, "Mr. Li, I'm not opposed to opening a store in Pingchuan. However, if you want to make it big there, the financial aspect…"

Pingchuan wasn't like Qingyang. Building a large supermarket there wasn't something that could be achieved with just a few hundred thousand or a million yuan.

While Dongping's supermarkets were profitable, supporting four branch stores was already stretching resources thin, making it difficult to sustain further investment.

Li Dong felt some frustration but set aside the issue of finances for now and asked, "Forget the money for now. What do you think about the university town area?"

"University town…"

Sun Tao considered the layout of Pingchuan and thought for a moment before responding, "University town has a lot of people, but mainly students. They aren't the main consumer group. There are few residential areas there, and students prefer to shop on campus. It wouldn't support a large supermarket."

"Brother Sun, do you know how many students and faculty are in the university town?" Li Dong didn't answer Sun Tao directly but asked a seemingly unrelated question.

Without waiting for Sun Tao's reply, Li Dong continued, "Six universities, nearly 150,000 students, and more than 30,000 faculty and staff. That's just one aspect."

"Second, the Longhua Plaza, which the government invested heavily in, will officially open at the end of the year, with a total area of over 150,000 square meters."

"Third, the Nanjing Food Street next door is already open, with over 300 businesses."

"Fourth, the Wanyuan and Nanfeng new residential areas are fully developed in Phase I, with over 5,000 households, and Phase II is under construction. The

 university town will become the largest commercial area in Pingchuan!"

Li Dong finished speaking and fell silent. He wasn't trying to convince Sun Tao but to motivate himself.

He wanted to open a flagship store for Yuanfang, over 10,000 square meters, but the investment was huge, and even he had doubts.

Li Dong originally planned to take things slowly and steadily.

But when he realized that Longhua Plaza would open at the end of the year, he felt the urgency.

He thought about the future layout of Pingchuan's large retail spaces. Next year, the first Carrefour would open in Longhua Plaza, and in three years, Carrefour would become the leading player in Pingchuan.

And it all revolved around Longhua Plaza, which would become the largest commercial area in Pingchuan, with a huge flow of people.

Li Dong couldn't afford to wait. With Longhua Plaza about to open and leases already underway, Carrefour might already be negotiating with Longhua Plaza. Once they settled, there would be no opportunity left for Li Dong.

The university town could support one large supermarket, but not two. Li Dong didn't want to miss this chance.

So he decided to take a gamble. If successful, it would allow Yuanfang to soar and lay a solid foundation.