Old Chen's Wisdom

Beixian'an belonged to Shijingshan District, and there were two major villages here.

One was Beixian'an, and the other was Laogucheng Village.

As for the biggest enterprise in Shijingshan District, it was naturally Shougang, a Fortune 500 company.

The residential complex Chen Pingsheng was heading to was actually one of the earliest employee housing projects built by Shougang.

The newly opened fruit supermarket was right at the entrance of this complex, on the left-hand side.

Four storefronts lined up together, with a total area of 380 square meters, including an oversized cold storage unit.

The interior design resembled a large commercial supermarket, giving off a grand and professional vibe.

However, the near-empty store and the lack of customers only highlighted its struggling state.

There were significantly fewer fruits on the shelves, and the employees looked listless.

From the atmosphere alone, it was clear—the store was on the verge of shutting down.

Chen Pingsheng specifically brought Zhang Tao along to check it out. After drifting around Beijing for four or five years, it was time to settle down.

Through a conversation with one of the employees, they got the owner's number.

When he called, his suspicion was confirmed—the owner was a young man.

Fresh out of college, unwilling to work a regular job, he had received some startup money from his family.

After hearing that fruit supermarkets were profitable, he did a quick market survey and jumped right in.

Three months later, while the employees were exhausted, he had already lost hundreds of thousands.

His family was now calling him back home to work for the family business, preparing him to take over one day.

For people like them, this rare opportunity was nothing more than a fleeting pastime.

His parents never expected him to make money with this venture—just wanted him to experience the hardships of entrepreneurship.

To put it bluntly, they wanted him to understand how difficult it had been for them to build their business.

When Chen Pingsheng called, the young man sounded impatient.

"You want the supermarket? Fine, one million."

Chen Pingsheng: "…"

That was daylight robbery.

But the worst part? The guy could actually afford to be that unreasonable.

Not because of anything else—just because his family was rich.

He had no urgent need to sell the store, so he could afford to be stubborn.

In one phrase—take it or leave it. At worst, he'd just let the store bleed money for a few more months.

Chen Pingsheng found people like this frustrating but still had to deal with him.

He really didn't want to let go of such a prime location.

"How about we talk in person?"

"I'm busy these days. Maybe after the fifth day of the new year."

Click.

He hung up—just like that.

So damn arrogant.

"Well? How much is he asking for?" Zhang Tao, also interested in the place, asked.

"He wants a million. Clearly, money isn't an issue for him," Chen Pingsheng replied.

"A million? How did he even come up with that number?" Zhang Tao scoffed.

Realistically, the place was worth no more than 700,000 to 800,000 at most.

"Forget it, we'll wait until he's ready to talk."

Waiting was the plan, but the next day, Chen Pingsheng called again.

This time, he didn't bring up buying the store—just discussed a potential collaboration.

After a few minutes of chatting, they agreed to meet the next day.

If the price couldn't be lowered to around 600,000, he wouldn't even consider it.

When he told his wife, Song Yanxi, she was immediately disheartened.

A million yuan?

That was far beyond what their small family could afford.

They had no choice but to wait.

But then, Chen Pingsheng pulled her to the couch and said, "No need to worry. I really think that store is a good opportunity. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

After a pause, he asked, "Yanxi, why do you think someone like him would open a fruit supermarket in the first place?"

She hadn't thought about that.

If they were opening a store, it was obviously to make money.

But looking at that young owner's attitude, profit clearly wasn't his goal.

Could it be…?

"Do you think he's trying to prove himself?" she guessed.

"Exactly." Chen Pingsheng nodded.

"Most likely, he wants to show his family that he can succeed on his own without relying on them.

"Of course, there's also the aspect of impressing his friends."

To them, this kind of thinking was ridiculous—almost laughable.

Using family money and resources to start a business, just to prove he didn't need his family?

Wasn't that ironic?

But this was a common delusion among rich second-generation kids—claiming to surpass the previous generation.

Reality, however, always told a different story.

A wealthy heir was only outstanding as long as they didn't attempt to start their own business.

Song Yanxi scratched her head, puzzled.

"But, honey, even if that's what he's thinking, how does that help us buy his store?"

"Oh, it helps—a lot."

Chen Pingsheng explained, "Think about it. That fruit store is right at the entrance of the complex.

"If it's not used to sell fruit, it would make a great supermarket.

"We know that, and so do the major supermarket chains.

"They're our biggest competition."

"If he sells his store to a supermarket chain, it would be like admitting his venture was a complete failure.

"His dream of proving himself? Just a joke in everyone's eyes."

"Damn… When you put it that way, it makes so much sense!"

Song Yanxi finally understood.

Her husband had broken it down perfectly.

"So your plan is to use this against him and get the store for cheap?"

"Exactly," Chen Pingsheng nodded.

"It all depends on how much his pride is worth."

The next day—fourth day of the new year.

As scheduled, Chen Pingsheng took his wife to a high-end tea house in Shijingshan.

He was punctual.

The second-generation rich kid? Not so much.

He strolled in half an hour late, wearing sunglasses, looking completely unbothered by his failing business.

The moment he sat down, he got straight to the point.

"You've got ten minutes. Make it quick—I have a class reunion to attend."

Chen Pingsheng didn't waste words.

"Boss, we plan to continue running the store as a fruit supermarket.

"If you sell it to us, no one—neither your friends nor your family—will know you failed."

The young man hesitated.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll take over quietly. No changes to the sign, no renovations.

"We'll also publicly claim you're still the owner and we're just your employees.

"If the store becomes successful, you'll still have bragging rights in front of your family and friends."

Damn.

That hit him right in the gut.

If his family hadn't pressured him, he'd rather keep bleeding money than sell the store.

His pride was worth more than anything.

He had talked big when starting this business.

As a well-known rich kid, failing in just three months would make him a joke.

And he wasn't even the only child in the family.

"Alright, what's your offer?"

"300,000."

"300,000?"

Li Zehao frowned.

He knew his asking price of one million was ridiculous.

And even at 700,000 or 800,000, plenty of people would be willing to take over.

But this guy was only offering 300,000?

Did he think he was clueless?

Chen Pingsheng remained sincere.

"Boss, don't get me wrong. I just think your pride is priceless.

"It shouldn't be compromised over a little money.

"Besides, I only have 300,000—I really can't afford more."

"Deal."

Without hesitation, Li Zehao agreed.

Why?

Because the man's words touched his soul.

Who was he?

A rich second-generation kid with a reputation.

His pride was worth millions.

Losing a bit of money to maintain his image?

That was the best investment he could make.

His logic was simple—if Chen Pingsheng failed, then he'd just sell to the highest bidder.

No other options.