The Second Store

On March 1st, as the temperature began to rise, the cold wave had passed. With the weather in the capital no longer bitterly cold, the kindergarten kids were once again free to run around, laughing and playing without restraint.

Little An An had just gotten a brand-new school bag. She had already been a bit chubby before the New Year, but after a festive season filled with good food and drinks, she had transformed into a completely round little ball.

Inside her school bag, the comic books only occupied a small corner. The rest was packed with snacks and fruits—her favorite cherries for breakfast, mangosteens for after lunch, and a small box of durian, which other kids often avoided.

She had no idea whether her family was making money or not. All she knew was that her current life was full of delicious treats. Thanks to her abundant stash of snacks, she had even unknowingly become something of a little boss among her classmates.

"You get one, I get two. You get one, I get four."

An An was an expert in food distribution. Seeing her classmates eyeing her cherries, she allocated them in a way that ensured she still got the best share.

By four in the afternoon, kindergarten was over, and it was Song Yanxi who came to pick her up.

This wasn't one of those high-end daycare centers; here, parents had to personally pick up their kids in the afternoon.

Song Yanxi drove her new car. After some time on the road, her driving skills had improved significantly. While her car wasn't the most luxurious among the parents, it was certainly not among the worst either. After all, those who were truly wealthy wouldn't send their kids to this kindergarten in the first place.

"An An's mom!"

The one calling out was Yang Xiaoyan. Her daughter was quite close to An An.

In the past, she had discouraged their friendship, mainly because she looked down on An An's family for being too poor. They had to ride a motorbike in all kinds of weather—what future could her daughter possibly have by befriending someone like that?

One had to admit, in a big city like this, parents who loved their children always thought long-term, planning every step carefully for them.

In contrast, Song Yanxi and Chen Pingsheng had never placed such expectations on An An.

"Sister Xiaoyan," Song Yanxi greeted politely.

Yang Xiaoyan walked over with her daughter, a well-dressed and neatly groomed little girl.

"I heard your family opened a fruit supermarket. Business is going well, isn't it?"

"It's alright," Song Yanxi replied modestly, unsure of Yang Xiaoyan's intentions.

In truth, business was more than just "alright"—even without the prepaid card system, their current revenue ensured they could easily make seventy to eighty thousand a month. That meant their share of the earnings would be four to five hundred thousand a year.

"Fruit sales must be quite profitable, huh?"

Yang Xiaoyan had only started paying attention after hearing that they had bought an Audi.

"It's just okay—hard work, more than anything."

Yang Xiaoyan seemed to be lost in thought before casually shifting the conversation toward real estate.

For married women like them, the most common topics of discussion were kids, husbands, and housing.

Property prices in the capital were skyrocketing, seemingly increasing daily.

Song Yanxi was naturally concerned as well. She had recently heard that a new development nearby was about to begin pre-sales, with prices set at 18,000 per square meter.

That was shockingly high. This was the fifth ring road, after all. In the past, the saying was that anything beyond the second ring road was practically the countryside.

Just last year, properties around the third ring road averaged about 30,000 per square meter, while here, it was only 15,000. Who would have thought that after just one year, the price would jump so dramatically?

The three sharp blades of real estate: purchase restrictions, price protection, and the binding of education and medical resources.

With these factors in play—along with nationwide property speculation—prices soared. But this "speculation" didn't include genuine homebuyers; it was driven by those who could truly afford to invest.

For someone like Song Yanxi, she was still just a regular homebuyer.

The rapid rise in property prices made her feel uneasy, as if delaying a purchase would mean losing a fortune.

In truth, many people shared this mindset, which was precisely why pre-sale systems thrived.

After saying goodbye to Yang Xiaoyan, Song Yanxi took An An to meet Chen Pingsheng.

At that moment, Chen Pingsheng was in Beixinan East Street, an area with several residential complexes and a bustling commercial district. He was negotiating the acquisition of a supermarket.

The store was over 400 square meters, with a transfer fee of 800,000 yuan and an annual rent of 600,000 yuan.

To take over the store, they would need to cover the transfer fee, renovation costs, and a full year's rent upfront—amounting to at least 1.6 million yuan in total.

The investment was four to five times higher than their first store, but the foot traffic was significantly better as well.

After surveying the area for a week, Chen Pingsheng was convinced that opening a fruit supermarket here would be a massive boost for the "Tengsheng" brand.

Moreover, he was confident that within just one month, he could establish a solid customer base and a good reputation.

By the second month, he planned to launch a large-scale prepaid card promotion. If the campaign ran for a month, he was certain he could bring in at least 3 million in prepaid revenue.

With the "Golden Finger" enhancement system, even at the lowest amplification rate, he could turn that into a profit of five to six million.

Was there a more lucrative business than this?

If there was, he couldn't think of one.

When Song Yanxi told him about the rising housing prices, Chen Pingsheng was briefly surprised but quickly dismissed it. Compared to running a supermarket, property price fluctuations seemed trivial.

If this second store succeeded, he could buy a 200-square-meter apartment within the third ring road outright. Why would he care about price hikes beyond the fifth ring road?

"Wife, I've been negotiating for a week, and I'm certain this is the right place. This location is far better than our first store."

Song Yanxi was momentarily speechless. That much was obvious—a store with an annual rent of 600,000 couldn't possibly be in a bad location.

The real issue was: Did they have the money?

"Honey, maybe we should check our bank balance first?"

"No need. You don't have to worry about the money for this store—I'll handle it," Chen Pingsheng said with a grin. "Soon, you'll be managing two fruit supermarkets! Excited?"

Excited, yes—but not if it meant losing everything overnight.

If she didn't spend every day with him, she'd almost suspect that he had found himself a wealthy backer.

"Be honest—where are you getting 1.6 million?"

"That rich second-generation boss from before—he wants to expand his reputation, so he's investing in me."

Whenever things were hard to explain, Chen Pingsheng simply pushed it onto Li Zehao.

Song Yanxi didn't overthink it. After all, for some truly rich heirs, a single night at a nightclub could cost that much.

Still, the thought of becoming the owner of two supermarkets felt almost surreal.

Once the deal was finalized, Chen Pingsheng wasted no time.

There was no further haggling—the standard transfer fee was 800,000, and the upfront rent was 600,000.

The current supermarket had two days to clear out its stock, after which he could take over.

With everything in place, he reached out to Zhang Tao, Liu Jing, and the others.

Without them, he wouldn't have had the confidence to expand so aggressively.

Having money was one thing; knowing how to use it was another.

With their expertise in the fruit business—sourcing, pricing, and loss control—he could delegate responsibilities effectively.

This was a massive investment.

When it came time to distribute shares, Chen Pingsheng held the largest stake.

Once the paperwork was signed, Liu Fen and Song Huamin were utterly stunned.