Rapid Expansion

In March, Tengsheng Fruits was on a meteoric rise.

Not only did they open a massive second branch on the 10th, but they also completed the first store's profit distribution on the 15th.

Then, within just three days, they secured leases for three more prime locations.

This time, the investment was significantly smaller—the total transfer fees for all three stores amounted to just under 800,000 yuan.

As for their locations, one was on South Street, while the other two were right at residential complex entrances.

Chen Pingsheng held the largest stake, and even with all his investments combined, he had only put in 800,000 yuan.

He still had 2 million yuan in his account but hadn't found a new investment direction yet.

Opening five fruit supermarkets at once was already his limit.

Any further expansion would be too rapid, and without more trusted personnel, the risk of collapse was too high.

After making his rounds at the fruit wholesale market in his small truck, Chen Pingsheng went to see his wife, Song Yanxi.

He had always harbored a small dream—if he ever had a company in the future, he wanted a spacious office in a high-end commercial building.

Just to experience what it felt like to be a "white-collar professional."

Now, Song Yanxi was living the good life. Whether it was her former colleagues or relatives, everyone greeted her with beaming smiles.

Some relatives even brought gifts to her home, something that had never happened before.

When Chen Pingsheng arrived, she happily took his hand and left with him.

"Honey, isn't it stressful to open so many stores at once?"

"Pressure creates motivation."

Song Yanxi was five years younger than him. Even though she hadn't had the means to take care of herself before, she was now at an age when women were at their most beautiful.

As Chen Pingsheng drove his Audi, he even thought about buying a new car for himself.

"By the way, your old company moved to Zhongguancun, so their previous office space is now vacant, right?"

"Yeah, after the annual meeting, they relocated. Only a small customer service team remains here."

"I'm thinking of renting an office there. What do you think?"

"Rent an office?"

Song Yanxi was puzzled. That building was the most upscale Grade A office tower in Beixin'an, and the rent was anything but cheap.

"But we're just selling fruits. Do we really need an office in such a place?"

"The small offices in our first and second stores are fine, aren't they?"

"They're too small," Chen Pingsheng replied. "We already have five stores, and we'll open even more in the future. If we don't even have a decent headquarters, how can we call ourselves a serious business? More importantly, I just want to see you working in a high-rise office."

Hearing that, Song Yanxi was deeply touched.

On their way to check out the office, they ran into Du Juan and Yang Dan.

Neither of them had been senior employees at her former company, so they hadn't moved to Zhongguancun with the rest of the team.

Du Juan was delighted to see them since she kept in frequent contact with Song Yanxi and often bought fruits from her store.

Yang Dan, however, was different. She had only recently heard about Song Yanxi's situation after the New Year.

Back then, when she learned that Song Yanxi had quit her job right after the holiday, she had secretly thought she was foolish.

Starting a business was no easy feat.

Giving up a stable income to take a gamble with her husband? If they failed, the consequences would be disastrous.

But to her astonishment, in less than two months, their family had skyrocketed.

Not only had they opened a massive store at a residential complex entrance, but they had also launched an even larger second branch.

They even bought a car outright.

All that was missing was a house, and once they had one, their family's financial status would be more than solid.

Du Juan teased with a smile, "What a surprise! What brings you two here in broad daylight?"

"Is that a bad thing? We were planning to invite you to dinner tonight," Song Yanxi giggled, holding Du Juan's hand.

"Oh, please. I know you too well. Spill it—what do you need this time?"

"Well, Pingsheng wants to rent a large office here to serve as Tengsheng Fruits' headquarters."

"What?!" Du Juan was stunned.

It had barely been any time at all, and their former colleague hadn't just started a business—he was now leasing an office in the same building as her company.

That was a complete transformation.

"You're really opening your headquarters here?"

"Yep."

"How big are you thinking?"

"Around 500 square meters, ideally with a meeting room, finance office, and a reception area."

"500 square meters?"

Du Juan nodded. That was no small space—it could easily accommodate over a hundred employees.

She knew of a few available units, so finding one wouldn't be hard, but the rent wouldn't be cheap.

Of course, Chen Pingsheng had already considered this.

Du Juan's company was on the 12th floor, and on the 15th floor, there was a ready-to-lease office.

The largest room was over 40 square meters, with full-length panoramic windows offering a fantastic view.

Sitting in that office, Song Yanxi immediately felt a sense of excitement.

Without hesitation, Chen Pingsheng signed the lease—280,000 yuan for a year, neither too expensive nor too cheap.

If they only had five fruit stores, renting such an office might seem extravagant.

But he was planning for the future—more stores, more growth.

This was a true step up, elevating their business image completely.

With the headquarters secured, Tengsheng Fruits Supermarket made a grand move to its new home.

After several busy days, Song Yanxi finally calmed her excitement.

This time, not only did Liu Fen come to celebrate, but her younger sister, Song Wu, also showed up.

Even her attitude towards Chen Pingsheng had changed—no longer sharp or condescending.

It felt a bit odd, actually.

Chen Pingsheng almost wanted to tell her, "Come on, go back to your usual self."

With the headquarters in place, his goal was to push Tengsheng Fruits toward greater success—starting with expanding beyond Beixin'an.

His ambition wasn't huge, but he believed in taking things step by step.

For instance, their fruit wastage rate was currently around 9%. If they could bring it down to 5%, that would be top-tier in the industry.

Another critical factor was training store managers.

If they could establish a fast and efficient store manager training system, they could expand even more quickly.

That was the real reason for setting up headquarters—it was the foundation for future growth.

By the end of March, the three new stores opened simultaneously.

Fruit store renovations were typically simple, with half the staff coming from existing stores and the other half being new hires—mostly trusted people from their hometown.

At this point, of the six original people in their moving group, besides Chen Pingsheng himself, each was now managing a store.

Given their current shares and income, making 500,000–600,000 yuan a year was entirely feasible.

They could walk with their heads held high anywhere, and finding a spouse would no longer be an issue.

After reaching this milestone, even with 1–2 million yuan left in his account, Chen Pingsheng decided to take a short break.

Once the second store launched its major membership recharge promotion, he'd be able to make another big profit.

If he factored in the earnings from the three new stores, he'd definitely have enough to buy a house.

Maybe even more than enough.

At that point, he could finally bring his parents, younger sister, and older sister to Beijing to live with him.

But just then, he received a call from Zhao Liying, who had been busy filming as an extra.