Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!
Chapter 495 - 398: Eating Two New Year’s Eve Dinners?

Chapter 495: Chapter 398: Eating Two New Year’s Eve Dinners?

Over the past few days, Cheng Zhu had been receiving daily reports from the external teams.

Among them were the locations for new stores in first and second-tier cities, and whether there were new high-end bubble tea shops in these big cities.

Taking four first-tier cities as an example, nine high-end bubble tea brands had opened recently.

Half of them had prices similar to Youu Tea, and the rest were slightly lower, ranging from 25 to 30 yuan.

These stores were all imitating Youu Tea’s model, making cheese-capped fresh fruit bubble tea.

But some managed to replicate it decently, while others merely produced a vague semblance.

Cheng Zhu didn’t take them too seriously.

"Let them also have a good New Year."

And believe it or not, he was actually quite amiable about it!

At the moment, he was on the phone with a middle-aged man named Liu Quan.

This individual, introduced by Yue Dongyi from Pulin Capital, primarily assisted in leveraging connections and arranging opportunities.

Since Yue Dongyi recommended him, this man naturally had significant skills, possibly describable as ’incredibly resourceful.’

For instance, when Cheng Zhu wanted to collaborate with a certain brand but didn’t know the right contacts, Liu Quan could be instrumental in bridging that gap.

How exactly he managed it, Cheng Zhu wasn’t entirely sure, but so far, the man seemed pretty reliable.

Plus, he was very straightforward, always quoting a fixed price.

If the money was right, the job could be done.

If not, then there was no deal.

Cheng Zhu actually enjoyed working with such people; it was hassle-free and efficient.

"Hello, Brother Quan."

"Ah, Mr. Cheng! I was just about to call you too."

"Oh? Sounds like you have some good news for me?"

"Pretty much!"

"Let’s hear it."

"The collaboration you mentioned after the New Year, we can discuss it," Liu Quan said.

"That’s great, really good news. And the other matter I asked you about?"

"I contacted the film crew and film company you mentioned, and I had someone reach out on my behalf, but from what I gather, they are still in the sponsorship phase. It seems they want you to enter a business partnership, and then things could proceed from there."

Cheng Zhu pondered for a moment.

"No big issue there; I understand sponsorship. Could I just put in a brief ad then?"

"That should be negotiable," Liu Quan said.

"Alright then, Brother Quan, you’ve really helped me out a lot this time," Cheng Zhu said with a laugh.

He took both collaborations very seriously.

Especially the second one.

If timed right, the second collaboration could be explosively popular!

The others in the bubble tea industry had no idea what they would face after the New Year.

And they weren’t ready for these moves.

"First off, you guys just have one store, what kind of collaboration can you do?"

"Secondly, with your level of fame, you’re not suited for such maneuvers; others won’t even bother with your requests for collaboration."

The expansion of Youu Tea and collaboration was a clever move.

This strategy was still quite novel back in 2015.

Those dazzled by Cheng Zhu’s clever maneuvers might not just be limited to the small world of bubble tea!

....

...

Time flowed, and in the blink of an eye, five days passed.

And so arrived the New Year’s Eve of 2015.

Compared to his childhood, the festive spirit these days had started to fade annually.

But Cheng Zhu was still quite keen on celebrating the New Year.

As a child, the excitement was for setting off firecrackers and receiving red envelopes.

This year, he was eager to hand out substantial red envelopes to his elders and his sister.

Additionally, he bought ten whole cases of Moutai for old Cheng and another ten for his grandfather.

A whole case of Moutai was more expensive than retail because it was more authentic and convenient for gifting.

As Cheng Zhu became increasingly successful in his career, his family’s attitude began to shift.

Initially, though they thought a few million was a lot of money and couldn’t bear to see Cheng Zhu spending on them, they complained whenever he bought them something.

They felt the money shouldn’t be squandered this way.

They also felt they lacked nothing and couldn’t bear to spend his hard-earned money.

But now, he was earning too much...

Like for an ordinary person, opening a bottle of Moutai at a family gathering seemed excessively luxurious.

But for Cheng Zhu today, it wasn’t even one percent of his daily earnings.

During meals, Cheng Zhu could tell both old Cheng and his grandfather were in good spirits.

Especially his grandfather.

He was the kind of old man who worried a great deal about the younger generation. Such elderly, with their heavy hearts, were deeply affected if the young ones failed or did terrible things.

To put it straight, their concern for you might just end up shortening their lives.

After the meal, it was time to give out red envelopes.

Cheng Zhu also received red envelopes from the elders.

In Zhejiang Province, the custom was: as long as you’re unmarried, you receive red envelopes.

No matter how much he earned outside, his family would still give him red envelopes.

Little Youzi wore a red sweater, clutching several red envelopes, and Cheng Zhu took a photo of her, then sent it to Lin Lu.

"Wow, Little Youzi is getting cuter," Lin Lu immediately replied.

Then, she typed, "I also received quite a few big red envelopes today!"

Considering she described them as "big red envelopes," they must indeed be significantly large.

Also, Lin Lu couldn’t sneak out on New Year’s Eve.

Their family had to watch the New Year Gala together, which was considered a "family rule."

This was convenient for Cheng Zhu.

Since his family dinner was early, beginning at five, it was only seven in the evening now.

In previous years on New Year’s Eve, he would go out and have fun, so his family wouldn’t mind.

Conversely, if he didn’t go out to "mingle," Xu Yun would even ask, "Not going out this year?"

After getting into the car, Cheng Zhu sent a WeChat message to Chen Jieyu.

"I’m on my way," he said.

Since it was just the two of them dining and Cheng Zhu was having his "second meal," Chen Jieyu only planned to cook three dishes and a soup.

The soup was already stewing, and the preliminary preparations for the three dishes were done.

She was now sitting on the sofa, watching TV, waiting for Cheng Zhu’s message.

Once he said he was on his way, she immediately put on her apron and walked into the kitchen to start cooking.

This way, she could ensure he had hot dishes to eat because she wasn’t sure when exactly he would arrive.

A few minutes later, she heard the sound of the password being entered outside the door.

The door unlocked, and Cheng Zhu entered to change his shoes.

There was only one pair of his designated men’s slippers on the shoe rack at this home, which pleased him.

"Hmm, smells good," he complimented upon entering, acting as though he was truly famished: "Just smelling it makes me hungry again."

In reality, to keep his grandparents pleased, Cheng Zhu ate like a machine at the dinner table.

He still felt a bit full now, hungry he was not.

After shedding his thick down coat, Cheng Zhu looked toward the kitchen.

The first thing that caught his eye was the counselor’s back, clad in an apron.

The sight was quite appealing—the apron strings accentuated her slender waist, significantly highlighting her impressive waist-to-hip ratio.

Her typically pear-shaped figure would have an even more overwhelming effect if she only wore an apron from behind...

"Need any help?" Cheng Zhu asked.

"No, just sit on the sofa for a while," Chen Jieyu said.

Cheng Zhu stood beside her, her cooking somewhat nervous.

"Alright," Cheng Zhu nodded, then added considerately, "It’s past seven, are you hungry?"

"Not really, I had a late lunch," the counselor replied.

Cheng Zhu nodded, turned on the television but did not sit down on the sofa. Instead, he started pacing within the living room.

He was digesting...

It wouldn’t be respectable to just have a bite of each dish after someone had worked so hard.

Especially when it came to the "main dish," which could affect the taste if handled improperly.

After a while, when Chen Jieyu brought out the last dish, she softly announced, "It’s ready."

Cheng Zhu sat down and saw that the dishes, though home-cooked, looked quite appetizing.

She came from Sichuan Province, had asked Cheng Zhu beforehand if he liked spicy food, to which he responded enthusiastically. So, the dishes looked quite appetizing.

And indeed, upon tasting, Cheng Zhu found the food delicious.

"No flattery intended, but it’s really tasty," Cheng Zhu remarked.

He personally preferred strong flavors, but his family ate rather blandly.

Chen Jieyu’s cooking seemed just right to him.

Hearing Cheng Zhu’s review, the counselor’s face revealed a relieved smile.

It was her first time showcasing her culinary skills in front of him, and she was genuinely nervous, feeling she hadn’t performed very well today.

"I’ll skip rice, I’ll have more of the dishes," Cheng Zhu said.

"Okay," Chen Jieyu nodded.

Though there were only two people in this room, with just their voices and the sound from the television, Chen Jieyu felt this New Year’s Eve carried a special festive spirit, unusually lively.

In previous years, even though the house was full of people, her world felt particularly empty.

The two sat at the dining table, and Cheng Zhu glanced at his phone.

"The class group is lively," he chuckled.

In the group, students from Computer Science Class 2 were wishing each other Happy New Year, repetitively like parrots, flooding the screen.

Among the flurry of "Happy New Year," Dong Dong even sent a total of 188 yuan in red envelopes.

Though Dong Dong loved to show off, he did distribute real money!

Unable to resist, Cheng Zhu grabbed a red envelope.

After doing so, he realized: being such a big boss, he should probably send one too.

Finally, he decided to send several lucky-red-packets of 666 yuan each in the group, pushing the atmosphere to a climax!

Likely, some would screenshot this and post it on the campus forum, with comments expected below:

"Is it still possible to transfer classes?"

"Does Computer Science Class 2 need more students?"

As the excitement from the red packets grew, more people surfaced in the group.

After picking red envelopes, comments either read: "Boss is generous," or, "Mr. Cheng, Happy New Year."

Dong Dong even asked him what he was doing now, but he was blatantly ignored by his godfather.

Probably in their wildest dreams, these classmates wouldn’t imagine that Cheng Zhu and the counselor were sitting at the same dining table, eating dinner together, and would later snuggle to watch the New Year Gala.

Cheng Zhu glanced at the counselor, who was also looking at her phone but hadn’t said a word in the group, and suddenly felt inspired.

"The group is so lively, shouldn’t you, as a counselor, wish the students a Happy New Year?" he suggested.

Chen Jieyu looked up at him and replied, "I haven’t really spoken much since joining the group."

That was indeed the case.

Some counselors loved chatting and joking with students in the group, while others were rather aloof, using the group solely for announcements.

Chen Jieyu definitely belonged to the latter group.

But her striking appearance among the counselors made her lack of approachability only elevate her to goddess status in the students’ eyes.

Since Cheng Zhu mentioned it, Chen Jieyu would certainly comply. She picked up her phone and started typing.

"Happy New Year, students!"

The counselor’s rare initiative naturally prompted polite replies from the students.

The phrase "Happy New Year" swamped the group again.

One after another, endlessly.

Throughout this, Cheng Zhu did just one thing.

Amid the flurry of digital New Year’s wishes, he slowly put down his phone, looked directly at Chen Jieyu, and said,

"Happy New Year."

....

(Asking for monthly tickets!)

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