Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!
Chapter 540 - 425 Shen Qingning and Lin Lu

Chapter 540: Chapter 425 Shen Qingning and Lin Lu

In the small conference room, everyone sat together and talked about some other topics.

For instance, what new plans would Youu Tea have in the second quarter?

Nowadays, other milk tea brands looked like mere chickens and dogs in Cheng Zhu’s eyes, so Youu Tea would continue to expand during the second quarter too.

He came here today not only because there were many important things to discuss in person, but also to let Pulin Capital know that at this rate of spending, they would definitely run out of money by the third quarter this year!

Cheng Zhu was truly a master at burning through cash.

This guy only thought about the future, never caring about how much money was being spent at the moment, as if he only cared about the time cost, always racing against time.

Good lord, "An inch of time is worth an inch of gold," right?

Like not prioritizing opening stores around Hang City, but directly leaping into major first-tier cities, which greatly increased the current phase’s costs.

Luckily, his answer sheet was perfect, so nobody really had anything to say. Lin Jiehan even felt fortunate he hadn’t come out to oppose it earlier, otherwise he would’ve been squarely embarrassed.

These days, Cheng Zhu always gave off a headstrong air—it’s like, "I’m doing things my way, so none of you should bother me," very much like Yue Dongyi in his younger days who loved exploring underwater projects.

Therefore, Yue Dongyi also gave him a lot of support and trust.

By the first quarter of 2015, Youu Tea already had 19 outlets, with 4 more preparing to open.

And he had set a target for the second quarter—to have 50 stores officially in business!

That’s 12 more than in the first quarter.

Though Youu Tea is a "cash cow" and makes money very quickly, it still couldn’t keep up with this "prodigal boss’s" speed of burning cash.

Whenever Youu Tea expanded its territory, both the supply chain and the cold chain logistics had to splurge money too.

This pattern of earning while burning could not last too long.

The three of them, all prominent and experienced figures in the investment field, quickly surmised the outcome—the money wouldn’t even last till the end of the second quarter, let alone the third!

This also meant that the second funding round would be happening soon.

Cheng Zhu was here now to hint that there wasn’t enough money.

"Look, I hinted to you Pulin Capital first, aren’t I thoughtful?" he thought, like the sly man he was.

Hurry, hurry, hurry, come and fund me!

His current mentality was that of a gold digger: "Do you know how many men out there want to spend money on me?"

"I choose to spend your money first—that’s your fortune!"

Internally, Pulin Capital had already reached a consensus—they would definitely follow up with an investment in the second funding round.

And they knew full well that Youu Tea was very likely to bring in new investments to connect with new resources.

This young man was full of ideas and stubborn about them, with ears impervious to bending and not easily duped.

But even so, this second funding round was coming sooner than they had expected, much sooner!

Before the first funding round, they had thought that a second round wouldn’t happen until next year at least.

Yet here they are, barely able to wait half a year!

But, lo and behold, this college freshman truly made this brand-new milk tea business model work.

He indeed already qualified for a second round of funding, and it might even lead to a big scene where everyone wanted a piece of the action!

For Pulin Capital, the current attitude towards investing was: the more, the merrier.

The more they invested, the higher their stake would be.

Yet Yue Dongyi still remembered how this young man once turned down his investment of 160 million.

So, if nothing goes wrong, how much Pulin Capital can invest this time might really depend on his mood!

Asking for money with such an audacious attitude—is there anyone else who could pull this off?

Many people look like beggars when they seek investments.

Only goes to show, Youu Tea has truly become a coveted target in the eyes of the capital market.

And actually, Cheng Zhu had already set his sights on a certain investor.

He firmly believed the investor would definitely come knocking with money.

During the first round of funding for Youu Tea, they managed to raise an impressive amount, reaching a terrifying valuation of 800 million!

Many in the investment circle were already keeping tabs and even estimating the amount of money Youu Tea would secure in the second round of funding and what its post-funding valuation could be.

Cheng Zhu was looking forward to this as well.

The meeting lasted for an hour and a half, and afterwards, the three of them accompanied Cheng Zhu to the elevator.

Yue Dongyi looked at him and asked, "Are you heading back to Hang City right away, or are you staying a few more days in Shanghai?"

He was contemplating whether to extend some courtesy as the host.

"I have some things to handle today, plan to head back tomorrow," Cheng Zhu replied.

Yue Dongyi nodded, realizing no courtesy was needed after all.

In reality, after the meeting, Cheng Zhu didn’t have much important business.

Oh, the remaining business could sort of be considered... important?

He definitely stayed another day in Shanghai today, choosing to stay another night at Hu Yan’s place.

The truth is, he specifically picked this date to come to Shanghai, choosing a special day.

Since it was special, he needed to stay in Shanghai today and only head back tomorrow.

...

...

Hang City, the Lin family.

Since it was Sunday today, Lin Lu slept in, lounging in bed until Ten Thirty and skipping breakfast altogether.

With her boyfriend not in Hang City, she felt somewhat bored, thinking it was better to just sleep, as time passed much quicker that way!

When she woke up, she checked her phone and saw the photos Cheng Zhu had sent her.

He had taken pictures of himself wearing the tie that Lin Lu gave him, on his way to the Pulin Capital meeting.

"Handsome, handsome, handsome!" Little Lu chuckled as she typed her reply.

After sending the message, she realized he might be busy and quickly added, "If you’re busy, no need to reply~"

Lin Lu herself found it annoying to be disturbed while working on dubbing.

So, putting herself in his shoes, she thought it best not to bother her boyfriend with idle chat if he was busy.

Seeing no reply from Cheng Zhu, she hummed a tune and went to wash up.

Clearly, seeing Cheng Lu’s photos first thing in the morning had started her day off in a wonderful mood.

A little while later, she finally received a reply from Cheng Zhu.

"Just finished the meeting," he typed.

"I’m so curious, what do you look like in meetings?" Lin Lu sent a message.

"I’m naturally handsome as hell, like a domineering CEO!" Cheng Zhu shamelessly replied.

Whether he was really as handsome as a hell, that was debatable, but his love for putting on airs was a fact.

"Cut it out! Narcissist!"

"What’s this? Who just told me I’m handsome?"

"I said the tie is handsome!"

After chatting casually for a few more lines, Lin Lu asked, "Do you still have a lot to do today?"

"Yeah, lots of tasks, and they’re pretty trivial," he replied, not lying about that.

He was planning to open a big store over 300 square meters in Shanghai, and he spotted a rather decent location, which he intended to check out himself.

"Alright, no worries, I have company today anyway! Humph!" Lin Lu playfully said.

"Who? Your Ningning?" Cheng Zhu hit the nail on the head.

"That’s right, I’m having dinner with Ningning tonight, then watching a movie," Lin Lu confessed.

Seeing the WeChat message, Cheng Zhu chuckled inside.

You have plans tonight?

Good, good!

—That suits me just fine.

Anyway, I have real business tonight, I need to evaluate the toys produced by the factory.

"What movie are you watching?" Cheng Zhu asked.

"The newly released ’Cinderella,’" Lin Lu replied.

Cheng Zhu: "..."

Two rich young ladies, both like proper princesses, going to watch "Cinderella"?

Of course, he had absolutely no interest in that movie.

"I knew you wouldn’t want to watch it, so I specifically picked this one," Lin Lu typed.

The implication was clear—if he wanted to see a movie, she would save those to watch with him.

"Okay, when I return to Hang City, I’ll take you to a movie," Cheng Zhu typed, smiling.

Besides, he was well aware of why he picked this date to come to Shanghai—he was likely going to achieve his purpose!

...

...

At five o’clock in the afternoon, Shen Qingning received a WeChat from Lin Lu.

"Ningning, I’m heading out!"

She had even sent a vain selfie, sharing her outfit of the day.

The weather in Hang City had dipped suddenly, cooling off again, so Little Lu wrapped herself in the scarf that Cheng Zhu had given her.

Shen Qingning’s eyes lingered on the scarf in the photo.

She knew the scarf was a gift from Cheng Zhu; Lin Lu mentioned it before, sharing her happiness with her.

It’s particularly painful for one’s best friend and the man

she likes to be in a relationship.

Because she’ll keep sharing her stories with you.

Only you can understand the bitter taste of it.

At that moment, Shen Qingningg typed, "Heading out so early?"

"Yes! I’ve been craving it for a long time, just taking the chance while Cheng Zhu is in Shanghai to sneak out with you!" Lin Lu said.

They planned to dine out at a small hotpot restaurant today.

It’s called a small hotpot, but it’s more like DIY spicy hotpot.

The place is small but tastes great, with unique homemade dipping sauces, one of Lin Lu’s favorites.

But somehow, whenever Cheng Zhu ate there, he would end up with diarrhea, insisting that the place wasn’t hygienic.

However, Lin Lu and Shen Qingning are regulars there, never having any issues.

"Cheng Zhu is in Shanghai?" The proud girl looked at the text on her phone as if struck by lightning.

She hadn’t known about this before.

Cheng Zhu wouldn’t report his schedule to her, and Lin Lu wouldn’t always talk about Cheng Zhu’s whereabouts.

In reality, even when Cheng Zhu was in Hang City, she would often make plans with Shen Qingning for meals, spa trips, and shopping.

According to Lin Lu’s reasoning: You should never prioritize romance over friendship!

Now, Shen Qingning was thrust into a flurry of complex emotions, and for a very simple reason.

Didn’t she receive a parcel a while back containing tickets to the Zhou Jielun concert in Shanghai, which she then tore up?

The date on those tickets was today!

...

...

PS: Second update, securing first place in monthly tickets!

Also, recommending another book, a new release by an author with tens of thousands of subscriptions, "High Martial Era."