Chapter 72

After dinner, Hu Qingwan called Chen Yang to the study; she also had some things to discuss.

"I heard you're very close to the daughter of the Liu Clan Group chairman. What's going on?"

"She's a junior of mine and Lin Wei's; we're just friends. Recently my company has been doing some public welfare activities on her website, and Lin Wei knows about it."

"And what about Su Mingyue, who helps you with stock trading? What's your relationship with her?"

"She's my university classmate and also Lin Wei's close friend, working at a securities firm, and she asked me to drum up business for her."

"Just classmates? I heard you invested sixty million with her all at once."

"It's true; at the time I was moved by her analysis of Xingcheng Heavy Industry's stock and wanted to take a gamble. Luckily I guessed right!"

"... In the future, do less of this speculative stuff. Doing business honestly can make money and won't make your family worry."

"Okay, I'll remember that."

Hu Qingwan originally wanted to ask Chen Yang whether he knew about insider stock trading, but after thinking she let it go. Since the provincial authorities found nothing, why make things difficult for her own people? Besides, that's not her concern. As long as Chen Yang and Lin Wei's relationship is fine, that's enough.

Without Shen Anna's interference, Chen Yang could finally enjoy his married life to the fullest in the rental apartment. He was obsessed with Lin Wei's alluring, curvaceous figure, a fascination and affection that words could hardly capture. Whenever his eyes fell on her silky smooth skin, long slender legs, and slim waist that could be encircled with one hand, his heart would involuntarily race, as if it might leap out of his throat. Lin Wei, meanwhile, preferred to conquer her lover beneath her with the aloof demeanor of a queen.

After the passion subsided, the exhausted Lin Wei leaned against Chen Yang's body and fell asleep. Chen Yang, now in a sage-like state, began to think about the preparations needed to reopen the supermarket.

Although the reporting incident was again Zhang Jun secretly meddling, it also indirectly proved that the supermarket's low-price promotion had aroused joint hostility among nearby vendors. Otherwise, it would be difficult for an outsider like Zhao Shunfa to gather them together.

After thinking it over all night, Chen Yang decided to establish a special membership system for the supermarket.

The membership system had two categories: ordinary members received a 10% discount on regular goods, a 30% discount on promotional items, and a 50% discount on vegetable products after 6 p. m.; VIP members enjoyed a 50% discount on all goods.

As for the threshold for membership, anyone with a purchase record at the People's Livelihood Agricultural Products Supermarket could apply to become an ordinary member.

For VIP members, Chen Yang raised the threshold: one needed to accumulate spending of ten thousand yuan to apply. To give those purchasing goods some buffer time, he added an extra condition: a single transaction of over one hundred yuan would temporarily grant VIP treatment, and that spending would also count toward the VIP member's total consumption.

After dawn, Chen Yang went to an advertising shop to have two thousand paper ordinary membership cards and one hundred VIP magnetic cards made. He also printed a notice about establishing the supermarket's membership system and posted it at the supermarket entrance.

After reading the notice, everyone felt a little disappointed. Having grown used to buying vegetables at half price, the sudden increase to seventy to ninety percent was a steep jump. The only consolation was that after 6 p. m. one could still buy some not-so-fresh vegetables at half price.

As for VIP membership, the controversy was not great. A hundred yuan was not a high barrier for vendors purchasing goods; smaller operators could also team up with acquaintances to meet the requirement.

Although nobody was particularly happy about it, after the supermarket reopened a long line still formed outside. Everyone did the math: even if the People's Livelihood Supermarket's vegetable prices rose by twenty percent, they were still cheaper than the market's.

Of course, there were also dissatisfied people. For example, the merchants who had collectively caused trouble the day before, upon hearing that the People's Livelihood Supermarket had reopened, again gathered to protest. They held banners reading "officials protecting officials," "official-business collusion," and "maliciously disrupting the market," and crowded the supermarket entrance, clamoring and preventing staff from selling goods.

Their actions did not anger the staff; instead, they ignited the queue of people outside.

"Are these people sick? They won't sell us cheap vegetables themselves, and they won't let anyone else sell them either."

"Yeah, all they see is money; they don't care whether we live or die."

"Damn it, if they won't let us live well, they shouldn't expect to live well either. Let's all rush them and beat them to death!"

A middle-aged man in black clothes took the lead, charging at the vendors blocking the door, and soon a large crowd surged forward after him.

The vendors blocking the door had never seen such a scene; frightened, they turned and ran. Those who ran slower were quickly knocked to the ground, whereupon they were met with a rain of punches and kicks.

Du Yue'e worried that someone might be killed, so she quickly called the store staff to intervene. After tremendous effort, plus the timely arrival of nearby police officers to mediate, she finally managed to calm the angry crowd.

Du Yue'e then called an ambulance to take the beaten vendors to the hospital. Of course, she would certainly not pay the medical expenses.

These people were ill-intentioned, coming to cause trouble. The fact that she did not let her own staff join in beating them was already quite benevolent.

Meanwhile, Chen Yang also found the mastermind behind the scenes lurking in a corner across the street.

"Zhao Shunfa, considering our former classmate relationship, I already let you off once. I never expected you to have learned nothing."

Zhao Shunfa was visibly flustered; he thought he had concealed himself well, yet he was still exposed. "I don't understand what you're talking about? I was just passing by."

Chen Yang sneered, "Just passing by? Shall I have those people brought over to confront you?"

"……" Zhao Shunfa lowered his head glumly.

Seeing that he remained silent, Chen Yang asked, puzzled: "I don't understand—you were set up by Zhang Jun once, why haven't you wised up?"

Zhao Shunfa sighed. "Chen Yang, you're lucky; you'll never understand my plight!"

Chen Yang said: "No matter how bitter you feel, that's no excuse for scheming against others. We were, after all, college classmates who lived together for four years. Even if our feelings weren't deep, there was no grudge between us. Yet you have repeatedly stabbed me in the back. Where is your conscience?"

Zhao Shunfa sighed again, still silent.

Chen Yang threatened: "If you don't give me a reason, believe it or not I'll send you back in. This is Qing Shui, my turf—I have plenty of ways to get you locked up."

Upon hearing that, Zhao Shunfa's face fell bitterly as he said: "My mother heard that my academic record had been cancelled by the school, she became so angry she had a heart attack and was hospitalized, needing a hundred thousand Chinese yuan for surgery. My family has no money and can't borrow any, so I could only turn to Zhang Jun for help."

"If you're short on money, you could come to me—why team up with him to scheme against me?"

"I thought you wouldn't…"

"You never even tried, yet you dismissed me. That shows your tragedy isn't worthy of sympathy." Chen Yang, not wanting to waste more words, turned and prepared to return to the supermarket.

"Chen Yang, I've already answered your question—will you keep your promise?"

"When did I ever promise you anything? Still, you'd better think about the vendors you put in the hospital—once they recover, how will they retaliate against you?"

"……"