Chapter 0369 The Big Talker

Tan Kaixuan wasn't surprised that Zhao Fusheng could propose a candidate, but he was still very concerned about who that person was. After all, this business was something he and Zhao Fusheng were determined to build together. If the chosen store manager wasn't suitable, problems would inevitably arise in the end.

Although his relationship with Zhao Fusheng might not be affected by this, Tan Kaixuan had no desire to taste the bitterness of failure.

"Who's your candidate?" Tan Kaixuan couldn't help asking Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and didn't beat around the bush. He said directly, "Our neighbor across the hall, Aunt Li."

After a moment's thought, he added, "She's very close to our family and a really good person. Her daughter is the 'Qingzui Girl' from before."

"Your childhood sweetheart?"

Tan Kaixuan blurted out. After all, Zhao Fusheng had mentioned the advertisement in the dormitory before, and they all knew that the Qingzui Girl was Zhao Fusheng's neighbor since childhood.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "Yeah, Fan Baobao's mother. She's a great person and capable too. I'm thinking of discussing it with her to see if she'd be willing to manage this store." He paused, then said, "Besides, she knows many people at Wanda Mall because she helped manage finances there during the opening. So she's actually the most suitable person."

"Hmm, since she's one of us, that's good." Tan Kaixuan grinned. "You and that Fan Baobao, you're not..."

Zhao Fusheng shot him a helpless look. "Yeah, yeah, she's my fiancée. What do you think?"

"Bullshit!" Tan Kaixuan pointed at Zhao Fusheng without hesitation. "Stop dreaming. How could she fall for you? If you were Fan Baobao's fiancé, then Zhou Feifei would be my mistress..."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly and patted Tan Kaixuan on the shoulder. "Brother, the road ahead is long and arduous."

With that, he tidied himself up, put on his clothes, and left the dormitory, leaving a bewildered Tan Kaixuan standing there. Clearly, Tan Kaixuan hadn't quite figured out what Zhao Fusheng meant by that remark.

Zhao Fusheng didn't bother to explain. He was now immensely grateful for the slow development of the internet, which created an information asymmetry. In other words, if this were the later era of the knowledge and information explosion, his relationship with Fan Baobao would surely be dug up, and then it wouldn't just be Fan Baobao who suffered.

Leaving the dormitory and boarding the bus, Zhao Fusheng slowly made his way home.

Fan Beibei wasn't around; Li Yuan was home alone tidying up the house.

"Fusheng, you're back." Li Yuan was a bit surprised to see Zhao Fusheng enter.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Where's Beibei, Auntie?"

"Your mom took her out shopping," Li Yuan said with a laugh. "That child is being spoiled by all of you. You can't keep indulging her like that. A little girl shouldn't get everything she asks for."

She meant it sincerely. Zhao Fusheng doted on Fan Beibei immensely; whatever she wanted, he bought without a second thought. Zhao's parents were the same—every time they took the little girl out, they bought a ton of stuff, so now Fan Beibei hardly even looked for her mother anymore.

Li Yuan was naturally happy about it, but she still didn't want her daughter to be like this.

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily. "Auntie, don't worry about that. Girls should be raised in affluence, so they won't be easily led astray later."

That wasn't Zhao Fusheng's own saying; it was from his mother. In her words, raising a son frugally was to instill thrifty habits and prevent him from squandering the family fortune. Raising a daughter in affluence was to keep her from being taken advantage of when she grew up, because compared to boys, if a girl was lured away by material things, her parents would be furious.

"Alright, you always have your reasons." Li Yuan smiled, waved her hand, and said to Zhao Fusheng, "Next time you come back, call ahead. Otherwise, if Beibei isn't home, you'll have made a wasted trip."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head. "I'm not here for Beibei, Auntie. I have something to discuss with you."

Li Yuan was taken aback. She looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise, puzzled. "With me?"

She was genuinely surprised that Zhao Fusheng would seek her out. Could something have happened at school, or was it about Fan Baobao?

With that thought, she put down what she was holding, walked over to the sofa, and sat down. "What's wrong? Has something happened?" she asked Zhao Fusheng.

Seeing Li Yuan's expression, Zhao Fusheng knew she was overthinking. He quickly smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry. It's not about me or Baobao getting into trouble."

He paused, and when he saw Li Yuan's expression relax, he continued, "It's like this: I have a classmate, my roommate, who's really close to me. His family is well-off, and he plans to open a KFC in Ninghai—you know, that Western fast food?"

"Hmm, that classmate from Shanghai, Tan something, right?" Li Yuan frowned, thought for a moment, and said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng's father would certainly have told his wife about this matter, and once Zhao's mother knew, Li Yuan naturally found out too.

At first, no one paid much attention to it; at most, they treated it as an interesting tidbit. After all, it was just a fast-food restaurant. Now that Zhao's father had contracted the entire nine floors of Wanda Plaza, with only the first-floor mall operating normally and the other floors undergoing intense renovations, the family's attention was mostly focused on that.

Even Li Yuan had forgotten about it after hearing Zhao's mother mention it.

Now that Zhao Fusheng brought it up, she remembered.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "Yes, we've secured the KFC franchise, and it's the only one in Ninghai."

"We?" Li Yuan was startled and looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise.

Zhao Fusheng gave an awkward smile, but inwardly he was cursing himself, wanting to slap his own mouth. He had just slipped up and accidentally revealed that he and Tan Kaixuan were joint investors.

But it was too late to change his story now. Li Yuan wasn't stupid; if he contradicted himself, she would likely tell his mother.

With that in mind, Zhao Fusheng nodded and said, "Yes, I also have a small stake in this store. That's why I thought of asking for your help."

"Wait a moment. Let me think this through." Li Yuan shook her head and waved her hand at Zhao Fusheng.

She was genuinely confused now. If she remembered correctly, Zhao's mother had said this business belonged to Zhao Fusheng's classmate. But now Zhao Fusheng was telling her he had a stake in it. What was going on?

Her gaze fixed on Zhao Fusheng's face, Li Yuan felt that this child she had watched grow up seemed to have many secrets she didn't know about.