Old Man Wang stood frozen in place, feeling a bit flustered. He had been worrying endlessly about the situation at his shopping plaza.
He looked at the surrounding crowd, and a sudden spark of inspiration hit him.
Old Man Wang shouted loudly to the people nearby:
"Wouldn't you all love to step outside and be able to buy Jia's cakes whenever you want?"
The crowd, still busy eating cake, responded immediately:
"Of course we would! These cakes are amazing!"
"Grandpa, I want to eat them every morning!"
"Do you even need to ask? What are you getting at?"
…
Seeing that everyone shared the same desire, Old Man Wang quickly followed up:
"Just think about it. My Fengxi Plaza is so close to Baihu Residential District. If Boss Jia opens a store there, wouldn't that mean you could buy his cakes anytime you want?"
"Now that you mention it, that's true."
"Being able to get Jia's cakes right after leaving the house, that would be fantastic."
Hearing these comments, Old Man Wang praised himself for his cleverness. This would ensure that the high-end residents of Baihu District would flow into his plaza.
Once they come, they would spend money, and his business worries would disappear.
Standing nearby, Old Man Xu cursed silently. This old guy actually had a sharp wit. Panicking, he quickly interrupted:
"You're making it sound like people don't need cars to get around. Your plaza is so desolate, even dogs don't go there."
Old Man Wang, now in a relaxed state, smugly responded, "But your plaza is farther away."
"You think you're so smart, but your plaza's service is lacking. Otherwise, why is it that no one from Baihu goes to your place?" Old Man Xu countered furiously, trying to recover from his disadvantage.
Old Man Wang, however, just kept saying with a smirk, "Your plaza is farther away!"
Cursing inwardly, Old Man Xu began turning the wheels in his head. As a seasoned business veteran, he'd built his plaza into a bustling success—his strategic mind was undeniable.
Before Old Man Wang could say anything else to Boss Jia, Old Man Xu jumped in with his own proposal. Addressing the crowd, he said:
"Everyone knows that Yunlin Plaza has top-notch service and efficiency, right?"
People who frequently visited Yunlin Plaza started chiming in:
"That's true."
"No doubt about it. Otherwise, why would we go farther instead of somewhere closer?"
"The service at Yunlin is definitely praiseworthy."
…
"To show my gratitude, we will provide free home delivery. You can place orders directly, and we'll have them delivered right to your door.
I'm sure our long-time customers have already experienced this level of service, haven't you?" Old Man Xu continued confidently.
Many people nodded in agreement.
"That's a great idea."
"Well said, Old Man Xu!"
At this point, some of the corporate executives present had begun to understand what was going on.
Oh, this is a business competition, isn't it? They thought.
Capturing supply chains, cutting off customer flow—this is business warfare at its finest. Impressive!
Some of the executives, whose time is worth tens of thousands per minute, silently took note. Watching this showdown had expanded their horizons.
These executives were all committed to the growth and expansion of their companies, and seeing this kind of strategic confrontation was an invaluable lesson.
They had also realized the potential of these cakes.
If these business executives could grasp this, how could Old Man Wang not?
"You!" He pointed angrily at Old Man Xu, his face turning red with fury.
This rascal—attacking an old comrade like him, who's practically already got one foot in the grave!
How dare he cut off his customer flow? If this is how it's going to be, then nobody gets to play anymore! (Cue the table flip meme.)
Old Man Wang played his trump card, turning to Boss Jia and saying, "Little Jia, how about I throw in a first-floor property at Baihu Residential District? I'll make sure the property management doesn't say a word."
A nearby property manager, who had been munching on cake, shuddered with fear.
He certainly wouldn't dare object, especially when the residents were so fond of the cakes. If he uttered even one word of opposition, the residents would immediately replace him.
Oh, come on, is this guy just trying to throw money away? Old Man Xu cursed internally. He stood there, deep in thought.
This time, things were getting a bit too intense.
A half-dead rival is the best kind of moat to protect your own interests.
You have to make sure they don't die completely but still keep them around as a barrier for yourself. It's a delicate balance.
Suddenly, Old Man Xu shifted his tone and started speaking on Old Man Wang's behalf, "I've never been one to hog resources, Little Jia. I believe in sharing the pie. You can open a store at my Yunlin Plaza, and I won't object if you also open one at Fengxi Plaza."
Old Man Wang was taken aback but quickly recovered, turning to Jia Fuhai and asking, "Little Jia, what do you think? Is that okay?"
"Both places for free?" Jia Fuhai asked with a shameless grin.
The two old men exchanged a knowing look, and in unison, they both said, "Free!"
Old Man Wang thought to himself, I'll secure the customer flow first. Right now, survival is the most important thing, so I'll make any concessions necessary.
His decisiveness was impressive—after all, it wasn't easy to offer such a huge gift.
Old Man Xu, on the other hand, thought, With my free delivery service, I can always maintain customer flow. I'll secure my own side and gradually weaken Old Man Wang until he's back to his half-dead state.
"Sounds good! When should I come by to take a look?" Jia Fuhai asked, delighted by the free properties. Who wouldn't take advantage of such an offer?
"Whenever you're ready, Little Jia," they both answered in perfect harmony.
Suddenly, the two old men were all smiles, exchanging pleasantries as if nothing had happened. It was as if they hadn't just been at each other's throats moments ago.
The onlookers were stunned. The abrupt change left them speechless.
"Incredible. The way they manage their emotions is something else. Just a moment ago, they were ready to tear each other apart, and now they're all buddy-buddy."
The assembled business executives, now thoroughly impressed, couldn't help but reflect. This, they realized, was the true nature of business titans.
When they could reach a level where they could switch emotions on and off at will, only then could they call themselves qualified bosses.
"How's the cake, everyone?" Jia Fuhai asked the crowd with a wide grin.
"Tastes great!" a little girl's voice rang out adorably.
"Haha, no complaints here. Boss Jia, when are you opening your store?"
"Exactly, what are you waiting for?"
…
"This time, we'll open for sure. Before, we were mainly concerned about not having enough customers since our factory is new," Jia Fuhai explained. "You all know that our cakes have a shelf life of only three days, right?"
The crowd nodded. They had already learned from Director Gao that this was to ensure the best possible taste and texture.
They had also seen the production process firsthand and knew there were no additives—just pure, delicious ingredients.
That's why they trusted the cakes so much. It was safe and truly delicious food.
"To make sure the taste isn't compromised, I need to finalize the sales arrangements. Otherwise, how could we sell them?" Jia Fuhai continued, conveniently leaving out the fact that he had been slacking off and spending his free time with his girlfriend.
If he'd been more proactive, he could've wrapped up these negotiations sooner.
"Don't worry, Boss Jia. Our company is planning to use your cakes as snacks for our employees."
"Same here! These cakes are perfect for our office as well," said one of the executives, who had already thought of a way to motivate his top salespeople.
"We could use them in our restaurant."
"They'd be great for our hotel…"
…
Many of the business owners, inspired by the old men's impromptu "business war," started to see new possibilities for Jia's cakes. They began expressing interest one after another.
Jia Fuhai hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. Now, he wouldn't have to go around hunting for clients. How clever of him!
Suddenly, a voice broke the moment—it was Chen Xiaofeng.