Director Gao has been experiencing a mix of pain and joy recently. Jia Ji Cake Factory has been generating millions of dollars a day since it opened. More and more clients are coming to him for supplies, but due to limitations on sourcing, production cannot be relaxed.
It pained him to see such a golden opportunity passing by, all because the boss lacked ambition. It felt like a waste of his skills.
Luckily, the boss had recently delegated more power to him for development, a suggestion Qiqi made to Jia Fuhai. Jia Fuhai thought it was a good idea since it meant less for him to worry about.
However, Gao Qichao was also reminded by his boss to carefully consider various aspects of the business and to maintain Jia Ji Cake's high-end positioning. He was given freedom to develop the company, but any large expenditures had to be approved by the boss's wife, Zhen Linqi.
With his newfound authority, Gao Qichao began planning to expand the scale of the cake factory. As the profits steadily increased, he set his sights on operating his own chain of stores rather than selling cakes in supermarkets. The only exception would be Lin Mama's AAA Supermarket, as she was the mother of one of the lady bosses, so there was no avoiding that relationship.
With the cake's delicious taste fueling his ambition, Gao Qichao envisioned opening Jia Ji stores across a ten-square-kilometer radius in Hong Kong, much like other popular chain brands.
Jia Fuhai: I just wanted you to oversee production. What are you trying to do?
The factory was originally meant to free him from cooking every day, but it had turned into an even bigger headache.
Now, Gao Qichao was searching for a site for a new factory and urging the renovation of the two stores belonging to Uncle Wang and Uncle Xu. He wanted to use these two stores as models for expansion in other plazas.
Being invited to open a store is entirely different from opening one independently. It's like the difference between the Golden Arches and K White Beard—what plaza doesn't have them? They're always invited.
Uncle Wang and Uncle Xu were eager to get their stores up and running, excited by the enticing aroma of the cakes.
Meanwhile, Lin Mama's AAA Supermarket saw a boost in business thanks to Jia Ji Cake.
Initially, some people would buy up all the cakes at once. Lin Mama had no choice but to limit how many cakes each person could purchase, to prevent them from disappearing too quickly and drawing more crowds.
Clearly, Jia Ji Cake was becoming more and more famous.
Back at home, Jia Fuhai rarely had time to play with his young son.
While playing, he avoided games that required much brainpower. The outcome wouldn't look good, and he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his son.
Holding his son aloft, he made a flying pose like a baby Superman.
Watching this, Jia Qiyi quietly slipped away to find his mother, preferring to read a book instead. His hypermemory disliked sensory overload, and while he could usually block it out, he didn't want to endure any discomfort.
"I'm flying!" Little Naji beamed, raising his fist in excitement.
He was still young, after all. Though precocious, he had a playful side.
"Fly, fly, fly!" Jia Fuhai ran around the living room with his son in tow.
"Xiao Hai, what are you doing? Put my grandson down!" Zhen Fugui, worried about his grandson's safety, quickly intervened.
"Dad, look how much fun Naji's having," Jia Fuhai responded, feeling confident in his handling skills.
"..." Chen Lina was speechless. Why were all men like this? She wasn't surprised at all by her son-in-law's antics.
In truth, when the child wasn't in any immediate danger, it was the father who usually posed the biggest risk.
"He's still young. What if you accidentally let go? Put him down!" Zhen Fugui insisted. His grandson was his treasure—nothing else mattered.
"...Okay, Dad." Reluctantly, Jia Fuhai set his son down.
"Well, let me do it." Zhen Linna stretched out her arm, as if ready to fly herself.
Zhen Fugui and Chen Lina: "..."
Their daughter was beyond help.
"Forget it. You all play. I'll take Naji with me," Zhen Fugui said, taking his grandson away from the chaos.
"I want to fly too!" Zhen Linna exclaimed.
"Fly, fly, fly. I'll let you fly right now," Jia Fuhai coaxed, playing along like she was still a child.
After lunch, tensions remained high.
"Don't go too far!" Zhen Fugui shouted.
"Fugui, go take care of the kids. Why are you getting involved?" Chen Lina quickly defused the situation. As long as the younger generation wasn't being rude, the elders should stay out of it.
Jia Fuhai kept quiet. His wife liked to sleep in. What was the big deal?
Zhen Linna had stayed in bed so long that not even the delicious lunch could entice her.
Her father-in-law was growing more and more frustrated with her laziness.
Zhen Fugui couldn't believe it. His grandson, Qiqi, didn't seem to care about his mother's habits either.
"Hmph!" With a cold face, Zhen Fugui went to find his grandson. But as soon as he saw him, his stern expression softened.
"Qiqi, let's go out for a walk. Your parents are watching your brother," Jia Fuhai suggested to his wife. He was bored, and Nana was still sleeping.
"Okay!" Zhen Linqi thought for a moment, closed her book, and agreed.
"Let's go check out the stores in Fengxi Plaza and Yunlin Plaza," Jia Fuhai said, mentioning the places he wanted to visit, even though they were skipping the Baihu Community.
"It's up to you," Zhen Linqi said, following her husband's lead.
They drove to Fengxi Plaza, which was quite close. After parking, the two strolled toward the square.
Standing at the entrance of Fengxi Plaza, Jia Fuhai was surprised by the foot traffic. It didn't seem as bad as people had said.
However, the most striking thing was the sign for their shop, with the name "Jia Ji" standing out prominently.
"Qiqi, look! That's the sign for our shop," Jia Fuhai said, pointing at it.
"Did they finish decorating so quickly?" Zhen Linqi asked, puzzled. She hadn't heard any updates from Director Gao.
Usually, whenever there was something important, Director Gao would report to her first.
"I don't know either. Let's go take a look." Even Jia Fuhai wasn't sure how they had been so efficient.
When they arrived, they realized that while the sign had been installed, the shop wasn't ready to open just yet.
They had put up the sign as a promotional move, creating a buzz around the upcoming opening of Jia Ji Cake Factory in the square.
Curious onlookers gathered, discussing the future shop.
"How long until they open?"
"Yeah, I thought I could finally buy some cakes, but it's still under renovation!"
"I've been craving more since I tried it at work. Slurp~"
Some people even crowded around the square's manager, urging him to speed up the opening.
The manager smiled apologetically. "I'm pushing them as fast as I can."
The store wasn't even open yet, and people were already clamoring for it. He couldn't believe it.
But he was pleased, knowing the square would profit from such a high-demand store.