When Mi Cai maintained full confidence in Weiran as always, my anxious heart gradually calmed down. Then I thought of Jian Wei, Leyao, and even CC, who were all sparing no effort to support me. Why couldn’t Weiran help Mi Cai with the same selflessness as Jian Wei and others? Reflecting on this, my worries indeed seemed somewhat narrow-minded. Perhaps it was because I couldn’t stand in Mi Cai’s shoes to understand the bond they had shared over the past four years.
After a brief silence, I finally said to Mi Cai, “Maybe I’m just overthinking. I should respect your friendship with Weiran.”
“Mm.”
I asked her, “By the way, if Fang Yuan’s information is accurate, what kind of PR crisis do you think Mi Zhongde will create?”
Mi Cai thought for a moment and replied, “He has emotional ties to Zhuo Mei, so I believe he won’t create a devastating crisis. At most, it would just prevent Zhuo Mei from going public. I think he might create a small-scale customer trust crisis.”
At this moment, Mi Cai’s judgment differed from my earlier assumption of self-revealing Zhuo Mei’s internal scandals. However, I believed her prediction would be more accurate, as this woman’s foresight in strategic planning was unparalleled. Thus, she had repeatedly foiled the schemes orchestrated by Mi Zhongde against her.
“Zhaoyang, if it really turns out to be a customer trust crisis, how will you respond?”
Jian Wei had asked me this question before. I pondered it again carefully but still had to disappoint Mi Cai with the same answer I had given Jian Wei: “I don’t really have any ideas. I spent several years in the planning department at Baoli Department Store without encountering any PR crises. I truly lack experience. However, rest assured, the PR team Jian Wei has assembled this time is absolutely top-notch in the industry. With proper preparation, we will definitely handle it calmly.”
Mi Cai smiled and didn’t ask anything further. We chatted a bit more before hanging up.
…
In the afternoon that same day, I returned to Xitang again. Because the guest flow at the inn had been increasing rapidly in recent days, I needed to go back to coordinate and arrange things. At this point, I was extremely troubled because there weren’t enough guest rooms to accommodate the surging number of visitors. Thus, that evening, I didn’t waste any time and went again to see my good friend Feng in Xitang. Unexpectedly, he was also troubled by the same issue, so the two of us just poured out our grievances to each other.
Feng complained to me, “Zhaoyang, your inn is really dragging down the rest of us merchants in Xitang. We in the food and beverage industry basically aren’t limited by guest capacity, but now we have plenty of guests and can’t accommodate them. It’s really frustrating!”
I sighed and said, “I’m troubled by this too!”
Feng thought for a moment and suggested, “Why don’t you rent another inn? With such an abundant guest flow now, there shouldn’t be much risk.”
I pondered in my mind for a while before replying, “Right now is the peak tourist season, and everyone is working hard to make money. Renting another inn right now isn’t very practical…”
Feng looked disappointed.
I lit a cigarette and took several puffs before finally saying, “I’ve got an idea now. I plan to renovate half of the rooms in Zhou Zhaokun’s inn.”
“How will you renovate them?”
“According to youth hostel standards, each room can accommodate eight people, instantly increasing the guest capacity by more than four times. Additionally, for this renovation, we should add an economy package in the Perfect Travel Plan, targeting budget travelers and tourists with slightly lower spending power. Your bar and other businesses can also come up with corresponding plans to join this economy package. This way, the challenge of guest capacity can be greatly alleviated.”
Feng looked at me in disbelief and then exclaimed, “Some people are just naturally gifted in business, and you’re clearly one of them.”
“You flatter me. Isn’t business just about identifying problems and then solving them?”
“Some problems can be identified, but not everyone has the ability to solve them. Personally, I feel that the Perfect Travel Plan will become increasingly mature and cover a wider range of consumer groups.”
I nodded, as this was indeed undeniable. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so eager to set up a presence in Suzhou, right next to Xitang. Moreover, in the near future, my bars and restaurants in Suzhou would be connected with the inns in Xitang, forming a tightly linked small industrial chain.
Now, as long as I could help Mi Cai resolve the impending PR crisis, I could fully focus on building my own career. Perhaps I could indeed create an era of my own in China’s tourism industry.
…
Three days passed. During these three days, I kept traveling back and forth between Suzhou and Xitang. Meanwhile, Leyao had already sent me the transfer contract, which I signed and mailed back to her in Beijing. Once I transferred the 750,000 yuan transfer fee to her, the management rights of “Fifth Season Bar” would officially belong to me.
That afternoon, I met CC at her restaurant, bringing along a bank card containing the hefty sum of 750,000 yuan. After finding a seat in the restaurant, CC, as usual, brought me a mug of draft beer and sat down across from me.
Unavoidably, we ended up talking about Rob again. CC told me that Rob had recently written a new song called “Happiness Is Around” and was preparing to participate in an original song competition held by a certain TV station this summer.
This news genuinely shocked me, because Rob was visibly transforming himself at a visible pace, and the reason was the reappearance of Wei Manwen. However, this change might bring happiness to Wei Manwen but deeply hurt CC. As onlookers, we dared not judge who was right and who was wrong, since love has always been beyond control.
Perhaps only when Rob someday looks back will he remember CC, a woman as gentle and poetic as a song.
I finished all the draft beer in my glass before finally taking out the prepared bank card from my pocket and handing it to CC, saying, “This card contains 750,000 yuan. It’s Leyao’s share from transferring the bar to you.”
CC calmly asked, “How come there’s so much? I only invested 200,000 yuan initially.”
“You invested those 200,000 yuan when Leyao needed it the most. Plus, ever since she went to Beijing, it’s been you who’s been helping manage the bar. She specifically instructed me to ensure this 750,000 yuan reaches you. Please accept it—it’s truly what you deserve!”
CC firmly refused, saying, “I’ll only take back the 200,000 yuan I originally invested. As for helping her manage the bar, we’ve always been such good friends that it’s not even worth mentioning!”
CC’s personality left me quite helpless, but I was determined to give her the 750,000 yuan. So I took the initiative and said, “You’ve been in Suzhou for so many years, still living without a permanent home. Why don’t you use this money to buy a house? A small two-bedroom apartment would be just enough!”
As I was waiting for CC’s response, my phone suddenly rang. As soon as I answered, Jian Wei’s urgent voice came through on the other end: “Zhaoyang, come to my company right away. The PR crisis for Zhuo Mei has erupted…”
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