"I don't want to leave!" Dong Xiaorou lay in Li Zhi's arms, closed her eyes, and spoke softly.
Li Zhi chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. "Are you afraid you'll miss me?" You don't have to miss me too much. With advanced transportation nowadays, you can return at any time you desire. "It's not like you won't see me again once you leave."
Blushing, Dong Xiaorou murmured, "Don't move your hands, or I'll leave right now."
…
I fell asleep holding Dong Xiaorou. Amidst the turmoil outside, the struggle, and competition, the tranquility at home is as sweet as fragrance. Therefore, one's own peaceful abode is better than anywhere else. Dong Xiaorou looked at the sleeping Li Zhi, lost in thought.
When Li Zhi opened his eyes again, it was already dark outside. When he got up to look for someone, Dong Xiaorou was no longer in bed.
Gone?
The indescribable sense of loss. She was about to leave, and she didn't even let me touch her. Is this okay? After searching the room, Li Zhi discovered that Dong Xiaorou had indeed left, leaving a note stating that she had gone home to pack her things.
The next morning, Li Zhi personally escorted Dong Xiaorou and her team to the airport. Besides Dong Xiaorou, there were four people from the company, all part of Dong Xiaorou's core team. Sophie also came to see Dong Xiaorou off, but her expression was somewhat grim, possibly due to a lack of sleep.
"Have a safe journey."
Li Zhi briefly hugged Dong Xiaorou in front of others. Dong Xiaorou smiled, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it. She nodded and said, "Mr. Li, rest assured, I will take care of the things you entrusted to me!"
As Dong Xiaorou turned to leave, she appeared carefree, displaying no signs of hesitation. After passing through security, she didn't even look back.
"Now that she's gone, why are you still looking?" Sophie muttered softly.
Li Zhi rolled his eyes at her and said irritably, "I'm happy to look." "You're the boss, and I'm the boss too." "Do I have to ask for your permission for everything I do?" If I don't like this girl, I feel like giving her a good beating.
…
Although he had entrusted the business of Happy Fish Balls to Sophie, Li Zhi couldn't truly rest assured. He also wanted to see what the "Kaiyan Fish Balls" produced by the Zhao family looked like.
After seeing Dong Xiaorou off, Li Zhi drove to the university town.
"Kaiyan Fish Balls" were very popular in the university town. In the entire commercial area of the university town, there were three branches, with the most significant one being the No. 1 branch of Kaiyan Fish Balls located inside the university town. This was where Li Zhi had started his business.
Parking the car by the roadside, Li Zhi didn't move. Instead, he gazed at the "Kaiyan Fish Balls" shop located next to the No. 1 branch of Happy Fish Balls across the street. He couldn't help but curse, "This is not just a high-quality imitation; it's pure plagiarism." The storefront and exterior decorations remain unchanged, except for the replacement of the word "Happy" with "Kaiyan" on the sign, and the transformation of the "Fish Ball Man" logo from round to flat. "There's hardly any difference at all."
It was like KFC meeting KFU; even the logo was a "high-quality imitation." If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, and if you didn't know, you might think that "Happy Fish Balls" had been revamped.
What's more, the "Kaiyan Fish Balls" shop was right next to the Happy Fish Balls shop. The Happy Fish Balls shop across from the university was not very large, only about 50-60 square meters, but the newly opened "Kaiyan Fish Balls" shop next to it had rented a space three times the size of the No. 1 Happy Fish Balls shop.
Li Zhi couldn't understand how the Zhao family had managed to convince the three prosperous shops next to him to relocate voluntarily.
Although "Kaiyan Fish Balls" was a knockoff, it appeared more impressive than "Happy Fish Balls" just from the outside.
The shop across from the university had already opened for business today.
"Hey!"
Li Zhi was so focused on looking at the sign that he didn't notice the person in front of him. It seemed that the other person hadn't noticed him either, and since the other person was walking quite fast, they collided with each other.
"Are you blind?" Can't you see where you're going?
Initially, Li Zhi had planned to apologize to the other person, but upon hearing their tone, he couldn't resist smiling. The person was quite handsome, with short hair standing upright and a defined chest, but it was hard to determine their gender from their appearance. They had a large chest, but they were definitely not a woman. Their hair was very short.
"Are you blind?" You can see that I'm blind, yet you still bumped into me. "Are you deliberately trying to bully a blind person?"
The word "buddy" rolled off Li Zhi's tongue smoothly. If it weren't for the chest, it would be impossible to determine their gender based on their appearance. They had a large chest, but they were definitely not a woman. Although they were well-built, they were not lacking in knowledge. Their hair was very short.
"Are you fat?" "Are you out of breath just from saying that?" Fang Guoxiang scolded.
"How dare you insult me?" "I'll teach you a lesson!" Fang Guoxiang punched Li Zhi in the shoulder.
"Stop, stop, let's talk it out." "Don't use violence," Li Zhi said with a wry smile. "We're all civilized people, university students; we should have some manners."
"You're the one without manners," Fang Guoxiang exclaimed. "You and your whole family have no manners." She attacked because she recognized this guy as the one who took Mu Xiaomei to a hotel last time. This was a deep-seated hatred, and she was determined to confront Li Zhi "proactively."
Manners?
Fang Guoxiang thought, "You stole my woman, and you still want to talk about manners?"
"Too hot-tempered." Young people are impulsive. How about this: I'll treat you to fish balls, and we'll consider this matter settled. "I won't hold a grudge, and you don't need to bother me anymore, okay?" Li Zhi said with a wry smile.
If the other person had been a man, they would have already thrown a punch. The key was that the other person wasn't a man. Although they were dressed like a man, their gender was definitely different from his. If they didn't believe it, they could take off their pants and check.
Fang Guoxiang thought for a moment and said, "Fine!"
Li Zhi patted his head and remembered who the other person was. Wasn't this the "suitor" of Mu Xiaomei in the university? The relationships in the university were quite complicated!
"Let's go!" Li Zhi led his friend into the Kaiyan Fish Balls shop.
The shop was quite large, and upon entering, it felt like stepping into a McDonald's or KFC, with a high-class decor and ample space. You could dine in the shop, and although it was called "Kaiyan Fish Balls," it didn't just sell fish balls. It also offered various drinks, ice cream, fried chicken, hamburgers, and fries.
Not only that, the shop was filled with young girls and handsome male waiters, all very eye-catching.
"Do you have fish balls?" Li Zhi asked the server in the shop.
"Yes!" The server led Li Zhi to the counter and said with a smile, "The fish balls are here." How would you like them prepared: steamed, boiled, grilled, stewed, or fried? We offer not only fish balls but also a special fish ball rice dish that tastes delicious and is perfect for both lunch and dinner. It's also reasonably priced at only 16 yuan. During the opening promotion, if you download our "Kaiyan Fish Balls" app, you will receive a rebate. Spend 15 yuan and receive 5 yuan cashback.
Li Zhi discreetly frowned. An app? Something didn't seem right.
He smiled and asked, "How much are the fish balls here?"
"One yuan each, five for a cup, five yuan in total." "You can mix and match five flavors!" The server replied.
Li Zhi turned to the "tomboy" and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Fang Guoxiang hadn't eaten breakfast, so she didn't hesitate to order a variety of items.
Li Zhi smiled wryly and asked, "Are you going to finish all of that?"
Fang Guoxiang gave him a bright smile and said nonchalantly, "It's okay." "If I can't finish it, I can call my friends over to help, or I can take it to go."
Li Zhi rolled his eyes. She was treating him like a cash cow.
But he didn't say anything. It wasn't about the money. He paid for the items Fang Guoxiang ordered, then downloaded the "Kaiyan Fish Balls" app as guided by the lovely server.
Today was just a soft opening, but the place was packed. It was hard to find a place to sit.
Although the name included "fish balls," this shop was not related to Li Zhi's Happy Fish Balls. In addition to fish balls, the food stall also sold hamburgers and Chinese fast food, catering to a broader customer base than Happy Fish Balls.
After tasting the food, Li Zhi couldn't find any faults. Apart from the fish balls, the hamburgers and fried chicken were also delicious, not much different from those at KFC. The prices were reasonable, and at least 80% of the students in the university town could afford them.
"These fish balls aren't as tasty as the ones sold next door!" Fang Guoxiang muttered while eating the fish balls.
After trying the food, Li Zhi didn't eat much; instead, he focused on studying the "Kaiyan Fish Balls" app.
Upon hearing Fang Guoxiang's words, he looked up and asked, "If you had to choose, would you buy fish balls from this shop or the one next door?"
Fang Guoxiang looked at Li Zhi and said, "What's wrong with you?" "I'll buy from whichever shop I feel like buying from."
"Which shop do you think is better, this one or the one next door?" Li Zhi asked, phrasing the question differently to assess her opinion.
After a moment of contemplation, Fang Guoxiang remarked, "While the environment here is superior, the fish balls are not as flavorful as the ones at the neighboring shop." Although they're cheaper, the taste is much worse. By the way, could you please go to the shop next door and purchase two fish balls for me? Just talking about it makes me want to eat them!
Unabashedly ordering Li Zhi around, she asked him to go to the shop next door and buy fish balls for her.
Li Zhi wasn't angry. He also wanted to go next door to see how the sales were going. He smiled and agreed, then got up and walked outside.
Watching Li Zhi's back, Fang Guoxiang furrowed her brow. This man was not easy to deal with. In other words, he was somewhat cowardly, not fighting back or talking back, which made it difficult for her to figure out how to deal with him.
He had to be dealt with. He dared to steal her "woman," and if she didn't teach him a lesson, how could she make Mu Xiaomei change her mind? It would be best if she could break Mu Xiaomei's heart and then turn to her for comfort. Otherwise, she could find someone to play a trick on him.
But that wouldn't be good. What if he didn't fall for it?
Fang Guoxiang was worried.
In short, she had to make him submit, or else how could she convince Mu Xiaomei to change her mind? It would be best if she could break Mu Xiaomei's heart and then offer her comfort. Otherwise, she could find someone to play a trick on him.
But that wouldn't be good. What if he didn't fall for it?
Fang Guoxiang was worried.