Suppressing the Protagonist at the Start to Seize the Heroine

Chapter 51

Finally digesting the information, Lin Xiaowan asked, “Su Lin, what would Xiaoyu and I do then? We’re just high school students with good grades, nothing more.”

Su Lin shook his head, “No, you both haven’t realized your potential. Let’s start with you, Xiaowan. Your logical thinking is clear, you’re good at taking initiative, and you have a knack for language. If we open a supermarket, you negotiating with suppliers would be most suitable. A supermarket’s survival depends heavily on its suppliers. You handling this would be like controlling the lifeline of our business.”

“And Xiaoyu, you’re good at managing finances efficiently, ensuring that every penny is spent wisely. So, managing our finances would be the best role for you.”

“What about managing the supermarket? You’re not planning to do it yourself, are you?” Lin Xiaowan inquired.

Su Lin replied with a smile, “I certainly won’t be handling that myself. There’s someone more suitable for it.”

“Someone more suitable? Who?” Lin Xiaowan asked curiously.

“You both know him. It’s Chen Yang from our class. He might not be great at market expansion, but he can manage the operations.”

“Oh, Chen Yang… I wouldn’t have remembered him if you hadn’t mentioned him,” Lin Xiaowan admitted.

“Right, Chen Yang doesn’t stand out much in class. But I noticed he stopped going to the cafeteria recently,” Xiaoyu reflected.

“He stopped going to the cafeteria? That must be your doing, Su Lin,” Lin Xiaowan said with a half-smile.

Su Lin nodded and explained, “Chen Yang has made quite a bit of money following my lead. He can now support his entire family’s expenses, so he doesn’t need to eat at the cafeteria.”

“Wow, Su Lin, no need to be modest. A good horse needs a good rider. Without you, Chen Yang might still be eating cold meals in the cafeteria. What else have you done for our class?”

Su Lin waved his hand dismissively, “That’s all, really.”

“So, Su Lin, what will you be doing?” Lin Xiaowan prodded.

“Yeah, what’s your role, Su Lin?” Xiaoyu added, both girls looking at him expectantly.

Su Lin smiled and said, “I’ll be overseeing the big picture and coordinating everything.”

“Ha! That’s just a fancy way of saying you won’t be doing anything,” Lin Xiaowan teased.

Su Lin defended his role, “How can you say that? Do you know how to negotiate with suppliers, Xiaowan? Does Xiaoyu know how to arrange the finances? Does Chen Yang know how to manage the company? None of you do. Without someone overseeing everything, the supermarket would shut down in three days.”

Lin Xiaowan felt like there was more to Su Lin’s words than he let on, but his logic seemed sound. However, Su Lin was thinking of being a hands-off manager, like Ye Feng in the original story, who would start companies and then leave them for Xiaoyu to manage.

Su Lin wasn’t worried about their capabilities. He was more concerned about his own growth not keeping pace with theirs.

“Aren’t you worried Xiaoyu and I will run your company into the ground?” Lin Xiaowan asked.

Su Lin replied confidently, “Even if that happens, it’s okay. I have the resources for you to learn and grow. But seriously, I believe you both are capable of handling these roles.”

Xiaoyu, a bit timid, shook her head, “Su Lin, I don’t think I can do it. Xiaowan has been a class leader since she was young and has management skills. I’m different; I’ve never managed people, let alone finances.”

“Xiaoyu, don’t push it away. Don’t forget, you’ve already signed a contract with me,” Su Lin said with a smile.

“Ah~!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll supervise.” After saying this, Su Lin turned to Lin Xiaowan, “What do you say, Xiaowan?”

Lin Xiaowan smiled and replied, “How can I miss such an interesting opportunity? I’m definitely in for starting a business.”

“And what about you, Xiao Yu?”

“Hehe, Su Lin, like you said, I’ve already signed a contract with you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure every expense is accounted for. I won’t let your money be wasted,” Xiao Yu said firmly.

“Great! Then let’s go find the right location.”

After parking the car, Su Lin, Xiao Yu, and Lin Xiaowan walked down the street. Having agreed to Su Lin’s proposal, both Lin Xiaowan and Xiao Yu started observing potential locations seriously. A chain supermarket requires not only a good location but also enough space and high foot traffic, making it challenging to find the right property.

“Su Lin, you must have already thought about where in Jiangning District would be suitable for the supermarket,” Lin Xiaowan said.

Su Lin nodded, “There are two places I have in mind, even the buildings. But they’re difficult to acquire since they’re currently occupied.”

“Ah! You plan to buy them outright?”

“Of course. If we rent and the business does well, what if the owner raises the rent next year? It’s better to buy a building. It saves a lot of money in the long run, and getting loans will be easier.”

“Loans? Don’t you have over ten million yuan? Why do you need a loan?”

Su Lin chuckled, “Xiaowan, do you think ten million is a lot? Once we start expanding the chain of supermarkets, it’s going to grow rapidly. If we open several stores at once, do you think ten million will be enough? And that’s if everything goes smoothly. What if others see our success and want to start their own supermarkets? Then we might have to engage in price wars, and ten million won’t even last a day.”

“Wow, sounds exciting,” Lin Xiaowan said, seemingly eager to try.

“That’s just healthy competition. What about unhealthy competition?”

“A supermarket business… is it really that fierce?” Xiao Yu asked, a bit surprised.

“Definitely, but we don’t have to worry about that for now.”

“Hmm! Su Lin, which building are you talking about? Maybe I should give it a try. If I can negotiate a deal, it could save us a lot of trouble,” Lin Xiaowan suggested hopefully.

“You want to try?”

“Yeah! Since I decided to join in, I should give it a shot. I want to try!”

“Alright, go ahead and negotiate. If you can get it for around one million, that would be great.”

“The land in Zhongjiang is quite cheap now, around two thousand per square meter. I think giving Xiaowan one million should be enough. If the owner is willing to sell, a million is more than sufficient.”

“Isn’t one million too much?” Lin Guoqiang is the mayor of Zhongjiang, so Lin Xiaowan had some idea about the local land prices.

Su Lin shook his head, “Not at all. Without a premium, why would they sell to you?”

“You’re right.”

“Let’s go, I’ll take you there. Figuring out how to close the deal is up to you.”

Lin Xiaowan proudly said, “I wouldn’t take on an easy task.”

“Hehe….”