Free Web NovelChapter 381: Chapter 284: Malicious Suppression
After watering the thriving Spirit Plant seedling, Lin Li left the Mysterious Small Island.
...
After returning from the Mysterious Small Island, Lin Li sent a text message to Liu Jialin.
She replied quickly, and they made plans to have dinner together that evening.
Lin Li, who had just returned from his trip to Qiong City, wouldn’t have contacted her so soon if he didn’t want to ask about the Mutant Beasts that had broken into the safe zone.
’Oh, right. So many days have passed. I should contact Boss Zhang from the jewelry store and sell some more pearls.’
Lin Li remembered the several baskets of unsold pearls on the Mysterious Small Island. He decided to contact Zhang Yuxi and ask if she still needed any.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...
He dialed Zhang Yuxi’s number, and the call connected after a moment.
"Hello."
"Hello, Boss Zhang."
"Hello, Mr. Lin."
"Boss Zhang, how has business been lately?"
"Thanks to you, Mr. Lin, business has been excellent recently."
"Congratulations, then."
"Mr. Lin, are you calling to sell pearls?"
"Yes. I was wondering if you still needed any, Boss Zhang."
"I do. When can you come over?"
"Is now a good time? If it’s convenient for you, I can head over right now."
"It is. I’ll be waiting for you at the store..."
Although Zhang Yuxi hadn’t interacted with Lin Li many times, she could tell from their few brief conversations that he was the type who didn’t like to beat around the bush.
So, when she received his call this time, she didn’t waste time with pleasantries before getting to the main topic, as she might with other business partners. Instead, she asked him directly if he was looking to sell pearls.
It turned out Zhang Yuxi was a good judge of character. Lin Li very much appreciated her direct style, and after a brief exchange, they arranged the transaction.
After hanging up, Lin Li grabbed an ice cream bar from the freezer in the kitchen and headed out, eating it as he went.
...
At the entrance of Jiabao Pearl, a sales associate saw a silver-white van pull over. She knew the customer she was waiting for had arrived.
After parking the van, Lin Li got out and walked toward Jiabao Pearl. From a distance, he could see a sales associate standing at the entrance, smiling at him.
"Mr. Lin, long time no see!" the sales associate greeted him warmly as he entered the store.
Lin Li remembered her. She was the same sales associate he’d spoken to on his first visit to sell pearls. Her name was Xiaoyun, though he didn’t know her family name.
Lin Li smiled and nodded at Xiaoyun. She then led him upstairs toward the owner’s office. On the way, many of the other sales associates watched the young man with curiosity.
...
「In the office.」
Seated behind a large, high-end solid wood desk was Zhang Yuxi. With her fair skin, pretty face, and slender figure, she was busy reviewing the store’s recent revenue reports.
Her jewelry store’s supply chain had been almost completely cut off due to malicious suppression from competitors.
The lack of inventory caused the store’s sales to decline steadily. If that had continued, it wouldn’t have been long before the store went bankrupt.
Fortunately, at that critical moment, someone had shown up at her door with a large batch of exceptionally high-quality goods, reviving her jewelry store.
Afterward, Zhang Yuxi leveraged this exceptional inventory to launch a counterattack against the competitors who had been trying to suppress her.
As she had anticipated, her jewelry store already had a better reputation than those of her malicious competitors.
Now, armed with this exceptional inventory, her counterattack was nothing short of smooth sailing.
From the day the counterattack began, her store’s sales had soared. The competitors who had ganged up to suppress her had already sensed that something was amiss.
The competitors targeting Zhang Yuxi were baffled. They had all but cut off her supply lines, so how was she still able to restock her inventory?
Moreover, the quality of these new goods was unimaginably high. They scoured the market but couldn’t identify the supplier providing Zhang Yuxi with such exceptional products.
The competitors’ strategy had been to buy out her suppliers at inflated prices, cutting off her stock, and then crush her with a price war.
While this approach could have quickly crushed her business, the cost was substantial. Intercepting her supply at a high price and waging a price war would create immense financial pressure.
They had planned to use these swift and decisive tactics to bankrupt her store in short order.
But now, an unknown supplier had appeared, catching her competitors completely off guard and causing their plan to fail utterly.
Their dominant position vanished in an instant. Now, the immense pressure had shifted back onto them.
If things continued like this for much longer, those same competitors would have to come knocking on her door to sue for peace.
And if Zhang Yuxi refused to negotiate, her competitors would almost all face bankruptcy.
Looking at the revenue reports showing steadily climbing sales, she imagined the increasingly miserable expressions on her competitors’ faces. A captivating smile involuntarily graced Zhang Yuxi’s lips.
Just as she was about to hum a cheerful tune in her delight, there was a knock on the office door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
"Come in." About to hum, Zhang Yuxi quickly composed her happy expression and called out.
The words had barely left her mouth when the door opened. Her employee, Xiaoyun, walked in first, followed by a young figure.
"Mr. Lin...!!!" Seeing the familiar figure behind Xiaoyun, the seated Zhang Yuxi immediately shot up from her office chair.
"Good afternoon, Boss Zhang," Lin Li said with a smile, greeting his best customer.
"Xiaoyun, go to the finance office and ask Ms. Liu to come here," Zhang Yuxi instructed. Xiaoyun nodded and left the office.
"Mr. Lin, please, have a seat." Zhang Yuxi warmly gestured for the man who had turned her store’s fortunes around to sit on the sofa, then personally prepared tea for him.
Lin Li sat on the sofa, watching Zhang Yuxi prepare his tea. Her hair was tied up, and she wore a black, form-fitting suit. ’That suit looks really good on her,’ he thought. ’It would probably suit Su Yue, too.’
After preparing the tea, Zhang Yuxi noticed Lin Li’s gaze on her. Uncharacteristically, she felt no revulsion. Instead, a sense of happiness bloomed within her. ’My charm must be working on him,’ she thought.
She likely had this thought because he had mercilessly rejected her previous dinner invitation, which had left her wondering if her charm was failing her.
"Mr. Lin, did you enjoy your trip to Qiong City...?" Zhang Yuxi asked with a smile.
"I had a great time. Qiong City is beautiful—the azure sky, the boundless ocean, the soft sandy beaches. Who wouldn’t love a place like that...?"
Lin Li replied, picking up the cup of tea she had made for him. He blew on it gently before taking a small sip.
When Lin Li set his cup back down on the table, Zhang Yuxi asked, "So, Mr. Lin, how many pearls are you looking to sell this time?"
...
